Writer & Artist: Leonardo Romero
Colorist: Cris Peter
Cover Artists: Leonardo Romero, Jorge Fornés, Jimbo Salgado,
Peter Smith, Marat Mychaels, Tiago Da Silva & Karen S Darboe
Editor: Alex Antone
Publication Design: Jillian Crab
Production: Ashby Florence
Creative Consultant: Diana Davis
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 16, 2025
When a fox leaps into the forest road, the approaching truck
breaks. The park ranger leaves her vehicle as an eagle alights atop the cab.
The bird watches as the Native American man wraps the wounded animal in a
blanket. They put the animal in a crate in the bed. Spirit studies his
surroundings and signals his partner. Then he lifts his arm, Freedom flies to
him, and Spirit signs his intentions.
As his partner drives away, Freedom flies off above the
evergreens. Clutching his rifle, Spirit follows the eagle into the forest. What
will Spirit discover as he follows the fox’s tracks? And who has been harming
the animals? Let's pull on our hiking boots, leap into G I Joe: A Real American
Hero: Spirit #1, and find out!
Story
Claw marks on wood, severed limbs, downed trees, and blood
litter the forest floor. Among the animal prints, Spirit finds a sizeable
depression. His trek leads past an abandoned jeep. Then Freedom swoops in and
leads Spirit to a clearing. In Leonardo Romero's story, the Native American
tracker gazes into the valley. Tree trunks surround a parking lot dotted with
vehicles. As the sunlight wanes, Freedom flies toward an immense dome bearing
the same symbol as the abandoned jeep.
Inside, Spirit and Freedom find an animal-shaped robot. They
discover an abandoned room filled with control terminals. A file, screwdriver,
and screws rest on a tray attached to a central worktable. In the darkness, a
robot assembly arm hovers over another animal robot on a rectangular surface.
But this mechanical beast wears an animal’s skull in G I Joe: A Real American
Hero: Spirit #1.
As a Native American shaman or medicine man, Spirit is
attuned to nature. Tracking people and animals comes naturally to him. The
bears wandering through the abandoned facility investigating the spilled
liquids and animal bones do not frighten him. Spirit clutches a handgun and a
flashlight. With the generators down, Spirit can see little beyond the circle
of light from his flashlight.
Then, the claws jutting from an enormous hand rip through
the wall. Freedom flies from his shoulder as Spirit falls to the cement floor.
He gazes up at the strange being who injured and killed so many forest animals
in G I Joe: A Real American Hero: Spirit #1.
Art
Spirit wears the same beige pants as his partner. Yet he
wears a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and a red bandana circles his dark,
braided hair. Spirit bears a serious but not severe countenance as he studies
his surroundings and favors gestures over words. A leather strap helps him direct
his rifle with one gloved hand while he brushes aside branches with the other.
Cris Peter fills Spirit's view of the research base with pink, mauve, beige,
and tan as Billy flies off toward the lavender dome.
Leonardo Romero rapid-fires panels onto pages that
communicate each moment of the fox's flight, Spirit's investigation, and a
battle amid the darkness. More panels creep into scenes that help us feel
Spirit's reverence for nature. The still metal beast he discovers lays like a
fallen animal. Smoke rises as a metal monstrosity tears through walls. Circles
divided into four quadrants reveal what Spirit sees when he peers into the
scope of his rifle.
Signs in a control room highlight the base's fate.
Descriptions beside a schematic give insights into what Spirit fights. A
researcher's notes detail an endeavor to bolster the organization's combat
forces in G I Joe: A Real American Hero: Spirit #1. Two pages display twenty
layouts accompanied by Leonardo Romero's notes. Thanks to Image Comics,
Skybound, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Animal experimentation is nothing new. Nor do outsiders
invading tribal lands surprise anyone. But when Spirit tracks a strange
creature to its home, the Native American tracker discovers an abomination of
unrivaled strength in G I Joe: A Real American Hero: Spirit #1.
Rating 9.8/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
