The transformation scene and the fact Hasbro filed for the name. What if Void Rivals is a reboot of ROM Space Knight?! Remember the only things Marvel doesn’t own about ROM is ROM himself and the dire wraiths, and Skybound has shown they like to take ideas back to core ideas and twist them for their own takes.

@mr.end-game711

4 ай бұрын

Now their is an interesting idea, Proximus is show to be nearly whole mechanical and the Space Knights in both Marvel and IDW are show to be near humans augments head to toe in cybernetics. I like your idea.

Kirkman is so great at introducing villains. Love what this sets up for the arc

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

I'm excited to see what comes out of reviving Proximus! Seems like there could be some far-reaching consequences.

Action figures of Darak and Solila... I might actually buy those.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

I'm pretty curious to see what they come up with.

Oh god, look at him. I didn't expect to see his face so soon. I read that Springer is a triple-changer in this continuity!

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, he's gnarly looking! I was surprised that they showed his face so soon as well. So glad they're bringing in Springer and have kept him true to his triple-changing G1 self!

From the character designs (Darak, Solila, Zaliak, Proximus, and Mistress Vill all have very distinguishable character designs), clearly labeled professions (Edgewalkers, Blast Troopers, Keepers of the Light) the snappy names for the vehicles (Jump Jet, Star Wing, Slip Rider, Wing Saber, etc), Void Rivals has always presented itself like it was a tie-in comic for a toyline that doesn't exist. I bet that Hasbro wanted to wait and see how well recieved Void Rivals would be before committing to a toyline. Now that they know there's an interest, taking the next step makes sense. I know I'd buy Void Rival Toys.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

I completely agree - it seemed like a very deliberate choice to try and fit a new "brand" for a toyline in amongst pre-existing toylines. I don't know if I'd be interested in the figures (lack of space), but after this issue, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little curious to see how Hasbro would handle a Proximus figure...

@tomhur1

4 ай бұрын

That was exactly the intention. When Kirkman decided to put an original IP to be a part of the Energon Universe he said he deliberately tried to create an aesthetic and feel of a classic toy line from the 80s. Given Void Rivals and the Energon Universe as a whole has proven to be a success so far that's probably why Hasbro is taking steps to turn Void Rivals into an actual toyline. (I think they did mention they were interested in expanding Studio Series to cover comic book studios so this would be an extension of that)

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Interesting, I hadn't heard that about Studio Series. Very curious to see where that goes if it incorporates comic lines...

I can see the Void Rivals factions easily becoming this universes Headmasters and Targetmasters. Long ways down the road, but still.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

I know, it seems like it would be a perfect fit! And I agree that it would be a ways off if it does happen.

I'm glad to have this series back and it's interesting to not have a TF presence in the issue, a first for the Energon Universe in general.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

So good to have it back in rotation. The art is a real knockout in this issue. And I was definitely surprised (but pleased) to see them just focus on the Void Rivals side of things, even if that's just temporary.

Interesting 🤔

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Thank you! :)

I really liked the return of Void Rivals, I missed the art, the characters (Proximus looks like a badass!) the names, the environment I also missed the mystery of being presented to a big and new universe with much to give I'm stocked to see what they've got cooked

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, it was nice opening the book for the first time. In those months it was on break, I apparently forgot how much the series rocks!

There is something about Proximus' helmet, it reminds me of the Vok. The Vok, if I remember correctly, were beings that existed in a parallel dimension or Void dimension.

the conversation that Zalilak had with Proximus showed a chip in his head gem, I took a hard look at issues 6 and yep their is a crack on Zalilak's forehead gem only in issue 7 gives it more detail and focus. Given Zalikak and Proximus' conversation I believes Proximus gave Zalilak the crack in the first place. As for the shift from virtual to reality 3 things stuck out to me. 1) Proximus' face reminded me of Hank Henshaw 's cyborg superman face, 3/4 composed of mechanical bits. 2) the jack in the side of Zalilak helmet reminds me of the jacks that were present in Marvel 2099 where characters would jack themselves into the internet thanks to implant right behind their ears (Shakti Haddad, Kenshiro Cochrane and Indigo Eshun to name a few) and with your whole "more machine now then man" you know the #3 is Proximus being a Darth Vader pastiche but unlike Vader, Proximus stand more equal to Zalilak. Mistress Vill is interesting, she(would presumably)know about Solila's seeing Darak's face. does Mill have allies in the Agorrian camp, are the same Agorrian allied with the Unifiers or is their a 4th party subtly introduced to the story? Lots of speculation to look forward to.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Wow, excellent points! I'm with you on the scar/crack on Zalilak...I had to go back to the previous issues to confirm it was there. Didn't stand out to me earlier on. I thought Proximus' face reminded me of something - good call on Cyborg Superman! I think that must have been it, though I doubt I would have come to that conclusion on my own. I also wouldn't have made some of the (excellent) connections that you made with Marvel 2099 and Darth Vader, so thank you for that! Mistress Vill is a very interesting character to me...I hope we find out more about her and her mysterious order soon. My impulse is to say that she's part of a separate "faction," but with the way this story's going, it's hard to say for certain.

@mr.end-game711

4 ай бұрын

@@Moonbase3 Also thanks for 0:49 I have been wondering when Skybound would start re releases the old Marvel G.I.Joe stuff. I will finally get to enjoy the first third of the Marvel run as for the Transformers compendium I will wait on that I still have the IDW's 8 Volume Classics line so...will see.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, I have both from IDW (well, all the volumes that were made, anyway - TFUK Classics and GI Joe Complete Collection were never finished), so I'm not sure I'll be picking these up. For Transformers, it depends if they use the IDW re-color or not. I could be tempted if they use the original coloring...

@mr.end-game711

4 ай бұрын

@@Moonbase3 Exactly, Tfwiki has noted that some the comics scanned for the that line were of lesser quality. The chief reason I went hunting Transforms Classics was due to the fact that there were no missing issues. Marvel holds the rights to Circuit Breaker and any issues with her as main character had to reduced to text for the first 3 volumes of Classic Transformers.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, I passed on those early IDW collections because they weren't complete. Fortunately, seems like Hasbro has a good working relationship with Marvel Comics and both parties seem interested in bringing older series back into print (ROM, Micronauts), so it seems like there should be no reason why anything will be missing this time around. Now if we could just get all of TFUK collected...

Good stroy

So I've got a bit of a crazy fan theory. It's been announced that Springer is gonna be making an appearance in Void Rivals soon, and this issue has Darak mention something that saved his life in the Wastelands... Is it Springer? Did Springer save Darak's life years ago but he's been stuck on The Scared Ring for a while for whatever reason? And is he what Darak is taking Solila to? You'll notice in the first issue of Void Rivals, that while Darak was taken aback by Jetfire, Solila was the one who wondered what the heck Jetfire was. Also, Darak bringing up the past experience with Jetfire could be a deliberate reference... Otherwise, I guess my big issue with this...well issue is that it feels like it ends too soon. This is the problem with slow-burn stories sadly. There's inevitably going to be a bunch of issues that feel like all set up with no payoff.

@kinglycrimson

4 ай бұрын

Springer might be trying to ally races disparraged by quintessons

@mr.end-game711

4 ай бұрын

@@kinglycrimson TV Tropes did put in their WMG that Void Rivals characters could becomes new versions of the Head/Target/Power masters given their higher level of technology so that's a possibility

@Cirex9000

4 ай бұрын

I think you might be onto something because I had the same thought. We know that Springer is coming based on the cover for Issue #9. We know that, from the way he's drawn, he's seen better days. Then there's Darak's line about Jetfire in the latest issue, and I think that Springer hanging out in the Wasteland is very likely.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

I've been wondering if Springer factors into the "halfway" point thing with the wasteland, too. I think you're spot on that it's suspicious that Darak brings up Jetfire... I was also wondering if maybe it could be a space bridge or something, but yeah, just haven't been able to pin anything down with what I think is a solid theory. But I do think your suggestion of Springer being out in the wasteland is an interesting one. There's definitely something going on with the halfway point... I appreciate the comment and I'm intrigued by your theory! Thanks!

I have a crazy theory about the sacred ring. I think it is a Dormant transformer like primus and even unicron. And that is one of the major secrets being kept

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Could be! There's definitely something going on, considering that there's some kind of Quintesson connection...

@Jeffrey_Haggard84

4 ай бұрын

@@Moonbase3 that’s what I was thinking. I think it would be neat to see it awaken. Thanks for all your videos and content I really have enjoyed watching and reading these energon universe comics.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

It would be neat! Definitely looking forward to unraveling some of these mysteries. Thank you for the kind words - appreciate you taking the time to watch my videos. :)

@GoldLuminance

3 ай бұрын

A bit late, but on sight I assumed the Sacred Ring was Unicron as well. The dual rings are imagery for the rings usually surrounding his planetary form. There are two races eternally in conflict, orange, one of them having Green gems reminiscent of the Armada Minicons locked in eternal conflict - something also used with Armada. The purple black hole isn't to dissimilar from the one in Cybertron that the dub claims was left behind from Unicron's destruction, and the Quintessons seem incredibly interested in finding it. Just a lot of information here leads me to believe the Sacred Ring is either Unicron, or a red herring for him.

Great issue, though to be fair it felt like it could have been condensed down a bit. Maybe I’ve been reading too many Golden Age comics where entire sequences happen off panel 😂. That said it’s great to finally start a fresh arc! I really like Void Rivals, possibly more than I liked any of the non-TF/Rom IDW universe titles. Hopefully this year or next we can see the VR duo meet our Autobot team and the Joes. Also I didn’t see the RAH compendium! That’s awesome, I might have to snap that up alongside its Transformers counterpart. In any case, splendid analysis MB3!

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Thanks, brother! I'm looking forward to seeing how those compendiums turn out, though I may pass on the Transformers ones as I have the IDW collections...but there are some things they could do to tempt me! I really like this series as well and I feel the same way about Void Rivals compared to the IDW Hasbroverse...though I did enjoy what I read of ROM! Any noteworthy stuff you're reading from the Golden Age that you'd recommend?

Yo I got to say I love your content W vid

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Thanks! Much appreciated. 🙏🏻

Like everyone else theorized/suggest there r 2 likely options void rivals could be leading to either rom the space knight or headmasters and targetmasters.if i had to choose one it will be rom the space knight.

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm very curious to see where it goes! ROM would be a huge surprise!

Ahhh I see . I completely missed the release order. I didn't realise So we're supposed to be reading this as if it's happening at the same time , where As someone like me I'm just a Transformers fan so id read only that , it makes so much sense why the wait in-between sequential stories was so long. So I might be thinking out loud the order is; Void Rivals #7*** Transformers #6 Cobra Commander #3 Duke #4 Void Rivals #8 Transformers #7 Cobra Commander #4 Duke #5 And I believe Hasbro has already announced Shockwave and Grimlock figures in brand new molds based on their Marvel comic designs and paint scheme. So it could be highly possible that they might go ahead with the reprint of the marvel runs. @Moonbase3 I know you collect Transformers comics , do you have any mainline or masterpiece Transformers figures? Thanks for another great video 🙏🏽👏🏽

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and for the comment, as always! I believe that's the publishing order, yes, though I think reading each series on its own works pretty well...at least, for now. I think the chronological reading order may start to get more complicated once these titles start talking to each other more. I saw those Shockwave and Grimlock variants - pretty cool! I've slowed down pretty heavily on collecting mainline stuff, but I'm still interested in the Masterpiece line. Looking forward to Rhinox later this year! Do you collect from either line?

@Ethan-AndrewCupido

4 ай бұрын

@Moonbase3 RiD and Armada was the shows i grew up with, i still remember watching them in kindergarten. I always had an interest in Transformers .over the many years , it would come and go but I would always have that space for it. I've had figures but not nearly the amount that my cousins or neighbours had, then My toys got thrown out in my preteen years. It was actually the Bumblebee and Rotb movies that reignited my interest in transformers again .I've been rewatching different shows and reading the idw comics and then the thought slapped me over the head "why don't I collect me some figures?" And as of last year when I found your channel I've been working toward earning enough to buy my first set figures with grownup money lol. I've been saving store pages and following up on stock because these figures are discontinued and the prices dont play around. I don't think I can handle the full Season1 cast in Masterpiece haha, but I'm aiming for Prime and Megs but my holy grail figure is Generations Drift can't wait to get my hands on Him!

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

That's cool, man! Though I feel obligated to warn you, collecting can turn into a slippery slope! 😂 Definitely coming into Masterpiece now can be tricky with availability and prices, so I get where you're coming from. I know it's not super cartoon accurate, but MP-10 Optimus is a really dang good figure. Not sure how much that one goes for these days. I missed Generations Drift myself - I'd like to own that one someday as well! It looks pretty cool!

cyborgs who worship transformers?...sounds great to me 🥳

I'm loving the art and world building for void rivals but maaaaan I feel like the characters just have not hooked me at all. It just is such a slow pace and yet I feel like the characters aren't popping for me yet. Proximis in the tube was very cool though

@Moonbase3

4 ай бұрын

That's fair. I'm enjoying it as it comes out, but I really think I'll enjoy it more once there's a more substantial chunk of the story available. It definitely moves at a slow pace, and I think once we have several trade paperbacks-worth of material, it'll become a stronger reading experience.