Duke Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artists: Tom Reilly & Jason Howard

Colorists: Jordie Bellaire & Mike Spicer

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artist: Tom Reilly

Editor: Sean Mackiewicz

Logo & Publication Design: Andres Juarez

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $14.99

Release Date: June 5, 2024

 

Sergeant Conrad Hauser has a sterling service record. But lately, he's been acting out. Colonel Hawk wants Duke to shape up and be an exemplary soldier again. But will Conrad, known as Duke by his fellow soldiers, pass the Psych Eval? Let’s leap into Duke Vol 1 and find out!

 

Story

Is Duke suffering from a delusion? He claims his friend Tyler Frost was killed when an enemy fighter jet attacked their plane and transformed into a robot. Colonel Hawk claims it was an accident, and the trauma played with Duke’s mind. But he refuses to show Duke the plane’s black box recording. So, Duke accepts Hawk's offer of time off to hunt for answers.

 

Where do you turn when everyone thinks you're crazy? Conrad Hauser investigates other people with similar claims in Duke Vol 1. He attends a gathering where guests speak of giant robots. Their stories merge with all-too-familiar stories about aliens and UFOs. But one person impresses Duke. Dr Adele Burkhart devoted her life to finding clean energy sources. She discovered a new element, but her superiors hushed up her research. Dr Burkhart may not have seen a giant flying robot. Still, she believes this power source could power war machines like the one Duke saw.

 

Should he trust Dr Burkhart’s claims? Duke has nothing to lose. So he investigates MARS Industries. He doesn't find a flying robot, but Duke discovers the company is making war machines that could unleash incredible destruction. Duke is a great soldier, but that doesn't make him a ninja. Sneaking into MARS arouses Destro’s ire. The head of MARS wants to protect his secrets. Still, he knows how to discredit a soldier who can’t pass a psych exam.

 

When the news media starts attacking Duke, Hawk’s hands are tied. Hawk has no choice but to send Duke’s people to apprehend him. But Duke knows how to hide out. Instead of seeking out relatives or fellow soldiers, he finds Clutch. Once, Lance built vehicles, and Conrad raced them. In Duke Vol 1, Clutch runs a junkyard. He’s willing to help Duke continue his investigation. But will Stalker and Rock ‘N Roll let him?

 

Joshua Williamson’s story is a portrait of a Real American Hero. Duke doesn’t care about fame or glory. He destroys the enemy and saves people’s lives. But now his government has turned against him, and he has incurred the wrath of a well-connected arms dealer. Can Duke convince his fellow soldiers to help him? Or must he side with the enemies of the United States to learn the truth about Frost's death? Duke must decide who he can trust and where his loyalties lie.

 

Art

We meet Duke in training, on the battlefield, and flying a jet. Then Tom Reilly shows Duke slumped in a chair. He shouts and slings files off Hawk's desk. In a flashback, a silhouette of robot arms appears on his goggles, prompting Duke to jettison his parachute, activate his wings and rocket pack, and fire at a smiling robot. Six months later, Duke drives a jeep through Washington DC. He sports long hair and a beard as he enters a four-story house and meets a woman walking with a cane. After studying drawings of power units and war machines, Duke dresses in black and rappels into MARS Industries.

 

Jordie Bellaire applies color sparingly to Tom Reilly’s art in Duke Vol 1. Vibrant green and orange highlight daytime action, while subdued browns, yellows, greens, and grays portray light streaming through the blinds in Hawk’s office. Amid the limited coloring, Destro’s statue is silver, MARS personnel sport red and gray, and deaths heaped at Duke’s door fill panels with red. Bellaire often splashes vibrant colors onto black and white panels, such as red when he sneaks into MARS and blue when Duke speaks with the Baroness. Still, orange dominates his memories of a robot who smiles while killing his friend.

 

Rus Wooton orders uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Sound effects highlight battles, activated technology, and a vicious slap after a one-night stand. Mike Spicer lavishes cool tones on Jason Howard's art for an epilogue featuring a reunion with colleagues and the organization of a highly trained special mission force to combat emerging threats outside the US Military’s purview. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When his superiors cover up the death of a friend, Duke risks his life to discover the truth about giant flying robots. An arms manufacturer’s bid to dominate the market shakes up the US Military, making a discredited sergeant the perfect tool to pry the lid off a conspiracy of silence in Duke Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

For covers of individual issues see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

To preview interior art see the announcement at Skybound.com.