Preview and Interview for New IDW Transformers Comic Featuring Siege Designs
Tuesday, March 5th, 2019 12:44PM CST
Category: Comic Book NewsPosted by: william-james88 Views: 33,244
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The following is a segment of the interview where Barber and Kelly discuss why a reboot was done. You can read the full interview here.
As you'd expect, this is part of an attempt to broaden the appeal of the franchise and make the Transformers comics more accessible for new readers who might be intimidated by the sheer number of books available. Kelly told us, "When you are working with a continuity that spans 13 years, it can be pretty daunting to jump on board. The creative teams we’ve worked with in the former continuity excelled at appealing to new readers, and I think it is safe to say that over the past 5 years we’ve had the broadest and most diverse audience in the history of our Transformers comics program. But this new series provides an opportunity for new readers to join us who may have been on the sidelines wanting to get in but overwhelmed by the sheer volume of storytelling, while at the same time renewing our commitment to our long-time fans and giving them both a satisfying ending and an exciting new beginning."
"We already had the best fans in the world, so we had that going for us." said Barber. "That said—absolutely, we all want to reach out and introduce new readers to these characters and worlds and mythology. The previous Hasbro comics universe was one that meant a whole lot to me. I love that series and those versions of the characters. But we hit a really natural point to put a genuine, and I hope satisfying, ending on that story.
As for whether fans can expect the Hasbro Comic Book Universe continuity to continue in some form, it doesn't sound likely. Barber said, "I really love that story and that universe. I still talk to everybody that worked on those comics. I love reading them, and we’ll continue to keep the comics in print and in our deluxe IDW Collection hardcovers. But there’s no plans for ever going back to that universe. Much as I love it, personally I feel like we told the story we set out to tell."
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Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 5th, 2019 @ 1:10pm CST
What would Transformers be without G1?
>Looks to Beast Wars and Transformers: Prime<
Award winning...
Posted by Omegatron. on March 5th, 2019 @ 1:32pm CST
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:So much to discuss, from the quoted dialogue alone. Yet, for the time being, I am reminded of a joke:
What would Transformers be without G1?
>Looks to Beast Wars and Transformers: Prime<
Award winning...
That's funny, given how G1 both of those were.
I like the look of this and the focus on pre-war Cybertronian society, I might pick this up after all.
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 5th, 2019 @ 1:41pm CST
Omegatron. wrote:AllNewSuperRobot wrote:So much to discuss, from the quoted dialogue alone. Yet, for the time being, I am reminded of a joke:
What would Transformers be without G1?
>Looks to Beast Wars and Transformers: Prime<
Award winning...
That's funny, given how G1 both of those were.
Not really. They have their roots, yet the awards came when they broke away from them and did their own thing.
Given the evergreen nature of SIEGE, being the backbone of this new continuity, I am apprehensive we won't see any of the character reinventions/subversions IDWverse had when it first started, this time around.
Posted by ZeroWolf on March 5th, 2019 @ 1:58pm CST
Also Prime wasn't really G1, it was an attempt to do something akin to G1 for a new era, or was Arcee blue and a bike in G1? Was Unicron planet earth in G1?
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 5th, 2019 @ 2:02pm CST
ZeroWolf wrote:So they are keeping Megatrons political routes then as was added into IDW and reinforced in Cyberverse, can already see the Decepticon movement in its roots.
Exactly. IDWverse made Megatron the "good" guy initially, in Origin. That was something new and refreshing. This, I doubt I will be surprised about how his arc unfolds.
Posted by Sarahthecutevixen on March 5th, 2019 @ 2:21pm CST
How...is Chromia sitting on the table with only half a thigh on it?
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 5th, 2019 @ 2:22pm CST
Posted by Sarahthecutevixen on March 5th, 2019 @ 2:28pm CST
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It... doesn't actually look like her leg is connected to her body
I'd say that was just shading, it is...but by the light source and how prowl is lit up, we should be seeing that leg connect and the gal's rear plating. must be censorship
Posted by ScottyP on March 5th, 2019 @ 2:28pm CST
I like OP pointing out that Megatron has not been summoned. Nobody summons Megatron!
Ruckley definitely seems to have the "ultra wooden Optimus that speaks in platitudes" that Hasbro seems to love nailed down.
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 5th, 2019 @ 2:31pm CST
Posted by steve2275 on March 5th, 2019 @ 3:40pm CST
Posted by Omegatron. on March 5th, 2019 @ 3:44pm CST
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Omegatron. wrote:AllNewSuperRobot wrote:So much to discuss, from the quoted dialogue alone. Yet, for the time being, I am reminded of a joke:
What would Transformers be without G1?
>Looks to Beast Wars and Transformers: Prime<
Award winning...
That's funny, given how G1 both of those were.
Not really. They have their roots, yet the awards came when they broke away from them and did their own thing.
Given the evergreen nature of SIEGE, being the backbone of this new continuity, I am apprehensive we won't see any of the character reinventions/subversions IDWverse had when it first started, this time around.
I mean, Prime and the G1 cartoon are both focused on a small group of Autobots fighting a small group of Decepticons, localised on modern-day Earth. Most of Prime's characters are also very similar to their G1 counterparts.
Beast Wars is like G1 in a different way, the main characters and setting are very different but it actually has the G1 transformers in it and the Ark and Nemesis play very important roles.
I'm not saying they're identical to G1, obviously, but if you compare them to the Unicron Trilogy or RID01 there's a lot more G1 in them than there could be.
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 5th, 2019 @ 3:46pm CST
Posted by Randomhero on March 5th, 2019 @ 4:55pm CST
Omegatron. wrote:AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Omegatron. wrote:AllNewSuperRobot wrote:So much to discuss, from the quoted dialogue alone. Yet, for the time being, I am reminded of a joke:
What would Transformers be without G1?
>Looks to Beast Wars and Transformers: Prime<
Award winning...
That's funny, given how G1 both of those were.
Not really. They have their roots, yet the awards came when they broke away from them and did their own thing.
Given the evergreen nature of SIEGE, being the backbone of this new continuity, I am apprehensive we won't see any of the character reinventions/subversions IDWverse had when it first started, this time around.
I mean, Prime and the G1 cartoon are both focused on a small group of Autobots fighting a small group of Decepticons, localised on modern-day Earth. Most of Prime's characters are also very similar to their G1 counterparts.
Beast Wars is like G1 in a different way, the main characters and setting are very different but it actually has the G1 transformers in it and the Ark and Nemesis play very important roles.
I'm not saying they're identical to G1, obviously, but if you compare them to the Unicron Trilogy or RID01 there's a lot more G1 in them than there could be.
Small group in G1? There were like 30 autobots and like 20 deceptions all over earth and progressively got worse as seasons went on where characters were forgotten to the background got lucky to get one line sometimes.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on March 5th, 2019 @ 6:11pm CST
Posted by Big Grim on March 6th, 2019 @ 4:30am CST
~ Grim
Posted by SpikeyTigertron on March 6th, 2019 @ 4:37am CST
Randomhero wrote:Omegatron. wrote:AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Omegatron. wrote:AllNewSuperRobot wrote:So much to discuss, from the quoted dialogue alone. Yet, for the time being, I am reminded of a joke:
What would Transformers be without G1?
>Looks to Beast Wars and Transformers: Prime<
Award winning...
That's funny, given how G1 both of those were.
Not really. They have their roots, yet the awards came when they broke away from them and did their own thing.
Given the evergreen nature of SIEGE, being the backbone of this new continuity, I am apprehensive we won't see any of the character reinventions/subversions IDWverse had when it first started, this time around.
I mean, Prime and the G1 cartoon are both focused on a small group of Autobots fighting a small group of Decepticons, localised on modern-day Earth. Most of Prime's characters are also very similar to their G1 counterparts.
Beast Wars is like G1 in a different way, the main characters and setting are very different but it actually has the G1 transformers in it and the Ark and Nemesis play very important roles.
I'm not saying they're identical to G1, obviously, but if you compare them to the Unicron Trilogy or RID01 there's a lot more G1 in them than there could be.
Small group in G1? There were like 30 autobots and like 20 deceptions all over earth and progressively got worse as seasons went on where characters were forgotten to the background got lucky to get one line sometimes.
Who were all the Decepticons? Megatron, Soundwave, Laserbeak/Ravage, Rumble/Frenzy, Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp, Shockwave, Reflector and his ba-jillion clones... Constructicons/Combaticons (11 more).
I'd argue there were alot of autobots... but other than one-off episodes what did Huffer, Brawn, Windcharger, Bluestreak do on the regular? I mostly recall Prime, Sideswipe, Hound and Mirage, Skyfire when he showed up, Iron Hide/Wheeljack/Ratchet. The dinobots
Okay... well crap... the math checks out... but I'd really argue if Laserbeak or Ravage really had personalities... lol
Posted by william-james88 on March 7th, 2019 @ 12:04pm CST
ScottyP wrote:Ruckley definitely seems to have the "ultra wooden Optimus that speaks in platitudes" that Hasbro seems to love nailed down.
I really hate that Optimus. He's just such a (uncrasimatic) bore. It's why I found reading the latest Optimus prime series such a chore. its also why I really can never recomend enough the Chaos Theory two parter, where we see optimus as a full fledged character with flaws, doubts, and all, and see that he is still as awesome as ever.
Posted by Avensis-Mahiya on March 9th, 2019 @ 1:51am CST
Posted by Deadput on March 9th, 2019 @ 6:30am CST
Avensis-Mahiya wrote:I think the only thing I'm disappointed in is the G1-esque frame types. It's weird because I adore G1, but I also love new designs for the characters--I like to see variety now and again. Call me unpleasable, but constantly sticking to the G1 character style feels stagnant.
It's just part of Hasbro's whole thing of going forward with a unified vision type of thing.
Honestly I prefer if the toys have some form of Media representation, I feel less infested to buy figures if the designs are never going to be in something unless I have an attachment to the character in general like say POTP Jazz even though I didn't really care for the line in general besides him, Elita 1, Nemesis Prime and the Prime masters.
Anyways we have seen two new "non G1" characters in Rubble and the Geologist guy so there is that, I wouldn't get worried that it's going to be like that the whole time, it's the start of a reboot and IDW needs to use familiar faces to draw in a crowd first before diverging.
Plus it doesn't matter what characters they use if the writing ends up being mediocre or something.
Posted by william-james88 on March 11th, 2019 @ 10:15am CDT
We also got several interviews. One from Newsarama.com which interview the writer of the new IDW Transformers comic series, Brian Ruckley.
The other is from doomrocket.com which inteviews both the writer mentioned above as well as the artist, Angel Hernandez.
Remember, the comic comes out this Wednesday, March 13th.
IDW wrote:Here's a sneak peak at a couple pages from the new #Transformers 1 story by Brian Ruckley, and Angel Hernandez. Head to your local comic book shop next week (3/13) and pick up your copy of this all new adventure!
Posted by Lore Keeper on March 11th, 2019 @ 12:13pm CDT
Posted by leokearon on March 11th, 2019 @ 12:47pm CDT
Posted by william-james88 on March 11th, 2019 @ 1:06pm CDT
leokearon wrote:I'm struggling to see what's new. Seems like they are mostly rehashing stuff done before
I dont think the point is for there to be anything new. Its just that Transformers is a hot brand and hasbro wants fiction out there. Cyberverse is G1 based storytelling, so are all current toylines aside from the movie ones, the upcoming netflix show will be g1 based, so the comics must be as well. And these comics are a jumping off point for anyone searching for more Transformers content.
Posted by leokearon on March 11th, 2019 @ 1:23pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:leokearon wrote:I'm struggling to see what's new. Seems like they are mostly rehashing stuff done before
I dont think the point is for there to be anything new. Its just that Transformers is a hot brand and hasbro wants fiction out there. Cyberverse is G1 based storytelling, so are all current toylines aside from the movie ones, the upcoming netflix show will be g1 based, so the comics must be as well. And these comics are a jumping off point for anyone searching for more Transformers content.
If they are doing anything new, then it defeats the point of a reboot. If you end a continuity and reboot it, then it should be different not the same, otherwise you might as well just continued with what you had.
Posted by william-james88 on March 11th, 2019 @ 2:38pm CDT
leokearon wrote:william-james88 wrote:leokearon wrote:I'm struggling to see what's new. Seems like they are mostly rehashing stuff done before
I dont think the point is for there to be anything new. Its just that Transformers is a hot brand and hasbro wants fiction out there. Cyberverse is G1 based storytelling, so are all current toylines aside from the movie ones, the upcoming netflix show will be g1 based, so the comics must be as well. And these comics are a jumping off point for anyone searching for more Transformers content.
If they are doing anything new, then it defeats the point of a reboot. If you end a continuity and reboot it, then it should be different not the same, otherwise you might as well just continued with what you had.
It's new enough. We never did get much of the autobots and decepticons pre war. A familiar story, sure, but this is the stuff that was only hinted or in flashbacks in previous series. Now we actually get a story about it. And it being a reboot means they dont have to worry about retconning anything in an existing continuity. I dont see what's so wrong about anything here, nor do I see how anything here is surprising. We've known they were doing a G1 themed story for months now.
Posted by SkyFire Prime on March 11th, 2019 @ 3:28pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:leokearon wrote:william-james88 wrote:leokearon wrote:I'm struggling to see what's new. Seems like they are mostly rehashing stuff done before
I dont think the point is for there to be anything new. Its just that Transformers is a hot brand and hasbro wants fiction out there. Cyberverse is G1 based storytelling, so are all current toylines aside from the movie ones, the upcoming netflix show will be g1 based, so the comics must be as well. And these comics are a jumping off point for anyone searching for more Transformers content.
If they are doing anything new, then it defeats the point of a reboot. If you end a continuity and reboot it, then it should be different not the same, otherwise you might as well just continued with what you had.
It's new enough. We never did get much of the autobots and decepticons pre war. A familiar story, sure, but this is the stuff that was only hinted or in flashbacks in previous series. Now we actually get a story about it. And it being a reboot means they dont have to worry about retconning anything in an existing continuity. I dont see what's so wrong about anything here, nor do I see how anything here is surprising. We've known they were doing a G1 themed story for months now.
This guy gets it.
Posted by Flashwave on March 11th, 2019 @ 3:38pm CDT
leokearon wrote:I'm struggling to see what's new. Seems like they are mostly rehashing stuff done before
For one, We have Rubble choosing his alt mode. Old IDW stated out you were either born with your alt mode or an MTO. You had no choice. That may not be new to thr mythos as a whole, but it is a refresh from recent. Personally, I kinda think I liked the other way. Yes, Judgibg soneone by their looks is bad, bit if you think about the idea, that prejudice was probably born of something else. The earliest Cybertronian Civilizations may well ha e sirvived by relying on each of its member's Strengths, and that includes what they turned into, and in a way its an interesting stify of when does Prejudice become Prejudice?
For 2, we have an implication here that Orion is a Senator as is Megatron. He even says to Ironhide "... Two old Senators of Cybertron, two old friends...". Thats pretty much new. In the past Prime has been a chosen voice from the lower population, not the Government, first a Laborer, a Librarian, an Archivist, and in IDW1.0 he was a Police Officer. The impression here then too is that Ironhide is his Aide and or Bodyguard, which jives with Ironhide's previously established character. Prowl meanwhile remains the good old Table-flipping IDW Prowl. Hopefully he is less of an immoral prick and is just a Prick.
Megatron too is (was?) A voice in the Senate, and not just someone writing or speaking on the streetcorner.
Then we ha e Windblade. We don't know much about her, other than she is hanging with Bumblebee, but if she is here then that either means she is NOT from Caminus, which is new, or Cybertron's lost colony isnt so lost this go around. I would assume this is taking heavy cues from Windblade's Cyberverse character, but we dont have a lot of Pre-War for that character.
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 11th, 2019 @ 3:49pm CDT
(2) I didn't really get anything New in Prime. Slight variation perhaps. But the dialogue still read just as boring.
(3) Assume she is simply Cybertronian. That they have tossed everything else away and just kept the part that she is a Transformer. Like I've said previously, that means she might actually be interesting in this continuity as she is, more or less, a blank slate.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on March 11th, 2019 @ 6:03pm CDT
Posted by ausbot on March 11th, 2019 @ 6:48pm CDT
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on March 12th, 2019 @ 8:44am CDT
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I'm interested in the story, we'll see what the reception is when it is released on Wednesday
Didn't realise it was so soon. Pre-ordered #1 with Forbidden Planet. Not sure if I'll buy into the whole series yet.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on March 12th, 2019 @ 6:41pm CDT
Brian Ruckley is the Author for the new book, while Angel Hernandez and Ron Joseph share the art duties for the series, divided up between the Orion Pax/Megatron scenes and the Rubble scenes as it appears.
A NEW ERA DAWNS! In the infinite universe, there exists a planet like no other: Cybertron! Home to the Transformers, and a thriving hub for inter-stellar commerce, it is a world brimming with organic and constructed diversity. Immense structures line its landscape. Mechanical giants roam across its surface. Starship-sized titans orbit its skies, keeping a constant protective watch above and below. Ancient Transformers merge into its very fabric. Small, mysterious creatures skulk in its shadows. It is a truly amazing realm, long untouched by war, and exuberantly reaching for the stars. This is the Cybertron that Optimus Prime and Megatron vie for in this bold new origin-a world of seemingly endless peace! All that changes when Bumblebee and Windblade take a newly-forged Cybertronian on his first voyage through this world of wonders-they are confronted by the hard reality of the first murder to have occurred on Cybertron in living memory!
All that changes when Bumblebee and Windblade take a newly-forged Cybertronian on his first voyage through this world of wonders-they are confronted by the hard reality of the first murder to have occurred on Cybertron in living memory!
Posted by TulioDude on March 12th, 2019 @ 8:07pm CDT
Its interesting to this continuity to actually start before the war.
Posted by Randomhero on March 12th, 2019 @ 8:23pm CDT
Posted by Flashwave on March 12th, 2019 @ 10:28pm CDT
Randomhero wrote:Just read the issue. Available digital at IDW, very good. Very very good opening to the new universe
Thanks for that tip. Was a nice i troductory issue. No spoilers, but really, IDW? Let's put the old stories in the back of the brand new issue of the brand new series. Thats not confusing at all...
Posted by Randomhero on March 12th, 2019 @ 10:33pm CDT
Flashwave wrote:Randomhero wrote:Just read the issue. Available digital at IDW, very good. Very very good opening to the new universe
Thanks for that tip. Was a nice i troductory issue. No spoilers, but really, IDW? Let's put the old stories in the back of the brand new issue of the brand new series. Thats not confusing at all...
Lmao I thought the same damn thing when I got to the end
Maybe put in a preview of ninja turtles of GI joe but hey, more power to a good series that was Optimus Prime and the rest of OG IDW-verse
Posted by Sabrblade on March 12th, 2019 @ 10:51pm CDT
Posted by Optimus Prime13th on March 13th, 2019 @ 12:22am CDT
Posted by Nexus Knight on March 13th, 2019 @ 2:18am CDT
Posted by BumbleDouche on March 13th, 2019 @ 2:49am CDT
Posted by ScottyP on March 13th, 2019 @ 8:12am CDT
For the moment this is about it. Depends on how closely this gets to being Siege: The Comic. Their first continuity's longevity was such an outlier it would not surprise me to see this one run alongside Hasbro's "War for Cybertron" lines and wrap at that, but I'm sure it all depends on how it sells.Sabrblade wrote:I guess the easiest distinction we can make between the old IDW G1 continuity of 2005-2018 and this new one from 2019-onward would be "IDW1" and "IDW2".
Posted by william-james88 on March 13th, 2019 @ 9:45am CDT
ScottyP wrote:For the moment this is about it. Depends on how closely this gets to being Siege: The Comic. Their first continuity's longevity was such an outlier it would not surprise me to see this one run alongside Hasbro's "War for Cybertron" lines and wrap at that, but I'm sure it all depends on how it sells.Sabrblade wrote:I guess the easiest distinction we can make between the old IDW G1 continuity of 2005-2018 and this new one from 2019-onward would be "IDW1" and "IDW2".
This is pretty exciting, since it would mean we are back to the traditional idea of media supporting a toyline and not the other way around.
Posted by Ultra Markus on March 13th, 2019 @ 12:30pm CDT
Lore Keeper wrote:The art is super clean and I like how they are keeping it accurate to the toys. But including every 5mm port, screw hole, clip, and contact point is a bit much. A little bit of artistic license is ok to cover up the less aesthetically pleasing aspects a toy's design.
ironhide does appear a little different in the shoulders from his toy though
Posted by Big Grim on March 14th, 2019 @ 7:48am CDT
BumbleDouche wrote:Does anyone else feel like Rubble is standing on the head of a dead titan when he's looking out over the landscape? It kinda looks like a decomposing brow but with a definite nose... Or just my imagination?
I thought the same, yeah.
Posted by Ig89ninja on March 17th, 2019 @ 4:48pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on March 18th, 2019 @ 5:42pm CDT
Ig89ninja wrote:Who gets the feeling that Rubble will eventually become Rumble? I mean, I didn’t realize he wasn’t Rumble until I was a quarter into the comic
Eh, I don't think so. I think this bot is just a new bot