Energon Universe
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The Energon Universe is the name for the shared universe in which Skybound Entertainment's comic books featuring licensed properties from Hasbro take place. Launched in 2023, these properties currently include an ongoing Transformers series, a line of G.I. Joe comics, and the original series Void Rivals.
Overview
[edit]The aliens Darak and Solila, members of two warring factions, become stranded on a deserted planet and are forced to work together to survive. While attempting to escape, the two come across the derelict form of the Cybertronian Jetfire, who is restored to functionality and leaves to check on the state of his homeworld, Cybertron.
Jetfire's journey brings him to the planet Earth, where he finds and reactivates the dormant Autobots and Decepticons and they resume their war. In response to their awakening, events are set into motion that will lead to the formation of the special ops team G.I. Joe and the terrorist organization Cobra.
Development
[edit]Comic series
[edit]Robert Kirkman first began developing the Energon Universe in 2021 after Hasbro approached Skybound about taking over the licenses for Transformers and G.I. Joe from IDW Publishing. Wanting to do something unique, Kirkman proposed launching the universe with a new property that would feature a surprise reveal in the first issue, which eventually became Void Rivals. Along with writing Void Rivals, Kirkman acts as a sort of "showrunner" for the rest of the Energon Universe line, with other creators working on the main Transformers and G.I. Joe comics.<ref>How Robert Kirkman's Void Rivals Secretly Launches a Massive Shared Universe — IGN</ref> It was named the Energon Universe after Joshua Williamson pitched the idea of integrating Energon into the Cobra Commander mini series.<ref>{{#if: We were actually struggling for a name for the line, as Josh was developing Cobra Commander. He was like "I think I think they could find some Energon in the swamp here". And I was like "oh, Energon's in G.I. Joe now. I can put Energon in Void Rivals, super easy." |"We were actually struggling for a name for the line, as Josh was developing Cobra Commander. He was like "I think I think they could find some Energon in the swamp here". And I was like "oh, Energon's in G.I. Joe now. I can put Energon in Void Rivals, super easy.""—|}}{{#if: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s |Robert Kirkman|Robert Kirkman}}{{#if: YouTube |, YouTube|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2025 |, 2025{{#if: 05 |/{{#switch:{{#len:05}}|1=005|05}}{{#if: 12|/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTfuouxzEg&t=2889s%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
In the letters page for Void Rivals #3, Kirkman stated that there were no plans to integrate other Hasbro properties into the Energon Universe, though that could change in the future — something that did indeed occur in 2025 with the introduction of Matt Trakker and Miles Mayhem from M.A.S.K. into the universe. He also confirmed that they don't plan to have more than four series running at once. As of Void Rivals #15, Kirkman had affirmed that the Energon Universe will "for the foreseeable future" consist solely of the Void Rivals, Transformers and G.I. Joe ongoing titles to keep the line at a manageable, easy-to-follow size, with no plans to publish any additional miniseries in the style of the four G.I. Joe origin stories. However, in February 2026, Kirkman’s keynote address at ComicsPro announced the addition of a fourth ongoing, based on M.A.S.K., being written by Dan Watters and drawn by Simon Parr.<ref> Image Comics: IMAGE/SKYBOUND & HASBRO ANNOUNCE NEW ENERGON UNIVERSE SERIES M.A.S.K. BY DAN WATTERS & PYE PARR</ref> According to the letter to the readers in the Energon Universe 2026 Special, this was planned from the very beginning.
Animated series
[edit]An animated adaptation of the Energon Universe, produced by Skybound and Hasbro with Joe Henderson attached as showrunner, was reported to be in-development in late 2025. Like the source material, it is meant to be aimed at an older audience than the typical Transformers viewer.<ref>Deadline: Energon Universe Adult Animated Series Based On Comic From Hasbro & Skybound With Joe Henderson As Showrunner Hitting TV Marketplace</ref>
List of featured intellectual properties
[edit]- Void Rivals (original)
- Transformers
- G.I. Joe
- M.A.S.K.
Titles
[edit]Ongoing series
[edit]Limited series
[edit]Specials
[edit]Distribution and localization
[edit]| Publisher | Country | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Ades Media | Sweden | Swedish |
| Moztros Editorial | Spain | Spanish |
| Nagle Comics | Poland | Polish |
| OVNI Press | Latin America | Spanish |
| Panini Comics | Germany | German |
| saldaPress | Italy | Italian |
| Szukits Kiadó | Hungary | Hungarian |
| Tiandi Press | China | Chinese |
| Urban Comics | France | French |
| Panini Comics | Brazil | Portuguese |
Toyline
[edit]Void Rivals
[edit]| San Diego Comic-Con 2025 |  |
Studio Series
[edit]| Hasbro Pulse |  |
Posters
[edit]-
-
Second anniversary poster (2025).
Notes
[edit]- Previously, non-Transformers comics fell out of this wiki’s purview unless they featured Transformers characters in them. For example, IDW Publishing's G.I. Joe vol. 5 is covered on this wiki due to the presence of Skywarp, but the preceding volumes are not. However, unlike prior publishers such as IDW and Marvel Comics, the Energon Universe's non-Transformers properties are being incorporated into one cohesive universe right from the get-go, with Cybertronians appearing as recurring characters in Void Rivals and driving the plots of the various G.I. Joe series (and later appearing in them as well). As it wouldn’t be very user friendly to only cover those issues that feature Transformers characters, we at TFWiki.net have, at least for now, opted to cover the non-Transformers titles in the Energon Universe in full, in order to keep everything nice and simple.