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 new partnership between Hasbro and Skybound, with Transformers and G.I. Joe comics finding a new home with the publisher.
In Void Rivals, 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? After the jaw-dropping reveal in the debut issue, everything Darak and Solila thought they knew about the Sacred Ring’s never-ending war has changed. To deliver the truth back home, they must first get off this deadly planet—by any means necessary.
Transformers #1 begins an all-new era for the iconic Robots in Disguise from Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Do a Powerbomb, DC’s Wonder Woman: Dead Earth) and colorist Mike Spicer (Stillwater, Murder Falcon). 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 for survival is Optimus Prime.
The Energon Universe expands in December with Duke #1, a limited series from Joshua Williamson (DC’s Superman, Dark Ride), Tom Reilly (The Thing) and Jordie Bellaire (W0rldtr33), that tells the story you’ve never read before – the origins of G.I. Joe and Cobra in a world grappling with the arrival of the Autobots and Decepticons. When Conrad S. Hauser (codename DUKE) investigates the mysteries behind The Transformers, the answers will lead to the birth of forces for good and evil that the world never imagined.
This will be followed by the launch of Cobra Commander #1 in January 2024, from Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana (Impact Winter: Rook) and Annalisa Leoni (Oblivion Song). In a world where Cobra doesn’t exist, one man’s sinister plans to utilize the mysterious alien substance known as Energon will send shockwaves across the globe.
The first two issues of Void Rivals are available in comic book shops now—Void Rivals #3 (Diamond Code JUN230375) will be available on August 16, 2023. Fans can pre-order their copies of Transformers #1 (Lunar Code 0623IM805), Duke #1 (Lunar Code 0623IM806), and Cobra Commander #1 (Lunar Code 0623IM807) right now at their local comic book shops.