Void Rivals

Void Rivals is an American comic book ongoing series written by Robert Kirkman, drawn by Lorenzo de Felici, colored by Matheus Lopes, and published by Skybound Entertainment, an imprint of Image Comics, in collaboration with Hasbro.[1] It is the first installment in the Energon Universe, a shared universe that combines new Transformers and G.I. Joe comics developed by Skybound.[2] The series debuted on June 14, 2023.[3]

Void Rivals
Issue #1, cover A.
Publication information
PublisherSkybound Entertainment (Image Comics)
Hasbro (licensor)
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
Genre
Publication dateJune 14, 2023 – present
No. of issues5
Main character(s)Energon Universe
Creative team
Created byLorenzo De Felici
Robert Kirkman
Matheus Lopes
Written byRobert Kirkman
Artist(s)Lorenzo De Felici
Letterer(s)Rus Wooton
Colorist(s)Patricio Delpeche
Matheus Lopes
Editor(s)Sean Mackiewicz
Jonathan Manning
Bixie Mathieu

Premise

Around the Sacred Ring, there is an interplanetary war between Agorrians and Zertonians. 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.[1]

Publication history

Void Rivals was announced in February 2023 as part of an "all-new shared universe" developed by Skybound Entertainment.[1] The series is being written by Robert Kirkman, drawn by Lorenzo De Felici and colored by Matheus Lopes.[4] Krikman and De Felici had previously worked together in another comic titled Oblivion Song.[5]

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."[4]

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."[4]

By the time issue #1 was published, Skybound announced the series to be part of the Energon Universe, which combines new comics based on Transformers and G.I. Joe by Hasbro.[2]

List of issues

Issue Written by Drawn by Colored by Publication date
#1 Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici Matheus Lopes June 14, 2023
In the Sacred Ring, where their sun became a black hole, there is a war between two planetary factions: Agorrians and Zertonians. Two survivors named Darak and Solila crash their spaceships into a planetoid, leaving them no choices but to work together in order to return to the Sacred Ring. After failing to repair one of the spaceships, they found the Cybertronian Jetfire, who gets reactivated and departs to Cybertron, leaving them behind. Darak and Solila then act against their sacred oaths to not revealing their faces and take off their helmets, discovering they both look identical.[6]
#2 Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici Matheus Lopes July 19, 2023
Prior to departing the Sacred Ring, Darak was on a mission when he passes out while receiving a vision about the shared history between Agorrians and Zertonians, as well as a coming menace for both races. Solila reveals they need to return to the Ring to expose the truth. After combining parts of both their spaceships to create a new one, they successfully launch, but when another asteroid-like spaceship approaches them, Darak and Solila are taken captive by Skuxxoid.[7]
#3 Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici Matheus Lopes August 16, 2023
Inside Skuxxoid's spaceship, Darak and Solila try to escape, but they find several dangers, including a Quintesson Prosecutor who guides them to the ship. Skuxxoid decides to let Dark and Solila go, so they can return to the Ring. But when they return, Solila betrays Darak and delivers him to Zertonian authorities.[8]
#4 Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici Matheus Lopes September 27, 2023
After arriving at Zertonia, Darak in taken to a cell for interrogation, but even Solila is locked up with him by Premier Zalilak, who discovers they both saw each other's faces. Darak's father, Minister Dulin, orders Zalilak to kill both prisoners to cover their secret. Meanwhile, on Cyberetron, Skuxxoid tries to exchange the Quintesson Prosecutor to Shockwave in exchange for Energon, to no avail.[9]
#5 Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici Patricio Delpeche October 25, 2023
#6 Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici Matheus Lopes November 22, 2023
#7 Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici Matheus Lopes March 2024

Reception

The series received positive reviews, with critics praising the surprising guest appearance of several Transformers characters in each issue.[10]

Issue Release date Critic rating Critic reviews Ref.
#1 June 14, 2023 9.0/10 11 [11]
#2 July 19, 2023 8.0/10 9 [12]
#3 August 16, 2023 8.6/10 11 [13]
#4 September 27, 2023 7.9/10 8 [14]
#5 October 25, 2023 8.5/10 3 [15]
Overall 8.4/10 42 [10]

See also

References

  1. First Comics News (2023-02-24). "ROBERT KIRKMAN & LORENZO DE FELICI LAUNCH A NEW SHARED COMICS UNIVERSE IN VOID RIVALS #1". Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  2. Salmon, Will (2023-06-14). "Skybound roll out a new shared Transformers and G.I. Joe universe - and it starts today!". gamesradar. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  3. "REVIEW: Image Comics' Void Rivals #1 is a Monumental Sci-Fi Epic". CBR. 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  4. "Walking Dead Creator's New Series Is an Invincible-style Shared Sci-Fi Universe". CBR. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  5. Wigler, Josh (2018-03-06). "'Walking Dead' Creator Begins New Chapter With 'Oblivion Song'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  6. Void Rivals #1 (2023). Skybound Entertainment.
  7. Void Rivals #2 (2023). Skybound Entertainment.
  8. Void Rivals #3 (2023). Skybound Entertainment.
  9. Void Rivals #4 (2023). Skybound Entertainment.
  10. "Void Rivals (2023) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  11. "Void Rivals #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  12. "Void Rivals #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  13. "Void Rivals #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  14. "Void Rivals #4 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  15. "Void Rivals #5 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.