It’s been three years since Skybound Comics brought Transformers and G.I. Joe into a single continuity, and the results have been quite fruitful.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, the Energon Universe has been quite successful since 2023, with Skybound boasting 7.6 million units sold. That number covers its collection of ongoing and limited books, which also includes the original (and technically inaugural) series Void Rivals and solo minis for Joe characters Duke, Cobra Commander, and Scarlett.
Of those, it’s Transformers—originally from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson and artists Jorge Corona, Ludo Lullabi, Jason Howard, and Ryan Ottley—that’s the top seller, with 3.5 million copies sold. Transformers #1 has been reprinted 14 times, with a 15th on the way. (Overall, the book’s been reprinted 67 times, which is just nuts.) Robert Kirkman, who took over the book from Johnson, credited him with the first issue’s continued success: “Three years in…and it’s a testament to Daniel.”
Speaking to the larger Energon Universe, Kirkman said it was on an “upward trajectory,” something fairly rare in comics. Both he and Hasbro were initially nervous about his idea to create a shared universe for Transformers and G.I. Joe, with him admitting the very real risk of it not having an audience. Now on year three, the company is “very proud” of sustained sales, plus those rising up in “some places” he didn’t specify.
Last year, Hasbro announced its plans to team with Skybound Entertainment on an adult-oriented Energon series. Details on that have been quiet since, while on the big screen, it seems Paramount’s play at linking Transformers and Joe is no longer happening—or at least, not without building up the Joe side of things first.
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