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

SHIELD Agent 47

Active member
Citizen
It seems Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool was right all along about the rumor, and Robert Kirkman's Skybound imprint at publisher Image Comics is indeed doing the next licensed Transformers and G.I. Joe comics as part of a shared universe. Void Rivals #1 arrives in comic book shops this coming Wednesday 14 June 2023.


So I work at a comic book store and look at the promotional poster that came in this morning!
KJaxiXz.jpg


Previous threads on the successor to IDW :
 

Spin-Out

i cant take it anymore im at my limit
Citizen
starting the new continuity by making it a shared universe with original IP doesn't bode well IMO. seems like kirkman's more interested in using transformers to bolster void rivals
 

Haywire

Collecter of Gobots and Godzilla
Citizen
So Transformers is so far just one title, but GI Joe gets two, Duke and Cobra Commander? That is an...interesting choice.
 

Haywire

Collecter of Gobots and Godzilla
Citizen
I guess I continued to collect GIJoe: A Real American Hero even after I dropped most of my Transformers titles from my pull list, so 🤷, but it does seem like Transformers ought to be the more marketable of the two at this point? Also, kind of curious how the Joe side of the story will be told if it's split between Duke and Cobra Commander? I guess I'm wondering if it will be different PoVs, or if Joe and Cobra will even cross paths early on?
 

Dvandom

Well-known member
Citizen
What worries me is that while there's enough of a niche audience to support a GIJoe comic or even two (if not a movie), keeping that comic going might require catering to the Joe fandom...which is even worse than the most Geewunny TF fandom corners.

---Dave
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
Pure speculation, but the two Joe books MIGHT end up being one shots or mini-series? I could see them testing the water with some "Spotlights". Nothing here says they're ongoing.

And I'm guessing the Void Rivals characters are actually Joes in disguise. Duke and Scarlett (or Baroness?). The jacket and belt are probably hints at who they are, I'd guess.

The "Energon Universe" is interesting branding. Either they're doing something like Shockwave's ores, or Energon in general is playing a bigger part in the story. Maybe just as part of a intergalactic arms race? If they turn out to be Joes, they must be in space for a reason.
 

Swerve

Life of the Party
Citizen
I wonder if Hasbro has any mandate on character designs. That sure looks like siege Jetfire on the poster. As far as a shared universe goes, they don't need to constantly crossover to exist in the same universe...to be honest that is where IDW failed with the Hasbro universe as they already came in late so the massive Transformers story had to tie with everything else.
The name is odd too. Energon Universe? That is the best they could do?
Now the Void Rivals story...will these be new characters or something old in disguise. I wish we could have been surprised, but to be honest I would probably not bought the comic if I hadn't known it was the start of Transformers' new universe.
Well, I guess I'm happy to be Getting Transformer comics again. I'll give the G.I. Joe comics a try too.
 

GodSentinelOmega

The Omega Knight Returns!
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
It’s certainky going to be interesting to see how this is actually going to start.
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
Well, Bleeding Cool has a image for the 1:100 incentive cover for Void Rivals #1. I'm going to put it in spoilers because I think it looks like it's MIGHT be a repurposed version of the last page of the issue.

You won't be very surprised either way, I'll just say that right now.

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Yep, Jetfire sure is in this issue, alright.
 

Shadewing

Well-known member
Citizen
Jetfire is an interesting choice for first contact, he's not one of the big names that everyone would know, but he's got potentially interesting story elements if they take from the cartoon.
 

The Phazer

Well-known member
Citizen
Yeah, I would just say that was Jetfire really.

I guess I was wrong about this one - perhaps Hasbro's lawyers didn't consider the deal large enough to be market sensitive information. Still, nice to see new books. Hopefully we get the older IDW content reissued by Skybound in short order.
 

Stepwise

Not Crew.
Citizen
I'd love to have the older IDW content reissued - those TPBs got so expensive.
I'm still planning on going to a comic shop tomorrow morning to pick this up, though. It's fun to grab the first issue.
 

Daith

Bustin make feel Good!
Citizen
Read the first issue and well it’s very uninspiring. Our TF involvement is bare minimum at best here and I would say not to expect much more going forward until Transformers gets it’s own comic in September.

Overall right now this begins as Kirkman’s own version of Enemy Mine crossed with a bit of the Vandread anime’s rivalry.
 

Swerve

Life of the Party
Citizen
Read the first issue and well it’s very uninspiring. Our TF involvement is bare minimum at best here and I would say not to expect much more going forward until Transformers gets it’s own comic in September.

Overall right now this begins as Kirkman’s own version of Enemy Mine crossed with a bit of the Vandread anime’s rivalry.
I know you hid the spoiler, but that is what I was thinking from the description even before the Transformer reveal. I'm picking it up after work today.
 

Undead Scottsman

Well-known member
Citizen
Someone on the TFW boards noticed that Void Rivals is apparently owned by Hasbro and not Image?

That's interesting, at it alleviates a concern I had (That we'd wind up with a Circuit Breaker/Death's Head situation where a big side character can't be used again because they're owned by another company) but also snaps into contrast what's going on here, with Transformers, IDW and this new comic: Hasbro wanted a big huge name like Kirkman (Possibly the only name big enough to do so in comics) to craft them a new IP to exploit the shit out of, and they're using Transformers and GI Joe, along with Kirkman's name, to try and get as many eyeballs on it.

Rise of the Beasts spoilers
We already know they're going to combine Transformers with GI Joe in the films now, just like the comics. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Void Rivals.. SOMETHING in the next five years, be it a show or a movie. Unless the comic crashes and burns extra hard.
 

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
Posting this here instead of in The Basics thread since it's all about this new comic's launch:

 


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