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Press released from Pete@Funpub. Frank Welker to attend BotCon 2015!
PRESS RELEASE
March 26, 2015
Frank Welker, legendary voice actor and original voice for MEGATRON, to appear at BotCon 2015 on June 19th and 20th. This will be Mr. Welker’s first ever convention appearance. Fort Worth, TX - Fun Publications, Inc., licensee for Hasbro’s official Transformers Collectors’ Convention BotCon, announced today that Frank Welker, one of the greatest voice actors of our generation, will be the featured guest for BotCon 2015. From his first voice role as Fred on the Hanna-Barbera series Scooby-Doo, Where are you! to the voice of one of the most iconic villains in cartoon history, MEGATRON, the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, Frank Welker’s characters have entertained kids of all ages kids for over 40 years! This year’s award-winning convention featuring Frank Welker will take place at the Pheasant Run Resort June 18thright outside of Chicago. You can make your hotel reservations now at BotCon.com. In the coming weeks, pop culture enthusiasts from around the world will be able to register for BotCon 2015 and purchase the “Frank Welker VIP experience” package. This package will contain ONE autograph from Frank Welker, ONE professional picture with Frank Welker, an EXCLUSIVE MEGATRON art print, an EXCLUSIVE MEGATRON souvenir pin and VIP seating at his moderated panel on Saturday. This package will be available to anyone who purchases the BotCon Primus package. Fans and collectors who register for BotCon as a Primus package holder will receive a five-figure convention set, admission to the Friday private sales room experience, priority seating at all panels and seminars throughout the weekend and admittance to the Saturday night Dinner and Awards party. Primus package attendees will also receive a special bonus Transformers figure to go along with their convention box set. Day passes for non-registered guests(general public) will be available at the door on Saturday and Sunday only.
For all the information regarding BotCon 2015 show activities, hotel updates and the exclusive figure offerings be sure to stay tuned to BotCon.com.
Multiple reports are confirming a sad happening for the end of this week. Established and well-known actor Leonard Nimoy, pillar of science-fiction cinematography through Star Trek character Mr Spock, and part of the Transformers universe in the 1986 animated movie (as Decepticon Leader Galvatron) and the live-action 2011 feature Transformers Dark of the Moon (as Sentinel Prime), passed away earlier today at the age of 83. An extensive retrospective on his long career can be read here. The staff of Seibertron.com offers its condolences to Nimoy's family and loved ones. He lived long, and truly prospered.
His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Mr. Nimoy announced last year that he had the disease, which he attributed to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.
Continue reading the main story
His artistic pursuits — poetry, photography and music in addition to acting — ranged far beyond the United Federation of Planets, but it was as Mr. Spock that Mr. Nimoy became a folk hero, bringing to life one of the most indelible characters of the last half century: a cerebral, unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute and blessing: “Live long and prosper” (from the Vulcan “Dif-tor heh smusma”).
Coinciding with the release of Transformers: Lost Age in Japan this week, the Japan Times has posted a fairly lengthy article with interviews with the main cast and crew. Featuring comments by director Michael Bay, leading cast members Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, and Nicola Peltz, the article, posted here, looks at various aspects of the movie, its production and different people's take on it - check out some sections below!
His latest, “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” promises more of the action and explosions Bay is known for, but the director reportedly almost didn’t take the job this time around. He’s not saying why, but he admits he was “prevailed upon. Expertly.” Coming back on board for a fourth time, he decided to make a few changes to the franchise. In particular, he didn’t want the robots to look too much like toys.
“I understand the need to draw an audience of kids and the global considerations, but I wanted to be involved with something that had a longer-lasting, even cerebral appeal. And I don’t want to be tied — artistically or in people’s minds — to ‘Transformers’ after ‘Transformers,’ ” he says, perhaps alluding to the series’ planned fifth installment.
While the Japanese roots of “Transformers” may be apparent in the design of the robotic heroes and villains of the film, the “global considerations” Bay refers to come mainly from the newly important Chinese market.
“Transformers: Age of Extinction” was partly financed by Chinese backers, has Chinese product placement and co-stars Li Bingbing as the owner of a factory manufacturing Transformers for a U.S. outfit named KSI. Bay says that cooperation between China and the United States for future filmmaking ventures will be important. The tendency of Hollywood to cast the citizens of foreign nations in villainous roles might be coming to an end if that’s the case, I suggest, to which Bay replies, “I don’t think the Chinese see themselves as villains. They do want to be admired.”
[...]
Grammer, who played the titular role in the popular U.S. sitcom “Frasier” (1993-2004) takes on the role of Harold Attinger, the paranoid head of an elite CIA unit.
“His name’s Harold — isn’t that a perfect, anal-retentive, paranoiac name?” Grammer says with a grin. “Then you have Cade, pretty much an average Joe, and his daughter Tessa (Peltz) — these wonderful names! Stanley Tucci is this arrogant technocrat (head of KSI) who wants to make and control his own Transformers, and his name is Joshua Joyce. It’s a bit comic-bookey, but it really works on screen.”
“Transformers: Age of Extinction” has succeeded in drawing in a large audience despite replacing its cast, and Grammar believes this is because the film brings back the real draw — familiar robotic characters.
Our friends at BotCon just dropped by with an official press release announcing many of the artist that will be featured in this year's Artist Alley. See the full press release below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BotCon 2014 to feature its largest Artists’ Alley ever… again!
Pasadena, California June 19th – June 22nd!
Pasadena, CA – May 14th, 2014 – Fun Publications, Inc., licensee for Hasbro’s official
Transformers Collectors’ Convention, BotCon, is excited to announce that this
years award-winning convention is set to feature another record year for artist
participation. With over 25 amazing artists appearing at BotCon, being held at the
Pasadena Convention Center from June 19th to June 22nd in the wonderful city of
Pasadena, fans from around the world will get to meet and buy art from many of the
best professional artists working on Transformers today!
Pop Culture enthusiasts and Transformers fans of all ages can still register for
BotCon 2014 through the BotCon.com online registration system. Fans and
Collectors who register for BotCon as a Primus package holder will receive the
five-figure PIRATES VS KNIGHTS convention set, admission to the Friday private
sales room experience, The TRANSFORMERS FAN EXPERIENCE at Universal,
priority seating at all panels and seminars throughout the weekend and access to
all of the great guests attending BotCon 2014. Finally, Primus package attendees
will also receive a special bonus Transformers Deluxe figure to go along with
their convention box set. General Admission for non-registered attendees will be
available on Saturday and Sunday only.
For more information on BotCon and all activities and the exclusive figure
offerings, please visit BotCon.com. Press inquiries; please contact Pete Sinclair pete@funpubinc.com.
About Fun Publications, Inc.
For nearly 20 years, Fun Publications, Inc. has been a Hasbro licensee offering
fans and collectors of pop culture memorabilia news, exclusive product and family
events through different print offerings, websites, collector clubs and brand
specific conventions such as GIJoeCon and BotCon. Located in Fort Worth Texas,
Fun Publications reaches a large audience, serving the United States and many
other countries such as Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, Australia and Canada. For
more information visit TransformersClub.com, GIJoeClub.com, GIJoeCon.com, and
BotCon.com. BotCon is a registered trademark of Fun Publications, Inc. (C) 2014 Fun
Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
In the next round of the Seibertron.com series of interviews, we are proud to bring you a special double feature: artists Livio Ramondelli and Andrew Griffith, two men who really need no introduction by now! Andrew, Livio, thank you for agreeing to chat about robots for a bit.
Va'al - The first question: We saw recently that you'll be attending a Japanese convention together, TransForMarket, this summer. How did it all happen? How were you contacted?
Andrew - Hello, and thanks for having us!
This actually came about out of a conversation we had last summer one evening during Botcon weekend. Livio and I were out having dinner with our editor and common friend John Barber, and this was the first time we really got to socialize together. We got talking about different conventions we had been to, and both expressed interest in attending a convention in Asia.
After researching a few shows and not getting very far, I reached out to a Japanese-American fan I made friends with at the same Botcon who was able to get in touch with some people she knew in Japan who organized fan conventions. It wasn't long after that until we got invited to TransForMarket and had a few fans in Japan excited to help us come over.
Photo by Va'al
Livio - It's a pleasure to speak with you!
And yep, it's exactly what Andrew said. Both he and I do a decent amount of comic conventions in the United States, as well as both having attended the great Auto Assembly in England. We both really became interested in attending one in Japan and so we set out to gather as much information as possible. It's a pretty amazing time for comic conventions in general, there are more now than ever before and most of them seem to be growing larger every year.
I know both Andrew and I are thrilled to be attending TransForMarket. It's really exciting just to be able to visit Japan, as well as meet the readers over there. We've been in touch with some of them already and they seem like a great group of people.
Photo by Eddy Choi
Va'al - That's really intriguing, that you set out to find your audience, rather than the other way around! We all know Japan is a big part of the birth of the Transformers toy franchise, but how much do its current fans get from the English comics publications? How much interaction have you had with Japanese fans?
Livio - We certainly couldn't have done it without our friend that Andrew mentioned, as well as another friend currently living in Tokyo. Once Andrew and I expressed interest, they were the ones who really reached out to the convention runners and made this whole thing possible.
And so far, my experiences with the Japanese readers has been through deviantArt, E-Mail, and Twitter. We're obviously a more connected society than ever before, and it's been a true pleasure chatting with them. They all seem very up to date with what IDW is publishing, I think largely due to online sales and shipments rather than being carried in local stores. But that's definitely something I want to check out further when we arrive.
And yes, it's very exciting to be headed to the place where the toys originally came from!
Andrew - Once again Livio pretty much said it well. For the most part my interaction with the Japanese fans has pretty much been limited to our friend who is helping to set up some commissions for the convention, along with some back and forth with some fans on twitter.
I remember at Botcon and New York comic con in particular I interacted with a few Japanese fans who couldn't have been any friendlier and were very supportive of the work we've been doing.
And yes the idea of visiting the land where Transformers came from is very exciting!
And it's my understanding as well that the IDW comics don't get imported to shops there, so they have to get them through online sales or order them from overseas. But from everything I hear they're very passionate about it.
Va'al - From what I've seen on social media and various fansites, passionate is an understatement! I'm sure it'll be extremely exciting and flattering, dealing with an audience which can appear very different from the events you've attended so far. Is this your first time to Japan, then?
Image via TFWiki.net
Livio - It's my first time, yeah! Japan (Tokyo in particular) has always been one of the places I've most wanted to see. It's really exciting that it's happening, especially under these circumstances where we get to interact with all the readership over there.
I'm really looking forward to making new friends over there the same way I was fortunate enough to make new friends in England and Australia when I attended conventions in those places.
Andrew - Yeah, first time for me as well. It should be a full trip. Between doing the show and meeting the new fans, seeing the busy streets of Tokyo and just generally soaking in the culture and food I'm sure it will be an eventful and exciting time. So much we both want to see there.
I have to admit I'm even excited to get to some of the stores over there and see what the geek culture is like and what different options Transformers have for collecting.
Va'al - It does sound like you'll both be hectic and super busy, I'll admit. So if I were to ask you to single out one thing you'd like to do while visiting, what would it be? Any Transformers-related business you'd like to attend to?
Image via TFWiki.net
Livio - I agree with Andrew- I can't wait to see all the geeky shops and sample the culture. I imagine I will be buying tons of new books and toys, to further weigh down my luggage on the flight back.
As for one Transformers thing- I'd have to say just meeting the readers over there! I really like meeting the people who read these books and talking to them in person, no matter where they live. And Japan is an especially exotic location!
Andrew - Well the biggest thing will be what Livio said, just getting to meet fans who enjoy what we do and share the same passion makes it all worthwhile.
If I had to pick one "touristy thing," I'd be pretty torn between wanting to take in and fully experience the urban culture of anime shops, arcades and karaoke vs. wanting to take in the more traditional culture of cherry blossoms, Buddhist temples and zen water gardens.
And like Livio, I'd be surprised if my luggage doesn't weigh more on the trip home.
Va'al - Then I wish you all the best on your trip, and hope you have fun with the experience! Before we close up, is there anything else you'd like to plug to our readers? Any other events you'll be attending in the near future where fans can find you?
Andrew - Well, we'll both be attending the Emerald City Comic-Con this March in Seattle. I'm sorting out more shows thought the year, but Botcon and TFCon look likely and it's too early to announce but I'll likely have at least one more overseas Con to announce later this year.
Other than that, I hope everyone sticks around post-Dark Cybertron. Starting with issue 28 RID is taking a whole new direction that I hope everyone will enjoy. And if anyone's interested, you can always follow me on Twitter or deviantArt as glovestudios.
Livio - Thanks for the kind words! It's been great chatting with you.
Unfortunately I can't share what I'm currently working on- except to say that it involves robots and that news about it will be coming soon from IDW! And I'd like to thank everyone for reading and supporting the books, it means a lot!
Also I really like interacting with readers. If you'd like to get in touch with me or peruse some art follow me on Twitter, Instagram and deviantArt where my handle on all of those is the very original LivioRamondelli.
Thanks again to both Andrew and Livio for the very brief chat. Make sure you check out their work on the IDW comics, and drop by to say hi at any of the events they'll be attending. Stay tuned on Seibertron.com for more interviews with the minds and hands behind the comics soon!
The past couple of days have been as eventful as ever in terms of news from the shooting of Transformers: Age of Extinction. To conclude the weekend, here's a roundup of some of the news pieces we found around the net!
From Reuters we have a piece about a new Chinese car to star in the film. Check out an extract below, and the whole article here.
Neither source wanted to be named due to confidentiality agreements they signed in connection with the upcoming film. A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures, the movie's distributor, said the company wouldn't confirm specific brands until nearer the release date. Paramount's local partner, China Movie Channel, declined to comment.
The new movie is being filmed in both the United States and China, with Chinese singer/actor Han Geng making his English-language debut, according to a blog posted on Paramount Pictures' Facebook page.
The film's producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, told the Beijing News earlier this month the movie would feature locally-made cars. "The world's coolest, most exciting cars will appear in the film, including Chinese vehicles, so whether you're a car enthusiast or not, it will be a feast for the eyes," he said.
In related vehicle news, a white Camaro has been spotted on the set, along with the already revealed vehicles and the Camaro from the 2007 movie. Check it out below, with more images here.
Completely unrelated, a very brief mention of the shooting was made in an interview with Canadian comedian/actor TJ Miller on Breakfast Television. Check out the video here!
And finally, three YouTube videos by user Mech100 featuring, respectively, Stanley Tucci, an alien weapon arriving on set and a Texas scene. Videos are embedded below for your viewing.
BotCon 2013 announces it final special guest!
San Diego, California June 27th – June 30th
San Diego, CA – June 10th, 2013 – Fun Publications, Inc., licensee for Hasbro’s official TRANSFORMERS Collectors’ Convention, BotCon, is thrilled to announce it’s final guest for this years highly anticipated convention… Glenn Morshower! Fans across the world will recognize Glenn from his roles as Agent Pierce on the Fox series 24 and as Colonel Sharp from the first live action TRANSFORMERS movie and as General Morshower from TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen and TRANSFORMERS: Dark of the Moon. This brings the total number of special guests attending BotCon to seventeen, making this one of the most star studded BotCon’s ever! With so many amazing special guests and artists appearing at BotCon 2013, being held at the Town and Country Resort from June 27th thru June 30th in the beautiful city of San Diego, fans from around the world are in for one amazing convention!
Pop Culture enthusiasts and TRANSFORMERS fans of all ages can still register for BotCon 2013 through the BotCon.com online registration system. Fans and Collectors who register for BotCon as a Primus package holder will receive the five-figure MACHINE WARS convention set, admission to the Friday private sales room experience, priority seating at all panels and seminars throughout the weekend and admittance to the Hall of Fame Celebration party. Finally, Primus package attendees will also receive a special bonus TRANSFORMERS Deluxe figure to go along with their convention box set. General Admission for non-registered guests will be available on Saturday and Sunday only.
For more information on all of the BotCon 2013 activities and the exclusive figure offerings, as well as convention updates, please visit BotCon.com. Press inquiries; please contact Pete Sinclair pete@funpubinc.com.
About Fun Publications, Inc.
For nearly 20 years, Fun Publications, Inc. has been a Hasbro licensee offering fans and collectors of pop culture memorabilia news, exclusive product and family events through different print offerings, websites, collector clubs and brand specific conventions such as GIJoeCon and BotCon. Located in Fort Worth Texas, Fun Publications reaches a large audience, serving the United States and many other countries such as Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, Australia and Canada. For more information visit TransformersClub.com, GIJoeClub.com, GIJoeCon.com, and BotCon.com. BotCon is a registered trademark of Fun Publications, Inc. (C) 2013 Fun Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
LITTLE, BROWN BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS AND HASBRO TEAM UP TO LAUNCH PUBLISHING PROGRAMS BASED ON ICONIC MY LITTLE PONY AND TRANSFORMERS BRANDS
Official Guide to the "MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC" Animated Series, Created by Hasbro Studios, and an Original MY LITTLE PONY Picture Book Dash into Bookstores in Spring 2013
TRANSFORMERS: THE ULTIMATE POP-UP UNIVERSE by Bestselling Pop-Up Engineer Matthew Reinhart and "TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS" Animated Series Tie-ins Scheduled for Release in 2013
[New York, N.Y. and Pawtucket, R.I.]; November 19, 2012 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has reached an agreement in principal for print and electronic rights in the United States and Canada, under license from Hasbro, Inc., for the blockbuster MY LITTLE PONY brand, and will extend its existing license for TRANSFORMERS into 2013, it was announced today by Andrew Smith, the division’s Vice President and Deputy Publisher and Michael Kelly, Director of Hasbro's Global Publishing.
The standout titles in this deal, which was made by Erin Stein, Editorial Director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, would include an Official Guide to the "MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC" animated television series, which releases in Spring 2013, and a TRANSFORMERS Pop-Up Book by master paper engineer, Matthew Reinhart, scheduled for Fall 2013. Additional books based on the "MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC" animated series include 8 x 8s, readers, chapter books and other companion and novelty formats, as well as an original MY LITTLE PONY picture book by award-winning illustrator Mary Jane Begin, which will release in April 2013. For the youngest fans of TRANSFORMERS, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers plans to release books starting in May 2013 based on the "TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS" animated television series.
"We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with Hasbro to include the launch of a publishing program based on the phenomenal pop culture brand, MY LITTLE PONY, as we continue to publish exciting new formats for TRANSFORMERS," said Andrew Smith at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. "We look forward to expanding on the great stories featured in both animated series, as well as to creating new reading experiences for the millions of lifelong devotees around the world and new readers, with collectible and innovative formats for fans of every age."
"We are extremely pleased to see our relationship with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers growing with the addition of these new projects," said Michael Kelly at Hasbro. "The enthusiasm and creative energy the whole team brings to each book promises exciting opportunities for fans to interact with our characters and brands."
Featuring the beloved ponies from the popular "MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC" animated series, created by Hasbro Studios and currently airing on The HUB TV Network in the United States, Little Brown Books for Young Readers will extend the series’ message of friendship to several new books releasing in April 2013. There's a pony for everyone, and a book to delight every Pony fan in Little Brown Books for Readers’ MY LITTLE PONY publishing program:
- In MEET THE PONIES OF PONYVILLE, a Level 1 Reader (part of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ leveled reading program, Passport to Reading), the youngest of pony readers can read all about their favorite characters ($3.99 / Ages 4-8).
- WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA is a four-color illustrated storybook that explores all of Equestria, from Ponyville to Canterlot ($3.99 / Ages 4-8).
- TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND THE CRYSTAL HEART SPELL is the first book in a brand new chapter book series. Each book will feature a different pony character and an original story that ties in with events in the MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC, animated television series. Books will be released every three months and will feature bonus activity pages ($5.99 / Ages 6-9).
- And perhaps one of the most anticipated releases for Pony fans of all ages is MY LITTLE PONY: THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY ("THE FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC" OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK), which includes extensive character bios, a complete episode guide and a map of Equestria, which will appear in print for the first time. Don't miss the complete lyrics to all the songs, a guide to the friendship lessons TWILIGHT SPARKLE and her friends have learned, and get Pony Words of Wisdom - so you can live your life in harmony with all other creatures ($16.99 / Ages 12 & up).
In addition to titles based on the "MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC," animated series, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers plans to publish a full-color original picture book in April 2013, entitled UNDER THE SPARKLING SEA. Celebrated artist Mary Jane Begin introduces fans to a brand-new land in the world of MY LITTLE PONY - the underwater city of Aquastria, ruled by KING LEO. When TWILIGHT SPARKLE receives an invitation to visit the underwater world, she invites all her pony friends and SPIKE to travel with her. Together, they learn of the long-held rivalry between the seaponies and the mermares, and must navigate the oceanic world, confront danger, make new friends, and race to the finish in this adventure that takes place in a shimmering new MY LITTLE PONY world that has never been seen before!
In Fall 2013, prepare to see the TRANSFORMERS, one of the most successful entertainment franchises of the 21st century, change before your eyes as never before in Little, Brown Books for Young Readers TRANSFORMERS: THE ULTIMATE POP-UP UNIVERSE, a momentous pop-up exploration by bestselling paper engineer, Matthew Reinhart. With vibrant illustrations, exciting facts, and an eye-catching design, this pop-up masterpiece featuring the AUTOBOTS and the DECEPTICONS, the world famous robots in disguise, will be an absolute must-have for TRANSFORMERS fans of all ages! The awesome conversions of TRANSFORMERS characters from massive robots into cool vehicles was made for the interactive world of pop-up! See the characters shift from robot to vehicle form before your eyes ($36.00 / Ages 3 & up)!
And for the youngest fans of TRANSFORMERS, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers plans to launch two Level 1 Passport to Reading titles (one in May 2013, followed by another in June 2013) based on the animated television series "TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS," which premiered in the United States in early 2012 on The HUB TV Network. Both leveled readers feature stills from the show:
- OPTIMUS PRIME has selected a special team of TRANSFORMERS characters to work side-by-side with the people of Earth - they are called the RESCUE BOTS! In MEET CHASE THE POLICE-BOT, readers are introduced to CHASE THE POLICE-BOT, who partners up with Chief Charlie Burns to save the day! ($3.99 / Ages 3-6).
- In MEET HEATWAVE THE FIRE-BOT, readers learn about HEATWAVE, who switches into a fire engine and is partnered with Kade Burns. Together they're unstoppable ($3.99 / Ages 3-6).
About Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is a division of Hachette Book Group, a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the second-largest publisher in the world. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, and Hachette Digital.
About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a widerange of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative, well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Company’s Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for markets around the world. The Hub TV Network is part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), in the U.S. Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World’s Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at http://www.hasbro.com
The official Transformers facebook page has posted the creator commentary for IDW's Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Ongoing #6. Writer James Roberts, artist Nick Roche, and colorist Josh Burcham share their thoughts on the first five pages. Mirrored below for those with facebook access.
PAGE 1: Fortress Maximus in a therapy session with Rung. It looks like the beating he suffered at the hands of Overlord in Last Stand of the Wreckers isn’t something he can get over easily, or quickly. There’s still a lot of darkness there.
JAMES ROBERTS: He possibly came off worse than anyone else at Garrus 9 [the prison in LASOTW], even those that died. Firstly, it was his responsibility to stop the facility falling into enemy hands, and he failed miserably, and Fort Max is someone who takes his responsibilities very seriously. G9 fell and his officers died. Secondly, he wasn’t just trounced by Overlord, he was thrown into the crowd of inmates and all-but ripped to shreds, so he suffered a monumental physical pounding. Thirdly, he ended up minus his arms and legs, hooked up to the door of the Aequitas chamber, being used by Overlord as a living lock pick. So the poor guy’s suffered physically, emotionally, psychologically… you name it.
But Maximus is the kind of Autobot who bottles all this stuff up, internalizes it; and it gets expressed in other ways. Like tearing Decepticons apart.
NICK ROCHE: Nice cinematic opening there, and interesting that it’s one of the few occasions in this issue that we leave the ship. It’s almost the only time there’s space to breathe – literally and figuratively – before story boxes us in. The title hints at the internal nature of the story, as will become evident after you buy the full issue following the mesmeric properties of these five pages.
The last panel on Page 1 was fun too; really happy I got to draw Overlord once more. This is one of those instances in the script where it’s labeled as one panel, but James then asks for four or five different action beats within one image! He’s sly, you see. But it worked out well, I think. I like these little montages, and this one especially felt like I was filling in a blank within Last Stand of the Wreckers. And people lap that stuff up. Thankfully.
JOSH BURCHAM: You are correct sir! (in his best Ed McMahon impression)… Ha ha. Nah really, I think what I’m loving most about this issue, and what we see here on this and the next couple pages, is the fact that we see what had happened to Max does in fact affect him. I love that we get to see these ’bots as more than just mindless war machines but as actual characters with feelings and emotions and problems, not unlike ourselves. It’s an interesting dichotomy for sure! We have these huge giant warring creatures, completely mechanical in nature, but who can think and feel much the same as us. I really love that we get to take some time and see/explore that aspect of these characters. I really do think that’s one of the main reasons Transformers has gone on as long as it has and has such a dedicated fanbase. It’s one of the endearing qualities of the franchise for sure! It’s almost like they’re more than meets the eye! *ba dum tsh*
PAGE 2: Fort Max thinks about what happened to him on Garrus 9. Was it always the intention to go to the events in Wreckers and explore what we didn’t see before, and was it hard to find gaps to tell more parts of that story?
JAMES ROBERTS: It was not my calculated intention, no, but it was one of those connections that seemed to make sense. And I like it when events in previous stories spark new stories – it’s the opposite of pressing a re-set button every issue. To my mind, the current TF comics universe is the first serious rival [in comics] to the hallowed Marvel continuity in terms of the amount of story material and the depth and interconnectedness of the stories themselves, and if you can create new stories by sparking off events in old stories it helps give the impression that the likes of MTMTE and RID and Autocracy all serve to push forward one epic storyline.
Was it hard to find gaps in Wreckers? Nah. You can always find gaps if you look hard enough. And certain gaps may be bigger than you realize (he says cryptically).
NICK ROCHE: More LSOTW additions here – my prime reason for working on this issue, to be honest! I got all sweaty and panicky and territorial about someone else working with James (and Josh) on what is almost a “deleted” scene from that series. It just made sense creatively to get us together for snatches such as this. It’s worrying to think James and I could probably write a whole other series exploring the atrocities that occurred within Garrus-9 before the Wreckers arrived. It wouldn’t be big or clever, but it’d be a lot of gruesome fun.
JOSH BURCHAM: Well I’m certainly glad for the opportunity to revisit the story lines in the Wreckers books! And I’m even more excited that we’ve been able to bring back the band who made it happen for this issue! It’s been great fun having to revisit old pages for references (color-wise)!
*re-united and it feeeeels so goooood!*
PAGE 3: Swerve’s bar seems to have become the main focal point for fun on the Lost Light. Presumably we’re going to have a lot more happening there as the series goes on. And what makes you want to go back there and play with the characters in that setting?
JAMES ROBERTS: I love Swerve’s bar! You need a place where the crew of the Lost Light can just hang out and socialize. You can match up different combinations of characters, and they can talk and laugh and argue and fight. As in real life, an environment like that can provide the backdrop for everything from a practical joke to a brawl to a death threat – or just be the place where our heroes relax. As the series progresses, different sets of characters will have adventures away from the Lost Light, and I like the idea that they always eventually end up in Swerve’s bar, recounting what happened.
Alex Milne did an amazing job designing the bar (seriously, he designed it like a film set). Nick did the impossible and made a supremely complicated group scene work, and Josh surpassed himself by infusing the whole sequence with a warm pub glow.
NICK ROCHE: This was a tricky scene for me, as I have never been in a bar, apart from the one I was born in. But as the boy Roberts sez, Dutch Rubs and Tweaked Noses to Alex for so succinctly designing the environment. It really helped in choreographing a scene in which so many characters talk across one another. In addition, I haveta say that Tailgate and Swerve are as much fun to draw for me as they seem to be for James to write. I’m just really pleased with the proportions and shape on those characters and will happily return for an issue just starring them in an adventure where they get jobs as ice-cream salesmen.
I also need to congratulate James on picking a cast with so few actual facial features and then cooking up such amazing sparky and sparkling dialogue for them! Luckily, Rung’s eyebrows take up a lot of the slack in the Emotional Display Department in this book.
JOSH BURCHAM: Why, thank you James! Credit has to go to Swerve, though, since he’s installed that dynamic lighting system. The mood lighting can go from night-club to cozy pub in the flash of an optic! Keeps a colorist, like me, on his toes!
PAGE 4: Tailgate is clearly (not) having fun learning the Autobot code with Ultra Magnus while we learn a little more about Rewind and Chromedone. Can we assume that the entire back story for these central characters is fully worked out and ready to be told at some point?
JAMES ROBERTS: You certainly can. I’m conscious that it’s a big cast and that each character needs his chance to shine. I think virtually all of the main cast have secrets, and we’ll be finding out more about them as the series progresses – sometimes the information will be delivered piecemeal; other times you might get a big hit of important backstory. Chromedome and Rewind come under the spotlight in issues 9 to 12, and there’s some big, big Magnus stuff coming up.
With issue 6, however, I deliberately went for an ensemble vibe – it has an end of season feel about it, where lots of people have cameos. Pretty much everyone we’ve met in the previous six issues crops up in this story – not just the core cast, but the likes of Trailbreaker and Pipes and First Aid. And there are lots of callbacks to events, some big, some tiny, that happened in the first five issues.
NICK ROCHE: Seven panels, including two flashbacks, and a skipload of dialogue? You don’t get this value for money every day, darlings. It’s wonderful to see in these recessionary times an effort made to give more content to the discerning reader. But will MTMTE keep you warm at night or feed you? You can definitely use it for swaddling on a park bench, and staples hold massive nutritional value, so yes. But it’s also great that this series (and it’s fair to say, Robots in Disguise) are happy to eschew the once-trendy decompressed method of storytelling. And scenes like this really help sell to the uninitiated that, to the creative teams, the Transformers are characters first and shape-changing toy robots second; this bar chat exists for good reason, and the pay-off will be well worth you sticking around for.
JOSH BURCHAM: Foreshadowing!!! *dun dun dunnnn*
I guess one fun little tid-bit I could add is that for that last panel there; I had a lot of fun color-homaging the Transformers: Animated show, whenever they showed bits of Cybertron. (Love that show!)
PAGE 5: Magnus finally finds out about the bar and Fort Max “mingles”. The impression here is that things are about to get a little more complicated.
JAMES ROBERTS: Lots of things come to a head this issue, yeah, and Magnus finding the bar is one of them. With Trailbreaker, I wanted to get away from this idea that he’s “Mr. Forcefield” – something I’ve absolutely contributed to, because in Chaos and in MTMTE issue 3, that’s what he did: generate force fields. I like that he has self-esteem issues, and I think he’s the type that, when his inhibitions slip, has quite a few issues he needs to work through. He’s going to keep cropping up; his story’s not over.
NICK ROCHE: What I tried to do here was have Magnus literally be the party pooper, insomuch that you don’t get one clear look at his face. He’s not a character to be identified with in this instance, so keeping him obscured and in shadow distances him from the fun, carefree atmosphere in the bar. He’s a spectre at the feast; a boogieman that hates to boogie. Also, I like to think that he has, secreted away in various body cavities, different-sized restraining devices and handcuffs for the disparate Transformer shapes that exist on board the Lost Light. And that he polishes them every night before bed.
JOSH BURCHAM: Well I, for one, and certainly glad to see Trailbreaker get more page-time! (Even if he is a bit off his rocker here!) Trailbreaker was always a favorite of mine from G1. Kind of an unsung hero who never really got his due (unless he had to, like ya said, throw a forcefield around). Again, it’s fun and interesting to explore that emotional side of these characters!
Flint Dille, of various Transformers fame, sent us a message here at Seibertron.com regarding Roger Slifer, who was in a Hit and Run last friday night. According to Flint, Roger is currently in critical condition. Flint is trying to drum up some publicity to get the attention of both the police and media. Further information about this situation an be found via Google: Roger Slifer and Hit and Run.
According to Roger Slifer's Wikipedia article, "After leaving DC, Slifer found work in animation, where he latched on with Sunbow Entertainment, becoming a supervising producer, story editor, and writer for the animated television program Jem and the Holograms. He also produced and story-edited many other animated series including G.I. Joe Extreme, Transformers, Street Fighter, Conan the Adventurer, and Bucky O'Hare. During his time at Sunbow, Slifer's colleagues included former Marvel Comics writers Steve Gerber and Marv Wolfman. For 4KIDS Productions, Slifer co-produced the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh in the United States."
Roger Slifer was one of the many important cogs that ran the giant machine that brought us Transformers and other classic Sunbow shows that we all loved and grew up with. Plus, as you can see above, Flint Dille himself personally asked for assistance in this matter. If we can help, we should help.
NOTE: These quotes have been edited to contain the most important info. If you want the full details, please click the article link above.
Screenwriter Flint Dille has been making updates on the current situation which you can read below and we encourage all readers to help spread the news as the driver’s whereabouts are still unknown at this time.
UPDATE #1 -
"Okay, here’s what I know. We had originally thought of keeping this quiet, because Roger is a fairly private guy, but as word is out and time might be of the essence if we’re going to find the hit-and-run driver, I’ll post what I know.
Roger is in Ronald Reagan Hospital at UCLA (I have not been in to see him, but his friends Will and Barry have). He is in intensive care. The nurse on duty could only tell me that he was in critical condition with a brain injury. Will and Barry said that he was unresponsive, but was heavily medicated since they had to do some brain surgery. I think the truth is that nobody knows what will happen. Prayers would be a good thing.
On the criminal front, it would be a very good thing to find the driver, not only for reasons of justice, but also insurance. We have no idea what Roger Slifer’s insurance situation is, but we suspect that it would be extremely helpful for medical bills.
The problem at the moment is that the Santa Monica Police do not seem to be making as much progress as they should. Some phone calls might be helpful. I’ll put everything I know in the next entry."
UPDATE #2 -
There is a Social Worker involved. Her name is Darlene Read (sp?) (310) 262-9752. She was the one who first contacted Roger’s friends Barry and Will after going through Roger’s phone (Roger apparently has been unconscious since he was hit). She claimed that there was a description of the car, but nobody now has reiterated that. Will called her a few times but she seems to have a lot of meetings.
They were given the names of two police officers. Investigator Jason Olson (310) 458-2201. The other one’s name is Chris Dason (?), who apparently is out of town for a month. His number is 310 458-8954.
Investigator Olson has not returned Will’s call.
Will and Barry put flyers on the corners near where the accident happened, but returned to find that they had all been taken down. While they were putting up new ones, some fellow named Elliot rolled up on a Segway. he claimed to be from the Santa Monica Business Development Organization and that putting up hit and run flyers was against the law and that he would take them down. Apparently, the woman who is runs this organization is Paulita Elliot. Her number is 310 458-6249.
That’s what I know now
UPDATE #3 -
I posted the phone numbers because I think that it is probably important that they receive a lot of calls. Roger is an important guy in comics and animation world. We want this to be as high profile as possible.
It probably wouldn’t be a bad thing to blog this.
Update: Will spoke to Paulita Elliot and she is willing to let the flyers up until next week.
As you can see, this man was the victim of a hit and run and no one's really trying to help, here. The internet can. We can help. Blog it. Call. Send emails. Hopefully, someone somewhere will listen.
We will keep you updated as soon as we receive more info. We here at Seibertron.com hope for a full and speedy recovery for Mr. Slifer, and that Flint's cries for help do not go unheard.
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