Void Rivals #30: The LONG Road

Void Rivals #30 serves as the conclusion to the massive “Quintesson War” story arc, dramatically shifting the status quo of the series while promising developments fans have been waiting for since the very first issue. As the story opens, Darak and his father, the leader of the Aggorians, are being fed to Sharkticons as punishment for opposing the Quintessons. Meanwhile, Solila continues working alongside Zerta Trion in an attempt to end the war, only to learn that the destruction of the Sacred Ring may be unavoidable as the conflict reaches its boiling point. All of this culminates in the biggest shift to the series since its debut, simultaneously opening up enormous possibilities for the future while also bringing Darak and Solila’s story back to its roots.

Void Rivals is one of those series built more around the larger story arc than the strength of its individual issues. The way each chapter flows into the next without ever feeling fully complete on its own is emblematic of the storytelling style Robert Kirkman is aiming for here, a structure clearly designed with collected editions in mind. Because of that, it is easier to view Void Rivals #30 as the culmination of the “Quintesson War” arc rather than as a standalone issue. That said, for better or worse, the book does leave its main characters in a genuinely exciting place moving forward.

Spoilers to follow:

By the end of the issue, Kirkman and artist Andrei Bressan’s larger vision finally comes into focus. It is obvious they have been building toward this conclusion from the beginning, but unfortunately, getting here has often felt unnecessarily drawn out. Thirty issues in, the entirety of Void Rivals can essentially be broken down into three central story developments: first, Darak and Solila discovering that the Aggorians and Zertonians are fundamentally the same people; second, the revelation of what the Sacred Ring truly is; and third, the conclusion of this arc, which seemingly sends the characters to Earth in hopes of enlisting the Autobots to save their home.

On paper, those are all compelling story beats that tie nicely into the broader Energon Universe. The problem lies in just how decompressed the storytelling has become. As mentioned earlier, Void Rivals #30 works best as the payoff to an extended arc, but it is difficult to judge it purely as an individual issue because so many installments in the series feel more like transitional chapters than satisfying monthly reads. By the time the issue ends, the larger question becomes whether these three major plot developments could have been told within a single, tighter story arc instead of being stretched across thirty issues. Has the series become too decompressed for its own good? Based on the excitement surrounding where the story is headed and the frustration caused by how slowly it has unfolded, the answer to both questions feels like yes.

Unfortunately, while Void Rivals #30 ends in a satisfying and intriguing place, it also serves as a reminder that this series often feels like taking the scenic back road your dad swore would be more fun, only for the trip to end up taking five times longer than necessary.