Void Rivals #15: Two Autobots Walk Onto a Planet

Void Rivals #15 picks up with its various plot lines coming towards their individual climaxes. First off is the Cobra La ship that has come in contact with Suxxoid, setting up a battle that showcases the first direct connection between the G.I Joe characters and Void Rivals’. The issue also shows a little but of what Proximus is up to after his brutal defeat at the hands of Springer in the last arc. The meat and potatoes of the issue comes with the two lead characters, as Darak welcomes Hot Rod to Agorria, reuniting him with Springer and finally paying off the event set up in the Free Comic Book Day Energon Universe 2024 issue. Meanwhile, Solila continues her search for Zerta Trion.

The way this arc has been told has been a bit chaotic, especially with the several different storylines happening concurrently. Thankfully, Void Rivals #15 does a lot to push these storylines significantly forward. While the background stories seem  to be setting up events down the line, something that writer Robert Kirkman did a lot with Invincible, the main storylines take significant strides in revealing the mysteries set up with the first issue.

The arrival of Hot Rod definitely takes the cake as the most eventful part of the issue, not only because he is front and center on the main cover, but because he has solidified himself as a significant member of this cast, as long as he sticks around. With the previous arcs revealing that the Sacred Ring is a source of energon, created by Zerta Trion for some unknown purpose, it is now up to Hot Rod to bridge that back to what this means for the future of Cybertron, which will inevitably lead to some kind of closer connection between this series and the Transformers book.

The best part of the story has to be the interactions between Springer and Hot Rod. Their connection and chemistry is apparent right from the start, and for those who know of Hot Rod’s Prime transformation from the original animated continuity, the future of these characters is something to look forward to. Now that Hot Rod and Springer have aligned with Darak, it will be interesting to see how they impact the ongoing war between Aggoria and Zertonia. These characters are already discussing how they are going to get the energon out of the sacred ring, so theoretically this could lead to a battle between the Transformers and the Aggorians/Zertonians as their home is threatened.

Overall, this arc is looking to be one of the most revealing out of the two that came before. There is no doubt that all of this is building to a bigger picture that is destined to bring all of The Energon Universe titles together in one dramatic story.