Skybound’s Energon Universe will continue to grow in June with two more miniseries focused on characters from G.I. Joe — Scarlett by Kelly Thompson and Marco Ferrari, and Destro by Dan Watters Andrei Bressan.
The two miniseries follow the recent series starring Cobra Commander and Duke, which brought characters from G.I. Joe into the larger shared universe that also includes Transformers and Void Rivals.
“Duke and Cobra Commander were two of the highest-selling G.I. Joe comics of all time, and they’re only the start of our new beginning for the amazing G.I. Joe franchise,” said Sean Mackiewicz, SVP, Publisher, Skybound. “With G.I. Joe and Cobra now locked on an unavoidable collision course, Scarlett and Destro will introduce new characters and factions that will disrupt their most carefully laid plans. Kelly Thompson, Marco Ferrari, Dan Watters and my favorite madman, Andrei Bressan are crafting action-packed, jaw-dropping comics that will forever change the Energon Universe.”
Destro
Destro will focus on the arms trafficker for Cobra who probably has as many enemies in Cobra as he does on the G.I. Joe team.
“I’m incredibly excited to bring Destro to life with Andrei,” Watters said. “This is going to be a visceral, explosive thriller in which he [Destro] isn’t very nice to anyone at all — everything you’d want from your favorite amoral arms trafficker.”
That natural tension between the heads of Cobra will play out here as well:
James McCullen Destro XXIV is the man behind M.A.R.S. Industries, the undisputed leader in providing high-tech weapons to world powers…for the right price. But the emergence of Energon has changed everything. As Destro’s ambitions grow, the “Crimson Twins” Tomax and Xamot Paoli emerge to destroy their competition, and Cobra Commander realizes his current ally could be his future greatest enemy.
“I just can’t wait to see what Dan has planned for Destro,” Bressan said. “I’m pretty excited because everything going on with the Energon Universe so far has been bonkers and Destro…he is just an absolute bad***, ready to kill and destroy.”
Here’s a preview of the first issue:
And a look at the first issue’s variant covers by Nikola Čižmešija and Jorge Fornes:
Scarlett
Scarlett not only introduces one of the most prominent members of the G.I. Joe team to the Energon Universe, but sets the stage for some other popular characters and themes to emerge.
“I’m fortunate that, thanks to my job, I often get to dig into characters and worlds that I’ve loved for a long time,” Thompson said. “But G.I. Joe‘s Scarlett is truly one of my first geek loves as a kid, and I am absolutely thrilled to have a hand in building her for this new, incredibly cool and rich universe at Skybound.”
The miniseries not only puts the focus on Scarlett, but also introduces the infamous Arashikage Clan, the group of ninjas that Stormshadow and Snake Eyes once belonged to, to the Energon Universe:
Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara is about to take on the most dangerous black ops mission of her career: infiltrating the mysterious rising power in Japan known as the Arashikage Clan. Her one lead is her former partner—Jinx—turned Arashikage enforcer. Now, Scarlett must use her operative skills to survive undercover… and discover a shocking weapon that could change the balance of power on Earth.
“I’m very excited to join the Scarlett team and to use every tool in my toolbox to bring her to life in this new series,” Ferrari said. “I can’t wait for everyone to dive into Scarlett’s mission with us!”
Here’s a preview …
And here are three of the first issue’s variant covers, by Joëlle Jones, Gleb Melnikov and Steve Epting:
Look for Scarlett #1 to arrive in stores June 5, while Destro #1 arrives June 19.