I feel like I should preface my review of Duke #1 with a confession: I’ve never been a huge fan of G.I. Joe. Apart from Snake-Eyes (who had the advantage of being a ninja and like most heroes I admire, a badass redheaded love interest in Scarlett) the franchise wasn’t really my thing – I was more of a Transformers guy. That being said, the creative team of Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire, and Rus Wooton have delivered a comic that plays like a spy/action thriller which is right up my alley. The fact that it’s part of the Energon Universe, which also involves Transformers, doesn’t hurt either.
Duke #1 begins with its titular soldier, Conrad Hauser, at a crossroads. He’s one of the Army’s most decorated operatives, forgoing promotion after promotion to help people on and off the battlefield. But his entire life was turned upside down when he encountered the Decepticon Starscream during an aerial battle. Desperate for answers, Hauser is roped into a conspiracy surrounding an arms manufacturer that may have ties to what he saw – and will pit him against the very government he swore to serve.
The draw of Duke #1 is Williamson’s perfectly paced script. His take on Duke is a man who’s struggling with unresolved trauma as well as a crisis of faith; though both involve giant robots, there have been soldiers who’ve talked about these issues in real life. This approach won’t just hook longtime G.I. Joe fans, but also new readers – after all, the best comics are often character studies. I also love that Williamson manages to touch on events that happened in the Transformers titles while still making Duke #1 a standalone book; it’s a tricky needle to thread, but much like its fellow Image Comics imprints, the Energon Universe threads said needle with ease. Like Transformers, Duke #1 is also peppered with a few familiar faces from the G.I. Joe mythos, particularly when it comes to the antagonist Duke is facing.
Reilly’s artwork is a perfect fit for Williamson’s script, particularly the progression of time. When Duke first appears in the book, he’s sporting tan fatigues and combat gear that are an updated version of his G.I. Joe uniform. Then when it cuts to the present day, his uniform is rumpled and he’s sporting stubble. Later on, his hair’s grown even longer and he’s sporting a full beard – to the point where he resembles Wyatt Russell. The action sequences are in line with Reilly’s previous work on The Thing and Ant-Man; big, bombastic, and badass. The standout is Duke escaping a horde of armed soldiers; watching him dodge machine gun fire and jumping out a window is the jolt of adrenaline I’d expect from a comic like this.
Topping everything off is Bellaire on colors. Her art is eye-catching from the jump; flashback sequences use a mix of oranges and reds to create a sepia tone while the modern day is peppered with cold black and blue. Starscream himself is often shrouded in shadows, the only light coming from his glowing red eyes and sinister smile. Finally, Wooton’s lettering leaps out at the reader whether it’s a page peppered with “BANGS” from machine guns or captions that feel like…well, like an old G.I. Joe commercial (trust me, you’ll have to read it to see what I’m talking about.
Duke #1 is one of the textbook examples of how to do a reboot. It won’t just appeal to the G.I. Joe fanatics or an agnostic like myself, but anyone who loves a good action-thriller. Williamson is slated to tackle the other side of the coin with the upcoming Cobra Commander series next month, and a small part of me can’t help but say “YO JOE!”
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