G I Joe #1 Review

 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Tom Reilly

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Tom Reilly; Jerome Opeña & Dave Stewart; Brett Booth, Livesay & Andrew Dalhouse; David Finch, Danny Miki & Dave McCaig; Lee Bermejo; Sozomaika; Jenny Frison; David Nakayama; Jeff Spokes; E J Su; Jonboy Meyers; Tom Reilly & Andres Juarez; David Finch; Andrea Milana & Andres Juarez; Nathan Szerdy; Ivan Tao; Livio Ramondelli; David Mack; Marcelo Matere; Natali Sanders; Leirix Li; Cedric Poulat; Peter Smith; Clayton Crain; Ryan Browne; Pasquale Ferrara; Mayday Trippe; Tyler Kirkham; Jaime Sullivan; Alexis Ziritt; Javan Jordan; Martin Simmonds; Joe Benitez & Peter Steigerwald; Ryan Kincaid; Marat Mychaels; Drew Zucker; Dan Panosian; Deegan Puchkors; Mico Suayan; Matthew Waite; Mike Mayhew; Ben Harvey; Tony Fleecs; Alex Sinclair; Rian Gonzales; José Lima Araújo & Chris O’Halloran

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Publication Design: Andres Juarez

Production: Ashby Florence

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 13, 2024

 

Duke’s hunt for the truth made him a fugitive. His fellow soldiers threw him into the Pit with his enemies. But when Major Bludd’s forces tried to kill him, Duke made peace with Rock 'N Roll and Stalker and turned an enemy into an ally. After Duke brought Destro's house crashing down, Colonel Hawk declared him dead. Can Duke and his newborn squad of elite soldiers take on the combined might of MARS Industries and COBRA? Let's grab our rifles, leap into G I Joe #1, and find out!

 

Story

Duke wants his team to take on giant transforming robots. But they fail while fighting drones. Cover Girl helped Colonel Hawk cover up the death of his friend. She stood by Hawk's side when he sent Rock 'N Roll and Stalker after Duke. Now, all three work with his childhood friend Clutch and the mercenary Baroness, but that doesn't mean they like or trust each other. If they can’t take on flying drones, how can they defeat COBRA, let alone murderous alien robots?

 

Destro watches COBRA soldiers march through Springfield. His is an uneasy alliance with Cobra Commander. Neither partner trusts nor feels any loyalty to his partner. After regaining control of his company, someone is attacking Destro’s suppliers. Destro knows MARS Industries must keep finding new ways to utilize Cobra Commander’s Energon, or he will lose exclusive access to Earth's most potent power source. Worse, Destro will lose his ancestors' esteem.

 

Giant transforming robots brought their battle to Earth. Alien technology litters the Pacific Ocean, and everyone wants a piece of the Energon action. In G I Joe #1, Hawk tasks Duke with protecting what the United States has recovered. It’s not much, but the space debris could provide the key to surviving the next alien battle. Or better yet, wipe out the transforming robots before their war leaves Earth in ruins. But the Cobra Commander doesn't care about Earth's survival. He wants to rule the planet, and anything from Cybertron is his rightful property.

 

In Joshua Williamson’s story, Destro must demonstrate that MARS Industries is an asset to COBRA, and Duke’s people must reward his faith in them. Duke put these disparate people together. In G I Joe #1, he needs their help to combat the alien invaders, defeat the Energon-fueled terrorist threats, and avenge his fallen friend.

 

Art

Tom Reilly introduces Duke with snapshots of his recent battles. Instead of fighting people or giant robots, his team uses jetpacks to battle training drones. After the exercise, Duke frowns at Colonel Hawk, and only one person shows interest in his teammates when they gather for a briefing. Hawk and Destro face off across a double-page spread as both apprise their troops of their objectives.

 

Unlike Duke, Destro stands on a pillar, regarding ranks of soldiers marching past his machines of war. The metal-faced modern-day Horatio Nelson strides unbidden into a darkened room to spy the ravaged skin Cobra Commander hides behind a mask. Pythona called it his mark of shame for bringing an abomination into Cobra-La. Inset panels compare the organic healing Cobra Commander traded for alien crystals while he adjusts another blasphemy against Cobra-La with a screwdriver.

 

Jordie Bellaire dispenses coloring sparingly on Tom Reilly’s art. She swathes Duke’s team in orange, green, red, yellow, and brown. Next to the heroes' textured and energizing colors, she showcases the partnership of Destro and Cobra in pink, purple, blue, and mauve. A high-energy fight explodes in Abu Dhabi fight amid yellow and purple, while a yellow, orange, and red nightmare in G I Joe #1 reminds Duke of his failure to save Tyler Frost.

 

Rus Wooton orders black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Duke introduces his team with yellow block letters, and yellow borders surround his offscreen briefing. Yellow often colors the sound effects as Duke fights to weld clashing personalities into an effective force. Enlarged colored dialogue enlivens battles, and white weapon fire heralds the demise of an engaging hero. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

After giant alien robots made Earth their battleground, a psychopath raised a formidable army overnight. Duke and his team are under the gun to prove their worth to their commander and protect the Earth from destruction in G I Joe #1.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For a special forces team of covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.