‘G.I. Joe #16: Dreadnok War – Part 4’ Review (Skybound)
Written by Joshua Williamson | Art by Tom Reilly | Colourist: Jordie Bellaire | Letterer: Rus Wooton | Published by Skybound
G.I. Joe #16 brings the Dreadnok War to a boiling point, delivering the kind of chaotic, character-driven carnage this arc has been promising since the opening chapter. If parts one through three were about escalation, this issue is about consequences.
Picking up in the immediate fallout of last issue’s barn-bound nightmare, Duke and Cobra Commander’s uneasy alliance is stretched to its absolute limit. The Dreadnoks aren’t just looming threats anymore; they’re fully unleashed agents of destruction, and the book leans hard into their anarchic energy. Road Pig remains a terrifying physical presence, but what really sells the danger is how unpredictable the Noks feel here – less an organised force, more a roaming disaster zone.
Joshua Williamson continues to excel at character tension. Duke’s rigid sense of duty clashes constantly with Cobra Commander’s manipulative survival instincts, and every shared panel feels like it could explode into violence at any second. Their dynamic is the spine of this arc, and #16 arguably uses it better than any issue so far, threading action beats with sharp, personality-driven dialogue.
Visually, Tom Reilly keeps delivering. The art balances kinetic brutality with clarity, even when the page is packed with bodies, weapons, and burning scenery. The darker palette returns in force, giving the issue a grimy, end-of-the-road feel that suits the Dreadnoks perfectly. This is G.I. Joe at its most feral, stripped of polish and drenched in mud, blood, and bad decisions.
Crucially, this issue feels like a true penultimate chapter. Threads are tightening, tempers are snapping, and the sense that something is about to go catastrophically wrong hangs over every page. It doesn’t resolve much, but it absolutely shouldn’t. Instead, it sets the board for a finale that looks primed to hurt.
**** 4/5
G.I. Joe #16 is out now.
