G.I. JOE #15 – New Comic Review

G.I. Joe #15, by Image Comics on 12/3/25, revs the engines after last issue’s desert brawl, pushing old enemies into new chaos with gritted teeth and bloodied knuckles. 

Credits:

• Writer: Joshua Williamson
• Artist: Tom Reilly
• Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
• Letterer: Rus Wooton
• Cover Artist: Tom Reilly (cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: December 3, 2025
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Page Count: 32
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of G.I. JOE #15:

First Impressions:

Right from the opening, the comic delivers a punchy mix of breathless action and biting dialogue, grabbing attention with a gritty tone that refuses to relent. The art keeps the pace quick, conveying the desert’s brutality and the characters’ raw desperation. It feels like stepping back onto a battlefield where every second counts, and nobody trusts anyone.

Recap:

Previously, Cobra was in disarray with Cobra Commander and Duke handcuffed together amid desert carnage. The Dreadnoks, hungry for vengeance and power, roamed with modified war machines, while Cobra factions scrambled for control. Duke and Cobra Commander’s uneasy partnership saw them dodging threats and suspicion alike, barely surviving with alliances fraying. All told, it was a brutal mess of betrayal and fading loyalty, leaving the Dreadnok War far from over.

Plot Analysis:

The issue kicks off with Duke and Cobra Commander still navigating the hostile desert, evading both Dreadnok scavengers and mounting dangers that test their reluctant alliance. Meanwhile, a sprawling secondary plot unfolds as Colonel Hawk receives a private message from Ms. Carlton-Ritz, who arranges a secret meeting where she introduces him to Laird Destro and his head of security, Mercer. Carlton-Ritz proposes a dangerous truce: Cobra’s weapons could become assets in the Joe team’s fight against the mysterious robots threatening the world. Hawk rejects the notion, but Carlton-Ritz insists Cobra is undergoing a management change and that Mercer possesses critical information about the robots that Joe intelligence lacks.

The narrative shifts as Mercer interrogates what appears to be a captured robot or creature with disturbing abilities. When questioned about his nature and the robots, Mercer reveals he did not create them but stole something valuable from them called Energon. He expresses a dangerous philosophy about abandoning human weakness and evolving into something greater, likely something mechanical. Meanwhile, Duke and Cobra Commander’s journey takes them directly to the compound of a mysterious figure called Road Pig, a massive mountain of a man living in the desert with a pack of pigs and his own hidden agenda. Road Pig proves unexpectedly dangerous, trapping them in close combat before the situation escalates into chaos.

The Dreadnoks arrive at Road Pig’s compound and quickly forge an unlikely alliance with him, bonding over shared taste in grape soda and discovering he has captured Duke and Cobra Commander. Ripper and the crew immediately see Duke and Cobra Commander as their prisoners and prizes, intending to execute them while integrating Road Pig into their ranks. However, when a strange figure appears to be introduced to the Dreadnoks, one of their own dogs the stranger, the situation turns violent. The mysterious figure appears injured or poisoned by the bite, and Ripper orders them taken outside, hinting at internal complications brewing among the Dreadnoks themselves.

The issue concludes back at Joe headquarters, The Pit, where Clutch and other operatives realize Duke has gone silent and departed from communication protocols. Clutch advocates for immediate action, overruling Colonel Hawk’s orders to stand down. He reveals knowledge of a mysterious ally who can help mount a rescue mission, suggesting that outside resources or unexpected partnerships will be required to save Duke from the Dreadnok encirclement. The ending leaves readers on a knife’s edge of uncertainty about Duke’s survival and teases major complications for the next installment.

Story

Joshua Williamson structures this issue as a high-wire balancing act between two major plotlines, maintaining momentum through rapid scene transitions and mounting stakes. The dialogue strikes an effective balance between character voice and plot advancement; Duke and Cobra Commander’s banter feels organic while revealing strain beneath their partnership. The conversation between Mercer and his captive introduces philosophical weight and complexity without slowing the action. Pacing never drags, though occasionally the rapid switches between settings risk losing thread for readers unfamiliar with prior issues.

Art

Tom Reilly delivers kinetic, dynamic figure work that captures both frenetic action sequences and tense conversational moments with genuine power and clarity. His line work conveys desperation and intensity, especially in Road Pig’s introduction and the Dreadnok confrontations. However, Jordie Bellaire’s color work severely undermines Reilly’s efforts. The palette is uniformly muddy and drab, washing out nearly every panel in washed-out tans and muted grays that drain visual impact from even the most exciting sequences.

What should be visceral action instead feels flat and lifeless; the desert setting becomes an excuse for Bellaire to employ a palette so desaturated and ugly that it actively works against the story’s intensity. High-stakes confrontations lose their edge when rendered in these depressing, colorless tones. Compositions guide the reader’s eye with reasonable clarity, but even well-orchestrated panels fail to engage visually when buried under such uninspired coloring. The muddy palette makes dense action scenes feel murky rather than dynamic, turning Reilly’s solid artwork into a visual slog.

Characters

Duke and Cobra Commander show genuine strain in their forced partnership, with dialogue revealing friction beneath tactical necessity. Their relationship remains the emotional anchor, though development here feels incremental. Road Pig enters as a compelling wild card, his sudden introduction and unexpected alliance with the Dreadnoks adding unpredictability. Secondary characters like Ripper show personality through quirky details, though depth remains limited. Mercer’s philosophical monologue hints at deeper complexity, but his characterization feels more conceptually interesting than emotionally resonant at this stage.

Originality & Concept Execution

The forced-alliance premise continues executing reliably, with the addition of unexpected characters like Road Pig providing fresh complications. However, the core narrative patterns remain familiar: survival, betrayal, alliances shifting based on immediate advantage. The introduction of Energon and Mercer’s philosophical obsession with transcendence adds conceptual novelty to the Dreadnok War arc, creating layered stakes beyond simple revenge. The secret negotiations between Carlton-Ritz, Hawk, and Destro break expected patterns and suggest larger conspiracies, though execution here feels more setup than payoff.

Positives

The issue shines brightest in its willingness to widen the scope beyond Duke and Cobra Commander, introducing Carlton-Ritz’s secret negotiations and hinting at larger geopolitical complications beneath the surface chaos. The Road Pig introduction serves as a disruptive wildcard that genuinely complicates the situation rather than simply adding bodies to the fight. Tom Reilly’s artwork demonstrates strong fundamentals through kinetic figure work and intelligent panel compositions that maintain readability despite heavy action sequences. The cliffhanger at The Pit effectively raises stakes by introducing Clutch’s mysterious ally and suggesting outside resources the reader hasn’t yet encountered.

Negatives

Jordie Bellaire’s coloring is the issue’s most significant liability. The palette is uniformly muddy, drab, and aesthetically unpleasant, with washed-out tans and colorless grays that actively sabotage the visual storytelling. What should be intense action sequences become visually exhausting rather than exciting when rendered in such depressing, desaturated tones. The ugly color work transforms Reilly’s competent linework into a visual drag, making even well-composed panels feel uninspired and lifeless.

Beyond coloring, the rapid scene-switching between multiple plotlines occasionally sacrifices clarity and leaves viewers tracking connections that aren’t immediately apparent. Mercer’s philosophical monologue, while conceptually interesting, disrupts pacing and lacks emotional weight that would justify its length. The secondary villain plot with Carlton-Ritz and Hawk feels underbaked compared to the desert action, leaving their motivations and Destro’s offer somewhat muddled. Road Pig’s sudden personality shift from genuine threat to grape-soda-bonding buddy, while humorous, strains credibility and undermines the tension of his initial introduction.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 3/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 2/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 1.5/2

Final Thoughts:

(Click this link 👇 to order this comic)

G.I. JOE #15 charges forward with ambition, layering desert survival action against shadow diplomacy and mysterious conspiracies that suggest the Dreadnok War is merely one piece of a much larger puzzle. Strong writing and solid figure work from Reilly are consistently undermined by Bellaire’s muddy, uninspired coloring that drains visual excitement from nearly every page. The issue delivers enough narrative intrigue to satisfy committed readers, but the relentless drabness of the color palette and the tonal shifts between philosophical monologue and comic relief make this a difficult recommendation for casual buyers. When coloring actively works against the artist’s linework and the story’s intensity, readers deserve better value for their dollar.

---

---

---

As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.