In this episode of the Comic Dudes podcast, Dave and Matt discuss the Energon Universe, a connected set of comics that bring back G.I. Joe and Transformers. They share their personal history with G.I. Joe and Transformers, and then provide an overview of the Energon Universe. They discuss the different comic series within the Energon Universe, including Duke, Cobra Commander, and Void Rivals. They also share their favorite and least favorite books from the Energon Universe and discuss the most shocking moments. The conversation explores the impact and success of the Energon Universe, focusing on the connective tissue between the books and the enjoyment for both new and old fans. It also discusses the love for 80s franchises and the potential for animated shows. Additionally, it examines the impact on the comic landscape and the potential for Skybound to become the new home for licensed comics.
Takeaways
· The Energon Universe is a connected set of comics that bring back G.I. Joe and Transformers.
· The art style in the Transformers series may not appeal to all readers.
· Void Rivals has been a successful comic within the Energon Universe, with multiple printings and high demand.
· The creators involved in the Energon Universe have a genuine love and care for the 80s franchises, which is reflected in the quality of the comics.
· The move from IDW to Skybound opens up possibilities for animated shows and the expansion of the Skybound Universe.
· The Energon Universe has the potential to bring new fans into comics and revitalize the GI Joe and Transformers franchises.
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Original Music by Alex Productions
Show notes include some AI generated content
In this episode of the Comic Dudes podcast, Dave and Matt discuss the Energon Universe, a connected set of comics that bring back G.I. Joe and Transformers. They share their personal history with G.I. Joe and Transformers, and then provide an overview of the Energon Universe. They discuss the different comic series within the Energon Universe, including Duke, Cobra Commander, and Void Rivals. They also share their favorite and least favorite books from the Energon Universe and discuss the most shocking moments. The conversation explores the impact and success of the Energon Universe, focusing on the connective tissue between the books and the enjoyment for both new and old fans. It also discusses the love for 80s franchises and the potential for animated shows. Additionally, it examines the impact on the comic landscape and the potential for Skybound to become the new home for licensed comics.
Takeaways
· The Energon Universe is a connected set of comics that bring back G.I. Joe and Transformers.
· The art style in the Transformers series may not appeal to all readers.
· Void Rivals has been a successful comic within the Energon Universe, with multiple printings and high demand.
· The creators involved in the Energon Universe have a genuine love and care for the 80s franchises, which is reflected in the quality of the comics.
· The move from IDW to Skybound opens up possibilities for animated shows and the expansion of the Skybound Universe.
· The Energon Universe has the potential to bring new fans into comics and revitalize the GI Joe and Transformers franchises.
Follow our Instagram:
@comicdudespodcast
Follow our Tiktok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@comicdudeswithattitudes
Follow us on Twitter:
@Dave_xBT817x
@Warden43tk
@NuclearIsLonely
Original Music by Alex Productions
Show notes include some AI generated content
Dave (00:03.216)
Welcome back to the Comic Dudes, a podcast about comic books and comic book related things with me as always, my esteemed co-host Matt. Hi Matt.
Matt - CDWA (00:12.75)
Hi Dave, how are you? Great.
Dave (00:14.108)
I'm doing great. Thanks. Uh, as you've just heard, my name is Dave. Um, if you'd like to follow us, you can follow us on Twitter. Both our Twitter handles are going to be in the description of this episode. I also have threads. I'm really close to deleting threads because no one uses it, but for now the thread stays in there. Our tick talk is also going to be in the description of this episode too. You can follow us on tick tock. We're going to be posting more on tech talk this year, including some content.
that isn't gonna be in our episodes. There's already a couple of GI Joe related TikToks up there right now, so you can go check those out. Share us with a friend or a family member, check out the podcast, help them check out the podcast, rate it, review it, I don't care, whatever. Help us grow, growth helps. If we grow, we can keep doing the podcast and then hopefully everybody wins. All that being said, I mentioned GI Joe on our TikTok. We're gonna be talking about some GI Joe today.
If you didn't see the title of this episode before you clicked into it It's something about I don't know what the title is gonna be I do that stuff at the end But it's something about the energon universe and if you're living under a rock the energon universe Is a connected set of comics that bring back GI Joe and the Transformers to comic book form along with Another comic called void rivals and who knows what else it's under Skybound entertainment Robert Kirkman in Rob we trust
If you've been listening to this podcast for a really long time, you know how much we love Robert Kirkman and all the things that he does. So it's something that I think Matt's probably excited about. I know I'm really excited about it. What did I miss there, Matt? Anything?
Matt - CDWA (01:55.618)
No, I think you pretty much got it all. There's not much I have to add there. So, yeah, dude, I just wanted to know, like, just to kind of start before we kind of get in the nitty gritty about the new Energon universe and all that, like, what is your history with G.I. Joe and Transformers? I know we have a mutual love of G.I. Joe, but I didn't know how deep these roots... How deep is the venom in your veins from the G.I. Joe Cobra? Like, how deep...
Dave (02:00.564)
Great. Good.
Dave (02:15.572)
Mm-hmm.
Matt - CDWA (02:25.159)
is this.
Dave (02:27.144)
Um, so Transformers were my first love as a kid in kindergarten. Uh, I was already deep into the Transformers. I had some of the toys. Like there was one, I forget which transformer it was, but there was one that I carried with me everywhere in the house. I took it to school. I took it when we went to the store. Um, I was obsessed with the Transformers. Um, so absolutely my first love as a child, the cartoon, um, and in particular G.I. Joe, the movie.
Matt - CDWA (02:31.388)
Okay.
Matt - CDWA (02:56.578)
Okay.
Dave (02:56.644)
I think I've told this story before in the podcast, but if you're new or you forgot, I went and saw Transformers the movie as a child in the theaters. It was actually the first movie that I ever saw in movie theaters. And if you don't know, spoiler incoming, they kill Optimus Prime in this movie. At the...
ripe young age of five, my brain did not understand what was happening and I wept for Optimus Prime in the theater. That was the worst first movie experience that I could possibly have imagined for myself, watching my hero and favorite transformer get murdered by Megatron on the big screen. And they did that. The reason they did this was to introduce Hot Rod as the leader of the Autobots.
to sell more toys. They made the movie to make new toys and sell more toys. They compromised my emotional wellbeing to sell more toys, but it backfired because Optimus came back. They had to bring Optimus back. People were so mad that Optimus died. He came back. Not in that movie, like later on, like in the show. But yeah, that was traumatic. Also, there's another thing that I don't think I've ever shared with you before, Matt.
Matt - CDWA (03:56.578)
Of course.
Matt - CDWA (04:01.791)
Yes.
Dave (04:19.764)
I definitely talked about in the podcast. I mentioned a second ago, I used to take this transformer with me to school. So one day on the way home from school, again, this is in kindergarten, so I was five years old. On the bus ride home, I was playing with my transformer in the seat. I was one of the last kids off the bus because I lived pretty far away from my grade school. So it was like me and like two or three other kids left on the bus that lived like way out in the boonies. I mean, we weren't really in the boonies. It just felt like it.
Matt - CDWA (04:47.245)
Yeah.
Dave (04:49.948)
It was spring or summertime, like beginning summer, like end of the school year. And I was like driving the transformer in his truck form. It wasn't Optimus Prime, it was someone else. Like up the seats and like up the windows. And I didn't know that the seat that I was sitting in, that the window was down. So I got up to the window and my hand went through it and I panicked and I let go.
Matt - CDWA (05:08.372)
Yo.
Dave (05:15.096)
And once again, I cried.
Matt - CDWA (05:19.362)
Dude, this is...
Dave (05:19.784)
So I went and told the bus driver what had happened and this man, bless his heart, turned the bus around, got out of the bus and found my transformer in the ditch and gave it back to me. No, they don't. Yeah. Those are my two transformer stories.
Matt - CDWA (05:34.698)
Are you kidding me? They don't make them like that anymore. They don't make people like that anymore. Appreciate it. That's awesome.
Matt - CDWA (05:46.87)
That's great. What about GI Joe? Any, uh.
Dave (05:50.4)
Oh yeah. So I don't remember when, but soon after Transformers, I found GI Joe. And that was where toys made sense to me. GI Joe was my absolute favorite toy as a kid. And it wasn't close. It was by a very wide margin. GI Joe was my favorite. My cousin Andy and I used to play with our GI Joe's together all the time.
Matt - CDWA (06:02.965)
Okay.
Dave (06:16.932)
I have very fond memories of us like bringing GI Joe's over to each other's houses and playing with them, playing with them like in the backyard and the driveway in sandbox. Like I played with my GI Joe's everywhere I could possibly play with my GI Joe's. I like used to do, cause I used to like, I used to like WWF like pro wrestling too as a kid. So I would like, there are certain GI Joe's that they would just be representative of like an actual wrestler. So there was one that was like Macho Man and one that was Hulk Hogan and-
under the giant I would like have these like elaborate like I would remake like the Royal Rumble and play it out with my GI Joe's like I was I love my GI Joe so much and GI Joe the movie incredible I don't even care that they killed Duke I didn't really care for Duke that was okay you could kill Duke and GI Joe the movie it's fine but the GI Joe movie was the
Matt - CDWA (06:52.514)
Of course.
Dave (07:09.416)
the peak of animated films for me as a kid. I watched that movie over and over and over and over again. I have nothing but love for my GI Joes as a child. And I still have all those GI Joes. I never got rid of them. It's one of my only childhood toys that I kept and preserved throughout the years. I have every single GI Joe that I ever bought, all of the weapons. The only thing that I don't have, my only regret is I don't have the vehicles anymore. I just have the figures.
Matt - CDWA (07:21.826)
That's awesome.
Matt - CDWA (07:35.118)
Those things were huge though, like I can understand that. Or, right? Yeah, that's cool.
Dave (07:37.825)
That's why I wish I had him, man.
What about you? I mean, I don't know if we've ever talked about.
Matt - CDWA (07:43.198)
Yeah, I mean, Transformers are like honestly is a non factor. Like I knew of them, but I never had them as a kid, never was like super interested, never really watched the cartoon. Like that completely like went over my head until. I mean, the, the Michael Bay movies were like, uh, I mean, I've seen all those. And I know in, in some of the cartoon, like some of the cartoons I'd seen, but like, I never really got into that, but GI Joe for sure, like.
Dave (07:52.273)
Okay.
Dave (07:55.665)
Wow.
Dave (08:03.644)
What a horrible place to start with the Transformers.
Dave (08:11.592)
Okay.
Matt - CDWA (08:14.098)
I didn't have like a lot of G.I. Joe toys. I just specifically remember on USA, the USA network, like cartoons were, were an introduction to me to a lot of properties. But I remember I got like really sick one, one time. So I was sick and like, I just woke up and started watching G.I. Joe and I like, I fell in love with it. And I like just, it was like all weekend. All I did was watch G.I. Joe. And from then on, like that was, I would watch the USA network cause G.I. Joe was on there.
Dave (08:20.762)
Mm-hmm.
Matt - CDWA (08:42.642)
I don't know if you remember they had like GI Joe, there was a block. Do you remember like the street fighter cartoon? There was the street fighter and Mortal Kombat cartoon. They're all in like USA, like, but it was like, yeah, like I feel like they're on one of those free services, but like, I fell in love with GI Joe from there. Like my friends had GI Joe's, my one friend's dad was in the military. So he had like the old school, like the 12 inch GI Joe's like
Dave (08:50.844)
Vaguely.
Dude, is that shit on Tubi yet? I'll watch that on Tubi.
Dave (09:09.226)
Oh.
Matt - CDWA (09:09.718)
with the beard and I was like, I remember the one dude had a beard and I'm like, why are these like, these are just weird compared to the, the six inch or whatever figure five and a half or whatever figures. Uh, three point three point seven. Thank you. Uh, thank you for the correction. I know I'm not a true GI Joe action. Oh, I know. Oh, I know. It's a big, a big thing. I should have wrote those measurements down, but, uh, from there, definitely GI Joe, the movie is still awesome to this day. That opening
Dave (09:19.096)
3.75 inches my friend. Oh you're gonna you're gonna rile up the fandom if you're not careful
Dave (09:31.573)
Hehehehe
Matt - CDWA (09:37.746)
still hits me to this day. It's just awesome. Like a good movie. Duke does not die even though he should have died. I know we've watched bonded over that movie and have watched it at least two times together as well to well into ages we probably should have been watching that but like we both love that.
Dave (09:58.077)
I am watching the G.I. Joe cartoon actively right now. I get on my treadmill and I will stay on the treadmill until I finish one episode of G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero.
Matt - CDWA (10:01.783)
That's awesome.
Matt - CDWA (10:08.374)
The mass device, baby. I almost went, like last year, they had like a Fathom events thing where it was like GI Joe and the big screen. I'm sure I would have been the only person there, but I didn't get to go. But.
Dave (10:19.76)
Now you would have been there with a bunch of dudes with their kids trying to like show them like, this is what I liked when I was your age, son. I'm using like old man voice, like it wouldn't be people our age, but you know what I mean.
Matt - CDWA (10:22.558)
Yeah, show them the way. Show them the way.
Yeah, for sure. But all right, well, let's get into the Energon universe a little bit. Uh, yeah, yeah.
Dave (10:35.556)
Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Wait, wait, wait. The opening song to GI Joe the Movie might be the single greatest song in an animated movie or cartoon show of all time. And I will die on this hill.
Matt - CDWA (10:48.138)
It's prettier.
Matt - CDWA (10:54.606)
I mean, I'm not gonna fight you on that.
Dave (10:57.36)
It's absolutely incredible. In fact, I used it in the most recent GI Joe TikTok that I posted on our account.
Matt - CDWA (10:58.902)
YouTube it.
Matt - CDWA (11:03.122)
It's a great, I mean, it's a great opening. So, Oh man. All right. You want to get into the inner John universe a little bit? Okay. So the energy I'm going to do like a very high level 10,000 foot view of these books, cause Dave is our recap master, but we, we both kind of decided we didn't want to go ditty gritty, like in all these books, like we didn't want to kind of bore you all with that, but, um, this universe to my knowledge, it kicked off.
Dave (11:11.109)
Yeah, yeah, let's do it. Let's do it.
Matt - CDWA (11:32.958)
around June of 2023, if I remember correctly, I think the books hit the shelves in mid June and
The cool thing about it is we didn't really know how this universe was going to kick off, but there was a book called Void Rivals that they said like, hey, everyone should get void rivals, check void rivals out or whatever. It's a new image book. There was no allusions to the Energon universe. This book is about two individuals. Dave, you're the pronunciation king, but Derek is one of the characters in Solia. Derek is a Angorian.
And Solia is a, oh God, Zettonian or something like that. Zettonian, pretty much the premise of this book is they live on this ring, this planet, which is like this great ring, and there's these two rival factions, the Zettonians and Angorians, and they don't cross. Like they fight each other. Long story short, these two are.
Dave (12:16.04)
Zyrtonian I think it is. I think it's Zyrtonian.
Dave (12:37.296)
You can say it. They're segregated.
Matt - CDWA (12:39.682)
They're segregated. These two are, yeah, I can't say it if anyone can, it's me. But, uh, these, it's a second, we're starting off with segregation. All right. So these, so these they're separate, but equal factions. Um, they are on this planet together and they get stranded together and long story short, their only means of survival is to work together. Um, I don't want to get into the crazy nitty gritty of the book, but the big thing that happens in this book,
Dave (12:43.824)
It's also Black History Month, so... Yeah, man. Yeah!
Matt - CDWA (13:08.17)
is they're scraping their respective ships together to survive. And as they're going through materials on this planet trying to find things, they hit a large metal piece of scrap, and it ends up being a transformer. And this was how the Transformers in the Energon universe kicked off. And the Transformers jet fire, if I remember correctly. The cool thing about this was like,
Dave (13:33.588)
Correct.
Matt - CDWA (13:37.106)
I don't know how, but the comic book internet did not find out about it until like, like the day of or the day before. Like Captain America, I have no, dude, I have no idea, but it was like, honestly, one of the most genuine, like reveals in comics in a long time.
Dave (13:44.616)
Who does Krackman pay off to make sure that this stuff...
Dave (13:54.337)
Do you remember the last one was also Kirkman and in my opinion was that when he did die and they just shipped issue number one to all comic book retailers it was never solicited it was a push to every retailer and it was just a surprise here's a new Kirkman series. Hope you wanted it yeah.
Matt - CDWA (13:57.227)
Yeah, walking dead.
I don't know.
Matt - CDWA (14:07.362)
That's cool.
He's the king of that. Now that you said that, I do remember that. But like Walking Dead, they solicited like issues like months down the line and Kirkman just ended it. Like he's the king of that, man. And that's why I think we got mad respect for him. But so it's pretty much like, here's Jetfire, here's the story of Void Rivals. And then like at the back page, it's like Transformers number one coming, you know, whatever month. And you're like, holy shit. Like we're off and running. Like it was rumored.
Dave (14:22.311)
Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (14:40.714)
Like you'll even see one of our older episodes. I was like, man, I think like Kirkman might get Transformers in G.I. Joe. Like that's kind of the word on the street, but like we didn't know. And then like you read that issue and that was it. So that was a really good reveal. If I remember correctly, the next book was Transformers. I mean, this is just a Transformer story. Uh, obviously Autobots Decepticons. They really hit the ground running in this. Like, uh, the thing I like about it is it's pretty like.
Dave (14:46.672)
Yeah, that was a while ago. Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (15:10.358)
graphic in comparison to like some of the IDW Transformers books. Starscream in particular is really sinister, like Starscream would be. He's just killing people, smashing people, and giggling about it. They are crazy. And so it's like a very adult take on Transformers. The next book is Duke.
Duke is, and Transformers is an ongoing series, Duke and the GI Joe books for whatever reason, they're kind of doing like mini series, I think. So like Duke is a five issue mini series. I really like Duke. It's about, there's a lot of like political intrigue, but pretty much Duke is on the run in this. It's not like squeaky clean Duke. Like they talk about all of his honors and everything that Duke has done and how he's highly decorated, but.
There's some kind of falling out and he's like trying to get off the grid, but the government wants him back. So it's really like, like I said, it's like a political intrigue, Jason Bourne kind of book. Uh, so like I really dig Duke a lot. Uh, absolutely.
Dave (16:16.36)
Can I ask a question? Are you intentionally leaving out like the big reason why he's on the run? Okay. Okay, then I won't speak to it.
Matt - CDWA (16:22.534)
Yes, I am intentionally you I mean you can you can go in it. I kind of honestly forgot to but you can go in If you really want to you can go
Dave (16:30.548)
So yeah, so he's it's from Transformers number two. When Starscream is like, he's like fucking around with like some fighter jets that were scrambled to like intercept him in jet form. Duke is in one of the jets, one of the two US jets. Starscream transforms into his robot form, kills the other pilot, and then Duke is like trying to get.
Matt - CDWA (16:37.703)
Oh yes! Oh yeah, yeah.
Matt - CDWA (16:46.58)
forgot.
Dave (16:59.612)
General Hawk to listen to him and like figure out why there's a giant fucking robot in the sky killing US soldiers and they're like, you didn't see what you think you saw kid. You didn't see it.
Matt - CDWA (17:09.852)
Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (17:15.094)
Okay, I completely forgot about that.
Dave (17:17.288)
So then he's like, okay, I'm out. Like I'll find my own answers. And he like goes AWOL.
Matt - CDWA (17:21.442)
Okay, nice. Thank you for the save there. And then the most recent book is Cobra Commander, actually. Cobra Commander number one recently came out. I'm pretty sure Dave likes this book because they talk about, it's not like the Cobra Commander from like the GI Joe or Real American Hero comic book series that I love. It's the movie version. So they're introducing Cobra,
Dave (17:25.491)
Mm-hmm.
Dave (17:47.872)
I don't recognize that.
Matt - CDWA (17:49.599)
They're introducing Cobra Law and Gallobulus. Dave, please explain what Cobra Law is. I've been very.
Dave (17:55.448)
Oh, you mean like GI Joe the movie, not like the live action movies. Okay. Even the animated Cobra Commander isn't as like cunning and ruthless as the one in this comic. He's still kind of like smarmy and weak in the movie, intentionally so because they want to, you know, it's about Globulus and Serpentor.
Matt - CDWA (18:00.338)
No, no, not with Channing Tatum. We're talking about the animated film you love.
Matt - CDWA (18:08.782)
Mm-mm. No.
Matt - CDWA (18:14.259)
Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (18:22.634)
Nemesis enforcer in Pythona. Yeah. But what Cobra laws like this underground snake.
Dave (18:25.512)
Dude, Nemesis Enforcer's a badass.
Dave (18:33.88)
Yeah, it's like a hidden away, like a society of, of like, you know, snake like attributes and the people are like normal people. There's like some snake like people, but they're sort of like serpent like in their beliefs. And, you know, it's very, very organic and kind of like horror movie sci fi as type of stuff. Um, you know, it's the, it's the way that it works in GI Joe the movie, you know,
Matt - CDWA (18:37.686)
Snake society, yeah.
Matt - CDWA (18:56.077)
Yeah.
Dave (19:03.74)
the cartoon had existed for so long. And then in the movie, you find out like the true origins of Cobra. And it's like this huge like, reveal of a there's so much more to this than you ever thought. It's kind of mind blowing. And they're in Cobra Commander, they're starting off with that, like laying the groundwork for like, Cobra law exists now. And there's a reason why we're going to go out into the world and announce our presence.
Matt - CDWA (19:08.632)
Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (19:18.871)
Yeah, they-
Matt - CDWA (19:29.15)
Like you said, like Cobra commander, this isn't that like smart me guy. Like he's definitely like more confident. He's like in charge of like the science division. And that's what he's like. Trying to rise. He's a scientist, like trying to like rise to power and, you know, create this army and win globius's favor and be the military, you know, leader of Cobra. So it's, it's pretty crazy. Like it's, I like that they introduce and the thing, if you're an old head, like GI Joe or transformers guy.
Dave (19:38.436)
Yeah, he's just a scientist.
Matt - CDWA (19:57.986)
there are like a lot of references to characters and like Cobra Law like that's if you don't know anything about GI Joe that's kind of like a deep cut like but I was like oh dude they're really going with Cobra Law and the first issue so these books are very enjoyable if you are you know this source material or you know especially the 80s the 80s version so anything you got to add to those I just wanted to give like a quick hopefully that was a quick overview but
Dave (20:09.626)
Yes.
Dave (20:25.232)
Yeah, I won't say anything else about what happens in Cobra Commander, because I know that's gonna be your most shocking moment, but I will, I just wanna also mention that with the acquisition of the licensing rights or the license for these characters, Skybound also now has G.I. Joe, Real American Hero, which is now one of the longest running ongoing series of all time. It's on issue 304, I think now.
Matt - CDWA (20:44.542)
Yes, I didn't.
Dave (20:53.052)
the man Larry Hamma himself still writing it. This man's been on G.I. Joe, Real American Hero for I don't know how many years. He's an institution in and of himself. So I know there's a lot of concern amongst the fandom, myself included, that maybe a real American hero just died when IDW lost the license, but Kirkman did the right thing, and everyone was on board with allowing Larry to come over and keep doing the book. And Hasbro signed off on it too, so I think it's a nice, it's a...
Matt - CDWA (21:02.362)
Yeah, I do.
Dave (21:22.832)
It's a nice win in a situation where, um, you know, corporate structures in America are set up to make sure these types of wins don't happen. And this was a nice one of those. It was, it was a little bit of a fun surprise.
Matt - CDWA (21:36.51)
And not going in depth about the book, like if you pick up issue 301, I think that's a pretty good jumping on point to be honest with you, like I've read that series since like issue two 70 or two 80, I was collecting it. Um, 301 is actually a pretty decent jumping on point. If you want to get involved. No, David. No, really? They give you back matter and tells you everything. Okay. Well, I think it's fine.
Dave (21:54.865)
I don't think so.
Dave (21:59.444)
That's, I think that is an insane place to start reading GI Joe real American hero. That's like the clone of Serpentor has unleashed some sort of bomb on Cobra Island that has turned everyone into like zombies that have all of their brain power intact, but still want to eat people. They're like planning an invasion of Cobra's base in Indiana.
Matt - CDWA (22:07.226)
There is
Matt - CDWA (22:11.731)
It's fine.
Matt - CDWA (22:16.806)
It's fine. That's the fucking issue. You're talking, you're mixing issues. You're missing, you're missing, you're adding like three issues. 301 that hasn't happened yet. And the other problem is, the other problem, it's going to be real difficult for you to find some of those issues because there's no way to read them digitally. So that's another problem.
Dave (22:29.148)
Yes it has.
Dave (22:36.196)
If by difficulty mean impossible, I agree.
Matt - CDWA (22:37.854)
Yeah, exactly. It's very difficult because I'm hoping we get the rights to that at some point too.
Dave (22:43.504)
Yeah, so I guess it's also your only jumping on point opportunity. Um, but I definitely, if you haven't, if you haven't read GI Joe, a real American hero in the last 15 years, 20 years, and you start with issue three, Oh one, you're going to have a lot of what the fuck is happening type of questions for yourself. I did. It is okay.
Matt - CDWA (22:46.31)
Yeah, that's a perfect joke.
Matt - CDWA (23:04.654)
But that's okay. That's okay. That's the joy of comic books. Every comic is the first comic, I guess. Dave, what's your favorite book? Is it really? Okay. Alright. Okay.
Dave (23:13.708)
Cobra commander. Oh, yeah, not even close. You're gonna you from the first five pages, I was so in. You're gonna if you're gonna show up with Cobra law and Galabula's. But the I'm all the way in because GI Joe the movie is my favorite GI Joe thing ever.
Matt - CDWA (23:23.934)
You were in, huh?
Matt - CDWA (23:30.902)
It's literally page four.
Matt - CDWA (23:38.068)
Okay.
Dave (23:40.66)
Cobra Commander is competent and not whiny and really sort of ruthless and brutal. That scene when he murders that guy and takes his vehicle at the bar and like the winner, like, dude, give me all of that. Give me all of that. And Cobra's always, this is probably a bit of a hot take or at least it's gonna be a controversial stance. I know, we're not. But, but.
Matt - CDWA (23:53.195)
the beginning.
Matt - CDWA (23:59.53)
Love it.
Matt - CDWA (24:06.538)
We're not doing that this episode. No, no, no. It doesn't mean.
Dave (24:10.992)
but I've always liked Cobra more than GI Joe.
Matt - CDWA (24:15.843)
Oh dude, yeah, I mean, yeah, there's...
Dave (24:18.056)
They have cooler, cooler characters, cooler designs. Like there's just cooler stuff on the corporate side. Like GI Joe is just like different flavors of military guys.
Matt - CDWA (24:28.658)
I feel like you had, we watched that GI Joe the movie, like I finally met someone who likes that animated movie as much as me. And we like watched that in your old edition off of your parents' house when you were living back there back in the gap. And I immediately changed my Xbox profile picture to the logo of the insignia Cobra and it has not changed for like 20 years. Like it's been the same thing. Like.
Dave (24:54.516)
That's my Steam profile picture. And it's been that way for probably 10 years. Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (24:58.814)
It's just a great, a great logo. So good stuff. Um, my favorite is Duke. Uh, I love, I love Duke, man. I w why I don't love Duke the characters per se, but it's introducing a lot of the GI Joe characters on the GI Joe side that I like. Um, I liked it. Well, thank you for filling in the gap why he's AWOL, but I like the whole AWOL. He's being.
Dave (25:06.813)
Hmm.
Dave (25:16.052)
Mm-hmm.
Matt - CDWA (25:25.514)
you know, pursued like Jason Bourne. I like that whole angle. It was like action packed to me. Cobra commander was probably, I don't know. I really liked transformers too. And I'm not a big transformers guy. I'd say Cobra commander is definitely my number two transformers be.
So I guess going to my least. Yeah. My mom's going to my least favorite. So my least favorite would be void rivals. I think honestly, it's because I thought like the issue two and three were really slow. But the rest of it once I kind of got to where we were going, I actually really did enjoy it. But I think I got spoiled because I'm just thinking there's going to be more reveals in that book because of the jetfire number one of Mike, when's the next thing coming? When's the next thing coming in? There's a couple other things in the book.
Dave (25:44.532)
Well you might as well... Yeah, you might as well.
Dave (26:12.336)
Yeah. Those, those dudes from the, from the movie on that like garbage planet.
Matt - CDWA (26:13.366)
but it really is it's-
Matt - CDWA (26:19.21)
Okay, see, I was gonna ask you, heads, okay. Okay, so like, I was like, these guys look familiar, but I'm not like, I'm not versed super well in that world. But okay, so, and they're kind of in it for a little bit. So I get that. But to me, that book is kind of like becoming its own thing. I was getting the whole, I was gonna text you. I was like, this kind of feels like saga, but without the romance, like that's kind of what I was like. There's not as much sexy time, but it's...
Dave (26:20.54)
Those like floating head looking guys, if you know what they're called.
Dave (26:43.128)
Hehe
Dave (26:47.912)
yet.
Matt - CDWA (26:48.214)
I'm getting, yeah, I'm getting that vibe, but I am gonna still pick the book up. Like I enjoyed it. Like I was, issues two and three, I'd be like, ah, I don't need this. I might drop it. But once I got to where it was going, I was like, okay, you got me. I'm on board. I'm gonna stay here. But ultimately I'm here for Transformers and GI Joe. So that's where I was like, ah, this is probably my least favorite, but it's what it's.
Dave (27:11.504)
Uh with void rivals, i'm just waiting for somebody to have a sex scene with the handroid That's all I want
Matt - CDWA (27:16.554)
The hey, yes, the hand right? Yeah, for sure.
Dave (27:21.915)
I'm surprised to hear you say void rivals is your least favorite, but
to each his own.
Matt - CDWA (27:28.77)
to each his own.
Dave (27:30.772)
I honestly, I love void rivals for several reasons. I think that the world building that is taking place in that book is, I mean, I hate to, I hate to glaze Kirkman even more than I already do on this podcast, but yeah. But you know, the man is just, he's expert level world builder. And the subtleties with which
Matt - CDWA (27:47.531)
That's the one he's actually rewriting. Right? So there we go. There we go.
Matt - CDWA (27:56.227)
Yeah.
Dave (28:00.488)
the things are connected between all four books. Someone appears here and then we talk about it in a different comic, like the Jetfire reveal in Void Rivals number one, and that is tied directly into the Transformers story. He references that in Transformers. It's just, you know me and you know how I love a tightly connected comic book universe and the ways that they're setting up G.I. Joe and the ways that
the Transformers are sort of being announced to the people of Earth, while also already being known to the characters in the world that's in Void Rivals. I think that there's just a lot of really compelling things that are going to unfold over time. I'm super excited to see where it all goes. All that being said, it was difficult for me to pick my least favorite book. It wasn't gonna be Cobra Commander, but I think of the other three,
Matt - CDWA (28:56.5)
Yeah.
Dave (28:59.356)
The weakest one for me is actually Transformers. Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (29:02.729)
Really?
Matt - CDWA (29:07.865)
That man stopped his bus and turned around for you.
Dave (29:12.488)
That was a long time ago, Matt. That was a long, long time ago. My issue with transformers, and I'm going to.
Let me just preface this with.
Matt - CDWA (29:25.798)
sound like me. I think... Oh no! I think you're gonna do it.
Dave (29:27.544)
I fully understand how this is going to sound.
Dave (29:32.74)
I'm very sorry, Daniel Warren Johnson.
Matt - CDWA (29:34.802)
No! Yes. The art.
Dave (29:37.916)
that art style is just not the right art for Transformers. I would prefer that to be like clean lines. The art should be shiny and glossy, like the metal alloys that these Transformers are made out of. It just reads a little bit too much like an indie comic, and the art and a lot of the combat sequences, it's really difficult to understand what's happening sometimes. And I think that's also due to the art style.
The writing is fantastic. I just wish that we had art on that book that you get the guy from Void Rivals to do Transformers. I don't even know who's doing the art. I should know that, but I don't off the top of my head.
Matt - CDWA (30:20.014)
I think Dave Filippi or something. I think it's like Lorenzo Dave Felici.
Dave (30:22.736)
Yeah, sure, whatever.
Dave (30:28.058)
I just don't love the art. It's just, I don't love it. I'm sorry.
Matt - CDWA (30:31.818)
I'm a fan of Daniel Warren Johnson's art because I read that dual power bomb wrestling book and I was used to it. Like I got used to it. At first I was like, I don't like this at all. But I talked about it in a previous episode.
Dave (30:41.276)
I think his style, I think his art is fine. It just doesn't match the comic, in my opinion.
Matt - CDWA (30:47.691)
There's some long arm transformers like kinetic punching scenes. I'm like, ah, whatever. But that's his style.
Dave (30:50.801)
Yeah.
There's like, I forget which issue it was, but I texted you about it. Like, Optimus did like a suplex on somebody or something. It was just like the most unreadable thing from like, like I couldn't read the action because the art just wasn't, it's just not the right art for this, man. I don't know. Sorry. Sorry, Daniel. I think you're a great artist. I just don't love your work on this book.
Matt - CDWA (31:00.632)
Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (31:16.834)
Just not on this book. That's all right, that's all right. All right, well, there's a lot of highs and lows in here, but what was your most shocking moment here from these years? What shocked you the most?
Mediaboard_sounds (31:32.781)
Cobra la
Matt - CDWA (31:35.847)
He liar, he said the board was down. That's a pretty shocking moment. We're going straight to Cobra Law.
Dave (31:38.306)
That did. That shocked me the most.
Dave (31:45.616)
Yeah, I had no, based on the preview for Cobra Commander, I didn't really know what to expect other than a more violent version of Cobra and specifically Cobra Commander himself. Boy, that book exceeded all of my wildest expectations. Absolutely incredible. That's like one of the strongest debut issues I think I've ever read, period.
Matt - CDWA (31:49.816)
Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (32:00.363)
That's awesome, man. I'm glad.
Matt - CDWA (32:08.982)
Pretty good.
Dave (32:10.456)
And I know it has your most shocking moment in it too, I think.
Matt - CDWA (32:15.405)
No.
Dave (32:16.594)
Really?
Matt - CDWA (32:18.318)
I'm going with my heart here. This might be a little, a little juvenile here, but I'm going to put it out there. Uh, one of my, one of my, uh, in GI Joe number two, we, uh, there's, there's an appearance by rock and roll stalker. Who's like one of my favorite Joe's. And I read that entire Larry Hammer, a real American hero run like
Dave (32:27.892)
Okay.
Matt - CDWA (32:46.418)
I read all his stuff back in the day. They end up going to the pit. So you had me right there when you go to the old school pit and they're like, the pits been decommissioned or whatever and they're taking Duke to be in prison. But the last page of issue number two has one of my comic book crushes in it. I love the freaking Baroness and the Baroness is there and she's apparently going to help Duke break out of this cell. And I was like,
We're going there already. Let's go. Uh, so the Baron is showing up in Duke number two in the pit. You got a Baroness? I didn't know you had a Baroness.
Dave (33:22.712)
I have her on the shelf, you can't really see her because she's so far away, but I got a bareness, she's got her arm around Destro back behind me.
Matt - CDWA (33:29.526)
I love it. I love it. So yeah, I'm gonna go with Duke number two. Was Cobra, was Cobra Commander the appearance of that one transformer possibly? Yeah, that was, that was cool. Like, that shot. See, I got a wasn't he referenced in an I think maybe the most recent issue of transformers to I don't know, we'll talk. We'll talk offline. All right. That's what I thought. But I'm like,
Dave (33:41.016)
Oh yeah, that's what I thought you were gonna say.
That got me. That shocked me too.
Dave (33:56.91)
Yeah, he was. You're right. Yeah. And issue four of Transformers. He was brought up.
Matt - CDWA (34:00.082)
Okay, yeah, so there's... This is, this is, these books, I don't know if this was, I think something you might have texted me about, but I hope I don't go into it, but like, once again, if you're not getting that connective tissue you're looking from, from Big Two Comics, this is where you want to be. These books are connected. I'm a person, I'm just like, I'm going to get the number ones.
Void Rivals, I'll get the first arc because it's Kirkman, but I'll just get the first number ones in paper and then I'll read the rest digitally. I added and picked up all these books. I'm getting them all again. Because it's just like, this is where it's at. This is where the connective tissue is at. So things like this, you need to go out of your way and read them and I think they're enjoyable for new fans and old fans as well too. So.
Dave (34:40.815)
Yeah you did.
Dave (34:55.132)
Well, I feel like you're answering the next thing you want to talk about, which was how has how or has the Energon universe really connected with you so far? Sounds like it has.
Matt - CDWA (35:04.222)
With me so, yeah, for me so far, definitely. Like each book has its own, you know, little flair, distinctive flair. I like them, but they're all connected and all you got to do. Like I wanted to text you. I don't think I did, but that issue of Transformers where they shot Duke at, like Duke, you know, parachuted out. I was like, Oh man, we're going there already. Like I was going to text you, but I knew we were probably going to record about it at some point, um, like that.
Dave (35:13.064)
Mm-hmm.
Matt - CDWA (35:33.238)
You get a couple of Megatron appearances. The whole Jetfire thing, just like, that set the whole tone for this whole thing and how this universe was gonna go. So.
Dave (35:42.632)
I want to know what it was like to be working in an LCS that week when you know, you know, the dude that does your orders didn't order enough void rivals number one and all the trans farmers fans are crumming out of the woodwork trying to pick that shit up.
Matt - CDWA (35:46.106)
Oh dude, that was cr-
Matt - CDWA (35:51.539)
Yes.
Matt - CDWA (35:55.498)
Like I was there like on Wednesday, like on my break at like 11 to get my issue and it was kind of a little crazy. And I have a very small cap.
Dave (36:02.256)
Yeah, you know, here's the thing. If you had been listening to our podcast, you would have known that Robert Kirkman does not fucking miss. So when you saw the solicitation that said, number one, in Robert Kirkman's new connected universe at Skybound, you should have over ordered.
Matt - CDWA (36:24.674)
Yeah, you stood up.
Dave (36:26.096)
And if you didn't, you're fucked up.
Matt - CDWA (36:28.566)
He's got a heel promo on LCS owners. So don't listen to him. All right. What else do we got?
Dave (36:32.029)
It wouldn't be the first time, it won't be the last.
Dave (36:41.34)
Can I answer that one? I didn't get to... I didn't get to... Man, dude's trying to move on already. So I am also all in on this. All the way in. I think I just sort of said it, but the way that they decided to use void rivals to introduce the Energon universe... Chef's Kiss, 10 out of 10. Such a cool idea.
Matt - CDWA (36:42.59)
Yeah, yeah, go ahead. I got my topics in, so we're on your time now.
Dave (37:10.748)
We're not just taking the license and doing what's been done before, like the way that IDW had just done it, the way that Dreamwave did it at one point, the way that Marvel did it. And then I think Devil's Do had GI Joe for a while. Transformers was somewhere else. I don't remember where. But we're world building and we're enriching what's already there. And
Matt - CDWA (37:27.086)
That was do had it.
Dave (37:39.328)
It's done in a way that has never been done before with these characters and these properties. I'm so in. I'm so in. I'm actually buying additional copies of Void Rivals when they do a new print and put a transformer on the cover. I don't know if you knew this, but issue number one is in like fifth print now.
Matt - CDWA (38:03.17)
The second prints of these books with like the ones you have that have just like one character on them. I'm almost like I want to get the second printings too. Like I don't need that. But like they're cool.
Dave (38:11.08)
Yeah, I'm if I see what I'm not like actively searching the map but if I'm happen to be in a shop and they have a copy of void rivals with a Transformer on a cover on a subsequent printing I pick it up. I just got the one that had sound wave on it Their shockwave. Sorry
Matt - CDWA (38:21.538)
Yeah.
That's cool. I didn't, I didn't know we were on fifth print. I knew we were in reprint mode, but not fifth print.
Dave (38:28.304)
Yeah, the number three is like a third print. That's when I just picked up. They've all gotten to multiple printings, I think every single issue that's come out has gotten to multiple printings.
Matt - CDWA (38:32.002)
Nice.
Matt - CDWA (38:36.77)
That's funny because Image said they were no longer doing printing. So like after the pandemic, they're like, oh, we're not doing any additional printings, not for, yep, not for void rivals, but yeah.
Dave (38:43.804)
Yeah, gotta do it. Print's money. Plus, Hasbro's probably like, you better print more. The other thing that I'll say as far as how this is kind of connected with me, I cannot wait to see how we get to the GI Joe comic that we all know is coming. And on top of that, it's so obvious
Matt - CDWA (38:50.442)
Print as many as you need. Back to print.
Dave (39:13.48)
that the people that are involved in this loved these things in the 80s. They have a true love and real care for these characters. And it's like that the movies specifically, my favorite versions of both of these franchises are their two feature length films and the creatives involved here.
Also feel the same way and if you read the if you read some of the stuff in the back of cobra commander number one Um, I forget who it was that was writing it But he even said like I loved the movie like I was dead set on including cobra law in this because it's just my absolute favorite thing so Um because of that i've got a lot of a lot of trust in what's to come So i'm in i'm all the way in i've said it before and i'll say it again in rob. We trust
Matt - CDWA (39:57.986)
That's awesome.
Matt - CDWA (40:10.506)
Yeah? No, absolutely.
That's it, John. Is there anything else you gotta close with?
Dave (40:17.788)
Yeah, you know, I got, there's like one other thing that I kind of wanted to touch on, and it's more about how this impacts in general, like the comic landscape, the properties themselves, the move from IDW to Skybound, because I think there's some things here that are worth discussing. And short term, I think this brings new fans into comics, or...
Matt - CDWA (40:20.884)
Okay.
Dave (40:46.18)
At least maybe not true new fans, but fans that have long since gone away And are now coming back and I think we're seeing that in the subsequent printings of void rivals We're seeing that in how well these comics are selling Duke number two was sold out before it even got to comic shops. I couldn't get a copy From the place that I order my comics from because the order cut off was so soon. I missed it I had to actually take my ass to a local comic shop the day that duke number two came out to buy it
Matt - CDWA (41:16.066)
NOOOOOO-
Dave (41:18.192)
It was terrible. It wasn't terrible. Uh, actually I went to madness comics here, uh, in Plano, Texas. Um, absolutely incredible comic shop. It's probably the biggest comic shop in DFW and one of the biggest ones you'll ever see, um, tons of gaming stuff, tons of collectibles, lots of really cool, old, very expensive action figures in display cases in the back and, uh, just a ton of comics and D and D stuff. Um, phenomenal, phenomenal stores. The only one that I'm willing to drive to here. Um,
Matt - CDWA (41:19.47)
I'm gonna go to bed.
Matt - CDWA (41:23.694)
Great shot.
Dave (41:47.856)
shout out madness. Good on them. They I actually got the last copy of Duke number two. So I'm glad I showed up early or else I would have been stuck. And then I already mentioned it once but like the Larry Hama staying on GI Joe a real American hero. I think that it's not necessarily an impact but it's impactful that it happened.
I think consistency is important, especially with something like this. So that was very, it was very good to see. Now, long-term, I have other thoughts here. So if you remember, and I'm sure you do, but for those that don't know, Skybound has a long-term deal with Amazon to make animated content using their comics and characters. That's why we have an invincible series. There's also supposed to be a saga series.
Does this open the door to maybe getting like GI Joe or Transformers animated shows coming from Amazon? I don't know. But boy would that be great. I think I would really like that.
Matt - CDWA (42:52.182)
Let's hope.
Matt - CDWA (42:57.022)
And the mature style, like that GI Joe Resolute.
Dave (43:00.64)
I don't care what style, just give it to me. I'll consume it. I'd even pay for it. Yeah, all we've gotten is feature films and they haven't been good.
Matt - CDWA (43:03.993)
Yeah. Yeah, no, I definitely check it out. I definitely check it out. For sure. It's a good idea. Ah, yeah.
Matt - CDWA (43:15.006)
Yeah. Interesting. I didn't even think about that.
Dave (43:15.141)
I haven't been good.
Dave (43:20.108)
Also long term, I think we finally you mentioned it already But we finally get the GI Joe comics back on digital platforms once that licensing stuff is taken care of So I'm excited to find a way to get those GI Joe's In PDF form not necessarily purchased through comics ology I Would like the PDFs, please Please and thank you
Matt - CDWA (43:27.156)
Yeah.
Matt - CDWA (43:41.658)
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Thank you, Global Comics. Get it done, Chris.
Dave (43:46.92)
Um, and then the, the last thing is, um, I think this proves that in the, the right hands with the right creative direction, these types of eighties revivals can thrive. So is there maybe a chance that skybound becomes like the new home for licensed comics? And like, what else could we get like a good re-imagining of? Like there's all kinds of good eighties cartoons. Like.
Matt - CDWA (44:04.695)
Yes.
Dave (44:16.44)
mask. Mask was cool. Maybe we get like mask stuff. Now maybe that goes there. Like, who knows what else Hasbro owns that they could revive and like shuffle over to Rob to like make some successful comics out of? I don't know. It's fun to think about.
Matt - CDWA (44:29.725)
This is completely random, but it was of that era. Do you know the show Silverhawks?
Dave (44:35.269)
I know of it, but I don't really remember it.
Matt - CDWA (44:37.138)
I've never watched it, but it has like one of the best opening theme songs in my opinion. You need to play that after this. You need to listen to that theme song. It's a banger. The show's probably crap. I've heard of it, but I was just like, yo, this is legit. It's a nice little entry. I feel like Turtles is locked down on IDW. That ain't going nowhere. That would be the one that I would like to see Rob get his hands on. But I don't know.
Dave (44:41.497)
Okay.
All right.
Dave (44:53.618)
All right.
Matt - CDWA (45:06.95)
I like Team Man, very cursory, but I don't know if that would be a good-
Dave (45:09.68)
Yeah, I was ever I feel like you either were in the GI Joe and Transformers or you were in a he man, but there's not a crossover there that I like most people are one of the other.
Matt - CDWA (45:13.728)
Yeah, like...
Matt - CDWA (45:17.938)
Yeah, like I had some He-Man figures and it was cool for a bit, but like I wasn't like crazy in love with it. Like G.I. Joe's again. Yeah. I don't know. I didn't really get into didn't vibe with me that much, but yeah, no.
Dave (45:24.928)
I was never into it. I never liked He-Man. My cousin really liked He-Man. I didn't like He-Man.
Dave (45:34.524)
Yeah, I'd obviously like Ninja Turtles. That was a big part of my childhood too, but we know where that's at. It's languishing over in IDW land. They're letting Jason Aaron reboot it. Like, fucking kill me.
Matt - CDWA (45:37.779)
Yeah, exactly.
Hehehehehehe
Matt - CDWA (45:46.344)
Hahahaha
Matt - CDWA (45:51.01)
With that, no. Ha ha ha.
Dave (45:53.961)
That probably is a good place to stop. We'll be back in two weeks with The Boys, Part 2, and our on-again, off-again third co-host Eric will be here for that. So that's something to look forward to. And then, I don't know, this will be out before that. I don't have a whole lot more to say. I liked this conversation, though. This was fun.
Matt - CDWA (45:55.286)
Yeah!
Matt - CDWA (46:16.927)
Absolutely.
Matt - CDWA (46:20.542)
Me too. It was good. It was good. Very good.
Dave (46:22.672)
I think we need to come back to this in like six months or like at the end of the year to see if we still feel this way.
Matt - CDWA (46:25.315)
I'm all about you.
Matt - CDWA (46:30.458)
I know these characters so it's probably gonna stick more than like the massive verse, so I'm probably good for this. Sorry, massive verse. I know your books are good, but I knew this was coming, so something had to give. Something had to give. The Baroness.
Dave (46:35.836)
Waa
Mediaboard_sounds (46:45.219)
One shall stand, one shall fall. Why throw away your life so recklessly? That's a question you should ask yourself, Megatron.
Matt - CDWA (46:56.274)
You got to touch!
Dave (46:59.676)
And with that, we'll see y'all in a couple of weeks. My name is Dave. Take care of yourselves everybody, bye bye.
Matt - CDWA (47:04.596)
And I'm Matt.
Peace.