G.I. Joe #24 Review: Crystal Ball’s Secret Plan Turns Fear Into a Weapon
G.I. Joe #24 closes out its current arc with a sharp, strange, and surprisingly character-driven chapter that pushes the Energon Universe deeper into psychological warfare. Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana, Lee Loughridge, and Rus Wooton deliver an issue that is not just about explosions, betrayals, and Cobra power plays. This one is about fear, loyalty, and what happens when the enemy can turn your own mind against you.
The official setup for G.I. Joe #24 is simple and effective: What is Crystal Ball’s secret plan? Risk puts everything on the line for an unexpected ally, but in this corner of the Energon Universe, trust is almost impossible to come by. Cobra agents lie. Joes make desperate calls. And the battlefield keeps shifting under everyone’s feet.
This issue is available July 15, 2026, from Skybound and Image Comics. Fans can check out the official G.I. Joe #24 release page for more details, and readers who have been following Skybound’s larger Hasbro universe can also revisit Comic Book Addicts’ coverage of the Energon Universe trailer and G.I. Joe character designs.
G.I. Joe #24 Review
What makes G.I. Joe #24 work is how it balances military action with weird science. This is not just another issue of soldiers running through enemy territory while lasers fly. Crystal Ball’s plan gives the story a supernatural-tech edge, but the book keeps grounding that threat in the language of the Energon Universe.
The issue makes it clear that Crystal Ball is not simply a magician or a mystic villain. His power is tied to D.I.R.E. tech, which uses Energon to turn fear into physical threats and weapons. That gives the book a strong horror flavor without fully leaving the military-action lane. The result feels like G.I. Joe filtered through nightmare machinery.
The opening conflict between Risk and Crystal Ball immediately sets the tone. Risk is not presented as a clean hero or a simple action figure archetype. He is bruised, trapped, angry, and still pushing forward. Crystal Ball, meanwhile, is arrogant in a very dangerous way. He does not just want to beat his enemies. He wants to understand them, break them, and prove that their fears can be used against them.
That makes this issue feel more personal than expected. Risk’s name gets more meaning here, and the story leans into the idea that he is someone who has spent his life surviving impossible missions. The issue frames him as a soldier who chose his identity because danger was already part of him. That gives his fight against Crystal Ball more emotional weight than a standard hero-versus-villain brawl.
Crystal Ball Steals the Spotlight
Crystal Ball is the standout villain of this issue. He is theatrical, manipulative, and unsettling without becoming goofy. That is not always an easy balance with a character like this, but Williamson understands the assignment. Instead of making Crystal Ball a joke, the script treats him as a psychological operator with dangerous technology and a disturbing amount of confidence.
His secret plan revolves around fear. More specifically, he has found a way to use Energon-powered technology to convert fear into weaponized constructs. That is a very strong concept for this universe because it connects Cobra’s obsession with power to the larger science-fiction mythology of Energon.
It also makes the conflict feel bigger than one base, one fight, or one mission. If fear can be harvested, shaped, and sold as a weapon, then Cobra is no longer just building guns and machines. They are building nightmares.
That is a perfect G.I. Joe threat.
Risk, Baroness, and Destro Make This Issue Click
The strongest part of G.I. Joe #24 is the uneasy alliance at the center of the story. Risk, Baroness, and Destro are not exactly friends. They are not even fully on the same side. But they are forced into a situation where survival depends on cooperation.
That is where the issue gets fun.
Baroness is sharp, tactical, and constantly measuring the room. Destro remains one of the best characters in this run because he operates with a mix of pride, patience, and calculation. He is dangerous because he is rarely reckless. Even when the situation is collapsing, he seems to be thinking three moves ahead.
Risk is the wild card. He is battered and outmatched, but not broken. The issue gives him enough grit and vulnerability to make him compelling. His action beats land because the story has already established what he is fighting through emotionally.
The best G.I. Joe stories understand that the franchise works because of personalities as much as weapons. This issue gets that. It gives readers the action they expect while letting the character dynamics carry the tension.
Andrea Milana and Lee Loughridge Build a Nightmare War Zone
Andrea Milana’s art gives G.I. Joe #24 a rough, kinetic energy that fits the chaos of the issue. The action is fast, but the layouts remain readable. The fear constructs have a ghostly, unnatural quality that separates them from regular tech or standard Cobra weaponry.
Lee Loughridge’s colors are a major part of the issue’s atmosphere. The green Energon glow gives the book a sickly, haunted look whenever Crystal Ball’s machines are in play. That color language matters because it instantly tells the reader when reality is being bent by fear. The book shifts between military grit, eerie sci-fi, and full-blown panic without losing visual clarity.
Rus Wooton’s lettering also deserves credit. The issue relies on action, internal pressure, and villain dialogue, and the lettering keeps the rhythm clean. The sound effects hit hard without overpowering the art.
The creative team listed in the review copy includes Joshua Williamson as writer, Andrea Milana as artist, Lee Loughridge as colorist, and Rus Wooton as letterer, with cover support from Tom Reilly, Joshua Cassara & Romulo Fajardo Jr., Ben Oliver, Tonči Zonjić, and Andrea Milana.
Why This Issue Matters for the Energon Universe
G.I. Joe #24 is important because it keeps expanding what a G.I. Joe story can be inside the Energon Universe. This run is not simply rebuilding the old status quo. It is taking familiar pieces and asking how they function in a world where Energon changes everything.
Crystal Ball’s technology is a great example. The issue connects his obsession with fear to the bigger Energon mythology. That makes the threat feel organic to this new continuity instead of random. Cobra is not just using Energon as a power source. Cobra is learning how to turn it into ideology, control, and profit.
That is what makes this run exciting. Every arc feels like it is adding another piece to the larger machine.
For readers following Skybound and Image’s Hasbro line, this issue also pairs well with other G.I. Joe coverage, including Comic Book Addicts’ look at G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #31 Hama Files. That book taps into classic Larry Hama-era energy, while G.I. Joe #24 shows how the modern Energon Universe is pushing the franchise into fresh territory.
Final Thoughts
G.I. Joe #24 is a strong end-of-arc issue because it gives readers more than a fight scene. It gives them a villain with a disturbing plan, a hero forced to define himself under pressure, and a temporary alliance that feels tense from start to finish.
Joshua Williamson keeps the script moving with urgency, while Andrea Milana and Lee Loughridge make Crystal Ball’s fear-based tech feel dangerous, strange, and visually distinct. This is the kind of issue that rewards readers already invested in the Energon Universe while still delivering enough immediate action to satisfy G.I. Joe fans looking for a sharp Cobra-versus-Joe showdown.
Crystal Ball’s plan is creepy. Risk gets a strong spotlight. Baroness and Destro remain dangerous every time they enter a panel. And the Energon Universe continues to prove that G.I. Joe has plenty of room for espionage, horror, military action, and science-fiction chaos.
Review Verdict: 8.5/10
G.I. Joe #24 is a tense, stylish, and character-focused arc finale that turns fear itself into Cobra’s newest weapon.
Comic Book Details
Title: G.I. Joe #24
Publisher: Skybound / Image Comics / Hasbro
Story: Joshua Williamson
Art: Andrea Milana & Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover A: Tom Reilly
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 15, 2026
Format: Comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play
Join the Conversation
What did you think of G.I. Joe #24? Is Crystal Ball becoming one of the most dangerous Cobra players in the Energon Universe? And did Risk earn a bigger spotlight going forward?
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