Are we still doing this?
YES, now shut up. Void Rivals continues here with issue # 6. It’s Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, and Matheus Lopes’ new sci-fi comic that 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.
Last issue, Darak was broken out of Zertonian jail and found himself in the company of a resistance group opposed to the government. Solila was also imprisoned for showing knowledge of the apparent conspiracy behind the war between her and Darak’s planets. This issue, Darak has Solila broken out and the two go on the lam together. The VOID RIVALS are back in business!
Oh, that was fast.
Yeah, it seems like Kirkman knows that the interaction between the two leads is pretty essential for any “Enemy Mine” fictional scenario, so he gets Darak and Solila back together as quickly as possible. The two are off and running on the next leg of their journey together by the end of this issue. We don’t get to learn a whole lot about the resistance group that helps them, other than they are working with contemporaries from Darak’s planet.
As usual, De Felici and Lopes’ art serves the dark, grungy atmosphere of Zertonia. The color palette actually vaguely reminds me of the look of the classic Star Wars: Dark Empire comics, and it’s a style I dig, although it may not be for everyone. I do also like how both Darak and Solila’s personalities shine through their body language, even when both have their helmets on.
This is still the ENERGON UNIVERSE, right?
Of course, there’s another check-in with our friend the Skuxxoid and his new pals the Quintessons! Their subplot is slowly approaching an intersection with the main plot and the Quintessons’ involvement seems to hint at a larger hand (or tentacle) they’ve had in this universe’s development beyond just the Transformers.
Cube?
I uh, don’t have a lot to say about this issue, actually. It’s a bit action-heavy and the pacing really ramps up… it feels like Kirkman’s a little anxious to move on with the story after the more measured setup of the last five issues. This is a “transition” issue and all the ideas that further build the universe and characters are mostly told to us rather than shown, which can feel a bit rushed. The cliffhanger hinges on something I don’t think that’s ever been mentioned or hinted at before, so it’s a little hard to feel any kind of dread or excitement about it. This is probably the first issue of Void Rivals that I felt a little disconnected from what was going on, honestly.
Room for improvement and maybe Kirkman will be more excited to get back into a tighter focus on Darak and Solila’s relationship next time. The cube’s about here for now:
Pick up Void Rivals # 6 this week!
