Warning! Spoilers ahead for Transformers #1
The Transformers are making their grand return to comic book pages courtesy of Skybound Entertainment, with previews for the debut issue of the new Transformers ongoing series confirming that they will be joined on their latest adventure by long-time human ally Spike Witwicky, who will be reintroduced in the new canon.
Launching in October, the new Transformers will be written and drawn by Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson. Robert Kirman’s Skybound Entertainment has officially released a preview for the first issue, which confirms the return of Spike Witwicky, the Autobots’ ally from the original G1 cartoon. Check out the preview for Transformers #1 below.
Transformers #1 Introduces The Energon Universe’s Spike Witwicky
Robert Kirkman and Skybound surprised everyone this summer by announcing they’d acquired the Transformers and G.I. Joe licenses from Hasbro, which they are relaunching in a new shared continuity dubbed the Energon Universe. After the surprise reveal of Jetfire in the pages of Skybound’s Void Rivals, fans learned that Transformers would get a new ongoing series. The preview shows why Daniel Warren Johnson is the perfect choice for the new Transformers, with the artist’s bold, energetic lines bringing new life to the Transformers world. It seems that Johnson is going for an Amblin-flavored, Stranger Things vibe with the story, with a pair of ordinary teens stumbling across a wrecked Cybertronian ship.
The Witwicky Family Are Longtime Allies Of The Autobots
Although the girl is not named in the preview, it’s a good bet that this is Carly, Spike Witwicky’s girlfriend in the original G1 cartoon. An MIT student who had an interest in electronics and chemistry, Carly would eventually marry Spike, and the two would eventually give birth to Daniel, who made his debut in 1986’s Transformers: The Movie. Also of interest in the preview is Spike’s desire to be an astronaut, which should be a suitable motivation for a character encountering alien robots from the furthest reaches of space. Given his conversation with his friend, it also appears that Spike’s father may have passed away.
In the original G1 cartoon, “Sparkplug” Witwicky worked with Spike on an offshore oil rig, encountering Autobots and Decepticons alike. That element seems to be retained in the Energon Universe, as the teens stumble across the remnants of a Cybertronian battle, with a damaged Optimus Prime front and center in the splash page closing out the preview. Given that the first issue’s solicitations speak of the Autobot leader having to atone for some failure, it will be interesting to see how the story progresses. Readers won’t want to miss Daniel Warren Johnson’s new Transformers series to see how much of the original canon makes it into the Energon Universe.
Transformers #1 is available Oct. 4, 2023 from Skybound Entertainment
