Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Tom Reilly
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Tom Reilly; David Finch & Adriano Lucas; Pablo Villalobos; David Nakayama; Travis Moore & Adriano Lucas; Patricia Martín; Rose Besch; Frank Cho; Felix Leon
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publication Design: Andres Juarez
Production: Ashby Florence
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2025
Duke led his new team to disgrace. Rock 'N Roll is dead. Striker and Cover Girl are in the hospital. His lifelong bud is missing. So, when Colonel Hawk drafts in a replacement, Duke hits the roof. After Risk tells Duke to man up and forget about "Heavy Metal," Duke welcomes his new teammate with a flurry of punches. Can Risk help the Joes foil the Cobra Commander's dream of world domination? Let's grab our rifles, leap into G I Joe #3, and find out!
Story
After losing a chunk of Cybertron to Cobra, Colonel Hawk has something to prove to his superiors. But that doesn’t mean he will let Duke break international regulations and go after Destro’s Head Of Security. Frustrated by Hawk’s decisions, Duke unleashes his frustrations on the swaggering Risk. Baroness wonders at this loss of time in planning their next op, but Hawk knows that people who work hard often need to play hard.
After leaving Hawk and Duke with something to prove, Joshua Williamson hurls Mercer and Destro in hot water. While capturing the alien shard, Mercer revealed his identity. Now the Joes know Cobra and MARS are in cahoots. Destro can keep his Energon concession for now, but there are others Cobra Commander can use. Unfortunately, the Joes are not the only ones targeting him. While the Cobra Commander keeps his “partners” in the dark about the extent of his operations, he remains alert, never knowing when his past will attack him in G I Joe #3.
Aside from losing Rock ‘N Roll, Duke is worried about Clutch. His childhood friend helped Duke when everyone else was out to get him. Clutch got thrown in the Pit with Duke when it was still a prison. Perhaps another of the Joes misses Clutch more than she realizes. She betrays far more interest in him than before when she discovers Clutch is alive. The former junkyard mechanic gives Duke a shot at redemption when he tells them what Cobra Commander is up to in G I Joe #3. But can Duke work with Risk to deliver a win?
Art
Operators cast shadows on upper story control room windows as Clutch stumbles into Cobra Commander's lair. The power surging through the vast room reflects off his helmet before Mercer appears on his visor. Destro frowns at Mercer while standing at attention. He glimpses a reflection of his metal mask when the Cobra Commander enters. Cobra Commander dispatches an attacker with his mechanical hand, evoking the royal guards he killed with robot insects in Cobra-La.
Jordie Bellaire wields limited coloring schemes to portray the emotional intensity and fierce action surging through Tom Reilly's art. While red and blue rule Cobra Commander's headquarters, orange, gray, and beige clash in the Pit. Green, purplish-gray, and orange color a fraught ride through Washington DC in a black SUV, while the color of a familiar symbol hints at a later revelation in G I Joe #3.
Rus Wooton catapults black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. His letters shrink for lowered voices, grow bold for intonation, and swell for raised voices. The red Cobra symbol replaces the organization's letters, while giant red letters burst from dialogue balloons. Explosive sound effects enliven brutal Pit fighting, black blood spraying as bones break, and a hatch hissing open that would make Indiana Jones tremble. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Cobra Commander uses Destro and MARS but has others at his beck and call. Unless Duke and his team can frustrate his plans, Cobra Commander looks to have the entire Earth under his sway in G I Joe #3.
Rating 9/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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