Transformers Comic Book News on Seibertron.com
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415 total news articles in this section, 10 per page.
Date: Tuesday, February 19th 2013 11:56pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News,
Reviews
Posted by: Blurrz Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 33,077
Rage of the Machines
(Spoiler free-ish)
The month of February brings an end to the latest IDW four issue Transformers series, Rage of the Dinobots. For those who have been enjoyed the 'of Cybertron' video games series, is a fan of the Transformers Prime universe, or likes the Dinobots in general, then Rage has been decent series. While not exactly at the same echelon as MTMTE or RID, Rage extrapolates the story left behind in Fall of Cybertron, although the series itself has been reminiscent of Movieverse comics.
Enter Shockwave. The Decepticon mastermind has been silent in the past three issues, with his goons doing most of the work to Ultra Magnus and the Dinobots. His characterization is much like the one in FoC, cold, calculated and always having a backup plan up his sleeve.
It is a shame that there has yet to be a signal of the Prime cartoon adding more Autobot characters to their roster, as Grimlock, the Dinobots, or even Ultra Magnus would add an even greater dynamic to the show.
I think one of the bright points of the entire series is the unmasking of Grimlock. Just a really nice touch by the artists.
Overall, Rage of the Dinobots has been a generic series that provides a link between the events of Fall of Cybertron, and to our current cartoon. I think from first glance it is easy to tell whether or not this is your cup of tea - the paperback will be released in May.
Date: Tuesday, February 19th 2013 4:25pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News,
Toy News
Posted by: El Duque Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 44,277
Seibertron member
Bass X0 dropped by the Energon Pub with what could be our first glimpse at a possible retool/repaint of the recently revealed IDW style Generations Deluxe Megatron. This image comes from the soon to be released
Transformers: Robots in Disguise Ongoing #14, which has already become available through some digital download services. As you can see in the image mirrored below there is a Decepticon from one of the group shots sporting Megatron's new body, but with an alternate head. As we know from Transformers brand panel during last weekend's Hasbro Media Day they are now working hand in hand with IDW, and Hasbro has taken to pre-planning future repaint/retools. Speculation is this could character could be Generation 2 Dreadwing. Check out the image below, and join the discussion in the Energon Pub.
.jpg "Transformers News: Transformers Generations Deluxe IDW Style Megatron to Receive G2 Dreadwing Repaint?")
Date: Monday, February 18th 2013 3:13pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News,
People News
Posted by: El Duque |
Credit(s): Ken Christiansen
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Views: 27,132
Our friend Ken Christiansen dropped by to let us know he will be appearing this weekend at the
Wizard World Portland Comic Con and next weekend at the
Emerald City Comic Con. Stop by to say hello and be sure to check out his new Sketchbook Volume III. Click
here to visit his blog Bad Flip Productions.
Wizard World Portland, Emerald City Comic Con!!!
I'm making a trip back home to the Pacific Northwest!
This weekend, February 22-24, I'll be appearing at the Wizard World Portland Comic Con, at table 2400.
Next weekend, March 1-3, I'll be at the spectacular Emerald City Comic Con, sharing space with the gracious Adi Granov, who is giving me some room at his table.
I'll be available to do a limited amount of commissions during the shows, and will have lots of prints, sketchbooks, and original artwork for sale. Including the brand new Sketchbook Vol. III!
Hope to see you there!
Date: Saturday, February 16th 2013 4:13pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News,
Press Releases
Posted by: Blurrz Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 59,464
Courtesy of IDW Publishing, we have information for the upcoming comics that will be released in the month of May. First up are our returnees,
Robots In Disguise and
More Than Meets The Eye with their
17th issues, alongside
Regeneration One with
#11. We have a new series, aptly named
Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters, and the latest
spotlight, Hoist. Lastly, the paperbacks for
Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots and
Regeneration One Vol. 2.
TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: HOIST
James Roberts (w), Agustin Padilla(a), Padilla, Livio Ramondelli (c)
FACE OFF! HOIST has always managed to fade into the background: until now. Trapped on an alien planet with a narcissist, half a scientist and a creature that may or may not turn into a catapult, the Lost Light's mild-mannered maintenance engineer must confront the five most dangerous DECEPTICONS ever.
32 pages, $3.99.
TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE #17
John Barber (w), Livio Ramondelli(a), Ramondelli, Casey Coller (c) SHOCKWAVES! The fate of Cybertron is sealed -- but what is the DECEPTICON scientist called SHOCKWAVE planning? After the stunning revelations in MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, learn the origin of the one-eyed, gun-handed master of machinations... and the countdown begins for the biggest TRANSFORMERS event in comic book history.
32 pages, $3.99.
TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE #17
James Roberts (w), Alex Milne(a), Milne, Sean Chen (c)
REMAIN IN LIGHT! MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE's first full-blown epic moves into high gear as RODIMUS leads his crew to the gates of heaven -- or hell. But larger forces are closing in and an ancient plan is reaching fruition -- and as an old friend calls time on the AUTOBOTS' quest, one thing becomes clear: the LEGISLATORS are on the march.Â
32 pages, $3.99.
TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS #1
Mairghread Scott & Mike Johnson (w), Agustin Padilla (a), Ken Christiansen (c)
BEAST HUNTERS! They were there when CYBERTRON fell -- but what happened to the DINOBOTS for the past few thousand years? Here's a hint -- GRIMLOCK and company haven't been sitting around and relaxing! The time is now -- the place is CYBERTRON -- and the recipe is ACTION!
32 pages, $3.99.
TRANSFORMERS: PRIME - RAGE OF THE DINOBOTS
Mike Johnson & Mairghread Scott (w), Agustin Padilla (a), Ken Christiansen (c) The DINOBOTS hold the line as CYBERTRON falls! With OPTIMUS PRIME and the Ark long gone, the rest of the population makes their escape from the dying world–but SHOCKWAVE remains behind, continuing his experiments!
104 pages, $17.99.
TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE #91
Simon Furman (w), Andrew Wildman(a), Wildman, Guido Guidi (c)
THINGS FALL APART! The very fabric of the TRANSFORMERS' universe begins to unravel, as huge and ancient cosmic forces take note of CYBERTRON's (and the CYBERTRONIANS') descent into chaos and anarchy. As HOT ROD struggles to hold things together, still reeling from his own game-changing wake-up call, competing destructive forces inch closer to a cataclysmic confrontation. The end begins here.
32 pages, $3.99.
TRANSFORMERS: REGENERATION ONE, VOL. 2
Simon Furman (w), Andrew Wildman (a & c)
The fallout from the devastation on Earth ripples outward, all the way to Nebulos, where GRIMLOCK faces his own dark demons and a fateful choice that may cost him his very Spark. The dark reign of SCORPONOK begins here, and nothing will ever be the same again! Collects issues #86-90.
128 pages, $19.99.
Date: Thursday, February 14th 2013 8:35am CST
Category: Comic Book News
Posted by: El Duque |
Credit(s): Transformers Facebook Page
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Views: 34,100
The
official Transformers facebook page has posted the Creator Commentary for this week's comic release, Transformers: Regeneration One #88. Hall of Fame writer Simon Furman gives us his thoughts on the first five pages, which we've mirrored below for those without facebook access.
PAGE 1: What is it about the character of Scorponok that draws you to him?
SIMON FURMAN: When he first appeared, Scorponok was a fairly die-cut Decepticon (somewhat second-tier) tyrant, but the introduction of Lord Zarak, his binary-bonded Headmaster component, gave him much more in the way of layers and a kind of noble gravitas, and he gradually became a character who walked the same fine line between good and evil as Grimlock (always a pull for me as a writer). But, of course, that Scorponok died in #75. And Zarak was the more dominant in that incarnation. Here/now, I was interested to explore the other side of the equation, see what the original Scorponok was like. This time, he’s the dominant personality, but you don’t share a head with someone for all that time without some kind of evolution. So there’s two reasons for going with Scorponok: one, there are parallels with Grimlock, the other main focus of this second story arc, and two, I get to bring the original Scorponok (who I never wrote) back and watch him struggle against who and what he was versus who he is (or thinks he is) now. Lots of great character potential there to explore, which I love!
PAGE 2: Scorponok comes across the other Decepticons, who may/may not accept him as their leader. How do you approach a scene like this in the writing, getting the tension across from the characters as they decide what to do next?
SIMON FURMAN: The theme underlying the whole “Natural Selection” arc is choice, or rather the enforced withdrawal of choice (and its consequences… which will ripple on well after this arc). And here the Decepticons are presented with just that, a choice: join Scorponok or stay loyal to the absent Soundwave. Scorponok overrides that bit of free will/loyalty pretty brutally, which plays into his more blanket intentions to skew the whole nature of Primus’s creations and push them all in a more Decepticon-oriented direction. But I also wanted to show here that there is loyalty and shades of grey even among Decepticons. They’re not all of one mind. Not all stamped out of the same world-conquering mold. There are factions and differing agendas and varying methodologies.
PAGE 3: While choosing the Cybertron cast, did you have to do a lot of trading with the Earth bound characters or was the process very straightforward?
SIMON FURMAN: Right at the start of RG1 I kind of assigned a non-official sub-group affiliation to the various Decepticons, some of which was predicated by where they were and who they were with when the original series ended with issue #80. So most of those fighting alongside Bludgeon on Klo at the end stayed with Bludgeon. Others I assigned to Soundwave’s neo-Decepticons. The rest I left a little more independent or undecided, like Dreadwind and Darkwing, so in reserve for more general/later use. The Earthbound Decepticons tended to be the older/original characters, whereas those still active on Cybertron the newer ones (in terms of toy release). I also had a list of those Decepticons who demonstrably died in #75 in the battle with Unicron (like Quake, Runabout and Apeface), and I was careful for those characters to stay dead.
PAGE 4: Soundwave meets with Bludgeon and they discuss his plans. Didn’t Soundwave die back issue 86 while trying to access Thunderwing’s remains? What happened to him?
SIMON FURMAN: Ah no, the destruction of the Hall of Silence was designed to mask Soundwave’s exit (via teleporter) with the remains of Thunderwing. Both were just assumed vaporized by the explosion. If you read those Soundwave scenes again, you’ll see he’s waiting for/relying on the more inexperienced Hot Rod to follow protocol and (in the event of a breach) destroy the entire building (and everything/one in it). This way, there’s no pursuit, no suspicion the Thunderwing remains are still out there.
PAGE 5: Soundwave continues to see more of Bludgeon’s grand plans for the future. Was Bludgeon your favorite Pretender back from the original run? Do you find him any more difficult to write than the other Pretender characters?
SIMON FURMAN: Bludgeon was always, and still is, one of my favourite characters. He’s a prime example of there not being much in the way of precedent or character detail originally (in either comics or tech specs), so I was able to embellish and create a lot of his character from the ground up. He’s also, let’s face it, just a really cool looking character with a ninja/warrior vibe and a big sword. What’s not to like. Bludgeon comes back into things in a big way in the third arc. What Bludgeon really wants is… well… not what Soundwave necessarily thinks he wants, and it’s going to result in one of the biggest shocks in RG1. Andrew’s cover for #91 just gave me chills! I think he kind of likes Bludgeon too.
Date: Wednesday, February 13th 2013 2:09pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News,
Reviews
Posted by: Tigertrack |
Credit(s): tigertracks 24
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Views: 37,003
Transformers REGENERATION #88
(CUE OMEGA SUPREME VOICE INTONATION)
Time-off taken. Return imminent. Content Limited, Discussion: Classic Transformers Storytelling.
As worn out as the first arc of REGENERATION made me in trying to review, analyze, and decode; I found Issue #88 a pleasant, fun story (and it’s lead issue 87) to return to.
As I dig into Grimlock making a cliché ‘deal with the devil’ to receive a new body and get his fellow Dinobots restored to full health as well, I can’t help but think about all the previous versions of Grimlock there are in the fiction, and what kind of a metamorphosis he underwent throughout Simon Furman’s work with him. Back on topic- Grimlock’s deal.
This deal my friends is what steers the course for Scorponok’s adventure to Cybertron. Like the classic Transformers tales of nearly 30 years ago, whether it be in comic or cartoon form, this issue oozes magnificent world domination scheming reminiscent of cartoon Megatron, and one trick devices that look to turn the tide for one side or another along the lines of ‘THE HATE PLAGUE’, ‘THE ULTIMATE DOOM’ or ‘MEGATRON’s MASTER PLAN’.
The best thing is, for me, that was part of the excellence of Transformers from my youth, the unbelievable plans, the crazy inventions and devices that just happen to come into being with each new story or episode. The gullible-ness (innocence?) of many of the characters to be misled.
This issue takes me back as fan-favorite Scorponok sans his former headmaster partner Zarak, looks to take back Cybertron for the Decepticons. He plans to do this by making all the inhabitants into Decepticons using a gene key that will unlock the ‘warrior gene’ in all the Autobots, basically taking away their inhibitions, and morals -- for all purposes making them Decepticons as well. The device is first used on a small scale so that Scorponok and his partners can set up the large planet-sized key that will do the work a lot more quickly.
Grimlock, meanwhile, is back on Cybertron as well, aiding Scorponok as little as possible, but not trying to put a stop to his efforts either. Grimlock’s mind is trapped on his fellow Dinobots, and the whole Nucleon experience that he put them through.
And there are plenty of side plots to help keep all the characters moving somehow: like Hot Rod’s search for the Primus chamber; Optimus cleanup on Earth; Starscream, Shockwave, and Galvatron re-united; and Soundwave’s scheme with Bludgeon, all of which could be linked to Scorponok’s current bid for dominance of Cybertron, and possibly... the universe!
It’s nice to feel this way again. I mourn the loss of Springer before he really even got started in this NEW (old) series, but find myself now that we are past that whole big, huge Optimus versus Megatron event, able to enjoy REGEN again.
Pick it up and enjoy the fun!
Easily 4.5 nostalgic stars out of 5!
Date: Monday, February 11th 2013 4:50pm CST
Category: Comic Book News
Posted by: El Duque |
Credit(s): iTunes
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Views: 27,764
Transformers: Monstrosity, the follow up to IDW's digital format series
Transformers: Autocracy, is scheduled to launch on March 1st. Click
here to visit the iTunes listing.
Description
12 CHAPTER DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE SERIES! In the early days of the war on CYBERTRON, OPTIMUS PRIME puts everything on the line to unify the planet—but not everyone agrees that this new Prime should be in charge... Meanwhile, the fallen DECEPTION leader, MEGATRON, begins a journey that will change everything. Plus--what is the terrible secret of the DINOBOTS? All this and more in the first chapter of the digital event of the year!
Date: Wednesday, February 6th 2013 4:40pm CST
Category: Comic Book News
Posted by: El Duque |
Credit(s): Transformers Facebook Page
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Views: 32,269
The
official Transformers facebook page has shared the Creator Commentary for
Transformers Spotlight: Megatron. Writer and artist Nick Roche gives us his thoughts on the first five pages mirrored below for those without facebook access.
PAGE 1: This story starts off just after Megatron has received a new body during the TRANSFORMERS ONGOING series from a couple of years ago. Why set the tale in this time frame? And did you have to research all the old designs again?
NICK ROCHE (writer): Well, I just write the thing. It doesn’t bother me what the designs for the characters are like. I just sit back, lash any old nonsense out, and watch the accolades come cascading in.
As for the timeframe, IDW and Hasbro were looking for a Megatron SPOTLIGHT to feature the same body that the character currently sports in the TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ongoing series. Of course, he’s a little dinged-up over on that title, and has foregone more of his personal grooming routines. But it’s essentially the same character design. Now, almost every nano-second of that iteration of Ol’ Megs has been accounted for – from him coming online in TRANSFORMER ONGOING #13, to his climactic farewell in the “CHAOS” series. I had to pull a trick that Simon Furman has made his own, and find an empty story-corner to craft an idea; tell an off-panel tale, as it were. And it allowed me to address what must have been huge disappointment and frustration on Megatron’s part upon discovering the undignified and embarrassing mess Starscream had made as leader of the Decepticons.
NICK ROCHE (artist): The script was pretty loosely written, so I had to second-guess the writer’s intent a lot of the time. He’d just send a hand-scrawled note on greaseproof paper that said, “’bot 1 punches ’bot 2.” I had to do a lot of work to put any shape on the so-called story.
Piecing together the “script” did involve me having to do some research and capture the look that the ONGOING-Era Decepticons had on their Vacation Asteroid. But every comic – and every TRANSFORMERS comic especially – involves a lot of back-checking and cross-referencing on pre-existing designs. Because I had drawn Megatron and a few of the other cast members in these designs before, it wasn’t a complete slog, and didn’t slow me down too much.
PAGES 2 and 3: Did you find it difficult to write Megatron’s character at this point in time, bearing in mind everything he went through in All Hail Megatron and just after that?
NICK ROCHE (writer): Not prohibitively difficult, but it was an enjoyable challenge marrying up the Megatrons of two different writers (Shane McCarthy & Mike Costa) and have him pointing where the current writer (John Barber) has him positioned. It was interesting to read back over both eras of Megatron and reconcile the words and deeds of one with the other. I think I managed to not contradict anyone as I pulled my Megatron into place.
Barring weaving other versions of the character into this one version though, I tried to think about how Megatron would feel at having all that is sacred to him – his Decepticons; The “physical manifestation of his ideology” – absolutely driven into the ground. His star system-trouncing warriors are reduced to a whimpering mess, so let’s discover what affect this would have on him. If the Decepticons are defeated, he feels it, because to him, the Cause and The ’Bot are one and the same.
NICK ROCHE (artist): Is there a question for me? No? Oh, it’s all about the writer, yeah? That guy…
Well, let me tell you about stuff anyway. I drew these pages. Was it easy? Nothing is, working with that guy. He didn’t even specify which ones some of them were. “The Blue Cassette and a Broken Clone” was pretty much all the direction I got for this spread.
This was where some of the referring back to earlier issues paid off. Like, I tried to keep the wounds that Razorclaw suffered in his skirmish with Starscream back in ONGOING #13 consistent with the wear-and-tear shown here. And then I added little nods to the cannibalization that was rife during this period too. You can see that Sunstorm (on the left of the image) is sitting down, because someone else is probably using his lower legs…
PAGE 4- What would you say set this issue apart on terns of the challenge as apposed to the other issues that you have written and drawn yourself?
NICK ROCHE (writer): Oddly, this page represents the real departure from previous solo excursions, in that there is some Editorially-mandated content. The through-line between this current batch of Spotlights is a connection to Metroplex and the Space Bridge technology he possesses. We know that this new body Megatron inhabits has the ability to traverse vast interstellar distances. Where did his restoration crew gain that technology from? Well, now we know. And as a dutiful Megatron nerd, I couldn’t bypass the opportunity to refer to the character’s oft-cited ability to access a Black Hole in deep space. What potential side effects could those powers unleash with this new Space Bridge ability? It’s all touched on slightly here. In dinner terms, this page is the Science Starter, the rest of the issue is Red Raw Main Course. Things…get messy. Bring a bib.
Though you have no idea how giddy a writer can get when they realize, “Wow! I’m writing a conversation between MEGATRON and SHOCKWAVE!” Workdays don’t come any better than that.
NICK ROCHE (artist): “Make the One-Eyed One argue with the Bucket-Head One.” That’s literally all he wrote.
It was hugely enjoyable to realize that I was drawing two of the heaviest-hitters (maybe THE heaviest?) in the Decepticon army having a typically terse one-to-one. It was massive fun to draw a similar scene between Shockwave and Overlord in LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS, but as popular as Overlord is now, he didn’t have the same weight of responsibility to draw then. Whereas this scene – which has a sulky, skulky Soundwave too, for flip’s sake! – made me regress to seven-year-old status. (I usually operate at full-on nine-year-old.)
PAGE 5- Megatron sets his sights on Starscream for the first time since he’s seen just what Starscream did as leader in his stead. This is one of Transformers classic relationships. Had you always in your mind wanted to do these scenes, and did you always know how you wanted them to be?
NICK ROCHE (writer): I didn’t think I had a burning desire to explore this relationship, but that’s sometimes the best way to be. A part of me worries I’ll choke or wobble (or both at once – a “chobble”) when the day comes to write some dialogue for Optimus Prime. But because of when this story was set, and because of the events that lead us here, this confrontation was unavoidable. I had no choice but to just write it, and I think that can often be for the best. Out of all the iterations of TRANSFORMERS lore over the decades, this relationship between Megatron and Starscream is by far the most constant and enduring. Prime has different lieutenants or right-hand-guys in different shows, but Starscream is eternally cursed to be the thorn in Megatron’s side.
For me, the question at the heart of this relationship is as fundamental as “Why DOESN’T Batman just kill the Joker?” Why does Megatron keep Starscream around? What possible thought-process could allow a liability like him to linger and lurk, constantly undermining and unraveling your progress? It became apparent very quickly that this was what the story had to be about. And I think I’ve managed, in the pages that follow, to explore – and even explain to some degree – what this relationship is really all about.
NICK ROCHE (artist): My thinking here (because ONE of us had to do a bit of that) was that upon discovering Megatron’s resurrection in ONGOING #14, Starscream fronted it out a little with the returning boss, and then retreated to his rinky-dink throne room, where he’d squandered three years piffling about with the Autobot Matrix. So, I wanted to show a Starscream that’s beaten before Megatron even makes a start. The heft of his own fear of Megatron has literally crushed him, and where better to reflect on his potentially final moments than at the foot of the seat of his power. Interesting though that he doesn’t flea; he stays to face the music. The rest of this issue gets down to the nitty-gritty of the odd and dark relationship that these two share. I think. I dunno, I just draw the pictures.
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