G.I. Joe member Duke makes his first appearance in the Energon Universe as the Transformers comic book continues.
The Transformers franchise will always be profitable. Their popular toys, animated show, and movie in the 1980s was only the beginning. Nearly forty years later projects are still being created and made millions of dollars. The most recent venture was Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. A movie that foreshadowed the future of comic books.
The end-credit scenes (that you can see below), revealed that another well-liked franchise would join the Transformers movies. After Noah Diaz (played by Anthony Ramos) finishes an interview, he’s given a card that says G.I. Joe. The crossover doesn’t stop at movies. The second Transformers comic book officially brought the G.I. Joes into Image/Skybound Comics Energon Universe.
During the issue, Starscream went after an aircraft coming to take them out. During the battle, one of the pilots was killed by Starscream. The Decepticon turns his sights to the other and is easily thwarted. Rather than continue the fight, Starscream retreats. During the next panel, the artist made a point to highlight the nametag on the survivor’s uniform. It was none other than the most famous member of G.I. Joe, Duke.
While Marvel and DC Comics have managed to rely on their classic characters, Image Comics hasn’t had the same success as the big two. That doesn’t mean they don’t have popular characters. Among them is Invincible. A comic book that’s turned into a popular animated show. This is why bringing in Invincible creator Robert Kirkman to create the Energon Universe is genius. He’s already proven to be an elite world builder.
Creating a universe surrounding two of the most popular shows and toys of the 1980s was a brilliant idea. Most people who enjoy these comics are adults with disposable income. That’s why the comic books are geared towards that. This is why Transformers and Void Rivals have focused on adult content.
Starscream has killed people in both of his appearances and it’s likely not going to stop. Once G.I. Joe, the body count is going to get even higher. There’s also going to be drama and action we’ve rarely seen from a crossover of this magnitude.. Look for this to be one of the most talked about comic book universes of the next few years.
Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out how things progress.