IDW Transformers: Primacy #1 Preview

I do enjoy seeing prime not acting like prime if that makes sense.

Synopsis
THE WAR FOR CYBERTRON! Optimus Prime versus Megatron. Autobots versus Decepticons. At the dawn of the conflict, battle lines are drawn and sides are set… now legends will be made. The war that would define a planet begins in earnest—and its revelations will shake the TRANSFORMERS’ world to the core!



Story

Autocracy did some really interesting things by taking politics to a whole other level. Monstrosity brought 'the Quintessons' and Trypticon back into the game. Primacy is supposed to shape the IDW Transformers universe as we know it - so what is the missing link between the fall of Trypticon and the rise of Megatron? It looks like issue 1 starts answering that question.



The focus of Chris Metzen and Flint Dille appears to be shifting between Optimus Prime and Megatron as they both 'recover' from the happenings in the previous two mini-series, with the latter in particular sometimes questioning (?) his actions - and yet, at the same time, we also have some nice interactions between Grimlock and Rodimus, Optimus and Ironhide, Megatron and.. well. You'll see.



There is one major snag in the issue, during Optimus' sections, which I'm hoping will get explained later in the series - but for now it's not too distracting (for me at least), and considering John Barber is editing the work, some kind of patching could always take place at another stage, or there's a better reason for it happening as it does.



All in all, there are some big set-ups for this run, with some nice interactions between the key players, and some past exploration and world-defining, delving into pre-established elements of the franchise and plots hinted at in both Autocracy and Monstrosity, and the wider IDWverse.

Art

Livio Ramondelli resumes his task of showing us the beginning of Cybertron's dark ages, with his trademark darker style and colours, shining on big splash pages and spreads, and I mean BIG. The characters, the scope, the layouts - there's a sense of size and scale that follows from some of the later chapter in Monstrosity sliding into here, and not just in the art itself.



The colours obviously work well with the linework, and there are some nicely contrasting tones in some flashback sequences. The eye differences are a nice touch too, with Grimlock, Optimus and Megatron showing off different optics. And a very nice touch comes from letterer Chris Mowry, helping with giving a voice to the different characters, each in its own slightly unique way, and some great translucent sound effects.



I'll take a little longer on the covers, as the main one by Ramondelli is but a fourth of the series' run, but it is joined by an amazing Optimus Prime revealing the matrix by Windblade's Sarah Stone (a nice echo of one of the moments shown above) and an excellent 30th Anniversary variant by Casey Coller and JP Bove, commemorating the smelting pool and poor Scrounge (see thumbnail).


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Metzen and Dille's writing is slightly different from the rest of IDW's current output, but still holds its appeal with both older audiences and fans of the more modern ongoings. And their style fits the tone and time of the story, without any doubt, focusing on the two main players of the beginning of the war. Ramondelli's art returns to complement them, and I very happy to have Barber on editing, making sure it all fits in together - even with Omega's confusing statements.



It's an easing into the story again, definitely. Some big stuff went down in what leads us to this point, and with this issue we're discovering bigger things still slowly emerging from Cybertron's past and leading into its future. And there are much much bigger things to come, if the last pages are anything to go by. Big things indeed.

At this point, poor Scrounge is probably the character most due for a toy.

So are Monstrosity and Autocracy required reading for this? Because I haven't read those, and I am actually intrigued by this, especially the exchange between Rodimus and Grimlock.

Required? No. Helpful? Yes.

I enjoyed both books, but Monstrosity definitely feeds more into this than Autocracy did with Monstrosity.
Maybe give the wiki page a read, if you don't want to track them down?

I got a tad confused by some of the things as well, the Omega statements were the worst offenders.

Rodimus Prime wrote:So are Monstrosity and Autocracy required reading for this? Because I haven't read those, and I am actually intrigued by this, especially the exchange between Rodimus and Grimlock.

If you're interested, get Comixology, and check with Autocracy and Monstrosity. IDW will likely have a -50% sale on the collected edition of at least one of those. That's how I got Autocracy which got me interested in Monstrosity.

I've learned my lesson from Monstrosity, I'm waiting for a sale after the series is over. Getting each chapter as it came out was kinda cool because I was on the same page as everyone else, but the writing's not exactly brilliant, the art is not very good and all that makes it all kinda hard to follow. On top of that it just kinda pissed me off writing style wise. Too much recycled stuff and half of it makes no sense.

It's also weird how everybody in this series is pretty much the same as what they're like in the present, except Kup, Kup is a "young" Autobot. Why the hell is Kup the only one to freaking age in this?

Sure it's kinda enjoyable but, not something I need right away.

Yet more comics news from IDW Publishing! This time, we take a look at the Sarah Stone variant cover for the second issue of Transformers: Primacy, out next month, courtesy of the IDW Tumblr - including Stone's clean version from her own blog. Check them out below!

I love her art work, it's so clear, and her starscreams always look so devious.

Hailing from the Facebook page of IDW artist Livio Ramondelli, we get a look at a trailer for his latest work with Transformers, along with Metzen and Dille: Primacy. The clip is by video game producer, writer and designer John Zuur Platten, and is embedded below. May contain some slight spoilers for issue #1 - of which you can read our review here!

There may be no new Transformers comics coming out next week, but iTunes (via IDW's Mariel Romero) comes to our rescue by providing the usual three-page preview. Check out below a sneak peak at the second issue of Transformers: Primacy!

DECEPTICONS ASSEMBLE! The war for CYBERTRON begins in earnest! MEGATRON brings together the deadliest of his troops for an unbelievable assault on the AUTOBOTS—and the TRANSFORMERS’ world is shaken to the core!

A quick question, how long is this set before Thunderwing gets his idea on how to save Cybertron? IDW continuity can be a bit confusing with the very early stuff.

Via the IDW Publishing Facebook page, we get a look at the Sarah Stone variant cover for the third issue of Transformers: Primacy - featuring a black and white, with red highlights, Starscream in all his glory. Check it out below!

Amazing art; however while looking at it gave me a Starscream in a nightclub fight vibe.

Va'al wrote:

Stone's an artist after my own heart.

Ready to get ready for something BIG about to happen in the past of the Transformers? Check out this week's comic release from IDW Publishing: Primacy #2! From the Dille, Metzen, Ramondelli team, who are definitely brewing something up for the series - and we'll talk about it in our review on Wednesday, so head back to Seibertron.com then.

Transformers: Primacy #2 (of 4)
Chris Metzen & Flint Dille (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a & c)
DECEPTICONS ASSEMBLE! The war for CYBERTRON begins in earnest! MEGATRON brings together the deadliest of his troops for an unbelievable assault on the AUTOBOTS—and the TRANSFORMERS’ world is shaken to the core!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
The End of the Beginning of the TRANSFORMERS Saga!
30th Anniversary Variant Cover by Sarah Stone!

It's like I'm reading the Marvel run with that obnoxious name-dropping. Then again it is that hack Metzen writing.

Aaannnddd Ramondelli is back at it again: Poorly sequenced art leaving you to wonder what exactly is supposed to be going on. On top of that, what's up with the Predacons? We've seen them in pre-Earth modes in stories set much later than this (but still before they arrived on Earth)... But now we're seeing them possibly at the earliest in the IDW timeline so far, at a period millions of years before their arrival on Earth yet they are bearing the alt-modes of Earth animals that may not have even evolved yet?

"Canis Tor"? Really?

MegaDump wrote:On top of that, what's up with the Predacons? We've seen them in pre-Earth modes in stories set much later than this (but still before they arrived on Earth)... But now we're seeing them possibly at the earliest in the IDW timeline so far, at a period millions of years before their arrival on Earth yet they are bearing the alt-modes of Earth animals that may not have even evolved yet?

Hm. You have a point here.

I just checked Stormbringer and Spotlight: Jazz, and they're definitely sporting their pre-Earth modes in both of those. And they're on Earth in the latter, too.

This is the second inconsistency with the established continuity so far - though I wonder if it's more for the sake of the upcoming Combiner Wars than anything: new readers may not go as far back as the early Furman/McCarthy run, and the alt-modes would need explaining to the new audience.

I'll admit I'm not that familiar with the IDW transformer lore since I only just started getting the collections, but how exactly did the Predacons feed on anything while stuck on Canis Tor? Don't they run on energon or some other derivative that isn't organic? I know the decepticons can convert organic matter into fuel with pink alchemy, but wouldn't they need a big distillery to pull it off, and even so how'd they manage to wipe out the planet's entire populace that way within a few months?

Va'al wrote:

MegaDump wrote:On top of that, what's up with the Predacons? We've seen them in pre-Earth modes in stories set much later than this (but still before they arrived on Earth)... But now we're seeing them possibly at the earliest in the IDW timeline so far, at a period millions of years before their arrival on Earth yet they are bearing the alt-modes of Earth animals that may not have even evolved yet?

Hm. You have a point here.

I just checked Stormbringer and Spotlight: Jazz, and they're definitely sporting their pre-Earth modes in both of those. And they're on Earth in the latter, too.

This is the second inconsistency with the established continuity so far - though I wonder if it's more for the sake of the upcoming Combiner Wars than anything: new readers may not go as far back as the early Furman/McCarthy run, and the alt-modes would need explaining to the new audience.

Yeah, that seems likely... As much as I love the Transformers, it has always had some of the most heavily inconsistent storytelling of any franchise. Unfortunately, it's something we've had to get used to and either ignore or interpret each our own way... Which is very sloppy storytelling and a bit of a slap in the face for any of the more long-term readers.

MegaDump wrote:

Va'al wrote:

MegaDump wrote:On top of that, what's up with the Predacons? We've seen them in pre-Earth modes in stories set much later than this (but still before they arrived on Earth)... But now we're seeing them possibly at the earliest in the IDW timeline so far, at a period millions of years before their arrival on Earth yet they are bearing the alt-modes of Earth animals that may not have even evolved yet?

Hm. You have a point here.

I just checked Stormbringer and Spotlight: Jazz, and they're definitely sporting their pre-Earth modes in both of those. And they're on Earth in the latter, too.

This is the second inconsistency with the established continuity so far - though I wonder if it's more for the sake of the upcoming Combiner Wars than anything: new readers may not go as far back as the early Furman/McCarthy run, and the alt-modes would need explaining to the new audience.

Yeah, that seems likely... As much as I love the Transformers, it has always had some of the most heavily inconsistent storytelling of any franchise. Unfortunately, it's something we've had to get used to and either ignore or interpret each our own way... Which is very sloppy storytelling and a bit of a slap in the face for any of the more long-term readers.

That may have been true for a long time, but with the current IDW output (this title excluded, given these points of concern) both Andy Schmidt and John Barber as editors have done an amazing job at keeping it all in one more or less rational line.

To the point of going back to moment in previous stories to 'patch up' the continuity, as some of the Spotlights have done, and a lot of flashbacks also link to.

Different... but AUTHENTIC!

Predacons converting organic matter into Energon just like the Insecticons in G1 did. Cool! I love these guys now. Their " Earth" modes can be excused. Other planets have had Lions, Rhinos and Birds in Sci-Fi stories. These animals have never been portrayed as exclusive to Earth.

Synopsis
DECEPTICONS ASSEMBLE! The war for CYBERTRON begins in earnest! MEGATRON brings together the deadliest of his troops for an unbelievable assault on the AUTOBOTS—and the TRANSFORMERS’ world is shaken to the core!



Story

So here we are again, in the time before time on Cybertron (and other worlds in the post-Expansion mess-up), effectively a second before the ignition of the the great war that will shape the history of the Transformers as we have pretty much always known them. As envisioned by Chris Metzen and Flint Dille, with input from artist Livio Ramondelli too - issue #2.



The biggest thing to take away from the previous issue, as you might remember, was the slight inconsistencies wit hthe established IDW universe, particularly in the role played by newly rediscovered Omega Supreme. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case once again, as not only is Omega's tale cemented and bolted down to the streets of Iacon, but we also get a look at some peculiar takes on pre-Earth stories, as the Decepticon upper echelon round-up their army, preparing for battle.



Above all, the presence of the Predacons on Canis Tor, in their pre-Earth, pre-Stormbringer - but apparently not pre-beast modes. As much as this is a fairly serious continuity blip, it does seem to me that the explanation is simply to feed in to the Combiner Wars stories in which Predaking may or may not feature. A 'recent' continuity if you will, for newer readers. But still.



Nonetheless, the comic is not a bad read! The narrative choice of a big set up run across the universe beyond Cybertron is a nice touch, and it's plenty of fun to take a look at a number of eventually gestalt teams in their daily life before the war hit. It's a fun romp, with a definite G1 feel to it - but you do need to suspend a bit more than disbelief.

Art

Even with the Predacon glitch, Livio Ramondelli's work on the different planets and environments in which the Decepticons find themselves is plenty of fun, and well variegated. From the light, warm jungle of Canis Tor to the grungy, sulphuric Magmara Nine, Ramondelli paints an enjoyably diverse universe populated by the Cybertronians.



And he does so without losing the darkness of tones over at Autobot command (and in the Presidium, for that matter), both in layouts and colouring, with Optimus realising what decisions he must and must not make in order to ensure the survival and defence of what he cares for. And the brooding begins.



Chris Mowry's lettering, is extremely enjoyable, with some very well placed translucency, and colours mimicking or complementing the artwork beneath and around it. And it's fun, even shrouded in the dangerous terrain of the issue's plot. We've seen most of the covers already (Sarah Stone's variants are here and here), so the thumbnail includes a convention exclusive this time!


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

I grinned, almost uncontrollably, throughout the entire first part. Yes, it's silly, yes, it doesn't really do much, and yes, it doesn't fit any more in the IDW continuity, there's plenty of name-dropping and some inconsistencies that don't really hold up to the wider universe, and to the story itself (even within the single issue). But I was grinning so hard it almost didn't jar on the first read.



If you can get past that, the issue is an enjoyable read, preparing us for a very very big conflict about to burst at the seams, and we get some very nice double-page spreads to help us position the scale of all this. A very difficult issue to place, as, by itself, is perfectly fine, and only encounters big issues once it's placed on the bigger picture - but as I said, it's grin-worthy, with no doubt.

Va'al wrote:
I grinned, almost uncontrollably, throughout the entire first part. Yes, it's silly, yes, it doesn't really do much, and yes, it doesn't fit any more in the IDW continuity, there's plenty of name-dropping and some inconsistencies that don't really hold up to the wider universe, and to the story itself (even within the single issue). But I was grinning so hard it almost didn't jar on the first read.

How does this no longer fit in with IDW continuity? It seems to me to fit in still.

leokearon wrote:

Va'al wrote:
I grinned, almost uncontrollably, throughout the entire first part. Yes, it's silly, yes, it doesn't really do much, and yes, it doesn't fit any more in the IDW continuity, there's plenty of name-dropping and some inconsistencies that don't really hold up to the wider universe, and to the story itself (even within the single issue). But I was grinning so hard it almost didn't jar on the first read.

How does this no longer fit in with IDW continuity? It seems to me to fit in still.

Omega's actions/statements, Megatron's development, the Predacons' appearance. It's all a bit everywhere. *gesticulates*

Trade Release link

Just found link for trade on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/163140234X/ref=wl_mb_recs_2_title?tag=seibertron07-20&

Fellow Seibertron.com user triKlops has spotted a listing on Amazon.com for the collected trade paperback edition of Transformers Primacy, the current IDW output from Flint Dille, Chris Metzen and Livio Ramondelli. While the cover is not confirmed, the release date should not wildly differ from the one presented on the site - so readers can expect a March 2015 book, currently priced at $14.46.

Optimus Prime versus Megatron! Autobots versus Decepticons! At the dawn of the conflict, battle lines are drawn and sides are set... now legends will be made. The war that would define a planet begins in earnest - and its revelations will shake the Transformers' world to the core!

Series: Transformers
Paperback: 104 pages
Publisher: IDW Publishing (March 3, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 163140234X
ISBN-13: 978-1631402340

At an initial glance, I missed Ironhide's head and thought that his chest was half of Prime's chest, making Prime Super-Deformed or those other figures that recently came out.

And the second piece of comics news is another Mariel Romero upload to iTunes, a sneak preview of the opening of Transformers Primacy #3 - check out the pages mirrored below!

CYBERTRON AT WAR! The giant city-sized Titans, METROPLEX and TRYPTICON, battle on a scale the universe has never seen—and the destruction they leave in their wake leaves CYBERTRON ready for the DECEPTICONS to strike!

SHORYUUUKEN!

Ohhhh how I want a Titan Class Trypticon!

Bad cell phone pics from the IDW panel

I think we've seen all of those images.

Any news in terms of stories?

Va'al wrote:I think we've seen all of those images.

Any news in terms of stories?

Lol nope there's going to be a gem comic hahah

Defensor will be in combiner wars. Has this already been known?

Combiner Wars has Stone and Ramondelli working together? That'll be an interesting take, given how different those art styles are.

IDW Publishing is releasing not one, but two new Transformers comics this week, both featuring some Livio Ramondelli art, both dealing with Cybertron's past. Check out below the full preview for the first of the two - Transformers: Primacy #3! Make sure to head back here later this week for the Seibertron.com review, too.

Transformers: Primacy #3 (of 4)
Chris Metzen & Flint Dille (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a & c)
CYBERTRON AT WAR! The giant city-sized Titans, METROPLEX and TRYPTICON, battle on a scale the universe has never seen—and the destruction they leave in their wake leaves CYBERTRON ready for the DECEPTICONS to strike!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
The End of the Beginning of the TRANSFORMERS Saga!
The early, brutal days of the war for CYBERTRON
30th Anniversary Variant Cover by Ken Christiansen!

Since the Generations toys seem to follow the comics so closely, are we that much closer to getting a Titan Class Trypticon?

A Titan Class Trypticon is at the very top of my wish list.

I've not read any of this line. The art, while moody, is often times difficult for me to make out what is happening when action is involved

Yeah, this artwork is a mess. I can usually follow Livio fairly well but I have no idea what is going on in some of these panels.

jogunwarrior wrote:A Titan Class Trypticon is at the very top of my wish list.

I've not read any of this line. The art, while moody, is often times difficult for me to make out what is happening when action is involved

Exactly what I've been saying about this guy's art for ages. Sometimes he just makes it needlessly difficult to follow what's going on, and then you have to go back a few pages after you realise you've missed something.

Synopsis
CYBERTRON AT WAR! The giant city-sized Titans, METROPLEX and TRYPTICON, battle on a scale the universe has never seen—and the destruction they leave in their wake leaves CYBERTRON ready for the DECEPTICONS to strike!



Story

Last time we delved in Cybertron's past in Transformers: Primacy, the battle between Trypticon and the Titan Metroplex had only just begun. Issue three of this four-issue mini-series takes us deep into the conflict raging on, above and around the city of Iacon and the entirety of the planet, in a 22-page long series of action sequences.



The book shows off Megatron's attack as the first proper act of full-out war, involving the big beast, the Junkions and Sharkticons he recruited, his Seekers, Combaticons and appearances from the expanded cast of the Decepticon ranks we're all used to, plus Blackwall (very briefly) - and it's a very Megatron centric plot, too, despite the main action taken over by the titans fighting.



While the action is entertaining, Flint Dille and Chris Metzen's plot itself does not really result in much, and can feel a little cramped in some places and too distended in others, yet oddly still have a nice pacing in the single issue. I was, however, pleased to see the Omega/Nova Prime conundrum solved, if a little heavy-handedly.



The dialogue is still very much a Dille/Metzen product, and there's not a lot to expect from characterisation for the different characters other than what we've seen so far. On the other handm though, the ending has an interesting direction to it, and one that I'll be interested to see played out in the final issue of the series and trilogy.


Art

This is the second helping of Livio Ramondelli this week and month, and it's quite hard not to compare his work here to the one in RID #34. The biggest difference? Primacy is a lot darker, and sometimes the contrast doesn't help with the dynamism of the action scenes. The lighting, given by gunfire, acid rain, optics and explosions, though, does wonders on some otherwise fairly dim pages.



One of the visual highlights of this issue, to me, is the fun that Chris Mowry clearly had with the sound effects pervading the battle scenes. All the punches, crunches, booms, kicks, shooms, and especially the TWERGs, look amazing, and really stand out on the background of Ramondelli's colours, adding extra action hues to the mix.



And if you hadn't had enough of big page spreads on battles between Metroplex and Trypticon, the variant cover in the thumbnail, by Sarah Stone, gives you a little more of that. Because why not. The third part of the interlocking Ramondelli covers shows off the beginning of the Decepticon faction, and Ken Christiansen gives us another stunning 30th Anniversary collage from the Autobot side. Make sure to check them all out.


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

As I said above, do not expect too much from the plot of this issue of Primacy, despite some interesting developments towards the end. However, if you're into big blown full-on fighting with virtually all the cast of all the old Transformers characters, with curb-stomping, impaling, slicing, limb-ripping and one-liners - this is the book for you.



As the Autobot resistance takes a bit of a paler shade in their lack of preparation against the Decepticon uprising, I'm hoping we'll see more of an escalation next issue, with the conclusion veering the path of Primacy back onto the main IDW track, tying up some of the sub-plots ran so far, and some extra TWERG TWERG TWERG.

Va'al wrote:IDW Publishing is releasing not one, but two new Transformers comics this week, both featuring some Livio Ramondelli art, both dealing with Cybertron's past. Check out below the full preview for the first of the two - Transformers: Primacy #3! Make sure to head back here later this week for the Seibertron.com review, too.

Transformers: Primacy #3 (of 4)
Chris Metzen & Flint Dille (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a & c)
CYBERTRON AT WAR! The giant city-sized Titans, METROPLEX and TRYPTICON, battle on a scale the universe has never seen—and the destruction they leave in their wake leaves CYBERTRON ready for the DECEPTICONS to strike!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
The End of the Beginning of the TRANSFORMERS Saga!
The early, brutal days of the war for CYBERTRON
30th Anniversary Variant Cover by Ken Christiansen!

Is it me or does Trypticon's scale vary quite a bit in the different scenes and images
with Metroplex

We showed the Sarah Stone variant cover in this week's review of Transformers: Primacy #3, but thanks to the IDW Tumblr we get both another good look atTrypticon and Metroplex, and clean art of the next cover, for issue 4, featuring Optimus Prime and Megatron! Check them out mirrored below.

Va'al wrote:We showed the Sarah Stone variant cover in this week's review of Transformers: Primacy #3, but thanks to the IDW Tumblr we get both another good look atTrypticon and Metroplex, and clean art of the next cover, for issue 4, featuring Optimus Prime and Megatron! Check them out mirrored below.

The clean Ramondelli covers looks better blown up here. The Stone cover is interesting but I might be missing some meaning in all the symbolism ( the chains and the breaking background).

Once again, SHORYUKEN!

padfoo wrote: The clean Ramondelli covers looks better blown up here. The Stone cover is interesting but I might be missing some meaning in all the symbolism ( the chains and the breaking background).

They're both Sarah Stone's.

Those two covers are probably the best thing about Primacy. I wouldn't mind posters with those.