Blood on the Tracks

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"Blood on the Tracks"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	September 1986
Cover date	January 1987
Writer	Michael Higgins
Penciler	Herb Trimpe
Inker	Vince Colletta
Colorist	Nelson Yomtov
Letterer	Joe Rosen
Editor	Bob Harras and Don Daley
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity

The struggle for control of Power Station Alpha begins...

Synopsis

Stories featuring G.I. Joe do not fit into the normal Marvel UK continuity. See G.I. Joe and the Transformers for details.

The G.I. Joe team has been assigned the task of protecting Power Station Alpha, the world's first mobile solar/nuclear power station. In addition to concerns about Cobra attacking, the Joes have to worry about a throng of protestors who object to the project for environmental and political reasons. The Autobots also recognize the potential of the station, and believe that the Decepticons will attempt to steal it. Optimus Prime sends Bumblebee to be on the lookout for any signs of Decepticon activity.

When the Dreadnoks stage an attack on Power Station Alpha, the Joes are able to fight them off, but Cobra Commander is outraged. He has lost the element of surprise, and is already worried about the threat of Serpentor to his command of Cobra. Megatron also witnesses the attack, thanks to news reports, and sends Dirge and Bombshell to the station for a more subtle attack. As the station prepares to launch, Bombshell injects a cerebro-shell into young Anthony Duranti, son of one of the protestors, who Bombshell commands to step in front of the station's treads. Bumblebee, watching covertly in vehicle mode, is forced to break his cover to save the boy, but his actions are misinterpreted as threatening by the Joes, who open fire on Bumblebee, tearing him to shreds.

The situation threatens to grow even worse as Bombshell invades Power Station Alpha, and the gigantic form of Superion arrives to collect the body of his fallen comrade.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	G.I. Joe	Cobra	Humans
Optimus Prime (16) Bumblebee (17) Skydive (18) Slingshot (19) Air Raid (20) Fireflight (21) Silverbolt (22) Ratchet (23) Superion (33)	Megatron (29) Dirge (30) Bombshell (31)	Hawk (6) Roadblock (7) Snake-Eyes (8) Beachhead (9) Scarlett (13) Junkyard (14) Mutt (15)	Ripper (3) Torch (4) Buzzer (5) Zartan (24) Baroness (25) Cobra Commander (26) Doctor Mindbender (27) Serpentor (28) Zarana (32)	Mrs. Duranti (1) Anthony Duranti (2) Barbara Larkin (10) Congressman (11) Garcia (12)

Notes

Continuity errors

• An unnamed gentleman on page 3 mentions that Mr. Blackrock will be pleased with Power Station Alpha, as if Blackrock was involved with its creation. Blackrock is featured later on in the series but shows no concern for or knowledge of the power station, even when it is involved in an aerial battle over his cruise ship.
• On page 19, when Optimus Prime calls for the Aerialbots, he calls for "Superion" when he apparently means "Silverbolt".

Continuity notes

• On page 4, Optimus Prime references Bumblebee's assistance in gaining gestalt technology in "Command Performances!".
• On page 5, Optimus Prime reflects on the message from Megatron, sent in "Decepticon Graffiti!", challenging Prime to a duel to the death.

Real-life references

• The title may be a reference to Bob Dylan's album of the same name.

UK printing

Issue #265

• Additional Transformers story: "Once upon a Time..."
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Manoeuvring for Position" and Combat Colin
• AtoZ: Shockwave

Issue #266

• Additional Transformers story: "Life in the Slow Lane"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Manoeuvring for Position" and Combat Colin

Issue #267

• Additional Transformers story: "Snow Fun!"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Shuttle Complex" and Combat Colin Combat Kate
• AtoZ: Shrapnel and Sideswipe

Issue #268

• Additional Transformers story: "Once upon a Time..."
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Shuttle Complex" and Combat Colin

Other trivia

• The cover corner box for this series uses Marvel's convention for many of its team-based comics at the time, by showing heads of prominent characters. For G.I. Joe and the Transformers, Marvel used the head of Snake-Eyes from the cover of G.I. Joe issue 53, slightly altered, and the head from Bumblebee's character model from Transformers Universe #1.

Covers (7)

• 
  G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1
• 
  UK issue #265
• 
  UK issue #266
• 
  UK issue #267

• G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1 cover: Bumblebee is destroyed by GI Joe, by Herb Trimpe.
• UK issue #265 cover: the Autobot Code lies abandoned in the snow, by Gary Gilbert.
• UK issue #266 cover: Jazz and Sunstreaker play Dukes of Hazzard, by Andrew Wildman.
• UK issue #267 cover: Grimlock charges at some hunters, by John Marshall.

• 
  UK issue #268
• 
  G.I. Joe and the Transformers TPB
• 
  G.I. Joe/Transformers Volume 1

• UK issue #268 cover: Megatron/Snap Trap tries to stab Prowl in the past, by Stephen Baskerville.
• G.I. Joe and the Transformers TPB cover: Blaster, Ratchet, Omega Supreme, the Aerialbots, GI Joe and Cobra get angry, by Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville.
• G.I. Joe/Transformers Volume 1 cover: GI Joe joyride in Bumblebee whilst Megatron looks on, by Klaus Scherwinski.

Reprints

• 1993 — G.I. Joe and the Transformers TPB (Marvel Comics, ISBN 0871359731)
• 2012 — G.I. Joe/Transformers Volume 1 (IDW Publishing, ISBN ISBN 978-1613773529)
• 2015 — The Transformers Classics, Vol. 8 (IDW Publishing, ISBN ISBN 978-1631401336)