G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #285

"Murder by Assassination" concludes as the Joes track Al Kawbra to the jungles of Amara Wapoor where they find an army of upgraded Cobra B.A.T.s protecting a secret facility. Although the team is able to fight their way into the facility and ultimately capture their target, Overkill manages to escape with containers full of specialized B.A.T. soldiers foreshadowing some future plan the Joes will have to stop.

Most of the comic centers around the firefight to get into the facility, although several panels are set aside at the end for a final battle between Sherlock and Al Kawbra. The capture of Al Kawbra gives Sherlock some closure to her early journey with G.I. JOE. The character is revealed to be one of the Fred series of Crimson Guards who have troubled the Joes in the past. Although his schemes may have come to an end, the escape of Overkill suggests the events Al Kawbra set into motion are far from finished.

Both the escape of Overkill and the capture of Al Kawbra without discovering the end game for his master plans ends the arc with more dangling threads than I'd like, but the end of this arc does lay the foundation for a new threat sometime in the future.

[IDW, $3.99]

• Title: G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #285
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Larry Hama
• Artist: Andrew Griffith