VOID RIVALS #19, by Image Comics & Skybound on 5/28/25, takes a break from Unification to find out what happened to Skuxxoid after his top half was separated from his bottom half.
Credits:
- Writer: Robert Kirkman
- Artist: Conor Hughes
- Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
- Letterer: Rus Wooton
- Cover Artist: Lorenzo De Felici (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: May 28, 2025
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of VOID RIVALS #19:
Recap:
When we last left Darak and Solila in Void Rivals #18, Darak’s father ordered him to perform a flyby recon mission to find out what happened to Dalilak. Suddenly, Solila emerges from the depths of the Sacred Ring, powered by a spiffy Cybertronian upgrade she received from Zerta, to rejoin their quest for Unification. Let’s just say Darak’s father wasn’t too pleased about the intrusion.
Plot Analysis:
In Void Rivals #19, we learn that dismemberment isn’t the end… for Skuxxoid. The reptilian’s ship is invaded by the Junkions, who take Skuxxoid’s parts back to their floating junkyard in space. When the tubby reptilian wakes up, he’s beside himself, literally. Through the conversations between the two Skuxxoids, we learn that Skuxxoid regrows what was cut off, even if it’s a head. Where there was one, now there are two.
The Skuxxoid birthday is interrupted when Akronus leaps down from a pile of junk and attacks. It seems Akrnous wasn’t killed by Skuxxoid. Only his armor was damaged (see Void Rivals #16). The Junkions break up the fight. Suddenly (again), an armed android leaps down from an orbiting ship, attacks everyone present, and spirits the Skuxxoids away. The issue ends when the android delivers the Skuxxoids to the one who started it all.
First Impressions:
Void Rivals #19 works perfectly well as a cooldown issue to expand the nature and history of Skuxxoid. It’s an odd choice to have a cooldown issue when the main arc is just heating up, but here we are.
Artwork and Presentation:
Conor Hughes steps up again as the guest artist for an all-Skuxxoid issue, with some quirky Transformers thrown in for good measure. Hughes has the same eye as main artist De Felici when it comes to giving readers a modern spin on the original Transformers cartoon, but Hughes has a cleaner, more polished finish than De Felici.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
If you’ve ever wondered where Skuxxoid comes from, why he only goes by Skuxxoid, and why you never see his family or people, now you know. Robert Kirkman’s take on the morally gray interstellar privateer is imaginative and amusing. Plus, the appearance of the Junkions is an unexpected treat.
The Negatives:
Kirkman picked a bad time to have a cooldown issue. Solila’s Cybertronian upgrade and the urgent momentum of Unification are picking up considerable steam. Dropping a cooldown issue (possibly more than one) in the middle of Solila’s arrival threatens to kill all the anticipation and momentum.
Big Picture:
Series Continuity:
By all accounts, the Transformers and G.I. Joe are headed towards a crossover event. The inclusion of yet another group of Transformers, with characters from Cobra-La, makes a crossover inevitable. However, no official announcement has been made regarding dates or plot. We’ll let you know if we hear more.
Final Thoughts:
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VOID RIVALS #19 takes a puzzling pause from the action on the Sacred Ring for an all-Skuxxoid issue to explain where he comes from. Robert Kirkman’s lighthearted (not jokey) script is amusing, but it puts the brakes on the Unification arc in a big way. On the other hand, Conor Hughes does a bang-up job as the guest artist with a cleaner, more polished delivery.
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