Codename: G.I. Joe Deluxe Edition Book Two

by Kelly Thompson, Dan Watters, Marco Ferrari (illustrator)

Genres: Comics

248 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

KELLY THOMPSON has a degree in Sequential Art from The Savannah College of Art & Design. Her love of comics and superheroes have compelled her since she first discovered them as a teenager. Currently living in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend and the two brilliant cats that run their lives, you can find Kelly all over the Internet where she is generally well liked, except where she's detested.

Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.

Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.

Reviews

[Matt Quann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was alright! I’m intrigued with how the GI Joe books and Transformers will interact in the future. The Scarlett book seems disconnected from most of what came before, but has some pretty kinetic action. Destro, by comparison seemed to have a stronger vision. Cobra Commander continues to be the most compelling character and his brief appearances are scene stealing.

[Randy Lander · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second wave of G.I. Joe miniseries, Scarlett & Destro, are weaker than the Cobra Commander/Duke duo that kicked things off. There are good ideas in there, Scarlett infiltrating the Arishakage clan to reconnect with her old roommate Jinx, Destro and the Crimson Twins lured into a civil war, but both stories felt a little disconnected from the main drive of building up Cobra and G.I. Joe in a way that the previous minis didn't.

I also thought that the artwork, while solid, was never quite as strong in storytelling the action sequences, which is kind of a key element in these stories. Still a fun read, still interesting to watch the development, but I was glad when Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly returned in the G.I. Joe story proper.

[Phillip Murrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love G. I. Joe, so it pained me to see how horribly they changed Scarlet. Her backstory with Jinx was unnecessary and convoluted. Her ostentatious new look, specifically her piercings/gauges, are definitely against army regulation and make her stand out, something she even mentions during her undercover mission as a redhead in Japan. Like the Baroness in Duke's book, I hate these unnecessary changes and give the story one star.

Destro, on the other hand, had a dope story. Warring with Extensive Enterprises is brilliant. The villains are written almost perfectly while the Joes are worst than stale milquetoast. I really need Cobra vs Decepticons soon!

[Ma'Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize until this arrived on my holds shelf that it's merely a repackaging of two other miniseries I've already read, both of which were my favorites so far in this new G.I. Joe section of the Energon universe - Scarlett and Destro.

[Matt Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars