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!
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