Transformers Comic Book News on Seibertron.com

IDW Publishing March releases Includes Spotlight Mirage

Date: Wednesday, December 19th 2007 3:37pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Company News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): lodelco, comicscontiuum.com

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Seibertron's own lodelco has found some great news regarding IDW's Transformers comics over at Comics Continuum.
Comics Continuum have posted the upcoming March 2008 releases from IDW Publishing and there are a few surprises in store!

First up is Spotlight Grimlock:

Written by Simon Furman, art and cover by Marcelo Matere.

The spotlight now falls on Grimlock, everyone's favorite Dinobot! Once set on a course of action, Grimlock always sees it to the bitter end. But has he now gone too far? Branded a renegade and responsible for condemning his fellow Dinobots to a living death, this time there may be no way back!

Followed by an un-announced surprise, a second Spotlight in March featuring... Mirage?

Written by George Strayton, art and cover by Guido Guidi.

Stepping into the spotlight is the infiltrator Mirage, an Autobot who has long questioned his allegiances in the war against Megatron. But when a temporal accident suddenly shunts him into an alternate timeline, he finally gets the chance to experience life as a Decepticon. Will he embrace his newfound power and wipe out the last of the Autobots, or sacrifice everything to save them?

And another new surprise with the announcement of The Transformers: Focus on Decepticons.



Written by Shane McCarthy and Neil Kleid, art by Nick Roche and more, cover by Don Figueroa.

Starscream. Thundercracker. Skywarp. Shockwave. And, of course, their terrifying leaderŠ the Decepticons represent the greatest threat in the history of Earth -- and now they're about to make their move. What are their plans? What will it mean for fate of mankind? And where are the Autobots, sworn defenders against Megatron's menace? IDW Publishing is set to unveil a globe-shattering Transformers event that will explode across comics pages this spring, and this specially-priced sneak peek features preview art, behind-the-scenes interviews, design sketches, information on the Decepticons of the upcoming Movie Sequel series and more!

With a reprint of Transformers UK Space Pirates #1 to round out the month, March is going to be a big one for IDW Transformers fans!

To check out all of the IDW March releases, please click here.

Simon Furman Q&A Online!

Date: Friday, December 14th 2007 8:24pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, People News, Interviews
Posted by: Raymond T. | Credit(s): simonfurman.wordpress.com, www.idwpublishing.com

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Views: 179,362

Last year IDW gave fans the chance to submit questions for Transformers writer Simon Furman. The best 20 were picked out of the litter and were answered by the Transformers guru himself. This year, fans were again able to ask the writer their burning questions. The best 20 questions were put together and are online in the second Simon Fuman IDW A&Q session. The first 15 on the IDW forum and the last 5 on Simon Furman's Blogpage.

The following 15 questions have been taken directly from the IDW Forum:

1) Character-wise are there any aspects of a character ie: role, alt. mode, character that you haven't had an opportunity to explore but you still would like to either through an original character or through the expansion on an existing one?

SF) What I feel I used to do well but (in the new IDW/TF-verse) haven’t done much of recently is take a little used character and really kind of escalate/advance them into terms of motivation, role and overall story impact. I’m thinking of the likes of Bludgeon, Thunderwing and Carnivac, where characters with little or no depth ended up virtually carrying whole story arcs. The closest I’ve come of late is with Razorbeast, in Beast Wars (Gathering/Ascending), where a toy/character who otherwise came and went without much of ripple has become quite pivotal (even collectable!). So far, with the Spotlights, I’ve largely focused on already A-list characters (or the likes of Nightbeat, a character I'd already got to grips with in a previous incarnation). Moving forwards, what I’d like to do is bring in a character or two from the ‘B’ or ‘C’ list and really go at them from scratch, bring them thundering into the ‘A’ list in terms of the IDW/TF-verse. Sixshot more or less fits those criteria, but I found there were limitations with a ‘living weapon.’ I’m looking forward to doing more with the likes of Doubledealer, Banzaitron and Jhiaxus. Right now, I’m searching for ways to confound expectation, so pretty much every character I tackle in an IDW comic comes with a fresh coat of paint, so to speak. Whatever established profile/tech spec/biog the characters already have, I’m using that as a loose template and taking it in different directions, without necessarily reinventing the wheel. It’s a very exciting way of working, as it seems to really let the creative side of me loose.

2) In your years working in the comic industry how much does it differ today to when you broke into the industry (art, story and the general production of a comic)? How do you see it in the years to come? And what is your favourite part of working in that industry?

SF) For me, the main difference is structure. Everything now is about the trade (paperback). With that in mind, stories are pretty much always arcs, be they four or six or more issues. I kind of miss the more rambling, unfolding nature of an ongoing comic. When we came to do the Titan reprints of the Marvel Transformers series, it was a challenge to break up the storyline(s) into cohesive (vaguely standalone) volumes. And, in fact, it often didn’t work. If you look at All Fall Down and End of the Road, there’s a distinct ‘To be continued…’ at the end of the first of those volumes. And I think because of distinct story arcs, there’s a natural tendency not to make single issues as self-supportive as they used to be. Which is also a shame. It’s why I love the Spotlights so much. They seem to hark back to a different era, where, as well as being part of a larger structure, each single issue also had to be semi-complete in and of itself. What I don’t miss about the ‘good old days’ is thought bubbles. It’s weird how old-fashioned they seem now. I much prefer narrative captions. They seem, to me, more grown-up (in a good sense of the word). Because, and this is a shame, comics are just no longer pitched at (or as accessible to) kids. Even ‘kids’ comics are just more sophisticated. I think back to the (Marvel) UK Transformers stories and compare them to the (Titan) UK stories of today, and there’s a big creative gulf. The one is not necessarily better than the other, just different. It’s no point getting misty-eyed with nostalgia, as a writer you have to move and evolve with the times, which I hope I’ll continue to do (wherever, and in whatever form comics go/take). The best bit is just being IN the industry. They’ll have to take me out in a box!

3) What one change would you make to the Transformers history you've created? (eg. do you wish maybe you hadn't made Magnus quite so scared of Galvatron? Do you wish you hadn't killed off Cyclonus? Not used Unicron in a particular story, etc).

SF) It sort of depends which Transformers history is being referenced. And even then, the only places I’d maybe want to go back and change/revisit are where external circumstances (such as imminent or sudden cancellation) dictated that either a story not go the way it was originally intended or not be completed at all. Certainly, the IDW/TF-verse is too new and still evolving to be the subject of retroactive second-guessing. New opportunities and avenues to explore are plentiful and ongoing there, and it’s probably the most well thought out/cohesive long-term structure I’ve ever had the luxury of working within. If I had to pick points to revisit, it’d be: with the original Marvel UK stories, I’d have loved to be able to play out the Ultra Magnus/Galvatron ‘rematch’ as originally set up. But the imminent change to black & white 5-page stories meant that Time Wars pretty much had to wrap up everything (and with two Primes in the mix, Ultra Magnus kind of got sidelined). With the Marvel US stories, I’d love to have been able to do the full post-Unicron storyline I had mapped out, with wasteland Cybertron and the quest for the Last Autobot unfolding over multiple issues (instead of, like, one). But again, it wasn’t to be. Once I knew issue #80 was our last, everything had to be condensed/accelerated (to an ultimately unsatisfying degree). I wish I could have continued Transformers Energon, I wish I could have wrapped up War Within v3, but really these things were just not meant to be, I guess. Largely, I try not to look back, only forwards. What’s out there already is out there, end of story. Truthfully, I’m not sure I’d want to tamper even if I could.

4) Will we be seeing more of the Micromasters in the future? (ie. why they are small and such and related to the Dead Universe?)

SF) Definitely more Micromasters in Revelation (and beyond)! This time around, in the IDW/TF-verse, I’m trying to apply thought and logic to concepts that previously were maybe just thrown into the mix without much due care and attention. If it’s Pretenders, it’s well why would Transformers need an outer shell? As a disguise element it always seemed slightly redundant to me in the original storylines. If it's Headmasters, what is it about a human/Transformer hybrid that makes them special? Why bother unless the end product is markedly better, and it cuts both ways (after all, it’s a kind of symbiosis)? I’m asking myself all the tough questions that were maybe skipped over in the rush of new product lines, and the same applies to Micromasters. Why is small better? What new, interesting abilities do pint-sized Transformers bring to the mix? And, as always, who is responsible? What’s their bottom line? The whole Jhiaxus/Nemesis Prime/Dead Universe storyline is about to explode, big time, and Micromasters are an integral part of what’s to come.

5) It's a very loose term, though. Can you define "brothers" in a TF sense? Is it merely some trivial notion of 'created around the same time' or 'somewhat looky-likey designs', or that they share some E.S.P., or what?

SF) What defines a ‘brother’ is going to feed into and be explored in two ’08 storylines. In the ‘ongoing.’ Sideswipe is about to step up and make his presence felt, most notably when he meets Sunstreaker again and realises he’s no longer just Sunstreaker! There is a bond between lots of characters, it’s just that in some cases it’s more pronounced, and the pair (or more) of characters in question are aware of it (even if it’s purely subliminal). Then, in a kind of standalone (but, of course, very connected) series, we’ll start to understand exactly where that link/bond came from. It’s connected to the lineage idea introduced in Spotlight Optimus Prime and to the eventual concept/realization of Combiners. Whatever it is, in some Transformers the bond is very strong, almost like in twins, in others it’s so watered down they don’t even know it’s there. A lot of ‘fundamental’ stuff, in terms of what makes a Transformer tick, is planned for next year.

6) If you were to radically reinvent the concept, allowing you to disregard anything and everything, for a one-off ‘Evolutions’ type story, what would it look like?

SF) It would probably not be terribly different to what we’ve done for the IDW/TF-verse. In many ways, it’s a reinvention/update of the classic G1 era, cutting out some elements, making others more contemporary, dropping in new ideas/designs/rationales, etc. So if I was handed carte blanche to do an Evolutions-style story, I’m not quite sure what I’d do with it. Even with Beast Wars, where I thought the abrupt leap into Beast Machines missed major storytelling opportunities, I got to drop The Gathering and The Ascending into that mix (and maybe more to come). The idea of just taking a different era and setting Transformers (G1) there doesn’t greatly appeal to me. Trying to re-do or re-style classic G1 stories doesn’t greatly appeal either. I feel (strongly) Transformers (as a whole) needs to keep moving forwards, evolving, in a way that doesn’t limit it to hardcore fan appreciation. That’s why I was so pro the new movie makeover. The quickest way to kill it dead would have been to make it a retro G1 piece, harking back entirely to the 80s (either in look or sensibilities). What I did enjoy recently was doing the ‘classic G1’ mini-comic for Madman’s DVD release of the entire animated series. That, in essence, ‘plugged a hole’ if you like, between the end of the animated show and the animated movie and felt more pertinent. Mostly, though, it’s my preference to keep looking upwards and onwards.

7) Given that you're well-known for taking obscure characters and breathing new life into them (Bludgeon, Nightbeat, Thunderwing etc.), are there any underdeveloped Transformers you'd like to give the same treatment in future?

Yes. And, assuming the Spotlights continue, I hope to do just that. The IDW/TF-verse is just so brimming with potential right now, I feel there is this vast pool of characters waiting for their chance to shine, to step out from (often limited) profile/tech specs, or simply just to be completely re-thought/re-made from the ground up. I think it's important that the main players have been established, either as the title character in a Spotlight or the main supporting character in a Spotlight (such as Ultra Magnus/Scorponok), but that done it’s time to move other, maybe more minor characters into major roles. After the trio of Blaster, Arcee and Grimlock Spotlights, I’m involved (rather than outright writing) in one more Spotlight (in what will be volume 3). That one definitely feels more in the spirit of minor character given due credit, gravitas and screen time. And, as always with the Spotlights, it plays into something much bigger. Can’t say any more at the moment, but I think it’ll surprise a few people.

8) What exactly does it take to kill a Transformer in IDW continuity? The amount of damage a TF can take before dying has always seemed to be fairly inconsistent to me, and so I'm curious as to what your take on the matter is.

SF) I think if I have played fairly fast and loose so far in the IDW/TF-verse, it’s with the actual mechanics (literal and otherwise) of how much injury a Transformer can sustain before it becomes critical. The two key elements to me are neural processor (brain) and Spark core (‘soul’). Take out either one of those, and you’re dead, gone, etc. Mind you, both are heavily shielded. Even a headshot (such as in Spotlight Ultra Magnus) might not necessarily destroy the processor. In Escalation #5, Megatron digs his hand into Optimus Prime’s chest cavity and squeezes his Spark core, meaning to crush it. Had he followed through, Prime would be dead. We have to assume that when Megatron shoots Starscream (in Infiltration #6) he misses (or fails to destroy) his spark core. EJ made it more graphic (and a much bigger torso hole/wound) than I’d maybe anticipated (in the writing), and so a certain degree of dramatic license may have to be applied there (especially if we ever actually place the Spark core specifically in some kind of internal cross-section). Though presumably there’s some room for manoeuvre here, what with different sizes and shapes of Transformers and all. Though we haven’t shown it as such, in the case of disembodied heads (such as Sunstreaker in Devastation), I’m working on the principle that the head is still hooked up to the Spark core (which has either been removed to a place of safekeeping or the original body preserved). The one can’t function without the other. I do mean to pay stricter attention to the physical limits of Transformers in upcoming arcs and series.

9) Now that IDW has the licence to produce Doctor Who comics, do you want to write for the series again? If you could, what elements would you explore, like in Axis of Insanity you explored the Doctor's curiosity and the dynamics between Peri and Erimem.

SF) I’ve always had a soft spot for the Doctor. Over the years I’ve done a fair few Doctor Who stories, whether in Doctor Who Monthly/Magazine (in the 80s) or in audio drama. And I’m currently doing some new (junior) Who for the UK (more details on my blog as and when I can trumpet this officially), as well as some Torchwood comic work (again, watch my blog for more details). So the short answer is yes, I’m always up for more Who. And, in fact, I have talked to Chris Ryall about doing some IDW-Who. But if I do, it’ll be later rather than sooner in 08, as story arcs (by other creators) are already in progress or upcoming (and I’m snowed under right now). What would I do, story-wise? I’d like to put the Doctor in a situation where he’s just totally and utterly out of his depth. Sometimes I feel the just always seems to know what’s what and what to do about it. I think if I get to do an IDW arc, I’d put the Doctor completely out of any kind of comfort zone, in a situation where he’s got to more or less think/act on a wing and a prayer. I loved the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter in series 3 of the new TV show. It showed the Doctor in a refreshingly new light. It’s that kind of thing I’d like to tap into any story I might write. Beyond the companionship, why does he have a companion? It’s for situations exactly like that.

10) What are some of the best experiences you’ve had working with artists? Any particular issues, old or new, where you were especially blown away?

SF) Too many ‘blown away’ experiences to list. Some notables would include: my very first strip work (a ‘Library of Death’ story in UK comic Scream), drawn by (of all people) Steve Dillon. What a way to start out. Story was truly dire, by the way, but hey, it looked good! Transformers UK #113: Geoff (Senior) was forever blowing me away with his artwork, and in fact #113 isn’t his best TF work (I’d reserve the likes of Target: 2006 pt 8 and Edge of Extinction in US #75 for that distinction), but it was inspirational inasmuch as it pretty much pushed me into rethinking what was supposed to be a minor (disposable) supporting character (Death’s Head) and turning him into what’s become, I guess, my signature creation. For all the wrong reasons, I remember a Dan Reed UK job where he was so late with the pages I thought I was going to have to run with a reprint filler story. He had to physically bring the pages (from Paris, where he was living at the time), at which point he lost the splash page (in customs) and had to redraw it with me standing over him looking at my watch. I still shudder to this day. The first page of Transformers (US) #56 is another of what I’d call personal landmarks. It wasn’t just my first page of Transformers US, it was my first work for Marvel US (something I’d always dreamed of). Good, bad or indifferent (art-wise), that page was always going to be special. My collaborations with Andrew Wildman have always been memorable, not least because we actually developed our own IPs. Some of the ones that got away, like the (proposed) Neo-Knights series, I remember vividly. Again, for all the wrong reasons, I remember working with Pat Lee and how kind of disappointed I was to find how little of the art was actually him. He gave me an original art page of Armada, and there’s so little art on it! The good side of Dreamwave was my first collaboration with Don Figueroa on War Within v1. His art blew me away (in terms of its amazing detail and dynamism) and then blew me away again (because this was when I first realized that the new generation of TF artists were utterly passionate about the work).

11) In 2008, are there any plans for a mini-series of Primus and Unicron story and fit the core continuity?

SF) I shall restate categorically what I’ve said before. No Primus. No Unicron. I’m just not going there (outside of Beast Wars, and then not directly). BUT, that’s not saying we won’t at point start poking and prodding around the pre-history of the Transformers and begin to ground what’s happening in the present with stuff that goes all the way back to the very beginning. There’s stuff I’ve laid into the IDW/TF-verse already that pays into the timelost roots of the Cybertronian race and I don’t intend to let that mystery drag on too long. The Dead Universe wasn’t always dead. That’s all I’ll say for the time being.

12) Marvel G1 question: whatever happened to Professor Morris? I believe the last we saw of him was when Centurion was beheaded by Galvatron. Later, when Wheeljack rebuilt him, Morris was never mentioned again. So was he trapped in his underground bunker when Centurion was sent to the bottom of the Thames or what?

SF) OK. This question sent me scurrying back to my collected editions of the UK stories (and de-archiving the original issues that featured ‘Ancient Relics’ the Transformers/Action Force crossover). We last see Professor Morris (in person) in issue #102 (‘Fallen Angel pt 2’), when he mentally communicates with Swoop, asking permission to mind-share again (following on from events in The Icarus Theory in UK #45/46). We ‘assume’ that’s him communicating through Centurion later in ‘Ancient Relics’ (though I confess it’s not clear). However, it’s still something of a loose end, as we never really know if Morris was ever extracted from that bunker (after Centurion disappeared into the Thames… to be extracted later in ‘Salvage pt 1’ in TF-UK #160). Let’s assume so, eh? Maybe Swoop was feeling charitable and (after the events of ‘Ancient Relics’) freed him. Or maybe Triple III finally broke in or RAAT got involved. Whatever the case, let’s hope Morris got out somehow. He only had enough food and water for a year!!

13) Have you ever considered that maybe all the various storylines from all the previous companies (Marvel, DW, Club exclusives, etc) could be brought together in a huge storyline that could redefine the future of Transformers and use all the characters from all the comics, toys, manga and anime available (G1 to Galaxy Force, Beast Wars, and back), just like DC is actually doing in their Countdown comic series?

SF) Some kind of big ‘Crisis on Infinite Transformers’ was considered (and then rejected) when IDW first picked up the license. Chris Ryall and I discussed several options, of which that was one. Another was a way of running G1 and Cybertron comics in tandem, with a sort of crossover story that simultaneously launched both titles (the original pitch for which can be seen as an ‘extra’ in the Best of Simon Furman book). Both were ultimately rejected in favour of the complete reboot of the G1 line that now forms the IDW/TF-verse and I believe it was the right way to go. Even if we’d gone the ‘Crisis on Infinite Transformers’ route and effectively cleaned house, it would still have been a confusing and off-putting (especially to new readers) way to start. Though part of me still loves the idea of doing something on that scale I don’t think (this far on and in) it’d be something IDW would ever consider.

14) You have been involved with Transformers more or less since the beginning. How do you feel about how the line has grown and evolved since its inception? Has it improved, degraded, remained true to the original vision, forgotten it, reshaped it for the better?

SF) I think, as with all properties that have been around as long as Transformers has, there have been both highs and lows. The great thing about Transformers as a whole is how easy it is to ‘transform’ itself for each new generation (whether they be young kids or adults, fans or newbies) without losing the core concepts and ideals that underpin it. I’m not going to get into what I feel those highs and lows are, but I do think that even 23 years on from when it first hit toy shops in the west, Transformers is still delivering across a wide variety of media. Whether it's the IDW/TF-verse, the new movie franchise, Transformers Animated, the passion the creators and toy designers and moviemakers bring to each is undiminished by time. In fact, I’d go as far as to say we’re in something of a golden age right now, where the sheer momentum delivered by the first (new) movie is pushing everyone involved to be that much more on their game when it comes to new product. There will always be those who hanker for what they see as the original and best, the G1 of the 80s (be it toy, comic or cartoon), but clearly the main reason Transformers has survived and thrived is because things haven’t stopped still, haven’t remained stuck in the nostalgia era. The long-time fans are incredibly important, but it’s even more important that new generations are given an easy access point into what otherwise could be a daunting and off-putting 23-year (and counting) history.

15) When writing dialogue for the Transformers, do you imagine it being spoken by the voice-actors that played the respective characters in the cartoon?

SF) Sometimes, but increasingly not. I pretty much always write dialogue for Optimus Prime with Peter Cullen in mind as I do so. He’s just so completely attached to the character in my opinion. But when it comes to the IDW/TF-verse, I try not to go in with any vocal preconceptions, because it may subliminally make me write a given character as if its their classic G1 equivalent (which it’s not). However, when I write Beast Wars characters in comic form I absolutely do think of their voice actor counterparts. How can you not think of David Kaye (“Yess”) when writing BW Megatron or Scott McNeill with Rattrap? So it depends. The (new) movie voice cast didn’t really have enough screen time (or make enough impact on me) to affect the way I write any surrounding prequel/roll over movie comic material. So, strangely, those I do tend to base more on their original animated counterparts. (New) movie Starscream I write just like his G1 counterpart. I have Chris Latta’s whiny, shrill delivery in mind when I write him. Mostly, though, when it comes to writing dialogue for Transformers, I try to approach each character as I’ve previously set them up (with any accompanying vocal tics) and not be too influenced by ‘outside’ sources. That said, while writing Torchwood stories recently, I had each of main actor’s voices nailed to my subconscious.

The following last five questions were taken directly from Simon Furman's Blog.

16) How does the Matrix work in the IDW universe (i.e. power of Primus, souls of all the Transformers, sacred battery, etc)?

SF) Well, we’ve yet to actually meet the Matrix in the IDW/TF-verse. So we may be getting ahead of ourselves here. What do we know about it so far? Well, according to Spotlight Galvatron, the Matrix was (and maybe is) “carried” by Nova Prime, and he (Nova Prime) disappeared into the Dead Universe (along with the Matrix, we assume). Nova describes a bottomless well and a resonant tug on the Matrix. What happened next we don’t know (yet). But what is the Matrix (hm, that sounds familiar somehow)? Not telling. Not yet. But ’08 holds the answers: what it is, where it came from, what is does (then and now!). The Matrix (and what it’s become) will figure large in all that happens post-Devastation. The Matrix has been gone from the IDW/TF-verse for a long time, and its return will not necessarily be a thing of celebration.

17) Was it always the intention to introduce Acree to the IDW-verse, or was it as case of being suddenly struck with a workable idea? If so, what inspired the idea and story?

SF) I think once the nature of IDW/TF-verse Jhiaxus started to properly take shape, so the idea of doing an Arcee story became both workable and desirable (in the context of both a Spotlight and the larger story). To an extent, I wasn’t willing to go anywhere near Arcee (as a character) until I had worked out the whys and wherefores (in the IDW/TF-verse) of quote-unquote female Transformers and the whole issue of gender. Back when I was writing the first clutch of Spotlights, the idea of Arcee started to germinate. The Nightbeat Spotlight opened a door, and the involvement of Hot Rod just somehow made me want to get Arcee in there too, somehow, even though the two aren’t linked in the IDW/TF-verse. But even then I didn’t really have all the answers I needed (for myself) to properly introduce/write the character. I’ve been vocal about my resistance to the idea of gender in Transformers, so if Arcee existed (and she was a she), then I really needed to know exactly why that was (and how she and others react to that fact). Arcee, Combiners and Micromasters all have a common point of origin, in terms of forcing the evolution the Cybertronian race. Once I had that in mind, Arcee just seemed to work (and I had the motivation on both sides) as both a concept and a character.

18) As more people chip into building this new IDW/TF-verse continuity, are there any guidelines for what creators should/shouldn’t include to avoid clashing with other books?

SF) My main rule of thumb has always been (and remains), if it’s been done that way before, don’t do it again. It applies equally to me and, I hope, the other writers contributing to the IDW/TF-verse. Mostly, other than looking at what’s been established so far in the ‘ongoing’ arcs, the Spotlights and so forth and making sure new story elements don’t blow it all (in terms of the over-arcing story) out of the water, it’s just a matter of continually thinking outside of the box, and not falling back on classic G1 (knee-jerk) story/character traditions. Defy expectations. Turn characters on their heads. Assign them roles and functions that don’t necessarily match their classic G1 counterparts. And try and keep the story rolling onwards, rather than keep dipping back into what’s gone before (or if you do go back, make sure it has some present day/future resonance/pay off). On the IDW forums there’s a great thread, which painstakingly details who’s appeared, when and where. It’s very helpful, not least to me. The great thing about the way the IDW/TF-verse is set up is there are stories to tell that don’t necessarily have to be set on Earth. It’s been established that the war is spread out across many worlds, many frontiers, and that there are disparate groups of Decepticons (Infiltration units) and Autobots (Tactical Response units) involved, and that the ‘staged’ process established in Infiltration, Escalation and the like is underway on those other worlds too. So it’s reasonably straightforward to assemble a cast on some far-flung world and tell whatever kind of story you want to tell.

19) What goes into writing a new character who’s not been featured before? With, say, Sixshot was there a process involved in how he would act or did you look at tech specs or previous appearances in other mediums to get a basic idea?

I do at least start with the tech specs. Then, largely, I look for whatever it is in that character that interests or intrigues me, or seems to open the door to some kind of dramatic conflict (and if it’s not there, then I’ll start to rethink or flesh out the character more) and subsequent resolution (to a degree). With the Spotlights in particular I look for a way to give the reader an almost instant insight into what makes the character tick, and why we should care about or empathise with them. Good guy or bad guy, it’s necessary that the reader become involved with the character quickly. So if there’s nothing much there in terms of tech specs or previous appearances to start with, I’ll introduce something to lift the character out of a kind of template role. Taking Sixshot as an example, having divined that he’s this ‘living weapon,’ I thought, so what does that mean? (Both to us and to him.) Why should we care? How does he view himself? Is he happy being a living weapon? Might he, if given a way out, take it? And so forth. When addressing any character, I’m continually asking myself questions about them. First job really is to get myself interested. Once I am, it’s that much easier to get other people interested. Sometimes I actually prefer it when there’s little or nothing already there in black and white and I can just build the character from the ground up.

20) In Spotlight: Shockwave, did Shockwave beat the Dynobots or did he just destroy their organic covering forcing them into stasis lock? Any chance of a rematch?

SF) I think the answer to the first part of this question is that Shockwave beat the Dynobots by destroying their organic covering, at which point they went into stasis lock. Did he beat them? Yes. Would he, if they too had been resistant to the high levels of energon? Hard to say. Maybe, maybe not. Grimlock, clearly, had foreseen the possibility of losing and planned an appropriate no-win scenario before ever setting foot on the planet. So maybe he won. Either which way, we do have something of another grudge match in the offing. Only this time it’s the Dynobots versus… ah, but that’d be telling. Whatever the case, stuff is set in motion in Spotlight Grimlock that will have huge repercussions. Will Shockwave figure in any of this? Maybe. Are the Dynobots coming back in 08? Definitely.

Transformers UK #7 Preview Art

Date: Sunday, December 9th 2007 3:53pm CST
Category: Comic Book News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Transformers UK

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Some Preview Art has been posted from the story "Starscream's Militia" from the upcoming Issue #7 of the Titan UK Transformers Magazine, featuring the Surviving Autobot Cast as well as Zombie Decepticons.





Starscream's Militia is written by Simon Furman, with art by Boo, and colours by Robin Smith, and will be available on January 3rd 2008.

You can click here to check out the original post.

Furman Blog Update: Titan UK #8: Scorponok and Spotlight: Grimlock Artist Announced

Date: Tuesday, December 4th 2007 3:51pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, People News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Simon Furman

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Views: 44,273

Simon Furman has updated his Blog once again, this time with information pertaining to the upcoming Issue #8 of the Titan UK Transformers Magazine.

Issue #8 will deal with one of the questions many fans have asked since the Transformers Movie was released... What happened to Scorponok?

Another ’squeezed into a bit of dead space in the movie’ story, this one concerns the fate of Scorponok, last seen burrowing underground in an almightly hurry after the aerial barrage in Qatar. He’s been laying low since then, but when Ironhide and a Special Forces team (new characters, developed especially for the UK storyline) go looking they get a whole LOT more than they bargained for (and realise some things are better left buried). As with the previous Starscream story, this one gives a little more in the way of action/resolution to the movie itself, and provides Ironhide with a real workout (though not necessarily in the way you might think). Scorponok proves to be a much tougher character than his bio and onscreen appearance maybe suggests, and ties up something of loose end.

Furman has let slide who will be doing the art duties for the upcoming Spotlight: Grimlock. Marcelo Matere who has previously worked on Spotlight: Soundwave and on Titan UK #6 featuring Jazz, which is to be released on December 6th 2007.

To read Furman's new blog entries in Full, please click here.

Simon Furman Blog Update: Devastation #6

Date: Monday, November 19th 2007 8:10am CST
Categories: Comic Book News, People News, Digital Media News
Posted by: Darth Bombshell | Credit(s): simonfurman.wordpress.com

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Views: 45,316

Simon Furman has updated his Blog once again, this time providing some cryptic information about the final issue of the "Devastation" arc. The following is the exact text as written by Simon himself:

"This time up it’s the turn of Transformers Devastation #6, the wrap-up of this the third ‘-ion’ arc (and as ever, I’ll try and make this more of a tease than a spoiler). And boy what an arc this has been! Big stuff happening! That tired old phrase ‘things will never be the same again’ is wholly and justifiably applicable here. Stuff is revealed! Stuff is tied up! Other stuff kicks off! It’s a packed old end of arc issue, with Reapers versus Decepticons (to a shattering conclusion!), Hot Rod versus Headmasters (to a turbo-charged conclusion… of sorts) and Hunter/Sunstreaker versus the head of the Machination (to a point where we absolutely know who is who and what is what, but with a distinct ‘To be continued…’). Oh yeah! Plus, (much) more on the Dead Universe cast, with Galvatron making his first Earthbound moves, and first full appearances for Jhiaxus and ‘the Transformer formerly known as Nova Prime.’ The main focus, though, falls on our second fully fledged no-holds-barred (devastating) battle of this arc, this time between the catastrophic Reapers and the Ore-13 charged Decepticons. Expect casualties! Carnage! Shocks! Last issue saw Starscream back in the fray, strutting his stuff, but this issue has him fighting (once again) side-by-side with Megatron (who isn’t exactly chuffed to see him!). Fallout/repercussions for sure. Hot Rod makes a shocking decision (kind of prompted by Optimus Prime’s equally momentous decision last issue) and Skywatch prepare to kick back before things get even more out of hand. And if you think that maybe feeds into a certain upcoming Spotlight, well, you’d be right on the money. Oh, and don’t think I’ve forgotten about Sixshot. He too has a part to play. All I can say is… phew! This one has it all! Really. Devastation #6 hits stores in February 08. Art by EJ Su."

New Pics of IDW's Hard Cover Premiere Edition

Date: Thursday, November 15th 2007 4:00pm CST
Category: Comic Book News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): SharkySparky of TAAU

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Some images of the upcoming IDW Hard Cover Premiere Edition have been released on the IDW Forums.

Images include size comparisons to FAB Starscream and the Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet, and I am glad to say that the Hard Cover Premiere Edition is larger than both!

You can also see pics of the Premiere Edition Cover.

To see the Size Comparison pictures, please click here.
To see the Cover pictures, please click here.

The Inside Scoop on Transformers Collector's Club Magazine #17

Date: Friday, October 5th 2007 9:11am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Toy News, People News, Interviews, Collector's Club News
Posted by: Seibertron

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The new collector's club magazine (#17) has begun arriving at mailboxes across the country. Here are some highlights:

• Cover: Transformers Animated artwork
• David Kaye Interview (Animated Optimus Prime voice actor) - includes a few screen shots of Optimus Prime, one of Grimlock and one of an unknown Decepticon.
• Eric Seibenaler Interview (One of the head designers of the Animated toy line) - also features several toy images (Optimus, Bumblebee, Prowl, Starscream, Megatron and one other Decepticon with a claw hand that transforms into a car)
• Classicverse: Mini-Con profiles (Dreadwing, Terrorsaur, Oil Slick, Strongarm, Sledge and Steel Wind).
• Lil' Formers: "Know Your Seekers" featuring Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm and the Coneheads.
• MTMTE Classics Profiles: Cliffjumper and Megatron
• Chapter 5 of the "Crossing Over" comic - Optimus and Megatron battle! Skyfall, Breakaway and Landquake potentially discover their destiny!

Click on the image above to view a larger version of this image.

Keeping checking your mailbox folks! Your copy should arrive soon if you're a Club member. If not, make sure you stop by TransformersClub.com for more information.

IDW's December Solicitations

Date: Friday, September 14th 2007 7:00pm CDT
Category: Comic Book News
Posted by: Hotrod | Credit(s): IDWpublishing.com

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IDW has posted their solicitations for the month of December. Among the solicitations are five Transformers books due out in December. Here are the comics due out in December:

The Transformers: Devastation #4

Simon Furman (w); Robby Musso (a); Su, Nick Roche (c)

Get ready for cover-to-cover action as OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS take on SIXSHOT, the DECEPTICONS’ living weapon, with the world at large watching. Nothing will ever be the same again, as the ‘secret’ war goes public in a big, big way. Plus, more HEADMASTERS, more Machination, more SUNSTREAKER, more REAPERS a dash of SOUNDWAVE, and a pinch of STARSCREAM. We really are pulling out all the stops on this one! By writer Simon Furman with covers from E.J. Su and Nick Roche, and featuring the artistic stylings of Robby Musso!


The Transformers: Megatron Origin TPB

Eric Holmes (w); Alex Milne, Marcelo Matere (a); Milne (c)

Before allegiance, rank and function—before war—a civilian will become a warrior, and warrior will become a leader. As a leader he will learn of the most powerful weapon on the planet—a weapon powerful enough to bind legions to his will—a faction named DECEPTICON. This landmark collection brings the would-be major players of that faction together for the first time in a seminal story for MEGATRON, the DECEPTICONS, and THE GREAT WAR. Also includes a cover gallery by artist Alex Milne and variant cover artist Marcelo Matere.


The Transformers: Beast Wars: Sourcebook #3

Simon Furman & Ben Yee (w); Various (a); Don Figueroa (c)

Simon Furman (Transformers: Beast Wars: The Gathering) and Ben Yee (consultant on the Beast Wars TV series) continue to present an all-encompassing, unifying resource book highlighting the characters, worlds and technology from all generations and incarnations of BEAST WARS with the third volume of this informative collection. From AIR HAMMER to WOLFANG and beyond, and featuring all-new art from a host of the greatest TRANSFORMERS artists like Don Figueroa, Marcelo Matere, Robby Musso, Nick Roche, and many more, this is the series that explains everything you need to know about the world of the Beast Wars! 48 ad-free pages.



The Transformers: Best of the UK: Dinobots #4

Simon Furman (w); Will Simpson (a); Nick Roche, Retro Art (c)

A new chapter of DINOBOT lore begins with “In The National Interest.” Reporter Joyce Meadows declares robot-Master a hoax, and Triple-I decides that she must be silenced. Project: Centurion is accelerated and it will be up to SLUDGE and the DINOBOTS to come to the rescue. Nick Roche once again provides an all-new cover re-creating a classic scene from the issue!


The Transformers Magazine #4

Simon Furman, Chris Sarracini (w); José Delbo, Don Figueroa, James Raiz (a); Robby Musso (c)

Continuing with three tales that span THE TRANSFORMERS’ 20- year reign, this special full-color, 8-1/2” x 11” magazine format collection contains an early Marvel story (issue #57, “Resurrection Gambit”), the continuing Dreamwave run (Armada #4), and the latest contribution to TRANSFORMERS lore from IDW (Stormbringer #4). Artist Robby Musso (Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus) provides a stunning new cover.

To see the other comics being offered by IDW in December head over to IDW's Solicitations Section.

IDW Reveals New Transformers Comic News at Comic-Con

Date: Saturday, July 28th 2007 1:18am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Movie Related News, Event News
Posted by: Hotrod | Credit(s): deannaB of IDW's Forums and Newsarama

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Views: 29,938

As we all know, IDW hosted a panal at San Diego Comic-Con. We all thought IDW let all the Transformers Comic news out at BotCon 2007, but we were wrong. IDW broke some very big news at Comic-Con. DeannaB of IDW's Forums and Newsarama have posted all of IDW's news from the event. Firt, there will be a Transformers Movie sequel comics. They will pick up where the movie left off and introduce new characters. The first one is titled The Search for Starscream. IDW also revealed that there will be a Transformers Spotlight: Ramjet coming out. It will be written by Stuart Moore, and the art will be done by Robbie Musso. To get the latest Transformers comics news as it comes out, check out the Seibertron.com Comic Book Section.

Detailed Notes From IDW's BotCon Panel!

Date: Sunday, July 1st 2007 1:28am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News
Posted by: Hotrod | Credit(s): Repugnus

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Our own Repugnus has brought us a report from IDW's BotCon Panel. Here is what he reported:


I don't know if something of this nature has been posted yet (I looked around and couldn't find it), so I apologize if this is a similar to anyone else's post(s). The following is a full breakdown of IDW's panel earlier today at Botcon. All questions and answers are paraphrased, but although the quotes are not 100% accurate, I tried to keep my paraphrasing as close as possible to how they said what they said while typing feverishly away on my laptop at the panel.

In attendace from IDW (name spellings may be incorrect): Bill Forrester, Jim Sorenson, Nick Roche, Josh Burcham, Alex Milne, Robby Musso, and Dan Taylor.

They started with Dan Taylor announcing that his notes for the panel were unfortunately lost, and that they'd be winging it (I asked him later at the IDW booth if this was true or just a joke, and he said it's true).

They then proceeded with a slide show, showing artwork for upcoming projects, most of which have already been announced.

While showing cover art for issue #3 of the New Avengers / Transformers crossover (the previously seen pic of Iron Man vs. Skywarp), Dan mentioned that the cover of issue #2, featuring Megatron vs. Spiderman, was rejected by Hasbro, and so they're still working on it.

When they showed the previously seen cover art for the Optimus Prime spotlight, they said that if you've been following the ongoing storyline in the Infiltration/Escalation/Devestation books and the other spotlight issues so far, then you definitely do NOT want to miss this issue! (They had the full issue on display at their booth, but later that day after the panel they gave it away to Mr. Optimus Prime.)

Shortly after that, they showed a slide of a cover by Nick Roche, featuring Swoop, for a reprint of the old "Dinobot Hunt" storyline. Dan said this might "lead into something with Nick Roche that Chris Ryall wants to announce in San Diego." When the fans asked if it was a dinobots book, Dan asked Nick if he wants to do a dinobots book, who of course replied in the affirmative.

Also in the slide presentation they showed several preview pages of pencils from Don's upcoming work on Beast Wars: the Ascending, and cover art (featuring previously seen art from the Stormbringer mini series) for an upcoming Premier Edition hardcover that will collect the Infiltration/etc. mini series and the various spotlights that have come out so far.

Next, on to Q & A:


Q: (for Nick) What was it like to be able to focus on Kup and, two, are we going to be seeing him again?

Nick's answer: "Good fun." He wanted to do Hot Rod, but one step removed is Kup. He didn't want to kill off any characters Simon would use, and if he writes more, there won't be as many decapitations. He has a couple of ideas he'd like to explore with Kup: Nick said he'd imagine Hot Rod would like to know what happened to Kup, and if he ever returns to being the Kup we all know, he'll have to deal with what he's done.

Dan: "When we handed the script to Hasbro, we thought, 'Yeah, this won't make it,' but wow, they approved it."


Q: Any possibility of a follow up to Hearts of Steel?

Dan's answer: They definitely want to do more evolution stories and have talent lined up out the door who want to do their take on Transformers. Dan said they, "totally want to do an H. G. Welles 'War of the Worlds' version," and he'll give Chuck [Dixon] a call on Monday to see if they can't do more with Hearts of Steel.


Q: Where's the ideas coming from for the Megatron Origin story?

Alex's answer: "Collaboration between me and Eric Holmes. when I saw the script i was like, whoa, how much different can I make it? I wanted to make it gritty." Alex then gave the example of the nice, clean, ship descending into the "ghetto" with "Transformers porn" pictures on the walls. (Dan then interjected, "Yeah, hasbro approved that 'cause Richard was out of the office.") Alex then added, "There's stuff coming up in the next few issues you haven't seen before." and, "Giant sculptures of stuff."


Q: Any other origin stories in the works after megatron?

Dan: "I hope so."


Q: How much leeway do you have with printing old Dreamwave stuff, particularly MTMTE?

Dan's answer: IDW is doing their own profile books with Beast Wars right now, but they're definitely going to reprint the MTMTE stuff. He then asked the audience if they wanted a nice, high quality, hardcover edition, to which they applauded.


Q: Will we see an American version of the kiss players line? And can we get a poster of characters like shockwave from Hearts of Steel?

Dan ignored the first question, and then said, "Posters? I love that stuff. We've definitely got a few of those out. 'Cause how many Don posters can we collect?"


Q: Who's idea was it to show Megatron fighting Psy-Kill in the Origin book?

Answer: Alex's.


Q: Any chance of "What if's" from after Beast Machines?

DAN: No current plans, but it's [possibly] on Simon's to do list.

Dan then also mentioned that the Beast Wars profile books will be three issues, 48 pages each, and that the first will be released some time around the last week of August pending any further delays.


Q: Any chance of reprinting story segments from MTMTE?

Dan: "I think we're okay with that." Dan went on to say that Dreamwave's a sticky situation. IDW's pretty much reprinting everything they've been able to at this point. Hopefully they'd like to finish some stories for us, but right now it's "void."


Q: Any chance of reprinting old Marvel stories with new art?

Dan answered that he doesn't think they'll do new art "other than Nick's beautiful covers." "With titan UK doing their books, they've got their niche and we've got ours."


Q: Any chance of reprinting marvel's tf universe guidebooks? Possibly including the profiles at the end of the latter Marvel issues?

Dan: And the ones in the Transformers club magazine, we're trying to add those as well. Marvel? We're working on that.


Q: Is Beast Wars the set future of the IDW Transformers universe?

Dan: Yeah, it's set.


Q: Any possibility of seeing Rodimus Prime?

Dan: "Like a rodimus prime spotlight? Anyone here want to do it?"

Nick: "Yeah!"

DAN: "Okay, nick's doing it."

Nick: "Give Hot Rod a chance. I think it'd be kind of cool to see him be the punk, the kid before he gets all, 'Aw, I can't be the leader." If it's red and has yellow flames, I'm there."


Q: Any chance of seeing Japanese G1 characters?

Dan" I think there's a chance." (Q: Any plans?) "Nothing yet."


Q: How much leeway does IDW have with reprinting Marvel stuff?

Dan: "I can't touch Circuit Breaker, I can't touch the Neo Knights."


Q: [Extreme paraphrasing of this question] Any chance of a Star Trek / Transformers crossover.

Dan: "I would love to write that one." (Audience member: "Then do it!") "We've asked, it's been brought up. Actually it's not Paramount anymore, it's CBS we have to talk to about Star Trek. Their innitial repsonse was no, but i'm trying to wear them down." He continued by saying that the Star Trek / X-Men crossover was so bad that they're warry of crossovers. When the audience then asked which captain they'd use, Dan said, "I'm a big Sisco [sp?] fan... but it'd have to be Kirk."

Nick: "Do you think Arcee would be safe up there?"

Dan: "Any interest in an Arcee spotlight? You wanna do it? Okay, Nick."


Q: Any chance of spotlight issues on human characters, like Verity?

Dan: "I would love that, but i think you and I would be the only ones to buy that issue." "Everybody just wants robot on robot action."


Q: [Extreme paraphrasing of this question] Any chance of a "The End" type of a story set in the distant future?

Dan: "As far as a definative 'The End,' we have a meeting with hasbro in three weeks to talk about something along that line, but that's probably more than i'm allowed to say."


Q: Will we be seeing other autobot females besides Arcee?

Dan: "Of course there's always a chance. You never know what Simon's going to throw at us. In fact... I can't even tell you about that one. It's a definite yes on that one."


Dan then asked the audience if they had any coloring questions for Josh.


Q: How many layers do you use?

Josh: "As many as it takes." He then said that's often around 25.


Q: What's your favorite book you've colored?

Josh: Optimus Prime Spotlight.


Q: Does the Megatron Origin make Optimus Prime into Margaret Thatcher? [I could be wrong on this one, as it was hard to hear, and the answer was confusion over hearing the question correctly as well.]


Q: Will we see Outback again in a "living capacity"?

Nick: "If I go back [before Spotlight: Kup] "I want him to be back alive and be really chirpy and optimistic, someone everone likes to be around. 'I'm just going on a shuttle with Kup! Just goin' on an adventure!'"


Q: Any chance of a Beast Machines comic series?

Dan: "What about it? Wanna pitch your proposal? I'll hit simon up for that."


Q: Any ideas that Hasbro shot down?

Dan: "You're gonna get me in trouble with hasbro. To be honest with you, hasbro's been great to work with. Richard has his good days and bad days... he gave up corrections on Nick's Kup."

The audience then asked, "like what?" Nick answered that the decapitation on page two was originally organic with cute eyes and fluffy hair, but they weren't happy with an organic character getting his head cut off. And they had to fatten Kup up in a few panels.

Dan then also said Hasbro rejected the Spiderman/Megatron cover, saying Megatron looked too organic and they had to make him look more angular. "But they are easy to work with. They've given us free reign on everything we want to do."


Q: Any chances of seeing a Decepticons Orign book, like about how characters like Starscream and Soundwave got behind Megatron?

Dan: "That fall on your plans, Alex?"


Q: How financially successful has IDW been with Transformers considering the licensing fees? Any chance they might just disappear like Dreamwave?

Dan: IDW and Transformers will be together "for a long, long time. No worries."


Q: Any plans of a comic based on the new animated series?
Dan: "The new upcoming, set in Detroit and all that stuff? Yeah we're talking about that. It's in the works." Dan then indicated he may have said more than he was supposed to (my guess is by saying it's set in Detroit).


Nick then asked the audience what they think about the new animated designs. They responded favorably, and Nick said he loves them too.


Q: [to Josh] How do you go about coloring these books?

Josh answered that he starts off with the page and applies the base colors. He uses different reds and blues, but it's pretty basic. "After i read the script I get the tone, kinda basic like that, and render it."

Dan then said that Don's artwork is great, but Josh is the guy who colors his Tri Fold Gates and the Stormbringer poster. "He's our go to guy."


Q: Any chance of breaking out of the mini-series format?

Dan then started joking around, and eventually said, "Botcon exlusive: Chris Ryall's writing the Wheelie spotlight."


Q: What happened with the ending to Hearts of Steel? It just stopped like they ran out of room.

Dan: "Exactly." Hearts of Steel was supposed to be a longer series, but they had to cut it short at the end.



Q: What's the restoration process for the animation models?

This led to a long explanation about how the models they got back were pretty badly degraded, and a lot of them had a big hair across every page. Also, it's easier to thicken lines that are too thin, than to thin out lines that are too thick.


Q: And chance of a "Skyfire one shot"?

Dan: "We will do a spotlight for every single Transformers character if everyone of you promises to buy it."


Q: Sunstorm?

Dan: "Yeah... nothin's... probably..."


Q: Does IDW have the rights to do spotlights for Japanese G1 characters? And who would each of them like to see a spotlight for?

Dan: "Yes, it's a possiblity. It's been kicked around the office. That's the super secret meeting in a couple of weeks. I'd love to see an Arcee spotlight and a Prowl spotlight."

Robby: "Who do I want to do? Anybody? [long pause] Huffer. Or Mirage. Bring them into the mix. I'd like to do Ramjet."

Alex: "Me? I'd like to do Skywarp."

Josh: "I wanna see Devcon."

Nick: "Rumble or Blur."

Jim: "We'd love to do Reflector. We've got a whole Reflector story."

Bill: [I couldn't hear what he said, 'cause by now a few guys in the audience were loudly shouting the names of various characters they'd like to see.]


Q: Any chance of a story set in the prehistory of Beast Wars?

Dan: See how the sales on Beast Wars: Ascending go.


Q: Any chance of picking up where DW left off?

Dan: "Top priority [would be] just to finish everthing. Put closure. All you people who put investment on that story should get to see how it ends. Just as soon as... that's why i hate lawyers."


Q: Will IDW use "Convoy" names in Beast Wars?

Josh: "I think Simon just kept 'Lio Convoy.'"

They also mentioned that they use Big Convoy in the script as well.


Q: Any chance of a Transformers ongoing?

Dan: "Um, pretty much, Infiltration/Escalation/Devestation is our ongoing, just in six issue arcs." He then explained that each issue cover has a little shield on it with the "ongoing" issue number.


Q: Any chance of seeing more writers like Nick Roche and Eric Holmes contribute to Simon's new TF universe?

Dan: "Most def. With spotlights, we've thrown out the invitation to every comic writer: pitch us a story. I love Simon to death, but new writers are a breath of fresh air." He also mentioned that they have a new writer they can't mention until San Diego.


Q: Any comics set in the movie universe?

Dan: "Yes! Next question!"


Q: [Another extreme paraphrasing] Any chance of filling in the gap between G1 and Beast Wars?

Dan: "We don't have anything yet, but it's on Simon's plate. Again, depends on sales of Beast Wars: Asceding. Buy a copy for you and your mother."


Q: What universe does the Avengers crossover take place in?

Dan answered that it's the IDW universe, and has nothing to do with the previous crossover.


Q: Any chance of Transformers / Avengers action figures?

Dan: "You gotta ask hasbro that one."


Q: A movie / G1 crossover?

Dan: "I don't think that'll happen."


Q: Any possibility of numbering the spotlight issues to make it easier to collect them?

Dan answered that the premier edition coming out in October should have them in chronological order.


Q: With Sixshot showing up, will we see Quickswitch, and will he be Sixshot's son?

Dan: "You don't want me to ruin that for you."


Q: Could we see similar numbering on the spotlights like the little shields on the main mini-series?

Dan: "Probably, yeah. I'll bring that up at Monday's editorial meeting."


Q: Any chance of an RID mini series? Or of IDW picking up the Joe Madureira's old "Battlechasers" property?

Dan: "I dug Battlechasers as well, but i think someone else picked that up. RID? Nothin's on the counter yet, but it's a possibility."


Q: [I couldn't make out this question. It was about something Simon Furman posted online. About "The Pack" it sounded like.]

Dan: "I'm not gonna tell you here."


Q: What other creators might we see on Transformers?

Dan: "Everyone's exclusive with DC and Marvel. I'd love to see Mark Waid write a Transformers story. Jennings, I'd love to see write Transformers. A whole Ed McGuiness comic would be great. There's tons of artists out there I'd like to see."


Q: Any chances of appearances by Circuit Breaker or Death's Head.

Dan: "Uh, nope."


Q: Which is better: to buy direct from IDW, or from local distributors?

Dan answered probably local comic shops, both 'cause it supports the local shops, and it helps with IDW's order numbers.


Dan then abruptly closed the panel by saying, "Remember '30 Days of Night' the movie comes out in October."


I hope this was helpful to some of the folks who couldn't make it to Botcon this year.
:mrgreen: