Ring of Fire
	Short Summary Cobra Allies itself with the Decepticons and plans to attack the Ark, home of the Autobots. There is an interesting revelation about Senator Larkin. Anthony Duranti goes into surgery and more is found out about the cerebro-shell in his brain.
	Notes of Interest Funeral of Optimus Prime. Hawk appears to be drinking.
Major Players Joes: Crankcase, Mainframe,Hawk, Slipstream Cobras: Serpentor, Buzzer, Ripper, Torch, Baroness, Dr. Mindbender, Zartan Autobots: Omega Supreme, Blaster, Ratchet Decepticons: Shockwave, Dirge, Bombshell, Ravage, Laserbeak Humans: Mr. Blackrock, Mrs. Duranti, Barbara Larkin
Creative Team Writer: Micheal Higgins, Artist: Herb Trimpe, Inker: Vince Colletta, Letterer: Joe Rosen, Colorist: Nel Yomtov, Consulting Editor: Donald Daley, Editor: Robert Harras, Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter,
Long Summary The intro to this chapter is a computer simulation of Power Station Alpha's true capabilities it is a device that can destroy the Earth itself. It appears Shockwave is in command of the Decepticons, as Megatron is absent. Cobra arrives at the Decepticon base along with the station which is now being called Alpha. Serpentor shakes Shockwave's hand but is plotting against him at the same time. Shockwave's intentions are no nobler. Dr. Mindbender is selected as Cobra's ambassador and stays behind. Dirge is elected Emissary to accompany Serpentor in an attack on the Ark. Not willing to sacrifice so many men but also not wanting to show his cards Serpentor agrees. During the trip to the Ark the Baroness's plane veers off it seems she has her own mission. Back at Fort Lewis in Seattle, Crankcase and Mainframe along with Mr. Blackrock are attempting to salvage poor Bumblebee. It is a somber time at the Ark not only is Bumblebee lost but the Funeral of Optimus Prime is taking place. Omega Supreme vows to defend the Ark. Meanwhile Hawk returns to the Pentagon for an emergency meeting. Anthony is going in for surgery to remove what the doctors have found attached to his brain. Senator Larkin leaves the Senate only to be harassed with questions from reporters about the power station. She soon arrives at a French restaurant called The Cavalier. She meets someone inside and their discussion grows quite heated, Sen. Larkin reveals how Alpha is a failure in most respects and that she mainly was creating jobs and money for her state. Unfortunately she resorted to attempting to destroy the project to prevent further problems. The person she is having the meeting with, the person she commissioned to destroy Alpha is none other than the Baroness. Senator Larkin is also being watched. At the Ark, Omega Supreme is destroying Cobra aircraft left and right with ease. Serpentor and Dirge monitor the one-sided battle. Hawk is at the Pentagon in a meeting as well, Senator Garcia ( see issue 1) is present also the meeting is about project Alpha and the current situation, there is reason to be suspicious of Senator Larkin it seems. Hawk tries to defend her, until he sees the photo of Larkin and the Baroness at the café. Serpentor lures Dirge into attacking Omega Supreme. The slippery snake has his own agenda; he uses a device to create an overload in Dirge's weapons and cripples him. It seems Cobra is not a great ally after all. At the hospital the surgery was successful. Anthony's doctor pokes and prods at the object he removed from the boy's brain. Bombshell starts to go into convulsions right in front of Dr. Mindbender. He plans a way to exploit this weakness. Fort Lewis: Mainframe and Crankcase have reassembled part of Bumblebee, mainly some parts on a table. Now able to talk Bumblebee explains the situation that led to his current predicament. Hawk confronts Senator Larkin about her dealings with the Baroness, he tells a teary eyed Larkin that he trusted her, he loved her, and then he leaves slamming the door behind him. Sitting in a room near a bottle, Hawk gets word from Mainframe about everything they have learned from the now talkative Bumblebee. Alpha launches, Dr. Mindbender informs Serpentor, who is currently at the Ark making a deal with the Autobots, as the Joes are flying overhead. It now seems that Cobra, the Joes, and the Autobots are forming an alliance to stop the Decepticons. Summary by Ted Jacobson (Skinny)
Reprinted in: G.I.Joe and the Transformers TPB (Marvel 1993)
Number 3, March 1987