Transformers and G.I. Joe are two of Hasbro’s largest properties, and the pair have crossed over quite a few occasions over the many years. Coming off the heels of the just lately launched Transformers: Rise of the Beasts film, Hasbro goes all in on mixing its two manufacturers collectively, and throwing them right into a shared universe.
IGN revealed that Skybound Leisure, the media firm from Robert Kirkman (The Strolling Lifeless, Invincible) is heading up the trouble on the comics entrance. As a part of the newly christened “Energon Universe,” Transformers is getting a brand new month-to-month comedian from author/artist Daniel Warren Johnson (Do a Powerbomb, Jurassic League), whereas Joe can have a restricted run of character-centric one-pictures beginning with points targeted on Duke and Cobra Commander. The primary will come from Joshua Williamson (Darkish Disaster) and Tom Reilly (Fury), and the latter from Williamson and Andrea Milana (Dahlia within the Darkish).
Kirkman promised that a full-blown Joe comedian will come finally, however needed to deal with a small solid earlier than “[ramping] into G.I. Joe in a method that you just see the worth and the way nice these characters are the best way that we do.” Beginning out, the navy group doesn’t exist but, however the formation of it and Cobra will each play out over the course of the one-shots. “You’re going to form of get to see these characters from the bottom up and have a very particular person expertise. […] You’ll have gone on a journey with them, in order that’s form of our strategy.”
As for the how of this within the comics themselves…
The Energon Universe formally begins within the pages of Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s just lately launched Void Rivals #1. Late within the subject, the ebook’s two leads—Darak and Solila, pilots from completely different factions who crash land on an alien planet—come throughout Jetfire, a Transformer in stasis. However as Kirkman famous, Void Rivals doesn’t simply develop into a comic book concerning the Transformers. Darkish and Solila will nonetheless be Void Rivals’ leads, however the appearance of Jetfire helps widen the ebook’s scope and offers “a plethora of alien races and completely different characters…that these rivals will probably be interacting with.”
Kirkman additional defined his want to tie Transformers and Joe collectively years in the past when Hasbro was contemplating opening up the licenses. Upon listening to that, Kirkman stated he immediately began making an attempt to type concepts that will develop into the Energon Universe, and had a want to “determine new methods into these characters. The Energon Universe form of strips issues again to the start and it’s going to form of be a ground-floor exploration of those characters.”
A part of what allowed Void, Transformers, and Joe to face collectively is how every of them inform tales of neverending battle between opposing sides. Calling the idea “magic simplicity,” Kirkman stated he discovered “lots of originality and lots of room to discover inside that opposing power dynamic.” And whereas longtime followers know what to anticipate from Transformers and Joe on that entrance, he stated Void will probably be “a very completely different idea with a very completely different narrative constructed round that tough skeleton.”
Rise of the Beasts has already teased out Hasbro’s plans to deliver Transformers and G.I. Joe collectively, so the comics’ Energon Universe provides one other concept of how the 2 franchises might hyperlink up on the silver display. And it has the additional benefit of missing any actual baggage whereas additionally leveraging the clout of two big-name properties to attract consideration to a model new comedian.
Transformers #1 will launch in October, whereas G.I. Joe: Duke comes out in December and Cobra Commander in January 2024. Void Rivals will proceed with its second subject in July.
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