The Energon Universe has been going strong for well over a year now, and Skybound’s shared universe between G.I. Joe is showing no signs of slowing down. The publisher just released a new trailer teacoming storylines for Void Rivals, Transformers and the new G.I. Joe ongoing series, and I, for one, could not be more excited.
Releasing the trailer on Instagram, 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 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 the perfect time to catch everyone up on what’s been going on in Void Rivals, Transformers and the G.I. Joe comics.
The Energon Universe Built a Saga Around Surprise Connections Between Transformers and G.I. Joe
Jetfire’s Appearance in Void Rivals Will Go Down as a Transformers Highlight
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, and all that buzz goes back to the moment when Void Rivals #1, by Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici, came out in the summer of 2023. The surprise reveal of Jetfire at the end of that issue confirmed the rumors that Skybound had acquired the Transformers & G.I. Joe licenses from Hasbro, and the surprise paid off in spades.
Although the connections to the larger Transformers franchise 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 of Void Rivals, but it ultimately didn’t matter. The sudden appearance of Jetfire 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 Rivals stars two warriors from opposite sides of the war, Darak and Solila, who find themselves forced to work together to survive.
Although the connections to the larger Transformers franchise were minor at first, Void Rivals’ story has grown to such a degree that it encomes the origin of Cybertron itself. As Darak and Solila have continued their journey, they’ve learned that their two warring cultures are derived from Cybertronian technology and are tied somehow to Unicron is at the center of the Black Hole surrounding the Sacred Ring, setting up a major storyline to come.
The Energon Universe Seamlessly Weaves G.I. Joe & Transformers Together
Hasbro’s Long-Running Franchises Have Rarely Been Better
The launch of the new ongoing Transformers series was 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 for Transformers has 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 series Do 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 Starscream and managed to fellow Decepticon Shockwave on Cybertron. The two established a bridge between Cybertron and Earth, even bringing the Transformers’ 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 the G.I. Joe corner of the Energon Universe, which started with the introduction of one Conrad “Duke” Ha in Transformers #2. I can the excitement I felt upon seeing Duke appear in the pages of Transformers, 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 the future Joe leader going AWOL to discover the mystery behind these transforming robots from space.
In This New Transformers and G.I. Joe Shared Universe, It’s All About the Energon
The New Continuity Revolves Around Valuable Resources
The Duke miniseries ended with the official formation of the G.I. Joe team, but the Real American Heroes are only one side of the coin. Cobra Commander by 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 the hidden 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 Commander ends 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. In Energon Universe 2024 Special #1 - by all the major EU creators - Megatron escapes his Cobra-La imprisonment, and the Decepticon leader iis currently at large. The Scarlett and Destro miniseries continued to flesh out the world of the new G.I. Joe, introducing us to the Arashikage ninja clan in Japan and the underground arms race.
Both Scarlett by Kelly Thompson and Marco Ferrari and Destro by 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 introducing new characters like Risk, the new series also features the first official battle between the Joes and Cobra, as Cobra 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 age 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 for Transformers and G.I. Joe
The Best Line in Comics Has the Best Creators
The impending battle between Cobra-La and Cybertron, Unicron’s arrival in Void Rivals, the impending 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’s important 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 of G.I. Joe and Transformers go next in the Energon Universe.
The most recent title in the Energon Universe, G.I. Joe #1, is available now from Skybound.
Source: Skybound
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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.
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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.
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