Creators: Dan Watters (Writer), Andrei Bressan (Artist), Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Rus Wooton (Letterer)
Story: In the Republic of Darklonia, the Prime Minister's palace is under siege by insurgents and when his troops try to fight them, they encounter a Battle Android Trooper (B.A.T.). The troops then realize more are being dropped into the city and the BATs defeat the troops. The Prime Minister calls Destro and surrenders; Destro arrives and says his cousin, Artyom Darklon, will take over and the Prime Minister shoots himself to avoid what the mob might do to him. Destro is then in call with Cobra Commander, who is upset about his actions in Darklonia and they get into an argument over how M.A.R.S. Industries is working with Cobra, not subordinate to Cobra. Destro then visits an ancestral shrine and seeks guidance from his ancestors about what to do with the Energon. Weeks later, at Darklonia's arms convention we're introduced to other arms manufacturers - Boston, Hybrid Technologies, Advanced Dynamics and Extensive Enterprises (though missing from the show) and Astoria Carlton-Ritz, CEO of Hybrid Technologies (from The Girl Who Loved Powerglide). In Sierra Gordo, Tomax and Xamot chew out a field commander for his inability to wait for their Crimson Guardsmen to show up and make an example of him and his troops. Back at Darklonia, unknown ships attack the arms show, with Destro saving Astoria's life and Destro smiling as he realizes he's at war.
Writing: This was an interesting issue. It takes places after the Duke and Cobra Commander mini series and introduces a lot of G.I. Joe concepts - Darklonia and Darklon (also being Destro's cousin), Sierra Gordo and the Crimson Guard. The story is engaging and it really tries to set up the classic Destro/M.A.R.S. vs. Cobra Commander/Cobra rivalry we're so used to. It was a bit disappointing that more connections weren't made with the larger Energon Universe (with just a mention or two of Energon in the issue). I'm sure more of that will come later. It was also nice to see Sierra Gordo brought in as well, as it has been a classic conflict zone in the G.I. Joe comics for decades.
Art: Pretty good art here. A lot of nice references spread throughout the issue. We see some classic and modern vehicle designs make some appearances, Destro's Iron Grenadiers and the Siegies are here and getting to see some of the different mask designs of Destro's ancestrors was nice. The colors work well too. While a lot of bright reds, yellows and oranges are used, they also get muted a bit. On top of that, that are contrasted with dark colors, like the red on Destro's costume with the black and grey.
Overall: A fun read that fans of G.I. Joe comics will enjoy. A lot of callbacks to classic G.I. Joe places and plots, wrapped up in the new Energon Universe. While it does add to the enjoyment of the series, having to read the Duke and Cobra Commander series isn't needed to know what's going on in this issue. I enjoyed the art and am interested to see where some of these plot threads take us in the future.
