I’m interested in Larry Hama’s GI Joe Special Missions’ influence on Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid. I want to look at the pattern of story telling that seems to emerge consistently in Special Missions’ issues.

• A
• A
• B
• A
• B
• A
• B
• A
• A
• B
• A
• A
• B
• A
• A
• A
• A
• A

Notice how this follows a three act structure.

In the first three pages we establish a scenario, the first act of the story. In the following pages we rapidly cross cut between the primary story (A) and the secondary story (B), forming the bulk of the story, the second act. Finally the secondary story may be resolved or cross over to join the primary story, which takes over for the last five pages, forming the climax and resolution, the third act of the story.