WARNING! Spoilers ahead for G.I. Joe #1G.I. Joeis back with a new #1 issue, andthe latest installment in the Energon Universe has taken one oft-derided piece of classic franchise lore and turned it into a deadly weapon. Cobra Commander’s quest for Energon has resulted in perhaps the most devastating weapon yet depicted inSkybound’s new combined continuity, spelling trouble for thenewly-formed G.I. Joe team.
G.I. Joe#1 – written by Joshua Williamson, with art by Tom Reilly – introduces the newly-unified Cobra organization,formed in the previousCobra CommanderandDestrominiseries.
Cobra Commander and Destro have formed an uneasy alliance in the newJoecontinuity, with the Commander supplying Energon harvested from the Dreadnok swamps for Destro’s MARS Industries to create weapons out of – effectively tying together aspects of franchise lore and setting the stage for a dramatic new era. Most excitingly, Destro’s newest weapon is an Energon-powered laser gun, which is able to completely decimate an enemy target with one blast.
The 80’s G.I. Joe Cartoon’s ‘Non-Lethal’ Weapons Are Finally Deadly Serious
G.I. Joe#1 – Written By Joshua Williamson; Art By Tom Reilly; Color By Jordie Bellaire; Lettering By Rus Wooton
While the laser rifle is shown to be positively devastating inG.I. Joe#1, longtime fans of the franchise will likely smile at the new weapon. When theG.I. Joe: A Real American Herotoy-line got its own cartoonin the 1980s, the guns used by both G.I. Joe and Cobra were revealed to be laser weapons, thus toning down the violence of the military-themed toy-line. Characters never died on-screen and were rarely seriously hurt, with the cartoon even going so far as to make sure pilots always parachuted out of their planes before they exploded.
TheG.I. Joe: A Real American Herocartoonbegan in 1983 with the five-part miniseries, “The MASS Device.”
The Energon Universe is under no such restrictions, however, so the new laser rifle developed by Destro and MARS can show off the devastating power of theTransformers’ valuable power source.“Energon at the pull of the trigger,” Destro describes the new laser weapon as Cobra Commander uses the gunto blow giant, melted holes into a target dummy. “Imagine every member of our forces armed with one,” Destro proclaims, and readers get to see this in action as Mercer and his Cobra Vipers rain hell on the Joes with their new laser guns in the climactic battle.
Cobra’s New Energon-Powered Laser Guns Make Them An Even More Dangerous Foe For G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe#2 – Releases July 31, 2025 From Skybound Entertainment
By taking the old laser guns from the original ’80’s cartoon and making them dangerous weapons in the new continuity, the Energon Universe era ofG.I. Joecontinues to find new ways to comment on classic franchise lore. In addition to elements like the oncomingwar between Cobra-La and Cybertron, it also tiesG.I. Joeeven more closely together with theTransformersfranchise, merging the two Hasbro toy-lines together in ways that should be incredibly exciting for long-time fans. The newG.I. Joeseries looks to the future by paying homage to the past, resulting in another winningEnergon Universeinstallment.
Starscream’s New Design Can Only Exist in a World Where Transformers & G.I. Joe Have Combined Their Official Lore
Starscream is now attached to a HISS tank, and the preview for Transformers #14 shows how the Decepticon got his “legs” in the new Energon lore.
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joeis a long-running franchise centered around a line of action figures produced by Hasbro, which has expanded into a wide array of media including comic books, animated series, and films. The franchise is known for its depiction of an elite military unit, G.I. Joe, fighting against the terrorist organization Cobra. Over the decades,G.I. Joehas become a significant cultural icon, particularly in the United States, with its slogan “A Real American Hero.”
