Duke, Vol. 1: Knowing is Half the Battle

Duke (2024) #1-5

by Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly (illustrator), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

For Fans of Human Target by Tom King and Department of Truth by James Tynion IV, DUKE is a paranoid conspiracy thriller set in the world of G.I. Joe and part of Skybound’s Energon Universe.

Codename G.I. Joe begins here.

Conrad Hauser made first contact with an alien being and lived to tell the tale. But no one, not even Colonel Hawk, will believe the story of the colossal transforming 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 kick off the first of four action-packed miniseries that will introduce the best and worst humanity has to offer in the Energon Universe.

Collects DUKE #1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Action, War, Mystery

128 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2024

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You run on batteries . . . While I'm good ol' American man-power! I just need to outlast you!" -- Sgt. Conrad 'Duke' Hauser, 'top kick' of the G.I. Joe special forces unit, fiercely engaging in hand-to-hand combat against a COBRA Battle Android Trooper in a big damn hero moment

Writer Williamson and artist Reilly know how to appeal to those G.I. Joe fans from the mid-1980's - just check out that sly subtitle - with this great edition from a connected universe that also includes titles featuring Scarlett, Cobra Commander, Destro as well as the Transformers. This volume features our headlining character stuck in a classic Hitchcockian 'man on the run' conspiracy-laden plot that is also happily overloaded with action scenes - an indelible moment has a MOBAT tank, a Skystriker jet, and an Amphibious Personnel Carrier arriving in a glorious two-page spread - as well as many supporting roles from a line-up of fellow Joes and COBRA villains. This was a solid starting entry for a rebooting of the brand, and I look forward to new and future adventures of the G.I. Joe team.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was dope! After seeing that robot kill his friend and then transform into a jet, Duke wants answers. But his superiors don’t believe him about the robot. So now Duke has gone off on his own for answers. This was action packed watching him try to figure out what’s going on and I am so on board to see where this goes.

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.2/10
For someone like me, that isn't exactly an expert when it comes to G.I.Joe, this is perfect.

Williamson gives a nice plot but most importantly i understood who Duke is. His personality and character.
The art is also good and combined with the nice colours it's very pleasant to the eye.

[Bill Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent mini series starting the reboot of G.I. Joe. A fresh take on characters that have decades of history. Quite a few changes but the spirit remains.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this one, but I am absolutely sold on the Joe side of comics in this Energon Universe. It is officially safe to say I’ll be picking up all of the titles as they’re released in trade and I’m looking forward to the next one already.
This one was a ton of fun and reminiscent of the countless hours spent creating hero and villain organizations in my own head with my own action figures. Williamson is having a lot of fun with these toys, and I’m loving what he’s bringing to life here!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending picked it up for me, slightly. 3.5 stars rounded up because “Yo Joe”.

4, looking forward to the next one cuz BARONESS BABY, stars.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I have written elsewhere I did not get all that much exposure to G.I. Joe cartoons, toys or comics growing up so a lot of these characters are hazy memories (or maybe some were invented for this volume?) but even without a nostalgia boost this was a pretty entertaining yarn about the quintessential "good soldier" standing up to the system when he feels he is left no other choice.


Squeaky clean "Duke" makes some rather interesting friends while living on the wrong side of the Chain-of-Command...

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

So very campy, I cringe and grin with every America Fuck Ya moment. The crossovers with Transformers and the story that's being told here is very confident I'm going to read as many of the tpb as I can get my hands on

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book. Another quick read, I do like GIJOE/Action Force, but I love Transformers. I like the way both are coming together.

Conrad Hauser, Duke, was the best and brightest soldier produced by the US army. He has seen it all on the battlefield, or so he thought. He saw something that couldn't be explained, and everyone and everything he trusts is lying to him or hiding something from him. No longer in the army, but Duke is not the person to let something like this go. However could his discoveries lead to more conspiracies, beginnings, and definitely death.

A great start, I am very interested to see where things go from here. It is a very good epilogue in this book as well.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Duke vol #1 is one of the textbook examples of how to do a reboot. 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. I can't believe this is the same Joshua Williamson who works for DC Comics, but sometimes characters click with writers on another level. The entire mini-series ends with a new status quo, bringing at least this portion of GI Joe more into the Energon Universe. I'd say this whole series has done a bang up job of making Duke, the blandest of the G.I.Joes, into a character to root for and get behind.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw that the Joes were being brought into a shared universe with the Transformers, I knew I would be reading these titles as well. I don't have nearly the experience with G.I. Joe as I do with Transformers, but I am a kid who grew up in the 80s, so I feel like I know enough to get by.
This Volume starts the whole path for them: Duke's origin takes a turn when the government goes against him after his observation of Starscream (not sure if it was in Void Rivals or Transformers) and he ends up being chased by Stalker and Rock 'n Roll, who will be Joes in the near future. We also get the first appearance of Baroness, who actually joins the Joes by the end of this Volume. Her future betrayal will be so sweet... Major Bludd, Optimus Prime, and Destro all make an appearance too.
Really looking forward to how this whole "Energon Universe" flows together.
Strong start. Recommend.

And now you know... and knowing is half the battle.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far everything in the newly created Energon Universe has been pretty good especially Transformers. This miniseries about Duke is basically a prelude to the new G.I. Joe series coming out in November. It was surprisingly good and I thought it kept getting better with each issue. Can’t wait to see where all this goes.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m totally sold on this shared GI Joe & Transformers universe thing they got going on.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has read a G.I. Joe comic here and there, I am not as well-versed towards this franchise as I am towards Transformers. There have been three live-action movies, none of which left much of an impression, though there is a possibility that I could get into it, which brings us nicely onto Skybound Entertainment’s Energon Universe. Following the impressive first volume of Daniel Warren Johnson’s Transformers, now it was time to see the origins of G.I. Joe within this new shared universe.

As the title suggests, Duke centres on Conrad Hauser, who made first contact with the Decepticon Starscream and lived to tell the tale, referring to an early scene from Johnson’s Transformers run. But no one, not even Colonel Hawk, will believe the story of the colossal transforming robot that nearly killed the American hero. 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.

When Larry Hama originally wrote the comic book G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero that was first published by Marvel in the early eighties, he wasn’t interested in writing a piece of American jingoism, given that G.I. Joe itself is a military unit operating under the control of the United States Armed Forces. Since the foundation of G.I. Joe happens at the very end of this volume, writer Joshua Williamson is more interested in doing a character study about a dedicated soldier in conflict with his own country and searches for the truth, which slowly builds up the world-building within the Energon Universe.

Certainly, the main theme that this universe is leaning into is that the war between Autobots and Decepticons expands to Earth, leading to the foundation of G.I. Joe and Cobra in response. Since Williamson isn’t really touching upon anything to do with the Transformers (or Void Rivals for that matter), the story shows Duke’s pursuit of the truth leads him to M.A.R.S. Industries, a private developer of weapons technology owned by Destro. While a lot of this book feels like set-up for something bigger to arrive in the near future, there is still plenty to enjoy.

Considering that the franchise originated from a Hasbro toy line, and the original comic was referred to as a “toy book”, you could make that same argument here as Duke throws in a lot of characters like “Stalker” and “Rock ‘n Roll”, who will no doubt will get reissued toys if they haven’t already. That said, Williamson doesn’t treat them as figurines, but as people with their own flaws and he has a lot of fun writing their interactions, especially Duke’s scenes with the Baroness, a character who definitely has shades of Marvel’s own Black Widow. Considering her decades-long status as a villainess associated with Cobra, the end of this book ends with a change that sets up this universe’s own approach with the G.I. Joe mythos.

Across these five issues, there is a lot of action, almost as much as there are dialogue scenes, but artist Tom Reilly delivers in Hollywood spectacle in comic book form. Along with one of the best colourists in the medium, Jordie Bellaire, who makes every setting look eye-popping, Reilly brings a new visual identity to these iconic characters whilst plunging them into action sequences that are big and explosive, but never feel one-note. The epilogue of this book, collecting material from Energon Universe Special #1, has Jason Howard drawing the pages which are good, especially when you got ninjas involved, but lacks the flair compared to Reilly’s work.

Much like Daniel Warren Johnson’s Transformers, this current phase of G.I. Joe comics is the perfect time for long-time fans and newcomers to get into the franchise as the Duke miniseries is a terrific start that evokes what came before whilst bringing in the new.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duke's first volume offers a whole lot of silly fun that perfectly fits into the new Energon universe. In fact, a key early piece of Duke calls back to a brief scene in the first Transformers volume where Duke battled Starscream. Now, Duke's telling the military brass what he saw and they're not believing it - to the point that Duke's being hunted down as a traitor.

From there, the tale takes on a pretty familiar "accused traitor must form a band of believers to take on the big bad military" format. Numerous other Joes are introduced and thrown into battle. The pace is lightning quick - very little time here to think about the absurdity of it all. Like the other Energon books, Duke's volume feels a bit like kids playing with toys.

[Neil Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so while I'm well versed in transformers, my knowledge of GI Joe is solely from the 80s/90s comics and unless they had a distinctive appearance (ninja or helmets/outfits) I don't really remember any of them. Duke falls into the "I don't really know him from a crowd" category.
The author does a good job of establishing the character as a do gooder with a strong moral code - an all American hero which is perfect for the franchise. Although I think he falls into the category of character where he works best with a team around him - where other more quirky characters supporting him are often more interesting and popular (think Buffy or Cyclops), so it's probably a mistake to give him a solo series instead of having him lead a team.
The transformers angle is fun, it reminds me of when I used to play with my toys from multiple franchises (transformers, He-man, Lego, you name it) and the joy from having different characters and their stories interact and mash up.
The art is solid and works well with that established in the transformers series.

Just have Duke as the lead of a GI-joe team in future and we'll have a much more enjoyable series.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antoher fun entry in the Endergon Universe saga! As with Transformers, I've always been more of a casual fan of G.I. Joe. I didn't grow up with the 80s cartoon so my experience with the property is mostly through the toys. In particular I remember the Valor vs. Venom line fondly. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a new take on the classic Joes. The artwork is great and the tone is "gritty realism" with a healthy amount of silly action movie tropes (Duke definitely has some impossible escapes and inhuman invulnerability), but the violence is played down for the most part. The most violent fight takes place between Duke and a robot and contains no real bloodshed. This book does a nice job of tying the Energon Universe plots together and has me looking forward to seeing more interaction between the Joes, Cobra, and the Transformers. Yo Joe!

[Josh Boucher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look, I haven’t read a GI Joe comic before. I wasn’t really into GI Joe as a kid. I read this as part of the shared Energon Universe, and I’ve enjoyed Void Rivals and Transformers so far.

Still, this book had some pros and some cons. The story was fine, pretty straightforward, tho after one battle towards the end there were some questionable follow up choices to an injury. There was a little too much jingoistic language but that’s fine. But what really got me was the art. There were some really impressive one and two page spreads with stark use of color, especially reds and yellows. Definitely worth a read just for that.

[Jonas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This whole Hasbro Energon universe thing is such a silly conceit. And trying to tell these “mature” stories in the context of toy line IPs leads to some very cringe moments. The creators involved across all series are very talented on average though, and manage to wrangle some fun comics out of this silliness. So this could easily be a 3 star comic were it not for its association with the garbage franchise that's G.I. Joe.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now I grew up with the Marvel cannon of GI. IDW lost me one billion precent. But now let’s see why Skybound is doing and ………sigh….ok that happens. I’ll not give a lot away. But it’s in the new Energon universe….so everything is upside down.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was not expecting this to be a crossover with Transformers. This was fun to see old characters that I had figures for as a child.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this was like watching a Michael Bay movie; easy to follow, full of actions and explosions, highly enjoyable but superficial and predictable.

[Ronald Esporlas · Rating 5 out of 5]

non-stop action added with dynamic art. this is a breath of fresh air for the G.I Joe comic franchise.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent start to a reboot, with a Transfromers/GI Joe crossover and putting together a team being the focal point of the first volume.

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duke spins right out of the events of Transformers and it is straight action. Duke has seen the Transformers and they killed his friend but no one believes him. The government pushes him aside leading him to believe they’re a conspiracy. Duke goes on the run encountering other GI Joe characters and trying to find the truth. In his search he actually gets mixed up in another war against Destro and his arms manufacturing company. It’s a fun spy conspiracy type story that I enjoyed. Tom Reilly has a wonderful art style that lends itself to the spy thriller action that this story was going for. Joshua Williamson is building something good here with GI Joe and I can’t wait for him to do on ongoing series.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

All-American model soldier Duke saw his buddy get squished like a bug by a plane… that transformed into a robot!? Told by his superiors to keep quiet about it, Duke decides to go rogue and seek answers - and revenge - by his lonesome. But shadowy organisations a-plenty have their eyes on Duke and he’s gonna have to shoot his way to the truth!

Duke is the next title in the expanding Energon Universe that Image/Skybound is releasing, following on the heels of Transformers where the catalyst scene for Duke took place. I’d like to say it’s as good as Transformers but it’s not - Duke, Volume 1: Knowing is Half the Battle is a generic and forgettable action comic.

Duke is part of GI Joe (known as Action Man to those of us in the UK), which was a toy range that I never got to have as a kid, unlike Transformers. I’ve never read any GI Joe comics and I didn’t watch the ‘80s cartoon either so I don’t have any nostalgia for this brand. Nor do I have any familiarity with the characters - I’ve heard of some of them like Destro and Baroness, via pop culture osmosis, but nearly everyone in this book was new to me.

The story is fairly coherent and reads like one of the crappier Mission Impossible movies. Joshua Williamson’s script keeps Duke on his toes, rarely getting a breather from one set piece to the next, so it’s a fast-paced narrative. That said, I’m not a huge fan of action as they’re rarely substantial reads and this one left me unsatisfied.

In keeping with Robert Kirkman’s comics (Skybound is his company), a character gets shot in the head - and survives! They only lose an eye because, y’know, it’s not like getting shot in the head is fatal or anything. No idea how Duke survives that final battle either, but then Williamson isn’t much of a writer so I wasn’t surprised by the sloppy shortcut.

Image/Skybound really seem to be milking their new Hasbro licences - not only does Duke get his own book but so does the Cobra Commander, Scarlett and Destro, and THEN (maybe - there could be more characters books first!) we get the GI Joe title proper (along with the inevitable crossover/event with Transformers).

Tom Reilly’s art is serviceable - I don’t have any real complaints about it - but, like Williamson’s script, it also feels bland, uninspired and indistinct. There’s no style to it nor does it seem like he brought anything special to the title.

It’s a quick and easy read but also a very shallow and unmemorable story, offering up little more than derivative, unremarkable action scenes and flat characters. Duke, Volume 1: Knowing is Half the Battle is a weak continuation of the Energon Universe saga - and now we know!

[John Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duke vol. 1: Knowing Is Half The Battle Is An Excellent Beginning To A New G.I. Joe Story

Duke vol. 1: Knowing Is Half The Battle by Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly is just such an awesome story! I was pleasantly surprised to find that this story is nothing like previous G.I. Joe stories. I'm a part of the generation that grew up watching G.I. Joe in the '80s and playing with the figures and also reading the comics as well. But, as a kid, I always thought that Cobra was cooler than G.I. Joe because they didn't play by the rules the way G.I. Joe did.

Plus, the Cobra characters were always more colorful than the G.I. Joe characters. Cobra had Storm Shadow, Zartan, Cobra Commander, Destro, Firefly, Serpentor, etc etc. And who did G.I. Joe have that was colorful besides Snake Eyes? Nobody that's who.

But, as I've gotten older, I've grown to love the G.I. Joe characters over time. Except for Duke. I always liked Flint more. I have never liked Duke until now.

After reading this story, I really like this version of Duke. He's a little bit tortured and dealing with PTSD. He's not the perfect character that the original '80s cartoon made him out to be. And I really like that a lot.

It adds depth and pathos to a character that I originally considered to be very bland. There are other characters too who show up in this story who I must say have been updated magnificently. I won't spoil who they are because people really should check this story out for themselves. But Joshua Williamson has done a really great job with modernizing these certain characters who show up in this story.

I am not familiar with Tom Reilly's artwork. He's the gentleman who draws this story. His artwork gives this story, Duke, a retro vibe to it. Hopefully, he will do more work in the G.I. Joe part of the Energon Universe because I really enjoyed his art style.

All in all, whether you're a G.I. Joe fan or someone just looking to read a really good graphic novel that has it all from bombastic action to comedy, I highly recommend checking out Duke vol. 1: Knowing Is Half The Battle by Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly. I think anyone who picks this up or reads it digitally will be pleasantly surprised at what they find between the covers of this great graphic novel! And always remember (if you're a G.I. Joe fan from the '80s, you'll know what I mean when I say this next phrase) that knowing is half the battle (yes, pun intended). Yo, Joe 🙂✌!

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because Knowing is half the battle. The GI Joe fan in me had a huge smile on my face after reading this book. The Energon Universe from Skybound is definitely the hottest comic book universe currently being published. This is not because they just got the best artist on their books but the writers seem to love what they are writing. Duke has never been my favorite Joe. This maybe because he always seem to straight laced and quite frankly a bit boring. Williamson and his artist team have taken the bare bones of the character and infused into Duke why he deserves to be the leader of the GI Joe team and reminds us of what a hero should be. I have to say Duke's got a lot of things working against him in this universe. First, he is a surviving witness of a strange unexplained attack from who readers know as the Decepticon villain, Stars cream. The American government is covering up the incident. Duke is also up against a mysterious corporation designing technology around this extraterrestrial threat. Our hero has know idea of the shadowy terrorist organization vying to take control of the alien tech for their world domination purposes. You'll have to check out Cobra Commander, Vol. 1: Determined to Rule the World to get that side of the story. This book was really well done. The dialogue is perfect and the action is nonstop. This universe feels like its building towards something major. I have already read Void Rivals, Vol. 1: More than Meets the Eye and just have to check out Transformers, Vol. 1: Robots in Disguise. I wish DC comics and Marvel were publishing a universe this coherent but hope the Energon Universe continues to showcase to comic book publishers that this is the type of storytelling comic book fans want in their superhero franchises. A 10 out 10 book all the way.

[Akshay · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the stunningly good start of Skybounds new "Energon Universe" with the Transformers comics + the decent new addition of Void Rivals, I was excited to see how an old childhood favourite like G.I.Joe would be folded into this new shared universe, especially given that I've never really enjoyed the previous (many) attempts at merging the two.

Before kick-starting the main book, the publisher made an interesting choice by creating this mini-series that leads into what will become the G.I.Joe book. Here we have Conrad Hauser, a battle-hardened young soldier who has recently seen some strange things involving giant robots and his faith in the army he has been loyal to and his leaders has been shaken. Sidelined and feeling abandoned, he goes on a journey of his own to make sense of it all and maybe get some real answers. Through these five issues, he finds leads and a whole mess of danger - he is brought face to face with hard truths and some pretty painful moments and even at one point, at odds and against the army he has served loyally. The book also introduces several familiar faces like Clutch, Rock-N-Roll and Baroness - the last of whom I was most intrigued by because it is no secret anymore that in this incarnation of the franchise, she is on the Joe team!

You'll see a whole lot of devastating action and all kinds of chaos and anarchy as this story barrels along at really high speed. Five issues is not a lot and the creative team takes full advantage of that and to their credit, they set up a bunch of things and put a lot of pieces on the board in very short order, while at no time really compromising the journey of Duke himself. The artwork does a commendable job, though it has some stronger moments than others. The colours and certain energetic pages and panels were the highlight, but that aside, the art is mostly decent.

If you've been a Joe fan, it is worth a try and if you've been curious about this new universe, definitely a solid jumping on point even if you've not read the other two series.

[Justin Partridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I have followed EVERY order to the best of my ability, sir. And right now, my country is LYING to me. I’m getting answers. I WILL know what that flying robot is. Then I’m taking it out.”

Conrad “Duke” Houser is on the run from a country that betrayed him! And despite being probably the most straight forward of the Energon Universe titles thus far, still some great fun to be had here. Especially if you loved the IDW/Aubrey Sitterson era of Joe.

Picking up mere days after Duke’s last brush with this new EU, this volume finds Houser on a mission for fresh Intel about the new mechanized threat., brushing him against a bunch of fantastic Joe cameos (Rock n’ Roll! Lady Jayne! B. A. T.s!), the MARS Corporation, and even a Very Cool Unexpected Co-Star that I’m very, very happy will be around for the incoming new Joe spin-off.

Reilly and Bellarie are truly a dream team. If DWJ hadn’t been truly killing it on TFs, I could strongly argue that this is the best looking Energon title thus far. There are even a few really fun moments directly referencing the cartoon’s sets and vehicles that I very much appreciated.

Also appreciated is the continued shared trade dress of all these titles. I still wish they would include the covers with each issue but the credits pages and the fill-in pages of these trades being uniform (and even continuing the CLASSIFIED MATERIALS gag from the opening single issues), that’s always something I’m going to love. That little extra production effort makes all the difference for a big, interconnected publishing universe. I really hope it continues into these book’s second arcs (though I think these miniseries are almost wrapped up now with Scarlett and Destro hitting this summer).

Once again, toy comics can kind be good if we let them be (and we have a creative team handling them that isn’t just going broad or rehashing the stuff we liked before).