''Void Rivals'' is an

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comic book

ongoing series In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...

written by

Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter and television producer. He is best known ...

, drawn by Lorenzo De Felici, colored by Matheus Lopes and Patricio Delpeche, and published by Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

. It is the first original installment in the Energon Universe, a shared universe that combines new '' Transformers'' and ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' comics developed by Skybound, in collaboration with Hasbro. The series debuted on June 14, 2023.

Publication history

''Void Rivals'' was announced in February 2023 as part of an "all-new shared universe" developed by Skybound Entertainment. The series is being written by

, drawn by Lorenzo De Felici and colored by Matheus Lopes. Kirkman and De Felici had previously worked together in another comic titled ''

Oblivion Song ''Oblivion Song'' is an American comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Lorenzo de Felici. It is a supernatural science fiction story that chronicles Nathan Cole, a man who makes daily trips to try to rescue those still liv ...

''. Kirkman said, "With every project I do, I’m always trying to challenge myself. One thing I’ve always loved doing is starting small with a story and expanding the depth, scope and stakes as we progress. With ''Void Rivals'' we’ll be going bigger than I ever have and at a much faster pace. This project is going to be monumental. I can’t wait for people to see what Lorenzo and I have cooking." Sean Mackiewicz, publisher and SVP for Skybound Entertainment, also added, "''Void Rivals'' takes every element fans expect from Skybound comics—incredible worlds, dynamic characters, and jaw-dropping twists—and kicks off our first shared universe. This comic is the start of something we’ll be talking about for years to come." By the time the first issue was published, Skybound announced the series to be part of the Energon Universe, which combines new comics based on Hasbro brands '' Transformers'' and ''

''.

Premise

Around the Sacred Ring, there is an interplanetary war between planets Agorria and Zertonia. In the middle of this, two survivor enemies get lost on a planetoid and must work together to return home, but they also discover their war is based on a cycle of secrets and lies.

Characters

Agorrians

* Darak * Handroid * Minister Dulin

Zertonians

* Solila * Premier Zalilak * Keepers of the Light ** Mistress Vill * Unifiers ** Kanela ** Ultum * Proximus

Cybertronians

Autobots The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The ...

** Jetfire ** Hot Rod ** Springer * Zerta Trion * Decepticons ** Shockwave

Monacolians

* Skuxxoid * Slizardo * Bosch * Lord Gyconi

Quintessons

* Judge * Prosecutor * Scorpia * Allicons * Scientist

Earthlings

* Cobra-La ** Pythona

Other

* Goliant

Overview

Reception

The series received positive reviews, with critics praising the surprising guest appearance of several ''Transformers'' characters in each issue.

Collected editions

References

{{Image Comics 2023 comics debuts Comics by Robert Kirkman Hasbro franchises Image Comics limited series Skybound Entertainment titles Science fiction comics Superhero comics Transformers comics