G I Joe #2 Review

 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Tom Reilly

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Tom Reilly; David Finch, Danny Miki & Dave McCaig; David Nakayama; Travis Moore & Adriano Lucas; Otto Schmidt; Derrick Chew; Jorge Corona & Mike Spicer; Josh Burns; Matthew Waite

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Publication Design: Andres Juarez

Production: Ashby Florence

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 18, 2024

 

Rock 'N Roll shrugged off bullets. He didn't flinch before laser beams. But the soldier with a big heart and ironclad loyalty fell before Destro's latest invention. As Rock 'N Roll burns, Mercer points his rifle at Cover Girl and orders her to help his Vipers load the Energon tech for transport. Destro's lieutenant squeezes Clutch's neck. A grenade incapacitated Stalker. The Baroness disappeared. Was Duke's faith in his new team misplaced? Let's grab our rifles, leap into G I Joe #2, and find out!

 

Story

Before all this started, Duke complained they weren't ready. He believed his team was outmatched, outgunned, and behind on technology. That proves the case as his soldiers falter before Mercer's Vipers. Rock 'N Roll may have captured Duke and thrown him in the Pit when he sought the truth about the Transformers. Still, the big guy followed Duke's orders and accepted his friend Clutch. Duke may still be the leader. But the G I Joe team lost its heart when Rock 'N Roll died.  

 

Unlike Duke, Cobra Commander doesn't care about his people. All that matters is results. He also likes to keep his assets on their toes. So when Destro invents a new rifle, Cobra Commander quietly alters its design. Destro entered this partnership believing he had the upper hand. He viewed Cobra Commander as no more than another supplier. But far from only providing Energon, Cobra Commander brings knowledge from Cobra-La and a captured Decepticon. In G I Joe #2, Destro knows he could be the next person his “partner” deems disposable.

 

In Joshua Williamson’s story, Cobra Commander wanted to send the United States a message. Anything that you have, I can take. Colonel Hawk heard that message loud and clear. He oversees other agents and teams aside from Duke’s. Colonel Hawk can’t attack the man in the iron mask thanks to General Flagg's deal with Destro. So, he sent Destro’s suppliers a message. With Duke’s team in tatters, Hawk brings Risk home. The man’s fighting skills are formidable. While Duke may clash with Hawk, Risk follows orders and delivers results. Hawk needs a solid performer on Duke's team. If Duke can’t handle the demands of leadership, well, no one is indispensable, are they?

 

Art

Cover Girl screams as smoke rises from Rock 'N Roll's corpse. But it's only a foretaste of the horror awaiting her in G I Joe #2. Before that, gunfire sparks off Mercer's Vipers as Duke fires the Cobra helicopter's cannons. After laser beams cut through the rotor, a reflection of the copter falls across Mercer's visor. Then Duke hurtles toward him and knocks him to the debris-strewn floor.

 

Jordie Bellaire's unique blend of colors enhances the energy and drama of Tom Reilly's art. White fire turns Cobra armor yellow. Duke's green uniform turns yellow, and his gray utility belt turns orange as he kamikazes the copter toward the building with guns blazing. With the right arm behind his back, the blue-and-orange Cobra Commander watches tiny pink Duke and Mercer fight above his left wrist.

 

Destro's silver and black uniform evokes a Terminator. As he strides past the black-and-yellow BATs, you wonder if Destro's failure with the androids is another invention that Cobra Commander has improved. Mercer’s blue and orange armor links him more closely with Cobra Commander than Destro, while the Baroness' orange visors and the blue star on her chest question where she belongs. But soldiers who enter battle with their eyes exposed and a red symbol emblazoned on their blue uniforms prove the most chilling combatants in G I Joe #2.

 

Rus Wooton orders black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Duke’s enlarged colored dialogue transforms balloons into stars, while the red Cobra symbol replaces the organization's letters. Colorful and energetic sound effects enliven hand-to-hand fighting, weapons fire, and explosions. Yet a strange beeping proves a cause for concern on multiple fronts in G I Joe #2. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Duke promised his team they were the best soldiers in the world and couldn't fail unless they gave up. Now, everyone on his team is wounded, missing, or dead, and Colonel Hawk is drafting in a replacement. In G I Joe #2, Duke must learn how to fail while retaining his superior’s respect and his subordinates’ loyalty. And he must do so quickly because Cobra Commander already has a technological advantage, and he’s just stolen a chunk of Cybertron from under Duke’s nose.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.