Cobra Commander: Issue #5 – The Independent Comics Dispatch

4.8/5.0 StarsRating if the Book Were a Movie: PG-13

Creative Team:

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Andrea Milana
Colors: Annalisa Leoni
Letters: Rus Wooton
Cover: Andrea Milana and Annalisa Leoni
Editor: Sean Mackiewicz
Publisher: Skybound Entertainment/Image Comics

Ratings:

Story: 5.0 Stars
Artwork: 4.6 Stars
Cover Artwork: 4.3 Stars
Dialogue: 4.9 Stars
Mechanics: 5.0 Stars
Editing: 5.0 Stars

About the Book:

Cobra Commander has legions of followers. They don’t have the weapons necessary to make themselves into a force that will be taken seriously. M.A.R.S. Industries is in a precarious position after everything that transpired with Duke. By partnering with Cobra Commander Destro could recoup his losses. The catch to that is he’d be partnering with Cobra Commander.

Reader’s Notes:

Having a huge fan base is a blessing. It means that a franchise is so beloved that throngs of people will go bananas for the opportunity to get more content. Look at the Star Wars franchise. 46 years after the movie’s release date we are eagerly talking about a series that will be released on streaming services next week.

The flip side to having a huge fan base is the portion of fans that have preconceived notions of what should be in the new content. Again, look at the Star Wars franchise. It’s been 25 years since “The Phantom Menace” was released. Fans still have not forgiven George Lucas for Jar Jar Binks.

G.I. Joe has given us content for 40 years. With a fan base that spans generations, there are going to be some nitpickers in the crowd. Mr. Williamson was more than equal to the task with “Cobra Commander”.

We got a story that had a pace that was slow enough for newcomers to understand what was happening. While doing so the old guard was still able to appreciate the minutiae of things like how the Dreadnoks were brought into the fold and how critical Cobra La was to the foundation of the terrorist organization.

I am very fond of the artwork on this cover. It speaks to just how persuasive Cobra Commander truly is. He went from being an army of one to a leader of legions. This came to be because he had an idea and knew how to make others desire his dream as well.

If you cheer for the bad guys, the artwork on the interior pages for this entire series has been a G.I. Joe fan’s dream. We had outstanding panels of the Dreadnoks. We got to see a classic battle involving Nemesis Enforcer. We had Destro. We also got plenty of great panels of Cobra Commander.

As a geek on a budget I believe “Cobra Commander” is an absolute must read for any fan of the G.I. Joe franchise. If you are unfamiliar with the franchise, this is a great title to get your feet wet with. This is a book by a fan for the fans. We have a compelling story, fascinating characters, and more than enough action to keep the pages turning. Enjoy!