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The official Transformers facebook page has posted the Creator Commentary for this week's new comic release from IDW Publishing, Transformers: Regeneration One #86. Hall of Fame writer Simon Furman gives us his thoughts of the first five pages below, which we've mirrored for those without facebook access.
PAGE 1: the Dinobots are being held captive on Cybertron, five years in the past and suffering the after effects of nucleon. Having done so much with the Dinobots, is there more you can do with this group of characters?
SIMON FURMAN: To my mind, there’s always something else you can do with the Dinobots. But seriously, yes, I think so. In this second arc, we push Grimlock way over the fine line he walks on a day-to-day basis, and though it’s kind of a noble instinct, inspired by the others’ predicament, that drives him to the place (of no return?), the lengths he’s willing to go to, the trusts he’s prepared to betray, are going to cost him big time—and irrevocably. I wanted this time around to get right under the skin of this tightly-bonded and often fractious relationship the five Dinobots have, and their relationships both to the other Autobots and to some of their enemies. I intend to draw parallels between Grimlock, an Autobot outsider, with a Decepticon character who was originally painted as an outsider himself.
PAGE 2: Grimlock is facing the other angry Dinobots, observing other side effects of nucleon on other Autobots. Can you remind anyone who may not know or remember what happened with nucleon in previous issues and how these characters came to be where they are now?
SIMON FURMAN: Nucleon’s a kind of wonder-fuel that Grimlock went in search of back in issue #69, but it’s kind of a two-edged sword. It can grant or even boost your powers/natural abilities, but often (though by no means in all cases) there’s a price. So with Grimlock it made him stronger and faster, but it also robbed him of his ability to change modes. Basically, Grimlock (in his naturally blinkered way) ignored all the warnings in order to bring the Dinobots (and a whole bunch of Autobots) back from the brink of death (after Starscream’s Underbase rampage in #50). Inevitably, as with Grimlock himself, there were side effects. Some are tiny, barely noticeable, some though are huge and debilitating and the Cybertronian in question is either driven to the brink of madness by super-enhanced abilities (like Blaster) or become a danger to themselves and others (like Inferno).
PAGE 3: We’re seeing what happened to Grimlock and how he became an Action Master (sacrificing the use of his alt mode). Was this a planned revisitation of the old story thread or something that came up while you were doing research for the series?
SIMON FURMAN: This was definitely one of the story lines that was planned before we knew #80 was the last issue of the Marvel run, but I never got a chance to see through. What changed was the chance to wrap this into another kind of loose end, which was the fate of the heads of the original Headmasters (last seen in their own right back in the HEADMASTERS mini-series). Not sure if I’d have come up with that kind of mutual solution back then or not. And it gave me a chance to bring back one my favourite characters from my original run on the book, but explore him in an all-new way.
PAGE 4: In the present day, Grimlock is being held captive by Scorponok. Last time we saw Scorponok was when he died on Cybertron. Do you have personal bond with the character as you do Grimlock, after using him in previous IDW comics?
SIMON FURMAN: Yes, I like Scorponok a lot. Much as Grimlock, he seems to have his own ideas about allegiance and strategy, that don’t always jibe with the leadership. The Scorponok I inherited back then was the Lord Zarak version, and it was fun to muddy his tyrannical nature with this more conflicted (intrinsically noble) character. And this Scorponok is yet another version, more like the original (because he is the original) but not the same as back then. Because he’s shared a mind in the interim — and evolved. It’s affected him, just in a slightly different way. It’s great, I get to do that whole ‘same but different’ thing.
PAGE 5: Scorponok begins conversing with Grimlock about nucleon and what it’s shown him. It’s sounding like Scorponok is going to send our friendly Dinobots through a few levels of hell to achieve his goals.
SIMON FURMAN: Yeah, much as Scorponok NEEDS Grimlock for his plans, there’s a kind of sadistic relish in the way Scorpy dangles temptation in front of his optics. Scorponok instinctively recognizes a kindred spirit in Grimlock, two outsiders together against the worlds (or worlds), but he’s using him, plain and simple. Is he also underestimating Grimlock? We shall see.
Scorponok. Scorponok and his plans for Cybertron. Or is it Soundwave’s plans for Thunderwing’s remains? How about the AFTERMATH of the EPIC battle for Earth?
“One shall stand, one shall fall!” (not used in the last issue surprisingly...)
Last issue Optimus did it, he killed Megatron. Spoiler alert by the way. It’s really not one though, he’s done it before, and chances are he’ll end up having to do it again somehow. So how do you come back next issue and beat that?
In this issue, Optimus is dealing with his short-sighted 21 year error (a blink to Transformers, right?) and it’s effect on Earth. He and the Transformers are being told to get out. No ‘thank you’s, no ‘see you later-thanks for the freedom’, just ‘we want you gone’. Can you blame the humans for having this attitude? The Autobots have been very irresponsible, and even though they cleaned up their mistake with heavy casualties of their own, counting Springer and Ratchet amongst their dead, and deactivated; the humans do not once again count them as friends or allies. The humans want no help, they simply want to be left alone to start again. I’m so cool with that story element from the book. Less humans and Earth the better in my Transformers fiction.
“It’s a shame you Autobots die so easily, or I might get some satisfaction out of this...”
Another piece of the story in this book has Grimlock dealing with his nucleon birthed guilt. Of course, he has some help in this as Scorponok explores the halls of Grimlock’s mind, inducing more guilt, and ultimately, getting Grimlock to help him in his current plans for Cybertron. I’m good with this part as well. Dinobots are excellent characters to exploit, I mean use.
“Me Grimlock kick butt....”
Meanwhile at the Hall of Silence, the justice league of Autobots has been dealing with Soundwave trying to get Thunderwing’s remains out from the sacred, impenitrable hall, and Hot Rod has to make a command decision to stop him, which Soundwave is counting on... I’m not yet interested in this ‘stuff’. Not at all. Well, maybe slightly.
"Insert Harry Potter line here"
This issue is enjoyable. It’s sad when a favorite character dies, be it Megatron, or Springer, or any of the Decepticon zombies. But, I don’t feel either/any death in this series has a huge impact. The story has been slow building, and 5 issues in we lose two major characters? It’s like, “See you later Megatron, Springer, we barely knew ya’.”
Which is oddly reflected in the Autobots burial and subsequent destruction of the ‘zombies’. This part had me scratching my head. No real emotion shown as they dump piles of bots in a hole to then be vaporized. Really? I had to assume none of the Autobot dead were put in the pit (although Monstercons are mentioned as being a part of the Decepticon hordes, oops), so I’m not sure that they would feel much towards bots they already thought were dead--and they were enemies nonetheless, I suppose--it just felt oddly handled. Situations like this are rarely perfect, so I guess I can give it a pass. In either case, I really feel like the lack of emotion by everyone else, is foiled by Optimus over-emotional reaction to EVERYTHING going back to last issue where he beat Megatron to death. And it’s a comparison that is not needed. Autobots in general are supposed to feel, care, etc. They should all be super-depressed (or at least somewhat) after what they have seen and experienced. I guess they are, but just not remorseful toward the Decepticons, which is causing my uncomfortable itch, I suppose.
“I thought you were made of sterner stuff...”
Okay, over-analyzing aside, if you’ve been reading the issues you’ll grab this and not bat an optic, read it, consume it, and wait until a few issues down the line where Springer and Megatron, and others will be brought back to life (death is never final in comics...except in GI JOE, right?). Fine, this time they are dead, and Prime may have a nervous breakdown, and Thunderwing’s remains may or may not be vaporized too, which means no more creation matrix pieces... I guess. Hot Rod will lead and somehow become Rodimus and Unicron will return even though he was destroyed and eat Cybertron as Scorponok tries to stop him for the second time, because he has his own dastardly plans for Cybertron.
A word on the art. I think it’s getting better.
“Me Grimlock need new strategy...”
Me read book, and forget next day... Time to play with my toys. Enjoy next issue that comes out, when comes out. You could do worse. But could you do better? I am sure as REGEN goes, I probably can't.
I am a fan of Transformers fiction and toys. Seibertron.com generously allows me to continue to try to share ideas and opinions about this fiction, even though I have no other qualifications. I’m full of inconsistencies, and overlapping ideas and opinions. Please excuse my grammar and thought errors as this is done on my ‘free’ time to create conversation amongst collectors and readers. -tt24
IDW Limited has listed orders for the various editions of Transformers IDW Collection Vol. 1. There are three tiers available, all of which are limited. The specs for each are listed below. Click here to place your order.
Update: IDW Limited has sent over more preview art from the Black Label Edition:
I'm attaching a copy of each Black Label artists' Megatron illustrations.
Each guy did the same character and it's fun to see their take on it.
Scroll to the bottom to see the latest preview images.
We also have some preview images and video below.
Red Label - $125.00
• Limited to 275 copies, hand-numbered and signed
• Limited-edition, custom-designed slipcase
• Mounted signature page signed by SIX Transformers creators including Coller, Furman, Matere, McCarthy, Milne and Su
• Exclusive IDW Limited custom cover in silver metallic ink
• Vellum overlay of the title page with silver metallic ink
• Brand-new silver metallic ink endpages designed to mirror the style of the slipcase and portfolio
Black Label - $300.00
• Limited to 10 copies (for each artist participatin. 10/10/10)
• Hand-drawn illustration of a single Transformers character housed in a hardcover portfolio case by Casey Coller/Alex Milne/Matere
• Characters drawn include: Shockwave, Megatron, Optimus, Hot Rod or Ratchet
• Limited-edition, custom-designed tray case
• Mounted signature page signed by SIX Transformers creators including Coller, Furman, Matere, McCarthy, Milne and Su
• Custom, exclusive to IDW Limited cover in silver metallic ink
• Vellum overlay of the title page
• Brand-new endpages designed to mirror the style of the tray case and portfolio
• Black Foil stamp & satin book ribbon
Blue Label - $400.00
• Limited to 10 copies
• Hand-drawn illustration of multiple Transformers by EJ Su
• Limited-edition, custom-designed tray case
• Mounted signature page signed by SIX Transformers creators including Coller, Furman, Matere, McCarthy, Milne and Su
• Custom, exclusive to IDW Limited cover in silver metallic ink
• Vellum overlay of the title page
• Brand-new endpages designed to mirror the style of the tray case and portfolio
• Blue Foil stamp & satin book ribbon
This Black Label edition of Transformers: The IDW Collection Vol.1 comes with a hand-drawn illustration by Casey Coller. The book is signed by Coller and FIVE other creators who've worked on this edition. Hand-numbered to TEN, this Black Label has traveled more than 50,000 miles to collect the signatures and artwork pictured.
• Limited to 10 copies, hand-numbered and signed
• Hand-drawn illustration of a single Transformers character housed in a hardcover portfolio case by Casey Coller
• Limited-edition, custom-designed tray case
• Mounted signature page signed by SIX Transformers creators including Coller, Furman, Matere, McCarthy, Milne and Su
• Exclusive IDW Limited custom cover in silver metallic ink
• Vellum overlay of the title page with silver metallic ink
• Brand-new silver metallic ink endpages designed to mirror the style of the tray case and portfolio
• Collects SEVENTEEN issues of Transformers comics from IDW Publishing
• Stamped with the IDW Limited Black Foil Imprint
• Black satin ribbon bookmark
Featuring series cover design by EJ Su, this run is sure to redefine your experience with the Robots in Disguise. Volume 1 collects Megatron Origin #1-4, Spotlight: Blurr, Spotlight: Cliffjumper, Spotlight: Shockwave, Spotlight: Nightbeat, Spotlight: Hot Rod, Spotlight: Soundwave, and Infiltration #0-6.
e-Hobby and the Transformers Collector's Club have teamed up to bring us the Solar Requiem set, featuring Shattered Glass repaints of G1 Blaster, Soundwave, Ratbat, Slugfest, Rewind, Ramhorn and Solarbot (not a SG-character). The cover of the 10-page comic has been revealed, naturally featuring Soundwave and Blaster. We can also catch a glimpse of one of the pages inside which shows a mixture of normal-verse characters and Shattered Glass characters interacting, indicating that this will take place after the events of the Botcon 2012 Comic, Invasion.
The Japanese version of the comic will be available to those who have purchased this from e-Hobby[ while an English version will be available to those that had pre-ordered this set from the Transformers Collectors Club Store.
The fine folks over at IDW Publishing have supplied us with a preview of this week's new release Transformers: Regeneration One #86. Enjoy the preview below, and be sure to pick up or download your copy the Wednesday.
Transformers: Regeneration One #86
Simon Furman (w) • Andrew Wildman (a) • Wildman, Guido Guidi (c)
DARK REIGN! The fallout from the devastation on Earth ripples outwards, all the way to Nebulos, where GRIMLOCK faces his own darkest demons and a fateful choice that may cost him his very Spark. The dark reign of SCORPONOK begins here, and nothing will ever be the same again!
Our friends at IDW Limited dropped by with another piece of preview art from their upcoming Transformers IDW Collection Vol. 1, which is set to release later this week. This time we get a sneak peek from artist EJ Su.
IDW Limited is a subdivision of IDW aimed at high end collectors with multiple tiers of collectivity. Click here for further details.
Red Label specs:
• Limited to 275 copies, hand-numbered and signed
• Limited-edition, custom-designed slipcase
• Mounted signature page signed by SIX Transformers creators including Coller, Furman, Matere, McCarthy, Milne and Su
• Exclusive IDW Limited custom cover in silver metallic ink
• Vellum overlay of the title page with silver metallic ink
• Brand-new silver metallic ink endpages designed to mirror the style of the slipcase and portfolio
Black Label
• Limited to 10 copies (for each artist participatin. 10/10/10)
• Hand-drawn illustration of a single Transformers character housed in a hardcover portfolio case by Casey Coller/Alex Milne/Matere
• Characters drawn include: Shockwave, Megatron, Optimus, Hot Rod or Ratchet
• Limited-edition, custom-designed tray case
• Mounted signature page signed by SIX Transformers creators including Coller, Furman, Matere, McCarthy, Milne and Su
• Custom, exclusive to IDW Limited cover in silver metallic ink
• Vellum overlay of the title page
• Brand-new endpages designed to mirror the style of the tray case and portfolio
• Black Foil stamp & satin book ribbon
Blue Label
• Limited to 10 copies
• Hand-drawn illustration of multiple Transformers by EJ Su
• Limited-edition, custom-designed tray case
• Mounted signature page signed by SIX Transformers creators including Coller, Furman, Matere, McCarthy, Milne and Su
• Custom, exclusive to IDW Limited cover in silver metallic ink
• Vellum overlay of the title page
• Brand-new endpages designed to mirror the style of the tray case and portfolio
• Blue Foil stamp & satin book ribbon
Artist Ken Christiansen dropped by to let us know he's updated his blog, Bad Flip Productions, with a clean version of the Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots #4 cover. He's also posted some "making of" images leading up to the final product. Enjoy the images mirrored below, and visit Bad Flip Productions for more of Ken's comments on the technical aspects of bringing this cover to life.
Grimlock vs. Ser-Ket, as the other Dinobots look on.
The editor, John Barber, suggested a fight scene for the cover of the final issue, pitting these two against each other. I did a few sketches, and we both settled on this one, portraying the clash at the point just before impact. The full weight of Ser-Ket is bearing down on Grimlock, stinger poised, and Grimlock has his sword extended, ready for a downward slash - who will draw first energon?
Well, that was the idea anyway. I hope it comes across...
The official Transformers facebook page has posted a Creator Commentary for this week's release, Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots #1. Transformers Prime writers Mairghread Scott and Mike Johnson give us some insight into the first five pages. We've mirrored the commentary below for those without facebook access.
PAGE 1: An Autobot fleet is leaving Cybertron. For those who may not be caught up on PRIME, can you say a little what has gone before, and why pick this point in history to start of your story?
MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: Okay, at this point in time, Optimus and Megatron have left for parts unknown and the Autobots who stayed behind are basically all holed up in Iacon fighting Shockwave and the Decepticons under his command. Our story starts right as Iacon, the last Autobot city, is falling and everyone who can get out is desperately trying to.
MIKE JOHNSON: We liked starting the story here because it’s a less explored part of Transformers lore. The vast majority of stories in any medium have focused on what happens to Optimus and the others. In RAGE OF THE DINOBOTS we get to shine the spotlight on those who were left behind, or intentionally stayed behind, after the Exodus.
PAGE 2: At Iacon, Snarl fights with other Autobots who are still on the planet. How does the PRIME version of Snarl differentiate from his previous incarnations across the other Transformers franchises?
MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: We really wanted the Dinobots to have distinct personalities from each other. Snarl is the smartest, a real tech guy and the least comfortable with the idea that he’s now a Stegosaurus. So you won’t see him in Stego mode unless a fight starts getting really heated.
MIKE JOHNSON: The series is going to highlight what each Dinobot does and how they relate to each other. We have the opportunity to really explore the Dinobots and dig into each of their personalities in a way that no story has had before.
PAGE 3: Grimlock and the other Dinobots arrive on the scene, and do what they do best. Grimlock is a legendary character. What was the greatest challenge you both face while writing him into the Prime universe?
MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: Grimlock’s voice is a constant challenge, but one of my favorites. In FALL OF CYBERTRON, he’s clearly a smart guy who has been through a lot, but he doesn’t speak that much. So we made a conscious choice to have Grimlock’s dialog break down on the page, especially when he’s exerting himself. That means we had to build Grimlock’s voice at 100% mental capacity and 70% and 50% and 20%. It’s a lot of work, but let us keep some of his best lines while still being able to give him a complex story new readers could relate to.
MIKE JOHNSON: Everybody knows the “Me Grimlock!” I even have a “Me Grimlock Kick Butt!” shirt I bought at San Deigo Comic-Con a few years back. We don’t want to completely abandon what has made the character so beloved. But at the same time we really want to emphasize that Grimlock is a leader, and it wouldn’t work if the leader’s monosyllabic cadence carried over into a less-than-average mind. So we are taking advantage of the PRIME reality to balance Grimlock’s tactical smarts with his traditional way of speaking. We do it in a fun and unexpected way that (fingers crossed) will encompass all aspects of his personality.
PAGE 4: Slug and Sludge get their chance to do some damage in the battle. With a group of characters like the Dinobots, which parts of their characters traits would you say are the easiest and hardest to write and figure out?
MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: You want to find a balance in the characters. So Slug in FoC is a bit less aggressive than Slug in our comic, but with Sludge involved, we needed to balance the group’s dynamics. So Sludge became more of the voice of wisdom and Slug got a bit more gung ho.
MIKE JOHNSON: You don’t want them all to act the same, but at the same time you want them all to share the common experience of being Dinobots, which means being unique among the larger Autobot population. The best way to do it is to take the things they have in common: they’re soldiers, they have strange (to Cybertron) beast forms, they stay behind on Cybertron… and then show how each of them reacts in their own way to those conditions.
PAGE 5: Swoop flies in on the act, and is loving it! What would you both say to a potential reader, who may have never have seen an episode of Prime about this mini-series and how it ties in with the TV show?
MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: You do not have to watch Prime to read this book. Although we tip our hat plenty to people who have loved the videogames and books and TV shows as much as we do, we wanted RAGE to be a place where new readers could find a footing in the Transformers brand. Autobots are the good guys, Decepticons are the bad guys. Cybertron is the planet. Everything else, we’ll explain.
MIKE JOHNSON: We are definitely trying to make the book accessible to anyone for whom this is their first exposure of any kind to Transformers. At the same time, we hope long-time fans enjoy the nods we’ve included to past lore. Add on to that that we hope it meshes well with the animated series and the video games, and we’re performing a careful – but very fun – balancing act. Hopefully it kicks butt.
Our friends at IDW Publishing have sent over the preview for this week's release of Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots #1. Enjoy the preview found below and be sure to pick up or download the first issue of this exciting four part mini-series tomorrow.
TRANSFORMERS PRIME RAGE O/T DINOBOTS #1 (OF 4)
(W) Mike Johnson, Mairghread Scott (A) Agustin Padilla (CA) Ken Christiansen
Bridging the story from the Fall of Cybertron video game to the Prime TV show-the DINOBOTS hold the line as CYBERTRON falls! With OPTIMUS PRIME and the Ark long gone, the rest of the population makes their escape from the dying world-but SHOCKWAVE remains behind, continuing his experiments!
Our friends at IDW Limited dropped by with four more preview sketches from the first IDW Limited Transformers book. All four are from fan favorite artist Alex Milne, and depict faction leaders Optimus Prime and Megatron. Enjoy the sneak peek below.
IDW Limited is a new division that will specialize in multiple tiers of high-end sets aimed at collectors. Click here to visit the IDW Limited homepage for further details. Pre-orders for the first Transformers volume are expected soon.
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