Robert Kirkman, original creator of The Walking Dead, launched a brand new comic last week. Science fiction themed rather than horror, Void Rivals is, at least thus far, a rather simple and frankly derivative tale with a big cameo at the end intended to open up a broader shared universe (I know, I know, does everything need to be a “shared universe” these days?) with other famous licensed properties. Does it work? It may be too soon to tell.

Publication of the first issue of Void Rivals was conveniently timed to coincide not only with the premiere of the latest Walking Dead TV series spinoff (Dead City), but also a big blockbuster movie in theaters. The true nature of the comic was kept pretty tightly under wraps until right before release. However, at this point, the cat’s out of the bag and a lot of publicity hype has been generated about the issue, so I won’t feel too bad spoiling it here.

Title:	Void Rivals
Issue:	01
Published:	Jun. 14, 2023
Publisher:	Image Comics
Writer:	Robert Kirkman
Artist:	Lorenzo De Felici
Format:	Comic Book

The basic premise of the book is quickly established when two starship pilots, from rival humanoid cultures currently in the middle of a bitter war, both crash onto an uninhabited rock in the middle of nowhere. With each of their ships too disabled to fly and no communications operational, these sworn enemies must grudgingly work together to survive an inhospitable environment and hopefully find a way to get back to their respective homes.

In other words, the whole thing is basically a rehash of the 1985 Dennis Quaid/Louis Gossett Jr. sci-fi flick Enemy Mine, which was in turn already a rehash of the 1968 Lee Marvin/Toshirô Mifune WWII drama Hell in the Pacific.

Maybe something more will come out of it in the future, but the first issue is very short and feels very familiar in a lot of ways, even beyond the plot. The main male character, Darak, essentially wears Star Lord’s jacket from Guardians of the Galaxy on top of an Iron Man suit. He even has a robotic A.I. in his glove (called Handroid) to be his J.A.R.V.I.S. and give him advice.

It may be awfully early to cast judgement, but I probably wouldn’t be compelled to continue on with reading future issues of the comic if not for the surprise appearance at the end.

It turns out that Void Rivals is the launching point for what’s being called the Energon Universe, which will tie this original title to a new narrative continuity shared with Transformers and (later) G.I. Joe, both officially licensed from Hasbro. At the end of the issue, Darak and his counterpart Solila come across what appears to be the wreckage of another ship that crashed long before them. After feeding it the last bit of power they can scrape together, the ship transforms into the Autobot named Jetfire, who is very confused about where he is, who they are, or how long he’s been non-functional.

My understanding is that crossovers will not necessarily happen in every issue, and that Jetfire’s appearance in this one was only meant to set the stage for the idea of a shared universe. In fact, Jetfire comes across as kind of a jerk here and immediately ditches his humanoid saviors without giving them a second thought. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see anyone beyond Darak and Solila in the next few issues of Void Rivals.

A separate, dedicated Transformers comic will launch in October, followed by two G.I. Joe standalone titles: Duke starting December 2023 and Cobra Commander starting January 2024. How, or even if, G.I. Joe connects to Void Rivals, I can’t imagine. (Please no Star Brigade!) But Transformers and G.I. Joe have long been sibling properties. The two have crossed over in previous comics and (here comes another spoiler, sorry!) the after-credits teaser at the end of this year’s Rise of the Beasts movie. Hasbro also recently released a couple of Transformers x G.I. Joe toys that were pretty cool.

Some G.I. Joe fans are unhappy about Hasbro trying to hitch the brand to the Transformers wagon, but I don’t have a problem with it. As a kid, I desperately wanted Transformers toys in scale and compatibility with G.I. Joe.

As for the comics, based on just the one issue, I’m not overly enthusiastic for Void Rivals just yet. It’s not bad, but it’s also decidedly not great. However, I’m willing to give Robert Kirkman the benefit of the doubt and see how he ties all this together. Hopefully this story gets more interesting as it goes. Even if not, I’ll try to remain optimistic that the dedicated Transformers and G.I. Joe books will work well enough on their own.

Related

• TV
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• Movies
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  • Transformers (2007)
  • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
  • Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
  • Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
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  • Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021)
  • Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
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• Reading & Misc.
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  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1982-1994) Marvel comic book compendium
  • The Art of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (2023) book review
  • The Art of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Blu-ray Digipack (2024)
• Video Games
  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1991) NES Video Game