Energon Universe - ongoing Transformers and G.I. Joe comics from Skybound
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Got my issue. I'm assuming we want to discuss it in here and not make a new thread for it?
It was....solid. It's very much a setup issue. It's not going to blow anyone away, but I'm not walking away too disappointed either. It's trying to set the mood, and it does feel like it was written for the trade as decompressed as it is....but we have to remember, the big "hook" of this issue got spoiled for us. I think this issue would hit a little different if it was a surprise.
But, I also think people would be incredibly confused if the news didn't leak. The Transformer involvement is almost a non-sequitur. People probably ARE confused, especially retailers who don't check Bleeding Cool. And it does come across as Enemy Mine...but not as bloated, so far.
I'm 100% in this for the Transformers tie-in. If this was just it's own thing, I don't think it'd hold my interest. But, as part of the new Transformers universe, I'm curious where they're going with it.
Spoilers below! There are a few tidbits we can discuss.
And the issue DOES give us the creative team for the upcoming books.
Transformers is going to be written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson. He's done "Murder Falcon" and "Do a Powerbomb"...*I* liked both those books. Check those two books out, they're a lot of fun. I get the feeling this run MIGHT be a little more like Tom Scioli's run on the book, given the tone of those two books. He tends to like to do over-the-top premises with a lot of heart and a darker edge, so I think he might make a GREAT fit for this book.
He's also worked on Beta Ray Bill (2021) and Jurassic League (a Justice League from a alternate universe who are dinosaurs). A bunch of one-shots and anthologies, too. Here's a list of his stuff:
Duke will be written by Joshua Williamson. He's actually a pretty high profile creator nowadays. He's done Flash, Dark Crisis, Birthright, Nailbiter, and Dark Ride. And currently, a well received run on Superman. He's good. Better on his creator owned books than licensed stuff, but this should still be interesting. His stuff is usually worth checking out. He does better with horror, so the Cobra Commander book MIGHT be more interesting than the Duke one.
comicvine.gamespot.com
And drawn by Tom Reilly (The Thing, Ant-Man, Wasp, Astro Hustle).
And Cobra Commander will ALSO be written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Andrea Milana("Dahlia in the Dark" and "In His Own Image", both of which I'm unfamiliar with)
leagueofcomicgeeks.com
I'm perfectly of happy with this. These are both writers I like. I even kind of pulled for Joshua Williamson...for Transformers, but GI Joe works too.
www.allspark.com
www.allspark.com
It was....solid. It's very much a setup issue. It's not going to blow anyone away, but I'm not walking away too disappointed either. It's trying to set the mood, and it does feel like it was written for the trade as decompressed as it is....but we have to remember, the big "hook" of this issue got spoiled for us. I think this issue would hit a little different if it was a surprise.
But, I also think people would be incredibly confused if the news didn't leak. The Transformer involvement is almost a non-sequitur. People probably ARE confused, especially retailers who don't check Bleeding Cool. And it does come across as Enemy Mine...but not as bloated, so far.
I'm 100% in this for the Transformers tie-in. If this was just it's own thing, I don't think it'd hold my interest. But, as part of the new Transformers universe, I'm curious where they're going with it.
Spoilers below! There are a few tidbits we can discuss.
This IS confirmed to be Jetfire, sorry Skyfire-lovers. Mind, the difference is mostly academic anyway, but still. But, he sure is out of here in a hurry. Kind of just shows up and disappears without a lot of fanfare. I'm not even sure if he's going to come back in future issues or not.
I wonder if the difference in this universe is going to be that the Transformers didn't all land on the same planet? Was JUST Jetfire separated from everyone else, or was EVERYONE separated? Maybe the Ark blew up and sent everyone flying in different directions (if the Ark is even a thing in this universe)?
So, I was VERY much wrong. These new characters are NOT Joes (unless they're from something VERY obscure). But, they do feel like they MIGHT be...something. They're bright yellow and have jewels on their heads....the Stone Protectors are BACK BABY!!!
Okay, seriously, though, them mentioning that they might change their bodies to mimic Jetfire's ability to transform to get off the asteroid/planet they're on got me to thinking. Could this be Kirkman's take on MASK or Centurions? I mean, they do HAVE...masks. Feels like a very toyetic idea, at the very least. But, Kirkman likes to make toys, too. *Gesture's over to Science Dog and Super Dinosaur*
And I like how enthusiastic Kirkman sounds in his letter in the back. He's having fun playing with all these toys. Also, he mentions the Quintessons and a cover for a future issue DOES feature tentacles, so...looking forward to them showing up soon!
I wonder if the difference in this universe is going to be that the Transformers didn't all land on the same planet? Was JUST Jetfire separated from everyone else, or was EVERYONE separated? Maybe the Ark blew up and sent everyone flying in different directions (if the Ark is even a thing in this universe)?
So, I was VERY much wrong. These new characters are NOT Joes (unless they're from something VERY obscure). But, they do feel like they MIGHT be...something. They're bright yellow and have jewels on their heads....the Stone Protectors are BACK BABY!!!
Okay, seriously, though, them mentioning that they might change their bodies to mimic Jetfire's ability to transform to get off the asteroid/planet they're on got me to thinking. Could this be Kirkman's take on MASK or Centurions? I mean, they do HAVE...masks. Feels like a very toyetic idea, at the very least. But, Kirkman likes to make toys, too. *Gesture's over to Science Dog and Super Dinosaur*
And I like how enthusiastic Kirkman sounds in his letter in the back. He's having fun playing with all these toys. Also, he mentions the Quintessons and a cover for a future issue DOES feature tentacles, so...looking forward to them showing up soon!
And the issue DOES give us the creative team for the upcoming books.
Transformers is going to be written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson. He's done "Murder Falcon" and "Do a Powerbomb"...*I* liked both those books. Check those two books out, they're a lot of fun. I get the feeling this run MIGHT be a little more like Tom Scioli's run on the book, given the tone of those two books. He tends to like to do over-the-top premises with a lot of heart and a darker edge, so I think he might make a GREAT fit for this book.
He's also worked on Beta Ray Bill (2021) and Jurassic League (a Justice League from a alternate universe who are dinosaurs). A bunch of one-shots and anthologies, too. Here's a list of his stuff:
Duke will be written by Joshua Williamson. He's actually a pretty high profile creator nowadays. He's done Flash, Dark Crisis, Birthright, Nailbiter, and Dark Ride. And currently, a well received run on Superman. He's good. Better on his creator owned books than licensed stuff, but this should still be interesting. His stuff is usually worth checking out. He does better with horror, so the Cobra Commander book MIGHT be more interesting than the Duke one.
Joshua Williamson Comics - Comic Vine
Joshua Williamson is the writer of creator-owned titles GHOSTED, NAILBITER, and BIRTHRIGHT at Image Comics. He is also the writer for THE FLASH at DC Comics.
comicvine.gamespot.com
Andrea Milana - Comic Book Creator
Browse Andrea Milana's comic books, characters and more. Read their bio, check out their credits, and discuss their work.
I'm perfectly of happy with this. These are both writers I like. I even kind of pulled for Joshua Williamson...for Transformers, but GI Joe works too.
IDW to Lose the Transformers License?
Any other oddities like these that would be worth looking into now before they could potentially be lost? Well, let's see here: There WAS apparently a version of the Wreckers text-story Bullets with illustrations on the side. But...it was only available in Sweden in incredibly limited...
www.allspark.com
Does anyone have any idea of when it is most likely we will find out who the new Transformers comic publisher and why it has not happened yet?
Welcome to Hell, or what everybody had been asking for - some of Soundwave's threads all merged together. Soundwave - stop making so many damn threads. This isn't Reddit. Use the ones you've created and actually respond instead of asking us weird questions. If this is all some sort of prank...
www.allspark.com
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I'm thinking the Void Rivals characters are something new. Even Kirkman hints at toy possibilities for them.
and I don't think we are done with Jetfire either based on the prono poster circulating. I think he will be more involved than just flying off after being reactivated after millions of years.
There's a interview with Kirkman about the project:
www.gamesradar.com
And a different one:
www.cbr.com
The second interview is a little more interesting:
Apparently, they're going to try to limit the Energon Universe to four concurrent titles at a time. (Void Rivals, Transformers, Duke and Cobra Commander for now) Duke and Cobra Commander are confirmed to be mini-series. So, once they dovetail into a single GI Joe book...that leaves a open spot for something else...hmm...probably another mini-series for something, but we'll see.
Also, Larry Hama IS returning for his own GI Joe book. I'm not sure if that counts towards the four or not.
www.cbr.com
Robert Kirkman explains THAT jaw-dropping Void Rivals twist and how he established a new shared universe
The Walking Dead and Invincible creator on the beginnings of the Energon Universe
And a different one:
Robert Kirkman Brings the Transformers and G.I. Joe Together in New Energon Universe
Robert Kirkman sits down with CBR to discuss Void Rivals #1 and launching the Energon Universe with the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises.
www.cbr.com
The second interview is a little more interesting:
Apparently, they're going to try to limit the Energon Universe to four concurrent titles at a time. (Void Rivals, Transformers, Duke and Cobra Commander for now) Duke and Cobra Commander are confirmed to be mini-series. So, once they dovetail into a single GI Joe book...that leaves a open spot for something else...hmm...probably another mini-series for something, but we'll see.
Also, Larry Hama IS returning for his own GI Joe book. I'm not sure if that counts towards the four or not.
Larry Hama Continues His Iconic G.I. Joe Run at Skybound
Skybound announces that Larry Hama will continue his iconic run on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero at Image, with covers by Andy Kubert
www.cbr.com
Finally got to read the VR1 copy my brother snagged for me.
It was good. The Transformer part is a hair more abrupt than I would have liked. I would have enjoyed the two protagonists getting a little more time to wonder/explore the mystery of their discovery before it exits stage left, but it was decent.
The Enemy Mine set up is pretty standard sci-if but it was done well enough. I am fine with keeping reading since it's set within the TF universe and see where it goes even if the Transformers themselves are tangential, I'm interested enough in the building out of the Universe enough to hang around for now see where it goes.
-ZacWilliam, I wonder if all TFs have been offline along with Jetfire (crashed on Earth?) or if he's going to return to a world Millions of years different than he left. That could be a fun hook.
It was good. The Transformer part is a hair more abrupt than I would have liked. I would have enjoyed the two protagonists getting a little more time to wonder/explore the mystery of their discovery before it exits stage left, but it was decent.
The Enemy Mine set up is pretty standard sci-if but it was done well enough. I am fine with keeping reading since it's set within the TF universe and see where it goes even if the Transformers themselves are tangential, I'm interested enough in the building out of the Universe enough to hang around for now see where it goes.
-ZacWilliam, I wonder if all TFs have been offline along with Jetfire (crashed on Earth?) or if he's going to return to a world Millions of years different than he left. That could be a fun hook.
I'm definitely a bit surprised the "secretly relaunch TF in Void Rivals" thing turned out to be true, but makes for a cute gimmick, even if it did cost me $4. The comic (Void Rivals #1) itself is okay, a bit decompressed for my liking. It does need some space to allow the artwork to really breathe and set the scene, but it still felt rather short (somewhat par for the course with comics these days though). Agree with Zaku and Zac above that the Transformers tie-in does feel like an abrupt non-sequitur, so if you're only in it for the TF you can save your $4 and safely skip it.
Still, looking forward to the new era of TF comics. Guy at my LCS I spoke to about it isn't really a TF fan but was intrigued by the writer, as his Beta Ray Bill story was apparently very good. I admit my initial reaction to "shared universe" is wariness, but I'm actually fine with a sci-fi tie-in - I always wanted more Nebulos action, for example. Linking with GIJOE feels more limiting, so I'm a bit less excited about that, but we'll see how it goes.
The shipwrecked main characters discover a derelict Jetfire in vehicle mode, they power him up and he transforms, realizes he's been crashed for millions of years, then pulls a Poochie and leaves them.
Still, looking forward to the new era of TF comics. Guy at my LCS I spoke to about it isn't really a TF fan but was intrigued by the writer, as his Beta Ray Bill story was apparently very good. I admit my initial reaction to "shared universe" is wariness, but I'm actually fine with a sci-fi tie-in - I always wanted more Nebulos action, for example. Linking with GIJOE feels more limiting, so I'm a bit less excited about that, but we'll see how it goes.
Oh good, so I wasn't the only one thinking the spoiled link part.
Void Rivals was nice but it definitely felt like a Saga spin off book that just happened to have a Transformer in it for a few pages.
What kind of toyline would Void Rivals be? Is there a mcguffin in the comic somewhere? Does the aliens' armor change color?
So far it's two rival factions of space dudes with armor and ships and one side wears a Sentient glove.
Could you fasion a toyline out of that? Yes, but at this point it'd be mostly adding stuff and making new stuff up.
There isn't enough in the first issue alone to make it a fun and unique thing kids would be into with some sort of play pattern gimmick. But thats fine because so far it isn't trying to be that.
Closest to a toy gimmick in issue one is how both their ships smashed so they try to combine them into one working ship and when THAT goes south they decided to use their armor suits to make a ship. That could be extrapolated into a modular construction gimmick. Like micronauts. Ships and armor that come apart and mix and match parts.
-ZacWilliam, that's actually a pretty cool gimmick but who knows if it's something we see going forward in the series after #1
Could you fasion a toyline out of that? Yes, but at this point it'd be mostly adding stuff and making new stuff up.
There isn't enough in the first issue alone to make it a fun and unique thing kids would be into with some sort of play pattern gimmick. But thats fine because so far it isn't trying to be that.
Closest to a toy gimmick in issue one is how both their ships smashed so they try to combine them into one working ship and when THAT goes south they decided to use their armor suits to make a ship. That could be extrapolated into a modular construction gimmick. Like micronauts. Ships and armor that come apart and mix and match parts.
-ZacWilliam, that's actually a pretty cool gimmick but who knows if it's something we see going forward in the series after #1
I'm guessing they'd just be GI Joe style figures under a different label.
But given the current state of the toy industry, I can see Hasbro eyeing "Robert Kirkman's Void Rivals" as their next big media franchise and then any toys will come later depending on what demographics are interested.
But given the current state of the toy industry, I can see Hasbro eyeing "Robert Kirkman's Void Rivals" as their next big media franchise and then any toys will come later depending on what demographics are interested.
Ship or vehicles mixing and matching was what Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors was suppose to be about but the tv show didn't lean into it (except for in the intro).
If the ships had AI, it would have turned into Starriors (no tv show, right?) or Robotix (did that even have a toyline?).
If it's the armor mixing and matching... Centurions!!! Woo! Or even Mantech, haha.
If it'll be high end figures, boo! They'll just be for display purposes or for photography. Um, but I guess Joes Declassified and Masterverse already count as that? Sort of? Since they're not made for kids.
Pleeeeease don't let the gimmick be something like scanning with a smart phone related!
If the ships had AI, it would have turned into Starriors (no tv show, right?) or Robotix (did that even have a toyline?).
If it's the armor mixing and matching... Centurions!!! Woo! Or even Mantech, haha.
If it'll be high end figures, boo! They'll just be for display purposes or for photography. Um, but I guess Joes Declassified and Masterverse already count as that? Sort of? Since they're not made for kids.
Pleeeeease don't let the gimmick be something like scanning with a smart phone related!
Casts are being revealed,
Autobots got Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Arcee, Ratchet and Cliffjumper(and that reaction to finding out it's Cliffjumper is I feel is probably 95% the reason it's Cliffjumper.. the other 5% is so they can pull a Transformers: Prime and kill Cliffjumper so they can go "See, we have stakes!" and then bring in Bumblebee to replace him)
Decepticons only have Starscream revealed for now, but Soundwave and Rumble are obvious, (Cue Soundblaster and Enemy jokes), I doubt they'd go with Buzzsaw over Laserbeak, and that last seeker could be anybody, but I suspect it's Skywarp since he has the cool ability. Unless they want to throw a swerve ball and make it like Sunstorm or something. It'd be cool if it was Slipstream.
Autobots got Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Arcee, Ratchet and Cliffjumper(and that reaction to finding out it's Cliffjumper is I feel is probably 95% the reason it's Cliffjumper.. the other 5% is so they can pull a Transformers: Prime and kill Cliffjumper so they can go "See, we have stakes!" and then bring in Bumblebee to replace him)
Decepticons only have Starscream revealed for now, but Soundwave and Rumble are obvious, (Cue Soundblaster and Enemy jokes), I doubt they'd go with Buzzsaw over Laserbeak, and that last seeker could be anybody, but I suspect it's Skywarp since he has the cool ability. Unless they want to throw a swerve ball and make it like Sunstorm or something. It'd be cool if it was Slipstream.
It's not the current toyline, nor is it Evergreen. This might mean Hasbro is being fairly hands off with this comic.
It's probably Thundercracker, since Skywarp is female in Earthspark. I rather hope it's Sunstorm or Acidstorm (male or female).
I get the impression that Earthspark has zero connection or influence here at all. This guy is going for G1 looks and nostalgia at least visually to start the book off.
-ZacWilliam, that second seeker could be literally anyone but yeah Skywarp seems most likely.
-ZacWilliam, that second seeker could be literally anyone but yeah Skywarp seems most likely.