Just before the Energon Universe panel at New York Comic Con 2024, several reporters spoke with Skybound founder and Void Rivals writer Robert Kirkman, GI Joe writer Joshua Williamson, I was allowed to sit with artist Tom Riley, Transformers artist Jorge Corona, and Skybound. Senior Vice President and Publisher Sean Mackiewicz talks about what we’ve seen so far in the Energon universe and what’s to come.
The first question to Sean was who would take over writing Transformers after Daniel Warren Johnson left. There were rumors that it was Sean. However, Sean quickly denied it, saying, “That sounds like a joke. No, it’s definitely not. I’m too busy to write, and there are no more talented people than me who could write Transformers.” However, Jorge joked that he killed someone to get the Transformers script. Although he was seriously concerned about following DWJ regarding art. “I was the victim and had to go after him and do my best not to let him down. I’m glad it’s working out.”
As excited as I was to hear more about the Energon Universe, I was most interested to hear about the treatment of Larry Hama and the transition of GI Joe: The Real American Hero from IDW to Skybound. Ta.
The question that really bothered me about this was about Larry Hama. If there’s anyone involved in the GI Joe series, it’s Hama. Larry has recently been vocal on social media about his inability to retire. Skybound recently broke Kickstarter records for its reprint of Marvel’s 1980s and 90s series GI Joe: The Real American Hero, most of which was written by Hama. I asked Sean if Larry received any part of the Kickstarter funding. “Yeah,” Sean replied. “He was public about it. I know he made some statements about how he was treated. I don’t like talking about someone’s financial situation, but I We have always felt that we have cared for Larry, and Larry has said that publicly. We always wanted to work with Larry on GI Joe: The Real American Hero. was one of the first comics I ever loved. That Mike Zeck Snake Eyes thing around issue 52. The fanbase really responded to it, even more so than the Energon Universe. The sales, and the support around Larry. It’s good to have him in the spotlight. It’s important for us to make sure he’s compensated financially.” We donated the archive to New York University, so I went to New York University, so we were looking at what could be in the future, looking at his process throughout his career. Alex Antone manages these books and is doing a great job with them and Kickstarter.
Is there a Kickstarter for Transformers Marvel Years similar to the one for GI Joe? Sean replied: “With Kickstarter, you don’t want to go to the same well too often. We want to make sure there are surprises. Transformers fandom is different than Real American Heroes. But stay tuned. , that’s quite possible.” What about the IDW-era “Real American Heroes”? Sean replied: “It’s all under discussion. There’s another project in the crowdfunding space that looks like it could do well and I’d like to work on it. Tracking down, remastering and restoring the right files will take time. We do about three crowdfunding campaigns each year, so expect one of them to be Hasbro-related. A Real American Hero will be completed in December. I have a copy in my office. It’s amazing. Even in the regular edition of Industry Bunko. It looks heavy, but the newspaper is the same one used in the (ARAH) #1 reprint and the Transformers reprint. we love it. Robert’s like, “This is the best fucking book we’ve ever printed!” Kickstarter uses a different printer, so the paper is slightly different. Sean explained: Industry paperbacks are printed domestically, so the newsprint is not available overseas. But it’s pretty comparable. We have picked up reprint collections from other companies. We use glossy paper. The colors don’t match. From the beginning, we knew that new prints would make old colors feel like an original experience. ”
Robert Kirkman and Sean Mackiewicz.
Robert Kirkman excitedly talked about his long-term plans for the Energon Universe without spoiling any details. He said: “Everything we do in the Energon Universe has received such a positive response from our passionate fans, which has given us an explosion of ideas and extensive plans. We have already put extensive planning into place to make sure we have a place to go if we are successful with Void Rivals. We already have extensive plans for Transformers, and I’ve already seen some very long and extensive documents written by Josh Williamson for GI Joe. There’s a lot of different and exciting stuff in there. What we’re building here is a pretty expansive list of GI Joe and Transformers characters. From what I’ve seen, if Void Rivals is adding new elements, it’s definitely on par with Marvel and DC in terms of the breadth of characters Goal has always wanted from Marvel and DC. The ideal was to have a robust shared universe, but they get so big and unwieldy that there’s a certain point where you say, “Well, this isn’t continuity anymore, this is it.” This is this, this is that. “We’re trying to do something more consistent.
I told Robert that while GI Joe: The Real American Hero has been a huge success in sales since Skybound’s inception, Skybound was wrong about GI Joe. I asked him what he thought was right. Robert replied with a laugh. To be honest, we were really surprised too. I think that’s a difficult question to answer. I think there is an invisible art to creating manga. Just answer honestly. This may cause trouble. sorry. There were some very talented people working on A Real American Hero at IDW. I think text and color are the most important things in determining the final aesthetic of a manga. To a certain extent, I think there were really great artists doing A Real American Hero. Neso Diaz. he was great. I think the coloring style and lettering style that IDW tried to incorporate had the effect of not necessarily making the book look as good as it could have been. It’s all a matter of preference. I could be completely wrong. you asked me a question. I didn’t want to just be a vamp. I feel like I’ve been cornered. But I feel like those little elements add a level of quality that changes the look of the book. And now I have a very talented letterer and colorist who is very angry. I hope no one sees this answer. However, I don’t mean to criticize IDW. They used characters for probably 16 years and did something absolutely historic and absolutely monumental with these characters. If they couldn’t do what they do, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. They re-established numbering. They brought back Larry Hama. They started with around 150 copies and worked their way up to 300 copies. They published almost as many copies of A Real American Hero as Marvel originally published. They should be praised for everything they have done. I don’t want to seem negative about it. ” So I said, “This isn’t just a nostalgia bump for 301. We’re in 310, 311,” and Robert jumped right in and said, “That definitely helps.” I did. When Spawn reached its 300th issue, you’ll notice that sales skyrocketed. I think that is also a big factor. I wish I could have thought about that and said that was the answer. Can I go back and say that’s my answer? Hahaha. Oh, God. ”
Josh Williamson and Tom Riley talk about GI Joe.
I asked GI Joe author Josh Williamson if he had read Skybound GI Joe: A Real American Hero. “No. I’ve looked through it, but I don’t want it to affect me too much. Very early on, when we were talking about this, really early on, Makiewicz and I We were talking about it, and I said, “I’ll read it again.” I’ll read them all. ”Then I said, “I don’t know if you’ve read many IDW books.” He said, “No, don’t read it. Don’t let it affect you too much.” And I said, “Well, I’ll try anyway.” And I read all of Larry Hama’s books. I went back and started rereading everything else. I thought I was reading it for the first time, but then I realized, “Oh, I’ve read it before.” I’m trying not to let it affect me too much, so I’ll leave it there. See, he’s the master. He knows it better than anyone else on earth. That’s his lane. Actually, that’s one thing. That was the first question I asked when they suggested it to me. “What about Larry Hama? That book never ends.” And they said, “No, no, no, no, no.” We’re going to continue doing that with 301. ” And I thought, “Phew!” Because there’s no way the story will end like that. I have a lot of respect for what he built. Even now, whenever I bring in Joe or Cobra, I always go and read their file cards. He wrote those file cards. For me, it’s the core of each character and their file card. I think that’s probably the biggest influence he still has on me. I try not to pay too much attention to his actions. Because he’s in his 300s. The story he is telling is very different from the story we are telling.
GI Joe artist Tom Riley added: I saw it. I know what all the characters are like, but if it’s a creative endeavor that someone has done before you, it’s too much to understand what that person has done. is counterintuitive in a sense. I’m trying to create something new. ” Josh said, “Yeah,” and stood up. Tom continued: “I love this book. I love Larry. He’s the master. And all the artists. I love Mike Zeck’s covers. They’re insane.” Josh said, “Yeah, he’s a master. You did a really great job,” he said. Tom continued, “I don’t watch too much because I want to do what I love.”
Skybound’s success with G.I. Joe and Transformers pleasantly surprised everyone, including the above-mentioned sounds and the creators themselves. The Energon Universe and GI Joe: The Exciting Story of a Real American Hero Through the Years.
Stay tuned for more coverage of NYCC ’24 from The Beat.
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