Snake-Eyes: The Origin
	Short Summary Part one of a two-part story of Snake-Eyes' background. Stalker explains his history with Snake-Eyes & Tommy Arashikage(Storm Shadow) in Vietnam. Snake-Eyes meets the Soft Master who relieves the history of the Arashikage Clan & the rivarlry between Snake-Eyes & Storm Shadow. Plus the death of the Hard Master by Storm Shadow.
Notes of Interest Significant Snake-Eyes' background story elements: --His Vietnam connection with Tommy Arashikage (Storm Shadow) & Stalker is explained. --Snake-Eyes twin sister, mother and father where all killed in a car accident on the way to the airport. They were hit by a drunk driver. --Hawk's first meeting with Snake-Eyes at the airport to deliever the news of his family's death. --Stalker discovers that Tommy Arashikage is Storm Shadow. --Introduction of the Arashikage Clan & Snake-Eyes joining of the clan. --Many ninja techniques and weapons are shown during Snake-Eyes training. --The rivalry of Storm Shadow & Snake-Eyes begins. --Death of the Hard Master & Storm Shadow as his suspected killer. First Appearance of the Hard Master & Soft Master.
Major Players The Joes: Snake-Eyes, Hawk, Stalker, Scarlett, Mutt and Junkyard, Torpedo, Tripwire, Cobra: Destro, Zartan, Baroness, Cobra Commander, Firefly, and Wild Weasel. Arashikage Clan members: Tommy Arashikage(Storm Shadow), Soft Master, and Hard Master.
Creative Team Scripter and Breakdowns: Larry Hama, Finishes: Steve Leialoha, Lettering: Rick Parker, Coloring: George Roussos, Editor: Denny O'Neil, Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
Long Summary There are two separate storylines in this comic, one involving a chase in the Florida Everglades and the discovery of Zartan's lair, and the other, the Origin of Snake Eyes. Not much happens with the Everglades story. It provides comic relief between the more serious story of Snake-Eyes' origin. Firefly and Wild Weasel escape from Mutt, Torpedo and Tripwire, who chase after, attempting to recapture them. Junkyard leads Destro, Baroness, Zartan, and Cobra Commander after the Joes. Or so they think. Junkyard actually leads the Cobras into a pit of quicksand, which they fall into. As for the Origin of Snake Eyes, this story occupies much of the comic. Hawk and Scarlett research the meaning of the tattoo that is on both Storm Shadow's and Snake-Eyes' arms, the I-Ching. But they fail to comprehend its meaning. Stalker says that he had seen that tattoo before as well. He begins the story of Snake-Eyes. Stalker was the leader of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) unit in Vietnam. On one mission, they lost three of the six members. Stalker, Snake-Eyes, and Tommy, with the unpronounceable last name, were the surviving three. Tommy and Snake-Eyes were really close. Tommy always tried to talk Snake-Eyes into joining the "family business" back in Japan after the war. As they were getting extracted by helicopter, they were ambushed. Snake-Eyes was wounded. Tommy went back and carried Snake-Eyes to the helicopter amid heavy Viet Cong fire. As Tommy was pulling Snake-Eyes on board the chopper, that is when Stalker said he first saw that tattoo. He saw it on Tommy's arm. Afterward, Stalker called the Records Division and found that Tommy's unpronounceable last name translated directly into English as Storm Shadow. Snake-Eyes got sent home because of his wounds, but no one was there to meet him at the airport. Hawk, who was just a junior officer at the time, was sent to retrieve him and tell him that his mother, father, and twin sister had been killed by a drunk driver. With nothing left for Snake-Eyes, he went to Japan to take Tommy up on his offer to join the "family business". This "business" turned out to be a ninja clan. The Hard Master, Tommy's uncle, was the "chairman of the board". The Soft Master, Tommy's other uncle, was "vice-president in charge of finance". And Tommy (Storm Shadow) was called the Young Master. Snake-Eyes undertook the training to become a ninja and excelled. He was eventually allowed to get his arm tattooed with the I-Ching, the symbol of the family. In fact Snake-Eyes became so good, that the Hard Master was going to name Snake-Eyes as the heir to the family business instead of Storm Shadow. When the Hard Master was assassinated, Storm Shadow fled the family compound and became the obvious suspect. It was revealed that the Hard Master had actually been imitating Snake-Eyes' heartbeat and breathing in a process called "Donning the Chameleon's Mantle". So that meant that Snake-Eyes was the actual target. This made Storm Shadow even more of a suspect because it was assumed that he became jealous of Snake-Eyes and wanted to kill him. And that is where Part 1 of the Origin of Snake-Eyes ends. By Steve Wagnon Destro has stopped Zartan from shooting Junkyard. He wants to see why a dog is alone out in a swamp and staring out into the trees. The Joe team is out in those trees, angry that Junkyard is giving them away. In Spanish Harlem, New York City, a young boy walks into a small oriental restaurant and pulls out a gun. The owner, an old Japanese man, plays along with the boy, and calmly yet quickly grabs the gun, drops out the magazine and tosses the boy $50. He claims that he likes to buy empty pistols. The man drops the gun into a box of pistols that he has collected over the years. The whole time, Snake Eyes has been inside the restaurant in disguise, holding onto an uzi. At Joe Headquarters, Hawk and Scarlett have been trying to figure out what the tattoo that Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow share means. Stalker enters to tell them of his experience in Vietnam with the two soldiers. The Cobra ninja was then known as "Tommy," and he and Snake Eyes were strong friends. Tommy talked a lot, but Snake Eyes mostly thought of his family, especially his twin sister. One day during a helicopter pick-up, the group of Army L.R.R.P.s was ambushed, and when Snake-Eyes was wounded, Tommy went back and saved his life, carrying his wounded body through a bullet barrage. In Florida, the Cobras have decided to search the swamp for any Joes. Junkyard leads the Cobras along. Firefly and Wild Weasel have since escaped from where the Joes left them. Hawk tells of his first meeting with Snake-Eyes. He explains that when everyone came back from Vietnam, no one was at the airport to greet Snake-Eyes. Hawk had to deliver the news that Snake-Eyes' family had recently been killed in a car crash. Back in Spanish Harlem, the old man starts a historic tale about Snake-Eyes. The future Joe had gone to Japan, following his friend Tommy, and met his family. Its members included the old man, known as the "Soft Master," the man's elder brother and leader, the "Hard Master," and Storm Shadow, called the "Young Master." There, Snake-Eyes went through the vigorous training to become a ninja. He became superior in most skills, but the Young Master was still superior with the bow. He could even shoot squirrels on the opposite side of a wall with an arrow. Storm Shadow's violent ways became abhorrent to Snake-Eyes, and their friendship weakened. One day Snake-Eyes was training with the Hard Master on ways to impersonate people through a way of changing breathing patterns and heart beat, called "Mantle of the Chameleon." While he was impersonating Snake Eyes, an arrow flew through the wall, killing him. As he died, he claimed that Storm Shadow was innocent, yet all evidence pointed to him. The future Cobra even fled the family business. In Florida, the Cobras continued to follow Junkyard through the swamp right into a quicksand pit! By Jeff Edburg
Number 26, August 1984