G.I. JOE #14 – New Comic Review

G.I. Joe #14, by Image Comics on 11/19/25, takes the reader on a bumpy, explosion-filled ride through the desert and asks if survival is worth the price of teamwork, or if every alliance is just one bullet away from collapse.

Credits:

• Writer: Joshua Williamson
• Artist: Tom Reilly
• Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
• Letterer: Rus Wooton
• Cover Artist: Tom Reilly (cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: November 19, 2025
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Page Count: 32
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of G.I. JOE #14:

First Impressions:

Guns blaze, engines roar, and the first few pages hit harder than a sledgehammer to the skull. The comic wastes no time pulling you face-first into chaos. The energy is high and the stakes are clear, but the murky color palette tries its hardest to make your eyes beg for a pause. Right out the gate, readers are thrust into a vortex of frantic ambition and questionable loyalty.

Recap:

Previously, as Cobra Commander’s Energon supplies dwindled, he dispatched the Dreadnoks, Mercer, Bludd, Chameleon, and the Twins to hunt for new resources. Meanwhile, Duke braved the Chihuahuan Desert, trailing an Energon signal, only to find himself ensnared in Cobra’s web. Chaos reigned as Dreadnok revenge and betrayal fractured alliances amid a dust-up with the Joes and Cobra, climaxing in a wild desert showdown. Duke almost nabbed Cobra Commander, but the episode ended with threats of payback and the unmistakable promise that the Dreadnok War is far from over.

Plot Analysis:

Cobra is leaderless, with Cobra Commander and Duke handcuffed together, crawling out of the ruins of last issue’s carnage. The Dreadnoks, still licking wounds and itching for revenge, prowl the desert in their modified machines hoping to finish off stragglers and claim their prize. Major Bludd and Mercer joust for control and profit as the Cobra remnants debate their next move, dangling allegiances like cash in the wind.

While Dreadnok chaos rages outside, Duke and Cobra Commander reluctantly agree to work together, dodging both bullets and suspicion as they limp from one crisis to the next. Ripper’s fury over shattered hardware and perceived betrayal explodes, fueling another round of vehicular mayhem and standoffs in battered canyons and abandoned towns. Meanwhile, key Joes regroup elsewhere as Stalker and Cover Girl investigate the aftermath while field communications repeatedly fail.

Amid sabotage and double-crosses, the handcuffed odd couple barely scrape through close shaves and double-dealings, encountering both Dreadnok scavengers and eerily quiet locals who hint at bigger dangers. The jaws of the Dreadnoks snap behind them, hungry for both vengeance and Energon, escalating each encounter into a new level of carnage.

By the final act, every pursuit ends in a canyon crash, a chase, or a standoff, but the body count only rises and alliances only thin. With fists flying and no trusted allies left standing, Duke and Cobra Commander stagger out, battered but breathing, leaving readers certain that in the Dreadnok War, no hand is clean and nobody walks away unchanged.

Story

Joshua Williamson packs each page with frantic pacing and a clear through-line: survival now means compromise. The dialogue jabs, taunts, and snaps with urgency, though some lines feel like re-runs if you’ve ever heard a Joe grumble. Structurally, the issue sticks to its desert road-trip skeleton, never really slowing, but never risking anything radically new, either.

Art

Tom Reilly’s figures do all the kinetic heavy lifting, but the action’s impact is blunted by Jordie Bellaire’s color work. What should be bold, sun-bleached drama is instead rendered with muddy, uninspired hues that sap the tension and make already grim scenes even harder to parse. The composition does attempt to keep fights readable and movement clear, but every page loses something to the persistent murkiness that plagues the mood and undercuts the promise of a fist-pumping, popcorn-flick visual.

Characters

Duke and Cobra Commander’s forced partnership is the highlight, with enough begrudging respect and animosity to keep pages turning. Motivation remains consistent, but everyone wants the upper hand or to survive the fallout. There are moments where old loyalties flicker, yet most characters retreat to archetypes rather than evolve; nobody truly surprises, no matter how many bullets fly.

Originality & Concept Execution

Pinned squarely in the center lane of “action survival,” the comic doesn’t mess with the toys too much. The premise – enemies forced to work together – delivers on action and friction as promised, but any freshness gets bogged down by too many familiar beats and visual monotony. The setup is classic, the execution serviceable, but it refuses to risk a detour from expectations.

Positives

Duke and Cobra Commander’s fractious duo act is worth every page, propelling scenes with quick banter and plausible tension as each tries to outwit the other to survive. The action, when it comes through the muddle, lands hard and fast, with vehicular carnage, cunning betrayals, and clever escapes trading off like hands in a high-stakes poker game. Razor-sharp moments of rivalry and fleeting truces drive the plot, rewarding loyal readers with the kinetic grit they came for.

Negatives

The coloring is a crime scene. Every page is smothered in drab, almost indistinguishable tones that bury momentum and make critical moments feel dense and joyless. While the plot moves like a speeding truck, its refusal to surprise leaves every twist forecasted well ahead, robbing the issue of suspense. Characters mostly play to their stereotypes, and the overall effect is more safe middle chapter than highlight reel, with atmosphere sacrificed for mechanical progression and muddy spectacle.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2.5/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [2/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1.5/2]

Final Thoughts:

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If your pull list is running on fumes, G.I. Joe #14 probably isn’t your rescue vehicle. While the headline grudges and grit are present, a lack of visual punch and creative risk-taking means this issue is content to spin its wheels in the dust, rather than blaze a new trail.

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