Skuxxoid takes lead!
That’s right, in issue # 31 of Skuxxo- I mean, Void Rivals! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman’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 thirty-first issue, Conor Hughes returns on pencils as Kirkman brings us another chapter in the life (or lives) of everyone’s favorite ancillary character Skuxxoid!
Oh yeah, I memba that guy!
Right?! Kirkman seems to have a real fondness for Skuxxoid, developing a whole subplot focused on him yet seemingly unconnected so far to the main goings-on of this book. We’ve since learned that Skuxxoid was budded off from an “Alpha” Skuxxoid who has established himself king of the Skuxxoids, all identical to the Skuxxoid we’ve been following since the book began! Confused? You shouldn’t be!
This issue has “our” Skuxxoid confront Skuxxoid Alpha in a battle to determine the future of the Skuxxoid collective. Along the way they confront the emotional issue behind all their motivations and actions in a surprisingly touching scene.
Touching??
Yeah, surprisingly enough, Kirkman wrings a lot of emotion out of the plight of the Skuxxoids. This is a turning point in “our” Skuxxoid’s character journey and he’s on his way in a new direction afterwards. Perhaps now Kirkman will fold him back into the main plot of Void Rivals, as he hasn’t been since the very early issues of this series.
Cube?
Conor Hughes returns for some great art that really tugs at the heartstrings and makes our outer space alien pig man more sympathetic through visuals alone, but Kirkman turns in a winner here in a narrative sense too. While some might feel that this subplot feels disconnected from the rest of the series, it’s hard to argue that Skuxxoid isn’t one of the best-developed characters in it.
Buy Void Rivals # 31 this week and go into group therapy with the Skuxxoids!
