VOID RIVALS #26 – New Comic Review

Void Rivals #26, by Image Comics on 1/28/26, throws you straight into the Quintesson War with the brakes cut off. 

Credits:

• Writer: Robert Kirkman
• Artist: Andrei Bressan
• Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
• Letterer: Rus Wooton
• Cover Artist: Lorenzo De Felici (cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: January 28, 2026
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Page Count: 32
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of VOID RIVALS #26:

First Impressions:

On a first read, this issue feels like a hard push deeper into the war, with very little hand holding and zero time for a warm up. The story leans into big action and big stakes, but it also expects you to keep up with moving pieces from the last chapter. The result is tense and sometimes thrilling, but also a little crowded and thin on fresh emotional beats for what is supposed to be a huge turning point.

Recap:

Last time, Zertonia fell into open chaos after Zerta’s lie came out, and the leaders could not keep the streets or their faith under control. Zalilak got stuck in the middle of a furious crowd while Proximus and others realized Zerta’s voice had been in their heads the whole time, which made every choice they ever made feel suspect. Solila sat locked up in the Temple of Zerta’s Light, talked into one last mission by a disembodied Zerta voice while a Handroid worked on getting her loose. On the Agorrian side, Darak woke up to alarms, watched a mystery force ambush his squad and kill Garad in a single shot, then shared a quiet talk with his Handroid about what it means to be alive before getting dragged back to the front as a full scale invasion began.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):

The issue opens with the Quintesson War already in motion and the Sacred Ring caught in the jaws of a full attack. Zertonia’s leader, Zalilak, moves from shaken ruler to frontline fighter as he throws himself into the battle and even gets that clean shot on a Quintesson face that the back pages love to point out. The Sharkticon hordes press in, making it clear that this is not a quick raid but an attempt to crush the Ring outright. From page one, the mood is frantic and loud, with little room for quiet reflection.

The wider Ring falls into damage control as the invasion hits more points at once than the local forces can cover. Darak is back in the thick of it, doing his best to keep the sky from falling while command struggles to keep track of how bad things really are. The sense you get is that the defense is already behind the curve when the issue starts, and every win costs more than the characters can afford. This chapter treats the war as a weight that gets heavier with each scene.

Solila finally steps out of pure victim mode when her reactivated powers come into play as a possible answer to the swarm. The issue frames her as a wild card who might change the tide, but it also keeps a question hanging over how much of her agency is really her own after everything Zerta did to her. Her scenes are built to feel like a gamble, both for her and for anyone who has to trust her again after her earlier betrayal in the name of Unity. The comic wants you to see her as a potential savior and a loaded gun at the same time.

By the end, the Sacred Ring is still standing, but only just, and there is no real sense that anyone has a solid plan for the next wave. Zalilak’s link to Zerta looks like it could solve the problem or make it much worse, and the issue leans on that tension instead of tying off many threads. Darak and Solila are set up as joint leads for the coming chapters, but their personal bond takes a clear back seat to giant war toys smashing into each other. The final pages close on raised stakes rather than a clean beat, leaving you with the sense that this is the middle swing of a much larger hammer.

Story

The script runs at a steady sprint, which keeps the war lively but also means quiet beats almost vanish. As a second chapter in a longer arc, it leans hard on readers already knowing who everyone is and what they want, so new or lapsed readers will have to work to plug back in. The focus on big moments and splashy moves sometimes pushes character voice to the back seat, which makes the dialogue feel more like mission briefings than conversations between people under stress. Structurally, this issue does its job as a bridge, but it rarely slows down long enough to turn strong plot pieces into strong scenes.

Art

The art team leans into bold action, clear silhouettes, and strong layouts that sell the chaos of the invasion without turning each page into soup. Big hits, exploding metal, and Quintesson faces all read cleanly, which is key in a book built around war machines and crowded battlefields. Color choices help split locations and factions, so even when the page is packed you can still tell who is getting stomped in each panel. The mood swings from bright, violent impact to darker, more desperate tones, and that visual range keeps the eye engaged even when the script is juggling too many moving parts.

Characters

Darak and Solila feel locked into roles we already know, which is both a strength and a missed shot. Darak keeps acting as the solid moral center who steps up when things go bad, but he does not get much new inner conflict beyond being brave and tired. Solila finally gets to act again with her powers, yet the issue hints at her strain more than it explores it, so her big moments land more as plot beats than deep character turns. Zalilak gets the flashiest growth, shifting from shaken leader to hard hitting frontliner, but the book still treats him more as a symbol of a failing system than a person you fully know.

Originality & Concept Execution

The core idea, a shared universe war that drags rival cultures into the same burning ring, is still strong, but by this point it risks feeling like a familiar slow grind if each chapter does not bring a clear new angle. This issue’s main fresh move is making Solila’s powers and Zalilak’s bond with Zerta into real swing points in the war, which does add a hint of mystery and dread. At the same time, the focus on large scale assault over smaller human moments keeps the book from fully cashing in on how weird and personal this setup could feel. The concept is solid and still fun, but this chapter feels more like a required step than a bold twist.

Positives

When this issue leans into pure war comic mode, it delivers clean, punchy pages that move fast and look sharp. The staging of the Quintesson and Sharkticon threat hits the right level of nasty without getting muddy, and putting Zalilak right in the face of the enemy finally makes good on his build up as more than a desk bound leader. Solila’s reawakened powers and her history with Zerta give the conflict a needed wild card, hinting that the war might be decided by inner faith and guilt as much as steel and fire. For readers already locked into the Energon Universe, this chapter feels like a solid, rowdy piece of the bigger machine.

Negatives

Because the issue is so busy proving how bad things are, it rarely lets the cast sit with what any of it means, which flattens the emotional curve. Darak and Solila’s reunion feels strangely business like, more like two key units being placed on the same board than two people with a long, messy history finally sharing space again. The pacing gives you action, escalation, and one or two big hero swings, but it does not give you many specific, personal hooks you will still remember when the next chapter ships. For anyone not already deep into the run, the constant motion and thin context will make this a harder sell.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2.5/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [3.5/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1.5/2]

Final Thoughts:

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VOID RIVALS #26 reads like a sturdy middle battle in a long war, worth picking up if you are already on the ride, but not strong enough on its own to win over the curious shopper who just wants one great hit for the week. The action is clear, the art carries its weight, and there are real hints that Solila and Zalilak could be the keys to something bigger, yet the script is so busy moving pieces that it forgets to fully cash in on the drama baked into those choices.

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