MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Drift (G1)

2010-01-31T05:49:30Z

202.156.13.240: Undo revision 421406 by Lonegamer78 (Talk)Why not?

{{factions|autobot|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the Generation 1 character|the ''Armada'' episode|Drift (episode)}}
:''Drift is an [[Autobot]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AHM 06 CoverA.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Oh Drift-chan, you smell awesome, and not at all like feet!"]]

'''Drift''' (ドリフト ''Dorifuto'') was not always an Autobot. In fact, he slaughtered quite a few when he was known as the Decepticon '''Deadlock'''. But Deadlock's eyes were opened to what the Transformers' war had become when he stumbled across a lost faction of neutral Transformers long since forgotten. He discarded his ruthless ways, abandoned his guns for swords, and changed his name and appearance. When Drift returned to the Transformer war to make right what he put wrong, he was a bot of few words and disciplined action.

These days, Drift is a member of a ragtag team of rebels under the command of [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], working alongside many members of the disbanded [[Wrecker|Wreckers]]. Because of his brutal past, Drift isn't well-liked or trusted by [[Bumblebee (G1)|a few]] of the Autobots. The rest don't seem to care, or are [[Cliffjumper (G1)|genuinely impressed]] by his incredible skills, so long as they're used against the other side!

He has no personality at all.

{{quote|We're going about this the wrong way, '''all''' of us! After countless centuries of fighting ... the Autobots are a '''step''' away from what we were when all this '''started.''' And us—the Decepticons have become something '''worse''' than any of us could have '''imagined'''.|Drift explains his new perception of the war to his [[Turmoil|former commander]]|"[[Spotlight: Drift]]"}}

==Fiction==
===IDW comics===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:SpotlightDrift Deadlockisdead.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He's your horrible fancharacter.]]
While he was known as Deadlock, Drift used to be the second-in-command of the [[Decepticon]] [[Turmoil]]. During this time, he earned a reputation by slaughtering his Autobot opponents. At some point, Deadlock disappeared and was thought to be dead. Turmoil's only wish was that he had killed the traitor himself.

Some time later, after receiving a new body, fighting style and ''totally sugoi'' super-long sword that he can only use in the totally direst of times (and to pose for comic covers) from his mysterious benefactors, Drift set off to make a difference. His chance came in an attempt to free a group of Autobots held captive on the ship he previously served aboard. Upon entering Turmoil's ship, his attempt at stealth was successful until the [[Wrecker]]s arrived and blasted their way aboard. Jumping into the battle to assist them, he piqued the interest of a few Autobots. [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] was injured as Turmoil entered the battle and, recognizing Drift's voice as his former lieutenant, attempted to destroy him. However, his attack only resulted in knocking Drift and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] to another room. The two quickly worked together to program the ship to overload. In his final confrontation with Turmoil, Drift stated his intention was to help, not kill, and left to rescue Perceptor before the ship blew up.

After his arrival on the Autobot ship, Kup invited Drift to join his new unit as an Autobot. {{storylink|Spotlight: Drift}}

[[Image:AHM15 DriftKupPerceptor.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Kup's all like "...Shut up, [[wikipedia:Meg Griffin|Meg]]."]]

Now a crew member of the spacecraft ''[[Trion]]'', Drift got to know his new teammate [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] over many friendly games of [[Go]]. Perceptor felt he owed a debt to Drift for saving his life, and devoted much of his time to upgrading himself for more combat-oriented tasks. While Kup discouraged this, Drift stoically accepted Perceptor's new ambitions. The crew of the Trion soon received a distress call from [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], who was being pursued by a Decepticon warship commanded by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]. Hot Rod's shuttle was shot down over a planetoid, forcing him to confront Bludgeon and the [[Pretender Monster|Monstructor Six]] on the surface. Fortunately, Kup's team arrived in time to save Hot Rod from a grisly death. The Monstructor Six merged into [[Monstructor (G1)|their gestalt form]] and gave the Autobots a hard time until Perceptor managed to hit their vulnerable connector joint with his newly-honed sniping skills. The Decepticons quickly retreated as Kup's team, now joined by Hot Rod, moved to pursue. {{storylink|Lost & Found}}

[[Image:Allhailmegatron6-omgdriftomg.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Seriously, you made this guy up when you were eight.]]

They were soon baited into a Decepticon ambush over [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The Trion's command codes were hacked due to their being sold to the Decepticons by an Autobot traitor, and, left defenseless, it was forced to crash-land on the desolate landscape of the planet. Eventually, the crew were found by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s unit, who unfortunately proved to be ''also'' stranded. When [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] was revealed by [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] to have been standing invisibly among them, Drift was the only one who didn't appear surprised. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

When an advance scout of the [[Insecticon swarm|Insecticon Swarm]] discovered the Autobots' base camp, Drift was dispatched to take care of it. Drift stood stock-still as the creature walked up to him, greeting it with a simple "hello" and smirking as the monstrous beast snarled in his face. Finally, he beheaded the beast with a single wave of his sword. A second creature tried to attack Drift from behind, but the smirking Autobot merely tilted his head slightly, allowing [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] to kill the beast with some precision sniping. [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] thought the incident was the coolest thing ever. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

After [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] revealed to [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] that he was the traitor, an army of the Swarm came after them. Drift saved Ironhide while Sunstreaker blew up a bridge, killing himself and the Swarm army. Later, Drift visited Ironhide and claimed that the Decepticons had access to the Autobots' systems in a way that Sunstreaker couldn't possibly have. Ironhide asked if this meant there was a second traitor, but Drift replied that there was simply more to the situation than they knew. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[Image:Thundercracker Drift.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Drift-slap! 'Cracker don't take crap!]]

When Mirage was showing some doubt in the Autobot cause, it was Drift who said that, now more than ever, the Autobots should continue being who they are. [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] insinuated that Drift had no right to say something like that, which started an argument that was only stopped by the return of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}}

Drift took part in the battle against the Swarm, and joined the others in escaping Cybertron in Omega Supreme. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}. On Earth, he battled the Decepticons, and when [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] volunteered to divert the human's nuclear bomb, Drift attempted to congratulate his former comrade on seeing the light. Thundercracker was having none of it, slapping the traitor's hand away and claiming he was merely following the Decepticons ''true'' ideal.{{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

Two years later, Drift is still with the Autobots, hiding on Earth. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} When Bumblebee was elected leader following Optimus Prime's departure, Drift celebrated the result with numerous other Autobots. {{storylink|The Hanging Sword}}

===Robot Heroes===
Drift was [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime's]] friend and always let his actions speak louder than words. When the Autobots arrived on Earth, he hid himself in a lake. Upon Optimus's order, he transformed into his car mode to roll out. Later, when the Decepticons attacked, he pushed [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] over a tripwire held by some of the Autobots [[human allies]]. {{storylink|I Am Optimus Prime (Robot Heroes)|I Am Optimus Prime}}

==Notes==
* Commenting on what inspired him to create Drift, writer/creator [[Shane McCarthy]] said that "I wanted a character in AHM that had a particular element to him that I didn’t see readily available elsewhere and secondly because, frankly, I thought it would be a great idea for Hasbro to have an Autobot Drift racer."<ref>[http://www.smactalk.com.au/?p=101 Shane McCarthy blogs about Spotlight: Drift.]</ref> He later said he wanted to show what'd happen if a former Decepticon became an Autobot. <ref>[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=11723 Podcast interview with Shane McCarthy]</ref> Of course, this has never [[Jetfire (G1)|happened]] [[Dinobot (BW)|before]].

* According to McCarthy, Drift's Japanese overtones are meant to be a tip of the hat "to the country that gave birth to [''Transformers'']."<ref>[http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18585 Comic Book Resources October 27th, 2008 interview with Shane McCarthy]</ref> It is possible (though unlikely given how many people mistakenly believe ''Transformers'' is Japanese) that he meant ''[[Diaclone]]'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'', as the ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' franchise was developed between [[Hasbro]], [[Griffin Bacal]] and [[Marvel Comics|Marvel Entertainment]], three American companies.

* [[IDW Publishing]] initially claimed that Drift had been solicited by [[Hasbro]] to receive a toy in the ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' line. This may have been premature, as it was followed several months later with a denial, albeit from Hasbro's Australian offices.<ref>[http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3438 Ozformers Q&A with Hasbro Australia]</ref> This was rebutted by IDW editor [[Chris Ryall]] at New York Comic-Con 2009, denied again in the March 2009 Hasbro Q&A for Seibertron.com<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/hasbro-answers-seibertrons-questions/15360 Hasbro March 2009 Q&A on Seibertron.com]</ref>, and finally acknowledged by Hasbro at [[BotCon 2009]], when early design sketches were unveiled for Drift's toy.

* Drift's name is derived from the Japanese driving technique of "[[wikipedia:Drifting_(motorsport)|drifting]]", rendered in Japanese as ドリフト走行 (''dorifuto sōkō''). This is also the source of the Japanese Katakana writing on his car mode doors and in Chris Ryall's announcement;<ref>[http://ryalltime.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post.html "ドリフト走行*" entry in Chris Ryall's blog]</ref> it is a transliteration of his English name and is not from Japanese fiction.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Comic-only characters]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]

Nick Roche

2010-01-31T05:48:41Z

202.156.13.240: Undo revision 421407 by Lonegamer78 (Talk)Why not, it is obvious Shane O Mac thinks he's the greatest thing since the Big Bang

[[Image:derpnick.jpg|right|158px|thumb|What can brown do for you?]]
'''Nick Roche''' is an Irish comic book artist and writer for [[IDW Publishing]]. He is '''awesome'''.

Nick Roche is a native of County Wexford, but currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. Having always been a massive Transformers fan, Roche's produced artwork for fan fiction and UK convention publications, gaining a healthy fanbase within the UK, but remaining almost entirely unknown outside of the tight-knit UK fandom.

He pitched his work to [[Dreamwave Productions]] but had no response, something he's glad about in hindsight; he notes "at the time, I'd have worked for free but it turns out everyone else at Dreamwave was doing that anyway".<ref name="Moonbase Two">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIkqheta3GE Nick Roche interview with Moonbase Two]</ref> Nick finally got his break into Transformers when IDW Publishing acquired the Transformers license. A friend of Nick's by the name of Dave Hendrick sent IDW supremo [[Chris Ryall]] Nick's samples.

Twenty minutes later there was an email back from Chris.

Nick started on the "Chrischarger" art before being given ''Spotlight''s, then ''more'' ''Spotlight''s (and a ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'' fill-in) before being given the ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]'' mini-series. He's also penciled numerous covers for the different Transformers series, including a piece for the ''[[Target 2006 (IDW)|Target 2006]]'' reprints featuring the original team of [[Wrecker]]s, the covers for the [[Metrodome]] DVD sets of ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' and ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'', and a special comic and a piece of artwork packed with [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Generation 1'' DVD set. Nick has also worked on the new Transformers UK comic book ([[Transformers Comic issue 2|issue 2]]) and the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comic for [[Titan Books|Titan]].

If that wasn't enough, Nick drew ''and'' wrote "[[Spotlight: Kup]]", which also has the distinction of being the first issue in the IDW G1 continuity written by someone other than [[Simon Furman]]. In 2010, he's writing and drawing [[Last Stand of the Wreckers|a Wreckers miniseries]]. And he also writes panto!<ref name="Moonbase Two" />

Shattered trousers are usually left in his wake, and [[Shane McCarthy|this guy]] is only as awesome as Nick is in his own little fantasies.

{{quote|Look: you can't comprehend the scale of trouser destruction that will occur. The current financial crisis? Pffah! There will be people wandering around this Christmas with next to no trouser coverage. And as for the potentially countless children who will lose their sight and sense of decency from flying pant-shards...well, it doesn't bear thinking about. No gusset is safe this Christmas.|Nick on the imminent release of ''Maximum Dinobots'' #1<ref>http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=106763#106763</ref>}}

==Writing==
* "[[Spotlight: Kup]]"
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]] story 1: "Everything in Its Right Place"
* ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' (in production)
[[Image:FerreroRocher.jpg|right|158px|thumb|A lesser-known variation on the spelling of Nick's name.]]

==Comic book art==
===IDW Publishing===
* "[[Spotlight: Shockwave]]"
* "[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]"
* "[[Spotlight: Kup]]"
* [[Beast Wars Sourcebook|''Beast Wars'' Sourcebook]] #1, #2 (select pages)
* ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'' [[Devastation issue 3|#3]]
* "[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]"
* ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]''
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]] story 1: "Everything in Its Right Place"
* ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''

===Madman Entertainment===
* ''Transformers Generation 1'' Complete Collection DVD set ([[The Transformers (Madman)|pack-in comic book]] and [[Matrix of Leadership]] chamber artwork with [[Don Figueroa]] and [[Josh Burcham]])

===Titan Books===
*[[Transformers Comic issue 2|Titan ''Transformers'' comic #2]]

==DVD cover art==
===[[Metrodome]]===
* ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Transformers Takara Collection Super-God Masterforce]]''
* ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Transformers Takara Collection Victory]]''

==Convention appearances==
* [[BotCon]] ([[BotCon 2009|2009]])
* [[Unofficial conventions|Auto Assembly]] (2009)

==Notes==
* Nick Roche's art style is instantly recognizable in a comic due to his semi-stylized lines. According to him, he just "makes the hands bigger and the pointy bits pointier", and he would like to draw with "[[Geoff Senior|Senior's]] energy, [[Andrew Wildman|Wildman's]] expressiveness and [[Derek Yaniger|Yaniger's]] chins!". He is also noted for being able to change his drawing style. He says he finds he does change it automatically depending on the story, such as upping the cartooniness for "Spotlight Hot Rod" and toning it down for a story from [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl's]] point of view.<ref name="Moonbase Two" />
* The cover for #1 of ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' shows three early-90s European G1 characters (toys out when Roche was young) and a recurring Marvel UK guy (who Roche would've grown up reading).<ref>[http://dcjosh.deviantart.com/art/Last-Stand-of-the-Wreckers-130852263 Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 cover]</ref> Nostalgia! (And in two cases, this'll be the first fictional appearance these guys ever got!)

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:SpotlightHotRod rush.jpg|[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] enjoys freefalling to a planet in "[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]".
Image:TFGenerations12.jpg|[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]'s never looked this cool before or since. Cover art for ''[[Generations (comic reprints)|Transformers: Generations]]'' issue #12.
Image:SpotlightHardhead HardheadsHeadshot.jpg|[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]'s got a hard head in "[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]".
Image:AHM15 SpringerpunchesProwl.jpg|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] is [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s personal punching bag in [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]]
</gallery>

* ''[[:Category:Images by Nick Roche|Extended Nick Roche gallery]]''</center>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nickroche.blogspot.com/ Nick Roche's blog]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Nick}}
[[Category:IDW]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]
[[Category:Writers]]

Drift (G1)

2010-01-31T05:15:54Z

202.156.13.240:

{{factions|autobot|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the Generation 1 character|the ''Armada'' episode|Drift (episode)}}
:''Drift is an [[Autobot]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AHM 06 CoverA.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Oh Drift-chan, you smell awesome, and not at all like feet!"]]

'''Drift''' (ドリフト ''Dorifuto'') was not always an Autobot. In fact, he slaughtered quite a few when he was known as the Decepticon '''Deadlock'''. But Deadlock's eyes were opened to what the Transformers' war had become when he stumbled across a lost faction of neutral Transformers long since forgotten. He discarded his ruthless ways, abandoned his guns for swords, and changed his name and appearance. When Drift returned to the Transformer war to make right what he put wrong, he was a bot of few words and disciplined action.

These days, Drift is a member of a ragtag team of rebels under the command of [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], working alongside many members of the disbanded [[Wrecker|Wreckers]]. Because of his brutal past, Drift isn't well-liked or trusted by [[Bumblebee (G1)|a few]] of the Autobots. The rest don't seem to care, or are [[Cliffjumper (G1)|genuinely impressed]] by his incredible skills, so long as they're used against the other side!

He has no personality at all.

{{quote|We're going about this the wrong way, '''all''' of us! After countless centuries of fighting ... the Autobots are a '''step''' away from what we were when all this '''started.''' And us—the Decepticons have become something '''worse''' than any of us could have '''imagined'''.|Drift explains his new perception of the war to his [[Turmoil|former commander]]|"[[Spotlight: Drift]]"}}

==Fiction==
===IDW comics===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:SpotlightDrift Deadlockisdead.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He's your horrible fancharacter.]]
While he was known as Deadlock, Drift used to be the second-in-command of the [[Decepticon]] [[Turmoil]]. During this time, he earned a reputation by slaughtering his Autobot opponents. At some point, Deadlock disappeared and was thought to be dead. Turmoil's only wish was that he had killed the traitor himself.

Some time later, after receiving a new body, fighting style and ''totally sugoi'' super-long sword that he can only use in the totally direst of times (and to pose for comic covers) from his mysterious benefactors, Drift set off to make a difference. His chance came in an attempt to free a group of Autobots held captive on the ship he previously served aboard. Upon entering Turmoil's ship, his attempt at stealth was successful until the [[Wrecker]]s arrived and blasted their way aboard. Jumping into the battle to assist them, he piqued the interest of a few Autobots. [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] was injured as Turmoil entered the battle and, recognizing Drift's voice as his former lieutenant, attempted to destroy him. However, his attack only resulted in knocking Drift and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] to another room. The two quickly worked together to program the ship to overload. In his final confrontation with Turmoil, Drift stated his intention was to help, not kill, and left to rescue Perceptor before the ship blew up.

After his arrival on the Autobot ship, Kup invited Drift to join his new unit as an Autobot. {{storylink|Spotlight: Drift}}

[[Image:AHM15 DriftKupPerceptor.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Kup's all like "...Shut up, [[wikipedia:Meg Griffin|Meg]]."]]

Now a crew member of the spacecraft ''[[Trion]]'', Drift got to know his new teammate [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] over many friendly games of [[Go]]. Perceptor felt he owed a debt to Drift for saving his life, and devoted much of his time to upgrading himself for more combat-oriented tasks. While Kup discouraged this, Drift stoically accepted Perceptor's new ambitions. The crew of the Trion soon received a distress call from [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], who was being pursued by a Decepticon warship commanded by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]. Hot Rod's shuttle was shot down over a planetoid, forcing him to confront Bludgeon and the [[Pretender Monster|Monstructor Six]] on the surface. Fortunately, Kup's team arrived in time to save Hot Rod from a grisly death. The Monstructor Six merged into [[Monstructor (G1)|their gestalt form]] and gave the Autobots a hard time until Perceptor managed to hit their vulnerable connector joint with his newly-honed sniping skills. The Decepticons quickly retreated as Kup's team, now joined by Hot Rod, moved to pursue. {{storylink|Lost & Found}}

[[Image:Allhailmegatron6-omgdriftomg.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Seriously, you made this guy up when you were eight.]]

They were soon baited into a Decepticon ambush over [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The Trion's command codes were hacked due to their being sold to the Decepticons by an Autobot traitor, and, left defenseless, it was forced to crash-land on the desolate landscape of the planet. Eventually, the crew were found by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s unit, who unfortunately proved to be ''also'' stranded. When [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] was revealed by [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] to have been standing invisibly among them, Drift was the only one who didn't appear surprised. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

When an advance scout of the [[Insecticon swarm|Insecticon Swarm]] discovered the Autobots' base camp, Drift was dispatched to take care of it. Drift stood stock-still as the creature walked up to him, greeting it with a simple "hello" and smirking as the monstrous beast snarled in his face. Finally, he beheaded the beast with a single wave of his sword. A second creature tried to attack Drift from behind, but the smirking Autobot merely tilted his head slightly, allowing [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] to kill the beast with some precision sniping. [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] thought the incident was the coolest thing ever. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

After [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] revealed to [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] that he was the traitor, an army of the Swarm came after them. Drift saved Ironhide while Sunstreaker blew up a bridge, killing himself and the Swarm army. Later, Drift visited Ironhide and claimed that the Decepticons had access to the Autobots' systems in a way that Sunstreaker couldn't possibly have. Ironhide asked if this meant there was a second traitor, but Drift replied that there was simply more to the situation than they knew. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[Image:Thundercracker Drift.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Drift-slap! 'Cracker don't take crap!]]

When Mirage was showing some doubt in the Autobot cause, it was Drift who said that, now more than ever, the Autobots should continue being who they are. [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] insinuated that Drift had no right to say something like that, which started an argument that was only stopped by the return of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}}

Drift took part in the battle against the Swarm, and joined the others in escaping Cybertron in Omega Supreme. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}. On Earth, he battled the Decepticons, and when [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] volunteered to divert the human's nuclear bomb, Drift attempted to congratulate his former comrade on seeing the light. Thundercracker was having none of it, slapping the traitor's hand away and claiming he was merely following the Decepticons ''true'' ideal.{{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

Two years later, Drift is still with the Autobots, hiding on Earth. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} When Optimus Prime surrendered himself to [[Skywatch]], the Autobots were divided into two groups. One group, led by Hot Rod, wanted to find a way off the planet at any cost and split off from the rest. The remaining Autobots elected Bumblebee as leader, and have decided to remain on Earth. Drift apparently chose to stay with the latter group. {{storylink|The Hanging Sword}}

===Robot Heroes===
Drift was [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime's]] friend and always let his actions speak louder than words. When the Autobots arrived on Earth, he hid himself in a lake. Upon Optimus's order, he transformed into his car mode to roll out. Later, when the Decepticons attacked, he pushed [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] over a tripwire held by some of the Autobots [[human allies]]. {{storylink|I Am Optimus Prime (Robot Heroes)|I Am Optimus Prime}}

==Notes==
* Commenting on what inspired him to create Drift, writer/creator [[Shane McCarthy]] said that "I wanted a character in AHM that had a particular element to him that I didn’t see readily available elsewhere and secondly because, frankly, I thought it would be a great idea for Hasbro to have an Autobot Drift racer."<ref>[http://www.smactalk.com.au/?p=101 Shane McCarthy blogs about Spotlight: Drift.]</ref> He later said he wanted to show what'd happen if a former Decepticon became an Autobot. <ref>[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=11723 Podcast interview with Shane McCarthy]</ref> Of course, this has never [[Jetfire (G1)|happened]] [[Dinobot (BW)|before]].

* According to McCarthy, Drift's Japanese overtones are meant to be a tip of the hat "to the country that gave birth to [''Transformers'']."<ref>[http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18585 Comic Book Resources October 27th, 2008 interview with Shane McCarthy]</ref> It is possible (though unlikely given how many people mistakenly believe ''Transformers'' is Japanese) that he meant ''[[Diaclone]]'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'', as the ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' franchise was developed between [[Hasbro]], [[Griffin Bacal]] and [[Marvel Comics|Marvel Entertainment]], three American companies.

* [[IDW Publishing]] initially claimed that Drift had been solicited by [[Hasbro]] to receive a toy in the ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' line. This may have been premature, as it was followed several months later with a denial, albeit from Hasbro's Australian offices.<ref>[http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3438 Ozformers Q&A with Hasbro Australia]</ref> This was rebutted by IDW editor [[Chris Ryall]] at New York Comic-Con 2009, denied again in the March 2009 Hasbro Q&A for Seibertron.com<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/hasbro-answers-seibertrons-questions/15360 Hasbro March 2009 Q&A on Seibertron.com]</ref>, and finally acknowledged by Hasbro at [[BotCon 2009]], when early design sketches were unveiled for Drift's toy.

* Drift's name is derived from the Japanese driving technique of "[[wikipedia:Drifting_(motorsport)|drifting]]", rendered in Japanese as ドリフト走行 (''dorifuto sōkō''). This is also the source of the Japanese Katakana writing on his car mode doors and in Chris Ryall's announcement;<ref>[http://ryalltime.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post.html "ドリフト走行*" entry in Chris Ryall's blog]</ref> it is a transliteration of his English name and is not from Japanese fiction.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Comic-only characters]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]

Nick Roche

2010-01-31T05:13:45Z

202.156.13.240: ugh, these new-fangled wikis are hard to use[/oldguy]

Nick Roche

2010-01-31T05:12:53Z

202.156.13.240: fixing link

[[Image:derpnick.jpg|right|158px|thumb|What can brown do for you?]]
'''Nick Roche''' is an Irish comic book artist and writer for [[IDW Publishing]]. He is '''awesome'''.

Nick Roche is a native of County Wexford, but currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. Having always been a massive Transformers fan, Roche's produced artwork for fan fiction and UK convention publications, gaining a healthy fanbase within the UK, but remaining almost entirely unknown outside of the tight-knit UK fandom.

He pitched his work to [[Dreamwave Productions]] but had no response, something he's glad about in hindsight; he notes "at the time, I'd have worked for free but it turns out everyone else at Dreamwave was doing that anyway".<ref name="Moonbase Two">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIkqheta3GE Nick Roche interview with Moonbase Two]</ref> Nick finally got his break into Transformers when IDW Publishing acquired the Transformers license. A friend of Nick's by the name of Dave Hendrick sent IDW supremo [[Chris Ryall]] Nick's samples.

Twenty minutes later there was an email back from Chris.

Nick started on the "Chrischarger" art before being given ''Spotlight''s, then ''more'' ''Spotlight''s (and a ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'' fill-in) before being given the ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]'' mini-series. He's also penciled numerous covers for the different Transformers series, including a piece for the ''[[Target 2006 (IDW)|Target 2006]]'' reprints featuring the original team of [[Wrecker]]s, the covers for the [[Metrodome]] DVD sets of ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' and ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'', and a special comic and a piece of artwork packed with [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Generation 1'' DVD set. Nick has also worked on the new Transformers UK comic book ([[Transformers Comic issue 2|issue 2]]) and the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comic for [[Titan Books|Titan]].

If that wasn't enough, Nick drew ''and'' wrote "[[Spotlight: Kup]]", which also has the distinction of being the first issue in the IDW G1 continuity written by someone other than [[Simon Furman]]. In 2010, he's writing and drawing [[Last Stand of the Wreckers|a Wreckers miniseries]]. And he also writes panto!<ref name="Moonbase Two" />

Shattered trousers are usually left in his wake, and [[Shane McCarhty|this guy]] is only as awesome as Nick is in his own little fantasies.

{{quote|Look: you can't comprehend the scale of trouser destruction that will occur. The current financial crisis? Pffah! There will be people wandering around this Christmas with next to no trouser coverage. And as for the potentially countless children who will lose their sight and sense of decency from flying pant-shards...well, it doesn't bear thinking about. No gusset is safe this Christmas.|Nick on the imminent release of ''Maximum Dinobots'' #1<ref>http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=106763#106763</ref>}}

==Writing==
* "[[Spotlight: Kup]]"
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]] story 1: "Everything in Its Right Place"
* ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' (in production)
[[Image:FerreroRocher.jpg|right|158px|thumb|A lesser-known variation on the spelling of Nick's name.]]

==Comic book art==
===IDW Publishing===
* "[[Spotlight: Shockwave]]"
* "[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]"
* "[[Spotlight: Kup]]"
* [[Beast Wars Sourcebook|''Beast Wars'' Sourcebook]] #1, #2 (select pages)
* ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'' [[Devastation issue 3|#3]]
* "[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]"
* ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]''
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]] story 1: "Everything in Its Right Place"
* ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''

===Madman Entertainment===
* ''Transformers Generation 1'' Complete Collection DVD set ([[The Transformers (Madman)|pack-in comic book]] and [[Matrix of Leadership]] chamber artwork with [[Don Figueroa]] and [[Josh Burcham]])

===Titan Books===
*[[Transformers Comic issue 2|Titan ''Transformers'' comic #2]]

==DVD cover art==
===[[Metrodome]]===
* ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Transformers Takara Collection Super-God Masterforce]]''
* ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Transformers Takara Collection Victory]]''

==Convention appearances==
* [[BotCon]] ([[BotCon 2009|2009]])
* [[Unofficial conventions|Auto Assembly]] (2009)

==Notes==
* Nick Roche's art style is instantly recognizable in a comic due to his semi-stylized lines. According to him, he just "makes the hands bigger and the pointy bits pointier", and he would like to draw with "[[Geoff Senior|Senior's]] energy, [[Andrew Wildman|Wildman's]] expressiveness and [[Derek Yaniger|Yaniger's]] chins!". He is also noted for being able to change his drawing style. He says he finds he does change it automatically depending on the story, such as upping the cartooniness for "Spotlight Hot Rod" and toning it down for a story from [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl's]] point of view.<ref name="Moonbase Two" />
* The cover for #1 of ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' shows three early-90s European G1 characters (toys out when Roche was young) and a recurring Marvel UK guy (who Roche would've grown up reading).<ref>[http://dcjosh.deviantart.com/art/Last-Stand-of-the-Wreckers-130852263 Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 cover]</ref> Nostalgia! (And in two cases, this'll be the first fictional appearance these guys ever got!)

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:SpotlightHotRod rush.jpg|[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] enjoys freefalling to a planet in "[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]".
Image:TFGenerations12.jpg|[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]'s never looked this cool before or since. Cover art for ''[[Generations (comic reprints)|Transformers: Generations]]'' issue #12.
Image:SpotlightHardhead HardheadsHeadshot.jpg|[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]'s got a hard head in "[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]".
Image:AHM15 SpringerpunchesProwl.jpg|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] is [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s personal punching bag in [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]]
</gallery>

* ''[[:Category:Images by Nick Roche|Extended Nick Roche gallery]]''</center>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nickroche.blogspot.com/ Nick Roche's blog]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Nick}}
[[Category:IDW]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]
[[Category:Writers]]

Nick Roche

2010-01-31T05:12:05Z

202.156.13.240: Tee Hee!

[[Image:derpnick.jpg|right|158px|thumb|What can brown do for you?]]
'''Nick Roche''' is an Irish comic book artist and writer for [[IDW Publishing]]. He is '''awesome'''.

Nick Roche is a native of County Wexford, but currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. Having always been a massive Transformers fan, Roche's produced artwork for fan fiction and UK convention publications, gaining a healthy fanbase within the UK, but remaining almost entirely unknown outside of the tight-knit UK fandom.

He pitched his work to [[Dreamwave Productions]] but had no response, something he's glad about in hindsight; he notes "at the time, I'd have worked for free but it turns out everyone else at Dreamwave was doing that anyway".<ref name="Moonbase Two">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIkqheta3GE Nick Roche interview with Moonbase Two]</ref> Nick finally got his break into Transformers when IDW Publishing acquired the Transformers license. A friend of Nick's by the name of Dave Hendrick sent IDW supremo [[Chris Ryall]] Nick's samples.

Twenty minutes later there was an email back from Chris.

Nick started on the "Chrischarger" art before being given ''Spotlight''s, then ''more'' ''Spotlight''s (and a ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'' fill-in) before being given the ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]'' mini-series. He's also penciled numerous covers for the different Transformers series, including a piece for the ''[[Target 2006 (IDW)|Target 2006]]'' reprints featuring the original team of [[Wrecker]]s, the covers for the [[Metrodome]] DVD sets of ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' and ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'', and a special comic and a piece of artwork packed with [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Generation 1'' DVD set. Nick has also worked on the new Transformers UK comic book ([[Transformers Comic issue 2|issue 2]]) and the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comic for [[Titan Books|Titan]].

If that wasn't enough, Nick drew ''and'' wrote "[[Spotlight: Kup]]", which also has the distinction of being the first issue in the IDW G1 continuity written by someone other than [[Simon Furman]]. In 2010, he's writing and drawing [[Last Stand of the Wreckers|a Wreckers miniseries]]. And he also writes panto!<ref name="Moonbase Two" />

Shattered trousers are usually left in his wake, and [[Shane McCarhty|this guy]] is only as awesome as Nick is in his own little fantasies]]

{{quote|Look: you can't comprehend the scale of trouser destruction that will occur. The current financial crisis? Pffah! There will be people wandering around this Christmas with next to no trouser coverage. And as for the potentially countless children who will lose their sight and sense of decency from flying pant-shards...well, it doesn't bear thinking about. No gusset is safe this Christmas.|Nick on the imminent release of ''Maximum Dinobots'' #1<ref>http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=106763#106763</ref>}}

==Writing==
* "[[Spotlight: Kup]]"
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]] story 1: "Everything in Its Right Place"
* ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' (in production)
[[Image:FerreroRocher.jpg|right|158px|thumb|A lesser-known variation on the spelling of Nick's name.]]

==Comic book art==
===IDW Publishing===
* "[[Spotlight: Shockwave]]"
* "[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]"
* "[[Spotlight: Kup]]"
* [[Beast Wars Sourcebook|''Beast Wars'' Sourcebook]] #1, #2 (select pages)
* ''[[Devastation (IDW)|Devastation]]'' [[Devastation issue 3|#3]]
* "[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]"
* ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]''
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]] story 1: "Everything in Its Right Place"
* ''[[Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''

===Madman Entertainment===
* ''Transformers Generation 1'' Complete Collection DVD set ([[The Transformers (Madman)|pack-in comic book]] and [[Matrix of Leadership]] chamber artwork with [[Don Figueroa]] and [[Josh Burcham]])

===Titan Books===
*[[Transformers Comic issue 2|Titan ''Transformers'' comic #2]]

==DVD cover art==
===[[Metrodome]]===
* ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Transformers Takara Collection Super-God Masterforce]]''
* ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Transformers Takara Collection Victory]]''

==Convention appearances==
* [[BotCon]] ([[BotCon 2009|2009]])
* [[Unofficial conventions|Auto Assembly]] (2009)

==Notes==
* Nick Roche's art style is instantly recognizable in a comic due to his semi-stylized lines. According to him, he just "makes the hands bigger and the pointy bits pointier", and he would like to draw with "[[Geoff Senior|Senior's]] energy, [[Andrew Wildman|Wildman's]] expressiveness and [[Derek Yaniger|Yaniger's]] chins!". He is also noted for being able to change his drawing style. He says he finds he does change it automatically depending on the story, such as upping the cartooniness for "Spotlight Hot Rod" and toning it down for a story from [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl's]] point of view.<ref name="Moonbase Two" />
* The cover for #1 of ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' shows three early-90s European G1 characters (toys out when Roche was young) and a recurring Marvel UK guy (who Roche would've grown up reading).<ref>[http://dcjosh.deviantart.com/art/Last-Stand-of-the-Wreckers-130852263 Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 cover]</ref> Nostalgia! (And in two cases, this'll be the first fictional appearance these guys ever got!)

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:SpotlightHotRod rush.jpg|[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] enjoys freefalling to a planet in "[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]".
Image:TFGenerations12.jpg|[[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]'s never looked this cool before or since. Cover art for ''[[Generations (comic reprints)|Transformers: Generations]]'' issue #12.
Image:SpotlightHardhead HardheadsHeadshot.jpg|[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]'s got a hard head in "[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]".
Image:AHM15 SpringerpunchesProwl.jpg|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] is [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s personal punching bag in [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|''All Hail Megatron'' #15]]
</gallery>

* ''[[:Category:Images by Nick Roche|Extended Nick Roche gallery]]''</center>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://nickroche.blogspot.com/ Nick Roche's blog]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Nick}}
[[Category:IDW]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]
[[Category:Writers]]