The Rise of Cobra begins here. In a world where the Cobra organization hasn’t formed, one man’s sinister plans to utilize the mysterious alien substance known as Energon sends shockwaves across the globe. Who is Cobra Commander? Where does he come from? And what horrors is he planning to unleash that will rock the world-and maybe the universe-to its core? Cobra Commander #1 kicks off a new chapter in the Energon Universe introducing the terrorist organization to come.

To say Cobra Commander #1 is good is an understatement. It’s the perfect companion comic to Duke #1, which takes us through Duke’s journey pre-G.I. Joe. Both written by Joshua Williamson, both breathe new life into the 40 year old property. Williamson has taken a lot of what has come before and remixed it a bit. Transformers are on Earth. Cobra and G.I. Joe don’t exist. This is how both of those organizations came to be.

Slight spoilers ahead

While I try to avoid spoilers, it’s hard to say why Cobra Commander #1 is so good without them. As stated above, this is the story before Cobra existed. The person who will become Cobra Commander is just a scientist in Cobra-la. Yes, the organization introduced in G.I. Joe: The Movie is central to this comic. Williamson brilliantly uses the juxtaposition between the Transformers and Cobra-la to drive the story. One is a technology based world and beings while the other is organic. Cobra Commander has gotten ahold of a Transformer, running experiments and using what he’s learned to add technology to Cobra-la’s world. This has caused unrest among the people and Cobra Commander, after being injured is sent on a mission into the world, thus begins the organization that will be known as Cobra.

Williamson does an amazing job of blending together so much. The introduction of Transformers to this world feels natural and organic and the impact of that too makes sense. He uses the various concepts and ideas that have been around for quite a while in new ways to create a fresh take that feels logical. It just makes a hell of a lot of sense and everything is a natural progression. It also creates the sense that Void Rivals, Transformers, Duke, and now Cobra Commander are part of a connected world but it’s being done in a way you can enjoy just one series. If you read them all though, you get the bigger picture and more dots connected.

The art by Andrea Milana is fantastic. With color by Annalisa Leoni and lettering by Rus Wooton, the details and look of everything is top notch. Milana and the team create a world that’s familiar, it takes its style from classic G.I. Joe. But, like Duke, there’s small tweaks here and there. It’s minor things but it all comes together in a way that makes the comic feel fresh in story and visuals. The team also captures the rather epic nature of some events. They play out like big action sequences and you can almost picture them on the screen with classic voice overs. The visuals embrace what has come before but chart their own course too.

Cobra Commander #1 is good. It’s really good. The comic might be the strongest debut out of all of the Energon Universe and has me excited to see what comes next. This is a Cobra Commander that already feels manipulative and scheming and where those machinations go and how it connects to everything else is going to be one hell of a ride.

Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Andrea Milana
Color: Annalisa Leoni Letterer: Rus Wooton
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

---

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle