Energon Universe - ongoing Transformers and G.I. Joe comics from Skybound
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Scarlett #2 is out!
This...got more violent than I expected, honestly. Like, a little off-puttingly violent, really. I should have expected it, but somehow it still found a way to surprise me a little.
Otherwise, yeah, this still doesn't seem to have much to do with the Transformers side of things. So, for now, it's probably not necessary reading. But, it is pretty good at what it does. Even if what it does might not be for everyone.
Also, Transformers #10 is out!
This is kind of a big one. Things...happen by the end of this issue. I can't say much more without spoiling things.
And I feel like the animal lovers in the audience will be pretty split on this issue. There's some very sweet scenes involving animals. And...some not so nice scenes. You've been warned. You can't say you haven't been now.
I think people will find it exciting, at the very least.
This...got more violent than I expected, honestly. Like, a little off-puttingly violent, really. I should have expected it, but somehow it still found a way to surprise me a little.
Otherwise, yeah, this still doesn't seem to have much to do with the Transformers side of things. So, for now, it's probably not necessary reading. But, it is pretty good at what it does. Even if what it does might not be for everyone.
That bit with Scarlett taking a hidden straight razor out of her own stomach to free herself was what got to me. GEESH!
Although, I will admit, they did do a pretty neat effect with the blood splatter. At first, I thought my comic had a printing problem and had some sort of ink stain on one of the pages. But, nope! That was supposed to be blood on the glass some guards are watching Scarlett through, in order to also "censor" the violence. Using blood splatter...in order to cover up stuff that's even more gruesome like snapped necks. Clever.
I'm calling it now, that "ex" of Scarlett's that she mentioned in her flashback is Snake Eyes. It's almost got to be, right?
I'm not sure how much that Yakuza-speak is actually accurate. I didn't know that thing about "sakuras". Then again, I don't read or watch much Yakuza-focused stuff.
Scarlett is just laser-focused on getting Jinx back.
Although, I will admit, they did do a pretty neat effect with the blood splatter. At first, I thought my comic had a printing problem and had some sort of ink stain on one of the pages. But, nope! That was supposed to be blood on the glass some guards are watching Scarlett through, in order to also "censor" the violence. Using blood splatter...in order to cover up stuff that's even more gruesome like snapped necks. Clever.
I'm calling it now, that "ex" of Scarlett's that she mentioned in her flashback is Snake Eyes. It's almost got to be, right?
I'm not sure how much that Yakuza-speak is actually accurate. I didn't know that thing about "sakuras". Then again, I don't read or watch much Yakuza-focused stuff.
Scarlett is just laser-focused on getting Jinx back.
Also, Transformers #10 is out!
This is kind of a big one. Things...happen by the end of this issue. I can't say much more without spoiling things.
And I feel like the animal lovers in the audience will be pretty split on this issue. There's some very sweet scenes involving animals. And...some not so nice scenes. You've been warned. You can't say you haven't been now.
I think people will find it exciting, at the very least.
Okay, Beachcomber's silent journey throughout this issue was actually pretty well done. I find it a little unlikely that the Apollo astronauts didn't notice a additional 10 tons of weight on their way back to Earth but...oh well, I guess. It was kind of nice seeing how much he grows to love all the creatures of this planet. Watch little squirrels eat nuts off his shoulders is pretty cute. As is him cuddling with octopi. Enjoy this. It doesn't last.
I honestly don't even blame Beachcomber for not waking up his allies. He's kind of right. Waking them up just restarted the war. At least he had about 60 good years of peace. Mind, he probably could have dragged the Decepticons out of the Ark so that when they did wake up, they wouldn't get repaired, too. But...hindsight's 20/20. Kind of a interesting twist of Beachcomber being the one to still be awake instead of the Dinobots.
Why does no one respect Ravage? Poor little guy. He's had a rough time of it this arc. Even Shockwave doesn't see any value in repairing him.
But do you know what Shockwave DOES see value in? Whales. Such majestic creatures. Honestly, I was kind of wondering if this was foreshadowing some sort of "Tidal Wave" moment or something.
But...not exactly. Shockwave has a machine that can grind up whales for Energon. Somehow. Okay. That's...par for the course of this universe, really. GEEZ! That precious ambergris within those whales must have untold cosmic power!
Oh, and we FINALLY confirm that the mystery POW is indeed Ultra Magnus. Obvious, really, but I was halfway expecting a swerve. No not Swerve, he's probably already dead the way this universe is going.
Onslaught listening into Soundwave's talk with Thundercracker will probably lead to some backstabbings later on. One way or another. I could see Onslaught either ratting out Soundwave to Shockwave OR deciding to join Soundwave since he's probably the more reasonable of the two. Both options seem equally possible, really.
But, enough of all that...Shockwave uses the power of the whale guts to summon Cybertron into Earth's orbit. Yup, we're going full on Ultimate Doom already! I guess this is probably going to be the end of "Season 1" of this comic in more ways than one.
So, remember kids! If you want untold cosmic power, just kill a few whales! The more you know!
And it's all done with some pretty nice artwork, if I may say so! Shockwave with Cybertron behind him is actually a really dynamic panel.
I honestly don't even blame Beachcomber for not waking up his allies. He's kind of right. Waking them up just restarted the war. At least he had about 60 good years of peace. Mind, he probably could have dragged the Decepticons out of the Ark so that when they did wake up, they wouldn't get repaired, too. But...hindsight's 20/20. Kind of a interesting twist of Beachcomber being the one to still be awake instead of the Dinobots.
Why does no one respect Ravage? Poor little guy. He's had a rough time of it this arc. Even Shockwave doesn't see any value in repairing him.
But do you know what Shockwave DOES see value in? Whales. Such majestic creatures. Honestly, I was kind of wondering if this was foreshadowing some sort of "Tidal Wave" moment or something.
But...not exactly. Shockwave has a machine that can grind up whales for Energon. Somehow. Okay. That's...par for the course of this universe, really. GEEZ! That precious ambergris within those whales must have untold cosmic power!
Oh, and we FINALLY confirm that the mystery POW is indeed Ultra Magnus. Obvious, really, but I was halfway expecting a swerve. No not Swerve, he's probably already dead the way this universe is going.
Onslaught listening into Soundwave's talk with Thundercracker will probably lead to some backstabbings later on. One way or another. I could see Onslaught either ratting out Soundwave to Shockwave OR deciding to join Soundwave since he's probably the more reasonable of the two. Both options seem equally possible, really.
But, enough of all that...Shockwave uses the power of the whale guts to summon Cybertron into Earth's orbit. Yup, we're going full on Ultimate Doom already! I guess this is probably going to be the end of "Season 1" of this comic in more ways than one.
So, remember kids! If you want untold cosmic power, just kill a few whales! The more you know!
And it's all done with some pretty nice artwork, if I may say so! Shockwave with Cybertron behind him is actually a really dynamic panel.
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Oh... so, this is just going to be a thing in this series, huh?
Yeah, I think I'm going to steer clear.
Pity, I was interested, once they trades started coming out.
Ouch....
I am really loving Beachcomber though and since they killed off Bumblebee, (and Swerve and Skids have zero chance of showing up) I'm going with Beachcomber as my favorite character in this series so far.
So I've mentioned this before they retconned their retcon. It wasn't millions of years in the first issue...which I liked because I always thought the millions of years plot hole caused trouble with back on Cybertron stories. It seems they've gone back to it with Beachcombers story. When Spike points out Beachcomber was alone the whole time Beachcomber points out the animals, but he was still alone on the moon for millions of years...and for a series obsessed with Energon...how did he keep running...oh well .still enjoyed the issue...still mad Bumblebee is dead. Which is a shame because I feel they are writing Cliffjumper more as Bumblebee than Cliffjumper.
Yeah, I'm kind of afraid it is.
It's serving a purpose. It's showing us the difference between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Autobots value organic life. And the Decepticons...don't, usually. But, this does get excessive, sometimes. I'm just glad Spike doesn't have a pet dog in this comic, because I'd be terrified for the little guy the entire time I'm reading this comic.
To be fair, it's SO over the top in this issue that I have a hard time being too upset about it. It's just too 90s for me to take it too seriously. I don't think it's trying to be malicious, it's just trying to be "X-TREME!".
I'm guessing Beachcomber just stayed very, VERY still while he was stuck alone on the Moon. Maybe it's possible to survive with a "full tank" as long as you aren't doing much to use it up? I'll admit, it's a bit odd, though.
And I'm guessing part of the reason why they're using Cliffjumper instead of Bumblebee is because Hasbro might not be too keen on letting their "kid friendly character" get the kind of business he's getting right now in the comic. Fewer restrictions, maybe. I know that never seemed to stop IDW too much, but maybe.
Consuming animals for energy?? In a comic book?!? The horror
He doesn't seem to move at all through the flurry of "time passes" panel changes, so this seems plausible.
I mean, DWJ literally says in the letters page that he always hated BB and preferred Cliffjumper, so he chose to immediately kill off BB and put the focus on Cliff instead.
I don't know. I feel like being fueled by literal buckets of blood is maybe going a *little* farther than normal?
Well, both could be true. Hasbro might be more protective of Bumblebee AND DWJ could just like Cliffjumper better, anyway. He can have his cake and eat it too, that way.
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I thought it served that purpose already? Or am I remembering wrong?
Sometimes I think being X-TREME is an act of malice in itself.
Okay, that's disappointing. No secret here that Cliffjumper is a favorite of mine, and I was excited to see him as part of the starting lineup for the book. But if that's going to be the case, then I want him to be Cliffjumper, not someone else!
I'm really hoping the "millions of years" thing is an error and not a retcon, as the "hundreds of years" made a lot more sense (as well as making more sense for Beachcomber's situation). Also, I know this is a comic about giant alien robots, but it's basically impossible that Beachcomber would've been able to hitch a ride on the Eagle back to Earth.
Those bits aside, things are definitely moving now, going in the direction of The Ultimate Doom. Having both Beachcomber and Shockwave remark on the beauty of Earth - with very different ends in mind - worked very well IMO.
Seems we're also going to end up with another schism between the Decepticons, between the Earth crew and Cybertronian crew. Clearly no one clued Shockwave into what Starscream's undoing was.
Those bits aside, things are definitely moving now, going in the direction of The Ultimate Doom. Having both Beachcomber and Shockwave remark on the beauty of Earth - with very different ends in mind - worked very well IMO.
Seems we're also going to end up with another schism between the Decepticons, between the Earth crew and Cybertronian crew. Clearly no one clued Shockwave into what Starscream's undoing was.
Destro #2 is out!
And it's a solid enough issue. There do be explosions. Plenty of stuff gets blown up real good. If explosions are your cup of tea, this issue won't disappoint.
There is one slight wrinkle to this story. But, it's a twist you might have already seen coming. And we don't get any reveals about it just yet. But, something interesting might be on the horizon.
No Transformers references this issue. But, that's fine. It was a exciting comic, regardless.
And it's a solid enough issue. There do be explosions. Plenty of stuff gets blown up real good. If explosions are your cup of tea, this issue won't disappoint.
There is one slight wrinkle to this story. But, it's a twist you might have already seen coming. And we don't get any reveals about it just yet. But, something interesting might be on the horizon.
No Transformers references this issue. But, that's fine. It was a exciting comic, regardless.
Okay, here's the thing. It seems to me like someone is playing Destro against Tomax and Xamot. I think there's supposed to be a third party manipulating both of them into attacking each other. And Astoria is nowhere to be seen this issue. Hmm...
The "zombie" BATS scene was a pretty fun moment. That was the highlight of the action for me this issue.
The "Scrapheap of Empires" is also a pretty unique location. But, I have a hard time believing that the different governments around the world wouldn't be rummaging through each other's trash to find out any secrets they could find.
The "zombie" BATS scene was a pretty fun moment. That was the highlight of the action for me this issue.
The "Scrapheap of Empires" is also a pretty unique location. But, I have a hard time believing that the different governments around the world wouldn't be rummaging through each other's trash to find out any secrets they could find.
Void Rivals #11 is out!
And I feel like this is another pretty solid issue. Things are finally happening! The foot is finally on the gas petal! We seem to be going SOMEWHERE with all of this.
And there's actually quite a bit of Transformers involvement, too. Pieces are getting put in place.
I think we're probably going to get another "break" after issue 12. So, who knows if they'll be able to keep the momentum up or not. But, I think the next arc things are finally going to get serious.
I'm actually kind of recommending this second arc. It's picked up the pace quite a bit overall.
And I feel like this is another pretty solid issue. Things are finally happening! The foot is finally on the gas petal! We seem to be going SOMEWHERE with all of this.
And there's actually quite a bit of Transformers involvement, too. Pieces are getting put in place.
I think we're probably going to get another "break" after issue 12. So, who knows if they'll be able to keep the momentum up or not. But, I think the next arc things are finally going to get serious.
I'm actually kind of recommending this second arc. It's picked up the pace quite a bit overall.
Almost a third of this issue is one big ol' fight scene. Which doesn't make it that interesting to talk about, but it is pretty fun to look at. Also, nice use of a power loader.
Darak is a comically terrible shot. It's not a great gag, but I appreciate at least trying to give them a little more character.
And Darak deciding to give EVERYONE the information about how to use Energon to feed the hungry is actually a pretty nice move. I appreciate it.
But, enough of THOSE GUYS. What about the REAL STAR of this comic? Where's Skuxxoid? 1000 years Skuxxoid! Skuxxoid all the way across the sky!
And look who he's talking to but Bosch! We all remember Bosch right? Good ol' Bosch. And they even mention Gyconi. I swear they are using EVERY character from "The Gambler" except Devcon. They must be doing it on purpose, right? This is all a VERY long way to tease Devcon coming, right? I can't think of any other reason for them to do this.
Also, the monitor-faced guy from the FCBD special is spying on Skuxxoid in order to recruit him. So, Skuxxoid ain't leaving anytime soon! In fact, if he ever finds his family, there's probably going to be even MORE Skuxxoids. By the time this universe ends, about 1 in 3 characters will be Skuxxoid.
Meanwhile, the Quintessons and Rodimus are both looking for the Sacred Ring. So, I feel like we're heading towards some sort of interstellar war over this planet in the near future. Maybe that'll be the first big crossover event of this universe?
And Proximus...LIVES! Neat. I...um...I don't really care about Proximus, I guess, but it's nice to have another villain around. He just wasn't THAT impressive when we finally got to see him in action the first time around. Mind, he was outnumbered AND outsized, but still. Maybe he'll come back as a centaur or something.
But, oh no, Solila's decided she's splitting up from the rest of the group! Don't. You'll just spend a couple of issues moping around and brooding and then you'll come right back anyway. C'mon, don't waste our time like that. Just tell us what the key is already so that we can keep this plot moving. It's probably just this planet's version of the Key to Vector Sigma, anyway.
Darak is a comically terrible shot. It's not a great gag, but I appreciate at least trying to give them a little more character.
And Darak deciding to give EVERYONE the information about how to use Energon to feed the hungry is actually a pretty nice move. I appreciate it.
But, enough of THOSE GUYS. What about the REAL STAR of this comic? Where's Skuxxoid? 1000 years Skuxxoid! Skuxxoid all the way across the sky!
And look who he's talking to but Bosch! We all remember Bosch right? Good ol' Bosch. And they even mention Gyconi. I swear they are using EVERY character from "The Gambler" except Devcon. They must be doing it on purpose, right? This is all a VERY long way to tease Devcon coming, right? I can't think of any other reason for them to do this.
Also, the monitor-faced guy from the FCBD special is spying on Skuxxoid in order to recruit him. So, Skuxxoid ain't leaving anytime soon! In fact, if he ever finds his family, there's probably going to be even MORE Skuxxoids. By the time this universe ends, about 1 in 3 characters will be Skuxxoid.
Meanwhile, the Quintessons and Rodimus are both looking for the Sacred Ring. So, I feel like we're heading towards some sort of interstellar war over this planet in the near future. Maybe that'll be the first big crossover event of this universe?
And Proximus...LIVES! Neat. I...um...I don't really care about Proximus, I guess, but it's nice to have another villain around. He just wasn't THAT impressive when we finally got to see him in action the first time around. Mind, he was outnumbered AND outsized, but still. Maybe he'll come back as a centaur or something.
But, oh no, Solila's decided she's splitting up from the rest of the group! Don't. You'll just spend a couple of issues moping around and brooding and then you'll come right back anyway. C'mon, don't waste our time like that. Just tell us what the key is already so that we can keep this plot moving. It's probably just this planet's version of the Key to Vector Sigma, anyway.
To me, it serves the same purpose, but here the importance is scale.
We've seen small scale how Decepticons don't value organic life. That is shocking, but serves to show the difference between Autobots and Decepticons; NOW we are seeing how Shockwave values things. And his grand scale of harvesting is indeed extreme; but it serves a purpose still, becuase we start to see that even among the Decepticons that mostly don't value organic life; how Shockwave's methods and idealogy is pretty monsterous even to those around him. Its the scale that is important to show the difference between Decepticons, that even they might have their limits of what is acceptable. That feels like what this issue is mostly setting up, that guys like Soundwave and Thundercracker really don't like what's going on, but feel they have to humor Shockwave, becuase he's the bigger fish... but might lead to Shockwave's downfall.
October Solicitations are out!
www.previewsworld.com
www.previewsworld.com
www.previewsworld.com
www.previewsworld.com
And some discussion.
TRANSFORMERS #13 CVR A JOHNSON & SPICER (AUG240603)
New Story Arc. The Secret Origin of Starscream! After the stunning events of his battle with the Decepticons, Starscream has been left for dead. Now the secret to surviving the future may be revisiting his shocking past...
www.previewsworld.com
VOID RIVALS #13 CVR A DE FELICI (AUG240620)
New Story Arc. Pythona of Cobra-La ventures deep into space. Will her mission spell certain doom for the Void Rivals?
www.previewsworld.com
DESTRO #5 (OF 5) CVR A BRESSAN & LUCAS (AUG240510)
Mini-Series Finale. Destro. Cobra Commander. The Crimson Twins. The most dangerous powers in the Energon Universe are at war... but only one can win. The road to G.I. Joe #1 ends here!
www.previewsworld.com
SCARLETT #5 (OF 5) CVR A FERRARI & LOUGHRIDGE (AUG240578)
Mini-Series Finale. Everything that Scarlett, Storm Shadow, and Jinx have been planning comes to a head. And the future of the Energon Universe will change forever. The road to G.I. Joe #1 ends here!
www.previewsworld.com
And some discussion.
Transformers #13 has a special SPOILER alternate cover. So, I'm guessing something big's going to happen in that one. Maybe Megatron finally joins up with the main cast and blows Starscream away for his treachery? That's my guess, anyway.
Meanwhile, the Cobra-La crew make it to the Sacred Ring over in Void Rivals. That's gonna make things interesting. Things are really heating up in Void Rivals, lately. Good on them!
Snake Eyes never made a appearance on any of the Scarlett covers. So, I guess he isn't showing up until later? Maybe they're saving him for something?
And both of the GI Joe miniseries are ending. So, we can probably expect a mainline GI Joe book to be solicited for November. We're probably done with the miniseries for now. Unless they decide to have the ongoing and one miniseries go alongside each other at the same time from now on.
I think we're getting closer to some sort of crossover event, but I guess it's hard to say. Things do feel like they're slotting into place for one soon-ish.
Meanwhile, the Cobra-La crew make it to the Sacred Ring over in Void Rivals. That's gonna make things interesting. Things are really heating up in Void Rivals, lately. Good on them!
Snake Eyes never made a appearance on any of the Scarlett covers. So, I guess he isn't showing up until later? Maybe they're saving him for something?
And both of the GI Joe miniseries are ending. So, we can probably expect a mainline GI Joe book to be solicited for November. We're probably done with the miniseries for now. Unless they decide to have the ongoing and one miniseries go alongside each other at the same time from now on.
I think we're getting closer to some sort of crossover event, but I guess it's hard to say. Things do feel like they're slotting into place for one soon-ish.
Scarlett #3 is out!
Not a lot to talk about in this one. It's basically one giant fight scene. It's good action, but it's basically just Scarlett mowing down a bunch of Yakuza thugs. So, there isn't a lot of substance to really talk about.
I'm enjoying my time with it, though. If you like your comics to be full of action, then you'll enjoy this issue.
Not a lot to talk about in this one. It's basically one giant fight scene. It's good action, but it's basically just Scarlett mowing down a bunch of Yakuza thugs. So, there isn't a lot of substance to really talk about.
I'm enjoying my time with it, though. If you like your comics to be full of action, then you'll enjoy this issue.
Scarlett avoid having to punch a shark. Probably for the best. Those sharks are probably still grieving over the loss of their whale friends. Best not add injury to insult.
That double page spread where Scarlett takes out 3 guys at once is good. But, I feel like they wanted it to be a 4-page fold-out in the middle of the book. I guess the "cinematic widescreen" look works just as well. But, it just feels like a lot of wasted space, just having black bars over things.
Oh, and shock of shocks, Cobra is behind everything! The only question is WHO is going to step out of the helicopter.
I was kind of hoping we would find out what the secret weapon was this issue. But, I guess they're saving it for a later reveal.
That double page spread where Scarlett takes out 3 guys at once is good. But, I feel like they wanted it to be a 4-page fold-out in the middle of the book. I guess the "cinematic widescreen" look works just as well. But, it just feels like a lot of wasted space, just having black bars over things.
Oh, and shock of shocks, Cobra is behind everything! The only question is WHO is going to step out of the helicopter.
I was kind of hoping we would find out what the secret weapon was this issue. But, I guess they're saving it for a later reveal.
The Centre will be terribly disappointed in her, though.
Looks like Skybound is starting to expanding into the world of graphic novels for younger readers. Meet...The Worst Bot Ever!
It's a...interesting move, given how violent the main Transformers comics have been. I mean, if they release this and kids like it, they'll probably want to check out the other books Image is putting out and....that could cause problems with parents.
I don't blame them for wanting some of that sweet Dog Man money, though. If you get a hit in those book fair circles, you probably outsell most of the direct comic market on your own.
Now Transformers Gets Middle-Grade Graphic Novels, Worst Bot Ever
Now Transformers Gets Middle-Grade Graphic Novels, Worst Bot Ever launching in July 2025, by Brian "Smitty" Smith and Marz Jr.
bleedingcool.com
It's a...interesting move, given how violent the main Transformers comics have been. I mean, if they release this and kids like it, they'll probably want to check out the other books Image is putting out and....that could cause problems with parents.
I don't blame them for wanting some of that sweet Dog Man money, though. If you get a hit in those book fair circles, you probably outsell most of the direct comic market on your own.
That what, now?