IDW Titans Return / More Than Meets The Eye Crossover Confirmed

Hehehe. Suck it up, MTMTE fans, YOU'RE COMING WITH US THIS TIME!

Yep, Season 3 of MTMTE starts with some Titan Masters. Wonder how THAT is going to work considering all that is and will happen

Sounds neat actually. If Roberts is genuinely on board, he'd shed some light on the mystery that is the Metrotitans, and it makes sense that the Lost Light would run into some of them on the way to CuberUtopia!

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:Yep, Season 3 of MTMTE starts with some Titan Masters. Wonder how THAT is going to work considering all that is and will happen

Season one technically ended with that Ammonites issue(22) and that honestly didn't matter. These guys know what they're doing

Calling it here: Brainstorm gets blown up, reappears three pages later. "What? Oh the body? I have, like, a dozen of these things."

Or it won't matter. They stated last year MTMTEs involvement will be dealing with the history of Titans. It doesn't mean Chromedome brainstorm highbrow will becoming headmasters. It might just be a couple issues on Lunar One with fort max exploring the Metrotitan graveyard.

Let's not forget that combiner wars barely followed the toys. We got devastator, defensor, Superion Optimus maximus(barely)and Menasor. No galvatronus no bruticus no sky reign. They did their own thing and made it work and like I said before, there's no pack in comics. They do not have to follow what the toys are making. There's been zero build up to headmasters returning except that issue of RID that was two years when Titans one shot comes out. We had over 6 months of set up for combiner wars. We're not getting that this time.

I think having Roberts (and MTMTE) being more involved in the crossovers makes sense. If for example Chromedome becomes a Headmaster in the IDW comics, and Roberts is not involved in that, he becomes stuck with a character change that he might not have wanted or like how he became a Headmaster keeps MTMTE from being involved in the comic universe.

It also becomes a pain to keep having to explain why certain characters getting off the ship to go back to Cybertron or Earth (like Mirage and First Aid in Combiner Wars).

Well he should be involved. He's book two in a comic world that currently only has two books with it. People throw the biggest fits when They announce these events because they're scared MTMTE will get forced to be part of them and deviate what's going on in the book. MTMTE is always deviating from itself. In the past 12 months we got an entire issue of ratchet secretly leaving the ship, a DJD issue, battling a murdering mneumosurgeon, finding the nectobot, and hanging out on a holographic earth and a two issue scavengers story. The scavengers have absolutely nothing to do with the lost light yet. A lot of this year in MTMTE was deviating from the main story. It was. Yes, some had to do with some important things but some stuff absolutely didn't. It's a book of deviations and having MTMTE join in an event doesn't take away anything that James is doing. If anything it gives MTMTE a chance to join in on some huge stuff going on with everyone else.

Randomhero wrote:Well he should be involved. He's book two in a comic world that currently only has two books with it. People throw the biggest fits when They announce these events because they're scared MTMTE will get forced to be part of them and deviate what's going on in the book. MTMTE is always deviating from itself. In the past 12 months we got an entire issue of ratchet secretly leaving the ship, a DJD issue, battling a murdering mneumosurgeon, finding the nectobot, and hanging out on a holographic earth and a two issue scavengers story. The scavengers have absolutely nothing to do with the lost light yet. A lot of this year in MTMTE was deviating from the main story. It was. Yes, some had to do with some important things but some stuff absolutely didn't. It's a book of deviations and having MTMTE join in an event doesn't take away anything that James is doing. If anything it gives MTMTE a chance to join in on some huge stuff going on with everyone else.

I think part of it has too with how DC and Marvel always seem to have titles that sits just outside of the big events that feel more fun or special, (i.e.Batwoman and Harley Quinn from DC and X-Factor from Marvel) and when they are thrown into the events they tend to suck big time. I mean Batwoman went to crap when DC decided she had to be more involved with Batman and the New 52 events as a whole. Harley Quinn has so far avoided that (except for the God-awful Future's End one-shot) and while X-Factor did get involved in various Marvel and/or X-Book events they tended to make fun of the events or at the very least always seem like the villain didn't care one way or the other about them.

When these things do happen some of these books tends to go down the drain, creators get mad and quit and so on, so for me at least, it's an understandable worry, but if the writer is involved and the publisher makes it so that they know when the next event is coming and what it is about and what character changes are going to happen and allow enough time to get things paid off and/or set up the more fun these events can be not only for the creators but for the fans as well.

Those are also companies that's have over 52 books in their line ups. We get 2 and coming 3.

By all my calculations, this is also issue #300 of the overall IDW G1 continuity, anyone else figure differently?

Previews has revealed the subscription cover for the IDW Titans Return One Shot comic. Is it a version of Sentinel we see on the cover with Metroplex? Who do you think it is? The cover is done by Priscilla Tramontano, who posted a clean version on her twitter page. Enjoy!

Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Mairghread Scott & Various (A/CA) Livio Ramondelli
THE LAST AUTOBOT! Once he ruled CYBERTRON with a brutal (and literal) iron fist... left for dead four million years ago, SENTINEL PRIME is back. But in a world where STARSCREAM rules CYBERTON, OPTIMUS PRIME has invaded Earth, and MEGATRON is an AUTOBOT-SENTINEL doesn't like what he sees!
Bullet points:
The story continues in TRANSFORMERS #56 and MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE #56 next month, and expands to TILL ALL ARE ONE this fall!
For the first time ever-Scott, Roberts, and Barber working together on one story!
Plus the powerful noir art of superstar Livio Ramondelli!
After OPTIMUS is hailed; after the LIGHT dies... the next phase of TRANSFORMERS comics starts here!

Looks like Sentinel got the Apex Armour back. Just wait till Optimus beats him up and takes it for himself to become a Powermaster~

Yep, Sentinel already as a repaint but really, where did that color scheme come from?

perspective...Is that bot almost as big as Metroplex?...or is Metroplex just way in the background...?

Since the comic, and subsequent storyline is called Titan(s) return I assume there will be more than one. So...Metrotitan, or will FortMax somehow obtain his giant Headmaster body?

Sentinel is just really close, and I think that is not metroplex. that should be the Earth titan from issue 54

I like it, makes me wish that was the sentinel prime toy we were getting.

Hmm, I assumed that was now-ruler-of-Earth Optimus Prime and Earth's Titan.

Edit: I mean, besides it being Optimus' rifle, beneath all of that armor, aren't those his kneecaps and abs?

Via the usual iTunes screenshots magickry, we have our first look at the upcoming Transformers: Titans Return one-shot comic from IDW Publishing - the last big Transformers event before Revolution shakes the IDWverse about - as co-written by Mairghread Scott, John Barber and James Roberts. Check out the short preview below!

THE LAST AUTOBOT! Once he ruled CYBERTRON with a brutal (and literal) iron fist... left for dead four million years ago, SENTINEL PRIME is back. But in a world where STARSCREAM rules CYBERTON, OPTIMUS PRIME has invaded Earth, and MEGATRON is an AUTOBOT—SENTINEL doesn’t like what he sees!

Sentinel 2016 - Make Cybertron Great Again.

So sentinel is going to usher in a new age of violence because he's the closest thing the cybertonians have to the kkk (better red then dead? I hope he gets fitting just desserts.

Still can't wait to see if they are introducing the concept of the titanmasters to idw, also are we going straight from titan returns to revolution?

I believe TR will be part of Revolution. Revolution involves pretty much the entire IDW universe of Hasbro owned properties, whereas TR is specific to The Transformers.

This TR is a one shot, my understanding being that it would kick off a series of issues that would cross all TF titles similar to CW, but now with Revolution thrown in the mix, I'm not sure how it will work out. I just want Fort Max to get a Titan sized body, so we can put the whole "who's bigger" Metroplex or Fort Max debate to rest. In IDW, at least they will be the same size to match the newest generation of toys.

I was thinking Revolution was something akin to Infestation I & II, except this time, only with Hasbro IP (TF, GI Joe, Micronauts, ROM, MASK...) cant remember if Visionaries is part of this, or just the Hasbro CU.

o.supreme wrote:I believe TR will be part of Revolution. Revolution involves pretty much the entire IDW universe of Hasbro owned properties, whereas TR is specific to The Transformers.

This TR is a one shot, my understanding being that it would kick off a series of issues that would cross all TF titles similar to CW, but now with Revolution thrown in the mix, I'm not sure how it will work out. I just want Fort Max to get a Titan sized body, so we can put the whole "who's bigger" Metroplex or Fort Max debate to rest. In IDW, at least they will be the same size to match the newest generation of toys.

I was thinking Revolution was something akin to Infestation I & II, except this time, only with Hasbro IP (TF, GI Joe, Micronauts, ROM, MASK...) cant remember if Visionaries is part of this, or just the Hasbro CU.

Not entirely sure about TR going directly into Revolution, but as far as we know, TF56-7 and MTMTE56-7 are continuing from here. TAAO will follow the storyline somehow come September, which is when Revolution hits, so you may have a point.

(Visionaries is not part of Revolution. Action Man is.)

It'll be interesting to see what they've got cooked up for Sentinel Prime here. While he wasn't explicitly killed in Megatron Origin, I wonder where he's been hiding out all this time.

Aside from Abominus, Sentinel always seemed like the least characterized of the Primes. Not an imperialist tyrant like Nova or a ruler pushed to become a monster like Zeta. I like the idea of the betrayed hard liner we see here, just as long as it's sufficiently different from Galvatron's supremacist barbarism.

Shuttershock wrote:It'll be interesting to see what they've got cooked up for Sentinel Prime here. While he wasn't explicitly killed in Megatron Origin, I wonder where he's been hiding out all this time.

Aside from Abominus, Sentinel always seemed like the least characterized of the Primes. Not an imperialist tyrant like Nova or a ruler pushed to become a monster like Zeta. I like the idea of the betrayed hard liner we see here, just as long as it's sufficiently different from Galvatron's supremacist barbarism.

Because we definitely need more variety than your standard supremacist thinking.

(I agree, just teasing.)

Happy to see Sentinel Prime return but hard to take the toy is a headmaster.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out when he discovers Optimus Prime and then Megatron (now an Autobot) who put him in the ground.

Kind of a pity in a way that this is squeezed into this event as event story telling hasn't been great but then again IDW as a whole has been on the slip with all of its Transformers titles lately save a few bits here and there in my opinion.

How do you know he hasn't become a headmaster in the fiction now? Would that make the toy any better now?

Definitely interested in what Sentinel Prime has to say about the mess idw made of Transformers.

If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck...

Dr Va'al wrote:If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck...

Then it's a Maximal with a very poor taste in alt modes.

Kurona wrote:

Dr Va'al wrote:If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck...

Then it's a Maximal with a very poor taste in alt modes.

I didn't know you were on the bill tonight.

Shuttershock wrote:It'll be interesting to see what they've got cooked up for Sentinel Prime here. While he wasn't explicitly killed in Megatron Origin, I wonder where he's been hiding out all this time.

Aside from Abominus, Sentinel always seemed like the least characterized of the Primes. Not an imperialist tyrant like Nova or a ruler pushed to become a monster like Zeta. I like the idea of the betrayed hard liner we see here, just as long as it's sufficiently different from Galvatron's supremacist barbarism.

Presumably he did die from his dialogue on the forst page, and he was brought back by the resurrection/deathwave in Dark Cybertron.

Dr Va'al wrote:

Kurona wrote:

Dr Va'al wrote:If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck...

Then it's a Maximal with a very poor taste in alt modes.

I didn't know you were on the bill tonight.

Oh dear, I think you're both quackers I find both of your jokes falling fowl off the mark.

Trypticon01 wrote:

Shuttershock wrote:It'll be interesting to see what they've got cooked up for Sentinel Prime here. While he wasn't explicitly killed in Megatron Origin, I wonder where he's been hiding out all this time.

Aside from Abominus, Sentinel always seemed like the least characterized of the Primes. Not an imperialist tyrant like Nova or a ruler pushed to become a monster like Zeta. I like the idea of the betrayed hard liner we see here, just as long as it's sufficiently different from Galvatron's supremacist barbarism.

Presumably he did die from his dialogue on the forst page, and he was brought back by the resurrection/deathwave in Dark Cybertron.

That would make sense as to how he came back

I'm not so sure it was because of that event though, I'm betting it is more significantly titan focused, and I would be surprised if the titanmasters aren't brought into it.

True, but at least there is a plausible explanation that may not involve the titan masters. Though they most likely will be responsible

And finally, our third preview from IDW Publishing sees the one-shot issue co-written by John Barber, Mairghread Scott and James Roberts that starts the Titans Return mini-event in the Transformers comics - check it out in full below, let us know what you think, and expect a review on new comic book day!

Transformers: Titans Return One-shot
Mairghread Scott, James Roberts, John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a & c)
THE LAST AUTOBOT! Once he ruled CYBERTRON with a brutal (and literal) iron fist... left for dead four million years ago, SENTINEL PRIME is back. But in a world where STARSCREAM rules CYBERTON, OPTIMUS PRIME has invaded Earth, and MEGATRON is an AUTOBOT—SENTINEL doesn’t like what he sees!
FC • 40 pages • $4.99

Bullet points:
The story continues in TRANSFORMERS #56 and MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE #56 next month, and expands to TILL ALL ARE ONE this fall!
For the first time ever—Scott, Roberts, and Barber working together on one story!
Plus the powerful noir art of superstar Livio Ramondelli!
After OPTIMUS is hailed; after the LIGHT dies... the next phase of TRANSFORMERS comics starts here!

Well there's your explanation, guys - he was a Headmaster all along!
Loving that Acme Comics cover.

Anyone else think this comic takes place before Dying of the Light? The way everyone's talking so casually about being on the ship and not mourning... certain things... the fact Megatron's still saying he's renounced violence; seems to be that way to me. Not saying it DEFINITELY is, but I get that vibe.

The art is great! This is the first time I've seen Livio Ramondelli's art being so clean, clear and crisp. Do we have Livio himself to thank for this or whoever did the colouring?

Kurona wrote:Well there's your explanation, guys - he was a Headmaster all along!
Loving that Acme Comics cover.

Anyone else think this comic takes place before Dying of the Light? The way everyone's talking so casually about being on the ship and not mourning... certain things... the fact Megatron's still saying he's renounced violence; seems to be that way to me. Not saying it DEFINITELY is, but I get that vibe.

I don't think he's always been a headmaster but it's a good explanation to how's he alive.

The MTMTE takes place during the 2 month gap between 49-59...also because it says 3 weeks earlier.

reVelske wrote:The art is great! This is the first time I've seen Livio Ramondelli's art being so clean, clear and crisp. Do we have Livio himself to thank for this or whoever did the colouring?

I didn't even realize it was Ramondelli! If he keeps this up, I won't hate his work anymore. Then who will I have to complain about?

Randomhero wrote:

Kurona wrote:Well there's your explanation, guys - he was a Headmaster all along!
Loving that Acme Comics cover.

Anyone else think this comic takes place before Dying of the Light? The way everyone's talking so casually about being on the ship and not mourning... certain things... the fact Megatron's still saying he's renounced violence; seems to be that way to me. Not saying it DEFINITELY is, but I get that vibe.

I don't think he's always been a headmaster but it's a good explanation to how's he alive.

The MTMTE takes place during the 2 month gap between 49-59...also because it says 3 weeks earlier.

I'm not so sure. I think this might take place after dying. With the two exhibits, one is a flower from necroworld which means this takes place either after issue 44 or after dying. The second is a little hat thing which is really similar to the one the galactic council admiral is wearing in the preview for issue 55. Unless they had another encounter with the galactic council where they got a free hat, I think this might be after dying. Also, I think three weeks earlier just means three weeks earlier from the real starting point of the titans return issue, which could be anytime for all I know.

ricemazter wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

Kurona wrote:Well there's your explanation, guys - he was a Headmaster all along!
Loving that Acme Comics cover.

Anyone else think this comic takes place before Dying of the Light? The way everyone's talking so casually about being on the ship and not mourning... certain things... the fact Megatron's still saying he's renounced violence; seems to be that way to me. Not saying it DEFINITELY is, but I get that vibe.

I don't think he's always been a headmaster but it's a good explanation to how's he alive.

The MTMTE takes place during the 2 month gap between 49-59...also because it says 3 weeks earlier.

I'm not so sure. I think this might take place after dying. With the two exhibits, one is a flower from necroworld which means this takes place either after issue 44 or after dying. The second is a little hat thing which is really similar to the one the galactic council admiral is wearing in the preview for issue 55. Unless they had another encounter with the galactic council where they got a free hat, I think this might be after dying. Also, I think three weeks earlier just means three weeks earlier from the real starting point of the titans return issue, which could be anytime for all I know.

They got a hat for Rodimus in issue 13 on Hedonia when took a break to drink and sight see, the flower is from the first time they visited the Necroworld.

Sorry I meant #49-50.

Also Megatron is mentioning his new found pacifism. You don't announce your a pacifist, pick up a fusion can again, kill around 100 decepticons then start spouting pacifism again. This takes place before "dying of the light"

Randomhero wrote:

ricemazter wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

Kurona wrote:Well there's your explanation, guys - he was a Headmaster all along!
Loving that Acme Comics cover.

Anyone else think this comic takes place before Dying of the Light? The way everyone's talking so casually about being on the ship and not mourning... certain things... the fact Megatron's still saying he's renounced violence; seems to be that way to me. Not saying it DEFINITELY is, but I get that vibe.

I don't think he's always been a headmaster but it's a good explanation to how's he alive.

The MTMTE takes place during the 2 month gap between 49-59...also because it says 3 weeks earlier.

I'm not so sure. I think this might take place after dying. With the two exhibits, one is a flower from necroworld which means this takes place either after issue 44 or after dying. The second is a little hat thing which is really similar to the one the galactic council admiral is wearing in the preview for issue 55. Unless they had another encounter with the galactic council where they got a free hat, I think this might be after dying. Also, I think three weeks earlier just means three weeks earlier from the real starting point of the titans return issue, which could be anytime for all I know.

They got a hat for Rodimus in issue 13 on Hedonia when took a break to drink and sight see, the flower is from the first time they visited the Necroworld.

Sorry I meant #49-50.

Also Megatron is mentioning his new found pacifism. You don't announce your a pacifist, pick up a fusion can again, kill around 100 decepticons then start spouting pacifism again. This takes place before "dying of the light"

Ah, though you gotta admit, that hat is a dead ringer for the admiral's.

It's suppose to.

The MTMTE bit of the one shot takes place before the Dying of the Light, per the word of god.

https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/ ... 2469899265

MrBlack wrote:The MTMTE bit of the one shot takes place before the Dying of the Light, per the word of god.

https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/ ... 2469899265

Thank you! I swear he's said that weeks ago

Synopsis
THE LAST AUTOBOT! Once he ruled CYBERTRON with a brutal (and literal) iron fist... left for dead four million years ago, SENTINEL PRIME is back. But in a world where STARSCREAM rules CYBERTON, OPTIMUS PRIME has invaded Earth, and MEGATRON is an AUTOBOT—SENTINEL doesn’t like what he sees!



Story

The last couple of months (years?) have had a lot of change in the world of the Transformers - since Dark Cybertron ended, Dawn of the Autobots and Days of Deception happened, Megatron had several changes of heart, Windblade erupted into the world, Optimus started his journey to True Prick Prime status, Starscream actually still rules Cybertron, and the ex-colonies have returned. Now, imagine you were left for dead when you were a fascistic despot bent on superweapons and conquest. It's bound to mess with your brain, right?



The three-author structure is actually well deployed in the book, allowing us a pre-Dying of the Light look at a flashback under movie night banner from (predominantly, one assumes) James Roberts, and avoiding a talking heads part. Which also means Swerve and Whirl get to annoy Megatron for a bit, as Cyclonus lets the true noble purpleness of his heart shine - plus some smile-worthy social commentary. In fact, the whole section has heaps of it.



The second section has an unfortunate bit of a crossover - though not crucial, the two scenes are more complementary than anything - with the events of The Transformers #55, delayed in its print form to next week, but available on digital, it seems. Looking at the status on Earth after the rise of the Titan, and more Primes than you can can wrap your head around.



Between John Barber and Mairghread Scott, the two heads together prove that they can master the voices of the other, as the third section is also the longest, set on Cybertron with Sentinel doing a lot of stuff. Stuff that shows character in pretty much everyone around him, from Starscream to Ironhide to Windblade, along with establishing him as

Art

Livio Ramondelli is the sole author of the visuals, and - unless you're not a fan of his style in general - he does an excellent job of bringing together a chaotic, hectic, pretty much planet shattering return, even if not of Titanic proportions as such. Between some of the establishing shots, and the lighting games that are being used throughout the book...



...and the more detailed looks at the characters, their interactions, and even some of the battle scenes, we get another strong performance in the G1-esque direction that Ramondelli's art, colouring and layouts has taken in later months. It works for the big bad bot, it works for the Lost Light cast, it works for Ironhide in particular. It works.



Tom B. Long returns to the work he had been doing in books like Autocracy/Primacy/Monstrosity, keeping the fonts more or less simple and clear, but having fun with the sound effects as Sentinel brings on a bit of a rampage wherever he goes or might end up going. And we get some good covers too, in the main Ramondelli one we've seen for a while plus the ROM exclusive, the thumbnailed Priscilla Tramontano encapsulates the story's potential direction, and there's a very fun double cover by Chris Giarrusso for Acme Comics.


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

The visuals are Ramondelli at its best, as of recent, and it's good to see him in such top shape, and colour, and... The writing, not only of the different characters as pointed out so far, but of Sentinel himself, is very entertaining - as far as a character such as his can be. He will be loved and hated in equal measure, and stands as a dead ringer for certain vocal elements of the fandom at times, too.



A one-shot that actually does fairly well in bringing together the three coexisting series at the moment, and sets up a stage that doesn't feel to constrained or artificial, with hints in the other books that can be linking bits together for detail-oriented readers, and a callback to a much earlier stage of the IDWverse. This book does good, and it does it well.

Trying to find the comic itself

Dr Va'al wrote:

The Actual True Primes

But considering I've seen what is clearly the best panel I don't think I need to

I really liked this. My god was this months comics filled with death!