No mercy from Mercer

Every Joe fan knows Mercer is the former Viper who defected to GIJoe.

I’m trying to come up with a brief story on why and how he did so.

This is a preview:

Mercer shoots dead a fellow Viper.

But their squad leader walks in at the wrong moment.

For Mercer, there is only one recourse…

And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.

“Now all I got to do is get off this island.”

 

***

I’m trying to work out what happened before and after these scenes. For me, Mercer is one of the interesting characters in the Joe-verse, having made a 180-degree turn from Cobra to GIJoe.  As with any turncoat in real-life, I expect him to out-Joe the other Joes if only to prove his loyalty to the new cause. But this would create more interesting twists in the plot.

I was planning to do a Mercer custom using the Hawk head, but thankfully, Hasbro recently released the 7-pack containing Mercer and the rest of the Renegades–Red Dog and Taurus (why was he re-named ‘Bull’?) along with the Marauders. I have to get my hands on that figure soon!

Paravipers offloaded

Here’s a dio-vignette (I can’t call it a story yet):

 

Another day, another mission for a pair of Paravipers.

 

A mission that like a dozen others has been scrubbed.

 

“Uh oh!”

 

The first Paraviper drops dead even before his partner could shout, “Joes!”

 

The surviving Paraviper tries to shoot from the hip but it’s too late…

 

…Helix has already squeezed the trigger.

 

(another angle)

 

The remaining Paraviper’s final moments

 

And all this time, Wild Weasel has been lying dead on the tarmac.

Cobra comes a-knocking

Here are two scenes from a dio-comic story I’ve been working on the past months. It might take several more months before the final shape takes place, but the basic story is that a GIJoe base is infiltrated by Cobra, and only Shipwreck, Cover Girl, Sgt. Stone, and a handful of Pit Commandos (those generic GIJoe support troops also known as Green Shirts in another incarnation) plus MPs are there to repel the enemy.

Cover Girl and Shipwreck respond to an alarm (in the film version, Cover Girl dies at the hand of Zartan, but in my Joe-verse, she lives).

 

Who would have thought the legendary Firefly would be caught in the act by MPs and second-tier troops?

—-

For these shoots, I found that the Rise of Cobra (ROC) figures blend well with the mostly-gray color of the vintage playset, Transportable Tactical Battle Platform. I don’t intend the story to happen entirely in the TTBP as I can’t shoot outdoors. I used the TTBP as a backdrop to create the illusion (hopefully) of the interior of an older and bigger base, complete with a dark atmosphere.

Wild Bill’s Ride

When he’s not busy flying the Dragonfly attack helicopter, Wild Bill spends his time riding another kind of chopper.

Cobra’s Fury

A Cobra Fury tank patrols a downtown street, escorted by a couple of Alley Vipers.

Wild Bill’s covering fire

As Outback helps a wounded Beach Head, Wild Bill gives them covering fire.

E & E: Outback hides from pursuing Range Vipers

Outback tries to elude Range Vipers searching for him.

This is my homage to the cover of GIJoe Special Missions issue no. 6. Outback was the only one to escape from the disastrous mission in Borovia, forced to leave behind Stalker, Outback and Snow Job. He was able to elude the pursuing Borovian soldiers led by Col. Ratnikov.

Ripcord catches up with Scrap-Iron

“And this…is for Candy!”

Mutt’s out for some payback

“You chainsawed my dog!”

Cobra Blue Troopers

Cobra’s blue troopers have their picture taken in front of a Night Stinger jeep shortly before an operation: