G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 2

With Serpentor on the scene, Cobra starts to crack. The Joes assault the Terror-Drome, Storm Shadow returns and the Dreadnoks grow into a bigger threat. The volume tells Cobra Commander's origin: a former used-car salesman shaped by his brother's death. In #61, an impostor named Fred VII shoots the Commander in the back and takes over the hood. The feud between Serpentor and the fake Commander becomes a civil war on Cobra Island (#73–76), with the Joes sent in on Serpentor's side. In the end, Zartan kills Serpentor with an arrow, and the impostor stays in charge. Meanwhile, Special Missions sends the Joes on bloodier assignments away from Cobra.

1. Behind the scenesSpecial Missions, the harder-edged spin-off

   Special Missions spun out of issue #50 and ran 28 issues from 1986, mostly drawn by Herb Trimpe. It was more violent and pitted the Joes against enemies outside Cobra.

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2. Behind the scenesMcFarlane's rejected pages

   Marshall Rogers penciled the final version of issue #61 after Hama turned down Todd McFarlane's pages for the same story.

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3. Behind the scenes1,200 letters a week

   By 1985 the comic sold over 330,000 copies a month, and Jim Shooter said it was Marvel's top subscription title. In 1987 the office was getting 1,200 letters a week.

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4. Behind the scenesA used-car salesman

   The volume tells Cobra Commander's secret origin: a former used-car salesman whose brother died in a crash after coming home from Vietnam.

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