Skybound - Void Rivals #1

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Lorenzo De Felici

Colourist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Editor: Bixie Mathieu

Plot

Two rival alien craft crash on an unnamed world, where they soon start fighting. However, realising that if they work together, despite it being illegal, they can probably escape the planet.

After a failed repair effort, both ships are rendered completely unusable, and Solila leaves Darak to die by herself. Some time afterwards Solila returns, having found another crashed, but intact, craft.

The duo arrive at the third craft, and give it some energy to power it up, when it suddenly starts changing shape, revealing the Cybertronian Jetfire, after analysing himself, he determines that he has been stuck here for a long time, and flies away, trying to reach Cybertron, not realising that the aliens needed help leaving the planet too.

Later, Darak returns to one of the crashed ships and believes that they may be able to use their flight suits to fix the ship, just enough, to leave the planet, despite it breaking their laws again. The duo remove their helmets at revealing similar looking faces, shocking them both, but Darak reveals that this is just like his vision...

Characters

Darak

Solila

Handroid 

Jetfire - Space-faring Jet 

Notes

• So funny story, pretty much right after I started talking about Astrobots, since there was no word on a new Transformers continuity, this dropped! The reveal that this was the start of the new continuity was left until the last moment, and I love it! 
• Darak is an Agorrian and Solila is Zertonian. I wonder if their species names being A-Z has any importance, since they have a similar appearance, as shown by the end of the issue.
• Jetfire being lost, buried on an alien world for seemingly millions of years is clearly a callback to his introduction in the G1 cartoon (just with a lot less ice).
• Additionally, Jetfire is missing any faction insignia, implying that he was lost before the war, again like in the G1 cartoon.
• At the end of this issue, three new series were announced; Transformers, Duke and Cobra Commander. Afterwards the main cast of the Transformers series were announced, but Jetfire is not present on either team's roster.

Astrobots #2

Creator and Editor: Aaron Thomas 

Writer: Simon Furman

Artist and Letterer: Hector Trunnec

Producer: Esmond Zhou

Publisher: Whatnot Publishing 

Plot

Aboard the Persephone, the human colonists are being put through physical therapy to get them ready for arrival on the colony world, but Athenia is suspicious of things on the planet, which includes whole regions that cannot be scanned. During her research, she finds news about Apollo and the recent troubles...

In Atlas City, Apollo is brought to see Atlas, the former informs the city leader about anothet city in the dead zone, but realizes that Atlas already knew about it. Atlas brushes it off as a previous, failed city, but they have learned from their mistakes. Atlas tries to recruit Apollo to help with this city, but the newcomer isn't interested, and leaves. After he leaves, Atlas leaves Apollo's fate to Argus....

The Argus units are dealing with any spectators of Apollo's previous fight to stop any support for him growing. Meanwhile, the resistance works to try and locate Apollo to recruit him for their own goals.

Soon, Apollo stumbles upon the resistance, asking for directions, but before he can be recruited, Argus and his troops arrive and start firing upon Apollo. Their target however, is too strong and manages to pretty much take out the Argus units single-handedly, and he joins the resistance...

Members of the Persephone crew, including Zenofanes and Athenia arrive at Atlas City, where they meet the titular leader, who is impressed by Athenia's brash nature and bluntness.

After a while, smoke pours from the area where the Argus units fought Apollo, and Atlas tries to calm the situation with his guests, but Athenia simply states that they need to talk...

Characters

Rebellion

Articus 

Apollo-08

Vulkan

Geomek

Chernos

Other Rebels

Persephone

Athenia 

Zenofanes

Galax

Stratus

Lyrel 

Venusian Therapists 

Human Colonists 

Atlas City

Atlas

Argus Seemingly Deactivated by Apollo

Senator Stratica 

Atlas City Denizens

Argus Enforcers 

City Guards

Notes

• Huh, there actually are humans on the Persephone. I was actually beginning to think they were all dead or something!
• The halo behind Athenia, and presumably the other Venusians, appears to be detachable or perhaps able to be stored away somehow, like the horns/blades they have too.
• Argus is referred to as "A.R.G.U.S" and "ARGUS" implying that his name is an acronym of something.
• Two bots that share Geomek and Eoz's designs are captured by the Argus Enforcers. I don't think they are those named characters though, especially since the latter was a senator.
• Galax and Stratus (presumably) are Scorpios bots. They share a character model with Zenofanes, but without his "clothes", implying that model can be customized for different purposes.
• Argus appears to die at the end of this issue, but his constant dialogue about being "legion" and "everywhere" makes me think that he can swap his consciousness into another Argus unit.