Cobra Commander issue 5

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Publisher	Image Comics; Skybound Entertainment}}
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First published	May 22, 2024}}
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Cover date	May 2024}}
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Written by	Joshua Williamson}}
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Art by	Andrea Milana}}
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Colors by	Annalisa Leoni}}
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Letters by	Rus Wooton}}
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Editors	Sean Mackiewicz}}
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{{#if: Cobra Commander 5 Cover A.jpg | {{#if: Image Comics
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{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}

He has the power. He has the weapons. And now he has the army. What's next? THE WORLD!

Synopsis

One by one M.A.R.S. facilities across the country have been attacked and raided, much to the irritation of of Destro, who wishes to know who's responsible. Mercer reports that he's heard rumors of a new player on the scene, and that the latest attack on their headquarters wasn't about stealing anything, but leaving a message. He brings in the messenger: Ripper, whom Destro recognizes as one of the Dreadnoks. Destro initially believes the biker gang has betrayed him, but Ripper insists that they're victims of the same madman. He then gives Destro a message from their victimizer: an invitation to meet.

Destro arrives at the meeting place, an undisclosed small American town, with Mercer, Ripper, and a squad of M.A.R.S. troops in tow. However, upon their arrival, the town appears to be empty. Suddenly, from out of the ground springs a small laser turret, which quickly eliminates the troops. Mercer insists he and Destro retreat, but the chopper they arrived in is blown up. They are then greeted by their host: Cobra Commander. Destro orders Mercer to kill the Commander, but before he can choke the life from the masked menace, the Commander insists that Destro hear why he invited him. The Laird reluctantly agrees, much to Mercer and Ripper's chagrin.

The Commander brings them to an underground lab where Dr. Laszlo Vandermeer, the scientist he "rescued" from the Dreadnoks, and a team of researchers experiment with Energon. The Commander introduces Destro to the doctor, who whispers a plea to kill him. Cobra Commander reveals that he's been watching the many players across the world, all struggling for money and power, and believes they should be united under common leadership. He then unveils one of the experiments they've been working on: powering Destro's Battle Android Troopers with Energon. In a demonstration, the supercharged B.A.T. kills dozens of the Commander's recruits with ease. Wishing to gain the power of Energon for himself, Destro agrees to ally himself with the Commander.

The Commander invites them to join him as he changes into the uniform Golobulus gave him and meets with a collection of his recruits at the town hall. He gives a speech to those in attendance that they were once lost like him, and that they came here looking for purpose. But he found his purpose, and now he will share it with all of them. For together, they are... Cobra!

In Cobra-La, Golobulus and Pythona are still reeling from the escape of the mechanical monster. Entering the Commander's secret lab, they discover the creature's extraterrestrial origin. Fearing the idea that beings from an entirely mechanical world — the antithesis of Cobra-La — are already on Earth, Golobulus decides that they must take their war to the stars, and launches an organic probe to find their home world...

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in photos.
{{#if: ||(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)}}

{{#if:* Destro (1)

Mercer (2)
M.A.R.S. troops (3)|

{{#if:* Destro (1)

Mercer (2)
M.A.R.S. troops (3)|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
Destro (1)
Mercer (2)
M.A.R.S. troops (3) }}{{#if:* Cobra Commander (5)
Laszlo Vandermeer (6)
Scientists (7)
Battle Android Troopers (14)
Cobra recruits (15)|

M.A.R.S. }}{{#if:* Cobra Commander (5) Laszlo Vandermeer (6) Scientists (7) Battle Android Troopers (14) Cobra recruits (15)\|	Cobra }}{{#if:* Ripper (4) Zarana (8) Torch (9) Buzzer (10)\|	Dreadnoks }}{{#if:* Golobulus (16) Pythona (17) Royal Guards (18)\|	Cobra-La }}{{#if:* Tomax and Xamot (11 & 12) Storm Shadow (13)\|	Others }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}
Cobra Commander (5) Laszlo Vandermeer (6) Scientists (7) Battle Android Troopers (14) Cobra recruits (15) }}{{#if:* Ripper (4) Zarana (8) Torch (9) Buzzer (10)\|	Ripper (4) Zarana (8) Torch (9) Buzzer (10) }}{{#if:* Golobulus (16) Pythona (17) Royal Guards (18)\|	Golobulus (16) Pythona (17) Royal Guards (18) }}{{#if:* Tomax and Xamot (11 & 12) Storm Shadow (13)\|	Tomax and Xamot (11 & 12) Storm Shadow (13) }}{{#if:\|	}}

Quotes

"I see you got my message. I thought you might appreciate the theatrics."
"I do not. Mercer. Earn your pay."

–Cobra Commander and Destro

Notes

Continuity notes

This issue jumps ahead an undetermined amount of time from the previous issue to account for Cobra Commander's newfound resources. This story also takes place after the events of Duke, potentially placing it further in the Energon Universe timeline than any other issue (depending on whether or not the Energon Universe Special story takes place after this one or not).
- In further timeline shenanigans, the scene in Cobra-La takes place after Megatron's escape in the Transformers Energon Universe Special story. Where this places Cobra Commander in the context of the Transformers' timeline remains to be seen.
The M.A.R.S. R&D facility and corporate headquarters destroyed at the start of the comic were previously seen in issues of Duke.
Teased in the photos on Cobra's computer are the Crimson Twins Tomax and Xamot and the Arashikage ninja Storm Shadow, setting up the characters before their debuts in the then-upcoming Destro and Scarlett series, respectively.
Destro references Duke's mention of a robot that turned into a jet, recounting the events of Transformers #2, which Destro learned about in Duke #5.
The images of Cybertron that Golobulus sees are the same ones we saw back in the first issue.

G.I. Joe references

While the small town they operate out of is never named in the issue, it calls to mind the town of Springfield, frequent base of operations for Cobra in a wide variety of G.I. Joe media. The first issue of the ongoing series would later confirm this is indeed the Energon Universe's version of Springfield.
Cobra Commander calls himself a salesman, a reference to his Marvel backstory as a used car salesman.
Dr. Vandermeer is a character from the original G.I. Joe animated miniseries "The M.A.S.S. Device".
Cobra Commander finally returns to wearing the classic uniform that he got back in issue one, with two notable additions: the Cobra logo, and the cape and staff he would sometimes wear in the original cartoon.
Pythona's organic ship is based on a Cobra-La creature-slash-vessel that appeared in G.I. Joe: The Movie.

Errors

As with previous issues, the back cover incorrectly reads "The contents of this booklet is confidential. This unauthorized disclosure of information within is prohibited."

Other trivia

This issue was originally scheduled for May 15.

Covers (6)

Cover A: Cobra Commander stands among his new army, by Andrea Milana & Annalisa Leoni.
Cover B: Destro reflected in Cobra Commander's mask, by Mateus Santolouco.
Cover C (1:10 Copy Incentive): Connecting cover, by Chris Burnham & Brian Reber
Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive): Mercer on explosion background, by Brian Level.
Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive): Cobra Commander and his troops, by Dustin Nguyen.

Reprints

Cobra Commander Volume 1: Determined to Rule the World (June 12, 2024) ISBN 1534398155 / ISBN 978-1534398153
- Collects issues #1–5.
- Trade paperback format.

Codename: G.I. Joe Deluxe Edition Book One (June 25, 2025) ISBN 153432822X / ISBN 978-1534326910
- Collects Duke issues #1–5, Cobra Commander issues #1–5, and the G.I. Joe story from Energon Universe Special 2024.
- Hardcover format.

Volume 1: Determined to Rule the World – cover art by Andrea Milana
Deluxe Edition Book One – cover art by Andrea Milana, Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire

References

Cobra Commander issue 5

Contents

Synopsis

Featured characters

Quotes