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The Transformers and G.I. Joe comics universe is being rebuilt to be more like Marvel’s inception— and Robert Kirkman wants it to last decades
No, there’s no Iron Man or Captain America analogs coming to the pages of Energon’s Transformers or G.I. Joe. But the *way* those comics are being published does reflect Marvel’s glory days
NewsbyGrant DeArmitt, Staff Writer
Published on Fri Aug 07 2026
Popverse’s coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you byDark Horse Comics.
Starting with his 2023 comic Void Rivals, Robert Kirkman has been stitching together one of the coolest quilts in the medium – that is, the Hasbro-inspired Energon Universe. Working in IPs like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and now ROM: The Space Knight, Kirkman and a team of spectacular creators have created a comic line he hopes will one day be uttered in the same breath as Marvel itself…
And he’s even studied their history to help ensure that happens.
That was one of the things that came up during Kirkman’s interview with Collider that went down at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, in which Kirkman discussed the creative end of the Energon Universe at length. At one point in the discussion, the conversation turned from what Skybound/Hasbro were publishing to how they were publishing it.
“There’s just so many different things that we can do with these characters,” Kirkman said, “There’s just so many different things that come out of the characters interacting and having this like cohesive universe that they’re existing in. There’s no limit to the ideas that we can do.”
Of course, the downside to having a universe that large is taht it can become unwieldy very quickly. Fortunately, as the mind behind both Invincible and The Walking Dead, Kirkman knows how to deal with a project this expansive,
“We want to make sure that the fan base,” he continued, “If they want to experience the entire universe, it is simple to experience the entire universe and affordable to experience the entire universe for as long as possible. The Marvel Universe, back in the 60s, grew at a very slow and steady pace, with them adding a book or two every year. That’s the way that you build a foundation that can last for a while.”
“Our goal with the Energon Universe,” Kirkman concluded, “Is to build something as sustainable as the core DC and core Marvel Universe. I would be thrilled to, in 30 years, still be involved in Energy Universe books and see that it’s become this staple of the comic book industry. That’s our lofty goal. Whether we get there or not, who knows?”
Well good luck anyway, Robert. Learning from Marvel in the 1960s is certainly a positive way to start.
Interested? Here’s where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here’s a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you’re looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here’s everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.
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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.
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