G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #2

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“Panic at the North Pole”

★ 1st appearance — Kwinn

About this Issue

Just one issue into Marvel's landmark Hasbro tie-in, 'Panic at the North Pole' demonstrated that this series would do something toy-comic readers rarely saw: introduce a morally complex supporting character who immediately overshadowed the heroes. Kwinn — an Inuit mercenary bound by an iron code of honor — debuted here and went on to become one of the most beloved figures in the entire run before his tragic death in issue #19. The issue also plants the first narrative seed of Snake-Eyes' facial disfigurement, a mystery that Hama would slowly unravel across years of subsequent storytelling, giving the series its trademark long-form depth. Taken together, these two contributions ensured that G.I. Joe would be read as a character-driven serialized drama, not merely a vehicle for selling action figures.

writer Larry Hama · artist Don Perlin · inker Jack Abel · cover Herb Trimpe, Jack Abel

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (NM) $22

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History

Larry Hama — a Vietnam War veteran who had previously developed a pitch called 'Fury Force' before Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter redirected his ideas toward the Hasbro property — wrote the script for this issue's story, with pencils by Don Perlin, inks by Jack Abel, colors by Bob Sharen, and editing by Tom DeFalco under Shooter's editorship. The cover was produced by Herb Trimpe, who handled most early covers and interior art for the series. Hama approached every issue spontaneously, rarely knowing how a story would end before he reached the final page, and his military background provided the tactical authenticity — references to firing pins, blasting caps, and cold-weather survival — that separated G.I. Joe from other licensed comics of the era.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published August 1982 by Marvel Comics as issue #2 of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero; cover by Herb Trimpe and Jack Abel.
Story titled 'Panic at the North Pole!'; written by Larry Hama, penciled by Don Perlin, inked by Jack Abel, colored by Bob Sharen, lettered by Jim Novak, edited by Tom DeFalco.
First appearance of Kwinn, an Inuit mercenary hired by Soviet agents to erase evidence of Arctic fear-wave experiments; Kwinn became a recurring fan-favorite character across issues #2–19 before dying in issue #19.
First narrative hint that Snake-Eyes has some form of facial disfigurement — a mystery Hama would develop across many subsequent issues.
First use of Stalker's trademark exclamation 'Dag!' and first spotlight on the individual civilian lives of team members (Stalker as wildlife photographer, Breaker at MIT, Scarlett in a martial arts tournament, Snake-Eyes in a sensory deprivation chamber).
The behavior modification / fear-wave device introduced in this issue was revisited as a plot element in G.I. Joe #67.
'Panic at the North Pole' was reprinted in G.I. Joe Digest #2, Tales of G.I. Joe #2, and the G.I. Joe Vol. 1 trade paperback; second printings of issues #2–63 were produced for most of that range.
A 2004 Hasbro Comic Pack included a reprint of this issue bundled with Snake-Eyes, Scarlett, and Kwinn action figures — one of the few times a specific early issue was directly merchandised in this format.