G.I. Joe (2024) issue 16
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| Publisher | Image Comics Skybound Entertainment | ||||||||||||
| First published | December 17, 2025 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | December 2025 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Joshua Williamson | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Tom Reilly | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Jordie Bellaire | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Rus Wooton | ||||||||||||
| Editors | Ben Abernathy | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Energon Universe | ||||||||||||
The Dreadnoks have finally captured their prey!
Synopsis
[edit]Having captured Duke and Cobra Commander and tied them to a stake, the Dreadnoks decide to celebrate their victory in typical Dreadnok style: grape soda and a party! Duke tries to reason with them, but Ripper just asks why he bothers to protect Cobra Commander. Duke tells him that it's because the Commander has information that could save lives, prompting Buzzer to cut him loose and suggest they play a game: if Duke can beat him in a fight, then the Dreadnoks will let him interrogate the Commander... provided he doesn't burn first, as Torch lights the pyre below the Commander.
Aboard Destro's ship, Hawk is shocked to learn that one of his Joes has a robot. However, he maintains his poker face, questioning what Destro could offer him when having a robot on their side means the Joes have a unique weapon. Destro offers the advanced weapons Cobra has developed, but Hawk knows that those weapons are nothing without Energon and is aware that Cobra Commander controls it, suggesting he should be dealing with the Commander instead. Sensing that these negotiations are going nowhere, Destro orders Mercer to kill Hawk, only for Hawk to spin kick him in the face, grab his gun, and flee back to his helicopter, while narrowly avoiding fire from the Cobra Troopers. As the helicopter takes off, Destro realizes he's made a grave mistake: they need Cobra Commander.
Duke tries to hold his own against Buzzer but is so weakened by recent events that he can barely stand, allowing Buzzer to tear into him with his chainsaw, all the while telling him that he should be on the Dreadnoks' side. They don't care about power or weapons; just money, parties, and grape soda! However, their fight is interrupted by the roar of engines in the distance as G.I. Joe comes roaring across the desert! The Dreadnoks arm themselves, leading to a firefight between the two groups. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Joes manage to hold their own. However, in the ensuing chaos, Cobra Commander is able to slip free of his restraints, slinking off pursued by Buzzer. As Road Pig wails on Duke, Zarana and Zandar activate a device in the Thunder Machine that creates an Energon storm in the atmosphere above. Energon lightning begins to rain down, striking Road Pig's hammer and allowing Baroness to rescue Duke. The Joes regroup and get ready to escape, but Duke insists they go back, not wanting to lose the chance to bring Cobra Commander in.
With the Joes gone, the rest of the Dreadnoks begin looking for Buzzer and Cobra Commander, thinking he ran away. However, Cobra Commander then appears standing over the unconscious body of Buzzer and holding his chainsaw, ready to give the Dreadnoks the war they wanted!
Featured characters
[edit]Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Dreadnoks | Others |
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Quotes
[edit]"You know... they say a lot of folks find themselves on their deathbeds full of regret. And considering this is where you're gonna die... I wonder if you regret saving the Commander?"
"I never regret doing the right thing."
"I'll be sure to carve that into your tombstone."
- —Buzzer and Duke
Notes
[edit]Continuity notes
[edit]- Duke's location has been blocked by Ripper's signal disruptor since issue #13. Luckily, Clutch was able to use that very blind spot to find him.
- The Thunder Machine's Energon storm is one of the things the Dreadnoks created before the Commander stole their Energon in Cobra Commander. It is unclear if this was an invention of the Dreadnoks themselves or something created by Laszlo Vandermeer, whom they had captured.
G.I. Joe references
[edit]- Stalker is driving the A.W.E. Striker, the Joes' assault buggy first released in the 1985 wave of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Though the Joe Crankcase is usually the driver most associated with the buggy, Stalker was included as the figure for the Transformers Collaborative A.W.E. Striker Bumblebee.
Real life references
[edit]- Rather than using the fictional G.I. Joe tandem-rotor helicopter the Tomahawk, the helicopter Cover Girl pilots is the real-world Boeing CH-47 Chinook.
Errors
[edit]- Baroness says that the Joes were “on a recon mission for Hawk”, but Hawk had no idea where Baroness, Risk, and Stalker were in issue #14.
Other notes
[edit]- The Energon Experience column this issue is a repetition of last issue's.
Covers
[edit]- Cover A: Duke and Cobra Commander in shredded clothes with improvised weapons, by Tom Reilly.
- Cover B: Hound holds a Jeep while Clutch works on him, by Tonči Zonjić.
- Cover C: Buzzer, by Ben Oliver.
- Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive): Ripper on an explosion background, by Jesús Merino and Adriano Lucas.
- Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive): Thunder Machine design, by E. J. Su.
Ads
[edit]- Explore the Energon Universe in Void Rivals #25, G.I. Joe #16, and Transformers #28.
- 3-page preview of the Quintesson War from Void Rivals #25
- Ghost Pepper Volume 1 TPB
Reprints
[edit]- G.I. Joe Volume 3: Dreadnok War (March 25, 2026) ISBN 1534333452 / ISBN 978-1534333451
- Collects G.I. Joe issues #13–18.
- Trade paperback format.
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Volume 3: Dreadnok War – cover art by Tom Reilly
