WARNING! Spoilers ahead for FCBD 2024: Energon Universe 2024 Special #1
The Energon Universe started with the first issue of Void Rivals, which officially kicked off Skybound’s new shared universe of Transformers and G.I. Joe. Now, Void Rivals continues the trend of surprise cameos with the arrival of the Autobot hero of the 1986’s Transformers: The Movie, Hot Rod.
Appearing in the FCBD Energon Universe 2024 Special #1 story by Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo de Felici, Matheus Lopes and Rus Wooton, Hot Rod appears before Slizardo and the Skuxxoid bounty hunter seen in previous issues of Void Rivals.
It turns out that the Autobot is on the trail of an old friend, and he’s willing to pay the bounty hunters for information. “I’m tracking an ally of mine who’s gone missing,” Hot Rod explains. “He was obsessed with an old Cybertronian legend, thinking it would lead him to some way of saving our world.”
Void Rivals tells the story of the war between the Zertonian and Agorrian races, two societies built around a collapsing black hole who have been locked in bitter conflict over dwindling resources. The comic follows Darak and Solila, two warriors from opposite sides of the war who find themselves stranded on a barren moon. After running across the Transformer Jetfire, the two work together to escape the moon, finding out their opposing sides in the war aren’t as different as they initially thought. They eventually run afoul of the Skuxxoid bounty hunter, who is interested in the alloy that powers their Zertonian ship.
That same Skuxxoid now appears in the FCBD Energon Universe Special, where he is introduced arguing with fellow bounty hunter Slizardo over what happened to the Zertonian ship. It turns out that Slizardo is on the payroll of Hot Rod, whose primary goal is finding an old ally. It would be easy to assume that Hot Rod is searching for Jetfire, but the solicits for upcoming issues of Void Rivals promise the return of the Autobot triple-changer Springer. All we know about the ally Hot Rod is searching for is that he’s “obsessed” with an old Cybertronian legend.
Much like the Zertonians and Agorrians, the Autobots and Decepticons are also fighting over dwindling resources, which is what led Optimus Prime to leave his homeworld centuries ago to search for more Energon. Hot Rod’s appearance in the Energon Universe Special is setting the stage for major stories to come, just one of many spinning plates that makes Skybound’s line of Hasbro properties the most exciting group of comics on the stands today. One thing’s for sure: Transformers fans will have to keep reading Void Rivals to see how the Cybertronian conflict is playing out throughout the galaxy of the Energon Universe.