The latest issue of G.I. Joe (#13) kicks off the ‘Dreadnok War’ with a bang! This issue delivers exactly what fans hoped for, immediately launching into fast-paced action. We see the surprising alliance of Duke and Cobra Commander as they face off against a massive Dreadnok force, and a major power shift within a key group. The creative team behind the comic spoke with ComicBook to discuss all the exciting developments.
This issue of G.I. Joe continues the story shortly after the events of issue #12, but it’s also a great starting point for new readers. It’s full of action and really showcases what the series is all about. If you’ve been reading G.I. Joe from the beginning, get ready – things are about to get even more intense!
As the project grows, things are becoming increasingly complex, and I’m finding myself needing to illustrate more and more. I did a lot of drawing for the first part of the story, and now I expect to draw about twice as much. It’s important to raise the stakes as the story progresses, and it’s a fun challenge to see how much detail I can fit into each panel.
The initial story arc felt like a series of disconnected adventures, jumping from place to place with each issue. This time, however, the story is mostly contained within a single desert setting, with a few additional locations added in. We really focused on exploring the possibilities of that environment and creating a sense of intense conflict. I’m incredibly proud of these issues, especially number 13, which I think is the strongest we’ve done yet. We’ve built something really special with this arc.
Reilly wasn’t exaggerating when he said he drew significantly more this time – it’s clear in a stunning two-page illustration packed with Dreadnok vehicles. Surprisingly, he says that spread is actually relatively simple compared to what’s coming later. He hinted that even more elaborate scenes are still to come, describing the two-page spread as ‘one of the tamer’ and ‘more basic’ ones in the book.
Williamson explained they intentionally included a large number of Dreadnoks. They aimed for a ‘Mad Max’ style visual with a significant force of enemies, and wanted players to be able to defeat many of them – essentially, they wanted a plentiful supply of disposable opponents.
Currently, Duke and Cobra Commander are fugitives, but writer Williamson hinted that won’t last much longer. Issue #13 sets the stage for a major storyline that will especially excite Cobra Commander fans. Williamson described a fight scene in issue #14 between Cobra Commander and the Dreadnoks as incredibly dynamic and energetic, predicting fans will be blown away by it.
With the war escalating, expect plenty of unexpected twists and turns. While some surprises have already been hinted at, many more are coming that will significantly change the landscape.
Things are going to get much more intense as the story progresses, and we’ve already hinted at some of it. Road Pig will appear, and there are other developments coming up. While some clues can be found in the cover art, we still want to keep some surprises. I like to reveal a little bit at a time, so fans have things to look forward to. We’ve been sharing information, but we’re holding back plenty of big reveals. Issues 13 and 14 will be full of action, but issue 15 will be a bit of a breather—the calm before the storm. Then, issues 16 and 17 will be completely chaotic, escalating into all-out war. It’s going to be much bigger than just a story about two people in the desert.
The main storyline revolves around the war with the Dreadnoks, but this conflict is also causing a major change in power. Destro is at the heart of this shift, subtly turning Ripper against Cobra and then seizing the opportunity created by Cobra Commander’s public exposure to take over Cobra itself. With Destro now in charge, he’s likely to uncover the secrets Cobra Commander has been keeping from him.
We had a clear idea of how the story would unfold: Destro would manipulate Cobra Commander, ultimately leaving him to fend for himself. Duke could potentially help him, which would reveal Destro’s plans and how they quickly encounter problems. I can’t reveal too many details, as that would spoil the story, but the narrative shows Destro making strategic moves and then facing the difficulties of those moves almost immediately. We didn’t want to dwell on this aspect for too long, though,” Williamson explained.
The story was building towards a confrontation where Destro would assert his dominance. Leading up to this, Cobra Commander had been secretly conducting experiments, and Destro was trying to uncover the truth, investigating both the robots and Cobra Commander’s identity. Destro suspected Cobra Commander was being dishonest, but he didn’t know the specifics. He sensed something was missing and understood that experiments were happening, but he had no idea about Cobra Commander’s origins or full plan.
A key element of the story is still being kept secret, but we know what it is: the existence of Cobra-La. Destro is currently unaware of Cobra-La, and also doesn’t fully grasp the concept of Energon. As the story progresses, Destro will begin to understand more, and interestingly, he’ll actually learn about this secret before Cobra Commander does. That’s all I can reveal for now,” Williamson explained.
A key element of the G.I. Joe storyline since the start has been its connection to the Transformers universe, particularly through the character Duke, who is driven by a strong personal conflict. I asked if this connection would be explored more in future issues, and if writer Williamson could hint at a potential clash between the two franchises. He suggested things will escalate quickly once Duke uncovers a hidden truth.
He’s still holding onto his anger, which we’ve hinted at. He doesn’t trust Hawk, and at the end of issue twelve, he directly asks Hawk if he’s keeping anything secret. Hawk denies it, claiming some information is confidential and he’ll share it when necessary, which clearly shows Hawk is also hiding something. That’s the core of the Night Force storyline. As for Duke, he remains upset and indifferent. He has no idea about the Autobots or Decepticons, or the difference between them. He simply sees robots causing trouble, and that’s all he understands, according to Williamson.
Reilly explained that one image of Starscream keeps appearing, and he’s actually had to draw the same scene repeatedly – about a dozen times, in fact. He’s now trying to find ways to redraw it creatively, or simply reuse the same drawing to save time.
“Yeah, you’re gonna see that they are aware of what’s been happening in the Transformers book. We’ve been kind of skirting how much they’re aware of things at this point. It’s gonna happen probably faster than you think, but he’s still pissed about it, and that’s where in. And Clutch knows, it’s why Clutch kept Hound a secret. Like Hound is there on the base, you know, and Risk knows. Clutch knows. Duke does not know, and eventually that’s gonna come to a head. There’s no way you can keep that secret forever, and eventually, Duke is gonna be pissed. So, yeah, those pieces are definitely coming,” Williamson said.
“We don’t want to drag it out. We don’t want to spin our wheels with it too much, you know? You’ll see. I feel like there’ll be some images sooner than later that you’ll see and be like, oh, okay. They’re going that direction. Just trust me, yes, we’re going to go there. There’s a reason we remind you of it. We want to hit these touchstones and be like, remember this, this is key to Duke’s whole arc, is this thing happened to him, and this is part of where he’s been, and this is where his headspace is. And so we want to always sort of key into those pieces,” Williamson said.
G.I. Joe #13 is in comic stores now.
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2025-11-07 02:20