a b c "Walking Dead Creator's New Series Is an Invincible-style Shared Sci-Fi Universe". CBR. 2023-05-16 . Retrieved 2023-06-11.

Void Rivals: why the first issue was more than meets the eye Void Rivals: why the first issue was more than meets the eye

Void Rivals #1 is, ultimately, a very successful teaser for what's to come that raises all manner of questions about the future of the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises: What is going to happen to Darak and Solila? (I'm getting a Saga feeling from their interaction, I admit.) What made Jetfire crash onto the planetoid, and is it related to the same accident that sends Optimus Prime et al to Earth in Daniel Warren Johnson's upcoming Transformers series? Where is G.I. Joe in all of this? (Let’s note that the solicitation for Void Rivals #3 this August hints at some new characters being introduced…) And, outside of the story being told, what's next for each of these properties and the larger Energon Universe as a whole? The sky's the limit, it appears... and that's probably very much the reaction Skybound and Hasbro were hoping for.

How Void Rivals Connects to Transformers and G.I. Joe

The all-new shared “Energon Universe” began with the surprise first appearance of iconic Transformers character Jetfire in Void Rivals #1. The launch introduced the historic new partnership Hasbro and Skybound, with Transformers and G.I. Joe comics finding a new home with the publisher. Each issue of Void Rivals promises to take readers further into this all-new world, with more familiar faces to appear. Today Skybound, in partnership with toy and game company Hasbro, revealed a first look at Void Rivals #3, the continuation of the new shared universe from the Oblivion Song team of Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead) and Lorenzo De Felici (Kroma), along with colorist Matheus Lopes (Step by Bloody Step) and letterer Rus Wooton (Fire Power). The Finals is the FPS of the moment, but it just started beta and is already infested with cheaters Together, Void Rivals, Transformers and G.I. Joe will make up the Energon Universe, which reboots the latter two properties for their new home. Running alongside Void Rivals will be a new, monthly Transformers comic from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson (Do a Powerbomb) and a line of character-focused G.I. Joe limited series. The first of these, Duke, is written by Joshua Williamson (Dark Crisis) and drawn by Tom Reilly (Wasp). The second, Cobra Commander, is written by Williamson and drawn by Andrea Milana (Impact Winter: Rook).

Robert Kirkman explains THAT jaw-dropping Void Rivals twist

Late-Arrival Spoiler: The variant covers for the second printing of issue 1 feature Jetfire, one of which being a parody of The Monster at the End of This Book, and a special variant from the first printing of that issue featuring the character was withheld from display until after the publication date. It's Some Kind of License: Skybound has been aggressive about working with LEGO, Creepshow and other licensed partners (including the still- unannounced Transformers and GI Joe comics from Hasbro but would any publisher debut some kind of shared universe without announcing it, really? Why this D&D actual play series featuring the voices of Geralt and FF16's Clive is going to be the next big thing The Energon Universe reveal comes just days after Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hit theaters and revealed that the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchsies are also crossing over in live-action. Learn more in our full breakdown of Rise of the Beasts' ending. You can also find out how to stream every Transformers movie online.We were curious why Skybound is opting to launch the rebooted G.I. Joe franchise as a line of character-focused miniseries rather than a single, ongoing series as with Transformers. Kirkman notes that it's really about the desire to shine a spotlight on a handful of characters before delving headlong into a franchise notable for its massive cast of heroes and villains. Mirroring Factions: The Zertonians and Agorrians… because they used to be one faction, and the various rules of warfare between the nations are meant to disguise that fact by hiding how not so different they are. Ryan Cady and Andrea Mutti play around with this idea in their new series Haunt You to the End , a comic about a race against time to prove a place that’s known to be a hot bed for paranormal activity is the real deal. The story takes place in the 22 nd century, after the planet’s governments failed to prevent the “Hothouse Earth” scenario, forcing humanity to adapt to harsh atmospheric conditions. The way we're trying to make it work is, if you start with Transformers, that's the central hub. If you start with Void Rivals, that's the central hub, or our G.I. Joe titles can be the central hub. Wigler, Josh (2018-03-06). " 'Walking Dead' Creator Begins New Chapter With 'Oblivion Song' ". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2023-06-12.

Void Rivals - Wikipedia

What’s particularly fascinating about this is that, by introducing (re-introducing?) the Transformers in a story that is explicitly not a Transformers story, Kirkman and Void Rivals artist Lorenzo De Felici have significantly expanded the mythology of the Energon Universe already. Audiences for any Transfotmers story have already been primed — no pun intended — to expect a Transformers story to center around two planets: Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers, and Earth, where the war moves after the Transformers crashland on it... but now there’s an entirely new intergalactic war to consider between the Zertonians and the Argorrians, as well - an entirely separate (or so it seems right now, at least) conflict that might interact the larger Transformers story at any given point in the future, in ways that no-one can predict. Void Rivals serves as the first entry in the Energon Universe: A Shared Universe incorporating Transformers and G.I. Joe and by extension serves as the first original IP in the setting.The series is written by Skybound founder Robert Kirkman, with art by Lorenzo De Felici, colors by Matheus Lopes, and lettering by Rus Wooton. Kirkman adds, "The Jetfire interlude is a really cool element that makes sense inside the story and adds to that story. And it continues that narrative, but it doesn't disrupt that narrative. It's not like it's suddenly a Transformers book. This is still very much Void Rivals. It's still focusing on these characters and their struggles and that will continue. But now that we've shown you that this takes place in the same universe as the Transformers, there's a plethora of alien races and different characters that exist in the Transformers universe out in space that these boy rivals characters will be interacting with." Skuxxoid: Well, then I expect you to relate to my plight, friend. I've got mouths to feed. Surely such a hated enemy to your kind is of value? Maybe you have something to trade? I'm sure we can work something out. Let's be reasonable. The connective tissue comes courtesy of an unexpected cameo in the issue by Jetfire, of all robots, who had also crashlanded on the same planetoid as the two protagonists of the series. As it turns out, what looks at first like a surprise cameo is, instead, some foreshadowing of what's to come for the iconic robots in disguise. Think of it as plot reveal in disguise, as it were.

Void Rivals just brought back a classic Transformers Void Rivals just brought back a classic Transformers

If you're reading all of them, there's going to be an additive experience where the different things that happen enrich the overall story and make it one big thing, but each individual book completely stands on its own and has its own narrative and its own rewards and isn't dependent on the other titles. He’s accompanied by a documentary filmmaker called Matt and a U.N. medical officer called Maddi, both skeptics that share a disdain for the excesses Shah parades around. Issue #1 concerns itself with introducing the reader to the cast. How haunted the island is and what manifests out of it is something will see from issue #2 onwards, it seems. In addition towriting Void Rivals, Kirkman is serving as the showrunner of sorts for the larger Energon Universe, supervising the upcoming Transformers and G.I. Joe books and ensuring everything fits together in a larger puzzle. Transformers launches in October 2023, followed by Duke in December 2023 and Cobra Commander in January 2024.

Starting small

Government Conspiracy: Run by the leaders of both sides of the Forever War to both keep the conflict burning and ensure their people never realize they are one species being pitted against one another. Void Rivals was already destined to be one of the biggest comic book releases of 2023, as it's the latest collaboration between Oblivion Song creators Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici. But it turns out that the first issue of Void Rivals is hiding a truly massive twist. This series isn't a standalone story, but rather is part of a shared universe that includes the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises. These two iconic Hasbro properties are making their way to Kirkman's Skybund Entertainment.