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The Void Rivals Darak and a critically injured Solila continue to flee from Proximus, looking for help at the “oasis” that Darak claimed was somewhere in the middle of The Wastelands. What they find is the key to Darak’s previous miracle Wasteland survival, the triple changing Autobot known as Springer! Is this robotic stranger a reliable ally? What will happen when Proximus catches up to them?
- Written by Robert Kirkman
- Illustrated by Lorenzo De Felici
- Colors by Patricio Delpeche
- Letters by Rus Wooten
- Published by Skybound Entertainment
Catch up quickly with our reviews on Void Rivals HERE!
Void Rivals Is the Secret Sauce To The Energon Universe
Void Rivals continues to be a fantastic cog in the machine that is The Energon Universe. The story of two warring races and their two promising young soldiers, now learning more about one another as they just try to survive is a griping narrative on its own. When we add them to the larger universe, including Transformers and G.I. Joe, it raises the interest and the stakes.
In the previous issue of Void Rivals, main characters Darak and Solila were met with the challenge of the Zertonian champion Proximus. Proximus was dispatched to eliminate the two as they escaped into The Wasteland. Proximus is a powerful warrior and proved to be too much for them and critically wounded Solila.
Time is Running Out For The Void Rivals
Now Darak and Solila are fleeing in hopes of finding shelter and supplies at the mysterious “oasis” that Darak claims to have found long ago while stranded out here. Things are looking pretty dire at this point and just when Darak says things could be worse, they get worse. The cool thing about Darak though, is his sense of humor. The witty back and forth between he and his Handroid lighten up what would ultimately be ominous moments.
How Does Skuxxoid Fit Into It All?
An interesting point throughout this escape scene is a quick look in on Skuxxoid. He arrives home to an empty home with a sarcastic “Honey I’m home!” that moves into a really sad and depressing moment that reveals he’s extremely lonely, and that maybe some tragedy had befallen his actual family. It feels so odd and out of place, but I have to believe that this is a small step in creating another layer to this intricate story.
Give Me That Sweet, Sweet Transformers Action!
Back to Darak and Solila searching for medical supplies and we’re rewarded with the ultimate prize promised to us on the cover of this issue, Springer transforms into robot mode to reveal himself! There’s some great back and forth dialogue between he, Darak, and Handroid as they work out how to help Solila.
Now Proximus catches up and immediately goes on the attack. He doesn’t even seem to flinch, or be concerned at the size of Springer. They have a wonderful battle in some masterful page and panel layouts that bring tons of dynamic action. Throughout it all there’s this stereotypical action movie dialogue as each one tries to one up the other.
It’s interesting to see Proximus hold his own against the leader of The Wreckers and probably one of the most battle hardened Autobots there is. It adds to the mythos of Proximus and continues to establish him and the Zertonians as a credible threat against a race such as the Cybertronians.
Everything Points to 8.5/10
Robert Kirkman is building a slow burn here, but it’s not without its fair share of fun, action packed moments. Void Rivals is a piece of a bigger puzzle, and quite a sizable one at that. It takes time to world build on this scale, complete with some seriously intricate lore. Not everyone will be down for that, but I can say that this issue is paced extremely well.
Lorenzo De Felici and Patricio Delpeche have a great handle on dynamic action. Everything about this world is so beautiful and cold, but it makes for a great contrast these intense battle scenes. Springer looks amazing and Proximus steals every scene he’s in.
