Cobra Commander unveils the next phase of his plan—meet THE VALKYRIES, the newest Cobra special operatives unit. And as they race to retrieve the new mysterious weapon, will Duke suffer his first failure as the leader of G.I. Joe? G.I. JOE #2 continues the action and ups the drama from the solid debut issue.

Much like its Transformers counterpart, G.I. JOE #2 has no problems embracing classic elements of the property and what has come before while charting its own path. The series also has no problem killing off characters, also like its Transformers counterpart.

Joshua Williamson continues to build off of what he started with the Duke miniseries as the JOEs battle Cobra and fail in their first mission. Yes, G.I. JOE #2 shows the team isn’t uber fighters and can not only lose, but show the natural results of that loss. A team member is dead, one is missing, and Cobra has gained victory in a rough start for the team.

Williamson really focuses on the fallout of all of that failure with Duke going off hot after he realized who the team was up against. Interestingly, Williamson uses Baronesses’ cool and calm demeaner to be the voice of reason. It’s a great dynamic and shows that she might be more of a team player than originally thought and also shows Duke isn’t the leader we know from the cartoons… yet. This is a young Duke who’s hot headed and ready to rush in. It’s much more like his brother frame later seasons of the animated series.

But the dynamic between the JOEs isn’t the only thing on display. Cobra gets the spotlight as a new squad, The Valkyries are introduced, but more importantly the distrust between Cobra Commander and Destro is on full display. The two are clearly frenemies like the animated series but this Cobra Commander is far shrewder.

The art for G.I. JOE #2 is solid. By Tom Reilly with color by Jordie Bellaire and lettering by Rus Wooton, the visuals are a perfect match for the drama and action in the comic. The team does an excellent surprise when things get odd with Cobra’s weapons and individuals realize things are going to get rough. Duke meeting his new teammate is solid in the emotion that jumps off the page as fists fly.

G.I. JOE #2 is a solid issue that really focuses on the personalities and dynamics in the two sides at play. Each has issues and neither is smooth in their operations. It’s a bumpy ride for both but boy is it an entertaining one.

Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Tom Reilly
Color: Jordie Bellaire Letterer: Rus Wooton
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle