G.I. Joe vol. 5 issue 7

Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	July 5, 2017
Cover date	June 2017
Written by	Aubrey Sitterson
Art by	Giannis Milonogiannis
Colors by	Lovern Kindzierski
Letters by	Tom B. Long and Shawn Lee
Editor	Carlos Guzman
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	Current era

While the Joes' subterranean mission continues, trouble back home comes to a head.

Synopsis

Skywarp takes on the mutated Rock 'n Roll, but even with Salvo backing him up with some heavy-duty firepower, the ex-Decepticon struggles to match the might of his unhinged teammate. A rocket-powered punch seems to put Rock down, but as Skywarp moves in over his apparenty fallen foe, Rock seizes him and hurls him across the cavern—straight into one of the Joes' Mole Pods, setting off the payload of explosives it contains. Eventually, Doc is forced to unleash her new Dire Wraith powers, extruding tendrils from her arms that restrain Rock until he returns to normal.

Aboard Lemuria, Scarlett protests even as the captive Baroness and Crystal Ball are taken into custody by Duke. Quick Kick is ready to take on all of Duke's men if Scarlett so orders it, but she eventually relents; Duke keeps Roadblock's secret, telling Scarlett that it was the French who released the intel to him, and promises that she will have access to the Baroness following her trial. The two prisoners are loaded aboard Duke's sub for transport to the Hague, but before they leave, Baroness promises Scarlett that she will see her again soon...

Someone else on their way to the Hague is English football player Farooq "Spitfire" Shah, a former Royal Air Force pilot who at that moment is making his way through Heathrow airport with a hungover teammate. As his friend grumbles about his dislike of flying, a young fan runs up and requests a selfie with Shah, who is only too happy to oblige.

Elsewhere, the AWOL Snake Eyes and Agent Helix have succeeded in their mission to predict the incursion sites of the "Fatal Fluffies." While Helix collects the last of her data, Snake Eyes finishes off the monster that has emerged at their location, and the pair head back to base. They are met upon arrival by a furious Scarlett, who angrily tells them about everything that has gone on in their absence—and no sooner has Snake Eyes learned about the Baroness than he is turning on his heel to head out in pursuit of Duke's team. Scarlett gives him a direct order to stop, but it takes Quick Kick planting his hand on Snake's shoulder to get him to halt. Quick Kick declares that Snake Eyes will only be leaving by going through him, and challenges him to a one-on-one martial arts throwdown...

Back underground, while Doc tends to the recovering Rock 'n Roll's injuries, Skywarp actually winds up arguing with Salvo when he tries to defend Rock after she insults him. Spirit, meanwhile, scouts ahead and discovers what appears to be the origin point of the Fatal Fluffies: a huge cavern filled with clutches of eggs, and with an ancient, arcane altar at the center. Though there are multiple Fluffies inside, Spirit is confident the team can quickly and quietly plant enough explosives to collapse the whole cave. Unfortunately, Tunnel Rat reveals that all the detonation equipment was lost in the explosion of the Mole Pod, meaning that the explosives will have to be carried out manually—a fatal proposition. Ashamed of his actions and seeking to redeem himself, Rock 'n Roll volunteers for the sacrifice play... and Skywarp volunteers to defend his position as he plants the bombs. The Cybertronian has no intention of going out like Rock does, though—Skywarp makes clear that, just before Rock presses the button, he'll be escaping and leaving the Joe to his fate.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe

Others

Duke (9)
Baroness (12)
Crystal Ball (13)
Multiple Fatal Fluffies (17)
Shah's teammate (18)
Farooq "Spitfire" Shah (19)

Quotes

"I'M A MONSTER! YOU KNOW WHAT I DID TO GRAND SLAM! YOU KNOW!"
"I know that we aren't what we've done! We're what we choose to be! You can decide what you want to become! You are not a monster, Rock... you're a Joe."

—Rock 'n Roll and Doc

"What they fed me here was most definitely against the Geneva Conventions."

—Baroness critiques Shipwreck's cooking

"Have you lost your mind? Snake Eyes would slaughter you!"
"With an uzi in his hand? With you in his ear? Sure. But one-on-one? With hands, feet, and other more... elegant weapons? Not a chance. He's gone soft, while I'm hard as nails."

—Helix and Quick Kick

"If you've got the guts. If you want to try me... say nothing."
"..."
"To the dojo then. Hope you know the sign language for 'mercy.'"

—Quick Kick and Snake Eyes

Notes

Originally solicited for release in June, this issue continues IDW's ongoing series of delays, arriving just a pinch late in the first week of July.
Who's "Spitfire" Shah? We got nothin'! "Farooq Shah" isn't a pre-existing G.I. Joe character, nor is the "Spitfire" codename, having only been used for a battering-ram weapon from the 1995 G.I. Joe: Extreme toyline. Guess we'll have to keep reading to see how his trip to the Hague lines up with the one Duke is taking his prisoners on...
In the original Inhumanoids-centric outline for the series, the eggs in the underground cavern would have been seen hatching into multiples of the snake monster Ssslither.

Covers (4)

Regular cover: The Joes stand triumphant over a fallen Fatal Fluffy, by Aaron Conley and Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Subscription cover A: Tunnel Rat, Roadblock, and Rock 'n Roll, by Giannis Milonogiannis
Subscription cover B: Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Helix, and Quick Kick play it stealthy, by Drew Johnson and David García Cruz
Retailer incentive cover Gung Ho versus the Dreadnoks, by Ed Luce