IDW Hasbro Universe Comics Event First Strike to Arrive in September 2017
Thursday, April 20th, 2017 4:06PM CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Company NewsPosted by: Va'al Views: 27,644
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Mairghread Scott and David Rodriguez will be writing the core issues, with art by Max Dunbar, and more issues are solicited coming as of September. Issues 1 and 2, their covers and synopses, can be found below, after the introduction with the creatives involved!
IDW Publishing has a new Hasbro crossover on the way, and it doesn’t sound like good news for the Transformers.
CBR has the first details on “First Strike,” announced Thursday at the Diamond Retailer Summit in Chicago. The story starts with two issues in August, from the writing team of IDW Transformers vet Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (Narrative Director at Vicarious Visions, the game company best known for the “Skylanders” franchise) and artist Max Dunbar, recently of IDW’s “Micronauts” series.
Following 2016’s “Revolution” event — which saw IDW’s licensed Hasbro properties united in one shared universe — “First Strike” picks up with Earth about to join the Cybertronian Council of Worlds. That peaceful event is interrupted by Cobra, as Baron Ironblood — historically the British counterpart to Cobra Commander — has targeted all Cybertronians for termination, putting the Transformers in serious jeopardy. The G.I. Joes, led by Scarlett, and the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, stand in the way in the face of extinction — enlisting help along the way from, apparently, an unlikely ally in the form of Soundwave of the Decepticons.
While this certainly sounds like the comic book equivalent of a blockbuster summer movie, Scott said it’s also a “deeply personal character story.”
“One man attempts to dominate, one woman stands against him,” Scott said in a statement to CBR. “Watch as Scarlett leads her G.I. Joes on a daring mission to save all of Cybertron from their gravest threat yet. ‘First Strike’ is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and deeply personal character story set against the backdrop of intergalactic war with all the giant robots, cyborg ninjas, and massive explosions you could ask for.”
IDW Publishing Editor-in-Chief David Hedgecock described “First Strike” as the natural progression from what the company started in “Revolution.”
“In ‘Revolution,’ we united our Hasbro comic book titles into one shared universe,” Hedgecock said. “In ‘First Strike,’ we see what it’s like to live in the shadows of a massively powerful, ancient, alien race that has been warring with itself for millions of years and, in doing so, has brought death and destruction to every planet it has touched.”
“What, if anything, can one man do to save his planet? What depths will he go to in order to save mankind? How do you destroy all the Transformers?”
True to the “Revolution” spirit, it won’t just be Transformers and G.I. Joe getting involved in “First Strike” — the M.AS.K. team will also be involved.
“‘First Strike’ is your childhood toy box exploding onto the [comic] page: the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and M.A.S.K. teams brought together, each of them positioned on different sides of this planet-spanning conflict,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Sometimes the groups will line up along expected party lines, but other times, you’ll see them being torn apart from the inside, as they are forced to face the impossible concept of one human man declaring war against Cybertron and then being really good at it.”
“First Strike” will run for three months, with six issues planned to ship on a twice-monthly schedule. Tie-ins to the event will be revealed at a later date. Covers for each issue will be illustrated by “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” artist Freddie E. Williams II, along with multiple variants.
First Strike #1
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Freddie E. Williams II (c)
The crossover of the year is here! Earth is finally ready to officially join the Cybertronian Council of Worlds and appoint their first representative to the Council. Too bad the ceremony is interrupted by a massive explosion and the forces of COBRA! Now it’s up to Scarlett, Optimus Prime, G.I. Joe and the Autobots to save two worlds!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 8/9/17
Bullet points:
· The Hasbro crossover event of 2017 is here!
· Spiraling out of the events of Revolution, Revolutionaries, G.I. Joe, Optimus Prime and Transformers: Till All Are One!
· The explosive next chapter of the Hasbro line! Literally! There are explosions!
First Strike #2
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Freddie E. Williams II
The crossover of the year continues! Scarlett learns the truth behind Baron Ironblood’s plan to destroy all life on Cybertron, but with her team stranded on Earth, she must turn to an unlikely ally to help her reach the besieged planet. Enter: Soundwave!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 8/23/17
Bullet points:
· The Hasbro crossover event of 2017 is here!
· As Cybertron is attacked, G.I. Joe looks to answer one of the biggest questions: Why?
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Posted by Targetmaster Kup on April 20th, 2017 @ 4:56pm CDT
Posted by Insurgent on April 20th, 2017 @ 6:29pm CDT
Posted by Randomhero on April 20th, 2017 @ 9:40pm CDT
Insurgent wrote::BANG_HEAD: I knew this was going to happen. Big crossover event every freakin year. Just because. Instead of letting the stories develop on their own, they are going to have to start pausing their own thing to do these big crossover every year. This is exactly why I dropped the Optimus ongoing. Too much clutter from other properties. Hope TAAO and LL don't get dragged into this.
They replaced the EDC with GI Joe. Whoopdeedo it hasn't changed anything. It's still the same book
Posted by ScottyP on April 20th, 2017 @ 9:58pm CDT
Given the text above it looks like Rom is being pretty well left alone as well. And most of TAAO too. Soo, basically a short Joe/TF thing since they're on the same planet, with MASK thrown in for some seasoning. Looks cool to me!
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on April 20th, 2017 @ 11:25pm CDT
Posted by Hydrargyrus on April 21st, 2017 @ 1:32am CDT
Posted by Insurgent on April 21st, 2017 @ 2:08am CDT
Randomhero wrote:Insurgent wrote::BANG_HEAD: I knew this was going to happen. Big crossover event every freakin year. Just because. Instead of letting the stories develop on their own, they are going to have to start pausing their own thing to do these big crossover every year. This is exactly why I dropped the Optimus ongoing. Too much clutter from other properties. Hope TAAO and LL don't get dragged into this.
They replaced the EDC with GI Joe. Whoopdeedo it hasn't changed anything. It's still the same book
And threw in mask. And the rest. Unless you mean in the ongoing. In which case, my issue is that the small group of edc characters i knew (can't remember their names but i recognized them because there was a small number of them) got replaced with a cast that has ballooned because it's joe and they're all 'important'. So we get to spend more time with a bigger bunch of army guys. And every time i see the joe logo, which has been every issue, it takes me out of the story. Same with that misfits poster in issue 4. Sure, that might seem stupid, but i can't help it. Every time i see that, it makes me stop and remember I'm just looking at a fake world instead of being immersed in it.
And they can't develop stories naturally. Like this, they will have to pause whatever they are in the middle of to have a 'crossover event' every year. So woopdedoo indeed.
Posted by Burn on April 21st, 2017 @ 5:22am CDT
Posted by Randomhero on April 21st, 2017 @ 6:08am CDT
Insurgent wrote:Randomhero wrote:Insurgent wrote::BANG_HEAD: I knew this was going to happen. Big crossover event every freakin year. Just because. Instead of letting the stories develop on their own, they are going to have to start pausing their own thing to do these big crossover every year. This is exactly why I dropped the Optimus ongoing. Too much clutter from other properties. Hope TAAO and LL don't get dragged into this.
They replaced the EDC with GI Joe. Whoopdeedo it hasn't changed anything. It's still the same book
And threw in mask. And the rest. Unless you mean in the ongoing. In which case, my issue is that the small group of edc characters i knew (can't remember their names but i recognized them because there was a small number of them) got replaced with a cast that has ballooned because it's joe and they're all 'important'. So we get to spend more time with a bigger bunch of army guys. And every time i see the joe logo, which has been every issue, it takes me out of the story. Same with that misfits poster in issue 4. Sure, that might seem stupid, but i can't help it. Every time i see that, it makes me stop and remember I'm just looking at a fake world instead of being immersed in it.
And they can't develop stories naturally. Like this, they will have to pause whatever they are in the middle of to have a 'crossover event' every year. So woopdedoo indeed.
You said you dropped Optimus because they've tossed everyone in. Micronaughts MASK, Direwraiths, Rom, none have shown up in Optimus Prime. The only characters that have appeared in that book from GI joe is Flint, Mainframe and Chameleon. Three characters, yup total over load. Everyone else are previous IDW humans from EDC with call signs. Dr Bharwaney is Hi-Tech, Zilong is talon and Spide is...well Spike. That's it. The only character that was lost was Mayday. She's in Revolutionaiea and she wasn't even a primary character. Optimus prime is still exRID with a couple Joes. That's not changing the book entirely with the inclusion of a COUPLE joes and tanks withs their logo.
Posted by Big Grim on April 21st, 2017 @ 7:48am CDT
~ Grim
Posted by YoungPrime on April 21st, 2017 @ 10:15am CDT
It's like who's rooting for these other characters to be a threat against Prime an other well known TF's that should be able to simply step on any annoying human they write to square off against Transformers.
And no, I don't wanna see another story where humans are using some secret Ray-Gun, B.E.T. or "Weather Dominator" to control or kill Autobots that are simply trying to help Earth!
It's tired, boring and doesn't compel me to sort after these other franchises.
All these companies and Studios wanna follow the MCU's lead but lack the imagination!
Posted by Kurona on April 21st, 2017 @ 6:23pm CDT
I actually do enjoy the fact this is a shared universe as it does bring in quite a bit of potential - in fact I'm rather excited for the upcoming Transformers/ROM crossover - but this is the big fear. Not the fact we're getting crossover event comics, but that it seems we might be getting them in excess.
Still, that doesn't mean the crossover itself will be bad. Could be good - possibly very good, in fact; now that we have got the introductions out of the way which on a foundational level hurt Revolution from the beginning, we've got a chance of having an actually good crossover now considering the writers seem passionate and love these franchises. I'm just worried about the precedent it sets with it happening this soon after Revolution.
Posted by Va'al on May 23rd, 2017 @ 1:55pm CDT
Covering issues 1 and 2 of the comics event, the covers are all shown below to follow the storylines currently being explored in Revolutionaries. Check out the synopses for more, and let us know what you think.
First Strike #1
A Hasbro comic book event! A new era of peace is dawning as Earth formally joins the Cybertronian Council of Worlds. That is… until Baron Ironblood joins Destro, Storm Shadow and other nefarious villains in a terrorist attack on Iacon! As chaos takes hold on Cybertron, it will be left to Scarlett and the rest of G.I. Joe on Earth to discover the true purpose behind the attack before both worlds descend into all-out-war!
First Strike #2
The crossover of the year continues! Scarlett learns the truth behind Baron Ironblood’s plan to destroy all life on Cybertron, but with her team stranded on Earth, she must turn to an unlikely ally to help her reach the besieged planet. Enter: Soundwave!
Posted by Va'al on May 23rd, 2017 @ 2:40pm CDT
Given the potential spoiler - the possible identity of Baron Iron Blood from Revolutionaries and the whole storyline for the crossover - we do not recommend reading further if you're invested in the story. You may, however check out the image below as I keep typing to increase the word count so it's not showing up on the main page!
Product details
Paperback: 152 pages
Publisher: IDW Publishing (February 20, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1684051223
ISBN-13: 978-1684051229
Joe Colton, the founder of G.I. JOE, gathers together some of his greatest foes from COBRA and heads into battle against the forces of the TRANSFORMERS! It will take the combined might of Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and a host of heroes including ROM, M.A.S.K. and the MICRONAUTS to stop what happens next!
A new era of peace is dawning as Earth formally joins the Council of Worlds. That is...until Baron Ironblood joins Destro, Storm Shadow and other nefarious villains in a terrorist attack on Iacon! As chaos takes hold on Cybertron, it will be left up to Scarlett's team on Earth to discover the true purpose behind the attack before both worlds descend into all-out-war!
Posted by Targetmaster Kup on May 23rd, 2017 @ 3:45pm CDT
Posted by Targetmaster Kup on May 23rd, 2017 @ 3:47pm CDT
Posted by Kurona on May 23rd, 2017 @ 8:49pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on May 29th, 2017 @ 4:05pm CDT
The covers will be available to retailers who order 50 copies or more of each First Strike #1 and #2 (both scheduled for release in August).
The First Strike story picks up with Earth about to join the Cybertronian Council of Worlds. That seemingly peaceful event is interrupted by Cobra, as Baron Ironblood — historically the British counterpart to Cobra Commander — has targeted all Cybertronians for termination, clearly putting the Transformers in serious jeopardy. The G.I. Joes, led by Scarlett, and the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, stand in the way in the face of extinction — enlisting help along the way from, apparently, an unlikely ally in the form of Soundwave of the Decepticons.
“One man attempts to dominate, one woman stands against him,” Mairghread Scott said in a statement to CBR. “Watch as Scarlett leads her G.I. Joes on a daring mission to save all of Cybertron from their gravest threat yet. First Strike is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and deeply personal character story set against the backdrop of intergalactic war with all the giant robots, cyborg ninjas, and massive explosions you could ask for.”
First Strike #1 is scheduled for release on Aug. 9, and will run for six issues in a twice-monthly shipping schedule.
Posted by Bounti76 on May 29th, 2017 @ 5:32pm CDT
Posted by Nexus Knight on May 29th, 2017 @ 6:13pm CDT
Bounti76 wrote:Scarlett and the G.I. Joe team are going to save Cybertron? Transformers are a sideshow on their OWN DAMN PLANET?? This makes me hate First Strike already.
I am strangely okay with this. They've done it for Earth, it's Earth's turn to pay back the favor. What I do have a problem with...
Va'al wrote:Watch as Scarlett leads her G.I. Joes on a daring mission to save all of Cybertron from their gravest threat yet.
Ahem... think some people may have something to say about that.
Posted by Kurona on May 30th, 2017 @ 11:05am CDT
Nexus Knight wrote:Bounti76 wrote:Scarlett and the G.I. Joe team are going to save Cybertron? Transformers are a sideshow on their OWN DAMN PLANET?? This makes me hate First Strike already.
I am strangely okay with this. They've done it for Earth, it's Earth's turn to pay back the favor. What I do have a problem with...Va'al wrote:Watch as Scarlett leads her G.I. Joes on a daring mission to save all of Cybertron from their gravest threat yet.
Ahem... think some people may have something to say about that.
Not to mention this is right in the middle of TAAO introducing the Liege friggin' Maximo as an antagonist. I realise it is just word fluff for solicitation, but goddamn.
Posted by Va'al on May 30th, 2017 @ 12:03pm CDT
Transformers! G.I. Joe! Rom! All your favorite Hasbro characters get to shine in these standalone stories setting up the biggest comics event of the year!
First, with Cybertron under siege from Baron Ironblood, it's up to Optimus Prime and Arcee to defend their homeland, and the Revolutionaries team is caught in the middle! Then, back on Earth, Rom finds himself teaming up with the world's smallest heroes, the Micronauts! Can they prevent catastrophe, or is it already too late? And, with the team divided, G.I. Joe must confront dangers both in space and Earthside. Looks like they'll need some help from M.A.S.K.!
Posted by Targetmaster Kup on May 30th, 2017 @ 12:55pm CDT
- An OPTIMUS PRIME/REVOLUTIONARIES book
- A ROM/MICRONAUTS book
- A G.I.JOE/M.A.S.K. book
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 7th, 2017 @ 1:48pm CDT
I admit, as a huge fan of ROM, I'm disappointed to see him not getting his own title, but I do love the Micronauts, especially Rom and Acroyear's interactions. Still, hopefully G.I. Joe: Unmasked will actually do something interesting with the M.A.S.K. characters, since their own book has been complete and utter garbage.
Also, I liked seeing Centurion on that Optimus Prime tie-in cover. Hopefully that means he'll be sticking around, which works given what's been revealed about him in the Sourcebook.
Posted by Va'al on June 7th, 2017 @ 2:29pm CDT
IDW Publishing’s next Hasbro crossover is looming, and it looks to have an even bigger impact on the line than fans might have initially guessed. First Strike, which brings together Transformers, G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K. and more, gets going next week with a #0 issue from co-writers Mairghread Scott & David A. Rodriguez and artist Max Dunbar, also the creative team of the main six-issue First Strike miniseries which kicks off with twice-monthly issues in August.
Along with the imminent debut comes the news that some of IDW’s current licensed Hasbro books will end in August — due to a “seasonal” model and in-story changes brought by the events of First Strike. August will bring the last issues of G.I. Joe (with #9), M.A.S.K. (#10), Micronauts: Wrath of Karza (#5) and Rom (#14).
But those characters, naturally, aren’t going away for good — September sees a G.I. Joe: First Strike by Aubrey Sitterson and Ilias Kyriazis and a Micronauts: First Strike one-shot by Christos Gage and Chris Panda; October follows with a M.A.S.K.: First Strike one-shot from Sitterson and Kyriazis and Rom: First Strike from Christos Gage and Chris Panda. Additionally, a Optimus Prime: First Strike one-shot is scheduled for September from John Barber and Guido Guidi; Barber is joined by artist Guido Guidi in October for the Transformers: First Strike one-shot in October.
Then in November, a new series titled G.I. Joe: Unmasked (uniting G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K.) is set to debut in the wake of First Strike, and Rom & The Micronauts is slated for December.
[...]
2. For story reasons that will become clear during First Strike, the titles we’re drawing to a close won’t really make any sense any more! After the events of First Strike, we’ve got plans for radically new, fresh takes on some of these properties and we want to signify how important the changes are. We couldn’t do that and keep the current series titles in place.
[...]
This is coming a year after Revolution — are you planning on annual Hasbro events?
We have a three-year story arc in mind for the shared Hasbro universe. First Strike is the second act. While Revolution brought everything together, First Strike is the first chance we get to see the ramifications of this bold direction we’ve undertaken, and it leads us directly into… well, I can’t wait to tell you what it leads us into but I can’t just yet!
G.I. JOE: First Strike #1—Cover A: Drew Johnson—SPOTLIGHT
Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Ilias Kyriazis (a) • Drew Johnson (c)
As Scarlett heads off to Cybertron to confront the events of First Strike, her G.I. Joe team on Earth faces an unusual enemy… V.E.N.O.M.! With the help of a former M.A.S.K. member, G.I. Joe looks to put an end to Miles Mayhem’s sinister group once and for all, in the Greatest Crossover One-Shot Of All Time!
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/27/17
G.I. JOE: First Strike #1—Cover B: Ilias Kyriazis
Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Ilias Kyriazis (a & c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/27/17
*Retailer incentives: Order 10 copies, get one free variant cover by Nick Bradshaw!
Micronauts: First Strike #1—Cover A: Nelson Daniel—SPOTLIGHT
Christos Gage (w) • Chris Panda (a) • Nelson Daniel (c)
Rom, remaining on Earth as the events of First Strike take place, finds himself in a most unusual team-up… with Earth’s smallest heroes, The Micronauts! Together, these two forces must prevent a catastrophe on Earth even while Cybertron descends into chaos!
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/13/17
Micronauts: First Strike #1—Cover B: Chris Panda
Christos Gage (w) • Chris Panda (a & c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/13/17
*Retailer incentives: Order 10 copies, get one free variant cover by Nick Bradshaw!
Optimus Prime: First Strike #1—Cover A: Sara Pitre-Durocher—SPOTLIGHT
John Barber (w) • Guido Guidi (a) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (c)
With Cybertron under siege by Baron Ironblood’s forces, Optimus Prime and Arcee defend their homeland! Caught in the middle is the human/Transformer team known as the Revolutionaries—and one of them has a secret that puts everyone at risk!
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/20/17
Optimus Prime: First Strike #1—Cover B: Guido Guidi
John Barber (w) • Guido Guidi (a & c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/20/17
*Retailer incentives: Order 10 copies, get one free variant cover by Nick Bradshaw!
Posted by Kurona on June 7th, 2017 @ 4:13pm CDT
And I know, detractors to the Hasbro universe would argue this is already a thing; but for the most part outside of actual crossovers every book in the Hasbro universe was allowed to be its own thing with minimal effect from the other books. You could easily read GI Joe without giving one iota of a fuck about what's happening in Lost Light, and you can have a fine time reading Optimus Prime without really needing to know what that ROM dude's up to. I just hope Transformers is popular enough as a brand on its own to not have the whole "two-franchises-in-one-book" thing happen to it. And what about Action Man?!
One thing I'm very confused about though. Why does GI Joe need to combine with any book? I thought it was the CROWN JEWEL OF THE HASBRO UNIVERSE, surely it was doing fine on its own?
Posted by RNSrobot on June 7th, 2017 @ 5:35pm CDT
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 7th, 2017 @ 5:38pm CDT
Kurona wrote:Now this is where I get a bit worried about the expanded universe - if they're joining multiple franchises into a single book for each, then that not only says bad things about how this is working out from a financial standpoint but it's likely not gonna go down well with fans of each. You were loving the Micronauts but you weren't fond of ROM's story? Too bad, he's in Micronauts now! You were kinda liking where MASK was going but you really couldn't be bothered with GI Joe? Guess what, they're the exact same team now!
And I know, detractors to the Hasbro universe would argue this is already a thing; but for the most part outside of actual crossovers every book in the Hasbro universe was allowed to be its own thing with minimal effect from the other books. You could easily read GI Joe without giving one iota of a **** about what's happening in Lost Light, and you can have a fine time reading Optimus Prime without really needing to know what that ROM dude's up to. I just hope Transformers is popular enough as a brand on its own to not have the whole "two-franchises-in-one-book" thing happen to it. And what about Action Man?!
One thing I'm very confused about though. Why does GI Joe need to combine with any book? I thought it was the CROWN JEWEL OF THE HASBRO UNIVERSE, surely it was doing fine on its own?
I hate to say it, but Action Man will probably go with Kup and join the cast of Optimus Prime.
Posted by Targetmaster Kup on June 7th, 2017 @ 5:45pm CDT
Posted by Nexus Knight on June 7th, 2017 @ 5:49pm CDT
Daniel Adkins wrote:Kurona wrote:Now this is where I get a bit worried about the expanded universe - if they're joining multiple franchises into a single book for each, then that not only says bad things about how this is working out from a financial standpoint but it's likely not gonna go down well with fans of each. You were loving the Micronauts but you weren't fond of ROM's story? Too bad, he's in Micronauts now! You were kinda liking where MASK was going but you really couldn't be bothered with GI Joe? Guess what, they're the exact same team now!
And I know, detractors to the Hasbro universe would argue this is already a thing; but for the most part outside of actual crossovers every book in the Hasbro universe was allowed to be its own thing with minimal effect from the other books. You could easily read GI Joe without giving one iota of a **** about what's happening in Lost Light, and you can have a fine time reading Optimus Prime without really needing to know what that ROM dude's up to. I just hope Transformers is popular enough as a brand on its own to not have the whole "two-franchises-in-one-book" thing happen to it. And what about Action Man?!
One thing I'm very confused about though. Why does GI Joe need to combine with any book? I thought it was the CROWN JEWEL OF THE HASBRO UNIVERSE, surely it was doing fine on its own?
I hate to say it, but Action Man will probably go with Kup and join the cast of Optimus Prime.
That's probably actually the logical thing to do. Action Man is admittedly only one person (whose book surprisingly did poorly) teamed up with a big alien robot, especially since. It makes sense (to me) for him to join the Transformers and provide a human prospective. Of course they already have plenty of characters doing that, but hey, I'm alright with the human perspective.
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 7th, 2017 @ 7:02pm CDT
Nexus Knight wrote:Daniel Adkins wrote:Kurona wrote:Now this is where I get a bit worried about the expanded universe - if they're joining multiple franchises into a single book for each, then that not only says bad things about how this is working out from a financial standpoint but it's likely not gonna go down well with fans of each. You were loving the Micronauts but you weren't fond of ROM's story? Too bad, he's in Micronauts now! You were kinda liking where MASK was going but you really couldn't be bothered with GI Joe? Guess what, they're the exact same team now!
And I know, detractors to the Hasbro universe would argue this is already a thing; but for the most part outside of actual crossovers every book in the Hasbro universe was allowed to be its own thing with minimal effect from the other books. You could easily read GI Joe without giving one iota of a **** about what's happening in Lost Light, and you can have a fine time reading Optimus Prime without really needing to know what that ROM dude's up to. I just hope Transformers is popular enough as a brand on its own to not have the whole "two-franchises-in-one-book" thing happen to it. And what about Action Man?!
One thing I'm very confused about though. Why does GI Joe need to combine with any book? I thought it was the CROWN JEWEL OF THE HASBRO UNIVERSE, surely it was doing fine on its own?
I hate to say it, but Action Man will probably go with Kup and join the cast of Optimus Prime.
That's probably actually the logical thing to do. Action Man is admittedly only one person (whose book surprisingly did poorly) teamed up with a big alien robot, especially since. It makes sense (to me) for him to join the Transformers and provide a human prospective. Of course they already have plenty of characters doing that, but hey, I'm alright with the human perspective.
Action Man was always intended to be a 4-issue miniseries.
Posted by Nexus Knight on June 7th, 2017 @ 8:31pm CDT
Daniel Adkins wrote:Action Man was always intended to be a 4-issue miniseries.
The series takes place immediately before the Revolution event in which it takes part; unfortunately, due to poor sales, "Action Man: Revolution" also happened to be the last issue of Action Man, with the series ending after a single four-issue arc.
This implies it was actually supposed to go on longer than the four issues. To be fair, though, I'm getting this off the IDW Hasbro Wiki (the offshoot of TFwiki, for those that don't know) on Action Man's comic page.
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 7th, 2017 @ 9:12pm CDT
Nexus Knight wrote:Daniel Adkins wrote:Action Man was always intended to be a 4-issue miniseries.The series takes place immediately before the Revolution event in which it takes part; unfortunately, due to poor sales, "Action Man: Revolution" also happened to be the last issue of Action Man, with the series ending after a single four-issue arc.
This implies it was actually supposed to go on longer than the four issues. To be fair, though, I'm getting this off the IDW Hasbro Wiki (the offshoot of TFwiki, for those that don't know) on Action Man's comic page.
As one of the admins who helped write that article, that was what we assumed at the time. I conducted an interview with John Barber at NC Comicon Oak City 2017, and he confirmed that it was only supposed to be a miniseries. But thanks for reminding me to fix that.
Posted by Nexus Knight on June 7th, 2017 @ 10:13pm CDT
Daniel Adkins wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Daniel Adkins wrote:Action Man was always intended to be a 4-issue miniseries.The series takes place immediately before the Revolution event in which it takes part; unfortunately, due to poor sales, "Action Man: Revolution" also happened to be the last issue of Action Man, with the series ending after a single four-issue arc.
This implies it was actually supposed to go on longer than the four issues. To be fair, though, I'm getting this off the IDW Hasbro Wiki (the offshoot of TFwiki, for those that don't know) on Action Man's comic page.
As one of the admins who helped write that article, that was what we assumed at the time. I conducted an interview with John Barber at NC Comicon Oak City 2017, and he confirmed that it was only supposed to be a miniseries. But thanks for reminding me to fix that.
My apologies if it seemed I insulted your intel, I didn't know that. But anything help!
Posted by ricemazter on June 8th, 2017 @ 2:18am CDT
Posted by Big Grim on June 8th, 2017 @ 6:07am CDT
Kurona wrote:One thing I'm very confused about though. Why does GI Joe need to combine with any book? I thought it was the CROWN JEWEL OF THE HASBRO UNIVERSE, surely it was doing fine on its own?
Came here to say just that!
Posted by ScottyP on June 8th, 2017 @ 2:19pm CDT
Off topic: hey, another NC guy! Raleigh resident myself, always nice to see more folks from the state here!Daniel Adkins wrote:As one of the admins who helped write that article, that was what we assumed at the time. I conducted an interview with John Barber at NC Comicon Oak City 2017, and he confirmed that it was only supposed to be a miniseries. But thanks for reminding me to fix that.
On topic: intentions aside, Action Man did really poorly from the physical monthly sales perspective. I don't even think 4 cracked the top 300 :/
Posted by Kurona on June 8th, 2017 @ 2:23pm CDT
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 8th, 2017 @ 2:33pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 8th, 2017 @ 7:45pm CDT
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 8th, 2017 @ 9:17pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 9th, 2017 @ 7:00am CDT
Vince Brusio: What core idea helped to first strike sparks for this story? How did the concept of this Hasbro crossover first begin, and then grow to the point where it took two writers to make it all fit?
Mairghread Scott: The core concept is two-fold: IDW and Hasbro very much wanted G.I. Joe on Cybertron – a fight so big it dragged all the other Hasbro brands into it, and that idea is super-fun! The two franchises have a long history together and it’s definitely something I was interested in exploring. But I wanted to bring a second, more personal, layer to the story and so we hit on our central theme. Scarlett, the head of G.I. Joe is now being pitted against her own mentor, Joe Colton, who seems to be hell-bent on dragging Earth into an interplanetary war!
So it’s not just a question of saving the Transformers, or saving all of Earth, it’s also a question of saving one man in the midst of this who means the world to you. Is it really Colton doing this? Could he be brainwashed or coerced? If not, can he be redeemed? That balance is one we’re really striving for in this book. Big action, but with a big heart behind it.
David Rodriguez: It gives the entire story a great, emotional core. We’re all for piles of ninjas (so many ninjas) and explosions, but having this conflict that the series pivots on grounds it in stakes that are relatable on a human level. And to make matters more interesting, Colton is not a supervillain with a grandiose or cartoonish plan. He is thoughtful, tactical and incredibly dangerous. He’s spent years planning and assembling the execution of this mission. And Scarlett knows that Colton would not have pulled the trigger unless he knew he had a reasonable shot at pulling this off. So even though the Transformers think the humans pose little to no threat to Cybertron, the reality is that the entire planet is in very real and immediate danger.
[...]
Mairghread Scott: Well, fighting global genocide should never take away from petty squabbling. Naturally our primary heroes (Scarlett and her team from G.I. Joe, Matt and Gloria from MASK, Soundwave and Optimus from Transformers) get along fairly well, they’re not without conflict. Lady Jaye throws a lot of shade at people and Soundwave is not a fan of humans, but his character is weirdly adorable. (He’s really trying to be respectful of these vastly inferior, squishable things but…ugh.)
On the bad guys’ side, keeping competing minds like Storm Shadow from GI Joe and Shazraella from Micronauts (who gets a big upgrade in our story) together is a tall order. Miles Mayhem totally lives up to his name and it’s a joy to write whenever he gets cut down a peg. But they’re not the only people causing trouble. Elita One ends up throwing a wrench in everyone’s works when she steamrolls in with her own agenda. Let’s just say she makes Starscream seem like an upright citizen.
David Rodriguez: The twins (Skyburst and Stormclash) might be my new favorites. I wasn't really familiar with them before the series, but after researching them and seeing them in action in the story I am totally smitten. They have so much energy in their designs and personality that its hard not to enjoy every panel that they're on. But what is great about the human characters is that they hold their own in every scene. Any normal person would be dwarfed (in every sense) by the Transformers, but there really isn't anything “normal” about Scarlett and her team. They rise to the occasion and stand shoulder to shoulder with their robot allies. (Well, metaphorically. In the literal sense they sometimes stand on their shoulders. But that's purely tactical). The other duo that caught me by surprise are Stormshadow and Shaz. They need to have their own, buddy-villain, spin-off after this is said and done. Luckily vans and talking animals are easy to come by.
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 9th, 2017 @ 7:06am CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 9th, 2017 @ 7:13am CDT
Daniel Adkins wrote:Might wanna put that in spoiler tags, Va'al, considering it spoils the identity of Baron Ironblood.
Was already spoiled in previous news, and the tags don't show up on the front page due to formatting! It's.. frustrating, but I did warn against them in the write-up.
Posted by SG Roadbuster on June 9th, 2017 @ 7:46am CDT
IDW, please stop trying to be Marvel.
at least they're leaving Lost Light alone. RIP TAAO
Posted by Kurona on June 9th, 2017 @ 7:49am CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 12th, 2017 @ 3:33pm CDT
First Strike #3—Cover A: Freddie E. Williams II—SPOTLIGHT
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Freddie E. Williams II (c)
Secrets revealed! G.I. Joe, the Autobots and M.A.S.K. make their way to Cybertron to stop the siege and encounter the COBRA leader, but all is not as it seems! Will their arrival help—or just bring more disaster?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/13/17
First Strike #3—Cover B: Max Dunbar
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a & c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/13/17
First Strike #3—Cover C: Alex Ronald
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Alex Ronald (c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/13/17
First Strike #3—Cover D: Rob Duenas
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Rob Duenas (c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/13/17
*Retailer incentives:
Order 10 copies, get one free “Cartoon Noir” variant cover by Jay Fosgitt!
Order 25 copies, get on free variant cover by Davide Fabbri!
Order 50 copies, get one free variant cover by Leonardo Manco!
Order 50 copies of both issues #3 and #4 and get one free variant cover of issue #3 by Whilce Portacio!
Bullet points:
· The Hasbro comic book event of 2017 continues!
· G.I. Joe strikes back! So, I guess you could call this issue “SECOND STRIKE!”
First Strike #4—Cover A: Freddie E. Williams II—SPOTLIGHT
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Freddie E. Williams II (c)
Captured by Transformers! Even with the Autobots on their side, G.I. Joe is in trouble! Starscream doesn’t trust anyone, much less armed humans who show up during Cybertron’s darkest hour and he’ll do anything he can to keep G.I. Joe under control—including let COBRA get even closer to their goal!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/27/17
[/quote]First Strike #4—Cover B: Max Dunbar
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a & c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/27/17
First Strike #4—Cover C: Alex Ronald
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Alex Ronald (c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/27/17
First Strike #4—Cover D: Rob Duenas
Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (w) • Max Dunbar (a) • Rob Duenas (c)
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 9/27/17
*Retailer incentives:
Order 10 copies, get one free “Cartoon Noir” variant cover by Jay Fosgitt!
Order 25 copies, get on free variant cover by Davide Fabbri!
Order 50 copies, get one free variant cover by Leonardo Manco!
Order 50 copies of both issues #3 and #4 and get one free variant cover of issue #3 by Whilce Portacio!
Bullet points:
· The Hasbro comic book crossover event of 2017 is here!
· Time is running out! It’s G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K. vs. the Transformers vs. the other Transformers vs. COBRA!
· We’re in the home-stretch! It wouldn’t be hard to envision what is coming down the line! No tricks, no illusions, no holograms! So pony up because it is about to get wild! Okay, maybe not everything is part of the shared line, but some exciting stuff is! It’ll be a whole new status quo with all-new books!
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 12th, 2017 @ 3:49pm CDT
BUT HEY LOOK GUYS, THE SOLSTAR ORDER! Nikomi, Q'b, and Blob Guy are here to help save Cybertron!
Posted by SG Roadbuster on June 12th, 2017 @ 3:56pm CDT
Posted by Daniel Adkins on June 12th, 2017 @ 3:57pm CDT