"Energon Universe" | |
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Publication date | June 2023 – present |
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The Energon Universe (EU) is an ongoing American comic book franchise and shared fictional universe created and published by Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of Image Comics, in collaboration with Hasbro. [1]
Featuring characters from Transformers and G.I. Joe , alongside original intellectual properties, the franchise is the successor of the Hasbro Comic Book Universe by IDW Publishing (2005–2018). [2]
The Energon Universe is set in the present (modern era); the franchise name makes reference to the substance that Transformers need to survive. [3]
In the Sacred Ring, there is a war between Agorrians and Zertonians. When two rivals named Darak and Solila crash on a mysterious planetoid, they must work together in order to survive. In the process, they learn a secret that will change everything they believed about their war. [4]
Meanwhile, the other war between Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron expands to Earth, leading to the foundation of G.I. Joe and Cobra in response. A chain of events will cause all those factions to fight against each other, changing the fate of humanity (and the universe) forever. [5]
Before IDW Publishing lost the licenses to produce Transformers and G.I. Joe comics at the end of 2022, in December 2021, it was reported that Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of Image Comics, was in talks with Hasbro to acquire those licenses. [7] [8] Skybound would officially announce it in June 2023. [6]
The Energon Universe debuted on June 14, 2023, with the original series Void Rivals , written by Robert Kirkman, drawn by Lorenzo De Felici and colored by Matheus Lopes. [1] Kirkman and De Felici had previously worked together in another comic titled Oblivion Song . [9]
Kirkman said, "It’s a tremendous honor to be able to reintroduce this world to a new audience under the Skybound banner. I’ve loved these characters for most of my life and to have the opportunity to add to the already rich tapestry Hasbro has built with the all-new Void Rivals is an unbelievable opportunity. If you look at everything done with Transformers and G.I. Joe, you can see the inkling of a vast universe with tremendous potential for crossovers and interaction that will enhance the fan experience while staying true to the individual identities of both concepts. I look forward to exploring that potential for years to come." [10]
Michael J. Kelly, who was Vice President of Global Publishing on Hasbro until December 2023, added, “When we first discussed plan for the surprise reveal in Void Rivals #1, I never expected it would be a secret we could keep for over a year. Now that it is finally here, we are all excited to finally be able to talk about all the amazing stories to come from our great new partners at Skybound.” [10]
Void Rivals is followed by a Transformers ongoing series and four G.I. Joe limited series. [11] Kirkman also brought up the possibility of adding other action brands from Hasbro in the future, [12] and confirmed that they will not have more than four series running at once. [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher | Country | Language | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Moztros | Spain | Spanish | [13] [14] |
Nagle Comics | Poland | Polish | [15] |
saldaPress | Italy | Italian | [16] |
Urban Comics | France | French | [17] |
Title | Issues | Writer | Artist(s) | Colourist(s) | Debut date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Void Rivals [note 1] | 1– | Robert Kirkman | Lorenzo De Felici | Matheus Lopes (1–4, 6, 9) Patricio Delpeche (5, 7–8, 10) | June 14, 2023 [1] |
Transformers (vol. 4) | Daniel Warren Johnson | Daniel Warren Johnson (1–6) Jorge Corona (7–) | Mike Spicer | October 4, 2023 [11] | |
Title | Issues | Writer | Artist | Colourist | Debut date | Conclusion date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Duke [note 2] | 1–5 | Joshua Williamson | Tom Reilly | Jordie Bellaire | December 27, 2023 [11] | April 24, 2024 |
Cobra Commander [note 2] | Andrea Milana | Annalisa Leoni | January 17, 2024 [11] | May 15, 2024 | ||
Scarlett [note 2] | Kelly Thompson | Marco Ferrari | Lee Loughridge | June 5, 2024 [18] | TBA | |
Destro [note 2] | Dan Watters | Andrei Bressan | Adriano Lucas | June 19, 2024 [18] | ||
Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colourist(s) | Release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Kirkman Daniel Warren Johnson Joshua Williamson | Lorenzo De Felici Ryan Ottley Jason Howard | May 4, 2024 (Free Comic Book Day) [19] May 8, 2024 (variant covers) [20] | |
Title | Material collected | Pages | Publication date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
Void Rivals | ||||
Void Rivals, Volume 1: More than Meets the Eye |
| 136 | February 20, 2024 | 1684158958 , 978-1684158959 |
Void Rivals, Volume 2: Hunted Across the Wasteland |
| 128 | September 3, 2024 | 1534328378 , 978-1534328372 |
Transformers | ||||
Transformers, Volume 1: Robots in Disguise |
| 136 | May 7, 2024 | 1534398171 , 978-1534398177 |
Transformers, Volume 2: Transport to Oblivion |
| 128 | November 26, 2024 | 1534345272 , 978-1534345270 |
G.I. Joe | ||||
Duke, Volume 1: Knowing is Half the Battle |
| 112 | June 4, 2024 | 1534398163 , 978-1534398160 |
Cobra Commander, Volume 1: Determined to Rule the World |
| June 11, 2024 | 1534398155 , 978-1534398153 | |
Scarlett, Volume 1: Special Mission |
| 120 | November 5, 2024 | 1534329552 , 978-1534329553 |
Destro, Volume 1: The Enemy |
| November 19, 2024 | 1534357688 , 978-1534357686 |
Issue | Critic rating | Critic reviews | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Void Rivals | 8.4/10 | 65 | [21] |
Transformers (vol. 4) | 9.1/10 | 75 | [22] |
Duke | 8.7/10 | 39 | [23] |
Cobra Commander | 8.4/10 | 34 | [24] |
Until March 2024, the franchise sold over one million copies of Void Rivals, Transformers (vol. 4), Duke and Cobra Commander in total. [25] Following their highly positive critics, reprints have been made. [26]
Transformers is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals. The franchise encompasses toys, animation, comic books, video games and films. As of 2011, it generated more than ¥2 trillion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creating The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Invincible, Tech Jacket, Outcast, Oblivion Song, and Fire Power for Image Comics, in addition to writing Ultimate X-Men, Irredeemable Ant-Man and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt.
There have been four main publishers of the comic book series bearing the name Transformers based on the toy lines of the same name. The first series was produced by Marvel Comics from 1984 to 1991, which ran for 80 issues and produced four spin-off miniseries. This was followed by a second volume titled Transformers: Generation 2, which ran for 12 issues starting in 1993. The second major series was produced by Dreamwave Productions from 2002 to 2004 with multiple limited series as well, and within multiple story continuities, until the company became bankrupt in 2005. The third and fourth series have been published by IDW Publishing with the third series starting with an issue #0 in October 2005 and a regular series starting in January 2006 to November 2018. The fourth series started in March 2019 with issue #1 and concluded in June 2022. There are also several limited series being produced by IDW as well. Skybound Entertainment began publishing Transformers comics starting in June 2023, kicking off the Energon Universe. In addition to these four main publishers, there have also been several other smaller publishers with varying degrees of success.
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G.I. Joe is a comic book series by IDW Publishing, based upon Hasbro's G.I. Joe characters and toy line.
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G.I. Joe is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse. The name is derived from the usage of "G.I. Joe" for the generic U.S. soldier, itself derived from the more general term "G.I.". The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". G.I. Joe's appeal to children has made it an American icon among toys.
Skybound Entertainment is an American multiplatform entertainment company founded by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert. It operates in concert with Image Comics.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a comic book that was published by Image Comics from 2001 to 2005. Based on Hasbro, Inc.'s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys, the series picks up seven years after the end of the Marvel Comics series.
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Void Rivals is an American comic book ongoing series written by Robert Kirkman, drawn by Lorenzo De Felici, colored by Matheus Lopes, and published by Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of Image Comics. It is the first installment in the Energon Universe, a shared universe that combines new Transformers and G.I. Joe comics developed by Skybound, in collaboration with Hasbro. The series debuted on June 14, 2023.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is an ongoing American comic book series published by Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment based on the G.I. Joe toy line by Donald Levine and Hasbro. The series is being written by Larry Hama and continues the run left from the previous series by Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing, starting with issue #301. The series debuted on November 15, 2023.
G.I. Joe is an ongoing line of American comic books published by Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment based on the toy line of the same name by Donald Levine and Hasbro.
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