Void Rivals (#1–#30) Part 5: Cobra-La + End of the Quintesson War
I almost never talk about the quality of any artwork in the EU (cuz um, I would be one to talk, if you’ve seen my art 🥀), BUT—
Ig Pythona is just one of those characters who for me noticeably (so I’m not saying this isn’t the case for any other character of course)—no matter who draws them—always looks good.
Also here’s some unfinished Pythona cuz hell yeah she’s purty and a baddie (always has been btw) and more people should post about her:
(Yeah. Yeah it’s the long ponytail for me— 🥰)
Ok gotta focus uuuuuuuuuuh—
You’re prob wonderin’ what this qween has done so far—
Well first, she got CC (who she considers a “psycho”) outta bed after the little incident where he incinerated himself oof—
Then after Megs escapes a short time later, she decides to go on a space excursion on the Leviathan for totally innocent purposes where she tracks down Cybertronians using Energon signatures along with the Royal Guards (which…I feel like we can use another more unique name here for a more unique civilization that supposedly values the organic but ok) Vipria, Bola, Grakula and Akronus.
During this, Grakula comes into contact with space debris that has since been causing her armor to mutate and “speak” to her (you’ll see what I believe it becomes later, in the Quintesson War arc)—
Then after that Skuxxoid tries to take the Leviathan (the way he tried to take the ship Solila and Darak used to get off the planetoid), but ends up sliced in half by Grakula (don’t worry he’s fine, we’ll discuss his storyline ig when Issue #31 releases)—
Akronus’ armor gets damaged during the fight tho, and Pythona suggests putting him out of his misery since she doesn’t believe in his chances of survival (Grakula couldn’t bring herself to do it tho)—
The Leviathan then spots a Quintesson ship and Pythona gets a gut feeling to follow it cuz plot lol—
(Also she seems to be doing rather well for someone who supposedly has never been to space before…or has she? Have any of Cobra-La traveled through space before? Were they originally from another world and had to settle on Earth?)
Meanwhile, when the Junkions find Skuxxoid (or rather Skuxxoids…more on that when next issue releases) and bring him to Junkion, Akronus follows them and attacks him Thundercracker style—
And in Thundercracker style is also forced to cool down and access the situation.
Akronus: Damn I’m outta luck.
Junkions: U want some new armor?
Akronus: I shouldn’t, but…
*MEANWHILE*
/ Warning: the summary of this storyline’s gonna go by very fast. Def make of that as you will as a fellow reader.
Pythona: *Meets Wheelie on Quintessa*
Wheelie: *Rhymes*
Pythona: *Rhymes back*
Quintessons: *Leaving*
Wheelie: *Proceeds not to rhyme* >:(
Pythona: 👀
*Follows Quintessons to Sacred Ring (by herself but the crew catch up) and proceeds to watch them conduct their war*
This is stupid, I’m leaving. 😑
Quintesson: ⁉️
Pythona: *SLICE*
Proximus:
/ (Yeah. Yeah that was hella convenient lol)
Grakula:
Me: *Fights the sudden urge to rant about IDW Sunstreaker and how I feel like he ruined everything (I mean, at least in a narrative sense) and how much I wanna ask any Skybound Elita haters what they think of him. For research purposes*
(Flagg, I ain’t gonna apologize for any of my sh*t talkin’…but boy should someone else get even more of it)
(All I’m gonna say is that Grakula should also have Bob instead ☺️)
Zerta: 👀
*Saves Darak (not Dulin tho… ✨ anyway— ✨ from the Quintesson trial since he got caught*
Yo Solila we’re losing big time go with Pythona and locate more Cybertronians.
Solila: Ok.
Three-faced Quintesson (Tritesson?): *SLICE*
Pythona: 😱
Me: For your sake Kirkman, please…please do not make this the start of some love triangle oh my God—
Solila: Yeah obv we’re gonna help? 🤨
Proximus: *Sees that they left*
/ I SEE THE VISION HERE LET’S GOOOOOOOOO—
Ok. Ok. Ok— *Takes breath*
(Warning: brutal(?) honesty)
I really hate to say this, I really do, but yeah I feel like going to Earth is the most interesting thing they can do at this point (even if it may go against the appeal of the comic of it being set in space, unlike the other comics), if we’re not going to flesh out the Sacred Ring.
Do I feel anything about the Quintessons winning currently (and Zalilak surrendering)?
Tak sobie. (So-so.) 👋
They are the reason, after all, why they’re going to Earth to hopefully be able to be fleshed out a little more in terms of reacting to things we’re already familiar with as humans. That can be fun.
(Sorry but it’s hard to care as a reader about a world you’ve learned very little about so far)
Do I feel anything about Dulin?
“Wait, were we supposed to?”
I hope not? 🤨
Not to say that Darak grappling with last seeing his “father” get supposedly eaten by a Sharkticon can’t be written in an interesting way going forward—.
It’s just ya gotta provide some flashbacks. Actually flesh out their relationship. Cuz I just found it satisfying and funny (until you remember how Agorria’s fate is pretty bad now).
Def interested to see Golobulus again he’s fun; it’d be nice to see him take his defensiveness to the extreme in a comedic way.
“What about Pythona? What do you make of her personality?”
There’s enough of a foundation there to see the potential with her’s def, so I’m glad she can finally have an opportunity to establish a dynamic with other characters aside from her crew. Maybe see another side to her that’s more vulnerable.
“How do you feel about a potential major crossover event in the future?”
Hell yeah!
(Despite well, the people who apparently hate the idea of reading the other comics and just want to stick to one, and while I know the writers want to appeal to those people…it gets to a point where you now for example have Duke not acknowledging something that that you feel like he should’ve in the moment
Not even a panel of him feeling some typa way about Opps having apparently made an alliance with the gov
Tho that could def be the lack page space issue tho, coupled with that fear of potentially making things confusing for readers who haven’t read everything)
Am I expecting it to be an emotional masterpiece with any sort of thematic catharsis?
Nope, but if that’s genuinely what Kirkman wants to go for (in which the show, if it ever gets made, will act as a sort of second draft for that—and yes you can def make of that as you will, as I believe potential source material should be written well regardless), it’s going to require a level of setup.
Ig that’s all I really have to say for now until things pick up again but yeah.
I like Pythona, and I like the new direction and feel that it is necessary by this point even if once again, it felt abrupt.
(I didn’t like how Zerta just got her legs back again tho, esp if she’s still not really gonna do anything.
I mean it is really… really too much to ask, for a character to remain disabled?
“I’m gonna hold your handroid here when I say this about the nature of comics”
*Sigh*
Eh. Feels like we’re really missing out on a running theme here)
The Cobra-La civilization existed on Earth as far back as 160,000 years in the past, and nobody really knew where they came from. Some humans at the time believed them aliens to be from another planet who colonized the Earth and lived before the advent of humanity, "the children of a horrible, long dead, Old God."
Cobra-La's Himalayan base is buried under an avalanche, the fate of its inhabitants is unknown.
