Bottalk Reviews

  LOS ANGELES 07/25/2023 — At the official Energon Universe panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego this weekend, Skybound, in collaboration with toy and game company Hasbro, debuted an all-new trailer showcasing what’s to come for the Energon Universe in Void Rivals, Transformers, Duke, and Cobra Commander.    Welcome to the Energon Universe. In the far reaches of space, Void Rivals introduces two warring races fight on a new planet and a hero rises. At the same time, the Transformers robots awaken on Earth. But will the heroic Autobots save the world, or will the evil Decepticons doom the planet? The Robots in Disguise are back, in an all-new shared universe like never before. But their return is only half the battle.    The shocking conclusion to Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s Void Rivals #1 served as the kickoff to the all-new shared Energon Universe with the surprise first appearance of iconic Transformers character Jetfire. The stealth launch introduced the historic n

Comic-Con 2023 Schedule

What’s this then? Why, it’s Void Rivals # 2, the second issue (shocking, I know) of Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, and Matheus Lopes’ new sci-fi comic. It tells the tale of two crumbling planets linked by a “Sacred Ring” (it’s not Halo), their peoples at war for generations. When a member of each culture are stranded together, the two find they must put aside their differences if they want to survive. This story takes place in the so-called “Energon Universe”, Skybound Entertainment’s new initiative to relaunch properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe within a shared universe that also happens to include the original characters and setting of Void Rivals. Any good? You know what, yeah! I’m enjoying it so far and I guess I’m not surprised. Robert Kirkman does well with cosmic space stuff and I was a big fan of Invincible. In two issues he’s already crafted an intriguing dramatic setup and a compelling dynamic between our two lead characters Darak and Solila. We’ve seen the “enemies

The shuttle explodes, giving the prisoners a chance to escape.  the other Uhura confronts the other Chekov but is forced to abandon her revenge when the prime Chekov is injured.  with Kirk and Uhura still onboard the Romulan ship, the others make it back to Enterprise.  McCoy and Chapel begin operating on Chekov.  as Kirk and Uhura decide how to destroy the Orb it is beamed out.   Sometimes Uhura and other Uhura look very dissimilar.  same goes for Chekov.  it would be easy enough to tell them apart from hair styles and uniforms, but making them look so different is off putting.  i still find the other Uhura/Chekov story to be fairly uninteresting.   six out of ten.  

Sisko and Garak face the firing squad but the soldiers turn their weapons into the crowd, killing Damar's enemies.  as the Red Path bears down on Crusher and her group, Sisko arrives just in time to save them.  Sisko spies the Vorta head off and investigates.  he opens a canister that contains a Founder.  instead of embracing it, Vorta kills the Founder.  later, the Theseus returns to DS9 where the Orb is analyzed by various teams. The conclusion of the 'Trial' arc was good.  and a very Cardassian conclusion at that.  i do wish the Vorta's motives were a bit more tangible.  unleashing a captive Founder only to kill it is an interesting twist, and goes to show how some have changed after the war.  but it also feels somewhat disjointed.  seven out of ten

Sisko and Worf meet on Qo'Nos. the two crews do not get along. Kahless makes his speech and the Red Cult rises. Chancellor Martok calls for his arrest. the crews split up into teams to confront the various trouble spots brewing on the surface and in orbit. This is what the two ongoing books have been building to. there are at times jumps in the narrative. people shifting location. makes it a bit jarring at times. still, i do wonder where all this is going. how it will be resolved. how Lore and Sela will betray everyone. cause you know they will. i think some of the bickering between Tom and B'Elanna goes on for far too long. it just feels like manufactured drama.  seven out of ten.

The blockbuster OBLIVION SONG team of ROBERT KIRKMAN & LORENZO DE FELICI debut the biggest new comic book series of 2023 with the launch of AN ALL-NEW SHARED UNIVERSE and a SURPRISE you won't see coming! War rages around the Sacred Ring, where the last remnants of two worlds have collapsed around a black hole in a never-ending war. However, when pilot Darak and his rival Solila both crash on a desolate planet, these two enemies must find a way to escape together. But are they alone on this strange planet? And what dark forces await that threaten the entire universe?