G.I. Joe (2024) issue 21
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| Publisher | Image Comics Skybound Entertainment | ||||||||||||
| First published | April 15, 2026 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | April 2026 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Joshua Williamson | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Tom Reilly | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Lee Loughridge | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Rus Wooton | ||||||||||||
| Editors | Ben Abernathy | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | Energon Universe | ||||||||||||
Silence can be deadly...
Synopsis
In the mountains of Japan, Frostbite drives Cover Girl and Snow Job in the Snow Cat towards the headquarters of the Arashikage ninja clan. Snow Job logs a mission report on a secure channel, detailing the Joes' orders to bring in Scarlett, who has been deep undercover with the ninja, including that she will be branded an enemy of the state if they fail. Scarlett receives the report, but refuses to leave without Jinx.
Scarlett once again asks Jinx to come home with her, but she stands firm in staying with the Arashikage. Suddenly, three Cobra helicopters appear overhead, out of which Cobra Commander emerges with a guard of Cobra Valkyries and a platoon of Cobra Troopers. Cobra blasts their way into the fortress through hordes of Arashikage ninja. However, Storm Shadow is easily able to cut through the invaders.
Cobra Commander and his forces press on until they find what they came for: the Energon-powered Sword of Life, being guarded by the Hard Master. The Hard Master attacks, but Cobra Commander easily subdues him by severing the Hard Master's right arm with a blast from his mechanical hand. However, before he can take the sword, Scarlett, Jinx, and Storm Shadow arrive. Seeing his master on the floor, Storm Shadow flies into a rage, easily cutting through swathes of Troopers. However, as he moves to strike the Commander, his sword is blocked by one of the Valkyries, wielding the Sword of Life. The Valkyrie and Commander square off with the three until the Valkyrie remotely activates a missile from the helicopter, blowing up the fortress and providing the necessary cover for her and Cobra Commander to escape.
The explosion throws Scarlett outside the fortress, where she is found by the Joes. Scarlett still refuses to leave, needing to know if Jinx is alright, forcing Snow Job to restrain her and pull her into the Snow Cat so the Joes can return home. As Cobra escapes, the Valkyrie presents Cobra Commander with the sword. The Commander is most pleased and takes a special interest in this particular grunt. The wounded Hard Master finds Storm Shadow cradling the unconscious body of Jinx in the flaming wrecks of their familial home.
Featured characters
Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks or imaginary scenes.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Arashikage |
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Quotes
"I can't leave without Jinx."
- —Scarlett being gay as hell.
Notes
Continuity notes
- Snow Job's mission report recaps the events of the Scarlett miniseries, as well as the exposition from Cover Girl from the end of last issue.
- The nature of G.I. Joe's organizational structure in the Energon Universe has been somewhat opaque in its presentation. At the time of Scarlett, while Stalker recruited Scarlett to infiltrate the Arashikage, it was unclear if this was an actual G.I. Joe mission, as the team had yet to be shown as formally formed. In issue #19, Stalker stated his belief that the Joe team needed to expand before "Hawk" shot down the idea. We the readers have known that "Hawk" has been building a second team in the form of Night Force, but this issue adds further wrinkles to the organizational schema of the Joes by introducing Frostbite, whose status is unclear.
- We glimpse a flashback to Scarlett and Jinx's time as friends, something we first saw back in Scarlett.
- Cobra has been after the Sword of Life because of its unique Energon-powered blade since the events of Scarlett.
G.I. Joe references
- This issue is an extended homage to G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21, "Silent Interlude". the most famous issue of the original Marvel Comics Joe series that told a story of Joe commando Snake Eyes infiltrating a Cobra stronghold to rescue Scarlett entirely without dialogue, narration, or sound effects, while also introducing the ninja Storm Shadow and his iconic rivalry with Snake Eyes. This story has since been homaged countless times in a variety of G.I. Joe media, particularly comics, including IDW Publishing's Revolution #4 and Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #0 (which took a more subversive twist on the idea of "silent".)
- Frostbite is the classic driver for the Snow Cat, both of which received a HasLab-funded update in the G.I. Joe Classified Series line just a few months prior to this issue. Frostbite appears to take after this new figure, though the design of the Snow Cat here more closely resembles its 1985 counterpart.
Other notes
- This issue features a three-page preview of the M.A.S.K. story from the Energon Universe 2026 Special.
- Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
- Character Spotlight: Scarlett
- Ninja vs. Cobra: Ben teases what possible stories could come featuring the Arashikage.
- Creator Spotlight: Ben asks artist Tom Reilly what his G.I. Joe codename would be. “Bargain Bin” reporting for duty!
Covers
- Cover A: Scarlett and Storm Shadow, by Tom Reilly.
- Cover B: Storm Shadow, by Joshua Cassara.
- Cover C: Scarlett, by Ben Oliver.
- Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive): Scarlett and Storm Shadow, by Tonči Zonjić.
- Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive): Scarlett on a motorcycle by Jay Anacleto & Romulo Fajardo Jr..
- Cover F: (1:100 Copy Incentive) Foil cover featuring Storm Shadow, by Ito.
Ads
- Explore the Energon Universe in Void Rivals #29, Energon Universe 2026 Special, and Transformers #32.
- The next phase of the Energon Universe starts in M.A.S.K.
