Does that mean anything? Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not. But keep it in your back pocket, I guess.

Anyway, those folks rolled out a trailer for a new collaboration that begins today, and features some of our favorite robots in disguise as skins (for the gamer illiterate, that’s basically like “costumes”) for a quartet of pre-existing characters from the game. Check ’em out:

For what it’s worth, Overwatch 2 principle artist Mike Hardison explained on SMOKAT that these are the Overwatch 2 characters cosplaying as the characters, rather than the actual characters themselves. That said, there is a little more meat to this crossover than just everyone playing dress-up, as they also released a free digital comic online called “Transmission” that shows Megatron establishing a trade with Ramattra: He gets Cybertronian tech in exchange for Megatron using him as an avatar in this world. Naturally, the Autobots can’t have that, and so the race is on to find new heroes to which they can lend their aid.

So… maybe these costumes are actually — say it with me — more than meets the eye?

Right.

So, anyway. If you play the game (it’s free on Nintendo Switch, Steam for PC, Xbox One/Series X|S, and PlayStations 4 & 5), for those interested by this), the costumes will be available starting today, July 9th, 2024. And if past crossovers, specifically the recent Cowboy Bebop, are anything to go by, they aren’t cheap. Those went for 2,500 Overwatch coins, or roughly $25/£21.

Oh, and that’s each, by the way. So kiss your favorite picture of Ben Franklin (or whatever the equivalent would be in other countries) good-bye if you decide to go all the way in on this.

If you’d like to discuss this with other fans on our forums… well, we don’t really have an Overwatch thread, sequelized or otherwise. We do have this Activision Blizzard thread in our “Fun & Games” section, though. It hasn’t really been touched since the company laid off nearly 2,000 employees at the start of the year, so this might be a way to liven it up, yeah? No? Well, you can start a separate thread, if that’s your whim. In the Transformers Discussion section, perhaps? The trailer is kinda anime-ish, so PrimalxConvoy shared it in the “Japanese Transformers News” thread, even though that’s about as far as the relevance goes.

Not a member? Register now! It’s totally free, save for that teeny little fragment of your Spark that helps sustain our existence! If forums aren’t your bag and you’re more of a social media kid, then you can find us on SMOKAT (that’s the Social Media Once Known As Twitter — just you wait, this’ll catch on better than “X” ever will) @AllsparkNews. Or you can do your web-slinging Into and Across the Metaverse to find our Facebook page, Facebook Group, and Instagram! Or you can go Beyond the Metaverse, and join us on our Discord, Discord.gg/allspark, where our operators are standing by to serve you!

Xaaron is a heavy retool of WFC Reflector/Refractor, while Flame is retooled from Gamer Edition Megatron. Pictures of the set are below:

The two-pack will be available today exclusively on Hasbro Pulse beginning at 1PM Eastern for Premium Members, 2PM for standard members.

Always wondered what the heck ah Emirate is? Then head over to the Legacy Line Thread in our forums!

Not a member? Register now! It’s totally free, save for that teeny little fragment of your Spark that helps sustain our existence! If forums aren’t your bag and you’re more of a social media kid, then you can find us on SMOKAT (that’s the Social Media Once Known As Twitter — just you wait, this’ll catch on better than “X” ever will) @AllsparkNews. Or you can do your web-slinging Into and Across the Metaverse to find our Facebook page, Facebook Group, and Instagram! Or you can go Beyond the Metaverse, and join us on our Discord, Discord.gg/allspark, where our operators are standing by to serve you!

Energon Universe Special 2024 #1 will serve as “a perfect jumping on point for new readers and a can’t miss for long time fans,” and be available at comic shops on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, and will have five different covers, as follows:

• Energon Universe Special 2024 #1 Cover A by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer (Lunar Code Coming Soon)
• Energon Universe Special 2024 #1 Cover B by Lorenzo De Felici (Lunar Code Coming Soon)
• Energon Universe Special 2024 #1 Cover C (1:10 Incentive) by Tom Reilly (Lunar Code Coming Soon)
• Energon Universe Special 2024 #1 Cover D (1:25 Incentive) by Stephen Green (Lunar Code Coming Soon)
• Energon Universe Special 2024 #1 Cover E (1:50 Incentive) by Khary Randolph (Lunar Code Coming Soon)

If you’re not invested in the Energon Universe just yet, then there’s also good news: The story content of the special will be available the week prior on Saturday, May 4, 2024 — for free — as part of the offerings of Free Comic Book Day.

Whichever way you get it, they’re promising three all-new stories with “shocking turns from the juggernaut Energon Universe series and can’t miss first appearances from the worlds of Void Rivals, Transformer, and G.I. Joe.”

Energon Universe Special #1 will be available at a price of $3.99 USD in both comic book shops and across digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

For more information, check out the full press release at Ben’s World of Transformers.

Is this the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to see what this new universe of Transformers and G.I. Joe is all about? Or are you already all in, and just eager to get your hands on all the variants? Head over to the “Energon Universe – ongoing Transformers and G.I. Joe comics from Skybound” thread in our forums, and let us know!

Not a member? Register now! It’s totally free, save for that teeny little fragment of your Spark that helps sustain our existence! If forums aren’t your bag and you’re more of a social media kid, then you can find us on SMOKAT (that’s the Social Media Once Known As Twitter — just you wait, this’ll catch on better than “X” ever will) @AllsparkNews. Or you can do your web-slinging Into and Across the Metaverse to find our Facebook page, Facebook Group, and Instagram! Or you can go Beyond the Metaverse, and join us on our Discord, Discord.gg/allspark, where our operators are standing by to serve you!

TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS COMIC EDITION GRIMLOCK

(Ages 8 and Up | Approx. Retail Price: $59.99 | Available: Summer 2024)

Comic book TRANSFORMERS bots are stepping off the page and onto collectors’ shelves with the TRANSFORMERS Comic Edition Grimlock! Grimlock leads a team of powerful Dinobots and fights on impulse, making him one of the strongest –and most unpredictable –Autobots. Inspired by the original The TRANSFORMERS comic book series, this 8.5-inch Grimlock action figure converts from robot to T.rexmode in 22 steps. With comic-accurate deco and black line hatching details, Grimlock looks like it came out of a comic book, celebrating 40 years since TRANSFORMERS robots made their comic debut in 1984. Feature articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poses and comes with 3 swords, double-barreled blaster and a crown accessory that can sit on the figure’s head. Pre-order details coming soon.

TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS COMIC EDITION SHOCKWAVE

(Ages 8 and Up |Approx. Retail Price: $39.99 |Available: Summer 2024)

Comic book TRANSFORMERS bots are stepping off the page and onto collectors’ shelves with the TRANSFORMERS Comic Edition Shockwave! Ruledby logic, if it is more logical for Shockwave to override Megatron and seize command of the Decepticons, he will take that chance. Inspired by the original The TRANSFORMERS comic book series, this 7-inch Shockwave action figure converts from robot to Cybertronian spaceship mode in 15 steps. With comic-accurate deco and black line hatching details, Shockwave looks like it came out of a comic book, celebrating 40 years since TRANSFORMERS robots made their comic debut in 1984. Features articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poses and comes with the head of Optimus Prime piece that can be placed on the included display stand (display stand assembly required). Pre-order details coming soon.

Join the discussion in our Transformers forum, our Discord Server, our twitter, or our Facebook group!

For those unfamiliar, Delbo was a prolific Argentine artist whose work spanned a wide range, most notably in comics. These include such titles as Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and Green Arrow, as well as adaptations of television shows into the format, such as The Thundercats, The Twilight Zone, The Brady Bunch, Hogan’s Heroes, Buck Rogers, The Monkees, and The Mod Squad.

Of course, we wouldn’t be talking about him in this space were it not for his contributions to Transformers. Specifically, he did covers and interior art for a number of issues throughout the original Marvel comics run in the ’80s. To that end, his pen has touched stories ranging from “Club Con!”, “Monstercon from Mars!”, and “The_Interplanetary_Wrestling_Championship!” to “Yesterday’s Heroes!”, “Deadly Obsession”, and “Rhythms_of_Darkness!”, among many others.

After issue #67, he would go on to work on other titles, including Brute Force and Captain Planet and the Planeteers.

According to another industry professional, Mark Evanier (whose blog informed us of Delbo’s passing), “José was a charming gentleman and a dedicated craftsman. We could use more like him.”

At the dawn of the 2020s, his career would take him in another direction: the blockchain. According to the man himself via his website, “My career took an important turn in July of 2020 when I released my first piece of digital art on the blockchain in the form of a 43 page original digital comic book called Death. Since then, I have had the pleasure of continuing to create pieces of digital art.”

He did pretty well for himself in his final years, as according to an article from The LA Times, Delbo became a millionaire through the emerging technology.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Delbo’s work, you can check out his Wikipedia page, his official website, and of course, his entry on TFWiki (which also notes some interesting quirks of his from his run in the book).

All Transformers-related imagery in this article via TFWiki.

SKYBOUND & IMAGE AND HASBRO DEBUT ALL NEW ENERGON UNIVERSE TRAILER

Preview What’s on the Horizon for Void Rivals, TRANSFORMERS, Duke and Cobra Commander!

LOS ANGELES 01/19/2024 — Today Skybound and Image Comics, in collaboration with leading toy and game company Hasbro, debuted an all-new trailer showcasing upcoming Energon Universe storylines in Void Rivals, TRANSFORMERS, Duke, and Cobra Commander.

In the new trailer, dark forces rise across the galaxy. New heroes embrace their destiny. And Shockwave intends to create his own. The Decepticons have made their move, and no one is safe. As the Autobots fight for Earth, humanity’s own heroes will rise…alongside their greatest rivals. However, the true secret of this war is…More than Meets the Eye. Welcome to the Energon Universe. The exhilarating new trailer that can be viewed right here.

The Energon Universe officially began in June 2023 with the surprise first appearance of iconic TRANSFORMERS character Jetfire in Void Rivals #1 from Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead), Lorenzo De Felici (Kroma), and Mateus Lopes (Step by Bloody Step), introducing the historic new collaboration between Hasbro and Skybound, with TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE comics finding a new home with the publisher. Then TRANSFORMERS #1 from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Do a Powerbomb, DC’s Wonder Woman: Dead Earth) and colorist Mike Spicer (Stillwater, Murder Falcon) kicked off a brand-new era for the iconic franchise. The Energon Universe recently expanded with the launch of Duke #1, a limited series from Joshua Williamson (DC’s Superman, Dark Ride), Tom Reilly (The Thing) and Jordie Bellaire (W0rldtr33) and Cobra Commander #1 from Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana (Impact Winter: Rook) and Annalisa Leoni (Oblivion Song). Fans should expect can’t-miss moments from every issue of the Energon Universe, as secrets are unveiled along the path to answering the BIG questions.

The acclaimed Energon Universe series continue to sell out at the distributor level, with fan demand prompting subsequent printings across every issue since launch.

Upcoming releases across the Energon Universe include Cobra Commander #2 (Lunar Code 1223IM259), Duke #2 (Lunar Code 1123IM272), TRANSFORMERS #5 (Lunar Code 1223IM323), and Void Rivals TP Vol. 1 (Lunar Code 1223IM247).

ABOUT HASBRO

Hasbro is a toy and game company whose mission is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Hasbro delivers engaging brand experiences for global audiences through toys, consumer products, gaming and entertainment, with a portfolio of iconic brands including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Hasbro Gaming, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands.

Hasbro is guided by our Purpose to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time. For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute and one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50. For more information, visit https://corporate.hasbro.com.

ABOUT TRANSFORMERS

The TRANSFORMERS brand is a global powerhouse franchise with millions of fans around the world. Since 1984, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons has come to life in movies, TV shows, comic books, innovative toys, and digital media, bringing incredible “MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE” experiences to fans of all ages. The brand’s enduring connection is made possible by its rich storytelling and characters: the heroic Autobots who seek to protect all life, and the evil Decepticons who seek to conquer the universe. The TRANSFORMERS brand is a Hasbro franchise.

ABOUT SKYBOUND ENTERTAINMENT

Established in 2010, Skybound is a multiplatform content company that works closely with creators and their intellectual properties to create cool stuff and deliver one-of-a-kind experiences to fans. Skybound extends their stories across platforms including comics, television, film, video games, tabletop, books, digital content, audio programming, and beyond. The company is home to critically-acclaimed global franchises including The Walking Dead, Invincible, Superfight, and hit new podcast series Impact Winter.

Led by Skybound Entertainment co-founder Robert Kirkman, Skybound Comics is an award-winning line of comics published by Image Comics and promotes a shared vision to collaborate with top and emerging talent across the comics industry. The Skybound line includes acclaimed series such as The Walking Dead, Invincible, Ultramega, Stillwater, Fire Power, and Excellence, while also delivering powerful licensed comics, including a partnership with LEGO Books. It is also home to Skybound Comet, a new line of Young Adult and Middle Grade original graphic novels published by Image Comics, launching in June 2022 with Clementine Book One, by award-winning writer/artist Tillie Walden and set in the world of The Walking Dead. Skybound has seen numerous comics series adapted for the screen, including The Walking Dead, Invincible, Super Dinosaur and Outcast, with more projects in development.

Be sure to discuss this in our forum thread! Want to interact with more Transformers fans? Register for an account on our forums today! Be sure to Follow us on Twitter @AllsparkNews and Give our Facebook page a like as well as our Instagram! Not a fan of Forums? Check out our Facebook Group and discuss with us your thoughts on the discord Discord.gg/allspark

The Allspark staff got together (on our partnered Discord at discord.gg/allspark ) and mulled over the 2020 III that was, answering the following prompts:

BEST TRANSFORMERS TOY of 2023

alArts – Mexicano Mundano: It’d be easy to choose one of the Commanders or even the Haslab Deathsaurus, which is still impressive. However I wager Legacy Bludgeon being the best out of the bunch at a regular retail price. While a head retool and recolor of Tarn, (who is also fantastic), giving this skullface killer a sword enhances the mould, and let’s loose all the poseability this tooling has to offer. Would I have liked a more G1 Bludgeon? Perhaps. But this will still remain the best Bludgeon toy around.

MadameVixen (Sarah): It’d be cheating to say HASLAB Deathsaurus or Nemesis. Studio Series Optimus Primal surprised me on being so great. But I need to admit I’ve played with Armada Prime a lot. Along with Reactivate Prime.

GodSentinelOmega: Legacy Armada Prime. It does nearly everything the original did, while making Super Mode articulated. Plus he looks awesome. SSROTB Primal would’ve been me pick if not for Prime. But Armada Prime has an extra bit of nostalgia, because his original figure is what got me back in collecting Transformers again. The only missing part is a new Mini-Con Sparkplug.

lastmaximal: It’s a tossup between Shattered Glass Rodimus and my boy, Snarl, who gets a surprising Studio Series 86 rendition despite only really being in the 1986 movie sporadically. Rodimus does some interesting new things for the design, from the retooled head to the darker gunmetal grays, and Snarl gets the full chonky boi Leader class treatment.

CoffeeHorse (David): Legacy Armada Prime. This toy had to live up to many years of anticipation if we count the prototype Takara showed off that one time, possibly setting the current franchise record, and it still managed to exceed all expectations.

Combinations from GodSentinelOmega

BEST NON-TRANSFORMERS TOY of 2023

alArts – Mexicano Mundano: I’ve been pretty GI Joe centric for the last few years. And Classified has been hitting good number of Home Runs. With their successes Haslab campaign back in 2022 with the HISS Tank, we had a lot of expectations and patience on hand. Now, with this big thing in my house, I can surely say it was worth the wait. This thing is like a playset and a vehicle at the same time. You can place your figures anywhere around it, and it makes the tank feel alive. The lights were a neat bonus, giving the sense of a Cobra Patrol unit searching for any Joes in their territory. Can’t wait to get the Dragonfly this year in 2024!

MadameVixen (Sarah): I, uhh, didn’t get many this year….I guess my PS5 that I bought to honor my late mother with goat sim 3. She loved goats.

GodSentinelOmega: Lego Optimus (does that count as non-TF)? If not, I think it’ll have to be either Haslab HISS TANK, or Lego Avengers Quinjet. Because i’m going to enjoy building some Lego this year.

lastmaximal: The last few years have been a Sentai (okay, Power Rangers) rediscovery journey for me, sort of. Got around to watching Dino Fury last year (still need to make time to watch Cosmic Fury), enjoyed the Once and Always anniversary special, and got the last few Lightning Collection things I needed before the line (and I think the Power Rangers brand at large) went under hiatus. While I haven’t been able to get a Master Morpher yet, this non-TF spot definitely goes to something from this genre. As such, it’s a tossup between the Remastered (armored) Red Ranger from Lightning Collection, and the amazingly-done SMP Gosei Gattai Dairenoh (Thunder Megazord), which is a beautiful design that finally gets some sweet, sweet articulation.

CoffeeHorse (David): I didn’t buy any. Does the release of Commodore OS 2.0 count? It’s certainly more of a toy than a serious daily driver, though I’m seriously tempted to use it as one.

How would YOU answer these prompts? Come by and enjoy the end of the world year with us on the Allspark Facebook page, on our partnered Discord at discord.gg/allspark, and on the Allspark Forums ! Happy new year, everyone!

With the arrival of Void Rivals #3 in comic shops last week, a preview of its shared Energon Universe book-buddy, Transformers #1, was included. Check it out:

Mysteries abound at Skybound. Mysteries such as, “Who is the girl with Spike? Is it a new form of Carly? Mikaela? Someone else?” and “Waitasecond, is that Bumblebee laying in the Ark? He wasn’t featured in the roster preview!” Which just goes to show, you really can’t have anything Transformers without Bumblebee involved in some way. Guess he’s still making up for everything from between Generation 2 to the 2007 movie.

Anyway, as the last page says above, the first issue lands on October 4th, 2023. Will you be there? Or will you be waiting for the trade? Tell us about it in the “Energon Universe – next Transformers comics coming from Skybound” thread on our forums!

Not a member? Register now! It’s totally free, save for that teeny little fragment of your Spark that helps sustain our existence! If forums aren’t your bag and you’re more of a social media kid, then you can find us on SMOKAT (that’s the Social Media Once Known As Twitter — just you wait, this’ll catch on better than “X” ever will) @AllsparkNews. Or you can do your web-slinging Into and Across the Metaverse to find our Facebook page, Facebook Group, and Instagram! Or you can go Beyond the Metaverse, and join us on our Discord, Discord.gg/allspark, where our operators are standing by to serve you!

Sources: Inside Pulse, via Tformers (who also helpfully added the first page)

Previously, Skybound has revealed their Autobot line up of Optimus Prime, Arcee, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and Ratchet. Now we know that they will be facing off against Starscream, Rumble, Laserbeak, Soundwave, and Skywarp!  Check out the full image below!

Be sure to discuss this in our forum thread! Want to interact with more Transformers fans? Register for an account on our forums today! Be sure to Follow us on Twitter @AllsparkNews and Give our Facebook page a like as well as our Instagram! Not a fan of Forums? Check out our Facebook Group and discuss with us your thoughts on the discord Discord.gg/allspark

According to Bleeding Cool News, the Transformers and G.I. Joe licenses have ended up at Image Comics. Apparently this has been settled for some time, because both licenses are already about to debut with next week’s release of Void Rivals, a new comic said to be a shared universe. What other properties besides Transformers and G.I. Joe will share this universe, if any, are not yet known.

It is reported that the first issue of Void Rivals saves the reveal of this crossover for a surprise ending, but Bleeding Cool News has decided that we should know now. There is expected to be a variant cover that spoils the surprise as well.

We speculated about this exact possibility in our Transformers forum weeks ago. Join the ongoing discussion there, or in our Discord Server, our twitter, or our Facebook group!