WARNING! Potential spoilers for Void Rivals #13Void Rivals kicked off the Energon Universe when it launched in the summer of 2023, with the surprise appearance of the Transformers (2023) own Jetfire. Now, the G.I. Joe corner of Skybound’s shared universe will be entering the world of the Sacred Ring, as Cobra-La takes to the stars to mix things up with Void Rivals main characters Darak and Solila at the end of October.
Released via Skybound’s Instagram, the preview for Void Rivals #13 comes from the creative team of Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo de Felici, Patricio Delpeche and Rus Wooton. The preview opens with Pythona, who was sent on a mission to space at the end of the Cobra Commander miniseries.
Interestingly, Pythona has a dream where she is being scolded by Lord Golobulus, the ruler of Cobra-La. Readers haven’t seen much of the snake-bodied leader in the Energon Universe thus far, but Pythona’s dream illustrates how much Golobulus is feared by his subordinates.
Pythona & Cobra-La Head to the Stars in Void Rivals
The reveal of Cobra-La in Cobra Commander #1 was quite the talking point for G.I. Joe fans. The outlandish, sci-fi nature of the concept has long been a contentious point among some fans who saw Cobra-La as a step too far into the fantastic. The Energon Universe creators should be given credit, however, as Cobra-La has been an intriguing element running throughout the line. The arrival of Pythona and her Cobra-La guards in the pages of Void Rivals should make for an exciting crossover between the two properties and will likely set up what could be the Energon Universe’s first major crossover between all titles.
Cobra-La first appeared in the 1986 animated film
G.I. Joe: The Movie
, which revealed Cobra Commander’s origins in the cartoon as a member of the hidden society of snake people.
Void Rivals has been slowly building out the far corners of the Energon Universe, using some of the more obscure details of classic Transformers lore in its world-building. This world-building culminated in the shocking reveal of Unicron in Void Rivals #12, where it was strongly hinted that the Sacred Ring was somehow related to the big bad of the Transformers franchise. Now that fans know that the Zertonians and the Agorrians of the Sacred Ring were created from Cybertronian technology, the connections to classic TF lore should only become more clear in the pages of Void Rivals.
Cobra-La Declares War on the Transformers
Now that Cobra-La will be arriving at the Sacred Ring, readers should be eager to see how the ongoing saga of the Energon Universe will continue to unfold. Golobulus’ intention of declaring war on Cybertron will likely play into future plans, and the potential discovery of the Sacred Ring’s origins should also prove to be contentious for Cobra-La.
Cobra-La proved so controversial that Larry Hama refused to include them in the original Marvel
G.I. Joe
comics. Instead, Cobra Commander was a used car salesman who built Cobra out of money made from various pyramid schemes.
Readers also mustn’t forget Megatron, who was held captive by Cobra-La for centuries and only recently broke free from his imprisonment. Several intriguing storylines are playing out in the Energon Universe, so G.I. Joe and Transformers fans will have to keep reading Void Rivals to find out what happens next.
Void Rivals #13 is available October 23rd, 2024 from Skybound Entertainment.
Source: Skybound
Transformers (2023)
Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
- Writer
- Daniel Warren Johnson
- Penciler
- Daniel Warren Johnson
- Colorist
- Mike Spicer
- Letterer
- Rus Wooton
- Publisher(s)
- Image Comics , Skybound Entertainment
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a long-running franchise centered around a line of action figures produced by Hasbro, which has expanded into a wide array of media including comic books, animated series, and films. The franchise is known for its depiction of an elite military unit, G.I. Joe, fighting against the terrorist organization Cobra. Over the decades, G.I. Joe has become a significant cultural icon, particularly in the United States, with its slogan “A Real American Hero.”
- Created by
- Donald Levine
- Latest TV Show
- G.I. Joe Renegades
- First Episode Air Date
- September 12, 1983
- Character(s)
- Duke , Snake Eyes , Cobra Commander , Storm Shadow , Scarlet , The Baroness , Roadblock , Destro , Zartan , Flint
Summary
G.I. Joe is a long-running franchise centered around a line of action figures produced by Hasbro, which has expanded into a wide array of media including comic books, animated series, and films. The franchise is known for its depiction of an elite military unit, G.I. Joe, fighting against the terrorist organization Cobra. Over the decades, G.I. Joe has become a significant cultural icon, particularly in the United States, with its slogan “A Real American Hero.”
