G.I. Joe #37
G.I. Joe #37 (Devil's Due, December 2004) is a structurally pivotal chapter in writer Brandon Jerwa's tenure on the series, serving as a transitional issue that resets the team's operational status to a lean twelve-member roster and introduces General Phillip Rey — a character who would become integral to the Red Shadows endgame that closes out the entire Devil's Due run. The issue also marks the comic-continuity debut of Storm Shadow returning to the Joes' side, a moment with cascading consequences for the franchise's final DDP arc. As one of the last issues published entirely under Devil's Due's own independent imprint (after splitting from Image with #26), it represents the publisher at the height of its narrative ambition before the series wound down at #43 and was reborn as America's Elite.
In "Union of the Snake Part Two," General Rey pushes through brutal clashes across Turkey and Borovia, only to be summoned to Washington, where Duke unveils a restructured G.I. Joe team with Flint in command—just as Action Man is shot in Figi. With Duke captured by the jugglers and Scarlett and Storm Shadow racing to free him, the team’s fate hinges on a web of deception: Lady Jaye, Lifeline, and Stalker confront a Cobra Commander who may not be who he seems, while Destro struggles to activate the Tempest without the right handprint. Tim Seeley’s dynamic artwork and a cover by Seeley himself bring the high-stakes tension to life in this 2004 Devil's Due issue.
ComicBooks.com Value
Find on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Brandon Jerwa took over as writer of the ongoing series from Josh Blaylock beginning with issue #26, when Devil's Due simultaneously broke away from Image Comics to self-publish. Issue #37 falls squarely within Jerwa's run, with Tim Seeley handling pencils — the same Jerwa/Seeley pairing that drove the concurrent 'Players and Pawns' arc and the later 'Dawn of the Red Shadows' climax. The series as a whole was conceived as a direct continuation of the Marvel Comics run that had ended with issue #155 in 1994, picking up seven years later in the same continuity, though IDW Publishing's subsequent stewardship ultimately reclassified the entire Devil's Due output as an alternate-universe 'Disavowed' timeline.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published December 2004 by Devil's Due Publishing; part of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol. 2 (the series that ran from 2001 to 2005 for 43 issues).
- Written by Brandon Jerwa (who took over scripting duties from series founder Josh Blaylock with issue #26); penciled by Tim Seeley, with inks by Cory Hamscher & Sean Parsons and colors by Brett R. Smith.
- First appearance of General Phillip Rey, the Army general who clashes with Mistress Armada and Major Bludd in Turkey and later becomes a key figure in the Red Shadows conspiracy that ends the series.
- First appearance (and death in the same issue) of Tracker, killed by a mysterious assassin on a beach in Suva, Fiji — signaling the escalating threat level that drives the book's final arc.
- First appearance of Dr. Edmonds, the new counselor assigned to the captive Cobra Commander at 'The Quad.'
- Storm Shadow switches allegiances back to the Joe side in this issue, with Scarlett and Storm Shadow ambushing a convoy to free the imprisoned Duke and Snake-Eyes.
- The Joe team is formally reduced to a twelve-member active roster (Stalker, Mercer, Shockwave, Spirit, Lifeline, Barrel Roll, Firewall, Shipwreck, Gung-Ho, Grand Slam, Lady Jaye, and Flint), with Duke departing to confront the Jugglers — a structural change that shapes the team dynamics through the series finale.
- Issue #37 was reprinted by IDW Publishing as part of 'G.I. Joe: Disavowed' Vol. 6 (August 2012), which collected issues #33–#38 of the Devil's Due run.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Voltron: Defender of the Universe #11 (2004), G.I. Joe #38 (2005), G.I. Joe Reloaded #11 (2005), G.I. Joe: Master & Apprentice 2 #1 (2005)
Reprinted in G.I. Joe #36 (2004)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.