REVIEW: 'Duke' #1 by Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly, and Jordie Bellaire

 

DUKE #1 

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: December 27, 2023

Cover Price: $4.99

MINISERIES PREMIERE

THE G.I. JOE INITIATIVE BEGINS HERE.

Conrad Hauser has made first contact with an alien being...or was it a UFO? Was it both? But no one, not even Colonel Hawk, will believe the story of the jet fighter converting into a colossal alien robot that nearly killed the man known as Duke.

Now, one of the US Army's most decorated officers is on the hunt for answers, drawn into a conflict that no amount of training could ever prepare him for. A war that only a real American hero has any chance of surviving...

Superstar writer JOSHUA WILLIAMSON (Superman, Batman) and artist TOM REILLY (The Thing, Ant-Man) kick off the first of four action-packed miniseries that will introduce the best and worst humanity has to offer in the Energon Universe

Score:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

Skybound's Energon Universe is shaping up to be one of the best launches of a shared universe in comics we have ever seen. Using 'Void Rivals' to re-introduce the 'Transformers' line while using those events to affect the debuts of GI Joe characters in 'Duke' has been an act of genius through inspired execution. Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly, and Jordie Bellaire have given Conrad Hause aka Duke an exciting and exhilarating first issue that sets the tone for a thrilling conspiracy-laced political thriller. 

Whether or not you're a big GI Joe fan (comics or cartoons) someone picking up the issue can dive right in without prior knowledge. Willaimson smartly provides Duke's resume to begin the issue and tells you everything you need to know about him and then the story takes off. The highly decorated officer who bucked promotion to stay with the troops on the ground, whose integrity and grit have made him a reliable man of action is shattered by the encounter with a fighter jet that turned into a giant robot and killed a fellow soldier. Yet, the government is covering it up and he wants answers. 

I didn't expect a thriller of the caliber of 'The Fugitive,' 'The Bourne Supremacy,' and Tom Clancy novels. Duke's suspicions lead him to a conspiracy group with an eye on a military contractor. His actions open up a huge can of worms putting a target on his back. All hell breaks loose and issue one is a blockbuster debut with huge stakes and bigger action. 

Reilly's designs present a gritty and noirish landscape perfectly suited for a political thriller full of shadowy figures, dangerous encounters, and heart-stopping action. Along with the brilliant color-coded panels from Bellaire, Reilly is a maestro of pacing, perspective, and tempo. The way the action is laid out it's like being shot out of a cannon. Rus Wooton's lettering is excellent and the amount of sound effects required in this surprisingly gunfire-heavy and violent issue puts his talents to the test. Once it gets rolling readers will be on the edge of their seats to see what happens next. Duke becomes an A-list action hero. 

'Duke' is not a comic for just GI Joe fans, it's for all fans of smart action thrillers steeped in mystery and political intrigue. Williamson, Reilly, and Bellaire deliver genuine thrills in a blistering debut that raises the stakes for what reimagined stories of existing IP can do.