Skybound’s new Energon Universe has been taking the comic industry by storm, but where are we since it began this June of 2023? Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals brought a new roster of characters into the established Transformers and GI Joe universe and has been a roaring success. With Void Rival’s first arc finished though and Transformers halfway through its first arc, where are we thus far?
Void Rival’s introduced us to two new factions in the universe: Aggorians and Zertonians fighting for resources to survive on their home the Sacred Ring. It follows the tentative rivals themselves Darak and Solila having survived shooting each other down onto a deserted planetoid and being forced to work together to survive, while trying to find a way to unify their warring peoples. With six issues already out, Robert has kept revealing glimpses of other species from the Transformers’ history through its pages; showing us small windows into the rest of this wonderful universe. Currently with the first arc over we won’t be seeing more of Darak and Solila until March of 2024. If you’re just now wanting to jump in though fear not, reprints have been around every corner for every issue thus far and the trade paperback is releasing this coming February.
Transformers has been the real star of the show for the Energon Universe, though I’m sure we can account that to its already established fanbase. With only three issues out Daniel Warren Johnson’s take on these funky space robots has brought a new taste of heartache, action, and mystery to the Transformers series. Getting reacquainted with the Witwicky family and friends has already shown us a range of human characters giving us a nice variety of how humanity is dealing with Earth being the new warfront of the Cybertronian civil war. With the cost of war and the toll it takes on those unfortunate enough to be caught up in it being at the forefront, we’re seeing our Autobot allies and the people of Farmingham already deal with many losses. Daniel has continued to keep the ball rolling between issue to issue though, keeping us on the edge of our seats when reading.
So far, we’ve seen Optimus, Ratchet, Cliffjumper, and Jetfire when it comes to Autobots; and Starscream, Skywarp, Soundwave, Ravage, and Laserbeak when it comes to Decepticons in the series with an extra Decepticon having appeared in issue #4 of Void Rivals. With so many other characters having been seen in the backgrounds and the mystery of #WhereIsMegatron the possibilities of who could join the rosters feels endless. Also seen in Transformers issue #2 Duke makes an appearance for the first time facing Starscream as he goes to wreak havoc in the name of reactivating his army.
Duke’s series hasn’t come out as of writing this, but issue #1 will have been released Wednesday, December 27th. What we have seen in previews though is a man who’s got a track record of being a fantastic soldier, but on a downward spiral being asked back by his commanding officer. Cobra Commander’s preview has shown a man of mystery who already will do as he pleases to get his way. How it connects to Duke and Transformers has yet to be revealed. Where Joshua Williamson will take Duke and Cobra Commander is still not fully known, but the anticipation can easily be felt with readers and GI Joe enthusiasts alike. Cobra Commander issue #1 will be released January 17th, 2024.
The biggest questions people continue to have on their minds is when will the Void Rivals story connect with Transformers again and where is the iconic original Decepticon leader Megatron? While we aren’t sure yet, time will tell when the cast of characters we’ve met in the sidelines of Void Rivals will rear their faces again to battle, test, or judge our protagonists between all four series. Either way mark your calendars for the future releases of the Energon Universe for some fantastic action delivered to us by Skybound.
