Surprise: ROM Has Joined the Energon Universe

The Energon Universe involving Transformers and G.I. Joe was a bit of a surprise that leaked shortly before the release of the debut Energon-set comic, "Void Rivals," #1. Since then, the involved comics have been quite popular in their use of assorted beloved properties (and original creations) to tell some epic tales. "M.A.S.K." #1 came out today and takes place in the Energon-verse, but a big surprise was held within some of this new issue's blind bag variant option. A first issue of a completely separate comic, "ROM," #1 could be found among the other covers and such. Yes, another retro property with many fans will be in the Energon Universe as well!

I tip my hat to the main architect behind much of this, Robert Kirkman. He pretty much set off the latest blind bag craze with that first issue of, "Battle Beast," so it is fitting he would help give the trend--that seems to be running out of steam--a shot in the arm with this clever stealth-announcement and debut-into-Energon of ROM. This was definitely a clever way to get some extra buzz!

BOOM! Studios Acquires the Rights to "My Little Pony," Comics/IDW Loses Another License

Popular comic-book publisher BOOM! Studios has acquired the rights to publish, "My Little Pony," comics in partnership with Hasbro. This is interesting to read as the rights used to be with IDW (who have had financial troubles at points over the years), and they also got the rights to, "Jem and the Holograms," recently, which was also, you guessed it, with IDW for years. IDW seems to be doing okay as of late, with some new hit series and such. That said, they have lost a number of licenses to various publishers (Skybound swept up Transformers and G.I. Joe rights a while ago). For some time, IDW had a ton of licensed properties, but things have clearly changed--they seem to be holding onto, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," for dear life still, however. 

I'm quite happy for BOOM! Studios as they put out a ton of great comics. I am also curious if how IDW has pivoted more towards original works (including a lot of horror series) will pay off in a profitable manner. I know it is normal for licensed properties to bounce around publishers, it just is interesting how many over the last five years, "Bounced," away from IDW. I also know that BOOM! makes good stuff, however, so I know any future comics with the ponies are bound to be great. Basically, I just want all the publishers to succeed, I suppose!

The Energon Universe to Become a Television Franchise

Back in 2023, there was the surprise reveal that the comic, "Void Rivals," was the launch of a new shared Universe featuring Transformers, G.I. Joe, and original creations by Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, and company over at Skybound (an imprint of Image). Since then, we've had a number of series set in the, "Energon," universe. It has been quite successful, and now an adult (as in geared towards grown-ups, not full of sex) animated series based on the comics is on the way from Hasbro and Skybound in partnership with whoever wants to buy it.

Kirkman is a solid writer, even if he has a tendency to milk his most successful franchises for all they are worth--cough, Walking Dead, cough. When he has a hit, though, it is a hit. I am interested in seeing where this television show could go, and imagine lots of merchandise tie-ins could occur as well, because that would both be fun, and these franchises actually are begging to be milked to a degree based on their toy-heavy history.

New Printings of, "Transformers," and, "Void Rivals," Will Come With Sound Chips, an Interesting Promotion

I enjoy a good gimmick cover with my comic-books. From holofoil to die-cut, and everything in-between it can seem silly, but a little fun doesn't hurt either (when gimmick covers become the whole selling point and the comic is lame that can be unfortunate, however). One interesting new promotion is that Skybound (an imprint of Image) will have some comics with little sound chips that, "Talk." This fall there will be reprints of, "Void Rivals," #1 and, "Transformers," #1, featuring "...the iconic Transformers Signature Sound of the bots shifting from robot to alt mode – or vice versa," with different sounds for each comic.

This kind of thing has been done before--one humorous example is the low-budget horror movie, "Frankenhooker," with a button that plays the audio, "Want a date?" from the flick on the VHS box. In regards to comics, there was the recent, "Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong," which had, "Roar," variants as well. Even if this isn't exactly a brand-new novelty, I like seeing it!

IDW Shifting Its Focus, Hopefully to Survive!

IDW as a company has been through a lot (I've made posts covering that news). Now, it seems there is at least a plan to keep them chugging along. That plan as it were is a shift towards a horror-heavy focus via new imprints with creator-owned series as well as non-licensed content such as superhero, mafia, serial killer, and (interestingly enough) biblical stories--as opposed to mostly relying on the licensed stuff to keep the lights on as they've done for some time such as with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which they still hold) and other brands they lost such as G.I. Joe or Transformers (over at Skybound in the Energon Universe now). I generally enjoy a good spooky comic and letting creators own the rights can attract some notable talent (look at Image over the years or Vertigo when they let creators own the rights versus when they stopped doing that). Plus, unique takes on everything from heroes to the mob to even the bible could be fun. I mean, why not try to fill the hole left with when Vertigo died that other publishers have attempted to get into as well (but with nobody truly succeeding yet)? More will apparently be revealed in October at New York Comic-Con. I look forward to hearing further details then.

The Hot Comics Revue 18--These Comics May One Per Store, But There is No Limit to My Love

We've got two comics getting a lot of attention these past couple of weeks, with them both being surprise, "One-Per-Store," variant covers that retailers get with minimal warning from distributors. A surprise bonus comic is always fun and the fact these covers are (ostensibly) limited to one per store means they are limited in quantity--a bit like ratio variants. When a comic store gets these limited issues some will just throw them out on the salesfloor for regular cover price and some shops will mark the price up due to the rarity (again, a bit like ratio variants). There are one-per-store covers that barely get noticed and then there are ones that get a lot of heat. These past couple of weeks two titles have caught the attention of collectors/speculators/etc. Let's discuss...

The Power Fantasy #1

I recently discussed how this was a really fun first issue. Apparently, there are two versions of the A cover, which is fascinating, but there was also a one-per-store cover (it is by the series' artist, Caspar Wijngaar)  that basically nobody anticipated or realized was limited to one-per-store at first. Once that became apparent this thing started selling quite well, with copies going for $90-$110 with ease. The success of this one-per-store variant probably can be attributed to how this is the debut of the series an it has been getting good buzz.

Transformers #11

The, "Energon Universe," has been pretty popular over at Skybound (an imprint of Image), with one entity in that Universe being, "Transformers." For the 11th issue, a one-per-store cover appeared by James Harren. On this cover he homages his popular series, 'Ultramega," which is due to return from a hiatus soon, I recall. Between people who love the work of Harren and those who adore the Transformers, it has lit a fire under this book with it going online for anywhere from $75 up to $120. As this and, "The Power Fantasy," above go to show, sometimes a limited cover really gets folks excited!

The Debut Issue of Daniel Warren Johnson's, "Transformers," is Fantastic

I've read some of, "Void Rivals," which kicks off a shared, "Energon Universe," of new characters, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. It's an intriguing idea and when I heard the incredibly talented Daniel Warren Johnson was writing and illustrating the new, "Transformers,"-specfic book, that had my attention as the man is an absolute boss at making comics. Having dived into the debut issue of, "Transformers," it is superb

I won't pretend to be especially knowledgeable about the Transformers as while I've seen some cartoons and flicks with them, I would struggle to identify many of them besides the big ones like Optimus Prime. That said, this comic is perfectly friendly to use new readers (and even folks who haven't read the, "Void Rivals," stuff). Plus, it is just absolutely gorgeous.

Daniel Warren Johnson draws the Transformers with such care it is astounding. You just want to reach out and play with them as if they were real toys you could grasp. The details during a big fight scene are an absolute joy to drink in with one's eyes and I tip my hat to Johnson for making my jaw drop at his skill. There is a plot too, of course, and I am curious how the humans we meet will impact the Transformers and their long-lived war with the Decepticons. Johnson absolutely knocked this first issue out of the park, not that I expected anything less!

5 out of 5 stars.

Skybound to Publish Transformers and G.I. Joe Comics Within a Shared Universe Introduced in the, "Void Rivals," Comic

 6/15/23 Update: It was announced today that Larry Hama will indeed be launching, "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero," at Skybound with the numbering starting at issue #301, in some ways picking up right where he left off. That's really cool!

Okay, bear with me here. Image Comics has it where creators own the rights to their own comics and they don't do licensed stuff per se. That said, there are imprints within Image that have done licensed works (for example, Top Cow, I believe). Skybound is an Image imprint Robert Kirkman owns. Kirkman is known for, "The Walking Dead," and, "Invincible," which he owns with his co-creators. In interesting news, however, a new comic titled, "Void Rivals," which had its first issue come out today has introduced a new Universe--the Energon Universe--which features original characters Kirkman and artist Lorenzo De Felici have made along with licensed properties from Hasbro. Namely, Transformers and G.I. Joe. 

IDW lost the license to both of those properties and I'd heard of Skybound as being a possible home as well as Marvel, and so forth. It seems Skybound, "Secured the bag," however, as the end of the first issue of, 'Void Rivals," reveals that, "Void Rivals," will continue as a series and there will be G.I. Joe and Transformers-centric comics. This will all take place within the new, "Energon Universe." Image kinda sorta now has some big-name licensed properties thanks to Skybound. We live in interesting times.

I've read some G.I. Joe comics in the past and dabbled in Transformers ones as well. I'm intrigued by this shared Universe and hearing that Daniel Warren Johnson will be writing and drawing a new, "Transformers," series definitely gets my attention as he's a talented fellow. I am bummed that longtime G.I. Joe talent Larry Hama (he did a bunch of work on the series at Marvel and IDW) appears to not be involved to any degree, but one can hope that will change! In the meantime, it will be interesting to witness if this new Energon Universe works out with its mix of new and old. Kirkman seems confident about it, and the man has engineered some massive hits, so we shall see!

It's Always Interesting When a Comic Gets More Issues Instead of Less

Often a comic will supposedly launch as an ongoing series but end up lasting all of 6-12 issues and become a, "Stealth mini-series/maxi-series." Not too often, a comic starts as a mini/maxi and is so popular that it becomes ongoing. It happened with the old, "Transformers," comic and was a recent occurrence with the smash-hit, "Something is Killing the Children," but again, it is rare. Hence, it is interesting to see, "Poison Ivy," and her self-titled series went from being launched as six issues, to twelve, to now being a full ongoing.

I haven't read the comic yet, but I've heard good things about it. Written by G. Willow Wilson with art done by Marcio Takara, I have noticed a ton of great covers for the series and as I said, I've been told the plotting and art within the comic are superb. A collection of the first six issues will be released as, "Volume 1," when the 12th issue hits stands and then the 13th issue will roll out after that, with more to come!

I'm a Tad Concerned for IDW

When I say, "IDW," I mean all of this.

Even though Bleeding Cool can be a bit of a tabloid-styled site in regards to news about the comic-book industry (and the site is hideous with ads), it does report a whole lot of stuff, and in that process manages to touch upon/notice things not always that talked about on other sites. Hence, it has been talking about how IDW seems to be a little unstable financially and its making me a tad concerned to hear about the company's increasingly shaky status. I like IDW, but recall reading an article once a year or so ago that I am now unable to find (sorry) that discussed how the company didn't seem to have a clear image/persona. Was it a publisher of commercially-licensed properties worldwide people are fond of like, "My Little Pony," and, "Transformers," or was it more of a place for quirky indie-titles along the lines of, "Popbot," and, "Satellite Falling," to name two books? Was it a company with an eye for funding multimedia properties (e.g. getting comics made into movies and television shows) or instead more interested in creating cool board games?  Was it an art-comic company as its acquisition of the smaller publisher Top Shelf would have seemed to indicate, or more interested in reprinting old comics at a huge size in their high-quality (and high-cost) Artist's Edition hardcovers? I like IDW, but what is IDW?

Perhaps in its effort to be so many things, IDW is struggling to succeed at any one thing due to being spread so thin. We roll our eyes at the cliché phrase, "Jack of all trades, master of none," but it can have some truth. IDW is appealing to a wide-range of people, but only in one category. They have fans who are only into the board-games, just the Artist's Editions, or only some of their books. Everyone thinks of IDW as different things, and this fragmentation arguably makes it hard for the company to have much of a unified image, unlike say, the actual company and fellow publisher, Image.

One of the first comics released by IDW years ago, and a good one at that.

When it first started Image was thought of as a bit of a Marvel and DC knock-off with its strange super-hero titles, but it has since grown to be a renowned publisher of a wide range of great indie titles. It has a wide variety of works, but it is known for being a place dedicated to giving creator's the rights to their titles and doing everything from a horrific ongoing zombie-epic to off-kilter original graphic novels about Jesus as a kung-fu master. Image does a varying number of comics, but people have a clear idea of what Image is. Can we say the same for IDW, and is that why it might be having so much financial trouble? I honestly have loved many titles released by IDW and even though I can't afford a big Artist's Edition book flipping through one at a local comic store once was a phenomenal experience. I honestly like IDW, even if I'm not sure what exactly IDW is/is trying to be. I just hope we all figure it out before its too late.

"Go-Bots," #1 by Tom Scioli is Jam-Packed with Goodness

Note: Some people spell it, "Go-Bots," and others insist upon, "Gobots." The comic is officially titled, "Go-Bots," so I shall refer to it as such in the article.

Tom Scioli is a creator who knows how to make some stellar work. Whether he's doing his, "American Barbarian," comic, creating the magnum-opus which was, "Transformers VS G.I. Joe," or his latest project, "Go-Bots," his comic pages are a mixture of modern ingenuity with a nostalgic touch. I mean, the man hand-draws his art, colors it digitally, and then also hand-letters his work. There are not many hand-letterers in comics, let alone someone who does it all. Well, as he did with his, "Transformers VS G.I. Joe," comic for IDW, here Scioli brings us a his own unique take on another retro property, Go-Bots. Incorrectly assumed by some to be a Transformers rip-off, Go-Bots actually existed first, but as with many things that are the initial creation yet overshadowed by a later version (think Betamax and VHS), Go-Bots were kind of forgotten and/or outright mocked as a historical footnote--even once their rights were bought by the same company that owns the Transformer's license (Hasbro) and they were considered an alternate-universe of sorts of the Transformers...making them an, "Alternate," to an idea they were the original of, ouch.

Here's the thing though, Tom Scioli doesn't care about any of the past baggage carried by Go-Bots. He says in the back-matter of the comic how he had an idea and this comic is an expression of that idea. It's a world where humans created Go-Bots so they could have a car that basically walked with them, but over some time the Go-Bots got so advanced they were used for everything from warfare to medicine to NASCAR-esque racing, and even underground fight-rings. They are programmed to almost never be able to hurt a human, but some defy this through various means (both allowed or illicit). The, "Go-Bots," comic introduces us to an assortment of characters and leads-up to an evil Go-Bot and his ilk turning off any safeguards in Go-Bots, allowing them to rebel and hurt/kill any human if they so choose. It's a regular-length comic yet it feels absolutely jam-packed with the goodness of a super-sized book.

Scioli is a master of the comic-page. He can fill the space with many small panels, a big splash-page, or completely change the format from more grid-based to curving on the page as if to represent the speed in a scene, as the image up above shows. He jumps around to a number of stories but it feels like they all get to breathe, whether its a military Go-Bot and its operator, a famous racing Go-Bot and its self-absorbed driver, or a peppy commuter-focused Go-Bot with a young woman who rides it. Within this first issue the stories of everyone unfold in a way both isolated yet clearly interconnected in an assortment of ways. Plus, good God is everything just so gorgeous. Scioli's artwork makes you feel like the vintage toys have come to life through his art and it is simply astounding to witness. Scioli is a creator whose talent cannot be overstated in the least.

This first issue of, "Go-Bots," is spectacular (like much of Scioli's work) and I know Scioli will continue to impress with all the upcoming issues as he gives us a, "Go-Bot," story worthy of their status as the original transforming robots. Between an intriguing plot and his usual jaw-dropping artwork, Tom Scioli has done it again, and boy-howdy does, "It," always impress with him. I without question rate this comic 5 out of 5 stars and urge you to get to your newest comic shop to purchase a copy, as it is officially out today (with the Local Comic Shop edition having come out this previous Saturday, thereby giving some readers a head-start on ogling the gorgeous book). Seriously. regardless of if you've ever even heard of the Go-Bots you'll most likely love this comic, I know I did.

Movie Time--Transformers: Dark of The Moon

Transformers: Dark of The Moon
I saw the new Transformers movie in theaters. I have opinions.