Summary
WARNING! Potential spoilers ahead for Void Rivals #13
TheEnergon Universeis about to get a little bit bigger, as a majorG.I. Joevillain is about to make her debut in the pages ofVoid Rivals. TheTransformershave been a major factor inVoid Rivals, Skybound Entertainment’s debut title for its shared universe imprint. So it’s appropriate thta this is the series where fans willsee the other major part of the Energon Universe join the battle for the Sacred Ring.
Set to be released this October,Void Rivals#13 by Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici will pick up on the promise made in the final scene of theCobra Commanderminiseries, which saw Cobra-La declaring war on the Cybertronians and sending out a ship to scout their new enemies.
Lorenzo De Felici
Variant Cover Artists:
Mattia De Iulis, Leonardo Romero, Gerardo Zaffino, Kendrick Lim, Ludo Lullabi
NEW STORY ARC
Pythona of Cobra-La ventures deep into space. Will her mission spell certain doom for the Void Rivals?
According to the solicits for the issue,Void Rivals#13sees Pythona arrive at the Sacred Ring, throwing Cobra-La’s hat into the conflict between the Zertonians and Agorrians.Now that the Autobot Springer has joined up with main characters Darak and Solila, fans can assume that Pythona will be placing the Autobot in her sights sooner rather than later.
Pythona & Cobra-La “Spell Certain Doom” for theVoid Rivals
TheCobra Commanderminiseries shocked fans by introducing the oft-controversial Cobra-La into the Energon Universe.Cobra Commander#1 revealed that the title character was a human scientist adopted into the secret society of serpent people in the Arctic, makingCobra-La an important piece of the Energon Universe’smythology. After the Commander was excommunicated and formed his own snake-themed army out in the wider world, Cobra-La turned their attention to the new threat of transforming robots that have suddenly appeared on Earth. Seeing the technological beings as a threat to their bio-organic society, Lord Golobulus decided to send a scout ship to the stars.
Pythona first appeared in 1987’sG.I. Joe: The Movie, along with the rest of Cobra-La.
Golobulus entrusted this task to Pythona, perhaps his most dangerous agent of all. Fans don’t know a lot about Pythona in this new continuity, but she has shown herself to be a foreboding presence.She was responsible for “repairing” Cobra Commander with some kind of snake venom after he was grievously wounded, and she also gaveNemesis Enforcer his human disguiseto pose as the Commander’s bodyguard in the outside world. Fans have yet to see her in combat in the Energon Universe, but that will presumably change now that she will be making her debut in the action-heavyVoid Rivals.
What Role Will Cobra-La Play in the Energon Universe?
Whatever role Pythona will be playing inVoid Rivals,it’s clear that Cobra-La will be a major part of the Energon Universe moving forward from here.Their devout belief that they must wipe out the Cybertronians due to their technological origins makes for an interesting story thread to follow, and is an excellent way to bring theG.I. Joefranchise into the space-bound setting ofVoid Rivals. The looming threat of a war between theG.I. Joevillains and theTransformersshows why theEnergon Universecontinues to be the most exciting imprint in comics today.
Void Rivals#13is on sale October 23 from Skybound Entertainment.
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.
