WARNING! Potential spoilers for Void Rivals #13Void Rivalskicked off the Energon Universe when it launched in the summer of 2023, with the surprise appearance of theTransformers (2023)own Jetfire. Now, theG.I. Joecorner 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 withVoid Rivalsmain characters Darak and Solila at the end of October.
Released viaSkybound’s Instagram, the preview forVoid 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 theend of theCobra Commanderminiseries.
Interestingly, Pythona has a dream whereshe 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.
The reveal ofCobra-La inCobra Commander#1was quite the talking point forG.I. Joefans. 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, asCobra-La has been an intriguing element running throughout the line. The arrival of Pythona and her Cobra-La guards in the pages ofVoid Rivalsshould 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 filmG.I. Joe: The Movie, which revealed Cobra Commander’s origins in the cartoon as a member of the hidden society of snake people.
Void Rivalshas been slowly buildingout the far corners of the Energon Universe, using some of the more obscure details of classicTransformerslore in its world-building. This world-building culminated in the shocking reveal of Unicron inVoid Rivals#12, where it was strongly hinted thatthe Sacred Ring was somehow related to the big bad of theTransformersfranchise.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 ofVoid 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 MarvelG.I. Joecomics. Instead, Cobra Commander was a used car salesman who built Cobra out of money made from various pyramid schemes.
Readersalso 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, soG.I. JoeandTransformersfans will have to keep readingVoid Rivalsto find out what happens next.
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.
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joeis 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. Joehas become a significant cultural icon, particularly in the United States, with its slogan “A Real American Hero.”
