Prime Directive: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
Overview: Sales information |
||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
Prior to the events in the series, The Transformers had been gone from [[Earth]] for several years, having all vanished and thought destroyed in the destruction of their ''[[Ark II]]'' ship. The ship was carrying the victorious [[Autobot|Autobots]] and their captive [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but exploded soon after launch. Afterward, the sinister [[Lazarus]] collected their inert forms and found a way to control them, planning to sell them on the black market. However, the U.S. government has plans of its own... as do the Transformers themselves. | Prior to the events in the series, The Transformers had been gone from [[Earth]] for several years, having all vanished and thought destroyed in the destruction of their ''[[Ark II]]'' ship. The ship was carrying the victorious [[Autobot|Autobots]] and their captive [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but exploded soon after launch. Afterward, the sinister [[Lazarus]] collected their inert forms and found a way to control them, planning to sell them on the black market. However, the U.S. government has plans of its own... as do the Transformers themselves. | ||
''Prime Directive'' was the first mass-market Transformers comic in nearly a decade, an absence reflected in the storyline. | ''Prime Directive'', originally only titled ''Generation 1'', was the first mass-market Transformers comic in nearly a decade, an absence reflected in the storyline. After an introduction by a [[Prime Directive Preview|six-page preview issue]], the first regular issue, released in April 2002, debuted at #1 of Diamond Comic Distributors' sales charts, an accomplishment repeated by issues 2, 3 and 6. Issue 4 ranked second behind to Dreamwave's own [[Dreamwave Armada issue 1|''Transformers: Armada'' #1]], while issue 5 was beaten by [[Marvel Comics|Marvel's]] ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' #60 (which sold for a mere 9¢), with 705,109 copies ordered versus ''Generation 1'' #5's 122,829 copies. ''Generation 1'' peaked with issue 3 in June 2002, with 131,586 copies ordered, although issues 1, 2 and 4 saw a second printing, and issue 1 even saw a ''third'' printing. In total, this led to a briefly-successful line of Dreamwave ''Transformers'' comics. A second ''Generation 1'' volume called ''[[War and Peace]]'' followed, and an [[Generation One (Dreamwave comic)|ongoing series]] after that. | ||
''Prime Directive'' established a new G1 continuity that drew on elements of the cartoon, but does not fit well into any particular previous story. | ''Prime Directive'' established a new G1 continuity that drew on elements of the cartoon, but does not fit well into any particular previous story. | ||
Revision as of 17:31, 14 September 2009
| This article is about the first Dreamwave G1 mini-series. For the 2007 movie's prequel comic, see Movie Prequel (2007). |
Prime Directive is a six-part miniseries published by Dreamwave Productions in 2002, and set in the main G1 Dreamwave continuity. It centers on the revival of the Transformers after a catastrophe several years prior. Each of the six individual issues topped Diamond Comic Distributors' sales charts for the month it was released in, an accomplishment no other Transformers comic title has achieved before or afterwards.
| Prime Directive issues: | » | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Overview
Prior to the events in the series, The Transformers had been gone from Earth for several years, having all vanished and thought destroyed in the destruction of their Ark II ship. The ship was carrying the victorious Autobots and their captive Decepticons back to Cybertron, but exploded soon after launch. Afterward, the sinister Lazarus collected their inert forms and found a way to control them, planning to sell them on the black market. However, the U.S. government has plans of its own... as do the Transformers themselves.
Prime Directive, originally only titled Generation 1, was the first mass-market Transformers comic in nearly a decade, an absence reflected in the storyline. After an introduction by a six-page preview issue, the first regular issue, released in April 2002, debuted at #1 of Diamond Comic Distributors' sales charts, an accomplishment repeated by issues 2, 3 and 6. Issue 4 ranked second behind to Dreamwave's own Transformers: Armada #1, while issue 5 was beaten by Marvel's Fantastic Four #60 (which sold for a mere 9¢), with 705,109 copies ordered versus Generation 1 #5's 122,829 copies. Generation 1 peaked with issue 3 in June 2002, with 131,586 copies ordered, although issues 1, 2 and 4 saw a second printing, and issue 1 even saw a third printing. In total, this led to a briefly-successful line of Dreamwave Transformers comics. A second Generation 1 volume called War and Peace followed, and an ongoing series after that.
Prime Directive established a new G1 continuity that drew on elements of the cartoon, but does not fit well into any particular previous story.
Many fans found the series impressive for the great amount of care and detail put into the artwork. The glossy print and Photoshopped colors were worlds beyond the newsprint paper and dotted coloring of the Marvel Comics series. Others felt that the storyline was needlessly decompressed (almost two whole issues pass before any of the Transformers actually speak), that the visual storytelling was unclear, and that the overall pacing suffered for the sake of needlessly dramatic splash pages.
Creative team
The series was written by Chris Sarracini and penciled by Pat Lee and Edwin Garcia.
Trivia
- Prime Directive is also the name of the original Transformers movie script.
Collections
DreamWave
Transformers Generation One, Vol. 1 TPB
- ISBN 0973083727
- ISBN 978-0973083729
- Date published: December 4, 2002
- Pagecount: 160
IDW Publishing reprint
Transformers Generation One, Vol. 1 TPB
- ISBN 1933239816
- ISBN 978-1933239811
- Date published: February 22, 2006
- Pagecount: 144
International printings
Japan
Volume 1
- ISBN 4902314134
- ISBN 978-4902314137
- Date published: December 17 2003
- Translator: Hiroto Ishikawa, Katsuya Akitomo
- Publisher: JIVE Ltd. (JIVE American Comics Series)
