Chuckles (G.I. Joe)
| Chuckles | |
|---|---|
| G.I. Joe character | |
 | |
| First appearance | 1987 |
| Affiliation | G.I. Joe |
| Specialty | Undercover |
| File name | Provost, Philip M. |
| Birth place | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Rank | E-5 (Sergeant) |
| Primary MOS | Criminal Investigations |
| Secondary MOS | Intelligence |
Chuckles is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's undercover specialist and debuted in 1987.
Profile
His real name is Philip M. Provost, and his rank is that of sergeant E-5. Chuckles was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Chuckles's primary MOS is criminal investigations, and his secondary is intelligence. His first exposure to "hole-and-corner" operations was working for Southeastern Insurance Group in Fort Lauderdale, he then eventually made his way to the US Army's Criminal Investigations Division before joining G.I. Joe. He is known for being so conscientious about keeping up his "cover" that he volunteers for missions no one else wants.[1]
Chuckles is naturally likable, which has made him well suited for undercover operations. His gregarious nature also helps him to earn the trust of his marks, so that they have no idea that he's actually spying on them. Chuckles does this not for any accolades or recognition, for there is no record on file crediting him with the information he provides. He's aware of the consequences of being found out, but he's also confident in his ability to talk his way out of any situation.[2]
Toys
Chuckles was first released as an action figure in 1987.[3][4]
Chuckles was released as part of the "Operation: Flaming MOTH" set of exclusives sold by the G.I. Joe Collector's Club; his filecard hints he is an expert at faking his own death.[citation needed]
A new version of Chuckles appeared in the 25th anniversary line, as a part of the "Assault on Cobra Island" set.[citation needed]
Comics
Marvel Comics
In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, he first appeared in issue #60 (June 1987). As part of a misunderstanding, he arrests the Joe team leader Hawk. It is soon learned that Chuckles, along with Fast Draw, Lt. Falcon and Law and Order were told they were now members of G.I. Joe, without anyone telling the actual G.I. Joe team. The Dreadnoks soon attack, as part of a plan to neutralize a missile aimed at Cobra Island. Thanks to the "new" Joes' assistance, Hawk makes them all official members.[5] Chuckles did not gain full security clearance just yet, and as such almost caused an incident when he arrived at the Joes' Utah base. He was not allowed to know about the USS Defiant, yet managed to uncover many clues to its existence.[6]
Chuckles leads a Joe team consisting of Iceberg, Scarlett and Snake Eyes into the fictional country of Chomo-Lungma. They are sent with a C.I.A. officer to retrieve another agent. The Joes end up helping the local resistance fight against invading Chinese forces.[7] Chuckles spends the next three months fleeing with his team, his pick-up being delayed due to ambushes. As one last team comes for a third and final attempt, Chuckles' squad gets involved with a local conflict yet again but are safely rescued.[8] The Joes that pick up Chuckles and his team have their own difficulties, as detailed in the next issue.[9]
Chuckles assists Destro, Billy (the son of Cobra Commander), and Zartan in escaping from an attack by Cobra-allied Night Creepers. He then joins up with the Joe Ninja Force, and with the assistance of Wild Bill, everyone raids the Night Creeper Headquarters. They successfully help Destro gain back the Baroness, and remove the Cobra bounty from his head.[10]
Devil's Due
As revealed in the Devil's Due series, Chuckles spends four years infiltrating Extensive Enterprises, the Cobra front headed up by Tomax and Xamot.[11] Known terrorist Tyler Wingfield steals a mobile biological weapons platform, Duke believes he can use this opportunity to bring Chuckles back in. His cover morphs into others believing he is a genuine traitor, and he ends up in a little-known Federal prison. In a scheme to get Chuckles away from Cobra attention, Blowtorch and Gung-Ho help stage an undercover operation. The two, disguised as prison guards, "kill" Chuckles and escort him to a safe house. Cobra, however, had their own agent in the prison, allowing a raid on the safe house.[12] Chuckles ends up with Tyler Wingfield. He and an innocent airplane pilot are held hostage. This is resolved only when Tyler's mother assaults her son, sending them both plunging to an apparent death.[13]
In the 'Declassified' three parter, set during the Joes' early years, Chuckles is seen as an operative of a 'rival' intelligence agency to the Joe team. During this time, he claims to have personally witnessed the incident that Hawk was court-martialed for; accepting responsibility for his men torturing a prisoner that led to saving innocent lives.[14]
Chuckles is one of the many Joes who assaults Cobra Island, when Serpentor and his "Coil" army take over and cause the second Cobra civil war. Chuckles and Duke fight Serpentor's ally Overlord hand to hand on the beach, where Chuckles is impaled and killed. He is one of multiple G.I.Joe fatalities.[15] His name is part of a memorial to fallen Joes located in Arlington.[16]
IDW Publishing
Hawk assigns Chuckles to deep cover in an attempt to learn more about Cobra.[17] However, Cobra knew his identity from the start, and Chuckles was manipulated by Tomax and Xamot to become isolated and depressed.[18] He meets Cobra Commander, who reveals the charade, and is invited to join Cobra.[19] Chuckles agrees, and uses the opportunity to get closer to the Commander.[20] When he gets the chance, he kills the Commander and detonates a nuclear bomb on one of Cobra's main installations, killing himself and Xamot in the process.[21]
Novels
Chuckles appeared in three of the six G.I. Joe tie-in novels published by Ballantine Books in 1988, as a featured character in Divide and Conquer by Margot Becker and Jungle Raid by R. L. Stine,[22][23] and in a supporting role in The Sultan's Secret by Peter Lerangis.[24] He was erroneously mentioned on the back cover of Fool's Gold by S.M. Ballard, as he never actually appeared in the book.[25]
The character and his attributes were mentioned in Robin Wasserman's 2007 non-tie-in novel Hacking Harvard.[26][27]
Cartoons
G.I. Joe: The Movie
Chuckles' only appearance in the Sunbow canon was in the 1987 animated film G.I. Joe: The Movie, as a member of G.I. Joe's Rawhides (along with Jinx, Law & Order, Big Lob and Tunnel Rat). While his physical appearance was kept intact, his character otherwise differed completely from his filecard description, as he had no dialogue and his occupation as an undercover specialist was never alluded to at all. Instead, Chuckles was depicted as something of a mute strongman, as he performed feats of physical strength such as barehandedly ripping a missile off a H.A.V.O.C during a training exercise with Beach Head, then hurling it at an oncoming H.I.S.S. tank with enough velocity to blow up the vehicle. He assists Jinx in jumpstarting a hotwired Tomahawk by sitting atop the helicopter and manually spinning the rotors, and later takes out three Dreadnoks with a single punch as Flint and the Rawhides ambush them and steal their Swampfires in order to free the Joes imprisoned in Cobra-La.[28]
References
- ↑ Hama, Larry (1987). Howard Mackie, ed. G.I. Joe Order Of Battle. Marvel Entertainment Group. p. 20. ISBN 0-87135-288-5.
- ↑ Hidalgo, Pablo (2009). G.I. Joe vs. Cobra: The Essential Guide 1982-2008. Random House. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-345-51642-8.
- ↑ Bellomo, Mark (2005). The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994. Krause Publications. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-89689-922-3.
- ↑ Santelmo, Vincent (1994). The Official 30th Anniversary Salute To G.I. Joe 1964-1994. Krause Publications. p. 111. ISBN 0-87341-301-6.
- ↑ G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #60 (June 1987)
- ↑ G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #64 (October 1987)
- ↑ G.I. Joe Special Missions #14-15 (1988)
- ↑ G.I. Joe Special Missions #16 (1988)
- ↑ G.I. Joe Special Missions #17 (1988)
- ↑ G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #118 (Nov. 1991)
- ↑ G.I. Joe: Frontline #11 (June 2003)
- ↑ G.I. Joe: Frontline #14 (August 2003)
- ↑ G.I. Joe: Frontline #15 (September 2003)
- ↑ G.I.Joe: Declassified #1-3 (June–October 2006)
- ↑ G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vol. 2 #25 (October 2003)
- ↑ G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero vol. 2 #26
- ↑ GI JOE: Cobra #1
- ↑ GI JOE: Cobra #4
- ↑ GI JOE: Cobra II #4
- ↑ GI JOE: Cobra vol 2 #13
- ↑ GI JOE: Cobra vol 2 #15-16
- ↑ Divide and Conquer at Amazon.com
- ↑ Jungle Raid at Amazon.com
- ↑ Young Adult Book: The Sultan's Secret - yojoe.com. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ↑ Young Adult Book: Fool's Gold - yojoe.com. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ Wasserman, Robin (2007). Hacking Harvard. Simon and Schuster. p. 10, 11. ISBN 978-1-4169-3633-6.
- ↑ "Hacking Harvard Review". Booker Critics. December 4, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ↑ G.I. Joe: The Movie (Motion picture). De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. April 20, 1987.
External links
- Chuckles at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page
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