A new artist is preparing to roll out into Skybound and Hasbro’s Energon Universe, with Popverse breaking the news that Jorge Corona will step onto the current Transformers comic book series as series artist with April’s seventh issue, which also marks the start of the second story arc in the run.

In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Corona said, “It started with a ‘Do you want to work on a book with Daniel Warren Johnson?’ and just in case that wasn't a deafening ‘YES,’ they added: ‘It's for the Transformers book.’ Growing up with Transformers and its many iterations expanded in many ways what a cartoon could do for me."

"Even though it had the classic good vs. evil premise, it also added malleability to what the characters could do in that world. Betrayals, regrets, self-doubts, were all emotions that drove these characters and it added a complexity that I wasn't familiar with in other shows. Fast forward to 30 years later and here I am seeing Daniel's take on the franchise, rooted in his love for the original Generation One version, and it's like reliving those childhood memories multiplied by a thousand. I am very honored and humbled to be a part of this project and cannot wait to share all of the craziness that's coming up in the book.”

Johnson, who remains with the series as writer — accompanied by colorist Mike Spicer, who is also staying on the title — had this to add: “It’s a rare breed of artist that can naturally bring an organic quality to things that are inherently mechanical, and Jorge is one of those chosen few. Prepare your eyes for a feast of brawn and beauty, my friends. This man draws a mean looking Soundwave. KA BAM!”

It’s not just a mean looking Soundwave he draws, as can be seen by a glimpse at Corona’s variant cover to #7 (Johnson and Spicer provide the main cover for the issue):

Transformers #7 will be released April 10, 2024; beyond the covers from Johnson/Spicer, and Corona, the issue will also feature variant covers from Karen S. Darboe, Caspar Wijngaard, Taurin Clarke, and Mike Del Mundo, each of them more than meets the eye. (Of course.)

Revisit the origins of the Energon Universe, and then enjoy Josh Williamson and Tom Reilly talking about G.I. Joe’s addition to the universe.