GI JOE #26 Review: The Bombastic Battle for Baroness!

Overview

 Writer: Joshua Williamson

 Artist: Tom Reilly

Colorist: Lee Loughridge

 Letterer: Rus Wooton

 Cover Artist: Tom Reilly

In GI Joe #26, the battle with Night Force continues and things are getting messy. Duke, Clutch and the Joes are still dealing with a rogue B.A.T. Baroness is doing what Baroness does best, and Cobra Commander is training his new secret weapon who’s about to cause a lot of sleepless nights for the Joes.

This is part two of five, but it doesn’t feel like a placeholder issue. There is plenty of action, character work and forward momentum. Questions are raised about loyalties, past missions and who’s really pulling the strings. Also: Can Duke please catch a break? Take vacation? Something! That man is not having a good time. At all!

Writing

Joshua Williamson continues to prove that he understands what makes GI Joe work. This book has all the wild stuff we want: B.A.T.s, helicopters, vehicles, lasers, Cobra schemes and people yelling orders at each other in the rain. But he also remembers that these characters need to feel like they have history.

Duke and Clutch have a great dynamic here. They trust each other, but there is enough tension between them to keep the conversations interesting. Baroness gets some excellent moments as well. She is not waiting around for somebody to rescue her or tell her what side she is on. She sees an opportunity and takes it.

The pacing is perfection. Williamson gives every major player something to do while managing to keep the story moving. By the time the final page hit, I was ready for the next round. A lot of “part 2 of 5” stories slow things down so that parts 3 and 4 can ramp up to a climactic part 5. But Williamson ain’t got time for any of that! It’s pedal to the metal, accelerating from the first panel of issue 1 through the last panel of issue 2 and, from the looks of things, primed to continue into issue 3. 

Art

Tom Reilly is

killing

it! His G.I. Joe feels fast, loud and dangerous without becoming impossible to follow. There is a lot happening in this issue: multiple fights, vehicles moving at high speed, giant robots, regular person sized robots, snake-taurs, explosions, more snakes, disguises, reveals, shifting locations and several characters operating with different agendas. Somehow, I never felt lost.

Reilly knows that G.I. Joe should be cool. The vehicles look cool. The robots look cool. The Joes look cool and he knows how to make the action readable. There are plenty of big splashy moments, but the smaller character beats land too. A look, a pose or a close-up can tell you everything you need to know.

Lee Loughridge’s colors are doing a lot of heavy lifting as well. The rainy Night Force scenes are soaked in cold blues and greens, while the explosions and energy effects jump off the page with hot oranges, yellows and reds. The contrast keeps the action from becoming muddy and makes every hit feel like it has weight.

Final Thoughts

G.I. Joe #26 is another strong issue in a series that has been consistently delivering. It has the action, the weird science, the classic characters and the emotional tension that longtime fans never knew they wanted. It also continues to welcome newer readers aboard because the storytelling is clear and the cast is compelling.

If you have been following this run, you will not be disappointed. If you have not started yet, this is a good reminder that this is not your boomer dad’s (AKA my) G.I. Joe.

Overall Grade: 9/10

GI Joe #24 Review

P.S.

While not mandatory, I recommend starting with these titles:

* Void Rivals

* Transformers

* Cobra Commander

* Duke

* Destro

* Scarlett

This is completely optional, but these titles will absolutely enhance the experience.

Have you checked out this series yet? Let us know your thoughts.