First Look: G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Silent Missions: Zartan #1 by Tom DeFalco and Pat Olliffe

Skybound and Image Comics, teaming up with Hasbro, just dropped a first look at the interior pages for G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero: Sssilent Missions – Zartan #1, and yo… Cobra is coming in heavy. This all-new one-shot hits during Skybound’s Silent Missions month, putting one of Cobra’s slickest and most dangerous wild cards front and center. Brought to life by the legendary Spider-Man 2099 dream team of Tom DeFalco and Pat Olliffe, this issue crashes into comic shops on April 15.

Comic book history got flipped on its head when G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #21 gave fans the unforgettable “Silent Interlude” story, proving that sometimes you don’t need words when the action is that loud. Now Silent Missions Month is back for round two this April, but this time the spotlight shifts to the snakes. That’s right—Cobra takes over, with its deadliest players stepping into a lineup of silent, high-stakes stories crafted by an all-star squad of comic book killers.

For this mission, Tom DeFalco and Pat Olliffe lock Zartan into what may be his nastiest undercover operation yet. But let’s be real—when you’re the master of disguise, dodging Cobra Commander, Major Bludd, and G.I. Joe all in one shot is just another day at the office. For Zartan, chaos is cardio.

On the cover front, fans are getting fed. The main cover comes from Pat Olliffe and John Kalisz, with a stacked variant lineup that includes an open-to-order cover by Jorge Fornés, a 1:10 incentive black-and-white version of Olliffe’s cover, and the latest entry in the slick 1:25 incentive foil letter cover series by Fornés, continuing to spell out COBRA one issue at a time. Yeah, they know exactly what they’re doing to collectors’ wallets.

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero: Sssilent Missions – Zartan #1 marks the third of five brand-new Silent Missions one-shots, all releasing on Wednesdays throughout April. The full lineup is absolutely loaded, featuring top-tier talent like Gabriel Hardman, Joëlle Jones, Declan Shalvey, Pat Olliffe, Tom DeFalco, Howard Porter, and Jorge Fornés. Quiet comic? Maybe. Loud energy? Absolutely.

And of course, G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero remains a major pillar of the powerhouse partnership between Skybound and Hasbro, a collab that keeps feeding fans and collectors alike. The hype train keeps rolling with a second Compendium Set Kickstarter launching in 2026, and collectors can jump onto the mailing list now at GIJoeKickstarter.com to get all the campaign news before it officially launches on Tuesday, March 24 at 6 a.m. PT.

This whole movement also connects to the ever-growing Energon Universe, which continues to flex with major titles like Void Rivals from Robert Kirkman, Andrei Bressan, and Patricio Delpeche, the two-time Eisner Award-winning Transformers from Robert Kirkman, Jason Howard, and Mike Spicer, G.I. JOE from Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana, and Lee Loughridge, and now the freshly announced M.A.S.K. from Dan Watters, Pye Parr, and Pierluigi Casolino, launching June 3.

Bottom line? Zartan is here, Cobra is making noise without saying a word, and Skybound is once again proving that silence can still hit like an explosion.

The full list of variant covers is below:

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Sssilent Missions – Zartan #1 Cover A by Pat Olliffe & John Kalisz (Lunar Code: 0226IM0353)
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Sssilent Missions – Zartan #1 Cover B by Jorge Fornés (Lunar Code: 0226IM0354)
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Sssilent Missions – Zartan #1 Cover C (1:10 incentive) (Black & White) by Pat Olliffe (Lunar Code: 0226IM0355)
G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Sssilent Missions – Zartan #1 Cover D (Foil) (1:25 Incentive) by Jorge Fornés ($4.99) (Lunar Code: 0226IM0356)

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero Sssilent Missions – Zartan #1 (Lunar Codes Above | $3.99, unless otherwise noted) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

Author Profile

Al Mega: I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!