Skybound has a new way in for readers who have never picked up a Transformers or G.I. Joe comic. At New York Comic Con on Friday, October 9, Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics announced Skybound Visions, a line of standalone miniseries that tell complete stories with no continuity homework required. The line launches in January 2027.
The idea is simple: pair well-known characters with creators who will put their own spin on them. “Skybound Visions pairs beloved comic book characters with the most interesting comic book creators working today, to present their personal takes on these fan-favorites,” Skybound senior vice president Sean Mackiewicz said. “Visions is all about surprising creators, surprising characters, and surprising storytelling, and we have plenty more in store for 2027 and beyond.” The line is made with Hasbro and Universal, and each issue is printed on deluxe newsprint with variant covers.
Three series are up first:
- Transformers: Bumblebee – Lost Planet (January 27, 2027) by writer Tate Brombal and artist Matt Emmons, with colors by Giovanna Niro and letters by Becca Carey. After a Decepticon attack, Bumblebee is stranded on an uncharted planet whose secret is already changing the life there, and he is being hunted by the deadliest Decepticon of all.
- G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender (early February) by writer Karl Kerschl and artist Doug Mahnke, with inks by Jaime Mendoza, colors by David Baron and letters by Tom Napolitano. Flint comes back to lead a new batch of recruits to the island of a mad scientist whose creations keep getting worse, to rescue the last team of Joes who never came home.
- Turok: Son of Stone (March 10, 2027) by writer Stephen Graham Jones and artist Leandro Fernández, with colors by Lee Loughridge and letters by Tom Napolitano. Turok falls through his dig site in New Mexico into a hidden valley where the Ice Age sits on top of the time of dinosaurs.
Turok is the line’s first Gold Key character. As The Beat points out, it has been nearly ten years since he last appeared in comics, most recently at Dynamite.
A Skybound Visions ashcan will be in comic shops on November 11, with character designs and early looks at all three books. ICv2 has a gallery of covers and preview pages.
Skybound’s Hasbro comics have been selling very well. RCG reported that the Energon Universe has topped 7.6 million copies.
