PREVIEW: Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly & Jordie Bellaire’s G.I. JOE #1

Skybound and Image Comics, in collaboration with leading toy and game company Hasbro, revealed interior pages and the stacked lineup of variant covers for G.I. JOE #1 from the chart-topping, critically acclaimed creative team of writer Joshua Williamson (Duke, Cobra Commander), artist Tom Reilly (Duke) and colorist Jordie Bellaire (Duke, W0rldtr33). The history-making comic book launch, which promises to introduce a bold new vision of G.I. JOE and Cobra to the Energon Universe, hits comic books shelves on Wednesday, November 13.

Conrad Hauser, Codename DUKE, has assembled a special force known as G.I. Joe to battle the rising power of the mysterious COBRA in the aftermath of the Autobots and Decepticons’ arrival on Earth. But the enigmatic Cobra Commander has unleashed the power of Energon like never before!

Featuring the First Appearance of an ALL-NEW character and many familiar faces, this is the comic that will change everything you think you know about G.I. JOE…and that’s only half the surprises in store!

“Our epic new G.I. JOE monthly series is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of passionate, talented people,” noted series editor Ben Abernathy. “If you loved Duke, just know that was a warm-up to the amazing ideas and visuals Joshua, Tom and Jordie are bringing to this series!”

This extra-length debut issue will feature a wraparound main cover by Reilly, along with variant covers by superstar artists Jerome Opeña & Dave Stewart; Brett Booth, Livesay & Andrew Dalhouse; David Finch, Danny Miki & Dave McCaig; Lee Bermejo; Sozomaika; Jenny Frison; David Nakayama; Jeff Spokes, E.J. Su; Jonboy Meyers; and Andrea Milana.

Skybound is currently running a “Choose Your Side” initiative that offers readers the opportunity to see themselves on the pages of G.I. JOE by publicly declaring their loyalty to either G.I. Joe or Cobra, to be featured alongside other Insiders in the series’ house ads. Readers can pledge their affiliation by submitting a photo of themselves, along with their stated allegiance to the “Choose Your Side” page on the Skybound Insiders website by visiting www.GIJoeChooseYourSide.com. The photo submission portal on Skybound Insiders is open now and will close on September 8, 2024. To be eligible, users must have a verified Skybound Insiders account, and be 18+ and a legal resident of the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada (excluding Quebec).

The all-new series will become another tentpole of the Energon Universe, the crown jewel of the historic collaboration between Hasbro and Skybound, who has introduced a brand-new era of the TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE franchises in one shared comic book universe. Energon Universe titles include the ongoing series Void Rivals by writer Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead), artist Lorenzo De Felici (Kroma), and colorist Patricio Delpeche (The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country) and the two-time Eisner Award winning TRANSFORMERS by writer Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Do a Powerbomb), artist Jorge Corona (Middlewest), and colorist Mike Spicer (Stillwater, Murder Falcon). The Energon Universe also includes G.I. JOE miniseries Duke, from Joshua Williamson , Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire; Cobra Commander from Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana (Impact Winter: Rook) and Annalisa Leoni (Oblivion Song); Scarlett, from writer Kelly Thompson (Black Widow, Birds of Prey), artist Marco Ferrari (Frontiersman), and colorist Lee Loughridge (I Hate This Place, Killadelphia); and Destro, from writer Dan Watters (Loki, Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!), artist Andrei Bressan (Dark Ride, Birthright), and colorist Adriano Lucas (Dark Ride, Birthright), which introduce the iconic characters of the G.I. JOE and Cobra factions to the Energon Universe. Fans should expect can’t-miss moments from every issue of the Energon Universe, as secrets are unveiled along the path to answering the BIG questions from some of the biggest franchises in comics today.

The full list of variant covers is below:

G.I. JOE #1 Cover A (Wraparound) by Tom Reilly
G.I. JOE #1 Cover B by Jerome Opeña & Dave Stewart
G.I. JOE #1 Cover C by Brett Booth, Livesay & Andrew Dalhouse
G.I. JOE #1 Cover D by David Finch, Danny Miki & Dave McCaig
G.I. JOE #1 Cover E by Lee Bermejo
G.I. JOE #1 Cover F by Sozomaika
G.I. JOE #1 Cover G by Jenny Frison
G.I. JOE #1 Cover H (1:10 Copy Incentive) (Connecting) by David Nakayama
G.I. JOE #1 Cover I (1:25 Copy Incentive) by Jeff Spokes
G.I. JOE #1 Cover J (1:50 Copy Incentive) by E.J. Su
G.I. JOE #1 Cover K (1:100 Copy Incentive) (Foil, Cardstock) by Jonboy Meyers
G.I. JOE #1 Cover L (1:250 Copy Incentive) (Cardstock) by Tom Reilly
G.I. JOE #1 Cover M (1:500 Copy Incentive) (Cardstock) by David Finch
G.I. JOE #1 Cover N Blank Sketch Cover (G.I. JOE)
G.I. JOE #1 Cover O Blank Sketch Cover (COBRA)
G.I. JOE #1 Cover P (Wraparound) (Foil, Cardstock) by Tom Reilly ($5.99)
G.I. JOE #1 Cover Q (Foil, Cardstock) by Jenny Frison ($5.99)
G.I. JOE #1 Cover R (Die Cut Cobra Commander Mask Cover) (Foil, Cardstock) by Andrea Milana ($5.99)

G.I. JOE #1 ($4.99, unless otherwise noted) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.