Image Comics reviews 6/18/25 – GI Joe 8, Blood and Thunder 2

Blood & Thunder 2

Blood & Thunder 2 keeps the intensity from the explosive first issue rolling.

Akeldama/Bloodis resting up from her last mission when she has Thunder relate a story of her father, its previous user.

This gives writer Benito Cereno an opportunity to show a younger Blood before she’s jaded and cynical. Cereno also uses this sequence to show how the Thunderhead weapons were introduced to the Interplanetary Peacekeeping and Penitentiary Force (IPPF). Thunder was part of that initial rollout and has since become seriously outdated thanks to its older A.I.

Blood won’t part with Thunder though since it’s the last holdover of her father’s which provides some extra sentimental value. Cereno does a solid job of establishing the buddy bounty hunter dynamic with some sharp dialogue. While Blood rests up, the Prisoner From Cell Block X starts a chaotic strike against banks while amassing a serious body count.

Artist E.J. Su shows how dangerous the Prisoner can be in gruesome fashion with heads being crushed and stomped on. That doesn’t account for the various dismemberments either. Colorist Msassyk utilizes bold colors, with a rich vibrant shade for Blood’s hair and a darker maroon shade for victim’s blood. There’s also an abundance of piercing yellows and calming blues for the flashback sequence. Letterer Rus Wooton does good work in distinguishing Blood and Thunder’s dialogue boxes with some well-placed sound effect fonts into the mix.

Blood & Thunder 2 is still new reader friendly so those who missed the debut last month can quickly jump on without feeling lost. This sci-fi saga looks like it’s going to become monthly appointment reading.

Rating: 9 out of 10