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→Editorial policies: Is this shit still here? Not policy, and perfectly common in comics companies of all shapes and sizes.
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* ''[[Alex Milne Sketchbook: The Transformers]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Alex Milne Sketchbook: The Transformers]]'' (2011)


==Editorial policies==
==Artistic variance==
[[Image:IDWBumblebeeDesignvsStyle.jpg|thumb|250px|right|One of these changes is an in-story plot point. The rest is artistic license. Can you tell which is which?]]
[[Image:IDWBumblebeeDesignvsStyle.jpg|thumb|250px|right|One of these changes is an in-story plot point. The rest is artistic license. Can you tell which is which?]]
IDW has a somewhat unconventional editorial policy, at least as far as their ''Transformers'' titles are concerned: Whereas other companies such as [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] or DC often tend to dictate writers their stories, IDW takes the opposite approach and gives its writers pretty much free rein, regardless of whether it contradicts previous stories or even makes little sense by itself. What's worse, whereas [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] had enforced a rigid "house style", IDW actively encourages artists to use their own style... which appears to extend to Transformers characters' ''designs'' and even ''[[alternate mode]]s''.
Where [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] enforced a rigid "house style", IDW actively encourages artists to use their own style, which for a time extended to the designs and alternate modes of the Transformers themselves. Beginning in force with the ongoing series, [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing series]] characters would, depending on artist, alternate between Cybertronian alternate modes, [[E. J. Su]]'s modernized robot mode designs, entirely new designs, and almost slavish rehashes of the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]]'' [[character model|animation models]]. Artist [[Guido Guidi]] even noted that he had been specifically ''asked'' to ignore the designs [[Don Figueroa]] had used in previous issues of the ongoing and "do [his] own thing".<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=192461#192461 Guido post in which he says that IDW asked him to not bother with Dons designs, and to redraw half of the issue he already made using his own preference in design.]</ref> This visual fluctuation became one of the most distinctive things about IDW's artistic output during the time it was occurring, and a popular [[fandom]] gripe that appears to have been actively addressed with the inception of 2012's ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Tobots in Diguise|Robots in Disguise]]'', in which characters once again adhere to consistent designs.
*Regarding ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'', [[Simon Furman]], who had been the head writer of the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]] up to that point, confirmed that that there had been no collaboration or communication between himself and ''All Hail Megatron'' writer [[Shane McCarthy]], and it was up to then IDW editor [[Denton J. Tipton]] to sort out the continuity.<ref name="furmanahm">[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=5032 Simon Furman November Q&A]</ref> The results were questionable, and ''All Hail Megatron'' later required a four-issue "Coda" intended to sort out apparent inconsistencies and answer open questions.
*As of ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'', recurring characters in the Generation 1 stories started getting redesigned. Depending on which artist was on a comic, several characters repeatedly alternated between Cybertronian alternate modes, [[E. J. Su|E. J. Su's]] modernized robot mode designs, entirely new designs, and almost slavish rehashes of the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]]'' [[character model|animation models]]. At the IDW forums, artist [[Guido Guidi]] stated that, regarding his work on the [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing series]] that followed ''All Hail Megatron'', he had been ''specifically'' asked to ''ignore the designs Don Figueroa had used in previous issues'' and "do [his] own thing", which resulted in him having to re-draw almost half of issue 9 from scratch.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=192461#192461 Guido post in which he says that IDW asked him to not bother with Dons designs, and to redraw half of the issue he already made using his own preference in design.]</ref>
*Artist [[Alex Milne]] deliberately drew two background [[generic]]s that were killed as cannon fodder in ''[[The Transformers: Drift|Drift]]'' [[Drift issue 2|issue 2]] to resemble established characters from other [[franchise]]s. He ''specifically'' elaborated on this, stating that he had included them at the suggestion of a friend because they were two of the favorite characters of [[David Willis]], an outspoken critic of Milne's art.<ref name="milnewillis">[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=8525&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=288 Post by Alex Milne on IDW's forum]</ref> In response to this, then editor Denton J. Tipton stated that Milne had no control over which characters live or die, and that these were just generics and this was only an issue because of the "fascination with '[[canon]].'"<ref name="dentonmilne">[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=205076#205076 Post by Denton Tipton on IDW's forum]</ref>


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 13:40, 28 July 2012

Idw logo.png
Idw logo.png

Idea and Design Works, LLC currently owns the Transformers comic book license as of May 2005, following the financial collapse of the previous license holder, Dreamwave Productions, at the tail-end of 2004.

IDW's flagship storyline is a rebooted Generation 1 continuity, which started out being written by longtime Transformers scribe Simon Furman and told through a succession of mini-series and one-shot Spotlights, before finally producing a monthly comic in 2009. IDW has also been authorized to re-release trade paperbacks published by Dreamwave Productions, such as the War and Peace mini-series and The War Within and War Within: The Dark Ages. In May 2008, IDW's relationship with Hasbro proved to be quite healthy indeed as they snapped up the G.I. Joe comic book license as well.

IDW mocks your nerdy belief that writers and editors should be able to remember things that happened in previous issues.

Series published

G1 rebooted

Initial ideas for IDW's Transformer line included a Crisis on Infinite Earths-style story crossing over with the new Cybertron toyline, starting ongoings in both G1 and Cybertron continuity. The G1 cast would suffer Cybertron's destruction and learn Unicron's death had destabilized the entire omniverse, forcing them to try and assemble an artifact called the "Decepticon Matrix" in order to resurrect Unicron. This would parallel with the Cybertron plot, in which the Autobots seek out the Cyber Planet Keys to revive Primus, and Vector Prime would have appeared as a guide in both series. It seems that series would then have come together with the concurrent Cybertron comic as Transformers from across the multiverse were brought together for a final, epic clash.[1]

This was considered too confusing for new readers, however, and dropped for a continuity reboot of Generation 1. Furman mostly oversaw this, creating a more sophisticated universe around the familiar characters and tropes: Marvel Comics' Ultimate line was the inspiration, and Furman deliberately borrowed the more leisurely pacing of Ultimate Marvel. [2]

Instead of an ongoing civil war on Cybertron which spills over to Earth by accident, Furman presented us with an interstellar war between the Autobots and Decepticons, a war of Code of Interplanetary Conflict and alt-form-and-dagger covert operations, with energon the prize and whole planets at stake. A surprising development on Earth heats up the war and turns our planet from just another proxy battleground into the ultimate prize.

This slow, measured storyline was eventually abandoned in an attempt to bring in more casual fans with a more G1 Cartoon-inspired revamp in All Hail Megatron. This failed to have the desired effect both in terms of sales and fan-response, so another revamp was attempted with the start of The Transformers ongoing series. It has met with sharp fan criticism as well. (sigh)

The general order of publications to date is as follows:

  • The Transformers: Infiltration (2005–2006) Establishes the presence of the Transformers on modern-day Earth and re-establishes the theme of "robots in disguise" as central to the new continuity; a seven-issue story arc (issues #0 to #6).
  • The Transformers: Spotlight (2006–present) Series of one-shot stories focusing on a single Transformer per issue; this series has no fixed publication format and is ongoing. It went on hiatus after "Spotlight: Metroplex" while the new ongoing series was getting established, but has since returned, although at a greatly reduced pace.
  • The Transformers: Stormbringer (2006) A four-issue miniseries tie-in to Infiltration, establishing Cybertron's current situation in the re-boot and focusing squarely on the Transformers.
  • The Transformers: Escalation (2006–2007) Sequel to Infiltration; a six-issue story arc detailing a conflict with the Decepticons in Brasnya and the abduction of Sunstreaker and Hunter O'Nion.
  • New Avengers/Transformers (2007) A collaboration between Marvel Comics and IDW featuring the first ever crossover between the Transformers and New Avengers. Though it has minimal effects on the overall universe, it was specifically designed to fit into continuity between Infiltration and Escalation.
  • The Transformers: Megatron Origin (2007) A four-issue story arc detailing the events surrounding Megatron's rise to power and the founding of the Decepticon faction.
  • The Transformers: Devastation (2007–2008) Sequel to Escalation; a six-issue story arc following up on what happened to Sunstreaker, as well as the Decepticons' battle with the Reapers and seeds are planted for the upcoming Dead Universe arc.
  • Revelation (2008) Sequel to Devastation; composed of 4 Spotlights; Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer and Sideswipe. This series wraps up the events of the Dead Universe.
The sequel to Revelation at one point was to be titled Expansion, but it was canceled in favor of All Hail Megatron. However, Furman stated that some of the ideas from the series may pop up in other series.

See also

Beast Wars

Taking place within the Beast Wars cartoon universe, this line eschews the previous 3H Productions fan club comics that previously continued the show's story to strike out in a new direction, focusing mainly on the non-show toy characters.

See also

Evolutions

Intended to be a series of Elseworlds-like stories that exist in their own separate continuities, each taking different takes on Transformers. Only one has so-far been produced. (Reportedly, Hasbro has asked IDW to hold back on Evolutions as to not confuse customers looking for merchandise based on the 2007 film.)[citation needed] Chris Ryall stated that with the Movie and Animated series, it is unlikely we will see any more of these series.[3]

  • Hearts of Steel (2006) Places the Generation 1 Transformers in the American West during the Industrial Revolution.
  • Infestation 2 (2012) The sequel to Infestation. This time, it's Lovecraftian demons that invade the various licensed properties. The Transformers-specific issues take place in the Hearts of Steel universe.

Live-action film series

Transformers Animated

Reprint series

Others

Artistic variance

One of these changes is an in-story plot point. The rest is artistic license. Can you tell which is which?

Where Dreamwave enforced a rigid "house style", IDW actively encourages artists to use their own style, which for a time extended to the designs and alternate modes of the Transformers themselves. Beginning in force with the ongoing series, ongoing series characters would, depending on artist, alternate between Cybertronian alternate modes, E. J. Su's modernized robot mode designs, entirely new designs, and almost slavish rehashes of the Generation 1 animation models. Artist Guido Guidi even noted that he had been specifically asked to ignore the designs Don Figueroa had used in previous issues of the ongoing and "do [his] own thing".[4] This visual fluctuation became one of the most distinctive things about IDW's artistic output during the time it was occurring, and a popular fandom gripe that appears to have been actively addressed with the inception of 2012's More than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise, in which characters once again adhere to consistent designs.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Pitch printed in The Transformers: The Best of Simon Furman
  2. ↑ Moonbase 2m AA2010 interview
  3. ↑ Post by Chris Ryall at IDW's forums
  4. ↑ Guido post in which he says that IDW asked him to not bother with Dons designs, and to redraw half of the issue he already made using his own preference in design.
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