Energon Universe 2025 Special #1 review

G.I. Joe

Picking up from where issue #6 leaves off, Hound and Clutch are at odds but realize they can help each other and a familiar name helps them. Meanwhile, Cobra Commander's energon supply might be in jeopardy.

A nice interlude that expands on the end of issue 6 of the on-going G.I. Joe title. We get a bit of background on Hound and how he came to be reactivated. We also get to see a familiar face from the Cobra Commander mini-series make a reappearance. I did like this story but do worry that if someone skipped this issue, they might be a bit lost when they pick up issue 7 (though we'll see when it comes out!).

Transformers

Jazz is kicked out of his Cybertronian band but seems to be searching for something more. On Earth, he seems to have gotten closer to finding it.

A nice "slice of life" style story, we get to see Jazz on Cybertron playing in his rock band and, like on Earth, they have drama. This plays up to a lot of Jazz's personality we've seen over the years, with him being in love with Earth culture. It also is pretty safe to read without giving away too many spoilers for the on-going series nor is it critical to it either. Just a nice character-driven story.

Void Rivals

The Quintessons are happy to have a way to regain a powerful weapon of theirs, by using the Sacred Ring. Meanwhile, a jailbreak happens, led by our favorite rhyming robot, Wheelie. Curiouser, the Quints don't seem as worried about the jailbreak as they do the next phase of their plans.

Like the Transformers story, this one takes a break from the main Void Rivals story to give us some more background story and it's nice. We get just enough Wheelie to say he's there but not too much.

Overall, a nice Free Comic Book Day entry for the Energon Universe. I enjoyed that Void Rivals and Transformers kept their stories as "side stories" to the main plots going on. And the art for Void Rivals was quite good. The G.I. Joe art was nice as well, fitting with what's been established in the on-going series. The Transformers story does have the weakest art of the three.

A Touching Tribute To The Late, Great, Bottalk Bulletin Board + Renaud FAQ!

The smartest and the most handsome podcasters on the Internet: The Fanholes and a collection of exceptional guests say au revoir to the legendary Bottalk board. Click to download or listen to this remarkable recording. And don't forget to get out your boxes of tissues! Thanks, guys! Much appreciated! Renaud FAQ

Void Rivals #17 review

Void Rivals Has Secrets To Reveal! It does and it continues here with issue # 17! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s 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 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. In this seventeenth issue, the secret of Zerta Trion is revealed, Darak has a “friendly” chat with his father, and Proximus is on the rampage! Proximus? He was cool. He was! And that continues here as him and his new kid sidekick go on a quest together. It’s unclear exactly what Proximus wishes to get out of it, but he’s clearly no longer...

Transformers #18 (2023) review

Is Shredhead totally in my face? Yup! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, noted writer/artist rolled-into-one Daniel Warren Johnson takes the reins on the linchpin of this initiative, the flagship Transformers comic series! Well, he maintains the reins on the writing of this series at least, as does Mike Spicer on colors. Jorge Corona has taken over regular penciling duties with a style all his own. In this eighteenth issue, Shredhead kills some guys you may have liked, Ultra Magnus boxes a helicopter, and the Decepticon civil war comes to an end with the return of… well, c’mon, you know. Does Shredhead arrive at the fireworks factory? There’s actually relatively little to do with Shredhead here, aside from an opening fight scene where he showcases how badazz he is by killing some name characters. One of the victims in particular I was kind of annoyed by, considering he just got his first new toy in decades and has always been a fan favorite f...

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