Energon Universe - ongoing Transformers and G.I. Joe comics from Skybound

[Haywire]

Yeah, the "grape soda and chocolate donuts" thing came from the comics as the Dreadnoks comfort food of choice, likely because anything stronger would have probably been 'inappropriate' in a kids' war toy ad...

Spoiler

And, yeah, Springfield is kind of a fixture in the comics as one of Cobra's primary bases (partly because there is a Springfield in almost every state in the US), but the Springfield in the cartoon has that cool "The Prisoner" vibe which was so very awesome!

Spoiler

Who wants more Skuxxoid?! ....*crickets chirp*....Well, TOO BAD, you're gonna get more Skuxxoid and you're gonna like it! We get three pages where he returns home only to find it dark and empty. I guess he forgot that his wife and kids left him (or they're dead, it's a little hard to tell). So, he sits all alone in the dark...sadly brooding over the path his life has gone down as he questions his life choices. ....what is this plot line? I honestly thought we were done with Skuxxoid after the Energon Universe FCBD special. Now, we're dealing with his family drama? Why?! Where is this going, Kirkman?!

Spoiler

Next title in the Energon Universe: The Walking Skuxxoid Dead!

 

[Magnusblitz]

TF #9 out today!

Spoiler

Feels like things are really starting to move here, as Soundwave links up with Cybertron (briefly), dovetailing Elita's story into the Earth one, and it seems like the conflict might really rip open... we had a limited number of troops and resources on Earth, cut off from Cybertron, but I'm not sure it'll stay like that long as the portal probably isn't too damaged. Certainly Shockwave doesn't think so.

And as for Shockwave, I'd say this is a different take on him, not really the comic or cartoon personality. In fact, he kinda reminds me a bit of Animated Lugnut? Not in the sense that he's a brown-noser for Megatron, but that he likes to make grandiose proclamations (I'm sure there's a better comparison, just having trouble thinking of one).

As I see the current numbers on Earth:

Autobots: Optimus, Wheeljack, Arcee, Elita, Beachcomber
(Damaged: Ultra Magnus, Jetfire)
(Captured: Cliffjumper, Jazz; captured/dead?: Ratchet)

Decepticons: Soundwave, Laserbeak, Rumble, Shockwave, Astrotrain, Thundercracker, Bonecrusher, Scavenger, Scrapper, Hook, Long Haul, Mixmaster, Onslaught, Brawl (top half)
(Damaged: Ravage)
(Captured/damaged: Skywarp)
(Elsewhere: Megatron)
(Dead?: Starscream)

Definitely dire odds for the Autobots at the moment, though Beachcomber showing up mysteriously could be a hint of help to come.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Spoiler

If "Brawl (top half)" means what I think it means, shouldn't that count as damaged?

 

[Magnusblitz]

Spoiler

If "Brawl (top half)" means what I think it means, shouldn't that count as damaged?

Yeah I'm probably splitting hairs, but I guess I was thinking of the "damaged" category as "alive but not really able to contribute" whereas we've seen a top-half-only Wheeljack be able to help out. Might be more similar to Jetfire I suppose, where he's limited.

Also - is this the first time Shockwave has ever mass-shifted and been fired as a handgun by someone else? Megatron's done it all the time, but I can't remember Shockwave ever doing so (as opposed to just flying around as a giant gun). I guess Bruticus fired him once, but he didn't mass-shift.

 

[Swerve]

Spoiler

so I'm really happy to see Beachcomber show up. Underrated and underused character. Anyways they released a preview of the next issue today and on the first page it shows Beachcomber getting thrown out of the Ark above Earth and it says "millions of years ago". I thought they went with less time in this version? Looks like they are going back to millions of years....or it is an editing error.

 

[Shadewing]

Spoiler

Something no one has commented on: Astrotrain. This issue really made me like him quickly. Last time he was an angry brute, but now we see that he's actually a pretty noble warrior, for a Decepticon in this series. He'll do what he has to to achieve his mission, but he wont like it or be proud of it. It doesn't even seem like he wants Spike to come to harm... but will allow it if it means survival for his species. He'd rather not have to hurt to take from weaker creatures, but his back's kinda against the wall. It makes him a great antagonist.

 

[MrBlud]

Spoiler

It also sets up a nice contrast with Megatron. We’ve been getting a string of pretty noble Magneto-esque Megatron’s lately so this one essentially being a “robot Hitler” who would go so far as to imprison his own soldiers who have a conscience is definitely a new direction

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Scareltt #1 also came out last week. I didn't have anything really interesting to say about it, so I guess I forgot to talk about it. It's a perfectly fun spy and ninja story. You know, that old chestnut. But, there's no real Transformers connection yet, and I get the feeling there probably won't be. So, it's fun, but skippable if you don't really care about the GI Joe side of things.

Spoiler

Scarlett and Jinx are...much closer in this universe than I expected. I'm not sure how much I should be reading into their relationship, but...yeah, the shippers will be eating well with this series, I think.

The only way I could see Transformers making it into this comic is if the Arashikage Temple turns out to be Scorponok or something. Or one of their statues turns out to be Bludgeon in disguise. It'd be neat, but I doubt it. Though, there is a mention of a "weapon" of some kind in the snowtop ninja temple.

Also, I 'm a little surprised we actually didn't see Snake Eyes, yet. Storm Shadow seems to be our main villain focus for this mini, and I do like his reveal here.

Scarlett taking on a army of ninjas solo was pretty cool, though. Neat action scene.

But, yeah, Transformers #9 is out and I'm enjoying it.

They are going a little "original animated movie" on this cast. Given how easy it is to heal Transformers in this universe, I'm not too worried. But, it does get a little much.

Still, you can't say stuff didn't happen this issue. It's still a action-packed comic. This is basically a few big fight scenes. But, they're frenetic fight!

Spoiler

All this talk between Soundwave and Shockwave about being "brothers" is starting to feel a *little* cult-like, not gonna lie. I mean, sure, Decepticons and all, but still, it could be set up for something, down the line. They are both pretty "logical". I guess I can see them sharing similar viewpoints and beliefs

"Giant glowing holes in the ocean, man Earth is SO WEIRD" Heh. It's almost cute that Cliffjumper thinks this is a natural phenomenon.

Jetfire just...CANNOT catch a break. Even stuck in a living purgatory that is his alternate mode, he gets blasted out of the sky. I feel like someone has a grudge against this poor guy.

Nature abhors a vacuum. If you get rid of one guy who can transform into a gun, another will take his place!

Oof, though. Poor Ratchet. Getting a giant glowing blue hole blasted in his chest like that will take WEEKS to buff out!

Apparently, Optimus and Shockwave have history in this universe. Hopefully, we get a flashback, eventually or something.

Spike might be paralyzed, so that's not great. On the bright side...upgrade time? He'd probably look pretty spiffy in Masterforce armor.

Personally, I kind of dig Astrotrain speaking in old timey barbarian-ish speech. Gives him a Conan the Barbarian sort of vibe. It's unique, what can I say?

These guys sure love their pro wrestling. Shockwave busting out a suplex on Optimus is something we haven't seen before! I'm starting to get Ultimate Muscle/Kinnikuman flashbacks from this comic!

Hey, the Elita-1/Mystery Guy/Probably Ultra Magnus plotline finally dovetails with our main story! They just walk out of the space bridge portal Shockwave just came through! Maybe next issue we'll finally find out for sure who this guy is!

I do appreciate Elita-1 finding the time to stop Bruticus from being able to form. We don't need a repeat of the end of the last story arc QUITE so soon.

Cliffjumper and Jazz get left behind. Which means Shockwave will get a chance to "play". So...what do we think he's gonna do to them? Try to make Headmasters? Turn them into beasts? Put their minds in human bodies? This IS Shockwave we're talking about, it's gonna be something memorable. And probably graphic, given this comic.

Astrotrain actually feels pretty sympathetic right now. I mean, he's still willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, but he's not happy about it. It's just "us or them" to him.

Spike's heading towards being one of Shockwave's experiment's, but don't worry....Beachcomber is here! Beachcomber will surely save everyone!

...Okay, well, Spike was a nice character to have around for a little while. I'll miss him.

Okay, for real, this would be a interesting moment to bring the Wreckers into this continuity. Although...given this comic's love for the cartoon...and since Shockwave's already here...I feel like the Dinobots are maybe more likely?

 

[Shadewing]

Spoiler

All this talk between Soundwave and Shockwave about being "brothers" is starting to feel a *little* cult-like, not gonna lie. I mean, sure, Decepticons and all, but still, it could be set up for something, down the line. They are both pretty "logical". I guess I can see them sharing similar viewpoints and beliefs

Spoiler

Maybe its literal, their the Wave brothers, Sound and Shock.

 

[Magnusblitz]

Spoiler

Maybe its literal, their the Wave brothers, Sound and Shock.

You joke but I think there's at least a decent chance this might actually be intended. I had the same thought when reading the issue...

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Destro #1 came out yesterday!

It seems like it's going to be another action packed little entry in the Energon Universe. Cobra Commander does show up, but doesn't seem to have a big role in this mini. And Energon is mentioned...but again, seems to be more of a background element than a full on plot point. So, there doesn't seem to be a lot of Transformer connections in this mini. Barring...one surprise cameo, but it might be missed by a lot of people.

It's probably skippable if you just care about the Transformers side of things. But, it is setting up a pretty fun conflict between Destro and...another group who I won't mention outside of spoilers.

So, I think this is going to be solid and fun. But, probably not necessary reading for the wider universe, yet. But, I grew to like the artwork for the action scenes, of which there are plenty.

Spoiler

Okay, this entire miniseries is shaping up to be one giant war between Destro and Tomax & Xamot. Which, is kind of a fun idea. A Cobra Civil War...before anyone actually joins Cobra. A war to assimilate these different mercenary groups and weapons manufacturers into the larger Cobra banner. Seeing the Cobra we know form in real time. That's kind of a interesting high concept, really.

And, hey, I was partially right! Destro ends up putting Darklon, the character (and Destro's cousin), on the throne of Darklonia, the country. So, there was a connection, there!

I do really like the scene of Destro going to ask his ancestors about what to do about the Energon. It's just kind of a interesting scene. And, given this is GI Joe we're talking about, Destro might actually be able to talk to the ghosts of his ancestors. Or the horrible eldritch abomination that lives under his family castle, at least, we'll see which way they end up going with that. Or he's just crazy, since we don't get to see any actual ghosts, yet. I do like that all of his family members had different looking iron masks. Keeping that in this universe is a fun little touch.

And then we get to meet Astoria Carlton-Ritz. I'll admit, I had to look her up, because I thought she might be from the GI Joe side of things. But, nope! She's from the Transformers cartoon! She's "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide"! (What a thing to be known for). Kind of a deep cut. We'll have to see if her ability to "jinx" machines comes up in this universe. But, she does seem to have a thing for explosions!

But, yeah, other than that we find out that Tomax and Xamot are not very nice people. Some bloody doings get done, as we've come to expect from this universe. And they basically declare open warfare against Destro and MARS.

 

[Agent X]

Well the bomb that landed by her ended up being a dud, so maybe the curse is a thing.

 

[Shadewing]

Spoiler

Well with Xamot and Tomax, this basically becomes a must read for me; I've always loved those bastard twins. Always feels like they get overlooked in the Cobra Heirarchy though, so great to see them here

 

[Swerve]

Well the bomb that landed by her ended up being a dud, so maybe the curse is a thing.

Ooo...I did think it was odd that happened. Did not think of it being because of her though. Make sense though....now is that important to the story or just an Easter Egg.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

September Solicitations are out!

Spoiler

TRANSFORMERS #12 CVR A JOHNSON & SPICER (JUL240566)

End of Story Arc. The fate of two worlds is decided here, as the Autobots and Decepticons make choices that will change the universe forever.

www.previewsworld.com

SCARLETT #4 (OF 5) CVR A FERRARI (JUL240543)

Scarlett has infiltrated the Arashikage for one purpose-locate and extract Jinx...but the true purpose of her best friend's mission becomes clear, and it's an enormous game changer for the entire Energon Universe!

www.previewsworld.com

DESTRO #4 (OF 5) CVR A BRESSAN & LUCAS (JUL240479)

Destro's kill list-1) Chameleon 2) Tomax 3) Xamot 4) Anyone who gets in his way.

www.previewsworld.com

And some discussion:

Spoiler

No Void Rivals again in September. That's probably the most notable thing, since the rest are just teasers.

That Transformers cover is looking a little Uncron-y, to me. I don't know if they're going to do Unicron this early in this universe or not. But, it could just be a spacebridge.

Scarlett's solicitation makes it sound like it's going to have some sort of reveal. I guess that Arashikage weapon might be a bigger deal than I thought it might be. I'm still hoping it's Bludgeon, but I'm expecting...I dunno...Nightbird or something.

And Destro looks like it'll be full of explosions! Not much to say about that one.

 

[Magnusblitz]

September Solicitations are out!

Spoiler

That Transformers cover is looking a little Uncorn-y, to me. I don't know if they're going to do Unicron this early in this universe or not. But, it could just be a spacebridge.

Spoiler

That was my first thought too, but looking at it zoomed-in I really do think it's just a really close Cybertron, ala The Ultimate Doom

 

[ZakuConvoy]

And Void Rivals #10 is out!

This is actually a pretty good issue! Things are definitely happening now.

We get one little piece of lore that I've been speculating about for a while. I was mostly wrong, but at least I was somewhat on the right track.

But, otherwise, we are starting to get some information that might eventually impact the rest of the Energon Universe down the line. Time will tell, but the pace is starting to pick up.

Spoiler

It's kind of nice that one of the rulers cares about his daughter, Solila We haven't gotten much from the rulers of this planet, but this is at least something.

The fight between Springer and Proximus goes about the way you'd expect with one being 10 times the size of the other. But, somehow, he manages to crawl away even though he lost a arm and a leg. Kind of reminds me of the Black Knight from Monty Python. "It's just a flesh wound! I've had worse!"

Solila also does NOT appreciate her mysterious key getting taken. And she gets a little visit from Zerta Trion in her dreams, telling her about he quest she needs to go on to find her.

We actually get a bit of lore about Zerta Trion in this issue. We find out that "Trion" is basically the word for "sage" or "wise one". And only TWO Transformers have earned that title. With it being "Trion" I kind of thought they'd opt for a group of three, but...okay, fine.

And we also finally find out what's with the crystals in the Zertonian's foreheads. They're Energon Ports. (Although, the Zertonian's call them "Mind's Eyes"). They're able to "eat" Energon like Transformers do, although we don't get to see how. They say later that Springer just...poured some Energon onto her forehead like he was putting it into a different cup. They end up glowing after they eat, too. So, these guys are all actually artificially created, somehow. Probably created by Zerta Trion.

They're not evolved from Energon like I was thinking they might be, but at least I was thinking along the right lines.

Also, we find out the Sacred Ring is generating Energon in order to do...something. Also, it's basically confirmed that Zerta Trion is waiting for them at the core of the planet to start the next phase of their evolution.

And now there's a entire army after them.

So, while I'm still not that invested in the characters, at least we're getting some much needed LORE, finally. Hopefully, we keep this up.

 

[Shadewing]

It's only taken 10 issues, but yeah; I'm actually slowly starting to give a **** about this series.

 

[Swerve]

I've enjoyed Void Rivals from the begining, but it is picking up it's pace.

Spoiler

and we see that they are very connected to the Transformers. I was almost expecting Quintess Prime to be involved. Are they basically a Transformers sub species. This does tie Void Rivals more directly to Transformers as opposed to the Joe books. Will Springer stick around? How will Hot Rod figure into all this?

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Spoiler

Honestly, with their ties to Energon, I keep expecting the Zertonians to eventually turn out to be this universe's answer to Headmasters or Powermasters or something.

Although, given that they change color when they actually consume energon, maybe they're more like Energon Figures or Decoys/Keshi or something? They do kind of look like MUSCLE/Kinnikuman toys when they glow like that. But, that's maybe too obscure a reference for this comic.