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IDW Limited have just uploaded to their store some of their first offerings in the Cyber Monday scheme of exclusives. In Transformers news, this includes Spotlight comics (Orion Pax and Thundercracker so far) with cover sketches by Livio Ramondelli (which we have seen glimpses of before), with prices between $100 and $150 - check a couple of them out below!
After the confirmation, a while back, that Steve Jablonsky will be returning to score Transformers: Age of Extinction, we have another musical tidbit to report. Seibertron.com member mooncake623 has spotted electronic musician and DJ Steve Aoki tweeting about discussing Transformers with Michael Bay - does this mean he will also be contributing to the film's music? Stay tuned (heh) to find out!
In an effort to increase the bids on the various charity auctions, IDW Publishing have teased an image of an extra incentive, a reward for the overall highest bidder on the exclusive sketch covers! Take a look below, and browse the auctions here.
We've got a special surprise for the highest overall bidder in our charity auction courtesy of Sara Richard, Dan Duncan, Livio Ramondelli, J.K. Woodward & D.J. Kirkbride.
ReGeneration wordsmith Simon Furman has updated his blog with his usual commentary on the issue to come - it's number 96's turn this time, see what its author has to say about it below, and read the preview here!
SCRIPT (W)RAP – TF REGENERATION ONE #96
And so we begin… the end. 100 (or so) issues and 30 years in the making, the original grounding Transformers comic and series starts the countdown to its epic conclusion with the release (this week, November 27th) of Transformers: Regeneration One #96. The final arc kicks off with both aftermath (of #95′s epic battle against Bludgeon’s Blitz Engines) and the opening thrusts and feints in what is to be a truly double-edged conflict, one that will come from without and within (with the lines blurring constantly). As is my habit at such pre-release moments, my scribely digressions on the issue follow. Beware of slight spoilers if you wish to enjoy the experience without even a whiff of what’s to come. But, as always, my aim is to tease and torment rather than reveal. So begins The War to End All Wars, the pulling together of all the threads we’ve been dangling for the past 15 (or so) issues. Omens and portents abound on Cybertron as Rodimus Prime struggles to understand the often cryptic clues scattered by Primus on his journey through Zero Space, and uppermost in his mind is the question: who is Jhiaxus? And perhaps more importantly, what’s he been up to since he deleted himself from Cybertron’s history many millennia ago? But more immediate concerns, such as the Primordial Cybertronians and rogue (time-lost) Decepticon Galvatron take precedence this issue, but that doesn’t stop ace investigators Nightbeat and Bumblebee beginning their search. While on Earth, the building of a Space Bridge to unite two mauled and battered worlds/populations, brings its own clanging chimes of apocalyptic doom. Let me just say, that the omens for a happy ending are not good, and nothing (and no one) is quite what they seem. For a full preview of the issue, check out the official IDW offering here. Otherwise, just clench your bits and wait for Wednesday. Trust me, it’ll be well worth a few grimaces.
With the end of the IDW Transformers: Prime - Beast Hunters comic series upon us, Seibertron.com has decided to sit down and talk to one of its creative team members, and in some ways, the face of it all: read on below for a full exclusive interview with cover, storyboard, videogame and concept artist Ken Christiansen!
Va'al - Ken, thanks for agreeing to do this. We've featured some of your work before on Seibertron.com, it's about time we got to meet the mind and man behind the artwork! Before we get into the nitty-gritty of your work with Transformers though, I need to ask: where did it all begin for you? How did you first encounter our favourite transforming robots?
KC - Well, thanks for having me! I really appreciate it when you guys post anything about my work, I've been a follower of the site for years.
The show was everything. It was the first episode which sucked me right in - I don't even remember the first figure I had, but I know it was the show that put me all in. I was 10 years old at the time of the launch, and I had slowed down on Star Wars, and was really into GI Joe toys and comics, with He-Man in the mix as well. But Transformers really took over, and knocked even the mighty Joes back a step.
Va'al - Ah, you're one of those! I admit, I like knowing that the current creators all started as fans, brings a lot more to the experience. I was going to ask which figure was your first, but you pre-empted me - so how about this: which was your favourite character or episode from the animated series?
KC - G1 Soundwave, is...and always will be...my favorite character. And he is an early toy I do remember getting, on a Christmas morning. Of course I loved his voice, and how he was Megatron's dependable commander, but the fact he had Transformers INSIDE of him really captured my imagination. And I really liked that, unlike a lot of the figures, he matched up pretty well to the box art, and animation model. I was a stickler for that kind of thing, even back then. Also, I always thought it was cool how he used Laserbeak and Ravage on the show, so they've become synonymous with any vision of Soundwave I have, I always want to try to figure out a way to include them in a figure pose, or a drawing/design I'm working on. (I figure Rumble and Frenzy can take care of themselves!)
Va'al - I think a lot of fans have a soft spot for Soundwave; he is terribly charismatic after all. You've mentioned your gateway, the toys and what it was that drew you in - but what about the artistic side? Did you read the comics as a kid, or did you start drawing based on box art and cartoons?
KC - I'll admit that I didn't really enjoy the comics, even though I still have the first 60 or so issues to this day - but yes, I did really enjoy the artwork. I loved the show and the toys, but I was always just lukewarm on the comics. That being said, I did probably draw most artistic inspiration from the comics, I remember drawing that cover corner Marvel Optimus Prime a lot. A lot. Another favorite image from those books was the reveal of Predaking, standing in a jungle. I drew that one a lot as well.
The box art images were another inspiration; I didn't have a massive collection by any means, but I did collect the trading cards, so even if I didn't have the toy and/or filecard, I did have nearly every character image from the cards. We had a project in the 4th or 5th Grade, where we wrote a story, and bound it into a book. Mine, of course, was about Autobots fighting Decepticons, carried into battle by the rocket of Omega Supreme. I designed characters back then too, usually military type vehicles, or cars that friends and family drove. I still have that little book, but I'm sure all those other drawings are long gone.
Va'al - That's some great, early KC art there. Must be worth a fortune by now! So if the comics didn't get to you as much back then, what brought you to their world later on? But I suppose, before we get to that, my question is: How did you start working for the franchise in general?
KC - I had been working freelance for about a year after leaving Disney Interactive, and I had just wrapped a series of projects for Activision in late 2005. One of the producers I had been working with asked "Hey, are you into Transformers at all?" I had heard, as did many other fans, that it was being shopped around as a movie, but I didn't know was finally happening, and Activision wanted to go after the franchise. The projects I had just finished were to lock down the Dreamworks games license for the next five or so movies, showing game play, etc. and this was going to be the same thing. Lots of storyboards and game play examples. But it just kept going and going, and it turned into character designs, and in-game production art - I was around for a lot of it, from the very beginning to helping out with marketing images.
The Transformers were a huge part of my childhood, and though I hadn't really followed the franchise overall since then, I did already have the 20th Anniversary MP Optimus Prime, and the Alternator Grimlock Mustang proudly displayed in my studio. Getting the chance to work on the franchise as a professional, really kind of blew my mind. And midway through the production, Hasbro said they were going to make some figures out of my designs... I kind of freaked out.
Va'al - That must be quite the phonecall/email! I've spotted some of the designs that made it into figures on your website - do you have any particular favourites? Which part of working with the new, movieverse, Transformers aesthetics did you enjoy the most?
KC - I was pretty honored that Hasbro/Paramount used the red car drone (AKA Swindle) in the press kits for the film. Of the drones, I think Payload (Armored Truck) and Long Arm (Tow Truck) are my favorites. Long Arm was originally to be an homage to Hoist, colored green and yellow, but was later changed to be the tow truck paint job from the film. I was glad to see the mold reused as a Hoist figure. All of those designs were done based on rough concepts I had seen at the production offices in early 2006. Not until late summer, a bit after I had wrapped on the drone characters, did I start to see marketing images and final movie models start showing up, and that's when I was tasked to do the Shockwave designs. So, that's why he's a little more in line with the film aesthetic - he's not a generic, energon created drone, he was meant to be a Cybertronian, and look more like the movie bots.
While I agreed with the design philosophy from the first movie, I thought that the bots should have shown a little more alt mode elements, so you can really see the connection between forms. With Shockwave I tried to bring it back a little bit to that, with clear iconic character details, and visible alt mode elements. And that's the design philosophy I took into my next Transformers project, the Revenge of the Fallen game.
Va'al - Those are good designs! And that Shockwave looks intriguing, but it looks like DotM Skyhammer took his mode later down the line. How did you find working with videogames, compared to the work you're currently doing on comic covers? And how did that transition happen?
KC - Maybe. To me, the transformation logic is totally different., around the canopy and fuselage. But I did work a bit on the alt mode of the Skyhammer toy, and was given direction to use a Russian Hind for inspiration, but I didn't work on the robot mode. I did three copter drawings, and when the toy came out, it looked like the designers used elements of all three.
I'm not a gamer, but when I'm into a game I like, I kind of get obsessed with it. I thought Luxoflux did a fantastic job with the gameplay of the Revenge game - especially given the short production time, notorious with movie tie-in games - and was really excited to see how they would build on the engine. Sadly, none of that was meant to be. It was the first time I felt that someone captured the essence of a Transformer, being both things at once. I know some people had issues with holding down the trigger, but I much preferred that, to the 'sit and wait to transform' style of other games. My entire career to that point was in the game industry. But after doing the games for so long, I was looking to expand out a little, I wanted to see if I could work directly with IDW and Hasbro.
I took the designs of Megatron, Optimus, and Starscream, from the DLC content of the Revenge game, and did full illustrations of them in comic cover format. I included Bumblebee, Jazz, and Soundwave designs, and pitched myself to Andy Schmidt at IDW, and for a meet up with Aaron Archer at BotCon 2009.
For IDW, Andy had me do the cover to the much-loved, revered, and indisputably go-to source of information, the Transformers: Continuum. Yikes, that one was a bit of a mess, I guess. I never kept up on the IDW relationship, maybe both sides needed that sting to heal a little. And I just got too busy following that meeting with Aaron to come back to the books. Years later, I met John Barber at BotCon 2012, and that's how I got involved with the Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters covers.
Va'al - Ah, the IDW Aligned comics! As an artist who had worked on the movieverse and videogame aesthetics - though WfC and FoC are also part of the new continuity - how did you find adjusting to the sleeker, more rounded style of the two series? And how much were you involved in the series themselves?
KC - Well, doing a wide range of shape styles for what was then called 'tv show' was that first assignment I had from Archer at Hasbro, in 2009, as they were putting the studio together, and hiring the actual production team. I would call myself a concept artist before anything else, so something like coming up with new character designs/versions is what I like to do best. And then about a year later, I worked on some product ideas for the Prime line. At that point, I was working with final character design models from the production's art department. And, every once and awhile I would do some product development, or I was asked to do some character ideas for HasLabs to use as conversation starters for meetings with the show runners. So before the comics, I had a lot of experience working with the shows' aesthetic. I never was a part of the production of the actual show, with Hasbro Studios, but through Hasbro, Inc., I got to play in that universe a bit.
The Cybertron games, on the other hand, I had no experience with the art style. So that was the learning curve for me. I was asked to 'update' the FoC dinobots into a Prime style, with a heavy lean on the FoC style...visually meaning they didn't 'evolve' as much as Team Prime, for example. So I just eliminated some minor details from the FoC versions, and did a 'wrap metal' pass, in the Prime style, at the main form elements of the bots. John Barber OK'd the sketch of Grimlock I did as an example, and I was off and running.
I had nothing to do with what was inside the books; in most cases, I don't think any of the scripts were even completely written at the time I needed to have the cover done, about three months in advance. I'm sure an overview and series arc were long completed though. Barber, then Carlos Guzman, would give me their idea on what was going on in the book, and what they'd like to see on the cover. I'd do some sketches and we'd go from there. I met Mairghread Scott for the first time at BotCon 2013, and we chatted about what was coming up in #7, we pulled Carlos into the conversation, and I did a sketch of it right there at my table. For number 8, Carlos and I chatted at SDCC, and he told me what he was looking for, and Mike Johnson, through email, pretty much said what he'd like to see on the cover. I did those last sketches for Carlos to approve, and that wrapped the series when I turned in the final.
It was a lot of fun to do those covers. I loved the Fall of Cybertron game, so it was a real treat to get to draw those characters, and get reconnected with IDW.
Va'al - I always enjoy hearing stories of how creators come to join the IDW team, they never seem to be the same! So you were working on the comics covers, but still had quite a bit of involvement in other aspects of the Transformers universe. I've seen some designs for characters that never made it on the show, too. What were you doing between the comics? How were you being kept busy?
KC - Relatively, I'm a newbie to comics, with only 13 IDW covers to date. Concept art is my main source of income, since graduating from art school in 1997. Happily, now at least half my workload comes from Hasbro, covering many different brands. Mainly in that first year, it started off with early re-imaginings of core Transformers characters, mixed with some work on Dark of the Moon ideas, and then going back to work on designs for the 13 Primes, and filling out the brand bible, which had used a lot of that earlier character design work, done by myself and other great artists.
After that, HasLabs expanded into a lot of other brands and concepts, that kept me really busy, MASK, Inhumanoids, Micronauts, to name a few. Some of those ideas were teased in that NYCC giveaway comic, Unit:E, if you remember it. And as other designers move to other brands within Hasbro, I've been able to 'travel' with them, and do lot of work on stuff like Star Wars, etc. Always though, I try to stay connected to the big bots, with doing some Hasbro Inc. commissioned work, movie/tv show stuff or product design for example, or licensed work with IDW, and other publishers.
Va'al - So what you're telling us is.. you're everywhere! And we know that some of your art features in the upcoming Covenant of Primus - the result of all the concept work for the Aligned continuity - due early December. Anything you can tell us about that?
KC - Now everyone finally can see it! After years of working with Hasbro off and on, I've only been able to release a grand total of 8 Transformers images. Including Prima, of the 13, which was published previously in the Transformers: Vault. I'm so excited to see the rest of the designs coming out, along with some new art I was asked to contribute, alongside some other great Transformers artists.
Binder of Revelation - Art by Emiliano Santalucia
After working six or so months with Hasbro, they booked me to do four of the 13 Primes. By then I had a pretty good feel of what Aaron Archer was looking for from me, and I had gotten pretty tight with Eric Siebenaler who acted as my art director on previous projects. I was also then introduced to Rik Alvarez, who had sent me a giant document to work from, that he was putting together. A compiled history from the comics and games, and new stuff he had written - basically the bones of the Aligned Continuity. So, under those guys, I went to work. 4 became 6, then 8, then Eric asked if I wanted to do all 13. Of course! But then Takara chimed in, and they wanted to do some images, and they took over the designs of Micronus and Alpha Trion. So I ended up doing 11...and a second version of one of them.
I had never really heard much about it since then, other than Aaron and Rik teased some images at a couple of BotCons, but I really thought they would remain in the vault, the Brand Bible. Last November, I got an email from Tyler Freidenrich from Becker&Mayer, asking if I could do some illustrations for what would be the Covenant. I jumped at the chance, and got to contribute 7 illustrations, a new character design for Unicron, and the cover. And that's about all I can tell you about it. I know what I did, but I've only seen the same trailer for it as everyone else. I was asked to upload every Hasbro image I did related to the Aligned Continuity, beyond just the Primes, but I don't what, if anything more, was included in the book.
So, I'm just as excited as any other fan to see what's in there!
Va'al - I can assure you, a lot of us are really, really excited for this book. I'm not sure what else could hype it up more.. do you have any ideas?
KC - That's great to hear! Hmm...how about a contest for a free copy of the book? On my Facebook page, the Art of Ken Christiansen, I'll be running a 'Like Drive' contest. Participants enter their names into a drawing by making a comment in the page's Cover Photo comments section, saying they shared the page to at least five people. That Cover Photo, (containing all the contest info) signaling the beginning of the contest, will be posted on Monday, November 25th, at 9 AM PST, and ending Sunday, December 8th at midnight PST.
Monday, December 9th, (the day before the book is released) I'll draw the winning name, and announce it by 9 AM PST. That winner will receive a free copy of the Covenant of Primus... AND, I'll insert a custom black and white rendered portrait, of any character of their choosing.
Va'al - Hear that, readers? Head over to Ken's page for a chance to win what looks to be an amazing piece of Transformers lore. Ken, thanks again for agreeing to do this interview with us, we're looking forward to more of your amazing work soon! Any last words?
KC - Thank you - I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!
I do have a couple more things to add. I also put together a new website, kenchristiansen.com, which replaces to old site, badflip.com. Finally I have galleries collecting all the Transformers (and more!) work that I've done, in one easy to find place, rather than have to search through months and years of blog posts on the old Bad Flip Blog. I will keep that blog online, but it will go inactive. The new site has a blog built in, so that's how I'll continue, along with the Facebook page, to make announcements, and post new artwork. And once it's ready, there will also be a online store, to purchase original art, make commission inquiries, and get leftover convention prints and sketchbooks. It's coming very soon, but right now the only way to get that stuff is through the Art of Ken Christiansen on Facebook, or contact me at ken@badflip.com.
Thanks again!
--
There you have it, readers - we hope you enjoyed our voyage into the Christiansen world! Join the competition today, follow Ken's work and keep your eyes tuned for more exclusive content, coming soon, to Seibertron.com.
Our friend Ken Christiansen has shared some of his early concept work for the Transformers Bots Shots line. Here we have the vehicle modes for DOTM style Megatron, Shockwave, and Leadfoot. According to Ken he also produced designs for Dino and Soundwave, which at this point have yet to see production. Be sure to drop by Ken's facebook page for more awesome art: The Art of Ken Christiansen
Ken Christiansen wrote:Some re-discovered art, ground floor on what would become the Bot Shots line. Just some fast vehicle designs to fill out a Hasbro presentation for Siebenaler. If I remember right, Marcelo Matere art was doing the bot designs.
I also did (unreleased as far as I know) vehicle designs for Dino and Soundwave, from DotM, and that's all I've ever done for Bot Shots. Just the day and a half or so of work in 2010.
Thanks again to Seibertron.com member PrymeStriker, we have another video to show you from Entertainment Tonight! The first one revealed the identity of one of the unnamed vehicles from the robot cast of the fourth Transformers movie, the second hints at something that might play a significant part in the plot of Age of Extinction, as well as looking at some of the pranks played by the cast on each other. Click here to view the video, and keed your ears peeled at 1:37 for this potentially spoilerific tidbit:
"The world has progressed and modernized to a point where it can almost cannibalize and kill itself."
ET's exclusive Transformers: Age of Extinction set visit continues across the globe in Hong Kong, where we find out what the cast does in their downtime, including some recurring pranks performed by Mark Wahlberg and Jack Reynor on their female co-star Nicola Peltz.
"We got Wild Weave Wednesdays...when Mark and I rip out Nicola's weave every Wednesday," shared Reynor (Shane), who plays Peltz's (Tessa) boyfriend in the fourth installment of the Transformers live-action film series.
As always, leave your thoughts in the Energon Pub!
The Facebook page Transformers Cars has uploaded an album with Corey Eubanks, stunt driver on all of the Transformers movies so far, and several of the vehicles used in the upcoming Age of Extinction movie. The shots also include an action shot and a couple of images with star Mark Wahlberg and director Michael Bay - check them all out below, mirrored for your convenience!
Thanks to Seibertron.com users sabrblade and Rodimus Prime, we found this article on Entertainment Tonight, in which reporter Rocsi Diaz chats to members of the cast as the shooting takes place on the Detroit set. They also take a closer look at some of the cars featuring in the movie, revealing the identity of the Pagani Huayra (image below) as Stinger. Check out the full video here, and leave your thoughts below!
While fans eagerly await the return of Transformers to the big screen with Age of Extinction, ET takes you to the set of the series' action-packed fourth installment.
Director Michael Bay and his revamped cast took to the streets of Detroit, dressed up to look like Hong Kong, to film a portion of the film, which is where ET's Rocsi Diaz got a special behind-the-scenes look at the explosive action film.
The new cast for the fourth installment of the live-action series, based on the Transformers toy line, includes some familiar Hollywood faces, including Mark Wahlberg as the protagonist (Cade) and Kelsey Grammer (Harold) as the main villain.
As you can see in the featured video, Bay wasn't stingy on the explosives in the Age of Extinction, as cars are being sent airborne like feathers on set.
"It's a lot of explosions all day long, a lot of loud noises, a lot of running," Jack Reynor (Shane) said of a typical day on set.
Watch the video to satiate your Transformers appetite, and check out Transformers: Age of Extinction when it bursts into theaters June 27, 2014.
Seibertron.com user PrymeStriker has spotted an interview with Paramount Executive Producer Rob Moore, done for Chinese website M1905. In the video interview, found at this link, Moore talks about the challenges and rewards of working with the Chinese aspect of the production behind Transformers: Age of Extinction, from location, to acting talent to the accurate portrayal of Chinese culture and increasing communication to avoid incidents like theseones in the future. Also worthy of note is the point copied out below, concerning the potential creation of further movies after the upcoming fourth one. So, who's looking forward to TF4? Leave your thoughts in the Energon Pub!
Well, each time, we've waited until the movie has come out to start the next one. Making sure that we've made a really satisfying movie that was popular, and then starting to figure out where a next adventure should go. But, certainly, our hope is that we can continue to make Transformers movies well into the future.
We don't have the plans yet, but it is certainly my hope that we will have a 5 and a 6.
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