IDW Transformers: Combiner Wars - Livio Ramondelli Character Previews

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Wait is Ramondelli doing windblade as well? I like him more than most here, but I really adored everything about sarah stone's work.

Va'al wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Wait is Ramondelli doing windblade as well? I like him more than most here, but I really adored everything about sarah stone's work.

Stone is doing Windblade #1 and #3, Ramondelli all the other issues in CW (including Windblade #2). It's a matter of deadlines and speed of production, I'm told.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:

Va'al wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Wait is Ramondelli doing windblade as well? I like him more than most here, but I really adored everything about sarah stone's work.

Stone is doing Windblade #1 and #3, Ramondelli all the other issues in CW (including Windblade #2). It's a matter of deadlines and speed of production, I'm told.

Aw that makes me sad. Oh so is windblade still, going to be a miniseries or after combiner battle royal, doesn't seem like to much of a war, is she an ongoing.?

Starsaber468 wrote:Honestly a female combiner is nit a good idea and wanna know why i'll tell u why because combiner wars is really ment for younger audiences plus it would be werid to have a female combiner

ZeroWolf wrote:

Starsaber468 wrote:Honestly a female combiner is nit a good idea and wanna know why i'll tell u why because combiner wars is really ment for younger audiences plus it would be werid to have a female combiner

I really don't understand your comment. How would a female combiner be any weirder then a male one? Also the comics are more aimed at slightly older fans.

Starsaber468 wrote:Honestly a female combiner is nit a good idea and wanna know why i'll tell u why because combiner wars is really ment for younger audiences plus it would be werid to have a female combiner

Starsaber468 wrote:Honestly a female combiner is nit a good idea and wanna know why i'll tell u why because combiner wars is really ment for younger audiences plus it would be werid to have a female combiner

Delta Magnus wrote:Just get Hercules instead then.

In all seriousness though I agree. It could have been easily engineered and is a much better way of forming his arms. Given the overall G1 look they seem to be going for though I guess they avoided that to preserve the (kinda daft) "entire vehicles for shoulders with nondescript boxes for forearms" look.

MR Optimus Prime wrote:REALLY dissapoints me to see Devastator drawn here with tread arms and hands that are oviously meant to be built into the transformation and not extra parts that attach. This drawing is exactly what I was hoping for on the Titan class toy.

griftimus prime wrote:not a big fan of this guys work either but his work now is way better than it was a few years back. why does dev have treads on the forearms?

CBR News: This is the first big "Transformers" crossover since last year's "Dark Cybertron" epic. While we understand the basic gist of the crossover, what more can you tell us about "Combiner Wars?" Who, exactly is combining? Who is warring?

Mairghread Scott: "Combiner Wars" starts when Starscream (a rather evil guy and ruler of Cybertron) gains the ability to make a Combiner (a super-powerful giant) and seems poised to build a new Cybertronian empire.

Let that sink in.

Because when we talk about empire in "Transformers," we're not talking a few countries in Europe. We're speaking of whole planets who might be about to bow to the power of one man. Combiners are the ultimate weapons of Transformers, and Starscream can now make as many as he wants.

So you have two very different wars happening at the same time. Windblade and Optimus Prime are fighting a war for influence (Can they get people to see the danger Starscream poses?), while others take a much more literal war with every weapon they have.

John Barber: Meanwhile, on Earth, Prowl is sitting at the head of the up-to-now only really properly-functioning Combiner -- the other attempts have basically failed outright or driven the component people mad -- and he's not keen on Optimus Prime's leadership of the Autobots, or Starscream's ruling of Cybertron.

To put it in a real world setting: It's six issues (one "Opening Salvo" and five actual parts, just like most of the Combiners have) that starts in "Transformers" #39, goes to the new "Transformers: Windblade" #1, back to "Transformers" #40 and alternated until it's done. Mairghread and I are writing it, and the art is by the amazing Sarah Stone and Livio Ramondelli, alternating issues

[...]

Diversity is a big issue in comics -- and everywhere, really -- and something that I know is important to both of you, but how exactly do you promote diversity through stories about giant sexless, raceless robots?

Scott: The term "sexless" is debatable in my view. I want to be clear: There are Transformers who are inherently male and inherently female. That doesn't mean the same thing as it does in humans, but Transformers that call themselves "she" aren't doing it because they like the 'sh' sound. They are female, and we're going to meet a lot more of them.

The term "raceless" is also misleading. Transformers have a long history of racial tension against cassettes, animalistic transformers, headmasters, etc. They are just as noble as humans and we're pushing the envelope to make them at least as diverse as we are. So what can you expect in terms of Transformers in the future? More! More body types, more races, more LGBTQ, more religions and creeds and classes. More conflict about all of the above. Working with robots doesn't stop us from exploring diversity. It offers us the chance to push the boundaries of diversity in a lot of interesting, allegorical ways.

Barber: Yeah, what Mairghread said there. One of the things that non-"Transformers" fans might not realize is how wide-ranging and inclusive the "Transformers" fanbase is. I mean, it's self-evident if you're part of the "Transformers" world, but "Transformers" readers, "Transformers" fans encompass the entire spectrum of people. And it's important to have the characters in the comic be reflective of that.

It's sometimes a complex line to walk, between the out-and-out science-fiction-ness of the "Transformers" universe and its relationship with the real world, but it's important.

Delta Magnus wrote:Uhh, Camiens aren't all female. (As far as I know, I've only read The Death of Optimus Prime thus far.)

If you were to pitch the story to a new reader that hasn’t had the fortune of reading prior IDW Transformers comics, what is Combiner Wars and why should you be reading the current Transformers stories?

Mairghread Scott: Combiner Wars is about a world on the verge of imperial takeover. Cybertron has recently discovered one of a series of long lost colony worlds (this is where Windblade comes from), and they’re reaching out to them once more. But with the rise of the combiners, Cybertron (and more accurately Starscream) has military power no one’s ever seen before. He could easily turn these colonies into conquered worlds, creating a vast empire even Megatron never imagined.

John Barber: If you’ve never read Transformers, you probably wouldn’t guess what the IDW Transformers books are like. I mean, there’s a lot of action, yeah—and Combiner Wars definitely has some serious fighting—but a lot more personal interactions and political machinations go on than somebody might expect. I think word of mouth has spread about what we’re doing in these books, and hopefully something like Combiner Wars will give new readers a good place to take a look at this universe.

[...]

What do you want to do after Combiner Wars? Windblade Returns has been confirmed to not just be a miniseries, but little more besides that has been stated.

MS: That’s by design. Actually, the comic is named Transformers: Windblade; “Windblade Returns” was just a title card put up to announce our comeback. And we haven’t said much about it because Combiner Wars is so linked in with Windblade’s story that saying too much could spoil this event. I will tell you one thing. There’s this old saying I keep thinking of as I write it: “God never gives you more than you can handle.” Windblade is a lot stronger than she was when we first introduced her, but that just means her problems have grown that much bigger with her. I want to believe that Windblade really can build a better future for Cybertron and Caminus. But, as a writer, it’s my job to push her as hard as possible and see if she actually does.

JB: The next set of issues of Transformers deals with the ramifications of what happens in Combiner Wars back on Earth, and the rest of our solar system. With the changes in CW, we’ll see Arcee taking on a new role, and get some good Cosmos stuff, finally. And see what happened to Kup when he was in the Dead Universe. Plus, somebody will return. I won’t say who.

shockblast2 wrote:"There are Transformers who are inherently male and inherently female"


One of the most MORONIC statements I have ever heard from the lips of a human being in general. Robots do not have penises or vaginas, nor do they breed. This ideology just totally baffles me. Nothing more than an excuse to a) add tits to a robots to draw in teenage hormone machines and b) to try to insultingly draw in female Transformer fans for more revenue. Like they never liked the Transformers before Windblade was defecated out of the minds of "transformers fans".

SW's SilverHammer wrote:

shockblast2 wrote:"There are Transformers who are inherently male and inherently female"


One of the most MORONIC statements I have ever heard from the lips of a human being in general. Robots do not have penises or vaginas, nor do they breed. This ideology just totally baffles me. Nothing more than an excuse to a) add tits to a robots to draw in teenage hormone machines and b) to try to insultingly draw in female Transformer fans for more revenue. Like they never liked the Transformers before Windblade was defecated out of the minds of "transformers fans".

Yeah, and why does Jazz sound black? Just hasblow appealing to the PC agenda; trying to force African Americans into the lime light; and exploit them when all he is; is a minstral show (all of that is sarcasm BTWs)

snavej wrote:The most inherent thing about Transformers is their ability to change their body shape, hence the name! It would be more natural for them to change their shape regularly so that they could appear male, female or something else altogether. Different shapes are useful for different activities. They might be seen as true 'gender benders'! It might seem weird to humans etc. but perfectly normal to Transformers. [Lou Reed's 'Transformer' album, anyone?!]

Delta Magnus wrote:You do know that Jazz was voiced by the very black Scatman Crothers, right?

Delta Magnus wrote:You do know that Jazz was voiced by the very black Scatman Crothers, right?

shockblast2 wrote:"There are Transformers who are inherently male and inherently female"


One of the most MORONIC statements I have ever heard from the lips of a human being in general. Robots do not have penises or vaginas, nor do they breed. This ideology just totally baffles me. Nothing more than an excuse to a) add tits to a robots to draw in teenage hormone machines and b) to try to insultingly draw in female Transformer fans for more revenue. Like they never liked the Transformers before Windblade was defecated out of the minds of "transformers fans".

CrankyOldTruck wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:You do know that Jazz was voiced by the very black Scatman Crothers, right?

And you did read the fine print at the bottom of his post saying that it was sarcasm, right?
He knows full well what he was getting at and who voiced Jazz?

shockblast2 wrote:"There are Transformers who are inherently male and inherently female"


One of the most MORONIC statements I have ever heard from the lips of a human being in general. Robots do not have penises or vaginas, nor do they breed. This ideology just totally baffles me. Nothing more than an excuse to a) add tits to a robots to draw in teenage hormone machines and b) to try to insultingly draw in female Transformer fans for more revenue. Like they never liked the Transformers before Windblade was defecated out of the minds of "transformers fans".

I can't wait to watch you get thrown into a pit with 50 trans-genders and get your ass kicked.
You so totally missed the point of what they were trying to say that it goes beyond pathetic.
It's obvious that the only thing you are capable of comprehending is the pictures of Giant F'ing Robots blowing sh** up and that anything on a half-way adult level is incomprehensible

CrankyOldTruck wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:You do know that Jazz was voiced by the very black Scatman Crothers, right?

And you did read the fine print at the bottom of his post saying that it was sarcasm, right?
He knows full well what he was getting at and who voiced Jazz?

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Another super racist shocker, Optimus Prime he sounds like a white guy from canada; i think that might be because, last time I checked; Peter Cullen is a white dude from Quebec

Also trans gender people, or any person of the like, they people too.

shockblast2 wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Another super racist shocker, Optimus Prime he sounds like a white guy from canada; i think that might be because, last time I checked; Peter Cullen is a white dude from Quebec

Also trans gender people, or any person of the like, they people too.

Again, trying to gloss over your ideology with silly comparisons will not hide the fact that you are making racist statements.

shockblast2 wrote:"There are Transformers who are inherently male and inherently female"


One of the most MORONIC statements I have ever heard from the lips of a human being in general. Robots do not have penises or vaginas, nor do they breed. This ideology just totally baffles me. Nothing more than an excuse to a) add tits to a robots to draw in teenage hormone machines and b) to try to insultingly draw in female Transformer fans for more revenue. Like they never liked the Transformers before Windblade was defecated out of the minds of "transformers fans".