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.

Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #1 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Andrea Broccardo

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Leinil Francis Yu & Dean White; Elena Casagrande & Annalisa Leoni; Martín Cóccolo & Dean White; Salvador Larroca & Edgar Delgado

Designer: Carlos Lao

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Recap Art: Mark Bagley

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 28, 2024

 

Three teenagers from New Jersey receive an invitation to an underground rave. But when they break the police tape and descend into the closed Long Island subway station, monsters attack them. As they back away, two costumed people block their retreat. Is this an underground masquerade? Did someone lure the teens to their deaths? Let’s grab our Halloween masks, leap into Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #1, and find out!

 

Story

Ben Reilly and Janine Godbe are putting the past behind them. Their idea of making a fresh start is luring teens into confined spaces and robbing them. Freak and the vermin surprise the two antiheroes-turned-villains. Janine dons a mask of Frankenstein’s monster and battles the sewer denizens, while Ben argues that citizens should pay for protection. Freak and the vermin press Janine hard. So, after taking the teens’ money, Ben defends his girlfriend. But then Druig gets into his mind and wonders what he can make of it.

 

The Beyond Corporation corrupted Ben’s memories. Society imprisoned Janine for protecting herself against her abusive father. So, Ben and Janine reject society's laws, customs, and morality. They take what they want and live for today. As usual, someone gets in the way of their happiness in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #1.

 

After recent setbacks, Druig hid beneath the surface and usurped another ruler's throne. Like Hammerhead, Druig needs a victory to rebuild his brand. As an Eternal, he craves diversion. Druig decides to make the spider heroes his playthings. Then Ben Reilly walks into his hands. Stripped of his memories, Ben seems an ideal instrument for his amusement. So Druig attaches strings and prepares for his puppet show.

 

Ben's descent into villainy bothers Kaine. Peter Parker's clones share a dark past. Kaine assumes the moral center of Steve Foxe's story about clones gone wrong, humans playing god, and gods manipulating their creations. Kaine discovers he has his work cut out for him. He watches the police remove vermin and Freak in body bags. Kaine had intended to help Ben embrace heroism again. However, the murders remind Kaine of how he once punished a society that rejected him. Even now, after he has embraced heroism, society has yet to welcome Kaine with open arms. 

 

 

 

Art

Andrea Broccardo imbues Hallows Eve and Chasm with attitude and swagger in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #1. As Hallows Eve wades into the vermin crush, Chasm’s body language suggests he owns the world. As Chasm kills Freak and the vermin, perhaps they remind him of his demonic captors in Limbo. But then the background breaks into blocks, and unseen hands insert an ornate key into his head. The top of his skull hinges open, and webbing thwips out. When Ben and Janine relax in their new home, they look relieved of the burden of recovering Ben’s memories. Yet their boarded-up residence evokes the fake Church with a hidden Beyond laboratory that Peter, Misty, and Lizard sheltered in during Bloodhunt.

 

Brian Reber fills the air surrounding Chasm with glowing green light. Hallows Eve projects yellow and orange light as she fights the red Freak and brown vermin. Druig appears as a red mist before taking Human form. Then, red makes way for a flesh-covered face and green fabric. Kaine thwips through the greenish-brown subway in his red and black suit. He finds the teens hanging from glowing green webs. Blue light tinges the stone throne as Druig kicks away his cringing servant. Like him, the man groveling at his feet wears green.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips black uppercase lettering into white dialogue balloons and Kaine's white thoughts into red narrative boxes. Words embolden for emphasis and swell or change color for volume. Expressive sound effects relate vermin hisses, Freak's rage, and a grate being pulled away so a Spider-Pinocchio can take the stage in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #1. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Like Victor Frankenstein, the Jackal sought to improve on nature’s work by creating Kaine and Ben Reilly. Like Frankenstein’s ultimate man, the Jackal’s creations have killed others. Now, as Hallow’s Eve dons the likeness of Frankenstein's feared creation, another person follows in the two creators’ footsteps in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Cobra Commander #2 Review

 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Andrea Milana

Colorist: Annalisa Leoni

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Andrea Milana & Annalisa Leoni; Ricardo López Ortiz; Chris Burnham & Brian Reber; Aco; Nick Dragotta & Patricio Delpeche

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: February 21, 2024

 

Isolated from the world, the futuristic city of Cobra-La lacks resources. After torturing Megatron to learn the secrets of the Transformers, Cobra Commander left his adoptive home. His masters sent Duke along to keep him focused. Will the man help or hinder Cobra Commander in his quest? Let’s leap into Cobra Commander #2 and find out!

 

Story

Cobra Commander and Duke traveled from the snowy wastes to the sultry Everglades. In this humid jungle, man lives in barely controlled chaos. Powerboats roar along thin strips of water. Children hunger to see alligators kill and eat. Thankfully, the signal leads Cobra Commander away from the crowds. He ventures into the wild swamps of Florida, where a Park Ranger orders the men to stop. So far, Cobra Commander has regarded his companion as more of a distraction than an aide. Perhaps the man can finally prove valuable!

 

More dangers inhabit these swamps than Park Rangers. The Dreadnoks rule this region with an iron hand. Ripper favors his knife. Buzzer cherishes his chainsaw. They roam the dirt and mud roads and lavish their abrasive love on those who enter their territory without paying a toll. But there are regions where they are forbidden to go, areas deemed too dangerous to enter. Guess where the Energon signal leads!

 

In Cobra Commander #2, Duke and our protagonist search for an extraterrestrial resource of priceless value. Lord Globulus charged the Duke with protecting his agent. Yet Pythona did something to Duke. Did she enhance his ability to defend Cobra Commander? Or is he a ticking timebomb, programmed to act against Cobra Commander under prescribed circumstances? What is Pythona’s plan, and where do her loyalties lie?

 

Joshua Williamson paints his titular antihero as a tortured soul. The disordered nature of the outside world frustrates Cobra Commander. Duke’s company irritates him further. The need to hide his features attracts attention and throws obstacles in his path. While hardly admirable, his dedication to his mission demands respect. Still, don’t request the privilege to peer behind Cobra Commander's mask. He doesn't take kindly to such appeals.

 

 

 

 

 

Art

Andrea Milana arrays guns atop the lid of an opened wooden crate in Cobra Commander #2. A glove and tools reside on a metal tray, spotted with blood. Two men sit tied to chairs amid a workshop filled with tools. When they prove reluctant to answer questions, a hand picks up a chainsaw. Buzzer and Ripper smile as blood sprays.

 

The outlaws' customized Thunder Machine roars across a double-page spread. Propeller boats skip across the waterway beyond a park filled with tourists. A boy following Cobra Commander sticks his tongue out. Clad in his wide-brimmed hand and trench coat, the stranger turns and extends his fingers toward the boy’s face.

 

Annalisa Leoni saturates Andrea Milana’s compelling art with vibrant color in Cobra Commander #2. The protected waterways live and breathe with the throbbing energy of nature. Cobra Commander stands out in his blue clothes and silver mask. Yet he seems to belong in this region ruled by ticket takers, Park Rangers, and gangs.

 

Black lines obscure a barely recalled memory. They dissipate, revealing violent Pythona. Her white face echoes her attendants’ surgical garb. Yet yellow teeth protrude from the red creature she clutches.

 

Uppercase words inhabit white dialogue balloons. The words grow bold for inflection and enlarged for shouts. Sound effects enhance the buzzing chainsaw, the Thunder Machine’s roaring, and the creature struggling to escape Pythona’s clutches. Duke’s encounter with the Ranger proves explosive. Yet a creaking door makes you wonder what chaos will welcome the man who values order above all else.  

 

Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When a scientist and a soldier venture into the heart of darkness, a violent encounter separates them in Cobra Commander #2.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art and more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Cobra Commander #1 Review

 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Andrea Milana

Colorist: Annalisa Leoni

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Andrea Milana & Annalisa Leoni; David Aja; Christ Burnham & Brian Reber; Steve Epting; Andrea Sorrentino & Sofie Dodgson; Jonboy Meyers; David Mack; Maria Wolf & Mike Spicer; Vincenzo Federici; Santa Fung; Alan Quah; John Giang; Nimit Malavia

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 17, 2023

 

Amid a snow-filled wilderness, the No Man’s Land Rest Stop And Pub represents civilization. Locals gather here to drink and ease the loneliness that seeps into their freezing bones. Yet a stranger will enter their last hospitable house, and their world will never be the same. Who is this man, and why is he here? Let’s leap into Cobra Commander #1 and find out!

 

Story

A stranger enters the bar. He requests transportation. A local man insults him while departing. The stranger follows him outside. He eyes the local man's vehicle.

 

Warning. There will be blood.

 

Before all this, a riot disturbed a secluded kingdom. Chanting the name of their hidden city, enraged citizens attacked the scientists’ enclave. As they pounded against the entrance, one scientist called for flight. The team leader shot him and ordered his people to punish the intruders. Explosions welcomed the mob. Death greeted them warmly.

 

Yet the lead scientist did not escape unscathed. Medical staff ministered to his ravaged body. He might live, but he would never be the same. Shielding his marred face with a mask, he attended his master. The city's ruler gazed down upon him. The ruler spoke of their past. The scientist's disrespect for tradition provoked the riot. For that, the scientist should die. Yet the men share a strange kinship based upon cruelty and a thirst for absolute power. They share it with another who now resides in their city. Although tortured and weakened, the captive’s smile is colder than the frozen lands the scientist now treads.

 

The stranger’s name is unimportant. His mission—to wield the power of an advanced civilization—is everything. His search has just begun. But in time, a fearful world will call him Cobra Commander.

 

Joshua Williamson sweeps readers off their feet and carries them along. Yet his embrace does not constrict, and his feet do not hurry. The story moves forward confidently, introducing the characters, their world, and the lead scientist's mission. Cobra Commander #1 feels like a Western set amid drifting white plains or Doctor Frankenstein pursuing a grand vision to reshape the world. Williamson’s debut issue promises a revelatory journey and departs with a hint of danger.

 

Warning. There will be blood.

 

Art

A bar and a row of tables greet the stranger’s gaze. His trenchcoat and wide-brim hat suggest an earlier era. A bartender studies him. A local man slaps his back. The man walks toward a tracked pickup in the snow-covered parking lot. Then Andrea Milana returns our attention to the pub. Blood sprays across our view of the No Man’s Land Rest Stop And Pub.

 

Flowing asymmetrical architecture evokes an undersea city in Cobra Commander #1. Yet people walk the streets unimpeded by water's density. They traverse grand avenues under hanging globe lights while workers harvest terraced fields. Twisted columns arise from rounded workstations. Articulated appendages sprout like limbs, extending tools for scientific use. While most scientists wear pants and a tank top, a sleek uniform, mask, and helmet adorn their leader. Doctors attend to his burns beneath intense overhead light. They place a jellyfish atop his chest.

 

Pastels dominate the introductory scene in Cobra Commander #1 before Annalisa Leoni unleashes an appealing mix of soft colors upon the amphibious city. The darker colors and the cold metal of a locked vault hint at the outrage that sparked the citizens' ire. Yellow, orange, and red overwhelm the laboratory as the lead scientist combats the mob. Afterward, blotches of crimson surround him. A glowing white respirator highlights his blistered forehead. Magenta tentacles writhe across his damaged body and burrow beneath his overexposed flesh. The doctors pull green snakes from a jar. Red globules arise wherever the snakes sink their blue-white fangs.

 

Large black italicized letters swim in white ponds in Cobra Commander #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. Yet the brown letters that burst from a rounded rectangular balloon and the giant red letters accompanying a burst of sizzling electricity seem most destined to energize readers.

 

Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

An incredible discovery tempts a scientist to abandon his principles, cast aside tradition, and reject any reverence for life in Cobra Commander #1.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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