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

SHIELD Agent 47 · Jun 11, 2023

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.

decepti-thots

So I work at a comic book store and look at the promotional poster that came in this morning! !!! YOOOOO thank you for sharing this! .....obviously i totally get if not, but are you sharing this to…

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

Previous threads on the successor to IDW :

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?

Doubtful. We haven't even gotten word of a new comic licensee yet, and something tells me that they'd want to build their own continuity to start with rather than go all-out on a multiversal crossover. I agree, we don't need a multiverse story at this point, maybe later on down the line...

www.allspark.com

IDW to Lose the Transformers License?

Ruckley's ongoing comic will end at issue #43 on May 25, the same day that the final War's End issue comes out. Both will be "extra-long" $6 issues, to be followed up on in June by a Transformer Special 2022. Oh wow, that's a bit sooner than expected. I thought they'd go until near the end of...

www.allspark.com

Spin-Out · Jun 11, 2023

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 · Jun 11, 2023

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

Spin-Out · Jun 11, 2023

someone at skybound likes the dead franchise more ig

Haywire · Jun 11, 2023

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 · Jun 11, 2023

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 · Jun 11, 2023

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 · Jun 11, 2023

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.

LBD "Nytetrayn" · Jun 12, 2023

Haywire said:
Also, kind of curious how the Joe side of the story will be told if it's split between Duke and Cobra Commander?

GodSentinelOmega · Jun 12, 2023

It’s certainky going to be interesting to see how this is actually going to start.

ZakuConvoy · Jun 12, 2023

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.

Daniel Warren Johnson's 1:100 Variant Cover For Void Rivals #1

Daniel Warren Johnson's 1:100 Variant Cover for Void Rivals #1 has been revealed in its full Transofrmers glory and has sold for $250 on eBay

bleedingcool.com

Yep, Jetfire sure is in this issue, alright.

Shadewing · Jun 12, 2023

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.

LiamA · Jun 12, 2023

I wish it wasn't a shared universe.

Blot · Jun 13, 2023

Swerve said:
I wonder if Hasbro has any mandate on character designs. That sure looks like siege Jetfire on the poster.

What identifies it as Siege? Looks like G1 Skyfire to me.

The Phazer · Jun 13, 2023

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 · Jun 13, 2023

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 · Jun 14, 2023

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 · Jun 14, 2023

Daith said:
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 · Jun 14, 2023

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 · Jun 14, 2023

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

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

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