A fan-favorite GI Joe just lost his life in the team’s very first Energon Universe adventure.

GI Joe #1 opens to find the members of the eponymous team caught in the middle of a fierce firefight, during which two of their own very nearly lose their lives. Luckily, this is just a training exercise, yet it still stands as a testament to the stakes at hand. Tragically, this isn’t the only reminder that the team is set to receive, as a brazen attack on their headquarters by the forces of Cobra forces the heroes into action, with none other than Rock ‘n Roll himself laying his life down to save those of his fellow GI Joes.

• Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
• Art by TOM REILLY
• Colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE
• Letters by RUS WOOTON
• Main cover art by TOM REILLY
• Variant covers by LIVIO RAMONDELLI, MARAT MYCHAELS, JEROME OPENA & DAVE STEWART, DAVID MACK, DREW ZUCKER, MARCELO MATERE, DAN PANOSIAN, LEIRIX LI, MICO SUYAN, LEE BERMEJO, SOZOMAIKA, JENNY FRISON, DAVID NAKAYAMA, JEFF SPOKES, E.J. SU, JONBOY MEYERS, TOM REILLY & ANDRES JUAREZ, ANDREA MILANA & ANDRES JUAREZ, NATHAN SZERDY, IVAN TAO, CEDRIC POULAT, PETER SMITH, CLAYTON CRAIN, RYAN BROWNE, PASQUALE FERRARA, MAYDAY TRIPPE, TYLER KIRKHAM, JAMIE SULLIVAN, ALEXIS ZIRITT, JAVAN JORDAN, MARTIN SIMMONDS, MATTHEW WAITE, MIKE MAYHEW, BEN HARVEY, TONY FLEECS, ALEX SINCLAIR, RIAN GONZALES, JOSE LIMA ARAUJO & CHRIS O’HALLORAN, DAVID FINCH, DANNY MIKI & DAVE MCCAIG, and BRETT BOOTH, LIVESAY & ANDREW DALHOUSE

Like so many of the other iconic characters from the GI Joe franchise, Rock ‘n Roll is a longtime fan-favorite whose first appearance goes all the way back to the very first issue of Marvel Comics’ GI Joe series from 1982. Usually portrayed as a surfer turned heavy-gunner, Rock ‘n Roll has been a mainstay of the franchise throughout numerous iterations across a variety of media. The character would make his first animated appearance just a year after his comic book debut in the opening episode of 1983’s GI Joe: A Real American Hero animated series.

GI Joe is just the latest addition to Skybound Entertainment’s Energon Universe, which consists of titles including ongoing series Void Rivals and Transformers, as well as multiple limited series including Cobra Commander, Duke, Scarlett, and Destro. There is also the Energon Universe 2024 Special, which contains stories from all three of the main properties in the Energon Universe and serves as a perfect jumping-on point for new readers. In July, Skybound Entertainment released a trailer for the then upcoming and ongoing events of the Energon Universe comics during Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Whereas previous iterations of the GI Joes were formed as a response to the presence of threats such as Cobra, those of the Energon Universe have a far different mission that ties directly into the events of Transformers and Void Rivals. In this timeline, the GI Joes stand as the first line of defense against energy based weapons that are fueled by Energon, which has been a key focus of the events of every Energon Universe series. Previously, readers have seen Cobra Commander take it upon himself to forcefully extract Energon from unwitting Autobots, giving him a powerful resource unlike any the villain has previously wielded.

GI Joe #1 is on sale now from Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics.

Source: Skybound/Image