Cobra Commander Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Andrea Milana

Colorist: Annalisa Leoni

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Andrea Milana & Annalisa Leoni

Editor: Sean Mackiewics

Logo & Publication Design: Andres Juarez

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 26, 2024

 

A stranger enters the No Man’s Land Rest Stop And Pub. When he requests transportation, a local pats him on the back and makes fun of his lisp. After the stranger follows Jimmy outside, the bartender realizes Jimmy didn’t pay for his drinks. Outside, he finds Jimmy lying in a pool of blood in the snow-covered parking lot. Who is the stranger, and why does he need Jimmy’s truck? Let’s leap into Cobra Commander Vol 1 and find out!

 

Story

Cobra-La is a wonder of organic design. Yet violence rocks the beautiful city as a mob storms the Bioscience Laboratories. The lead scientist gives his people weapons and orders them to attack their fellow citizens. But the lead scientist falls amid the battle. When he awakens, Pythona takes him to Golobulus to die.

 

Once, the lead scientist lacked purpose. Golobulus gave him a new home. But the lead scientist was ambitious. He found a giant robot and snuck it into a city that abhors mechanical life. The scientist uses machines powered by Energon to kill Golobulus’ guards. He convinces Golobulus to send him on a mission to secure more Energon and promises to raise an army so Cobra-La can rule the world. The scientist leaves Cobra-La with a man to protect him and a new name: Cobra Commander.

 

In Cobra Commander Vol 1, Energon radiates a signature the scientist can track. His search leads him into the bayou. Cobra Commander detests the anarchy of an amusement park. He finds the Dreadnoks more palatable, even if they try to kill him. The biker gang has found a source of Energon. Their leader, Zarana, argues that they must find ways to harness the Energon’s power. But Cobra Commander's ambition outstrips hers. When the Dreadnoks capture him, they think he is theirs to command. But Cobra Commander's confidence never falters as he wages a brutal battle of endurance and wits for control of the ultimate power source.

 

Joshua Williamson’s story shows how the Transformers’ arrival rocks the world. But Cobra Commander Vol 1 is also a haunting portrayal of a man so driven by ambition that he loses his humanity. Cobra Commander wields science as a weapon to slake his thirst for power. He doesn’t care how much he must suffer or how many corpses litter his path to success. Deception and violence are his tools. He claims loyalty to Cobra-La. But anyone who opposes him writes their death sentence, and anyone who swears loyalty becomes his tool.

 

Art

Andrea Milana portrays the grandeur of Cobra-La as a land of curves and organic beauty. The city's doctors use snakes, fish, and starfish instead of metal tools and machines in Cobra Commander Vol 1. Pythona and three guards lead Cobra Commander past giant bubbles supported by tendrils. Then, giant claws open, and Cobra Commander gazes upon the hooded figure on a serpent throne.

 

The Dreaknoks have more in common with Cobra Commander than first appears. They capture and torture uninvited guests in their wooden shack, much as Cobra Commander tortures a giant robot without arms in his laboratory. Buzzer questions uninvited guests with chainsaws while Ripper drags them behind his truck. But Cobra Commander, clad in a wide-brim hat and trench coat, ruffles their feathers. The Dreadnoks make it their mission in life to remove his mirrored mask. Annalisa Leoni bathes their confrontation in scarlet. After Cobra Commander discovers how the gang reproduces Energon, his protector makes you believe a man can fly.

 

Along with Andrea Milana’s detailed imagery and Annalisa Leoni’s loaded palette of vibrant colors, Rus Wooton fills white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with large black letters in Cobra Commander Vol 1. Rus Wooton’s bold letters suggest intonation or raised voices. Spikes extrude from balloons to express fright or duress. Sound effects emphasize gunshots, explosions, slashing blades, and the activity of menacing machines. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

After Duke dealt MARS a punishing blow, Destro needs to rebuild his company. A new player is emerging in the world weapons market. He is raising an army by using an incredible new power source. As Cobra Commander Vol 1 charts an ambitious scientist's hunger to rule the world, the scientist's discovery offers Destro the potential to rebuild his faltering weapons empire.

 

Rating 9.6/10 

 

To view a kill squad of cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.