G.I. JOE #17 – New Comic Review

G.I. Joe #17, by Image Comics on 1/14/26, closes out “Dreadnok War” with big swings, nasty betrayals, and one last Energon-fueled circus in the desert.

Credits:

• Writer: Joshua Williamson
• Artist: Tom Reilly
• Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
• Letterer: Rus Wooton
• Cover Artist: Tom Reilly (cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: January 14, 2026
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Page Count: 32
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of G.I. JOE #17:

First Impressions:

The opening pages drop you right back into the wreckage, and the first vibe is chaos in a good way, with everybody hunting Cobra Commander at once. Cobra cuts a deal with the Dreadnoks almost immediately, and that sharp turn sets a tense, uneasy tone for the whole issue. The concept is crystal clear from page one: this is about who controls Cobra Commander, who controls Energon, and who walks out of this desert in one piece.

Recap:

Duke was captured by the Dreadnoks and scheduled for execution, but the Energon supply became the real prize when Destro realized Colonel Hawk had escaped with vital intel. The previous issue ended with Clutch leading a rescue, sparking a three-way battle where Road Pig challenged Duke directly as chaos took over the desert.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):

The issue opens in the aftermath of that battle, with the Dreadnoks missing Cobra Commander and panicking about where he went. Cobra Commander, separated from the main fight and in rough shape, offers them a deal instead of going quietly: money, parties, and contracts as independent operatives, with G.I. Joe as their first target. The Joes regroup in the blasted desert, with Duke focused on recovering Cobra Commander before the Dreadnoks bury him and his secrets. When they find him, the twist hits hard: the Dreadnoks now work for Cobra Commander, and everyone is standing in a tense standoff around the same prize.

Cobra Commander frames it as a truce bought with a paycheck, offering to let the Joes escape unharmed if they leave now, and pointing out that Duke saved his life. Duke refuses to leave, vowing that Cobra Commander is not going anywhere and sticking to his plan to extract him alive. The Dreadnoks charge, Duke rallies the Joes, and the fight explodes again, with a huge Energon-powered robot stomping into the fray under Joe control. That robot turns the skirmish into an even bigger war and gives the Joes an edge no one expected.

Everyone scrambles for the new prize as Cobra and Destro’s forces move in, spot the robot, and decide they want that machine more than they want the Joes dead. Cobra Commander orders the Dreadnoks to capture the robot instead of just smashing the Joes, arguing that the machine changes the balance of power. Even Duke reluctantly admits that the robot gives them a serious advantage, but the Joes are overwhelmed as the skies fill with fire. Cobra Commander slips away by air with Zarana, Zandar, Torch, Ripper, and Buzzer, leaving the rest of the Dreadnoks to stall the Joes.

In the epilogue at the Pit, Hawk contacts his “baby sister,” who is actually Zarana. The reveal lands hard: “Hawk” has been Zartan in disguise for a long-running con, and he says the real war is just getting started. Zartan and Zarana are positioning themselves to create chaos from inside G.I. Joe’s leadership.

Story

The pacing is aggressive but controlled, with the issue moving cleanly from desert fallout, to the Dreadnok deal, to the renewed three-way fight, and finally to the leadership twist at the Pit. There is no wasted page, and each scene either escalates the conflict or sets up the next power shift. The dialogue is sharp and character-specific, especially in Cobra Commander’s pitch to the Dreadnoks and the final Zartan reveal, where every line is doing double duty as exposition and character flex. Structurally, the book delivers a complete chapter with a clear beginning, middle, and end, nailing the cliffhanger without cheating the reader out of meaningful resolution.

Art

The line art sells motion and expression well, especially in the close-quarters character beats and the big robot moments, but the overall visual clarity takes a hit from the coloring. The color palette leans heavily into dusty browns, murky reds, and similar mid-tones, which muddies panel readability when multiple factions and Energon effects share the same space. Instead of using color to separate planes and teams, the pages often flatten into a single noisy layer, so it takes an extra beat to sort out who is shooting, who is falling back, and where the robot sits in the geography of the fight. The mood is clearly meant to be scorched-earth chaos, but the saturation and lack of contrast swallow a lot of the line work.

Characters

Cobra Commander comes off as a ruthless strategist who knows exactly how to weaponize ego and greed; his pivot from victim to employer clarifies his long game with Energon. Duke remains locked into his moral obsession with capturing Cobra Commander, even when it puts his people at risk, and that stubbornness reads as both heroic and costly. The Dreadnoks are consistent with their chaotic mercenary brand, but the issue smartly frames them as people who will forgive almost anything if the paycheck is right. Zartan’s reveal as Hawk is the biggest character move, setting him up as a long-game mastermind whose business is staying several steps ahead of everyone.

Originality & Concept Execution

The core idea here is not just “Joes fight Cobra and Dreadnoks,” but “whoever controls Energon and Cobra Commander controls the board,” and the issue executes that premise with nuance. Hiring the Dreadnoks as independent contractors instead of just folding them into Cobra keeps them as a wildcard rather than faceless troops. Turning the Energon robot into the new strategic prize, and then ending the arc with that robot staying in Joe hands while leadership has been compromised, shifts the series from loud desert war to slow-burn espionage. The final Zartan twist executes cleanly and lands well, making the whole “Dreadnok War” feel like a setup for a bigger, more original internal threat.

Positives

The biggest win is the plotting; this issue delivers real payoff and real movement, not just another skirmish that resets to status quo. Cobra Commander’s deal with the Dreadnoks is a sharp plot twist that feels earned by their shared history and keeps the mercs properly self-interested. The fight for the Energon robot provides a clear, tangible objective that structures the chaos, and the robot’s survival as a Joe asset gives this chapter a solid sense of victory even as other pieces slip away. Finally, the Zartan-as-Hawk reveal is a strong, memorable cliffhanger that recontextualizes earlier scenes and sets up a future arc with a clear, unsettling hook.

Negatives

The biggest drag on the issue is the art’s color work, which leans into a muddy, samey palette that undercuts both clarity and impact in the busiest scenes. When every faction and explosion shares similar dusty tones, panels blur together and action beats that should be instant reads turn into find-the-figure puzzles, which slows reading and softens the emotional punch. The Energon effects and the robot, which should be visual headline features, often sink into the same desert fog instead of standing out as vivid, dangerous anomalies. For readers who care as much about clean, readable visuals as they do about plot, that muddy coloring translates to lower overall value.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

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

Final Thoughts:

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G.I. JOE #17 absolutely earns a look if you are invested in the Energon Universe or the “Dreadnok War” arc, because the plot twists, character maneuvers, and final reveal all matter, and they land clean. If your comic budget can only handle razor-sharp scripts paired with equally sharp visuals, the muddy coloring and flattened action might push this one into “wait for a sale” territory. For readers who prize story momentum, big turns, and a nasty cliffhanger over pristine art, this is still a smart pickup. Everyone else may want to flip through first and decide how much visual grime they are willing to tolerate for a strong strategic endgame.

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