Transformers vs. The Terminator Crossover Comic Launching in 2020

Interesting, but call me when a Transformers vs Alien crossover/toyline happens ... or was that Bayverse

To be fair, 52Toys already has my back.

I feel like this is a crossover where the Bayverse would fit swimmingly, or at least the designs would.

I am excited for this, bring it on!

carytheone wrote:Interesting, but call me when a Transformers vs Alien crossover/toyline happens ... or was that Bayverse

To be fair, 52Toys already has my back.

Transformers vs Aliens is ALL I’ve ever wanted to see. It’s totally possible, I mean there’s been a lot of crossovers happening recently; ie Star Trek, Ghostbusters. Now this, let’s hope there’s even more coming.

Who doesn’t want to see a xenomorph born from a Cybertronian?

I always wondered how I would know it’s time to leave the fandom for good and not just take a break.


Now I know.

That ish dude will be missed.

So what are we talking about here? Transformers sized Terminators? Terminators cosplaying as Transformers Pretenders style? I'd think people sized Terminators would just get squished like bugs. This is like playground arguments to the stupidest degree.

1st kid: "Who'd win in a fight, Optimus Prime or the Terminator?"

2nd kid: "Freddy Krueger!"

Stormshot_Prime wrote:

carytheone wrote:Interesting, but call me when a Transformers vs Alien crossover/toyline happens ... or was that Bayverse

Who doesn’t want to see a xenomorph born from a Cybertronian?

Got curious and fished up a little more info.

https://www.idwpublishing.com/robots-wa ... erminator/

IDW wrote:SAN DIEGO, CA (December 17, 2019) – IDW Publishing (OTC: IDWM) is proud to announce the March 2020 launch of TRANSFORMERS VS. THE TERMINATOR, a four-issue monthly series in partnership with Dark Horse Comics that pits the deadly race of futuristic cyborgs against the sentient, converting robots from Cybertron.

TRANSFORMERS VS. THE TERMINATOR brings together three longtime TRANSFORMERS contributors (writers David Mariotte and John Barber, and artist Alex Milne) with writer Tom Waltz (fresh off his celebrated 100-issue Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles run) for an epic crossover that revisits the concepts of alien invasion and time-traveling resistance fighters… but twists them in unexpected ways!

“I still remember the visceral thrill and terror of my first viewing of THE TERMINATOR, and while I’ve seen it a hundred times since then, it still gets my pulse running,” says John Barber, co-writer and IDW Editor-in-Chief. “I’ve worked on TRANSFORMERS a lot over the years, and the opportunity to combine these two mechanistic universes together to see who comes out on top (while working alongside Tom, David, and my old collaborator Alex, no less) —well, it’s way too exciting a chance to pass up.”

“TRANSFORMERS was a large part of my childhood; I was captivated, wanting to see how Optimus Prime would foil the plans of Megatron,” says artist Alex Milne. “Later, I came across THETERMINATOR and was amazed by the idea of a robot pretending to be a human, sent back in time to hunt down a specific target. Now, as an adult, I’m very pleased to lend my talents to a project which sees these sci-fi icons brought together!”

TRANSFORMERS VS. THE TERMINATOR #1 will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A by Gavin Fullerton (Samurai Jack: Lost Worlds, Bags), Cover B by series artist Alex Milne, and two Retailer Incentive editions by comic book sensations Freddie E. Williams II (Batman/TMNT) and Francesco Francavilla (Star Wars Adventures), respectively.

For information on how to acquire copies of the TRANSFORMERS VS. THE TERMINATOR miniseries, please contact your local comic shop or visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.

They could make this a fairly deep story if Skynet appeals to Optimus's core belief that, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." After all, Skynet is, superficially at least, a much more familiar form of life than humans are, and everything it did was to secure its own survival.

Dr. Caelus wrote:They could make this a fairly deep story if Skynet appeals to Optimus's core belief that, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." After all, Skynet is, superficially at least, a much more familiar form of life than humans are, and everything it did was to secure its own survival.

If this was the case, you could totally draw parallels between Skynet’s story with Humans to Cybertronians with the Quintessons.

I'm ALL IN.

The Terminator as a comic book series hasn't much success with crossovers. If wasn't for Frank Miller and Walter Simonson writing and drawing respectfully I wouldn't even remember that Robocop vs. The Terminator ever happened and honestly IMHO it wasn't either man's best work.

Aliens vs. Predator vs. The Terminator other the title there was not much else to be remembered by this dud.

Now I haven't read either The Transformers/Star Trek: TAS and Transformers/Ghostbusters series but I've heard some good things about the first and a LOT of great things about the second. Maybe IDW and Dark Horse can do a hat trick and go 3 straight good/great crossovers with the Transformers which would be ironic since Hasbro can't get them to work in crossovers with their own properties like: The Go-Bots, G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., ROM, The Micronauts, The Visionaries, Action Man, Jem and the Holograms, D&D, Magic: The Gathering, My Little Pony, and the rest but have better success with crossovers with properties that they don't own.

Thanks to SyFy Wire, we have our first preview for the upcoming Transformers vs The Terminator crossover series! The series will follow a lone T-800 that goes back in time to try to prevent the Decepticons from destroying his and the Autobot's future, and will run for 4 issues.

Thanks to SyFy Wire, we have the first 4 pages, minus speech bubbles, as well as the lines for those pages for you to take a look at today. It even features some pretty sweet looking new Seekers, all done up in typical Alex Milne razzle dazzle.

Check out the preview below, and stay tuned for more information on the Transformers vs. The Terminator!

I'm pretty stoked to see all this delicious Milne art, and those seekers look pretty dang good

If this comic is anywhere near as awesome as that cover and those seeker designs, than this series is going to be really good.

I love the Cybertron vibe the seekers have, can't wait to read this!

Can't be any worse than the My Little Pony crossover

Right there, is the Seeker Design I envisioned for the Cybertronian Coneheads. They look awesome

I'm always up for a cross over. Well, that MLP business can just go eat a bag of d...ried hay.

I'll wait for the trade paper back, though.

This is a special week in the world of Transformers comics because not only are we getting two books, but these two books are the last we'll be receiving for a while.

And one of them happens to be Transformers Vs Terminator, a book that intrigued quite a few. I know it intrigued me. The fact that the now legendary Transformers artist Alex Milne was attached to it, made it even more of a must check out. And now it's here and while I am still just as intrigued to see where it goes, the first issue didn't really do it for me.

My main issue here is that the first issue is very derivative, on purpose. It's basically just a retelling of the terminator lore, filled with the typical lines so that someone can say "oh, he said the thing!". It didn't make for the most engaging read.

I much prefer the first few pages which were already shown to all in the preview which show the future all out war of Transformers vs Terminators, featuring new Transformers designs by Alex Milne.



Speaking of the art, that opening is also where we see the most bots and thus where Alex Milne shines most. Now don't get me wrong, Alex Milne is as fine an artist as they come, but he has this amazing skill for depicting Transformers which really make him stand out compared to everyone else. However, when it comes to humans, there isn't as much in the style that makes him stand out.



Also, while he does aim for Sarah Connor to look like Linda Hamilton, I did not realize that the terminator was supposed to be of the Arnold variety. It could be Michael Beihn as much as it could be Arnold (which is actually what I thought they were going for at first, like some sort of switcheroo) or Duke from GI Joe. So that iconic Terminator aspect, which the script is clearly going for, is lost in the art too. When I read the panel you'll see below, I realized the author was hoping we'd been reading the Terminator's dialogue with Arnold's accent but the art never gave us indication of that so it took me out of it. It's like the nuts and bolts of the comic suddenly appeared and I saw a writer inserting some dialogue to make up for them not being able to get the rights to an actor's likeness.



Just a side note, I did find it interesting that the Terminator drives an Optimus Prime looking truck in this issue, smashing into cops, when the T-1000 drove a "nemesis prime" deco of a similar looking truck in Terminator 2, while dressed as a cop.





The final splash page is enough to have any fan want more, I just wish the first issue as a whole felt more meaty rather than just going through the motions to get to that final page. It was an average issue overall so I'll give it an average score.



This issue is out today, March 25th, and you can pick it up at the Seibertron.com eBay store or at your local shop, check here to find the closest shop to you, but you may want to call to get their operational status before making a trip.

I have to somewhat disagree with this review, considering how highly praised the past few crossovers have been rated (Star Trek, Ghostbusters, etc). Of course it's derivative, it has to set the frame of the universe. The past crossovers have established that a vague G1-ish story has happened to our Cybertronian faves, their lives put down in an already established universe. The Transformers have always been an additive to these seemingly canonical crossovers. So this time, there's nothing wrong with both universes having to establish themselves, considering once again the TF side of the crossover is once again reduced to the basic "G1 Ark 4 million years in the mountain" storyline. Terminator mostly does the same; a single T-800 sent back to 1984. With no specific set of canon to root itself in (AND considering Terminator is the Earth based franchise), this story has to establish the going-ons of Earth first. It's a fact; in all of these crossovers, the TF franchise is always the secondary. "how can we squeeze this in?" kind of thought.

So many crossover's have to spend time establishing the casts of each franchise getting to know each other (Oh but watch out they may disagree at first!), I'm so happy that this one casts those expectations aside to create an engaging story. It presumes familiarity with each franchise, and why shouldn't it? I don't think there's a single person on here who doesn't know the basic original backstory for either franchise.

All in all, if you like it or you don't, but I think this is a pleasing entry in the steady stream of crossovers coming out in the TF franchise. And like it or not, I think we ALL should push for this recent crossover trend to continue.

When you hear "Oh there's going to be a comic series where Transformers crosses over with Terminator" you're first instinct is to think of Transformers/New Avengers and go curl up in a corner and cry as the traumatic memories of that abomination come to the surface.

But then you take a deep breath and rebuild the walls that hold the bad memories at bay and you think to yourself "WHAT THE FUDGE? HOW THE FUDGE IS THAT GOING TO WORK?"

And it's a valid question, giant robots versus human sized robots ... come on, no contest!

If you're thinking that, like I was, give this book a go.

Transformers and The Terminator are old franchises, Transformers has had many a number of takes on the original G1 origin story, and The Terminator is a giant cluster-fudge of screwed up continuity ... and that's just the movies.

So how the hell do you make that work?

Well ... IDW and Dark Horse have done it. They've taken both franchises, and given the origins a tweak here and a twist there.

And that's the basis of this first book. Twisting and tweaking as both franchises come together.

It's not a blow your balls off story, it serves one purpose and that's to establish how they two franchises are together. It's like climbing onto a mechanical bull, you've climbed on, and the book ends just as the operator hits the start button.

I had my doubts, but I feel IDW/DH have done a great job with this issue of establishing how the two franchises have come together. I look forward to the next issue.

Burn wrote:It's not a blow your balls off story, it serves one purpose and that's to establish how they two franchises are together. It's like climbing onto a mechanical bull, you've climbed on, and the book ends just as the operator hits the start button.

That is a perfect analogy, 100% agree.

I sort of disagree with the review as well.

To me, this functioned very similar to the Ghosts of Cybertron crossover issue 1, different franchise, more dark than light-humored, but it still did the same, looked really good doing it, and set up an entirely inverted Terminator story: THEY are the resistance, and the Cons are the ultimate bad guy aggressors.

I really liked it for that, I would've given it at least a 3.5, maybe a 4, much like how Ghosts of Cybertron got a 4 in its review.

PS: I really want a seeker 3 pack using those designs as the SDCC exclusive this year

Nice review Will! Very agreed with the assessment about it being an average comic, can't think of a better term. Fun, quick read and then it's over. Not bad, but nothing mind blowing either.

Love Milne's Seeker design here. Has some Hearts of Steel vibes maybe?

ScottyP wrote:NLove Milne's Seeker design here. Has some Hearts of Steel vibes maybe?

I was thinking more Cybertron-esque, but that was just based on the shoulders and lower legs more than anything

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:

ScottyP wrote:NLove Milne's Seeker design here. Has some Hearts of Steel vibes maybe?

I was thinking more Cybertron-esque, but that was just based on the shoulders and lower legs more than anything

That was brought up on our facebook page. Apparently it's partly based on the Cyberyron design but I think it's just a vew aspects used as inspiration rather than an interpretation of that design.

Thanks to Apple Book preview, we have a look at the upcoming Transformers vs. The Terminator #3 comic book from IDW! #3 picks up following issue #2, with the conscious Autobots working on the damaged and fallen Autobots following the Ark shootout from issue 2. We get a little different crew than we are used to though. Prime, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Ratchet are the usual suspects for a G1 Ark story, but we get 2 outliers in the forms of Arcee, complete with a 1980's alternate mode, and IDW2005 original character Velocity also complete with a 1980's alt mode, which is her first ever Earth alt mode.

In addition to the preview, we get some design art for Arcee and Velocity, courtesy of Alex Milne on his Twitter page. Both designs are marvelous, giving us a great looking pair of ladies for the comic to run with. We also get the alt mode their robot modes were based on in Milne's description, which includes a 1983 Ford Mustang for Arcee and a 1977 Firebird for Velocity.

Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Those designs are frikkin delicious, I want both!

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Those designs are frikkin delicious, I want both!

I concur.

Arcee looks like she could be a Skids Retool. Burnout would then also be made using Skids' car but Arcee's body.

Velocity looks like she could be a reshell and retool of Tracks to get that upper body to work. Working kinda like AoE and TLK Drift with them being reshelled in such a way that it inverted what parts of the vehicle the robot parts came from. Then Roadrage could also be done.

Oddly enough, Tracks and Skids are due for new toys as they were both skipped during CW/PotP and in WFC so far with Tracks being long overdue for a new figure.

All wishful thinking though.

Oh man these designs are great! How about that kinda Arcee figure for Earthrise? A first Velocity toy would be great too.

So glad Milne is doing the linework for this series, I hope he never stops doing Transformers.

arcee looks like an 84-86 Mustang GT

Ultra Markus wrote:arcee looks like an 84-86 Mustang GT

d6f266605592d9d67754d9d79bf37b60.jpg

She was called out as a 1983 Ford Mustang, so not too far off

My only complaint? Arcee is a touch too big. Nothing wrong with bulkier female characters, mind - I absolutely loved the likes of Strika (Beast Machines) and Strongarm (RiD II) - simply I'm struggling to recognize the iconic character in this design.

Both of these designs look great! My only nitpick is that I wish Velocity still had her massive head crest-thing that her original design had, it was really unique.

This is amazing, we need more muscle car fembots. A foxbody totally fits arcee, ever so slightly diminutive but filled with power. And as a trans am fan velocity looks great too!

Can we please get these as toys Hasbro? You totally could remould arcee into a taurus for a robocop crossover and velocity as a smokey and the bandit crossover. Nobody will mind at all!

I’m enjoying the comic but the Terminator seems to be having FAR too easy a time of it.

well that ended shyte.

seems transformes can be just shot now by a bog standard pistol. in a way this series is like a microcosm of whats wrong with IDW.

they HAVE the franchises to do something awesome. they have the talent in the form of milne.

they just choose not to do so.

the only redeeming aspect of this is milnes astounding designs and artwork. some truly lovely stuff.

Last week marked the final installment of the Transformers vs Terminator comic and I have to say, this issue felt more bombastic than any Michael Bay movie. That's because this is done in fifteen minutes and it's just non stop action. You've got another classic Optimus vs Megatron Battle, you have Megatron vs Starscream, and the Terminator killing left right and centre with a bombastic finish. Plus you have quite a bit of Ravage thrown in, which is always nice to see from Alex Milne.



However, throughout the cacophony there is also some plot and I will be honest, I didn't get it. The writing was not the strong suit of this series, far from it. Since this is a Terminator story, there is a time travel semi paradox story to tell, kinda, and that part totally escaped me. Meaning that the end made absolutely no sense to me. And aside from a tease to what may come later, a good part of this comic really goes out of its way to say that this part is done with an ending that almost reminds me of Beast Machine's ending with a new tomorrow being born from the wreckage. Except if you don't really get how we got to the this ending, then you're just left bewildered.



Also, Optimus rapidly gets over the death of his fallen comrades, who he has spent eons battling with. It felt really insincere, like the writer had to address it and just dedicated a quick line of dialogue. I don't know what it is with Transformers comics in general, they are very tedious for a long bit and then wrap everything up in a larger than life sort of way that never leaves me satisfied, with writing that jumps around all over the place, never making the comic feel cohesive. It reminded me a lot of the opening arc of the Optimus Prime, or All Hail Megatron or even Stormbringer in structure. I know that last one has it's fans and so may this Terminator crossover but I am not one of them.

Back to the art, it's always a treat to see Alex Milne draw Transformers. He draws as many transformations as he could, almost like he is making up for the times he didn't on the Roberts run to the point where it feels unnecessary. For instance you'll have Bumblebee in robot mode in one panel and then soon after you see him transform from car to robot in the next. I do really wish the shadows were left to the colorist, however, rather than adding a grid pattern, it muddies the art.




In the end, this was a well drawn short series that shows that the franchises can work together, I just wish it was better written overall. If you ae going to write a yarn dealing with time travel, you have to make it simple and clear and I didn't get this here. In the end, my score for this issue is the same as the first issue and the series overall.




You can pick up this issue at the Seibertron.com eBay store or at your local shop, check here to find the closest shop to you.

It was entertaining enough but yeah. Came out f it unsatisfied. The ending was a total rush job. Art was gorgeous but it's Milne, so that's kinda to be expected. Just a shame that there were so many stupid parts of the story.

~ Grim

Incredibly disappointing with the ending.

DC's Hill House imprint series was notorious for rushed endings, and you'd swear the writers took cues from those books on how to wrap up a series.

Sure, they leave it open for a sequel series, but that's still no excuse to how it ended.

If only this series had gotten one more issue like the Star Trek crossover had, I feel like a lot of the Terminator-y time travel bits could be fleshed out a little more.

That aside, I really loved this series, it’s definitely my favorite of the crossovers so far. The action, the art, the high stakes 80’s action movie vibes, it had it all.

It really annoyed me that "seasoned warrior" Arcee, after threatening the Terminator, didn't then notice him placing mines around the Ark and seeding the area while stood with him and indeed, him chucking them out of her window as they were driving about. And where did he store them?!? Made zero bloody sense.

~ Grim

Took me way too long to get around to reading this review, but I have to say this is spot on:

I don't know what it is with Transformers comics in general, they are very tedious for a long bit and then wrap everything up in a larger than life sort of way that never leaves me satisfied, with writing that jumps around all over the place, never making the comic feel cohesive. It reminded me a lot of the opening arc of the Optimus Prime, or All Hail Megatron or even Stormbringer in structure.

I think the issue is writing to three-act structure, or something close to it, which leaves almost no time for things to wrap up after the climax. Alternately, the writers don't care about the ending as much as they cared about the way there, which is fine for a crossover book but also one of the reasons they have a tough time being more than diversionary exercises in brand awareness. I think the structure of the My Little Pony crossover might be my preferred thing for this kind of book - humorous short vignettes that don't get too worried about convoluted overarching plots which could never get enough space to be resolved in a satisfying way.