Energon Universe - ongoing Transformers and G.I. Joe comics from Skybound
- Thread starter SHIELD Agent 47
- Start date
Okay, time to catch back up again! Enjoy a month's worth of reviews!
Let's start with the Energon Universe Free Comic Book Day 2026 issue.
I'll admit....I think this might have been the weakest FCBD issue yet? I mean, it's fine. How much can you expect for free? Especially since, this MIGHT have been done pretty last minute because there might have been some question about whether or not FCBD would even happen this year, with Diamond's problems and all. But, still, this year's offering felt...extremely optional. That's the nicest way I can put it.
Next up is Transformers #32!
This is mostly one big action issue set on Cybertron. And...man, things happen this issue. I was surprised to see who shows up, that's for sure. Not a lot to discuss, but it was fun to see. And I feel like they're building up to something, here. We'll see. But, definitely a fun issue!
GI Joe #22 is up next!
This is the start of what feels to be a pretty fun arc. A little spookier, a little creepier. While also dealing with one character's past coming back to haunt him, literally. Pretty solid. This might even be a good jumping on point, if you haven't jumped on yet. I think this could be a memorable arc.
And finally, the latest issue, Void Rivals #30!
This is the end of the Quintesson War event. And it ends...a little differently than I expected. It actually sets up a pretty interesting status quo for the future of the book. It might be worth checking out, because it seems like this book will become more relevant to the Transformers down the road.
Let's start with the Energon Universe Free Comic Book Day 2026 issue.
I'll admit....I think this might have been the weakest FCBD issue yet? I mean, it's fine. How much can you expect for free? Especially since, this MIGHT have been done pretty last minute because there might have been some question about whether or not FCBD would even happen this year, with Diamond's problems and all. But, still, this year's offering felt...extremely optional. That's the nicest way I can put it.
We start off with MASK! And Miles Mayhem is interviewing Vanessa Warfield (AKA Ice Queen!) for a position in his new organization. You don't get health care, but you do get a giant mask that gives you superpowers! A fair enough trade-off, I suppose. And the company car is a nice perk, too. Honestly? I could actually see Vanessa's backstory being based on someone real. We get a mention of Darklonia, so Destro's got some involvement in this. And Miles manages to free Sly Rax (AKA Wrecker) from a Russian prison. But, Matt Trakker's already sent out a bunch of special watches to people all over the world. The MASK network is online! So, the teams are forming pretty quickly, here. I'm not sure if this was basically half of the first issue of MASK or not. We've seen some of these pages in the back of regular issues before. I guess we'll see in a week or so when it actually comes out.
In the Transformers story, there seems to be a female soldier who crash landed in the jungle trying to survive. And she's living inside Ironhide's body! And...that's it! Very mysterious...but, not very satisfying. As for who my guess for who this is? Um...I guess it could be Marissa Faireborne? She's from the cartoon, which Skybound loves, and they haven't done their version of her yet. Otherwise....I don't know. Joan? Karen Fishoook? Jessica Morgan? Someone new? Who knows?! This could be set in the past or the future, we have no way of knowing.
tfwiki.net
tfwiki.net
tfwiki.net
tfwiki.net
In the Void Rivals story, Proximus and Ultum crash land on Junkion! MAN, they got sent off course! And they end up running into dear, sweet, precious Akronus! We haven't seen him since issue #20! And the legends were true, he is indeed decked out in in armor made of junk! So, they all decide to head back to Earth together! ROAD TRIP! We're getting a crossover between Void Rivals and...Transformers or GI Joe, one of the two!
In the GI Joe section, we get a little origin for Zartan! Experimenting with Energon has basically turned him into a Energon vampire! Between him and Megatron, there's a lot of that going around. Remember to take your vitamins, folks! And at least now we know the original Hawk is still alive. Maybe not happy, and pretty bored inside that vault, but he probably will get busted out sooner or later.
In the Transformers story, there seems to be a female soldier who crash landed in the jungle trying to survive. And she's living inside Ironhide's body! And...that's it! Very mysterious...but, not very satisfying. As for who my guess for who this is? Um...I guess it could be Marissa Faireborne? She's from the cartoon, which Skybound loves, and they haven't done their version of her yet. Otherwise....I don't know. Joan? Karen Fishoook? Jessica Morgan? Someone new? Who knows?! This could be set in the past or the future, we have no way of knowing.
Marissa Faireborn - Transformers Wiki
Joan - Transformers Wiki
Karen Fishook - Transformers Wiki
Jessica Morgan - Transformers Wiki
In the Void Rivals story, Proximus and Ultum crash land on Junkion! MAN, they got sent off course! And they end up running into dear, sweet, precious Akronus! We haven't seen him since issue #20! And the legends were true, he is indeed decked out in in armor made of junk! So, they all decide to head back to Earth together! ROAD TRIP! We're getting a crossover between Void Rivals and...Transformers or GI Joe, one of the two!
In the GI Joe section, we get a little origin for Zartan! Experimenting with Energon has basically turned him into a Energon vampire! Between him and Megatron, there's a lot of that going around. Remember to take your vitamins, folks! And at least now we know the original Hawk is still alive. Maybe not happy, and pretty bored inside that vault, but he probably will get busted out sooner or later.
Next up is Transformers #32!
This is mostly one big action issue set on Cybertron. And...man, things happen this issue. I was surprised to see who shows up, that's for sure. Not a lot to discuss, but it was fun to see. And I feel like they're building up to something, here. We'll see. But, definitely a fun issue!
Elita's team is back on Cybertron! And they're behind Decepticon enemy lines! It's always something with these guys, isn't it?
And they manage to get ambushed by...basically the entire Decepticon Army! So many cameos! Shockwave, Lockdown, Blackarachnia, Prime Skyquake (I was kinda hoping for G1 Skyquake, but oh well), Knock Out, Ratbat, Sunstorm, Acid Storm, Lugnut, Prime Breakdown, and Thrust! WHOO! Someone's been skimming the wiki! Or had a BUNCH of characters they wanted to get to really fast, for whatever reason.
Man, Bumblebee really can't catch a break in this continuity, can he? His body basically gets atomized in Jetfire's hands.
"No matter! I get to rediscover the intricacies of your innards all over again!" Well....I guess everyone needs a hobby.
The Autobots are getting routed. So, Elita decides it's time to try and use the Matrix. Which...feels like overkill for a situation like this, but okay, whatever. And...I doesn't work for her. Which is strange, since it DID give her a new form and all. But, the Matrix has been acting weird for a while now, so something's up. So, when all else fails, you go to the old standby....hitting it until it works! A this time violence is DEFINITELY the correct answer! Because Elita gets a massive Matrix Blade for her trouble. Unexpected, but I appreciate it. I kind have to wonder if there's some inspiration taken from Omega Prime's Matrix Blade here, but I'm not sure if Kirkman's ever seen RID 2001. Eltia's calling this "The Ghost of the Star Saber". So, more hints of Prima and the Thirteen, here.
Makeshift from Prime even gets a cameo. That's kind of a deeper cut! Literally in this case (he-he!).
"Blood and souls! Blood and souls for my Lord Arioch!" Yeah...Eltia's violence feels like it should be a bit worrying, here.
We get to see Elita Prime's new alt mode. And it's a hybrid jet-cycle. It looks neat enough. I'm not sure if the transformation actually works out, but they might be able to make this into a actual toy down the road.
So, after getting decimated by Elita on a rampage, Shockwave decides it's time to visit Alpha Trion. So, that should be a interesting meeting. He's only been mentioned in Void Rivals so far in this universe, so that's kind of further hinting that it's the Transformers who might be dealing with the Void Rivals gang in the future.
And they manage to get ambushed by...basically the entire Decepticon Army! So many cameos! Shockwave, Lockdown, Blackarachnia, Prime Skyquake (I was kinda hoping for G1 Skyquake, but oh well), Knock Out, Ratbat, Sunstorm, Acid Storm, Lugnut, Prime Breakdown, and Thrust! WHOO! Someone's been skimming the wiki! Or had a BUNCH of characters they wanted to get to really fast, for whatever reason.
Man, Bumblebee really can't catch a break in this continuity, can he? His body basically gets atomized in Jetfire's hands.
"No matter! I get to rediscover the intricacies of your innards all over again!" Well....I guess everyone needs a hobby.
The Autobots are getting routed. So, Elita decides it's time to try and use the Matrix. Which...feels like overkill for a situation like this, but okay, whatever. And...I doesn't work for her. Which is strange, since it DID give her a new form and all. But, the Matrix has been acting weird for a while now, so something's up. So, when all else fails, you go to the old standby....hitting it until it works! A this time violence is DEFINITELY the correct answer! Because Elita gets a massive Matrix Blade for her trouble. Unexpected, but I appreciate it. I kind have to wonder if there's some inspiration taken from Omega Prime's Matrix Blade here, but I'm not sure if Kirkman's ever seen RID 2001. Eltia's calling this "The Ghost of the Star Saber". So, more hints of Prima and the Thirteen, here.
Makeshift from Prime even gets a cameo. That's kind of a deeper cut! Literally in this case (he-he!).
"Blood and souls! Blood and souls for my Lord Arioch!" Yeah...Eltia's violence feels like it should be a bit worrying, here.
We get to see Elita Prime's new alt mode. And it's a hybrid jet-cycle. It looks neat enough. I'm not sure if the transformation actually works out, but they might be able to make this into a actual toy down the road.
So, after getting decimated by Elita on a rampage, Shockwave decides it's time to visit Alpha Trion. So, that should be a interesting meeting. He's only been mentioned in Void Rivals so far in this universe, so that's kind of further hinting that it's the Transformers who might be dealing with the Void Rivals gang in the future.
GI Joe #22 is up next!
This is the start of what feels to be a pretty fun arc. A little spookier, a little creepier. While also dealing with one character's past coming back to haunt him, literally. Pretty solid. This might even be a good jumping on point, if you haven't jumped on yet. I think this could be a memorable arc.
Cobra Commander seems to be enjoying his new Energon Katana. I don't blame him, that thing would look SWEET on somebody's wall. And CC wants Destro to...get out. Leave. On a field mission. Just as long as he isn't here. Also, a good move, frankly, after that whole Dreadnok War business.
We get a little glimpse of Risk's backstory. His faulty risk assessment got his whole platoon killed. And Baroness has NO patience for Risk's PTSD nightmares. Not the most comforting soul in the world, but fair enough.
Hawk/Zartan wants Energon! And he's sending the Baroness, Striker, and Risk in to...Badhikistan. That name's on the nose. I guess it's from the Devil's Due run. And the entire city is HAUNTED! WHOOOOO!
Destro's here and he thinks the Joes are trying to spook him. I smell Scooby-Doo style shenanigans afoot! Is there a shady real estate scheme in the offing here?
It's all fun and bullets until Mercer gets attacked by a glowing green octopus. We all know where this is going.
Turns out it's Crystal Ball testing out his DIRE Tech. It brings your fears to life by looking into your very SOUL! So...I guess Mercer has a fear of tentacles? Do not fear the tentacle! The tentacle is your friend! Embrace the tentacle, lest the tentacle embrace you first!
And, of course, Risk's worst fear is facing off against his zombified platoon he let down. This should be a fun arc. For us, the readers. For Risk, I'm sure he's going to need therapy he can't get because he's in a secret military organization.
We get a little glimpse of Risk's backstory. His faulty risk assessment got his whole platoon killed. And Baroness has NO patience for Risk's PTSD nightmares. Not the most comforting soul in the world, but fair enough.
Hawk/Zartan wants Energon! And he's sending the Baroness, Striker, and Risk in to...Badhikistan. That name's on the nose. I guess it's from the Devil's Due run. And the entire city is HAUNTED! WHOOOOO!
Destro's here and he thinks the Joes are trying to spook him. I smell Scooby-Doo style shenanigans afoot! Is there a shady real estate scheme in the offing here?
It's all fun and bullets until Mercer gets attacked by a glowing green octopus. We all know where this is going.
Turns out it's Crystal Ball testing out his DIRE Tech. It brings your fears to life by looking into your very SOUL! So...I guess Mercer has a fear of tentacles? Do not fear the tentacle! The tentacle is your friend! Embrace the tentacle, lest the tentacle embrace you first!
And, of course, Risk's worst fear is facing off against his zombified platoon he let down. This should be a fun arc. For us, the readers. For Risk, I'm sure he's going to need therapy he can't get because he's in a secret military organization.
And finally, the latest issue, Void Rivals #30!
This is the end of the Quintesson War event. And it ends...a little differently than I expected. It actually sets up a pretty interesting status quo for the future of the book. It might be worth checking out, because it seems like this book will become more relevant to the Transformers down the road.
Darak tries to save his father from drowning in a pit full of Sharkticons! But, it's Super Solila ends up arriving in time to save them both, even though her power-up runs out.
Too bad it was all for naught. Because, Darak's dad gets eaten by a Sharkticon. (NO! Think...of the cholesterol!) Well....at least Darak's holidays will be pretty free from now on? Is this the "Loss" meme? It feels close. To be honest...I feel nothing for this character. I'm a little sad that Darak's sad. But, I just don't care about Darak's dad...not even enough to bother to try to look up his actual name again.
Meanwhile, Solila's having a argument with her goddess. And Zerta doesn't see the point in trying to fight the Quintessons at this point, they're just too overpowered. Zerta wants everyone to abandon the Ring and get reinforcements from Cybertron. Oh....Zerta doesn't know about the Civil War, does she? Oh....she's in for a rude awakening. I guess she already got her rude awakening, thinking about it. And now Zerta has to prevent Unity, so that the Goliant doesn't fall into the Quintesson's hands.
So, now Solila and depressed Darak have to hitch a ride with the Cobra-La gang. Space Hobos again. How embarrassing. Pythona seems interested in Handroid. I'm calling it now, Pythona's going to get a Handroid of her own before this is all over.
The Quintesson Tribunal shows up and wounds their fleeing organic spaceship. Poor thing. They're going to need to feed it a REALLY big leaf or something to help it heal later.
Proximus and Ultum are leaving the Ring, too. So...I guess this issue takes place BEFORE the FCBD story.
"I am ready for more war!" Hmm...is this commentary on current events or not?
And Zalilak surrenders to the Quintessons. Huh. I actually didn't see that coming. The "good guys" lose. I really thought there'd be some crazy last minute deus ex machina that would save their planet. But...nope! That's...actually potentially more interesting? Hmm....it could make for a pretty good "rebellion" plotline.
"This war is far from over!" So, I guess we should prepare for Quintesson War 2 Electric Boogaloo? Yup, they sure are planting seeds for a crossover event with the Transformers sometime down the road.
In the letters page...we might just see the Terrorcon combiner team in the future, since they are Quintesson creations, now that Kirkman is aware of that little detail. Kind of interesting to think about how they could get worked in.
Too bad it was all for naught. Because, Darak's dad gets eaten by a Sharkticon. (NO! Think...of the cholesterol!) Well....at least Darak's holidays will be pretty free from now on? Is this the "Loss" meme? It feels close. To be honest...I feel nothing for this character. I'm a little sad that Darak's sad. But, I just don't care about Darak's dad...not even enough to bother to try to look up his actual name again.
Meanwhile, Solila's having a argument with her goddess. And Zerta doesn't see the point in trying to fight the Quintessons at this point, they're just too overpowered. Zerta wants everyone to abandon the Ring and get reinforcements from Cybertron. Oh....Zerta doesn't know about the Civil War, does she? Oh....she's in for a rude awakening. I guess she already got her rude awakening, thinking about it. And now Zerta has to prevent Unity, so that the Goliant doesn't fall into the Quintesson's hands.
So, now Solila and depressed Darak have to hitch a ride with the Cobra-La gang. Space Hobos again. How embarrassing. Pythona seems interested in Handroid. I'm calling it now, Pythona's going to get a Handroid of her own before this is all over.
The Quintesson Tribunal shows up and wounds their fleeing organic spaceship. Poor thing. They're going to need to feed it a REALLY big leaf or something to help it heal later.
Proximus and Ultum are leaving the Ring, too. So...I guess this issue takes place BEFORE the FCBD story.
"I am ready for more war!" Hmm...is this commentary on current events or not?
And Zalilak surrenders to the Quintessons. Huh. I actually didn't see that coming. The "good guys" lose. I really thought there'd be some crazy last minute deus ex machina that would save their planet. But...nope! That's...actually potentially more interesting? Hmm....it could make for a pretty good "rebellion" plotline.
"This war is far from over!" So, I guess we should prepare for Quintesson War 2 Electric Boogaloo? Yup, they sure are planting seeds for a crossover event with the Transformers sometime down the road.
In the letters page...we might just see the Terrorcon combiner team in the future, since they are Quintesson creations, now that Kirkman is aware of that little detail. Kind of interesting to think about how they could get worked in.
I believe the last time we saw Wheelie was in Void Rivals #24, and he stayed behind on Quintessa while Pythona left to sneak onboard a Quintesson screw-ship. So, he's on a different planet than everyone else. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if we see him again pretty soon, now that Quintesson War is over.
Last edited:
Also, the August Solicitations are out!
The images:
And some commentary on the solicits:
Image Comics August 2026 Full Solicits And Solicitations
Image Comics August 2026 solicits launch Hammerfist, The Last Driver, Unfinished Tales, Bug Wars, Chachu, Death Vigil, Regicide & Yumo: 00EX
bleedingcool.com
The images:
And some commentary on the solicits:
The main Joe team is going to be fighting Night Force! And you know Zartan/Hawk is probably going to find a way to profit off of all of this.
In MASK, Miles Mayhem has a secret! What could it possibly be?! I'm gonna guess...their vehicles are actually Transformers, or at least his will be. But, we'll see. Maybe Miles is actually working with the Decepticons or Cobra-La or something?
In Transformers, Wheeljack's working on a secret project. So...Dinobots, finally? Given how long they've put it off it's probably something else. But, Dinobots are a maybe, still.
And in Void Rivals, Darak and Solila run into someone mysterious! Someone with one red eye and mantis claws and who generally looks kind of weird. Given everything that's happening in Void Rivals, my first thought was that it was Golobulus from Cobra-La. But, the red eye is actually on the wrong side for that. So, maybe this is someone else entirely? It doesn't look like a Inhumanoid. Or a Battle Beast. Maybe it could be a Dire Wraith from ROM? It could be some other Hasbro-owned franchise, but I'm not sure what else it could be. I guess we'll find out.
In MASK, Miles Mayhem has a secret! What could it possibly be?! I'm gonna guess...their vehicles are actually Transformers, or at least his will be. But, we'll see. Maybe Miles is actually working with the Decepticons or Cobra-La or something?
In Transformers, Wheeljack's working on a secret project. So...Dinobots, finally? Given how long they've put it off it's probably something else. But, Dinobots are a maybe, still.
And in Void Rivals, Darak and Solila run into someone mysterious! Someone with one red eye and mantis claws and who generally looks kind of weird. Given everything that's happening in Void Rivals, my first thought was that it was Golobulus from Cobra-La. But, the red eye is actually on the wrong side for that. So, maybe this is someone else entirely? It doesn't look like a Inhumanoid. Or a Battle Beast. Maybe it could be a Dire Wraith from ROM? It could be some other Hasbro-owned franchise, but I'm not sure what else it could be. I guess we'll find out.
Finally, Manterror gets his due.
Also, damn, didn't realize Corpse Knight as a 6-issue mini, I should've held out for the TPB.
T Transmetal 2 Scourge!
So, there's a rumor that the blind-bag version of MASK issue #1 may contain a few secret surprises. Like possibly a chance of getting a never-before-released extra comic.
I can't say that I care for the whole blind bag resurgence. And I don't know if I'll try it myself. But, just letting people know. I'd be interested to see what people get, at least.
Inside M.A.S.K. #1 Comic Book Blind Bag From Skybound (Spoilers)
Time to go inside the M.A.S.K. #1 comic book Blind Bag from Skybound and Image... or at least, one of them (Spoilers)
bleedingcool.com
I can't say that I care for the whole blind bag resurgence. And I don't know if I'll try it myself. But, just letting people know. I'd be interested to see what people get, at least.
The first issue of MASK and Transformers #33 are out!
Let's talk about MASK first. It's a solid enough start. I'm just not sure if this is actually the best place to start for a new fan or not? I feel like this issue kind of assumes you've been following the rest of the Energon Universe comics so far. Or at least this year's Free Comic Book Day issue. It kind of throws you in at the deep end.
Something happens in this issue that...I'm not sure if it's a reference to something that happened in the cartoon, or not. I've never actually sat down and watched the MASK cartoon. I only know the awesome theme song. So, this could be a reference to something from the MASK cartoon....or it could be something else. We'll talk about that after the issue breakdown.
Do I recommend this issue? Well...it's fine. It didn't blow my socks off. And it really doesn't have much of a hook on it's own merits. But, there are things..."surrounding" this issue, that I think could make this a MUCH more interesting and important series than some people might expect. You might just want to get in on the ground floor, since I have a feeling this will be important to the larger universe going forward. But, we'll see. If you care about the entire Energon Universe, you might want to check this out. If you don't, and really only care about the Transformers side of things, I think you'd be okay skipping this, honestly.
So, between comics, I think we need to talk about the MASK blind bags. We seem to know what all the "mystery comics" you could get in those blind bags are now. One of them is kind of a big spoiler. Kind of a big surprise. Kirkman does love his big surprises. He's addicted to them really. Gotta love him for it. Spoilers below about something that may actually surprise you.
Finally, let's talk about Transformers #33!
This is kind of a quieter breather issue. We're kind of in between tragedies at the moment, and just letting the characters relax, which is kind of nice.
Stuff happens, but this issue is really more about just letting these characters bond with each other. It's more about their relationships, this issue. And that's kind of pleasant to see. We kind of needed a slightly slower-pace issue, I think.
...Something really bad's going to happen soon, I'm sure.
Let's talk about MASK first. It's a solid enough start. I'm just not sure if this is actually the best place to start for a new fan or not? I feel like this issue kind of assumes you've been following the rest of the Energon Universe comics so far. Or at least this year's Free Comic Book Day issue. It kind of throws you in at the deep end.
Something happens in this issue that...I'm not sure if it's a reference to something that happened in the cartoon, or not. I've never actually sat down and watched the MASK cartoon. I only know the awesome theme song. So, this could be a reference to something from the MASK cartoon....or it could be something else. We'll talk about that after the issue breakdown.
Do I recommend this issue? Well...it's fine. It didn't blow my socks off. And it really doesn't have much of a hook on it's own merits. But, there are things..."surrounding" this issue, that I think could make this a MUCH more interesting and important series than some people might expect. You might just want to get in on the ground floor, since I have a feeling this will be important to the larger universe going forward. But, we'll see. If you care about the entire Energon Universe, you might want to check this out. If you don't, and really only care about the Transformers side of things, I think you'd be okay skipping this, honestly.
We're picking right up where the FCBD Energon Universe special ended. They sent the entire military to chase down one speeding African American guy....the jokes write themselves. But none of which I'm allowed to make *pout*.
Meanwhile, Vanessa has been sent to break into the house of a old man because she wants to see his tummy. Oh...don't awaken my fantasies, Skybound. But, seriously, it's because he literally has a bunch of holes in his stomach from....SOMETHING! *DUN-DUN-DUHHH*
And Rax is also busy trying to gently coax out the information they're looking for from another guy....at 100 miles a hour.
Meanwhile, General Flagg interrogates Matt about what he knows about where Miles Mayhem went. And...he subtly threatens Matt's child. Yeesh....I kinda WISH Flagg was the one who was Zartan in disguise, at least that'd give him a excuse.
"He thinks there are lizard people at high levels of government. He thinks there are tiny angelic humanoids communicating with him via the filings in his teeth. Every paranoid conspiracy theory you've ever caught wind of? Miles Mayhem believes it." Hmmm....so that covers Cobra-La. And....it kind of sounds like Miles knows about the Micronauts, to me. This is getting interesting.
So we finally find out what Miles is up to. Apparently, some people managed to find a stargate in the arctic. And when they were exposed to it, the radiation left little worm holes all over their bodies. Weird. But, also kind of cool. I wonder if you can just...throw things in your new "belly buttons" and they'll end up wherever the other end of these portals lead to? As for where they lead...I have my suspicions. But....we'll talk about that in the NEXT spoiler section.
I had to look it up but "Frusenland" has been mentioned before in a old GI Joe comic.
Miles wants to use this stargate as a weapon against the Transformers. Which I'm sure wouldn't have any drawbacks AT ALL! Apparently, these wormholes inside their bodies seem to be growing, because one of the scientists is pretty hollowed out.
Back to Matt, and we find out Miles has a inside man hidden among General Flagg's guards. Time for a face-laser fight! I have no idea if this is someone we should know or not. I don't recognize him after a quick google search of VENOM agents, but I could have easily missed someone.
Flagg offers to let Matt work for him, as a subdivision of GI Joe. But, Matt's having none of it. He doesn't trust the government anymore after what they did to him, so he bounces. But, not before giving General Flagg one of his high-tech watches so they can keep in contact. So, that was nice. Flagg is now MASK Agent number 42! I see what you did there, Hitchhiker!
And we end with Miles being VERY close to that damaged stargate....
Meanwhile, Vanessa has been sent to break into the house of a old man because she wants to see his tummy. Oh...don't awaken my fantasies, Skybound. But, seriously, it's because he literally has a bunch of holes in his stomach from....SOMETHING! *DUN-DUN-DUHHH*
And Rax is also busy trying to gently coax out the information they're looking for from another guy....at 100 miles a hour.
Meanwhile, General Flagg interrogates Matt about what he knows about where Miles Mayhem went. And...he subtly threatens Matt's child. Yeesh....I kinda WISH Flagg was the one who was Zartan in disguise, at least that'd give him a excuse.
"He thinks there are lizard people at high levels of government. He thinks there are tiny angelic humanoids communicating with him via the filings in his teeth. Every paranoid conspiracy theory you've ever caught wind of? Miles Mayhem believes it." Hmmm....so that covers Cobra-La. And....it kind of sounds like Miles knows about the Micronauts, to me. This is getting interesting.
So we finally find out what Miles is up to. Apparently, some people managed to find a stargate in the arctic. And when they were exposed to it, the radiation left little worm holes all over their bodies. Weird. But, also kind of cool. I wonder if you can just...throw things in your new "belly buttons" and they'll end up wherever the other end of these portals lead to? As for where they lead...I have my suspicions. But....we'll talk about that in the NEXT spoiler section.
I had to look it up but "Frusenland" has been mentioned before in a old GI Joe comic.
Miles wants to use this stargate as a weapon against the Transformers. Which I'm sure wouldn't have any drawbacks AT ALL! Apparently, these wormholes inside their bodies seem to be growing, because one of the scientists is pretty hollowed out.
Back to Matt, and we find out Miles has a inside man hidden among General Flagg's guards. Time for a face-laser fight! I have no idea if this is someone we should know or not. I don't recognize him after a quick google search of VENOM agents, but I could have easily missed someone.
Flagg offers to let Matt work for him, as a subdivision of GI Joe. But, Matt's having none of it. He doesn't trust the government anymore after what they did to him, so he bounces. But, not before giving General Flagg one of his high-tech watches so they can keep in contact. So, that was nice. Flagg is now MASK Agent number 42! I see what you did there, Hitchhiker!
And we end with Miles being VERY close to that damaged stargate....
So, between comics, I think we need to talk about the MASK blind bags. We seem to know what all the "mystery comics" you could get in those blind bags are now. One of them is kind of a big spoiler. Kind of a big surprise. Kirkman does love his big surprises. He's addicted to them really. Gotta love him for it. Spoilers below about something that may actually surprise you.
Okay, so supposedly there's 3 OTHER comics you have a chance to get when you get a MASK #1 blind bag. A early issue of MASK #2. A new issue of MASK Origins, doing origin stories for some of these characters, which will probably be re-released as a one-shot later on. Or at least collected in a trade or something, probably.
And then there's ROM #1.
That's right, ROM is coming to the Energon Universe. Brand-new issue written by Robert Kirkman himself. (You just know Chris Ryall is going to show up on Robert Kirkman's doorstep any day now.)
And with the slight reference to Micronauts in MASK #1? Yeah, the Hasbroverse 2.0 is finally here, in all it's glory!
And since they're teasing ROM...I have a feeling that DOES mean Dire Wraiths are on the table over in Void Rivals. (Or maybe even a Micronaut, who knows?) And that Stargate in MASK #1 could be some sort of Space Knight technology. So, if Miles opens that stargate, himself...I wouldn't be surprised if Dire Wraiths pop out from the other side!
Mind you that stargate could also be a Cybertronian Space Bridge. But, I don't think it looks especially similar to the Space Bridges we've seen before. So, I am leaning towards something else.
Prepare yourself, I feel like Revolution 2 is coming!
I haven't read any of these special issues. I didn't even try to grab a blind bag for myself. But, if any of you get lucky enough to find one, maybe fill us in on what it's about? It might be a few months before any "normal" version of these gets released.
On this cover, it kind of looks to me like ROM is wearing a...Dire Wraith-poncho? It looks like he's got some sort of symbiote attached to him. Not sure what that's about. I guess we'll find out eventually.
And then there's ROM #1.
All Three Surprise Comics Inside Today's M.A.S.K. #1 Blind Bag
All Three Surprise Energon Universe Comics Inside Today's M.A.S.K. #1 Blind Bag from Skybound, Image Comics and Hasbro
bleedingcool.com
That's right, ROM is coming to the Energon Universe. Brand-new issue written by Robert Kirkman himself. (You just know Chris Ryall is going to show up on Robert Kirkman's doorstep any day now.)
And with the slight reference to Micronauts in MASK #1? Yeah, the Hasbroverse 2.0 is finally here, in all it's glory!
And since they're teasing ROM...I have a feeling that DOES mean Dire Wraiths are on the table over in Void Rivals. (Or maybe even a Micronaut, who knows?) And that Stargate in MASK #1 could be some sort of Space Knight technology. So, if Miles opens that stargate, himself...I wouldn't be surprised if Dire Wraiths pop out from the other side!
Mind you that stargate could also be a Cybertronian Space Bridge. But, I don't think it looks especially similar to the Space Bridges we've seen before. So, I am leaning towards something else.
Prepare yourself, I feel like Revolution 2 is coming!
I haven't read any of these special issues. I didn't even try to grab a blind bag for myself. But, if any of you get lucky enough to find one, maybe fill us in on what it's about? It might be a few months before any "normal" version of these gets released.
On this cover, it kind of looks to me like ROM is wearing a...Dire Wraith-poncho? It looks like he's got some sort of symbiote attached to him. Not sure what that's about. I guess we'll find out eventually.
Finally, let's talk about Transformers #33!
This is kind of a quieter breather issue. We're kind of in between tragedies at the moment, and just letting the characters relax, which is kind of nice.
Stuff happens, but this issue is really more about just letting these characters bond with each other. It's more about their relationships, this issue. And that's kind of pleasant to see. We kind of needed a slightly slower-pace issue, I think.
...Something really bad's going to happen soon, I'm sure.
Elita Prime's still feeling a little drained after using Star Saber's Ghost. "It's light was small. But still mighty." Heh. So she needs a little ride on top of Ultra Magnus's car carrier. That's kinda cute.
And who should Elita find back at their base, then Hot Rod and Springer, fresh off their little vacation to the Sacred Ring over in Void Rivals! And they brought Energon! Time to party!
Spike's starting to keep a diary. Oh, excuse me, JOURNAL. And he's noticing how different Optimus is acting now that he's no longer Prime. More impulsive, seemingly. And Spike's sad that the last little spark of his Dad is gone along with the Matrix.
Heh..."Notobots". They really do need to come up with a better name.
Meanwhile, Wheeljack uses his free time to explore the giant chunk of Cybertron that's left in the ocean. Y'know, as you do. He's decided to make this his new lab. And he finds...SOMETHING! It looks like it's glowing. Probably Sparks? Is this the beginning of Wheeljack building the Dinobots? Or something else entirely? Who knows?! (But, he does have a paper book on palentology with him...somehow. So...yeah, it's the Dinobots.)
Also, Carly is worried that now that Arcee is a Magnus, she won't be her Iron Apprentice anymore. And Arcee tells her that bond can't be broken for anything. D'AWWW!
Optimus acknowledges that he didn't fully revert back to Orion Pax when he lost the Matrix. So, that's interesting. For one, Orion Pax existed in this universe, at some point. And for another thing, that means THIS form is actually something brand new. A middle state between the two, I guess? Not sure if that means anything. But, I guess once you have the Matrix, for better or worse, it leaves you....TRANSFORMED! So, I guess if Elita ever loses her Matrix, she should get a different third form, too.
Shredhead and Cliffjumper are bonding! Oh no! This is too nice! One of them's gonna die! I can FEEL it on the wind!
The Decepticon's decide to leave Megatron's weird gross crystalline-chrysalis alone. But, they happen to notice....that Starscream is GONE!
And then we see Starscream just having the most lovely sea-bottom stroll a zombie-mech could possibly ask for. This will end in VENGENCE! And possibly some sharks getting turned into sharkfin-soup.
And who should Elita find back at their base, then Hot Rod and Springer, fresh off their little vacation to the Sacred Ring over in Void Rivals! And they brought Energon! Time to party!
Spike's starting to keep a diary. Oh, excuse me, JOURNAL. And he's noticing how different Optimus is acting now that he's no longer Prime. More impulsive, seemingly. And Spike's sad that the last little spark of his Dad is gone along with the Matrix.
Heh..."Notobots". They really do need to come up with a better name.
Meanwhile, Wheeljack uses his free time to explore the giant chunk of Cybertron that's left in the ocean. Y'know, as you do. He's decided to make this his new lab. And he finds...SOMETHING! It looks like it's glowing. Probably Sparks? Is this the beginning of Wheeljack building the Dinobots? Or something else entirely? Who knows?! (But, he does have a paper book on palentology with him...somehow. So...yeah, it's the Dinobots.)
Also, Carly is worried that now that Arcee is a Magnus, she won't be her Iron Apprentice anymore. And Arcee tells her that bond can't be broken for anything. D'AWWW!
Optimus acknowledges that he didn't fully revert back to Orion Pax when he lost the Matrix. So, that's interesting. For one, Orion Pax existed in this universe, at some point. And for another thing, that means THIS form is actually something brand new. A middle state between the two, I guess? Not sure if that means anything. But, I guess once you have the Matrix, for better or worse, it leaves you....TRANSFORMED! So, I guess if Elita ever loses her Matrix, she should get a different third form, too.
Shredhead and Cliffjumper are bonding! Oh no! This is too nice! One of them's gonna die! I can FEEL it on the wind!
The Decepticon's decide to leave Megatron's weird gross crystalline-chrysalis alone. But, they happen to notice....that Starscream is GONE!
And then we see Starscream just having the most lovely sea-bottom stroll a zombie-mech could possibly ask for. This will end in VENGENCE! And possibly some sharks getting turned into sharkfin-soup.
Last edited:
I haven't read Skybound's MASK yet, but IDW's MASK was so bad this has to be a step up by default.