Image Comics reviews 5/22/24 – Cobra Commander #5, Void Rivals #9

Cobra Commander #5

The main thing for Cobra Commander #5 was simply sticking the landing. Writer Joshua Williamson, artist Andrea Milana, colorist Annalisa Leoni and letterer Rus Wooton already did the hard work in reimagining the origin of Cobra Commander. One that worked in conjunction with the backstory from both the comic book and G.I. Joe The Movie.

And along the way, they’d re-introduced some familiar faces in different settings. That set the stage for a very satisfying finale. One in which sees the official formation of Cobra.

Williamson set this origin up smoothly. Cobra Commander had the inside track on the potential of Energon thanks to his research on Megatron. After forcing the Dreadnoks into a partnership, CC realized he needed to fortify and equip an army. There’s no shortage of cannon fodder and disenfranchised looking for a charismatic figure to follow, but he needed high-end tech to truly win his war. Enter MARS.

Destro (and Mercer) have been fixtures in the Duke mini-series. Williamson established them and MARS’ reach strong enough to show their potential if aligned with a benefactor who could best utilize MARS tech. This was a savvy move as it gives Destro buy-in to partner with Cobra Commander while still remaining leery of his new partner.

Milana never fails to capture the fear factor in Cobra Commander. The helmet always seemed to just hide his identity in previous iterations. In Cobra Commander, the helmet hides his expressions. With his cold delivery and measured tone, he comes off like a true threat.

Milana always frames CC like a snake waiting to strike. Leoni’s color choices continually feel dialed in for the ideal mix of dread and uneasiness. Even with a combination of brighter colors. Wooton incorporated creative sound effects and appropriately unique dialogue.

Cobra-La’s subplot is not completed either. Cobra Commander #5 sets the stage to logically incorporate the G.I. Joe characters into the rest of the Energon Universe titles.

Cobra Commander #5 was a fantastic conclusion to one of the year’s best surprises with this successful re-imagining of Cobra.

Rating: 10 out of 10