New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive
Friday, March 31st, 2017 6:58PM CDT
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Readers and fans of the IDW Transformers comics have been clamoring to see the return of artist Alex Milne on an official project, and we appear to have our answer. Already hinted at in the interview with Chris Ryall (which you can listen to here), we have confirmation from CBR and WonderCon 2017 that Rom the Space Knight will be facing off against the Transformers in a new series: Shining Armor! John Barber, Christos Gage and Milne and Josh Perez will be joining forces on the crossover, which will focus on new character Stardrive, a Cybertronian Knight of the Solstar order. Read more about it below, and check out our database entry!
At WonderCon, we found out! In July, IDW will launch “Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor” by John Barber, Christos Gage and Alex Milne. The story, set nearly two centuries in the past, will focus on a brand new character named Stardrive who’s not just a Cybertronian, but also a Solstar Knight. She finds herself caught in the middle between her fellow knights — including Rom — and the constantly evil menace of Starscream!
[...]
The series revolves around a Cybertronian Solstar Knight, what can you tell us about Stardrive?
Gage: She’s a great combo character… a Cybertronian infant rescued by Rom from a crashed spaceship. She grew up in the Solstar Order, so she’s never been around her own kind, until the events of our story. She’s very much a fish out of water, not really fitting in anywhere. She has a strong code of honor and a good heart, but they’ll be put to the test.
Barber: The reputation of Cybertronians has permeated every part of the civilized galaxy, so the Solstar Order know they’re bad news. Transformers have a tendency to destroy planets that get in their way — that’s all Stardrive knows about her heritage. She doesn’t fit in with organic life, but all she’s ever heard is how terrible Cybertronians are.
[...]
What was the process like for designing Stardrive with Alex Milne?
Gage: I stayed out of it, not being too familiar with Transformers, and I think he nailed it! She has sweetness and innocence, but also she looks incredibly tough, like when she’s stomping on Dire Wraiths!
Barber: Working closely with the team at Hasbro, Christos and I developed the story and what her personality was. At first, we’d even thought of using an existing Transformers character, but it became clear we were creating somebody new — the experiences she’d gone through and the way she acted didn’t fit right by the time we’d outlined the story. The character was very honest and very optimistic, despite everything. But she’s a Knight, a warrior, and she’s led a hard life. So we threw it over to Alex, who deserves the gold medal for Stardrive.
In collaboration with Hasbro’s creative team, Alex came up with the look, the alt-mode, how the Solstar armor works, and her name. I would have happily gotten involved, but as you might know, Alex really knows Transformers. He’s been drawing them for a really long time, and really gets what makes them tick. And he did a perfect job here. I couldn’t be happier with what he’s done with Stardrive.
[...]
Gage: I will admit that I wasn’t terribly familiar with the Transformers before this, but the more I learned, the more it seemed like a great fit. Besides the obvious — cool metal dudes and dudettes punching each other — there is the intriguing element that many of the Transformers view organic life as somewhat (or completely) inferior. But now along comes Rom, who is a combination of organic and machine life, and also functionally immortal. So where does he stand? It’s the kind of thing that calls your whole belief system into question, which is why it’s so much fun to have a Cybertronian Solstar Knight as the fish out of water who is seeing her own people for the first time.
Barber: My whole run on Transformers has been about the recurring cycles of violence, and throwing another big space empire like the Solstar Order — and the Dire Wraiths — into the mix gives an outside perspective on the Cybertronian war and vice versa. The Solstar Order looks down on the endless war of the Cybertronians, even as they’re just starting to engage in their own endless war. The organic versus mechanical differences sort of fade away when the shooting starts.
Also, I don’t know if this is thematic, but we finally see what happens when a Dire Wraith possesses a Transformer! It’s horrifying!
Credit(s): CBR
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Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1870824)
Posted by Bumblevivisector on March 31st, 2017 @ 7:15pm CDT
Posted by Bumblevivisector on March 31st, 2017 @ 7:15pm CDT
Hmmm...any chance Stardrive transforms into or merges with the Nemesis?
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1870832)
Posted by ScottyP on March 31st, 2017 @ 8:11pm CDT
Posted by ScottyP on March 31st, 2017 @ 8:11pm CDT
So I guess the Galactic Council are just a-holes to everyone?
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1870844)
Posted by Kurona on March 31st, 2017 @ 9:25pm CDT
Posted by Kurona on March 31st, 2017 @ 9:25pm CDT
Pretty excited to see Bumblebee, which is a sentence I never thought I would ever say. Thanks Ghost Stories, you made me actually care about the character shoved into my face any time I even start typing 'Transformers' into my search bar 
And is that... Delta Magnus? I swear that's Delta Magnus. Or maybe it's good ol' Ultra. But which one? This is like 2 million years ago, so it can't be Minimus, right?
Stardrive looks cute and appealing but also comes with a rather strange Windblade vibe. I dunno, I just look at her and the shape of her head kinda says Windblade to me. Odd.
Kinda hoping I won't have to read ROM to understand this. Otherwise, looking good with some nice potential worldbuilding!
And is that... Delta Magnus? I swear that's Delta Magnus. Or maybe it's good ol' Ultra. But which one? This is like 2 million years ago, so it can't be Minimus, right?
Stardrive looks cute and appealing but also comes with a rather strange Windblade vibe. I dunno, I just look at her and the shape of her head kinda says Windblade to me. Odd.
Kinda hoping I won't have to read ROM to understand this. Otherwise, looking good with some nice potential worldbuilding!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1870846)
Posted by Shot Put on March 31st, 2017 @ 9:37pm CDT
It's 2 hundred years ago, not 2 million. Rom isn't that old!
It's more than likely Minimus. Plus Delta has an orange head.
Posted by Shot Put on March 31st, 2017 @ 9:37pm CDT
Kurona wrote:Pretty excited to see Bumblebee, which is a sentence I never thought I would ever say. Thanks Ghost Stories, you made me actually care about the character shoved into my face any time I even start typing 'Transformers' into my search bar
And is that... Delta Magnus? I swear that's Delta Magnus. Or maybe it's good ol' Ultra. But which one? This is like 2 million years ago, so it can't be Minimus, right?
Stardrive looks cute and appealing but also comes with a rather strange Windblade vibe. I dunno, I just look at her and the shape of her head kinda says Windblade to me. Odd.
Kinda hoping I won't have to read ROM to understand this. Otherwise, looking good with some nice potential worldbuilding!
It's 2 hundred years ago, not 2 million. Rom isn't that old!
It's more than likely Minimus. Plus Delta has an orange head.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1870862)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on March 31st, 2017 @ 11:07pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on March 31st, 2017 @ 11:07pm CDT
Oh ho ho ho YES!
I have been waiting for Milne's full return and this looks pretty awesome! I do love that the 200 years ago part is included in there; a nice series firmly settled in the past, with a new character to boot and it looks awesome.
this has me really excited, more so than Action Man and Kup
I have been waiting for Milne's full return and this looks pretty awesome! I do love that the 200 years ago part is included in there; a nice series firmly settled in the past, with a new character to boot and it looks awesome.
this has me really excited, more so than Action Man and Kup
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1870881)
Posted by partholon on April 1st, 2017 @ 3:52am CDT
Posted by partholon on April 1st, 2017 @ 3:52am CDT
now this is something i can get behind !
does my head in that 90% of TF crossovers are with GI JOE and the like when its a SCI/FI epic. a much more natural fit would be "the green lantern corp" and the like
a proper ROM crossover is a no brainer and im well on bord for it. be good for the franchise to ta get outside its box and allows us to see more of the anti mechanical prejudice hinted at.
should be fun.
and hey ALEX.
CANT go wrong with milne.
does my head in that 90% of TF crossovers are with GI JOE and the like when its a SCI/FI epic. a much more natural fit would be "the green lantern corp" and the like
a proper ROM crossover is a no brainer and im well on bord for it. be good for the franchise to ta get outside its box and allows us to see more of the anti mechanical prejudice hinted at.
should be fun.
and hey ALEX.
CANT go wrong with milne.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1870929)
Posted by MGrotusque on April 1st, 2017 @ 12:50pm CDT
Posted by MGrotusque on April 1st, 2017 @ 12:50pm CDT
I'm excited about this. I've been waiting for ROM to get a good artist. It's important for me that the ROM series gets drawn well. I haven't been incredibly pleased with the comic for that reason but it's ROM, so i still keep buying it.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1871638)
Posted by ScottyP on April 4th, 2017 @ 10:30am CDT
More Solstar Order is good, that's been the fun stuff in here for me!
Posted by ScottyP on April 4th, 2017 @ 10:30am CDT
The art's not been an issue for me, it's the pacing. It looks like business is finally picking up but I feel like they could've gotten there in half the time. I don't mind Darby or Camilla but I wish it was one character now, one later. My guess is that the long term planning doesn't work without what's been done, but it made the focus meander for quite awhile imo.MGrotusque wrote:I'm excited about this. I've been waiting for ROM to get a good artist. It's important for me that the ROM series gets drawn well. I haven't been incredibly pleased with the comic for that reason but it's ROM, so i still keep buying it.
More Solstar Order is good, that's been the fun stuff in here for me!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1881441)
Posted by Kurona on May 13th, 2017 @ 6:40pm CDT
Posted by Kurona on May 13th, 2017 @ 6:40pm CDT
Been writing a bit recently about why Revolution isn't a very good crossover so that's kind of gotten me in the mood to talk about why in contrast, I am extremely excited for this.
1. It's just Transformers and ROM. Rather than shoving all your eggs in a basket that really can't carry that many eggs, this is a much smaller scale thing that should allow for a much more natural flow, greater focus on both parties involved, and less risk of character/plot overflow.
2. It's set in the past. Admittedly I'm going to make a few assumptions here, but this is very important because it means it won't get in the way of the current ongoings. You won't have to stop reading Optimus Prime or ROM to read yet another crossover because that's what's happening now, you won't need to stop reading MASK because this'll have one little thing happen that sets off chain reactions in that book; this isn't happening in modern times so you won't need to buy it in order to continue the story. Ideally (and this is where the assumptions come in) a story set in the past like this will be purely optional and not necessary; it'll give some extra context, maybe help you understand certain plot details and characters more, but at the end of the day the only thing you should need to read it for would be to follow the story of the new character Stardrive. I mean yes, I'm going to read this because I love Transformers and read everything in this continuity no matter what; but it's nice to know that it's something I'm choosing to read and hopefully enjoy rather than something I'm obligated to.
So, yes. While I have no idea if this is actually going to be a decent comic (though by god, I hope it is) my hopes are raised and my barriers lowered because it's a crossover that instead of being a BIG IMPORTANT EVENT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST READ, it's being set up as a chance to just tell a good story. This is exactly the sort of thing I want to see come out of the expanded universe and part of why I was excited for it - fun, new ideas by the merging of different franchises without getting in the way of each other.
1. It's just Transformers and ROM. Rather than shoving all your eggs in a basket that really can't carry that many eggs, this is a much smaller scale thing that should allow for a much more natural flow, greater focus on both parties involved, and less risk of character/plot overflow.
2. It's set in the past. Admittedly I'm going to make a few assumptions here, but this is very important because it means it won't get in the way of the current ongoings. You won't have to stop reading Optimus Prime or ROM to read yet another crossover because that's what's happening now, you won't need to stop reading MASK because this'll have one little thing happen that sets off chain reactions in that book; this isn't happening in modern times so you won't need to buy it in order to continue the story. Ideally (and this is where the assumptions come in) a story set in the past like this will be purely optional and not necessary; it'll give some extra context, maybe help you understand certain plot details and characters more, but at the end of the day the only thing you should need to read it for would be to follow the story of the new character Stardrive. I mean yes, I'm going to read this because I love Transformers and read everything in this continuity no matter what; but it's nice to know that it's something I'm choosing to read and hopefully enjoy rather than something I'm obligated to.
So, yes. While I have no idea if this is actually going to be a decent comic (though by god, I hope it is) my hopes are raised and my barriers lowered because it's a crossover that instead of being a BIG IMPORTANT EVENT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST READ, it's being set up as a chance to just tell a good story. This is exactly the sort of thing I want to see come out of the expanded universe and part of why I was excited for it - fun, new ideas by the merging of different franchises without getting in the way of each other.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1885051)
Posted by william-james88 on May 30th, 2017 @ 12:20am CDT
Posted by william-james88 on May 30th, 2017 @ 12:20am CDT
as seen in solicits
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1885066)
Posted by Kurona on May 30th, 2017 @ 4:26am CDT
Posted by Kurona on May 30th, 2017 @ 4:26am CDT
I'm loving how this crossover looks so far. I dearly, dearly hope they don't heck it up.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1885185)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on May 30th, 2017 @ 12:43pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on May 30th, 2017 @ 12:43pm CDT
I have faith in this series. If anything, at least it is looking like it will look good visually!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1893012)
Posted by Va'al on June 28th, 2017 @ 11:46pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 28th, 2017 @ 11:46pm CDT
In other news from Amazon.com pre-orders and IDW Publishing, the first volume of the new series featuring Alex Milne on art, with Christos Gage and John Barber on writing, has also been listed for March 2018! More hints, but nothing more than what we already knew from previous material - check it out.
Rom and the Transformers together in an all-new series revealing their secret shared history... plus a major new character is introduced!
Meet the universe's only Cybertronian Solstar Knight! Hundreds of years ago, Rom discovered Stardrive, the sole survivor of a doomed space probe. Stardrive committed herself to protecting the galaxy from the Dire Wraiths... but when the Decepticon called Starscream makes a deadly deal, Rom and the Transformers are forced into a collision course... with Stardrive caught between two worlds!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895460)
Posted by Va'al on July 10th, 2017 @ 12:32am CDT
Posted by Va'al on July 10th, 2017 @ 12:32am CDT
Via iTunes, we have the first fully lettered preview for the upcoming new Hasbro Universe crossover event Rom vs Transformers: Shining Armor - with art by Alex Milne, written by John Barber - featuring the first Cybertronian in the Solstar order: Stardrive! Check it out below, and join the discussion in the Energon Pub!
Meet the universe's only Cybertronian Solstar Knight! Hundreds of years ago, Rom discovered Stardrive, the sole survivor of a doomed space probe. Stardrive committed herself to protecting the galaxy from the Dire Wraiths... but when the Decepticon called Starscream makes a deadly deal, Rom and the Transformers are forced into a collision course... with Stardrive caught between two worlds!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895464)
Posted by Nexus Knight on July 10th, 2017 @ 12:40am CDT
Posted by Nexus Knight on July 10th, 2017 @ 12:40am CDT
Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895469)
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 1:19am CDT
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy ... wZXdM=s0-d
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 1:19am CDT
Nexus Knight wrote:Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy ... wZXdM=s0-d
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895478)
Posted by BumbleDouche on July 10th, 2017 @ 5:14am CDT
Where'd that image come from? I don't recall any TF books with a galactic map...
Posted by BumbleDouche on July 10th, 2017 @ 5:14am CDT
primalxconvoy wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy ... wZXdM=s0-d
Where'd that image come from? I don't recall any TF books with a galactic map...
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895479)
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 5:16am CDT
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Ani ... Almanac_II
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 5:16am CDT
BumbleDouche wrote:primalxconvoy wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy ... wZXdM=s0-d
Where'd that image come from? I don't recall any TF books with a galactic map...
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Ani ... Almanac_II
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895485)
Posted by Kurona on July 10th, 2017 @ 6:41am CDT
So do I. If there's any one thing the Hasbro universe has done right - though imo it's done more than a few things right - it's the fantastic worldbuilding. And already this book is looking to expand on that!
Posted by Kurona on July 10th, 2017 @ 6:41am CDT
Nexus Knight wrote:Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
So do I. If there's any one thing the Hasbro universe has done right - though imo it's done more than a few things right - it's the fantastic worldbuilding. And already this book is looking to expand on that!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895493)
Posted by Randomhero on July 10th, 2017 @ 7:40am CDT
That's the animated continuity not the IDW-verse
Posted by Randomhero on July 10th, 2017 @ 7:40am CDT
primalxconvoy wrote:BumbleDouche wrote:primalxconvoy wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy ... wZXdM=s0-d
Where'd that image come from? I don't recall any TF books with a galactic map...
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Ani ... Almanac_II
That's the animated continuity not the IDW-verse
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895498)
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 7:49am CDT
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 7:49am CDT
Arguably, it's ANY continuity. The book is written from a multiversal POV, with the Animated universe/art style used for effect/stability.
Also, the request above didn't ask for an IDW map, but just a map in general.
Voila.
Also, the request above didn't ask for an IDW map, but just a map in general.
Voila.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895517)
Posted by Randomhero on July 10th, 2017 @ 10:02am CDT
It's not it's the animated universe. And they did. They wanted the Hasbro Universe which is also the IDW-verse
Posted by Randomhero on July 10th, 2017 @ 10:02am CDT
primalxconvoy wrote:Arguably, it's ANY continuity. The book is written from a multiversal POV, with the Animated universe/art style used for effect/stability.
Also, the request above didn't ask for an IDW map, but just a map in general.
Voila.
It's not it's the animated universe. And they did. They wanted the Hasbro Universe which is also the IDW-verse
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895523)
Posted by BumbleDouche on July 10th, 2017 @ 10:21am CDT
Ah, thanks. That'll be why I never saw it - I never much got into the Animated side of things...
Posted by BumbleDouche on July 10th, 2017 @ 10:21am CDT
primalxconvoy wrote:BumbleDouche wrote:primalxconvoy wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy ... wZXdM=s0-d
Where'd that image come from? I don't recall any TF books with a galactic map...
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Ani ... Almanac_II
Ah, thanks. That'll be why I never saw it - I never much got into the Animated side of things...
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1895631)
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 3:50pm CDT
Not really. The "Hasbro Universe" can be interpreted as any universe linked to Hasbro's IP and/or the Transformers Universe to be specific. The map used in the Animated book is not even specificity Animated, due to it having non-TF planets, such as Skarro (home world of the Daleks), etc. It's there to show potential for any Galaxy in the multiverse.
Anyway, you should get the compendium of both books, regardless of liking Animated or not.
Posted by primalxconvoy on July 10th, 2017 @ 3:50pm CDT
Randomhero wrote:primalxconvoy wrote:Arguably, it's ANY continuity. The book is written from a multiversal POV, with the Animated universe/art style used for effect/stability.
Also, the request above didn't ask for an IDW map, but just a map in general.
Voila.
It's not it's the animated universe. And they did. They wanted the Hasbro Universe which is also the IDW-verse
Not really. The "Hasbro Universe" can be interpreted as any universe linked to Hasbro's IP and/or the Transformers Universe to be specific. The map used in the Animated book is not even specificity Animated, due to it having non-TF planets, such as Skarro (home world of the Daleks), etc. It's there to show potential for any Galaxy in the multiverse.
Anyway, you should get the compendium of both books, regardless of liking Animated or not.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896185)
Posted by Va'al on July 12th, 2017 @ 9:40am CDT
Posted by Va'al on July 12th, 2017 @ 9:40am CDT
The back matter of this week's issue of IDW Publishing's Optimus Prime #9 - review coming soon, so keep an eye out for that - includes an interview with the three creators behind Rom vs Transformers: Shining Armor: writers John Barber and Christos Gage, and artist Alex Milne (who will be joined by Josh Perez on colours)! We've copied below what the three have to say to support the book and new character Stardrive - check it out!
John, Christos—does this series mark the first time that Rom and the Transformers meet? We
saw them together in IDW’s Revolution event, but this story is set 200 years in the past!
CNG: Yes, this is the first time Rom has met a Transformer. As we begin the miniseries, the Solstar Order and the Cybertronians are aware of each other's existence, but until this story they have
stayed in their own territories. But the end of the Wraith War—which led to the Dire Wraiths fleeing throughout the universe—has changed things!
JB: It's also the first time the Dire Wraiths meet the Decepticons. We've never seen what happens when a Wraith takes over a Cybertronian body before... and the results aren't pretty.
Stardrive is a unique character for a crossover like this—a Transformer that’s also part of the Solstar Order. How does this conflict affect her personality?
CNG: The interesting thing about Stardrive is that she has never met another Transformer before this miniseries. She has only been given the Solstar Order's take on them: that Cybertronians are destructive machine monsters that rampage through world destroying organic life. She's told that
she's "better" because she was raised differently, but it's unmistakable that she's been brought up to feel there's something wrong with her. Now, for the first time, she's actually meeting beings of her own species—and they're from opposite factions, so she's more torn and confused than ever!
JB: Stardrive's been an outsider her whole life, and when she meets other Cybertronians, she doesn't expect to feel even more alone. She's not part of their war; she doesn't want to be destructive
like they've actually become.
Working with Alex Milne on this—did you approach it any differently than previous projects? Were the scripts very specific or did you give him a lot of leeway on the art?
CNG: We worked plot-first and I think it was the right approach. John told me Alex loves to add detail, and boy, does he! We'd give him a four-panel page and he'd turn it into a nine-panel page chock-full of aliens (all different species) and sci-fi tech. I love it! I grew up on George Perez so Alex's stuff is right up my alley!
JB: Alex had an amazing run on More Than Meets the Eye for so many years, where he started out as a fantastic artist and only got better. I'd seen a lot of his sketches and his conceptual work as that
series went on, so I definitely wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to design this series—new worlds, new characters, new aliens, new space ships. It's not even just a visual thing—Alex thinks this stuff through from top to bottom, and that definitely shows through in the comic.
Alex, your art on this story is just on another level—crazy amounts of detail and panel-heavy layouts! Can you tell us a bit about how you approached the art for this project?
AM: The script for the book is written in a plot style—it leaves me with a lot of options on how to approach it. Unlike past scripts I've worked on that have had full dialogue and descriptions for the
panels, here it's all up to me, so I'm not worrying about trying to fit a lot of different actions into one panel. It's a very interesting creative freedom I feel working on this book. It pushes me to try different things and to see what I can come up with not just in the art but in the storytelling as well. It's a nice change for me!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896209)
Posted by YoungPrime on July 12th, 2017 @ 10:15am CDT
Posted by YoungPrime on July 12th, 2017 @ 10:15am CDT
Okay, how do they expect us to take these crossovers and spinoffs seriously when many of us are barely hanging on to what's going with the status of Ongoing Transformer books on their own????!
-OP is just a lame crossover gateway to G.I.Joe and other crap most don't care about with OP kissing the butt humans every episode while his Autobots continue to grow doubt for him (still haven't felt the need to buy issue #6).
-LL is just okay but clearly losing its luster making characters like Cyclonus and Tailgate into Melrose Place couples.
TAAO was just starting to get better but who cares since they're still cancelled it.
By the end of this year I might not be reading anything by IDW if this greedy cluelessness for creating more random books continues.
-OP is just a lame crossover gateway to G.I.Joe and other crap most don't care about with OP kissing the butt humans every episode while his Autobots continue to grow doubt for him (still haven't felt the need to buy issue #6).
-LL is just okay but clearly losing its luster making characters like Cyclonus and Tailgate into Melrose Place couples.
TAAO was just starting to get better but who cares since they're still cancelled it.
By the end of this year I might not be reading anything by IDW if this greedy cluelessness for creating more random books continues.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896214)
Posted by Kurona on July 12th, 2017 @ 10:31am CDT
OP is barely affected at all by the nature of the Hasbroverse. Revolution hasn't directly caused any effects in its ongoing story, the extent of other franchises in the book goes as far as an in-universe re-branding (literally just calling EDC GI Joe and having GI Joe stickers on some of the military vehicles; the GI Joe team itself mostly consisting of IDW Transformers-original characters), and the story itself is one of if not the best handling of the relationship between Cybertronians and Humans ever done. It continues to be as interesting as it was before Revolution if not more if you don't dismiss it for the expanded Hasbro universe which has little to no bearing on Optimus Prime as a book itself.
Lost Light, admittedly, is in a bit of a rough spot right now. Dissolution was a very odd and polarising storyline that was not as good at hiding Roberts' writing flaws as pretty much any of his previous work -- it's easily been the worst storyline of MTMTE/LL aside from Dark Cybertron even if there's still a fair few elements to like about it.
TAAO is still incredible whether or not it's being cancelled. I don't even understand the mentality of dismissing it as a narrative storyline because it's being cancelled. I'm really not sure what you're trying to say here. TAAO is amazing no matter its real-world business status -- its real-world business status, by the way, includes getting a conclusion which the writer has stated is unfolding in the way she wants it to. Its cancellation simply means that she's not writing stories she didn't want to beyond the one ongoing right now.
And even if this wasn't all true; even if TAAO and OP weren't incredible, even if there wasn't any hope for LL... I fail to see what this has to do with Shining Armour? It's its own little side story based a few centuries ago as its own individual narrative with a fair bit of worldbuilding and - most importantly - is completely non-intrusive to the current ongoing comics. If you were reading Optimus Prime or Micronauts or GI Joe (though god help you if you were reading GI Joe), you don't need to pause this to read it or stick it in the middle of your reading list. Much like Drift: Empire of Stone, it's just extra context and extra stories that aren't necessary to continue reading an already ongoing story. Hell, it's less intrusive than Drift: Empire of Stone since that took place sometime during the last quarter of MTMTE!
I really don't get dismissing this comic for the reasons you've stated. I don't want to come off as a an overly-obsessive and defensive fangirl, but I simply don't understand where you're coming from.
Posted by Kurona on July 12th, 2017 @ 10:31am CDT
YoungPrime wrote:Okay, how do they expect us to take these crossovers and spinoffs seriously when many of us are barely hanging on to what's going with the status of Ongoing Transformer books on their own????!
-OP is just a lame crossover gateway to G.I.Joe and other crap most don't care about with OP kissing the butt humans every episode while his Autobots continue to grow doubt for him (still haven't felt the need to buy issue #6).
-LL is just okay but clearly losing its luster making characters like Cyclonus and Tailgate into Melrose Place couples.
TAAO was just starting to get better but who cares since they're still cancelled it.
By the end of this year I might not be reading anything by IDW if this greedy cluelessness for creating more random books continues.
OP is barely affected at all by the nature of the Hasbroverse. Revolution hasn't directly caused any effects in its ongoing story, the extent of other franchises in the book goes as far as an in-universe re-branding (literally just calling EDC GI Joe and having GI Joe stickers on some of the military vehicles; the GI Joe team itself mostly consisting of IDW Transformers-original characters), and the story itself is one of if not the best handling of the relationship between Cybertronians and Humans ever done. It continues to be as interesting as it was before Revolution if not more if you don't dismiss it for the expanded Hasbro universe which has little to no bearing on Optimus Prime as a book itself.
Lost Light, admittedly, is in a bit of a rough spot right now. Dissolution was a very odd and polarising storyline that was not as good at hiding Roberts' writing flaws as pretty much any of his previous work -- it's easily been the worst storyline of MTMTE/LL aside from Dark Cybertron even if there's still a fair few elements to like about it.
TAAO is still incredible whether or not it's being cancelled. I don't even understand the mentality of dismissing it as a narrative storyline because it's being cancelled. I'm really not sure what you're trying to say here. TAAO is amazing no matter its real-world business status -- its real-world business status, by the way, includes getting a conclusion which the writer has stated is unfolding in the way she wants it to. Its cancellation simply means that she's not writing stories she didn't want to beyond the one ongoing right now.
And even if this wasn't all true; even if TAAO and OP weren't incredible, even if there wasn't any hope for LL... I fail to see what this has to do with Shining Armour? It's its own little side story based a few centuries ago as its own individual narrative with a fair bit of worldbuilding and - most importantly - is completely non-intrusive to the current ongoing comics. If you were reading Optimus Prime or Micronauts or GI Joe (though god help you if you were reading GI Joe), you don't need to pause this to read it or stick it in the middle of your reading list. Much like Drift: Empire of Stone, it's just extra context and extra stories that aren't necessary to continue reading an already ongoing story. Hell, it's less intrusive than Drift: Empire of Stone since that took place sometime during the last quarter of MTMTE!
I really don't get dismissing this comic for the reasons you've stated. I don't want to come off as a an overly-obsessive and defensive fangirl, but I simply don't understand where you're coming from.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896225)
Posted by Nexus Knight on July 12th, 2017 @ 11:42am CDT
If I were to venture a guess to your query, it would probably be the apparently lack of interest the other books from other readers. Revolution has left a bad taste in readers mouths, so fans of one book could see this as "aw, man, my character is going to do ANOTHER pointless crossover". Sure, that still feels like poor logic, especially since, as you've mentioned, the book only does the heinous crime of building the universe!
...but in seriousness, it's the logic I made use of I was on the negative side of the issue.
I love building a fictional universe. I do a lot of writing (not TF stories) with my brother, and I think I do more to enhance his universe than he does.
Maybe a map will be put of one of the upcoming Sourcebooks?
Posted by Nexus Knight on July 12th, 2017 @ 11:42am CDT
Kurona wrote:I really don't get dismissing this comic for the reasons you've stated. I don't want to come off as a an overly-obsessive and defensive fangirl, but I simply don't understand where you're coming from.
If I were to venture a guess to your query, it would probably be the apparently lack of interest the other books from other readers. Revolution has left a bad taste in readers mouths, so fans of one book could see this as "aw, man, my character is going to do ANOTHER pointless crossover". Sure, that still feels like poor logic, especially since, as you've mentioned, the book only does the heinous crime of building the universe!
...but in seriousness, it's the logic I made use of I was on the negative side of the issue.Kurona wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Okay, now I want to see a galactic map showing the different space governments in the Hasbro Universe and their relation to each other.
So do I. If there's any one thing the Hasbro universe has done right - though imo it's done more than a few things right - it's the fantastic worldbuilding. And already this book is looking to expand on that!
I love building a fictional universe. I do a lot of writing (not TF stories) with my brother, and I think I do more to enhance his universe than he does.
Maybe a map will be put of one of the upcoming Sourcebooks?
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896228)
Posted by Kurona on July 12th, 2017 @ 11:49am CDT
Okay, this sounds awesome. I don't read these books primarily for action, but I very happily welcome a huge, well-done fighting scene if it's gonna be like this.
Posted by Kurona on July 12th, 2017 @ 11:49am CDT
Va'al wrote:
Working with Alex Milne on this—did you approach it any differently than previous projects? Were the scripts very specific or did you give him a lot of leeway on the art?
CNG: We worked plot-first and I think it was the right approach. John told me Alex loves to add detail, and boy, does he! We'd give him a four-panel page and he'd turn it into a nine-panel page chock-full of aliens (all different species) and sci-fi tech. I love it! I grew up on George Perez so Alex's stuff is right up my alley!
Okay, this sounds awesome. I don't read these books primarily for action, but I very happily welcome a huge, well-done fighting scene if it's gonna be like this.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896269)
Posted by YoungPrime on July 12th, 2017 @ 1:55pm CDT
I made my issues with these crossovers and the ongoing TF books clear.
G.I.Joe has been in at almost every episode of OP so far and I just don't care about its overall premise. Maybe the 2 upcoming stories about "Galvatron The Barbarian" will be a breath of fresh air but then it's back to Autobots catering to stupid humans and lame "villains of the week" plots. If so then I'll pass!!!
And I didn't say that I don't care that TAAO was just starting to get good I was stating that IDW doesn't seem to care that many of us have acknowledged it's improvement. The sarcasm wasn't that hard to follow.
Posted by YoungPrime on July 12th, 2017 @ 1:55pm CDT
Well you are.Kurona wrote:YoungPrime wrote:Okay, how do they expect us to take these crossovers and spinoffs seriously when many of us are barely hanging on to what's going with the status of Ongoing Transformer books on their own????!
-OP is just a lame crossover gateway to G.I.Joe and other crap most don't care about with OP kissing the butt humans every episode while his Autobots continue to grow doubt for him (still haven't felt the need to buy issue #6).
-LL is just okay but clearly losing its luster making characters like Cyclonus and Tailgate into Melrose Place couples.
TAAO was just starting to get better but who cares since they're still cancelled it.
By the end of this year I might not be reading anything by IDW if this greedy cluelessness for creating more random books continues.
OP is barely affected at all by the nature of the Hasbroverse. Revolution hasn't directly caused any effects in its ongoing story, the extent of other franchises in the book goes as far as an in-universe re-branding (literally just calling EDC GI Joe and having GI Joe stickers on some of the military vehicles; the GI Joe team itself mostly consisting of IDW Transformers-original characters), and the story itself is one of if not the best handling of the relationship between Cybertronians and Humans ever done. It continues to be as interesting as it was before Revolution if not more if you don't dismiss it for the expanded Hasbro universe which has little to no bearing on Optimus Prime as a book itself.
Lost Light, admittedly, is in a bit of a rough spot right now. Dissolution was a very odd and polarising storyline that was not as good at hiding Roberts' writing flaws as pretty much any of his previous work -- it's easily been the worst storyline of MTMTE/LL aside from Dark Cybertron even if there's still a fair few elements to like about it.
TAAO is still incredible whether or not it's being cancelled. I don't even understand the mentality of dismissing it as a narrative storyline because it's being cancelled. I'm really not sure what you're trying to say here. TAAO is amazing no matter its real-world business status -- its real-world business status, by the way, includes getting a conclusion which the writer has stated is unfolding in the way she wants it to. Its cancellation simply means that she's not writing stories she didn't want to beyond the one ongoing right now.
And even if this wasn't all true; even if TAAO and OP weren't incredible, even if there wasn't any hope for LL... I fail to see what this has to do with Shining Armour? It's its own little side story based a few centuries ago as its own individual narrative with a fair bit of worldbuilding and - most importantly - is completely non-intrusive to the current ongoing comics. If you were reading Optimus Prime or Micronauts or GI Joe (though god help you if you were reading GI Joe), you don't need to pause this to read it or stick it in the middle of your reading list. Much like Drift: Empire of Stone, it's just extra context and extra stories that aren't necessary to continue reading an already ongoing story. Hell, it's less intrusive than Drift: Empire of Stone since that took place sometime during the last quarter of MTMTE!
I really don't get dismissing this comic for the reasons you've stated. I don't want to come off as a an overly-obsessive and defensive fangirl, but I simply don't understand where you're coming from.
I made my issues with these crossovers and the ongoing TF books clear.
G.I.Joe has been in at almost every episode of OP so far and I just don't care about its overall premise. Maybe the 2 upcoming stories about "Galvatron The Barbarian" will be a breath of fresh air but then it's back to Autobots catering to stupid humans and lame "villains of the week" plots. If so then I'll pass!!!
And I didn't say that I don't care that TAAO was just starting to get good I was stating that IDW doesn't seem to care that many of us have acknowledged it's improvement. The sarcasm wasn't that hard to follow.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896274)
Posted by ScottyP on July 12th, 2017 @ 2:23pm CDT
Posted by ScottyP on July 12th, 2017 @ 2:23pm CDT
GI Joe presence in the Optimus Prime comic so far:
Additionally, two of the series' issues to date feature 0 "GI Joe" presence: 1 and 9. Issue 7 has Flint only for a very short time. Maybe only a panel or two? In issue 8, they are barely present save a small appearance at the end which isn't remotely a focus point for the issue.
Look, I'm not saying "you have to conform and like the current direction of IDW", but I do think talking down about the Optimus Prime series because GI Joe is present is a weak premise.
In other news, I'm really pumped for this Rom v TF series. Salty Galactic Council alien dudes are usually indicative of a good time elsewhere
- Spike, who has been present in TF comics since 2009. Does very little except argue with Talon and make token appearances with a small group of Joes in 2-5 and 8.
- Talon, who was around in All Hail Optimus piloting one of the Chinese TF mech suit things. Argues with Spike a little, reflects on the TF involvement on Earth, and has the same issue appearances as Spike plus a tiny quick showing in 6.
- Hi-Tech, who is Dr. Bharwaney from the Costa ongoing/Bumblebee mini series. With the same small group as Spike and Talon.
- Mainframe, a "real" GI Joe character that has about the same appearance count and lack of importance here as Hi-Tech.
- Flint, a GI Joe that's been related to a Transformers character since the G1 cartoon. Quickly departs after showing up in issue 2, talks to his daughter during issues 3 and 4 (longtime IDW TF supporting character Marissa Fairborne), then barely shows up in 6 and 8.
- Chameleon, who just sorta follows Flint around.
Additionally, two of the series' issues to date feature 0 "GI Joe" presence: 1 and 9. Issue 7 has Flint only for a very short time. Maybe only a panel or two? In issue 8, they are barely present save a small appearance at the end which isn't remotely a focus point for the issue.
Look, I'm not saying "you have to conform and like the current direction of IDW", but I do think talking down about the Optimus Prime series because GI Joe is present is a weak premise.
In other news, I'm really pumped for this Rom v TF series. Salty Galactic Council alien dudes are usually indicative of a good time elsewhere
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896276)
Posted by YoungPrime on July 12th, 2017 @ 2:53pm CDT
Good thing that wasn't my only issue with OP if I needed consent to drop it.
Posted by YoungPrime on July 12th, 2017 @ 2:53pm CDT
Look, I'm not saying "you have to conform and like the current direction of IDW", but I do think talking down about the Optimus Prime series because GI Joe is present is a weak premise.
Good thing that wasn't my only issue with OP if I needed consent to drop it.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896300)
Posted by Va'al on July 12th, 2017 @ 5:40pm CDT
Your ..tone is entirely hard to follow, unless you meant to just be complaining - in which case carry on.
GI Joe being there (with the same people who were there all along, just new names) and not doing anything is not the only problem, ok. So.. is it the kissing butt? Does that include forcefully annexing a whole planet (that's colonising/invading), setting up two colonies, kill off some more people because why the heck not, and start another war (arriving in First Strike)? If so, I'm sorry for the butts you ever kiss.
As for Shining Armor - eh, I'm whelmed so far, but will be interested to see what they do.
Posted by Va'al on July 12th, 2017 @ 5:40pm CDT
YoungPrime wrote:Kurona wrote:YoungPrime wrote:-OP is just a lame crossover gateway to G.I.Joe and other crap most don't care about with OP kissing the butt humans every episode while his Autobots continue to grow doubt for him (still haven't felt the need to buy issue #6).
I really don't get dismissing this comic for the reasons you've stated. I don't want to come off as a an overly-obsessive and defensive fangirl, but I simply don't understand where you're coming from.
Well you are.
I made my issues with these crossovers and the ongoing TF books clear.
G.I.Joe has been in at almost every episode of OP so far and I just don't care about its overall premise. Maybe the 2 upcoming stories about "Galvatron The Barbarian" will be a breath of fresh air but then it's back to Autobots catering to stupid humans and lame "villains of the week" plots. If so then I'll pass!!!
And I didn't say that I don't care that TAAO was just starting to get good I was stating that IDW doesn't seem to care that many of us have acknowledged it's improvement. The sarcasm wasn't that hard to follow.
Your ..tone is entirely hard to follow, unless you meant to just be complaining - in which case carry on.
GI Joe being there (with the same people who were there all along, just new names) and not doing anything is not the only problem, ok. So.. is it the kissing butt? Does that include forcefully annexing a whole planet (that's colonising/invading), setting up two colonies, kill off some more people because why the heck not, and start another war (arriving in First Strike)? If so, I'm sorry for the butts you ever kiss.
As for Shining Armor - eh, I'm whelmed so far, but will be interested to see what they do.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896314)
Posted by Daniel Adkins on July 12th, 2017 @ 7:11pm CDT
Posted by Daniel Adkins on July 12th, 2017 @ 7:11pm CDT
Stardrive is a precious baby and I love her.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896619)
Posted by Va'al on July 14th, 2017 @ 1:16am CDT
Posted by Va'al on July 14th, 2017 @ 1:16am CDT
Found in this week's digital copies of IDW Publishing's Optimus Prime #9 (our review can be found here!), was a five page preview of the upcoming first issue of a new series featuring Cybertronians in the wider Hasbro Universe: Rom vs Transformers: Shining Armor! With the Galactic Council doing their best at being the worst, the Solstar Order doing ..their thing, and new character Stardrive showing up - check it all out below, including a variant cover by Nick Roche and Josh Burcham!
Meet the universe's only Cybertronian Solstar Knight! Hundreds of years ago, Rom discovered Stardrive, the sole survivor of a doomed space probe. Stardrive committed herself to protecting the galaxy from the Dire Wraiths... but when the Decepticon called Starscream makes a deadly deal, Rom and the Transformers are forced into a collision course... with Stardrive caught between two worlds!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896632)
Posted by Kurona on July 14th, 2017 @ 5:03am CDT
Posted by Kurona on July 14th, 2017 @ 5:03am CDT
Yup, loving this already -- they're really taking advantage of the setting
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896649)
Posted by Big Grim on July 14th, 2017 @ 8:44am CDT
Wholeheartedly agree! This is looking great!
Posted by Big Grim on July 14th, 2017 @ 8:44am CDT
Kurona wrote:Yup, loving this already -- they're really taking advantage of the setting
Wholeheartedly agree! This is looking great!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1896816)
Posted by ScottyP on July 15th, 2017 @ 4:48pm CDT
Posted by ScottyP on July 15th, 2017 @ 4:48pm CDT
"And I could change into a car."
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897064)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on July 16th, 2017 @ 8:00pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on July 16th, 2017 @ 8:00pm CDT
I love this... and I am surprised she turns into a car and not a jet, but i like carformers more, so we're good!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897273)
Posted by Soundwave902 on July 18th, 2017 @ 1:33am CDT
Posted by Soundwave902 on July 18th, 2017 @ 1:33am CDT
I'm loving the new Starscream design, shows he changed forms as much as he did now (Brings up the count to 8, I believe)
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897787)
Posted by Va'al on July 20th, 2017 @ 12:57am CDT
Synopsis
Meet the universe's only Cybertronian Solstar Knight! Hundreds of years ago, Rom discovered Stardrive, the sole survivor of a doomed space probe. Stardrive committed herself to protecting the galaxy from the Dire Wraiths... but when the Decepticon called Starscream makes a deadly deal, Rom and the Transformers are forced into a collision course... with Stardrive caught between two worlds!
Galact-prick Council
Story
An entirely new series, with a different creative approach, and a mix of Transformers and Rom veterans on the writing and art teams, introducing a new character in the middle of a past world and timeline, and the meanest 'diplomats' around - if you were looking at crossovers, and how to do them, this is probably the book you were waiting for.
and pain, sure, why not
One of the major complaints about how IDW Publishing is handling the sudden shared universe, with all of the Hasbro licensed properties, is exactly that: its suddenness. None of the books have had a chance to establish themselves and their stories, or even their own in-worlds, before they were blown up into the wider narratives of all of the others.
Bear with them
That is not what John Barber and Christos Gage have done here. Starting from the Solstar order itself, with the Wraith Wars alluded to and slightly explained, the Galactic Council working against everyone while wearing silly hats, we get to find so much foundation to the world of Rom and the Knights that we were perhaps still missing from his main series. Plus, plenty of Transformers cameos, of course.
Being general homicidal jer-- hey Starscream
And then, of course, we have newcomer Stardrive - a Cybertronian raised to fear her race by the Order, made to become part of the Order though never fully accepted by the others, especially the younger cadets, a new perspective on a story that Transformers fans know a lot about, 4 million years of in fact, and finally ask: was the universe right all along?
Art
Alex Milne is on art, and that will make a lot of readers happy. What particularly please me, however, is the approach to the art, as explained in a recent interview: they work plot first, meaning that Milne has pretty much the entire say on how everything in the book looks, no dialogue is fully pre-planned - and I'll admit, it shows, wonderfully so.
Add to that the Gundam references, too
The colour side of things is handled by Josh Perez, reunited with Milne linework beyond covers, and the shiny-ness of the Solstar Order is something that suits both of them well - alongside some seriously impressive shifts in tones and hues, juxtaposing Stardrive's childlike innocence with the horrors of the Wraith and Cybertronian Wars.
SHINY AND CH-ROM
Tom B. Long is clearly also having plenty of fun with the lettering in the book, as plenty of old sound-words return to grace the panels unencumbered by walls of dialogue and squeezed spaces. Enjoy the
The thumnbnailed cover is the variant by David Lafuente and Lovern Kindzierski, spotlighting something that doesn't happen in the story, really, but sets the tone for sure. Plenty more - including Roche/Burcham, Villanelli/Alexakis, Milne/Perez, can be found in our Comics Database entry!
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
The world-building in this book, born out of both visual and writing teams, is fantastic. Truly admirable how starting from a Transformers base allows for so much to create about the wider universe, give us enough to understand Rom and his world without exposition dumps, and viceversa, give Rom fans just enough about Transformers to make Stardrive's situation fully understandable - if a little standard, narrative wise.
..meep
There are puns - Sata and Auxin, above all - and Gundam references, points out ScottyP; there are allusions to diplomacy, treaties, peace-keeping, and wars; there is more Starscream (basic Starscream, argues Kurona, but Starscream nonetheless); there are oddles of alien races and designs dotted across the entire issue. It may still be a baby knight on its first mission, much like Auxin, but this mini-series is bound to shine.
Posted by Va'al on July 20th, 2017 @ 12:57am CDT
The Solstar Knight
(Spoiler free-ish)
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis
Meet the universe's only Cybertronian Solstar Knight! Hundreds of years ago, Rom discovered Stardrive, the sole survivor of a doomed space probe. Stardrive committed herself to protecting the galaxy from the Dire Wraiths... but when the Decepticon called Starscream makes a deadly deal, Rom and the Transformers are forced into a collision course... with Stardrive caught between two worlds!
Galact-prick Council
Story
An entirely new series, with a different creative approach, and a mix of Transformers and Rom veterans on the writing and art teams, introducing a new character in the middle of a past world and timeline, and the meanest 'diplomats' around - if you were looking at crossovers, and how to do them, this is probably the book you were waiting for.
and pain, sure, why not
One of the major complaints about how IDW Publishing is handling the sudden shared universe, with all of the Hasbro licensed properties, is exactly that: its suddenness. None of the books have had a chance to establish themselves and their stories, or even their own in-worlds, before they were blown up into the wider narratives of all of the others.
Bear with them
That is not what John Barber and Christos Gage have done here. Starting from the Solstar order itself, with the Wraith Wars alluded to and slightly explained, the Galactic Council working against everyone while wearing silly hats, we get to find so much foundation to the world of Rom and the Knights that we were perhaps still missing from his main series. Plus, plenty of Transformers cameos, of course.
Being general homicidal jer-- hey Starscream
And then, of course, we have newcomer Stardrive - a Cybertronian raised to fear her race by the Order, made to become part of the Order though never fully accepted by the others, especially the younger cadets, a new perspective on a story that Transformers fans know a lot about, 4 million years of in fact, and finally ask: was the universe right all along?
Art
Alex Milne is on art, and that will make a lot of readers happy. What particularly please me, however, is the approach to the art, as explained in a recent interview: they work plot first, meaning that Milne has pretty much the entire say on how everything in the book looks, no dialogue is fully pre-planned - and I'll admit, it shows, wonderfully so.
Add to that the Gundam references, too
The colour side of things is handled by Josh Perez, reunited with Milne linework beyond covers, and the shiny-ness of the Solstar Order is something that suits both of them well - alongside some seriously impressive shifts in tones and hues, juxtaposing Stardrive's childlike innocence with the horrors of the Wraith and Cybertronian Wars.
SHINY AND CH-ROM
Tom B. Long is clearly also having plenty of fun with the lettering in the book, as plenty of old sound-words return to grace the panels unencumbered by walls of dialogue and squeezed spaces. Enjoy the
The thumnbnailed cover is the variant by David Lafuente and Lovern Kindzierski, spotlighting something that doesn't happen in the story, really, but sets the tone for sure. Plenty more - including Roche/Burcham, Villanelli/Alexakis, Milne/Perez, can be found in our Comics Database entry!
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
The world-building in this book, born out of both visual and writing teams, is fantastic. Truly admirable how starting from a Transformers base allows for so much to create about the wider universe, give us enough to understand Rom and his world without exposition dumps, and viceversa, give Rom fans just enough about Transformers to make Stardrive's situation fully understandable - if a little standard, narrative wise.
..meep
There are puns - Sata and Auxin, above all - and Gundam references, points out ScottyP; there are allusions to diplomacy, treaties, peace-keeping, and wars; there is more Starscream (basic Starscream, argues Kurona, but Starscream nonetheless); there are oddles of alien races and designs dotted across the entire issue. It may still be a baby knight on its first mission, much like Auxin, but this mini-series is bound to shine.
. 
out of
out of
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897799)
Posted by Windsweeper on July 20th, 2017 @ 2:50am CDT
Posted by Windsweeper on July 20th, 2017 @ 2:50am CDT
I'll be honest. I haven't been a fan of Barber. Too many humans and I haven't liked how he handled Prowl and Thundercracker.
That said I did enjoy this issue. I was pleasantly surprised. I found Stardrive and Rom likeable.
It was also cool seeing Starscream and Ultra Magnus especially in a story set during the war. For the first time I'm looking forward to the next issue of a Barber written comic.
That said I did enjoy this issue. I was pleasantly surprised. I found Stardrive and Rom likeable.
It was also cool seeing Starscream and Ultra Magnus especially in a story set during the war. For the first time I'm looking forward to the next issue of a Barber written comic.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897812)
Posted by Va'al on July 20th, 2017 @ 4:43am CDT
Posted by Va'al on July 20th, 2017 @ 4:43am CDT
To round off the review for IDW Publishing's first issue of Rom vs Transformers: Shining Armor, we have some character designs of robot characters - you know, our side of the vs equation - courtesy of arist Alex Milne on Twitter. Specifically, we get a look at 200 years ago (so still in the Aubotot-Decepticon war) Starscream and Bumblebee, plus new character Stardrive. Check them out!
Since ROM vs Transformers 1 is out today, let me share some fun stuff with you. We will start with Bee
Here is the design for my boy Starscream in ROM vs Transformers He's so much fun to draw
My design for Stardrive. Only some slight modifications were made to her head crest for her look in the comic.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897814)
Posted by Kurona on July 20th, 2017 @ 5:09am CDT
Posted by Kurona on July 20th, 2017 @ 5:09am CDT
I loved these designs a lot in the comic -- though one thing that confused me is the strange bolts on the tires of both Bumblebee and Stardrive. Was that just a thing for Cybertronians a few centuries ago? Was Tracks trying to spread his new fashion?
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897818)
Posted by Randomhero on July 20th, 2017 @ 6:03am CDT
Think about it. Their tires are practical because their roads are metal which would require an enormomous amount of traction.
While no doubt a coincidence it was touched on in all hail Megatron when they were driving on cybertron they were having problems driving because their tires were meant for earth terrain and not cybertron.
Posted by Randomhero on July 20th, 2017 @ 6:03am CDT
Kurona wrote:I loved these designs a lot in the comic -- though one thing that confused me is the strange bolts on the tires of both Bumblebee and Stardrive. Was that just a thing for Cybertronians a few centuries ago? Was Tracks trying to spread his new fashion?
Think about it. Their tires are practical because their roads are metal which would require an enormomous amount of traction.
While no doubt a coincidence it was touched on in all hail Megatron when they were driving on cybertron they were having problems driving because their tires were meant for earth terrain and not cybertron.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897821)
Posted by Randomhero on July 20th, 2017 @ 7:28am CDT
Posted by Randomhero on July 20th, 2017 @ 7:28am CDT
I really liked the story. I think it's fun and like I've said before I enjoy cross overs. Not just because it has transformers but most crossovers. In my opinion they do less harm than what some say they do and I enjoy interactions with characters you wouldn't think would.
I really enjoyed the easer eggs of the Chinese transformers online game. The cons that get killed are not generics but characters in that game.
For anyone wondering Stardrive is Camien. John has come out and said that's where she's from and her blue energon is meant to reveal that.
I really enjoyed the easer eggs of the Chinese transformers online game. The cons that get killed are not generics but characters in that game.
For anyone wondering Stardrive is Camien. John has come out and said that's where she's from and her blue energon is meant to reveal that.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897827)
Posted by BG the Robit on July 20th, 2017 @ 8:36am CDT
Posted by BG the Robit on July 20th, 2017 @ 8:36am CDT
I think Stardrive looks like a mix of Lost Light Drift and Chromedome, but as a Camien in this picture.
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897842)
Posted by Randomhero on July 20th, 2017 @ 10:24am CDT
In other words, the current generic Alex design
Honestly I'm just thankful she doesn't have window boobs like almost every female transformer he designed in more than meets the eye. Seriously, if go back to the story that introduced firestar every female transformer except the hulk looking one has the same torso. It was annoying
Posted by Randomhero on July 20th, 2017 @ 10:24am CDT
Bee's Girlfriend wrote:I think Stardrive looks like a mix of Lost Light Drift and Chromedome, but as a Camien in this picture.
In other words, the current generic Alex design
Honestly I'm just thankful she doesn't have window boobs like almost every female transformer he designed in more than meets the eye. Seriously, if go back to the story that introduced firestar every female transformer except the hulk looking one has the same torso. It was annoying
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1897858)
Posted by Big Grim on July 20th, 2017 @ 10:59am CDT
Posted by Big Grim on July 20th, 2017 @ 10:59am CDT
I'm liking the look of this. Might just have to pick it up!
Re: New Series - IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor, feat Alex Milne, Josh Perez, new character Stardrive (1898109)
Posted by WreckerJack on July 20th, 2017 @ 5:15pm CDT
Posted by WreckerJack on July 20th, 2017 @ 5:15pm CDT
Stardrive looks like Strongarm but more sweet and gentle in that sketch.
*looks up on TFwiki*
... Or terrifying.
*looks up on TFwiki*
... Or terrifying.
