PRESS RELEASE
At the official Energon Universe panel at New York Comic Con (NYCC) this weekend, Skybound and Image Comics, in collaboration with leading games, IP and toy company Hasbro, revealed all-new covers, interior pages, and character designs from the shared universe in a panel featuring superstars Robert Kirkman (Void Rivals, TRANSFORMERS), Joshua Williamson (G.I. JOE), Dan Mora(TRANSFORMERS), Jorge Corona (TRANSFORMERS), Tom Reilly (G.I. JOE), Conor Hughes (Void Rivals) and Ben Abernathy (Executive Editor for the Energon Universe at Skybound).
Fittingly titled TRANSFORMERS & G.I. JOE: A New Era for the Energon Universe, the panel was the first public appearance following last week’s debut of TRANSFORMERS #25 by new creative team Kirkman and Mora, and also the perfect tease for the upcoming new story arcs with G.I. JOE’s Dreadnok War kicking off with issue #13 this November and Void Rival’s Quintesson War beginning with issue #25 in December.
Celebrating the second anniversary of the two-time Eisner Award winning series TRANSFORMERS, Kirkman and Mora were joined by longtime series artist Jorge Corona to recap the first appearances in TRANSFORMERS #25, including Miles Mayhem, who fans know as the primary antagonist of Hasbro’s M.A.S.K. franchise. Then, it was time to look toward the future as they showed off covers and interior pages from TRANSFORMERS #26 and announced the return of Autobot Brawn, coming in TRANSFORMERS #27 this December. Finally, Kirkman revealed the newest 7.25-inch Leader Scale Optimus Prime action figure, honoring the epic scene where in a chaotic battle with Skywarp and the Decepticons, Optimus Prime’s right arm is badly damaged. When Optimus uses the Matrix to power a hospital and save the patients instead of fixing himself, Ratchet comes to his leader’s aid and grafts Megatron’s arm, cannon and all, onto Optimus’s shoulder. This iconic figure, complete with Megatron’s fusion cannon, is available for pre-order now on Hasbro Pulse and will be available later this Fall.
The reunited original G.I. JOE creative team of Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly treated NYCC to sneak peeks at the Dreadnok War story arc, revealing character designs for the Dreadnoks Ripper, Zarana, Zandar and Torch, unveiling pages from that arc’s debut issue G.I. JOE #13, as well as covers across the entire arc, which will run through issue #17. They also announced the debut of fan-favorite Dreadnok character Road Pig, which will come in G.I. JOE #14. But they didn’t stop there, also announcing that G.I. JOE #18 will be a standalone Night Force issue, featuring the first appearance of fan-favorite Roadblock. Character designs were revealed for the Night Force team of Lady Jaye, Flint, Beach Head and Shooter. And in a look forward, the return of M.A.S.K. leader Matt Trakker in G.I. JOE #19 was also announced.
The current Void Rivals creative team of Kirkman and Conor Hughes discussed major moments from Hughes’s current arc with crowd pleasing characters Skuxxoid, Wheelie and Pythona at the forefront. Kirkman also speculated on the horrors and surprises awaiting the Sacred Ring in the Quintesson War arc, which will see Andrei Bressan (Destro) join as series artist for Void Rivals’s biggest story yet. As new cover reveals for Void Rivals #25-#26 teased, this Energon Universe epic is like nothing fans have yet experienced…and the Sacred Ring will never be the same.
The Energon Universe is the crown jewel of the historic collaboration between Hasbro and Skybound, who has introduced a brand-new era of the TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE franchises in one shared comic book universe. Energon Universe titles include the ongoing series Void Rivals, TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE. Fans should expect can’t-miss moments from every issue of the Energon Universe, as secrets are unveiled along the path to answering the BIG questions from some of the biggest franchises in comics today.
