The Dreadnok War might be over, but G.I. Joe #19 proves its fallout will impact the title in some major ways going forward. The biggest reveal concerns the Autobot Hound, who is fully revealed to Duke’s G.I. Joe team. Duke, still carrying the scars from his encounter with Starscream, immediately sees Hound as a threat…and Clutch, having befriended the Autobot, knows that he’s on the side of the angels. This immediately drives a wedge between the two friends, and it doesn’t help that the Dreadnok Zartan – secretly disguised as G.I. Joe leader General Hawk – is manipulating the Joes to his own end.
Joshua Williamson does an excellent job of selling the various emotions running through the book. Duke, usually calm and collected, becomes an inferno of rage upon seeing Hound, and even opens fire when the robot tries to explain himself. The rest of the team also rightfully points out that Hound turned the tide in their battle against the Dreadnoks, with Clutch even stepping in to say he’s part of the team. Like any good addition to an ensemble, Hound shakes up the established dynamic, but in a way that feels natural instead of forced.
The emotional moments in G.I. Joe #19 wouldn’t hit as hard as they do without Andrea Milana. Milana shows he’s holding nothing back in the opening pages, which feature Hound towering over a shirtless Duke. Duke defiantly stares down the massive robot, holding a weapon in each hand, and demanding Hound talk before he gets “blasted off the face of the Earth.” Under Milana’s pencils, Hound looks absolutely terrifying when standing up at his full height; the colors from Lee Loughridge add to that menace, shrouding the Autobot’s emerald green chassis in smoky shadows.
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The back half of the issue is dedicated to catching up with Matt Trakker, who previously helped Clutch and Hound in Energon Universe Special 2025. Anyone who grew up in the ’80s or is really into animation history- or both- will recognize Trakker as the lead protagonist of M.A.S.K., another toyline turned cartoon. Trakker is brought into the story because Clutch needs him to fix Hound’s transponder, but make no mistake: Williamson and Miliana are setting up for a potential M.A.S.K. spinoff in the Energon Universe. Further supporting this theory is the fact that Trakker’s archnemesis, Miles Mayhem, recently appeared in Robert Kirkman and Dan Mora’s Transformers run.
A smoother setup appears in two other plot lines: one shows Zartan seeking out Energon stores for a mysterious purpose, and the other shows Duke asking Hound to contact Optimus Prime. It’s the latter that is the most exciting, since said meeting is what fans have been waiting for ever since the Energon Universe was announced (and because it’s happening next issue). Yet the Zartan storyline is ripe with possiblity, especially since the other Joes don’t know he’s disguised as Hawk. Will this lead them to battle Night Force, or potentially commit acts that’ll set them on the run? Anything could happen.
G.I. Joe #19 tackles the emotional fallout of the Dreadnok War, and sets the stage for future storylines that will push the Energon Universe in new directions. Big things are in the works, and I can’t wait to see how it all goes down.
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