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We had the pleasure to talk to the writer and artist of the new Transformers series from Skybound, Daniel Warren Johnson, to get to know more about what to expect in the coming months along with an explanation for the big spoiler moment. Below is a summary of what was discussed.
Firstly, it was interesting to see that while Johnson grew up with the Transformers brand and was heavily influence by Geoff Senior for his art style, he has been removed from the modern Transformers content and discussion. So don't expect new characters to show up, even those which have retroactively become part of "G1" fiction, like Drift, Barricade or Windblade. The stories will instead have characters he is ore familiar with, though there may certainly be some G1 deepcuts.
The first issue had a passing remark regarding Megatron's absence and Johnson was not going to tell us more about that. BUT he did explain to us why he picked Bumblebee as the character to bite the dust in the first issue. At a basic level, the scene was made to establish to both new readers and the human characters in the story who were the good guys and the bad guys and how ruthless the bad guys are. Plus, since this comic is meant to be as accessible as possible, Johnson wanted to have well known characters, including the one who dies. This had nothing to do with Bumblebee's overexposure in the past 15 years, though it is interesting to note that Johnson never had a great affinity to Bumblebee growing up.
While the book has a very familiar premise for anyone who grew up in the G1 era, the book is meant to be accessible to all and Johnson asks us to leave everything we know at the door. The story he will be telling is fresh and new. It will be written as a series of arcs, with no end planned at the moment. At the same time though, Johnson is adamant to make each issue feel satisfying in its own right, as we saw with the first issue, with a full character arc for Jetfire. This is something extremely important to him.
A change we felt was significant was the talk of time. In most Transformers fiction, eras are measured in "millions of years" be it the Cybertronian war or the time between the Arc crashing and the bots awakening. Johnson changed that to "hundreds of years" in the dialogue since it felt more logical, but the impact story wise is minimal. It wasn't that big a decision for him and Hasbro had no notes on it. Speaking of Hasbro's involvement, they did give him feedback about the way he draws Optimus' hands. While they would want them to look less human, Johnson is sticking to the Geoff Senior school of robot hands, which are simply human hands with some rings drawn on the fingers. It is also less taxing for him, since he does have the double duty of being the writer and artist.
Speaking of that double duty, it gives an added layer to what we see in the comic and which characters appear. For instance, the cassette Soundwave chooses to deploy is Ravage. Johnson, as a writer, wanted to include this character that he loves and Johnson as an artist really wanted him in the story because it adds a different kind of element to draw. Him being an animal makes him fun to draw and adds contrast to the more blocky shapes of the other bots.
Those were the main parts of the interview, if you want to watch the full interview, you can do so below. But please be aware of some issues with framerate and the interviewer going on some random rants/tangents.
This review is spoiler free aside from the mention of the presence or some characters.
I keep thinking of that big bold line from the original G2 comic with “this is not your father’s Autobots” and how the strategy for franchises has changed since the Poochie filled era of the 90s. The recent era of deconstructing heroes is now past as well and instead what people want is nostalgia, like a reboot to G1. BUT, while nostalgia can seem like an easy sell, it must be done right, which is very tricky. There must be familiarity but it can't just be a retread.
After having read the first issue, I can confidently say that writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson gives us a G1 reboot in glorious loving fashion. While it can easily be seen as a reboot to both the G1 show and the G1 comic, it is also a new story, and made accessible to all types of Transformers fans. Fans of the original G1 comics are bound to get a kick out of Johnson’s art since it is very reminiscent of Geoff Senior at times. There is a great panel of Ratchet getting an action scene which reminds me of how Geoff Senior would juxtapose a dynamic and fluid scene with such simple shapes making up blocky and angular characters. We get that same contrast here in Johnson’s art. The bright colours from Mike Spicer are the icing on the cake, complementing the art perfectly for a classic feel.
The story itself is very familiar, as intended for the opening of a new saga reinventing G1. But within the first issue, Johnson makes it clear that it is not a simple retread of G1, with a significant character death. This, along with the mysterious lack of a particular villain, sets the rest of the comic in uncharted waters. The familiarity now rests simply with the characters. This is the opposite of deconstructing characters and it reminds me instead of seeing Peter B Parker in the first Spider-verse movie, where we have characters in a new story and new continuity, but written in a way that you can instantly recognize them in a classic portrayal. While there have been a lot of different versions of Optimus Prime, Jetfire and Starscream throughout the brand’s 40 years, consistent traits have lingered throughout, creating specific personas we attribute them with to the point where we can tell when a character isn’t acting as he should (or as we think they should). And in this comic, these characters feel like the ones I know and love. Optimus is as heroic as we all know him to be, Starscream is as malicious as you’d expect him to be and Jetfire battles with the familiar internal conflict.
One last point I want to address is a change to the chronology by Johnson that I find very significant for the brand. He reduces the time for both the war and the main bots’ slumber from millions to hundreds of years. It’s just a change to the dialogue, with no other repercussions, but that’s all I needed. Interactions make more sense now, I can better imagine the length of the war, and there being little change from when they crashed, if that is revealed to be the case, will make more sense. But this is just a personal nitpick I had with storylines in the past and Sci Fi in general (paging Doctor Who), so I was glad to see it addressed here.
Overall, I recommend this issue to any Transformers fan who wants new G1 content in their life. It is a really meaty issue too, leaving you both satisfied and wanting more. Plus the humans present are not annoying, nor remove any of the spotlight from the bots (if ever there was any concern).
4.5 out of 5 stars
You can pick up this comic today at your local comic shop or grab it at our toy and comic store (along with thousands of other products) at shop.seibertron.com. We also have an exclusive cover for Transformers #1.
Today Skybound, in collaboration with leading toy and game company Hasbro, announced that TRANSFORMERS #1, the debut issue of writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson’s massively anticipated series, has sold out at the distributor level days before its release at comic book shops. The second launch in the all-new Energon Universe, TRANSFORMERS #1 will return with five commemorative second printing covers, available in comic book shops beginning November 1, 2023.
TRANSFORMERS #1 begins a brand-new era for the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise from Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Do a Powerbomb, DC’s Wonder Woman: Dead Earth) and colorist Mike Spicer (Stillwater, Murder Falcon). Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. Humanity’s only hope for survival is Optimus Prime and the Autobots.
The issue will return with five brand-new second printing variant covers:
Covers A & B, drawn by Jason Howard, spotlight the iconic Optimus Prime and Starscream respectively.
Covers C & D, drawn by Lewis LaRosa, respectively feature Johnson’s Autobot and Decepticon teams.
A special spoiler Cover E, drawn by Greg Tocchini.
Below you can see the connecting cover variant for Void Rivals 4 which is also being labelled as a spoiler. It is by Karen S Darboe and features Shockwave. This comic, and cover, should be available in comic stores today.
Special Shipping Promos:
$4.99 flat rate shipping if you order 2 or more comics!*
$9.99 flat rate shipping if you order 3 or more toys!* * Domestic orders only.
New Comics New comic books are available, straight from our distributors Diamond and Lunar. We regularly stock at least 40 different titles including Void Rivals, Transformers, GI Joe, Star Wars, My Little Pony, Spawn, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek, Sonic the Hedgehog, Vampirella, X-Men, Spider-Man, Hulk, Daredevil and many others. If we don't carry a title that you would like to buy from us, please let us know.
Back Issues Looking to complete your collection? We've been adding a lot of older Transformers comics to our inventory and usually have many Marvel Transformers comics. In addition, we have been going through a backlog of 1980s and 1990s Marvel and DC comics such as Classic X-Men, New Mutants and more. You never know what you will find!
If comics aren't your thing, we also have a variety of new and old Transformers toys available. Check out some of the highlights below! Prices and quantity levels subject to change and may vary from the following information.
Orders ship super fast; usually within 1 business day. All items are well packaged to ensure that your item arrives safely to you. Check out Seibertron's 24,000+ 100% positive feedback score to see what people are saying about their experiences with us.
Visit the Seibertron Store on eBay to view new items that we've recently added. We've always got something of interest available!
Presenting Seibertron.com's exclusive cover of the highly anticipated Transformers #1 from Image Comics and Skybound. This remarkable variant cover showcases the artistic prowess of the esteemed Marco Ferrari. Transformers #1 is written by Daniel Warren Johnson, with art contributions from both Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer.
This exclusive offering is scheduled for release alongside the onslaught of Transformers #1 cover variants on October 4th, 2023. Our exclusive cover can currently be acquired for the price of $20, plus shipping, with a purchase limit of five per customer. Pre-orders for this exclusive and the other cover variants can be made through our website at shop.seibertron.com, or simply by following the image or link provided below.
Here is some additional information about Transformers #1 from Image Comics:
THE ALL NEW TRANSFORMERS ERA STARTS HERE!
Superstar creator DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON (DO A POWERBOMB, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth), alongside ENERGON UNIVERSE showrunner ROBERT KIRKMAN (VOID RIVALS, INVINCIBLE), reimagines Hasbro’s robots in disguise for a brand-new generation.
Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons.
As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
Discover THE TRANSFORMERS like you’ve never seen them before!
Skybound has provided us with a four page preview of their upcoming Transformers #1, which hits comic shops next month. This preview is mostly comprised of the same preview pages that were printed in the back of Void Rivals #3. They've also supplied us with a handy list of variant covers and images of those, but be forewarned this list does not encompass the plethora of retailer exclusive cover options that are sure to be available. You can check out the accompanying press release and the comic pages themselves below.
Skybound Entertainment wrote:FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YOUR FIRST LOOK AT DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON’S TRANSFORMERS #1
The Next Series in the Energon Universe Launches This October
LOS ANGELES 08/30/2023 — Today Skybound, in collaboration with leading toy and game company Hasbro, revealed an impressive lineup of variant covers and a first look at interior pages of Daniel Warren Johnson’s hugely anticipated Transformers #1. The second series in the recently launched Energon Universe, Transformers will debut on shelves in comic book shops beginning October 4, 2023.
Transformers #1 begins an all-new era for the iconic Transformers franchise from Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Do a Powerbomb, DC’s Wonder Woman: Dead Earth) and colorist Mike Spicer (Stillwater, Murder Falcon). Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. Humanity’s only hope for survival is Optimus Prime.
The recently announced rosters of Autobots and Decepticons headlining the first story arc of the all-new Transformers series include Autobots Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Wheeljack, and Decepticons Starscream, Rumble, Skywarp, Laserbeak, and Soundwave.
In addition to the already-iconic main cover by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer, the stacked list of variant covers for Transformers #1 includes Autobot and Decepticon covers by Johnson and Spicer, a cover by iconic artist Ryan Ottley (Invincible), a 1:10 incentive variant that kicks off a connecting cover series by Orlando Arocena (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), a 1:25 incentive variant by Cliff Chiang Paper Girls), a 1:50 incentive variant by Francis Manapul (The Flash), a 1:100 incentive variant by Ian Bertram (Little Bird), and finally, an open-to-order blank sketch cover.
The Energon Universe officially began in June 2023 with the surprise first appearance of iconic Transformers character Jetfire in Void Rivals #1, introducing the historic new collaboration between Hasbro and Skybound, with Transformers and G.I. Joe comics finding a new home with the publisher. The Energon Universe expands in December with Duke #1, a limited series from Joshua Williamson (DC’s Superman, Dark Ride), Tom Reilly (The Thing) and Jordie Bellaire (W0rldtr33). This will be followed by the launch of Cobra Commander #1 in January 2024, from Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana (Impact Winter: Rook) and Annalisa Leoni (Oblivion Song).
Transformers #1 (Lunar Codes Below | $4.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
The full list of variant covers is below:
Transformers #1 Cover A by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer (Lunar Code 0623IM805)
Transformers #1 Cover B by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer (Autobot) (Lunar Code 0823IM287)
Transformers #1 Cover C by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer (Decepticon) (Lunar Code 0823IM288)
Transformers #1 Cover D by Ryan Ottley (Lunar Code 0823IM289)
Transformers #1 Cover E (1:10 Copy Incentive – Connecting) by Orlando Arocena (Lunar Code 0823IM290)
Transformers #1 Cover F (1:25 Copy Incentive) by Cliff Chiang (Lunar Code 0823IM291)
Transformers #1 Cover G (1:50 Copy Incentive) by Francis Manapul (Lunar Code 0823IM292)
Transformers #1 Cover H (1:100 Copy Incentive) by Ian Bertram (Lunar Code 0823IM293)
Transformers #1 Cover I Blank Sketch Cover (Lunar Code 0823IM294)
Date: Friday, September 1st 2023 3:47pm CDT Categories:Comic Book News, Toy News Posted by:Emerje | Credit(s): Watcher Graphics on X, TheGeek100 on Reddit
If you've ordered or recently received the Amazon Exclusive Legacy Evolution Nacelle you may want open it right away. Numerous fans that have him in hand are reporting a "fungal growth" or "mold" on the plastic, particularly on the wings. As you can see in the images below from Watcher Graphics and TheGeek100 along with others chiming in on social media this isn't a minor issue. It's highly recommended that both Amazon and Hasbro customer service are contacted by those that have this issue, however minor your case may be, so they can track issues and investigate them. Thanks to Seibertronian Sabrblade for brining this issue to our Energon Pub forums.
Feel free to add your experiences with this figure in the forums, even if you've found no issues.
Special Shipping Promos:
$4.99 flat rate shipping if you order 2 or more comics!*
$9.99 flat rate shipping if you order 3 or more toys!* * Domestic orders only.
New Comics New comic books are available, straight from our distributors Diamond and Lunar. We regularly stock at least 40 different titles including Void Rivals, Transformers, GI Joe, Star Wars, My Little Pony, Spawn, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek, Sonic the Hedgehog, Vampirella, X-Men, Spider-Man, Hulk, Daredevil and many others. If we don't carry a title that you would like to buy from us, please let us know.
Back Issues Looking to complete your collection? We've been adding a lot of older Transformers comics to our inventory and usually have many Marvel Transformers comics. In addition, we have been going through a backlog of 1980s and 1990s Marvel and DC comics such as Classic X-Men, New Mutants and more. You never know what you will find!
If comics aren't your thing, we also have a variety of new and old Transformers toys available. Check out some of the highlights below! Prices and quantity levels subject to change and may vary from the following information.
Orders ship super fast; usually within 1 business day. All items are well packaged to ensure that your item arrives safely to you. Check out Seibertron's 23,950+ 100% positive feedback score to see what people are saying about their experiences with us.
Visit the Seibertron Store on eBay to view new items that we've recently added. We've always got something of interest available!
Thanks to another list from Jtprime17 brought to us by Seibertronian Munkky on our forums we have a new batch of possible leaked figures for the Legacy line in 2024.
Munkky wrote:More 2024 Legacy leaks have dropped, courtesy of JtPrime17:
Tra Gen Legacy UNI Core Energon Galvatron
Product Number: F8523
Tra Gen Legacy UNI Core Rock 2
Product Number: F8522
Tra Gen Legacy UNI Deluxe Slipstream
Product Number: F8534
Tra Gen Legacy UNI Deluxe RID Sideburn
Product Number: F8538
Tra Gen Legacy UNI Deluxe G1 Quake
Product Number: F8536
Tra Gen Legacy UNI Voyager Animated Motormaster
Product Number: F8547
Tra Gen Legacy UNI Voyager Metalhawk PR
Product Number: F9183
Many, if not all, of these will likely share tooling with existing or previously leaked figures like RID Sideburn from Shadow Striker and Animed Motormaster from Animated Optimus Prime.
Goto Page: <<1, 2, 3, 4 ... 558, 559, 560>> 5,592 total news articles in this section, 10 per page.
* Price and quantities subject to change. Shipping costs, taxes and other fees not included in cost shown. Refer to listing for current price and availability.
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