G.I. JOE #5, by Image Comics & Skybound on 3/19/25, finds Duke and the Joes at the mercy of Destro and Cobra Commander when the villains prepare to test their mind control device.
Credits:
- Writer: Joshua Williamson
- Artist: Tom Reilly
- Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
- Letterer: Rus Wooton
- Cover Artist: Tom Reilly (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: March 19, 2025
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 40
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of G.I. JOE #5:
Recap:
When we last left the Joes in G.I. Joe #4, Cobra Commander summoned his allies to M.A.R.S. Industries to unveil his genius master plan. When the terrorist leader combines Dr. Venom’s Brainwave Scanner with the Energon-enhanced tech, he creates a machine that will subjugate anyone within reach to become slaves of COBRA. Thanks to the assault on the Brainwave Scanner shipment before it reached a Congressional hearing, Cobra Commander has the perfect collection of G.I. Joe guinea pigs to test the device – Duke, Baroness, Risk, Stalker, and Cover Girl.
Plot Analysis:
In G.I. Joe #4, Duke and his allies get thrown into the viper’s den. The issue begins with Duke taking a savage beating from Mercer in the presence of Destro. Duke dares Mercer to kill him, but Destro is more interested in intel than death. When Duke refuses to talk, Destro turns his attention to Baroness. Why? He wants to know how G.I. Joe knew COBRA was after the Brainwave Scanner.
Duke suddenly yells, “Hit it!,” on a guess that Clutch was nearby and would have a counter-attack waiting. He was right. Clutch activates an Energon-enhance HISS tank and opens fire on Destro’s forces, giving Joes cover. Destro’s soldiers counter with a missile attack that disables the HISS tank, pinning the Joes down behind the wreckage. What’s their option? They have to charge Destro’s armed soldiers in hand-to-hand combat to reach the door and escape.
The plan works. Destro’s men are defeated, and the Joes make it to a chopper to escape. Destro follows in a FANG. The issue ends with Cobra Commander testing his slave machine on an unwilling volunteer and Duke staying behind to use the element of surprise.
First Impressions:
Come on, man. What are we doing here? G.I. Joe #4 gives readers plenty of thrilling firefights to keep the pace and energy up, but the escape, which is the crux of the issue, only works if you believe that Destro and his soldiers are the absolute worst shots on planet Earth. It’s dumb to the point of insulting.
Artwork and Presentation:
Tom Reilly’s art style is perfectly fit for purpose to match Joshua Williamson’s script. Reilly’s figure work and costume designs are on point, the action choreography is energetic, and the overall visual flow is on point.
However and once again, the big problem with the art is Jordie Bellaire’s coloring. How do you like browns and greys? Do you like a comic that’s almost all brown and grey, entirely lacking in pop and color variety? That’s what you get here – a comic that’s dull, drab, and muddy. It’s not clear why Jordie Bellaire chose to make these abysmal coloring choices other than, maybe, some misguided idea that a military comic should overflow with earth tones. Regardless of the reasoning, it’s an ugly, bad choice.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
If you’re a G.I. Joe fan, how could you not get excited by the prospect of a desperate fight by a small team of Joes to escape the clutches of Destro and Cobra Commander? If the goal was to get the reader’s heart rate up, Williamson succeeds to a point.
The Negatives:
Beyond the terrible coloring, the plot is just plain dumb for two key points. First, there’s no way Duke would know that Clutch is nearby and ready to help the team escape. Yes. Sure. Duke explains he assumed Clutch was ready on a guess, but that’s one heck of a guess that’s too much to swallow.
Second, when the Joes get pinned down behind the damaged HISS tank, their only option is to charge Destro’s forces empty-handed. Not only does that plan work, it works spectacularly well, but it only works because the script says it works, not for any plausible reason. A group of injured Joes charge a front line of Destro’s soldiers and Crimson Guards armed with Energeon-enhanced laser weapons, and not a single Joe is mortally wounded? Again, what are we doing here? This is plain lazy writing.
Williamson either doesn’t think much of the reader, or he couldn’t think of a way out of the corner he painted the Joes into and decided to throw believability out the window. Either way, it’s an irksome resolution.
Big Picture:
Series Continuity:
Other than the mention and use of Energon, are there any Transformers in G.I. Joe #5? No. It’s a sure bet that this G.I. Joe series, not to be confused with A Real American Hero, will formerly interact with Transformers at some point, but the details and dates of that crossover have yet to be announced. We’ll let you know when it happens.
Final Thoughts:
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G.I. JOE #5 is a thrill ride of G.I. Joe versus COBRA action, placed at the center of a flawed plot and uneven art. Joshua Williamson’s script delivers plenty of action and energy, but the issue only works if you believe COBRA’s forces are worse shots than Star Wars Stormtroopers at close range. Plus, the pencils, inks, and layouts are great, but once again, the ugly, muddy coloring is a downer.
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