Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Image | Tagged: duke, Energon Universe, gi joe, skybound

Duke #1 Makes G.I. Joe History With Nearly 70,000 Orders

Duke #1 this past Monday from Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire, has had orders of nearly 70,000 from this week's FOC.

Published Thu, 30 Nov 2023 10:58:08 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

Duke #1 by Williamson and Reilly sees record 70,000 orders, a G.I. Joe landmark.
High ratio variants and retailer incentives create unprecedented buzz.
Duke #1 is the biggest solo G.I. Joe comic launch, outperforming even Snake Eyes.
Cobra Commander #1 poised to exceed Duke with even higher market demand.

There was a whole lot of buzz leading into the FOC for Image/Skybound's Duke #1 this past Monday from Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire, including some $400 sales of the high ratio variants and unique retailer video opportunities.

It also doesn't hurt that Robert Kirkman's Energon Universe has arguably established the "Big Three" comic book universes alongside Marvel and DC, with the record breaking launches of Void Rivals and Transformers being noted as THE big release this year by multiple retailers all over the world.

And it looks like Skybound has made history again, with Duke #1 hitting orders of nearly 70,000 units – the biggest G.I. Joe-related launch since Devil's Due's relaunch of the franchise in 2001.

Duke #1 is also the largest solo character comic book launch for the G.I. Joe franchise ever; something made even more impressive by the absence of any of those pesky popular ninjas like Snake Eyes (who held the previous record with Rob Liefeld's Snake Eyes: Deadgame) or Storm Shadow. It's the equivalent of successfully relaunching the X-Men with a solo series NOT featuring Wolverine.

But the question remains – are these enough copies to satisfy the fan demand for the Energon Universe, which continues to break Hasbro comic book records? Every single issue of Transformers and Void Rivals had sold out almost immediately, with Void Rivals #1 already selling out of its fifth printing and showing no signs of slowing down. This MCU-style relaunch of the G.I. Joe brand as part of the Energon Universe has just begun and if Duke is the Iron Man, then it could it mean we have an Avengers-style launch next year (a G.I. Joe #1, if I had to guess).

Let's also not forget about the success Skybound has seen with Larry Hama's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, reinvigorating a brand that was just last year selling around 7000 units a month to now returning with over 50.000 units sold of its debut issue, meaning G.I. Joe has established itself as one of the breakout comic book brands of 2023.

Retailers will also want to keep their eyes on Cobra Commander #1, from Joshua Williamson and Andrea Milana that hits stores in January. The series is seeing even higher secondary market sales, with the Andrea Sorrentino 1:50 incentive seeing presales over $100 and the Steve Epting 1:25 incentive nearly hitting $50. Starring one of the most iconic pop culture villains in history, will this be the series that take the sets a new Hasbro record for G.I. Joe launches?

Duke #1 is on-sale in comic shops on Wednesday, the 27th of December and Cobra Commander arrives soon after on Wednesday, the 17th of January.

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