TheEnergon Universehas been going strong for well over a year now, and Skybound’s shared universe betweenTransformersandG.I. Joeis showing no signs of slowing down. The publisher just released a new trailer teasing upcoming storylines forVoid Rivals,Transformersand the newG.I. Joeongoing series, and I, for one, could not be more excited.
Releasing the trailer onInstagram, Skybound has crafted a compelling look at all three ongoing titles in the Energon Universe.
To be fair, it doesn’t look like the trailer is offering any new art from any upcoming storylines. But it’s hard to watch that and not be excited. The Energon Universe has a number of story threads, so I think this is theperfect time to catch everyone up on what’s been going on inVoid Rivals,Transformersand theG.I. Joecomics.
The Energon Universe Built a Saga Around Surprise Connections BetweenTransformersandG.I. Joe
Jetfire’s Appearance inVoid RivalsWill Go Down as aTransformersHighlight
I write a lot about the Energon Universe, but honestly, the reason I’m compelled to write so much about Skybound’s new imprint is because the books are simply that good. Each new issue creates buzz and excitement across the whole line, andall that buzz goes back to the moment whenVoid Rivals#1, by Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici, came out in the summer of 2023. Thesurprise reveal of Jetfireat the end of that issue confirmed the rumors that Skybound had acquired theTransformers&G.I. Joelicenses from Hasbro, and the surprise paid off in spades.
Although the connections to the largerTransformersfranchise were minor at first,Void Rivals’story has grown…
Sadly, the reveal wound up getting spoiled for me before I got the chance to read that first issue ofVoid Rivals, but it ultimately didn’t matter. The sudden appearance ofJetfire still worked its magic for me, largely in how it set up the promise of the Energon Universe. Telling the story of two warring cultures on a collapsed world on the edge of a Black Hole known as the Sacred Ring,Void Rivalsstars two warriorsfrom opposite sides of the war, Darak and Solila, who find themselves forced to work together to survive.
Although the connections to the largerTransformersfranchise were minor at first,Void Rivals’story has grown to such a degree that it encompasses the origin of Cybertron itself. As Darak and Solila have continued their journey, they’velearned that their two warring cultures are derived from Cybertronian technologyand are tied somehow tothe mysterious Zerta-Trion, a brand-new character created for the Energon Universe that supposedly left Cybertron eons ago. In the most exciting reveal yet,Void Rivalshas also strongly teased thatUnicron is at the center of the Black Holesurrounding the Sacred Ring, setting up a major storyline to come.
The Energon Universe Seamlessly WeavesG.I. Joe&TransformersTogether
Hasbro’s Long-Running Franchises Have Rarely Been Better
The launch of thenew ongoingTransformersserieswas another landmark moment for the Energon Universe, and I have to say that I have found Daniel Warren Johnson’s reimagining of the franchise to be the best version yet seen. Along with artists Jorge Corona and Jason Howard,Johnson’s vision forTransformershas been a success both critically and financially, and a large part of that is due to a story that keeps surprising readers at every turn. Following Jetfire’s first appearance, the Autobots and Decepticons are awakened on Earth, starting their war anew in a world that is teeming with Energon.
Looking for more over-the-top genre storytelling by writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson? Check out his critically acclaimed seriesDo a Powerbomb!, available now in a collected edition from Image Comics.
While Optimus Prime came back with a small band of Autobots, Megatron was nowhere to be seen, leading Starscream to take up leadership of the Decepticons. After a disastrous battle over the Ark,Soundwave took the leadership position from Starscreamand managed to contact fellow Decepticon Shockwave on Cybertron. The two established a bridge between Cybertron and Earth, even bringing theTransformers’ home-world into Earth’s orbit. Shockwave was narrowly defeated by Prime and the Autobots, but a piece of Cybertron was left behind, which will likely lead to several stories coming in the EU.
That leads us to theG.I. Joecorner of the Energon Universe, which started with the introduction of oneConrad “Duke” Hauser inTransformers#2. I can remember the excitement I felt upon seeing Duke appear in the pages ofTransformers, and the Energon Universe hasn’t disappointed when it comes to bringing the Real American Heroes into the new continuity. Duke’s breathless encounter with Starscream led to the character embarking on a quest in his own self-titled miniseries by Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly, which saw thefuture Joe leader going AWOL to discover the mystery behind these transforming robots from space.
In This NewTransformersandG.I. JoeShared Universe, It’s All About the Energon
The New Continuity Revolves Around Valuable Resources
TheDukeminiseries ended with the official formation of the G.I. Joe team, but the Real American Heroes are only one side of the coin.Cobra Commanderby Williamson and Andrea Milana focused on the rise of Cobra in the EU, following the title character as he searches the globe for the Transformers’ valuable power source. The miniseries reveals the origins of the Commander in the new continuity, inspired by the ’80s cartoon by tying his origins to thehidden society of Cobra-La. We learn that the Commander was a leading scientist working for the snake-men, who had derived Energon-based weapons from a captive Megatron.
Cobra Commanderends with the title character breaking away from Cobra-La and founding his own army: the official formation of the Cobra terrorist organization. The hidden society of snake-men isn’t completely out of the picture, though, as Cobra-La has sent their forces into space to declare war on Cybertron. InEnergon Universe 2024 Special#1 - by all the major EU creators - Megatron escapes his Cobra-La imprisonment, and the Decepticon leader iis currently at large.TheScarlettandDestrominiseries continued to flesh out the world of the newG.I. Joe, introducing us to the Arashikage ninja clan in Japan and the underground arms race.
BothScarlettby Kelly Thompson and Marco Ferrari andDestroby Dan Watters and Andrei Bressan are available now in collected editions from Skybound.
After nearly a year of build-up,G.I. Joe#1 by Williamson and Reilly recently debuted, and the sky is the limit for the latest Energon Universe title. In addition to introducingnew characters like Risk, the new series also features the first official battle between the Joes and Cobra, asCobra Commander seeks to retrieve a piece of the fallen Cybertron fragment from the U.S. government. That battle led to the death of one major character, ending with a banger of a cliffhanger that left me angry at the passage of time, making the next month an agonizing wait to see what happens next.
The Energon Universe Is Defined by Its Strong Creative Teams, Especially forTransformersandG.I. Joe
The Best Line in Comics Has the Best Creators
The impending battle between Cobra-La and Cybertron, Unicron’s arrival inVoid Rivals, theimpending return of Megatron… the Energon Universe is certainly not wanting for dangling story threads. The new trailer Skybound posted hints at where all these stories could be going, but it’simportant to note that these exciting developments all stem from Skybound attaching the right creators to each title. Kirkman, Johnson, Williamson, De Felici, Reilly and so many others have crafted one of the most exciting sagas in comics today, and I can’t wait to see where the worlds ofG.I. JoeandTransformersgo next in theEnergon Universe.
The most recent title in the Energon Universe,G.I. Joe#1, is available now from Skybound.
Source:Skybound
Transformers (2023)
Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
G.I. Joe
Cast
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is an animated television series from 1985, focusing on the valorous G.I. Joe team as they battle the malevolent Cobra organization. Featuring diverse characters, advanced military technology, and constant action, the series underscored heroism and teamwork in its colorful depiction of the ongoing struggle between good and evil.
