G.I. Joe joins the Energon Universe, and Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly chat all about the new Duke

Skybound’s Duke #1 is a whole new beginning for some real American heroes — even if it doesn’t look like it immediately. In the first issue of the new G.I. Joe era as part of the Energon Universe, things look pretty bleak for the character fans know as the leader of the Joes… and that’s just what creators Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly want.

Spinning out of events in Transformers #2, Duke is in a bad way, and things go from bad to worse as he tries to get answers to just what those robots in disguise really are… and if they’re even real in the first place. It’s a G.I. Joe comic unlike any that have come before, and that’s part of Williamson’s larger intent with the franchise. (He’s also writing Cobra Commander, which launches in January.) But where did this version of the Joes come from, and where are they headed?

Popverse spoke to Williamson and Reilly about the first issue, its roots in the larger Energon Universe, and the value of beating up your heroes.