Duke, Baroness, and more dive into the Energon Universe in this preview of GI Joe #1

Skybound Entertainment’s GI Joe #1 is coming later this year, with the relaunch of the beloved military sci-fi franchise codifying the second half of the publisher’s so-called Energon Universe, alongside its Transformers title. And now, Skybound has released an early preview of interior pages from GI Joe #1 by writer Joshua Williamson, artist Tom Reilly, and colorist Jordie Bellaire.

The new ongoing series focuses on Duke forming a new GI Joe, while Cobra Commander rallies the forces of, well, Cobra. 

Now that the stage has been set with a wave of limited series focused on individual characters, GI Joe #1 is bringing it all together for a new era of the title that’s already packing some surprises – like Baroness, Cobra’s resident femme fatale, being a GI Joe in the new continuity.

Check out the pages here, along with a slew of covers for GI Joe #1 by interior artist Tom Reilly; Jerome Opeña and Dave Stewart; Brett Booth, Livesay, and Andrew Dalhouse; David Finch, Danny Miki, and Dave McCaig; Sozomaika; David Nakayama; Jeff Spokes; and EJ Su:

“Conrad Hauser, Codename DUKE, has assembled a special force known as GI Joe to battle the rising power of the mysterious COBRA in the aftermath of the Autobots and Decepticons’ arrival on Earth,” reads Skybound’s official description of GI Joe #1. ”But the enigmatic Cobra Commander has unleashed the power of Energon like never before! Featuring the First Appearance of an ALL-NEW character and many familiar faces, this is the comic that will change everything you think you know about GI Jor…and that’s only half the surprises in store!”

Yes, that’s Energon like the strange element that drives the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons. It’s no coincidence that Skybound’s shared GI Joe and Transformers continuity is called the Energon Universe, as the substance has also become a central plot point for the new GI Joe title.

“Our epic new GI Joe monthly series is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of passionate, talented people,” states series editor Ben Abernathy. “If you loved Duke, just know that was a warm-up to the amazing ideas and visuals Joshua, Tom and Jordie are bringing to this series!” 

GI Joe #1 goes on sale November 13.

The classic GI Joe continuity continues on in GI Joe: A Real American Hero written by Larry Hama, who created many of the original GI Joe characters.