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image comics reviews 11-19-25 - gi joe 14
Comic Book

Image Comics 11/19/25 – GI Joe 14, Ghost Pepper 5

Jeffrey Lyles , , , , , , , ,
GI Joe 14

gi joe 14

 

GI Joe 14 is the second chapter of the five-part Dreadnok War and things are getting from bad to worse for Duke and his unlikely ally against the Dreadnoks — Cobra Commander.

The Dreadnoks don’t really care about Duke. They’re gunning for payback on the man who decimated their ranks with the help of Nemesis Immortal. With Zarana and Zandar leading the charge, the small army of Dreadnoks are in hot pursuit of the leaders of the GI Joes and Cobra.

Writer Joshua Williamson really makes GI Joe 14 feel like a marriage of convenience. Duke knows he should not and cannot trust Cobra Commander, but against a slew of homicidal bikers? He’s the best chance Duke’s got at surviving. Cobra Commander might have lost the use of his weaponized left hand, but that’s not stopping him from adding more to his Dreadnok body count.

Williamson understands the value of not letting Duke and Cobra Commander just beat down all the Dreadnoks. They’d never be viewed as a formidable force again if two characters can take them out. Buzzer and his new chainsaw arm help turn the tide forcing Cobra Commander to take a desperate chance. It’s a simple formula — good guy/bad guy gets a small win, and the even worse guys come back and get a win of their own. Williamson gets this is a tennis match with an equal amount of back and forth.

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Artist Tom Reilly took a small break to get a jump on this storyline. The artwork in GI Joe 14 shows that level of planning was well worth it. Reilly’s panel layouts are intense in a way that really brings the reader into the fray. Beyond the action sequences, Reilly does stellar character emotional work shown in GI Joe 14 as Destro starts his Cobra takeover and Clutch has to answer some tough questions from Col. Hawk.

Colorist Jordie Bellaire has a lot to tackle with the numerous Dreadnoks, glass sprays and a generous heaping of blood. Bellaire doesn’t shortcut panels by covering background elements in one base color as she uses gradients to show the time change and colors even the smaller details. It’s that extra level of detail that makes Bellaire one of the top 3 colorists in the industry. Letterer Rus Wooton always incorporates fun fonts for sound effects and intense dialogue segments.

GI Joe 14 ramps the action up for the Dreadnok War, which ends on a wild cliffhanger. Fortunately, the GI Joe team realized that waiting a month for each installment was way too long so it’s only a two-week wait for the next chapter. With an ending like GI Joe 14, that still is going to feel far too long. The creative team is on a roll, as The Dreadnok War has certainly lived up to the hype.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Enjoyed GI Joe 14? Pre-order GI Joe Vol. 2: Bludd’s Revenge now on Amazon.

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