Cobra Commander #3

History

The Cobra Commander miniseries was conceived as the second of four G.I. Joe–focused limited series built for Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics' Energon Universe, a shared continuity that also encompasses Transformers and the Skybound-original Void Rivals, all produced in collaboration with Hasbro. Writer Joshua Williamson — already handling the concurrent Duke miniseries — was paired with Italian cartoonist Andrea Milana, a self-publishing alumnus who had previously worked on Impact Winter: Rook, and colorist Annalisa Leoni, known for Oblivion Song. The creative mandate was to detail the pre-Cobra origins of the Commander in a world already destabilized by the Transformers' arrival, leaning into horror and crime-thriller aesthetics rather than the action-adventure tone of earlier G.I. Joe comics. Issue #3 in particular was produced with a generous variant slate — main cover by Milana and Leoni, plus incentive covers by Paul Azaceta, Chris Burnham with Brian Reber, Priscilla Petraites with Frank Martin, and Karl Kerschl — reflecting the high retailer and collector interest the series had generated by its midpoint.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published March 20, 2024, by Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment; third issue of a five-issue limited series. A third printing was released May 1, 2024.
• Written by Joshua Williamson; art by Andrea Milana; colors by Annalisa Leoni; letters by Rus Wooton. This same core team carried the entire miniseries.
• Energon Universe debut of the Nemesis Enforcer: the issue's climactic reveal shows Cobra Commander's mysterious bodyguard shedding a human disguise to expose his monstrous true form — the first appearance of the character in this continuity.
• Full Energon Universe introduction of Zarana (Zartan's twin sister) and her fellow Dreadnoks (Zandar, Ripper, Buzzer, Torch) as an organized faction holding their own Energon supply — connecting the G.I. Joe and Transformers sides of the shared universe.
• Central plot: Cobra Commander is captured and tortured by the Dreadnoks in the Florida/Louisiana swamps after encountering Energon-mutated alligators; he survives by psychologically turning the gang members against one another before signaling his bodyguard.
• The Cobra Commander miniseries is designated the second of four initial G.I. Joe–focused limited series in the Energon Universe, running concurrently with the Duke miniseries (also written by Williamson).
• Issue #3 shipped with four variant covers beyond the standard cover A: Paul Azaceta (Cover B), Chris Burnham with Brian Reber (1:10 connecting variant), Priscilla Petraites with Frank Martin (1:25 incentive), and Karl Kerschl (1:50 incentive).
• The complete miniseries (#1–5) was collected in the trade paperback Cobra Commander Vol. 1: Determined to Rule the World (ISBN 978-1534398153), and later in the hardcover Codename: G.I. Joe Deluxe Edition Book One alongside Duke #1–5 and the Energon Universe 2024 Special.

Full credits