Energon Universe

Publication dateJune 2023 – presentGenreMain character(s)

The Energon Universe (EU) is an ongoing American comic book franchise and shared fictional universe created and published by Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of Image Comics, in collaboration with Hasbro.^[1]

Featuring characters from Transformers and G.I. Joe, alongside original intellectual properties, the franchise is the successor of the Hasbro Comic Book Universe by IDW Publishing (2005–2018).^[2]

Setting

The Energon Universe is set in the present (modern era); the franchise name makes reference to the substance that Transformers need to survive.^[3]

In the Sacred Ring, there is a war between Agorrians and Zertonians. When two rivals named Darak and Solila crash on a mysterious planetoid, they must work together in order to survive. In the process, they learn a secret that will change everything they believed about their war.^[4]

Meanwhile, the other war between Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron expands to Earth, leading to the foundation of G.I. Joe and Cobra in response. A chain of events will cause all those factions to fight against each other, changing the fate of humanity (and the universe) forever.^[5]

Publication history

Background

Before IDW Publishing lost the licenses to produce Transformers and G.I. Joe comics at the end of 2022, in December 2021, it was reported that Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of Image Comics, was in talks with Hasbro to acquire those licenses.^[7][8] Skybound would officially announce it in June 2023.^[6]

Development

The Energon Universe debuted on June 14, 2023, with the original series Void Rivals, written by Robert Kirkman, drawn by Lorenzo De Felici and colored by Matheus Lopes.^[1] Kirkman and De Felici had previously worked together in another comic titled Oblivion Song.^[9]

Kirkman said, "It’s a tremendous honor to be able to reintroduce this world to a new audience under the Skybound banner. I’ve loved these characters for most of my life and to have the opportunity to add to the already rich tapestry Hasbro has built with the all-new Void Rivals is an unbelievable opportunity. If you look at everything done with Transformers and G.I. Joe, you can see the inkling of a vast universe with tremendous potential for crossovers and interaction that will enhance the fan experience while staying true to the individual identities of both concepts. I look forward to exploring that potential for years to come."^[10]

Michael J. Kelly, who was Vice President of Global Publishing on Hasbro until December 2023, added, “When we first discussed plan for the surprise reveal in Void Rivals #1, I never expected it would be a secret we could keep for over a year. Now that it is finally here, we are all excited to finally be able to talk about all the amazing stories to come from our great new partners at Skybound.”^[10]

Void Rivals is followed by a Transformers ongoing series and four G.I. Joe limited series.^[11] Kirkman also brought up the possibility of adding other action brands from Hasbro in the future,^[12] and confirmed that they will not have more than four series running at once.^[a]

Distribution and localization

Publisher	Country	Language	Ref.
Moztros	Spain	Spanish	[13][14]
Nagle Comics	Poland	Polish	[15]
saldaPress	Italy	Italian	[16]
Urban Comics	France	French	[17]

List of publications

Ongoing series

Title	Issues	Writer	Artist(s)	Colourist(s)	Debut date
Void Rivals[note 1]	1–	Robert Kirkman	Lorenzo De Felici	Matheus Lopes (1–4, 6, 9) Patricio Delpeche (5, 7–8, 10)	June 14, 2023[1]
Transformers (vol. 4)		Daniel Warren Johnson	Daniel Warren Johnson (1–6) Jorge Corona (7–)	Mike Spicer	October 4, 2023[11]
G.I. Joe (vol. 7)	TBA

Limited series

Title	Issues	Writer	Artist	Colourist	Debut date	Conclusion date
Duke[note 2]	1–5	Joshua Williamson	Tom Reilly	Jordie Bellaire	December 27, 2023[11]	April 24, 2024
Cobra Commander[note 2]			Andrea Milana	Annalisa Leoni	January 17, 2024[11]	May 15, 2024
Scarlett[note 2]		Kelly Thompson	Marco Ferrari	Lee Loughridge	June 5, 2024[18]	TBA
Destro[note 2]		Dan Watters	Andrei Bressan	Adriano Lucas	June 19, 2024[18]

One-shots

Title	Writer(s)	Artist(s)	Colourist(s)	Release date
Energon Universe 2024 Special	Robert Kirkman Daniel Warren Johnson Joshua Williamson	Lorenzo De Felici Ryan Ottley Jason Howard		May 4, 2024 (Free Comic Book Day)[19] May 8, 2024 (variant covers)[20]

Release order

Collected editions

Title	Material collected	Pages	Publication date	ISBN
Void Rivals
Void Rivals, Volume 1: More than Meets the Eye	Void Rivals #1–6	136	February 20, 2024	1684158958, 978-1684158959
Void Rivals, Volume 2: Hunted Across the Wasteland	Void Rivals #7–12	128	September 3, 2024	1534328378, 978-1534328372
Transformers
Transformers, Volume 1: Robots in Disguise	Transformers #1–6	136	May 7, 2024	1534398171, 978-1534398177
Transformers, Volume 2: Transport to Oblivion	Transformers #7–12	128	November 26, 2024	1534345272, 978-1534345270
G.I. Joe
Duke, Volume 1: Knowing is Half the Battle	Duke #1–5	112	June 4, 2024	1534398163, 978-1534398160
Cobra Commander, Volume 1: Determined to Rule the World	Cobra Commander #1–5		June 11, 2024	1534398155, 978-1534398153
Scarlett, Volume 1: Special Mission	Scarlett #1–5	120	November 5, 2024	1534329552, 978-1534329553
Destro, Volume 1: The Enemy	Destro #1–5		November 19, 2024	1534357688, 978-1534357686

Reception

Critical response

Issue	Critic rating	Critic reviews	Ref.
Void Rivals	8.4/10	72	[21]
Transformers (vol. 4)	9.0/10	84	[22]
Duke	8.7/10	45	[23]
Cobra Commander	8.5/10	43	[24]
Energon Universe 2024 Special	9.5/10	1	[25]

Sales and reprints

Until March 2024, the franchise sold over one million copies of Void Rivals, Transformers (vol. 4), Duke and Cobra Commander in total.^[26] Following their highly positive critics, reprints have been made.^[27]

See also

• Hasbro Universe
  • Hasbro Comic Book Universe (2005–2018)
• List of comics based on Hasbro properties

References

Notes

Footnotes