Transformers Timelines (fiction): Difference between revisions
mNo edit summary |
The Wadapan (talk | contribs) On one hand, it's a shame to lose all those one-sentence blurbs. On the other, people can probably get equivalent information by going to the pages themselves. |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{disambig3|Timeline}} | {{disambig3|Timeline}} | ||
{{nav-timelines}} | {{nav-timelines}} | ||
''Timelines'' | [[File:Descentintoevil-cover.jpg|right|thumb|You're semi-evil. You're quasi-evil. You're the margarine of evil. You're the Diet Coke of evil: just one calorie, not evil enough.]] | ||
'''Transformers Timelines''' is the franchise under which much of [[Fun Publications]]' [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'']] fiction was published from 2005 to 2016. The stories were told in a variety of media and set in a variety of continuities - [[Marvel Comics continuity|some]] pre-existing, [[Transformers: TransTech|others]] created from scratch. Roughly half of the content was published in the [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|club's magazine]], not under the ''Timelines'' banner, and half was published as online prose stories and [[BotCon]]-exclusive comics. | |||
Unlike [[Reaching the Omega Point|the leng]][[Transformers: Universe (comic)|thy stories]] with complex ties to [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|existing]] [[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|fiction]] published by the previous convention organizers, [[3H Productions]], Fun Publications promised more standalone stories starting with [[Descent into Evil|a short comic]] accompanying the [[BotCon 2005]] boxed set. While the BotCon issues would traditionally prove to be very self-contained, the vast majority of content that the club produced ended up being just as convoluted and referential as 3H's work ever was. | |||
Alongside the main fiction sources, every ''Timelines'' figure released by the club came with a bio card. Many characters would receive full profiles in the style of Marvel's ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye]]'' series. The main stories were also supplemented with short online comics and the convention's live script readings. The release order and chronology of all these sources is uniquely complicated, with many plot threads and characters across a multitude of universes being suddenly dropped only to get picked up again years later. Fun Publications lost their fan club and convention license in 2016. Remarkably, they managed to resolve most of their stories by midnight on December 31st that year. | |||
[[File:TFCCTransformersCollectorsClubMagazineCollectedEditionMural.jpg|centre|thumb|upright=3|Combined cover of the five limited collected editions of the TFCC magazine.]] | |||
An attempt has been made here to include every source in an understandable manner which doesn't stick rigidly to either chronology or release date but rather attempts to demonstrate the connections between stories (both in and out of universe) - by necessity, this means including all of the content released in the magazine even though those were not explicitly ''Timelines'' stories. | |||
==BotCon issues== | |||
The only stories released under that banner to receive any kind of numbering system were the hard-copy-published comic book issues. Ironically, these were the stories that probably benefited least from such a system; the individual issues were almost all self-contained stories with no continuity from one to the next. The BotCon issues were each around 22 pages along, and were usually released in two versions: a convention edition, and a mass-retail Diamond Edition which included additional profiles. They always featured the characters available as exclusive toys at the convention. | |||
{{chapters|title=''Transformers Timelines'' issues:|align=left|content= | {{chapters|title=''Transformers Timelines'' issues:|align=left|content= | ||
| Line 32: | Line 36: | ||
}} | }} | ||
== | ==Text Stories== | ||
Thirty-six illustrated online prose stories were published by the club. They varied in length, with [[Derailment|the longest]] reaching a whopping 179 pages but most in the region of 10-30. Like the BotCon issues, these stories usually starred characters with exclusive toys being sold by the club. | |||
== | {{chapters|title=''Transformers Timelines'' text stories:|align=left|content= | ||
<div class="list-header">2007:</div> | |||
*"[[The Dark Heart of Sandokan]]" | |||
*"[[The Razor's Edge]]" | |||
*"[[The New World]]" | |||
*"[[Wreckers: Finale Part II]]" | |||
<div class="list-header">2008:</div> | |||
*"[[Gone Too Far]]" | |||
*"[[Force of Habit]]" | |||
*"[[Withered Hope]]" | |||
*"[[I, Lowtech]]" | |||
*"[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]" | |||
<div class="list-header">2009:</div> | |||
*"[[Do Over]]" | |||
*"[[Eye in the Sky]]" | |||
*"[[Blitzwing Bop]]" | |||
*"[[At Fight's End]]" | |||
<div class="list-header">2010:</div> | |||
*"[[Flames of Yesterday]]" | |||
*"[[A Team Effort]]" | |||
<div class="list-header">2011:</div> | |||
*"[[Transhuman]]" | |||
<div class="list-header">2015:</div> | |||
*"[[Broken Windshields]]" | |||
*"[[Head Games]]" | |||
*"[[Burning Bridges]]" | |||
<div class="list-header">2016:</div> | |||
*''[[Spatiotemporal Challengers]]'' Part 1: "[[Sunrise]]" | |||
*''[[Spatiotemporal Challengers]]'' Chapter 2: "[[High Noon (SG)|High Noon]]" | |||
*"[[Micro-Aggressions]]" | |||
*"[[The Truth We Make]]" | |||
*"[[Life Finds a Way]]" | |||
*"[[The Toxic Transformer]]" | |||
*"[[Foundation and Wreckage Part 1: Deadly Aim]]" | |||
*"[[Intersectionality]]" | |||
*"[[Trigger Warnings]]" | |||
*"[[Identity Politics]]" | |||
*"[[Lively Pursuit]]" | |||
*"[[Not All Megatrons]]" | |||
*"[[A Brush With Infamy–Prologue]]" | |||
*''[[Spatiotemporal Challengers]]'' Part 3: "[[Journey's Eve]]" | |||
*"[[Cultural Appropriation]]" | |||
*"[[Safe Spaces]]" | |||
*"[[Derailment]]" | |||
*"[[Coalescence]]" | |||
*"[[The Inexorable March]]" | |||
*''[[Spatiotemporal Challengers]]'' Part 4: "[[Last Sunset]]" | |||
}} | |||
== | ==Magazine== | ||
A bi-monthly magazine titled the ''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' was published throughout the club's tenure. It included comics, profiles, interviews, previews of upcoming toys, fan art, and other features. Each issue of the magazine contained at least six comic pages, adding up to a complete 36-odd page story over the course of each year. Some issues also included a one-page tie-in prologue or comic to upcoming ''Timelines'' text stories. | |||
'' | {|style="margin:0 auto;padding:0 auto;text-align:center;" align="centre" id="toc" | ||
!colspan="2" style="background:#69C;color:#fff"|''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' issues: | |||
|- | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2005 "Balancing Act" | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2006 "Revelations" | |||
|- | |||
|[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 1|#01]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 2|#02]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 3|#03]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 4|#04]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 5|#05]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 6|#06]] | |||
|[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 7|#07]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 8|#08]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 9|#09]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 10|#10]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 11|#11]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 12|#12]] | |||
|- | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2007 "Crossing Over" | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2008 "Transcendent" | |||
|- | |||
|[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 13|#13]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 14|#14]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 15|#15]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 16|#16]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 17|#17]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 18|#18]] | |||
| [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 19|#19]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 20|#20]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 21|#21]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 22|#22]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 23|#23]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 24|#24]] | |||
|- | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2009 "Reunification" | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2010 "The Coming Storm" | |||
|- | |||
|[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 25|#25]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 26|#26]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 27|#27]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28|#28]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 29|#29]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 30|#30]] | |||
| [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 31|#31]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 32|#32]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 33|#33]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 34|#34]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 35|#35]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 36|#36]] | |||
|- | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2011 "Battle Lines" | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2012 "A Flash Forward" | |||
|- | |||
|[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 37|#37]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 38|#38]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 39|#39]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 40|#40]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 41|#41]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 42|#42]] | |||
| [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 43|#43]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 44|#44]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 45|#45]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 46|#46]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 47|#47]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 48|#48]] | |||
|- | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2013 "Beast Wars Shattered Glass" | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2014 "Alone Together" | |||
|- | |||
|[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 49|#49]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 50|#50]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 51|#51]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 52|#52]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 53|#53]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 54|#54]] | |||
| [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 55|#55]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 56|#56]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 57|#57]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 58|#58]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 59|#59]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 60|#60]] | |||
|- | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2015 "Another Light" | |||
!style="background:#6AC;color:#fff"|2016 "Of Masters and Mayhem" | |||
|- | |||
| [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 61|#61]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 62|#62]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 63|#63]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 64|#64]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 65|#65]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 66|#66]] | |||
| [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 67|#67]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 68|#68]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 69|#69]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 70|#70]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 71|#71]] | [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 72|#72]] | |||
|} | |||
==Other stories== | |||
The rest of the content produced by the club came in the form of script readings, online mini-comics, YouTube videos, and Facebook pages. Most BotCons featured a panel in which the voice actors present would perform a brand-new story (except the two readings at BotCon 2011, which were adaptations of other stories). These stories often, but not always, tied into the rest of the club's main continuities but always took on a more comedic tone. "The Return of Blurr" was later adapted as an illustrated storybook. The mini-comics were up to seven pages in length and were occasionally printed as back-up features in the magazine and BotCon issues which they tied into ("Legacy" was only released as a pack-in comic; "Epilogue Two" was released in the Diamond Edition of the GIJoeCon 2016 comic). The videos were generally comedic in tone, breaking the fourth wall to advertise the convention ("Theft of the Golden Disk" was an exception to this rule). Finally, the Facebook pages often directly interacted with readers and responded to events in other ongoing fiction. | |||
'' | {{chapters|title=Other ''Transformers Timelines'' stories:|align=left|content= | ||
<br | <br><div class="list-header">Script readings:</div> | ||
< | *"[[Intimidation Game]]" | ||
*"[[Bee in the City]]" | |||
*"[[The Stunti-Con Job]]" | |||
* | *"[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]" | ||
*"[[Bee in the City 2: Electric Boogaloo]]" | |||
*"[[Unreliable Narratives]]" | |||
*"[[Prevenge]]" | |||
*"[[The Return of Blurr]]" | |||
*"[[The Hot Rod]]" | |||
<br><div class="list-header">Mini-comics:</div> | |||
* | *"[[Shattered Expectations (SG)|Shattered Expectations]]" | ||
*"[[The Desert Heat!]]" | |||
*"[[Moving Violations]]" | |||
*"[[Invasion Prologue]]" | |||
*"[[Invasion: Epilogue]]" | |||
*"[[Timeless]]" | |||
* | *"[[Collections]]" | ||
*"[[Legacy (issue)|Legacy]]" | |||
*"[[Epilogue Two]]" | |||
<br><div class="list-header">YouTube videos:</div> | |||
*"[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" | |||
*[[BotCon 2009: Join the Elite Guard!]] | |||
*[[BotCon 2009!]] | |||
* | *[[BotCon 2010 - Generation 2: Redux]] | ||
*[[BotCon 2010 Promo]] | |||
*[[Mega Spice -- The Transformer Your Fan Could Be Like]] | |||
*[[Who is the Greatest Starscream Of All Time?]] | |||
<br | *[[BotCon 2012: Figure Reveal!]] | ||
*[[Blaster VS Soundwave 2013]] | |||
*[[BotCon 2016 featuring Megatron!]] | |||
<br><div class="list-header">Facebook pages:</div> | |||
*[[Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur]] | |||
< | *[[Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter]] | ||
*[[Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist]] | |||
*[[Axiom Nexus News Editor]] | |||
*[[Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime]] | |||
* | *[[Transformers: Spacewarp's Log|Spacewarp's Log]] | ||
*[[Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric|Renegade Rhetoric]] | |||
}} | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* | |||
<br | |||
< | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* | |||
<br | |||
< | |||
* | |||
==Continuities== | |||
===''Universe'' and ''Cybertron''=== | |||
[[File:Wreckersfinale2-cover1.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
The club's first year saw a smattering of fiction to be released. The first two years/arcs of the magazine comic were [[Transformers: Cybertron: Balancing Act|"Balancing Act" and "Revelations"]], twelve parts tying into the ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' cartoon and wrapping up loose ends from [[3H Productions]]' ''[[Transformers: Universe (comic)| Universe]]'' and [[Dreamwave Productions]]' ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)| Energon]]'' storylines. 2007's "[[The Dark Heart of Sandokan]]" (advertising ''Timelines'' [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)#Timelines|Astrotrain]]) and 2008's "[[Force of Habit]]" prose stories were also set in this continuity. These stories all mainly focused on characters and toys with very limited roles in fiction so far; this would become a major theme throughout Fun Publications' tenure. The last part of the cancelled ''[[The Wreckers]]'' comic was finally published, with the four-page "[[The Wreckers: Finale Part 1]]" appearing in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 16|issue #16]] and the prose story "[[Wreckers: Finale Part II]]" being released online. | |||
'' | The magazine soon started including profiles for the characters appearing in the comic, which further filled the gaps between storylines. [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]], [[Vector Prime]], [[Ramjet (Universe)|Ramjet]], [[Nemesis Prime (Universe)|Nemesis Prime]], [[Sentinel Maximus]], [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]], [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]], [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]], [[Unicron]], the [[Mini-Con Council of Sages]] ([[Anti-Blaze]], [[Scythe (Cybertron)|Scythe]] and [[Checkpoint (Cybertron)|Checkpoint]]), [[Landquake (Timelines)|Landquake]] and the [[Street Action Mini-Con Team]] all recieved full-size profiles by issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 12|#12]]. A bio for [[Quickslinger (Cybertron)|Quickslinger]] was included in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 6|#6]]. Short profiles for the [[Giant Planet Mini-Con Team]] ([[Deepdive (Cybertron)|Deepdive]], [[Longarm (Cybertron)|Longarm]] and [[Overcast (Cybertron)|Overcast]]), [[Rapid Run (Energon)|Rapid Run]]'s [[Nightcruz (Energon)|part]][[Nightscream (Energon)|ners]] and [[Nightcreeper|their combined form]], [[Heavy Load (Cybertron)|Heavy Load]], [[Stripmine]] and [[Drill Bit (Cybertron)|Drill Bit]] were published in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 13|#13]], [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 14|#14]] and [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 15|#15]]. | ||
= | [[File:Snowblind.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.33]] | ||
A large amount of short profiles for various other Mini-Cons were released in the members-only section of the club website: these included a load of Mini-Cons from the ''[[Transformers (PS2)|Transformers]]'' PlayStation 2 video game ([[Aftershock (Armada)|Aftershock]], [[Jumpstart]], [[Buildup]], [[Flashbang]], [[Hawkeye]], [[Highgear]], [[Kickback (Armada)|Kickback]], [[Smackdown]], [[Claymore]], [[Overwatch]], [[Covert]], [[Highjump (Armada)|Highjump]] and [[Lookout]]) and their combined [[Matrix Cannon]] form, the [[Extreme Competition Team]] and their combined form [[Heavy Metal (SL)|Heavy Metal]], the unreleased ''[[Attacktix]]'' Mini-Con [[Bunker-Buster]], the four ''Classics'' Mini-Cons to be re-released with a [[Walmart]] exclusive ''Cybertron'' [[Primus#Walmart|Primus]] ([[Strongarm (Cybertron)|Strongarm]], [[Offshoot (Cybertron)|Offshoot]], [[Knockdown (Cybertron)|Knockdown]] and [[Nightscream (Cybertron)|Nightscream]]), the [[Apocalypse Brigade Mini-Con Team]]<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/129168-out-of-printhard-to-find-media-mega-thread/page-4#entry3430903 Trickshot's bio] was never published on the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] website like that of his teammates, but he was named in Flashdrive's bio... something that failed to be noted by Triac's TFWiki page, leading to the Facebook edition of [[Ask Vector Prime]] ascribing Triac a new identity in 2015. Er, whoops!</ref>, the Dead End [[Dead End General|General]]/[[Dead End Drone|Drones]], [[Drop-Test]], the [[Noble Force Mini-Con Team]], the [[Steel Reinforcement Team]], [[Starcatcher (Cybertron)|Starcatcher]], the [[Aerial Extermination Mini-Con Team]] and their [[Vorpal Saber]] combiner form, the [[Sabotage Team]], [[Flashbox]] (a generic seen in an episode of [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|the ''Armada'' cartoon]]), [[Heavy Barrel (GF)|Heavy Barrel]], and [[Road Rebel]]. Finally, profiles for [[Cop-Tur (G1)#Wings Universe|Cop-Tur]], [[Snowblind]] and [[Liftor#Classics|Liftor]] were published in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 31|#31]], [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 32|#32]] and [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 33|#33]] respectively. | |||
'' | ===''Beast Wars''=== | ||
[[File:Timelines2-01.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
[[BotCon 2005]]'s comic, "[[Descent into Evil]]" and its follow-up script reading "[[Intimidation Game]]" were set between ''[[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' and the [[Beast Era]], in a new continuity. [[BotCon 2006]]'s comic, "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", and its immediate prequel (BotCon 2007's exclusive short animated film, "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]") were also immediate prequels to the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon. The 2007 prose story "[[The Razor's Edge]]" (advertising the club's exclusive [[Airazor (BW)#Timelines|Airazor]] figure) was intended to bridge between these two pairs of stories, but Pete Sinclair would state that "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" stood apart as the definitive ''Beast Wars'' prequel and "The Razor's Edge" was brushed under the carpet. Despite all this, there are no major contradictions between these five stories. | |||
''MTMTE''-style profiles for [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were released in the Diamond Edition of "Dawn of Future's Past" along with short bios for [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and the [[Maximal Command Security Force]]. The individual MCSF members [[9K]], [[Overshoot]], [[Switchblade (BW)|Switchblade]], [[High Beam]], [[Shatterpoint]] and [[Getout]] would get similar bios in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 13|issues #13]] [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 14|and #14]] while [[Stopgap]] would get one on the Club website.<ref>[[Nitrostreak]] and [[Tigatron]] would be the only MCSF members not to get profiles like this, as they appeared exclusively in "Dawn of Future's Past".</ref> ''MTMTE''-style profiles were also published online for [[Cryotek (Universe)|Cryotek]] and his minions [[Backslash]], [[Dirge (BWII)|Dirge]] and [[Buzzbomb]]. | |||
'' | ===''Classics''=== | ||
[[File:TimelinesVol2 2 Diamond.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
The third year/arc of the club storyline, "[[Crossing Over]]", was the first in a series of ''[[Transformers: Classics| Classics]]'' stories set after the end of the Marvel US ''[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|The Transformers]]'' comics (but ignoring the UK continuity, ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)| Generation 2]]'' and''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One| Regeneration One]]''). The third prose story, "[[The New World]]", focused on the ''Classics'' [[Mini-Con]]s on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] while [[BotCon 2007]]'s comic "[[Games of Deception]]" brought more characters to [[Earth]]. A "Spring Special" ''Classics'' comic ("[[Cheap Shots]]") was released in 2008 with ''Timelines'' [[Nightbeat (G1)#Timelines|Nightbeat]], starring him, Siren, Slag and Sludge.<ref>Hosehead perished in "[[Still Life!]]", so couldn't appear. The rest of the Dinobots had previously appeared in other stories.</ref> The last prose story of 2009, "[[At Fight's End]]", seemed to be an attempt at closure for the universe and included an in-fiction appearance of the ''Timelines'' [[Seacon (G1)#Timelines|Seacons]]. | |||
Profiles for ''Classics'' character continued to be published in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 13|#13]]-[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 18|#18]]: [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]], [[Mirage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Mirage]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus]], [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Breakaway (Classics)|Breakaway]], [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]. The Diamond Edition of "Games of Deception" included profiles for [[Springer (G1)#Classics|Springer]] and [[Bug Bite (GoBots)#Timelines|Bug Bite]]. All twelve ''Classics'' Mini-Cons got short profiles in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 16|#16]], [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 17|#17]] and [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 18|#18]].<ref>[[Snarl (Classics)|Snarl]] and [[Divebomb (Classics)|Divebomb]]'s were previewed online in a slightly different format.</ref> Profiles for [[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] and the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s [[Lug (G1)|Lug]], [[Minerva (Masterforce human)|Minerva]], [[Muzzle]] and [[Quig]] would be published in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 22|#22]] as a "Cheap Shots" tie-in. | |||
'' | ===''TransTech''=== | ||
The two continuities created by the club over the next two years would prove to be amongst their most original and enduring. The fourth year/arc of the magazine introduced [[Axiom Nexus]], the world of [[Transformers: TransTech| TransTech]]. This world took the concept of interdimentional travel up to eleven, with characters from countless continuities interacting on-panel. Many characters used their designs from the cancelled ''[[Transtech]]'' series, which would have been a sequel to ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Machines]]'', but the world and story were wholly original. To give the impression of a vibrant metropolis, all five stories released during this time (the "[[Transcendent]]" comic arc, the "[[Gone Too Far]]", "[[Withered Hope]]" and "[[I, Lowtech]]" prose stories and [[BotCon 2008]]'s "[[Bee in the City]]" script reading) took place roughly concurrently, with minor plot threads tying them together. The magazine's back-up humour strip ''[[Around Cybertron]]'' also tied into various events in those stories. | |||
Six ''TransTech'' characters would get profiles in issues #22-24 of the magazine as part of "The World of... TRANSTECH," a feature which sported a unique design and layout but was textually almost indistinguishable from the regular ''MTMTE''-style profiles, namely [[Cheetor (TransTech)|Cheetor]], [[Shockwave (TransTech)|Shockwave]], [[Prowl (TransTech)|Prowl]], [[Starscream (TransTech)|Starscream]], [[Optimus Prime (TransTech)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (TransTech)|Megatron]]. Two lowtechs, [[Blackarachnia (TransTech)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Topspin (Classics)|Topspin]], got normal profiles in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 25|#25]]. [[Beta Maxx (RID)|Beta Maxx]], who initially went unnamed when he was released at BotCon 2007, was given a full profile online. | |||
'' | ===''Shattered Glass''=== | ||
[[File:ShatteredGlass DiamondCover.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
[[BotCon 2008]] would introduce perhaps Fun Publication's most iconic creation: the ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)| Shattered Glass]]'' mirror universe. The first three pages of that year's convention comic, "[[Shattered Expectations (SG)|Shattered Expectations]]", were "leaked" online to universal acclaim. This turned out to be an [[April Fools' Day]] prank, and the real comic (simply "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]") turned out to be much more serious in tone. The story split in two roughly-parallel branches after this: the magazine's 2009 comic arc, "[[Reunification]]", maintained the tone of the BotCon comic and continued the interdimensional plot threads from previous arcs. ''Around Cybertron'' also made the jump to the new universe. The second branch took a campier approach to the "evil mirror universe" concept and consisted of "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", "[[Do Over]]", the preview comic "[[The Desert Heat!]]", "[[Eye in the Sky]]" and "[[Blitzwing Bop]]". Another prose story tying these two branches back together, "[[Transhuman]]", would eventually get published in 2011 but its intended sequel, "[[Coalescence]]", wouldn't see completion until the club's last days in 2016. | |||
''MTMTE''-style profiles for ''Shattered Glass'' characters were published in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 25|#25]] to [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 30|#30]], though for the first time the amount of space given to each character varied. [[Abominus (SG)|Abominus]], [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]], [[Computron (SG)|Computron]], [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]], [[Dirge (SG)|Dirge]], [[Megatron (SG)|Galvatron]], [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]], [[Hound (SG)|Hound]], [[Ratbat (SG)|Ratbat]], [[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]], [[Sky Lynx (SG)|Sky Lynx]], [[Steeljaw (SG)|Steeljaw]], the [[Technobot (SG)|Technobots]], the [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcons]] and [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] all got profiles during this time. When [[Nexus Prime]] finally appeared in the comic, he too received a profile. [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] and [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] each got a profile in the Diamond Edition of "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]". In 2011, a contest was held on Twitter to decide [[Scourge (SG)|Scourge]]'s bio - the winning submission was expanded into a full-sized ''MTMTE''-style profile released online. | |||
'' | ===''Wings Universe''=== | ||
[[File:Timelines v2n4de.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
With the club's many stories having come to something of a conclusion, it was time for something brand-new. Having already tackled most major continuities, one of the most glaring omissions was perhaps that of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original ''Generation 1'' cartoon]]. [[BotCon 2009]]'s "[[Wings of Honor]]" ventured far back along the cartoon timeline, before "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]", to tell the tale of one of [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]]'s earliest missions. Pete Sinclair made sure to explain that these so-called ''[[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings Universe]]'' stories would deviate from the cartoon in several ways, some cosmetic and some not, and more so as they progressed. 2010's comic arc, "[[The Coming Storm]]", took place ten years later. "[[Flames of Yesterday]]" took place between parts [[The Coming Storm: Part 2|#2]] and [[The Coming Storm: Part 3|#3]] of that arc; "[[A Team Effort]]" between parts [[The Coming Storm: Part 4|#4]] and [[The Coming Storm: Part 5|#5]]. 2011's comic arc, "[[Battle Lines]]", was an immediate sequel. ''Around Cybertron'' continued for another ten strips set in this universe. [[BotCon 2010]]'s "[[Generation 2: Redux]]" comic jumped forward in time to 2010, and 2012's comic arc "[[A Flash Forward]]" picked up from there. This arc led into "[[Termination]]", [[BotCon 2013]]'s comic, and its immediate sequel "[[A Common Foe]]". A single-panel "[[Interlude]]" was given in the customization class handbook for that convention. These stories told a ''G1''-cartoon version of the [[Machine Wars (event)|Machine Wars]] and advertised the third series of the [[Transformers Figure Subscription Service]]. As a prelude to [[BotCon 2014]], a Facebook page was created for [[Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur]] where he would post entries of his personal journal. The convention's comic, "[[Hoist the Flag]]", took another time-skip to post-''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''. This issue was branded as ''Timelines'' #10 (with "A Common Foe" being #9) and served as a celebration of both Fun Publications' tenth convention and the 20th anniversary of BotCon as a whole. It also incorporated some version of 3H's stories into the ''Wings Universe''. A [[Pack-in material|pack-in]] comic released with the "BotCon Legacy Collection", simply titled "[[Legacy (issue)|Legacy]]", further strengthened these ties. | |||
= | [[File:Timelines10 diamonded.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.5]] | ||
Profiles were published at a steady rate of two per issue throughout those three years (issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 31|#31]] to [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 48|#48]]). The characters to receive profiles were [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]], [[Jetstorm (G2)|Jetstorm]], [[Magnum]], [[Over-Run (G1)|Over-Run]], [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]], [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]], [[Sentinel Major]], [[Ricochet (Timelines)|Ricochet]], [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]], [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], [[Landshark (G1)|Landshark]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Outback (G1)|Outback]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], [[Lyzack (Victory)|Lyzack]], [[Gyronian Sentry]], [[Sprocket (G1)|Sprocket]], [[Hauler]], [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]], [[Sizzle (G1)|Sizzle]], [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], [[Windbreaker]], [[Flamefeather (G1)|Flamefeather]], [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], [[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]], [[Fizzle|Blaze]], [[Soundwave (G2)|Soundwave]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and [[Frenzy (G2)|Frenzy]]. The Diamond Edition of "Wings of Honor" contained profiles for [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]], [[Banzai-Tron (G1)|Banzai-Tron]], [[Flak (G1)|Flak]], [[Leozack]] and [[Dion (G1)|Dion]]; "Generation 2: Redux" included profiles for [[Clench (G1)|Clench]], [[Rapido]], [[Slicer (Decepticon)|Slicer]] and [[Scorch (G1)|Scorch]]; "Termination" included profiles for [[Strika (BM)#Wings Universe|Strika]], [[Obsidian (BM)#Wings Universe|Obsidian]], [[Megaplex]], [[Thundercracker (MW)|Thundercracker]] and [[Mirage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Wings Universe|Mirage]]; "A Common Foe" included profiles for [[Krok (G1)#Wings Universe|Krok]], [[Serpentor#Wings Universe|Serpent O.R.]], [[Carzap (BT)#Wings Universe|Carzap]] and [[Tarantulas (BW)#Wings Universe|Tarantulas]]; "Hoist the Flag" included profiles for [[Cheetor (BW)#Wings Universe|Alpha Trizer]], [[Apelinq (BM)#Wings Universe|Apelinq]] and [[Flareup (G1)#Wings Universe|Flare-Up]]. [[Thundercracker (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Thundercracker]] was to receive a ''Wings Universe'' bio card for his [[Action Master]] form, but when that figure was released as ''Shattered Glass'' [[Thundercracker (SG)|Thundercracker]] instead the bio was shelved and later published in non-canonical form in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 42|#42]]. A series of features titled "[[The Transformers Menagerie]]" were released in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 49|#49]] to [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 54|#54]] and provided information on the [[Primitive]]s.<ref>Though the continuity of these features was never explicitly defined or discussed, [[Jim Sorenson]] would clarify the intended setting as being a [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sunbow cartoon]]-esque continuity, specifically the ''[[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings Universe]]''.</ref> As a tie-in to "Hoist the Flag", profiles were published in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 56|#56]] for [[Squirm]] and [[Olin Zarak]] and in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 58|#58]] for the [[Dread Pirate Crew]] and [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]]. | |||
=== | ===''Animated'' and ''Aligned''=== | ||
[[File:TFA-comic Stunticon DiamondCover.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
'' | A two-page online comic, "Moving Violations", was the first ''Timelines'' story to be entirely set in the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]] universe. It doubled as both an advertisement for [[Cheetor (Animated)|Cheetor]]'s exclusive toy and as a prologue to [[BotCon 2011]]'s comic, "[[The Stunti-Con Job]]". Both stories were set after "[[Endgame, Part II]]". A live script reading of "The Stunti-Con Job" was performed at the convention, along with a script reading of the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)| Prime]]'' episode "[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]". Both performances included extra scenes not present in the original versions. BotCon 2013's script reading, "[[Unreliable Narratives]]", had ''Prime'' Kup tell [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] a tale (taking place between ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)| War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron| Fall of Cybertron]]''). BotCon 2015's script reading, "[[The Return of Blurr]]", would prove to be the last ''Animated'' story. The script was later re-released at BotCon 2016 as an illustrated storybook. | ||
Supplementary material for ''Animated'' came in the form of ''[[The AllSpark Almanac Addendum]]'', printed in the Diamond Edition of "The Stunti-Con Job" and issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 43|#43]], [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 44|#44]] and [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 45|#45]] of the magazine. A series of [[Tech Spec]]s were published with ten in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 24|#24]], two each in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 25|#25]] to [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 30|#30]], and six (plus four reprints) years later in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 71|#71]]. All twenty-eight of these plus twenty-four extras were also released as a BotCon 2011 exclusive lithograph. A single ''MTMTE''-style profile for the ''Animated'' [[Headmaster Jrs.]] ([[Nightbeat (Animated)|Nightbeat]], [[Siren (Animated)|Siren]] and [[Hosehead (Animated)|Hosehead]]) was published in issue #71. | |||
'' | |||
==="Invasion"=== | |||
'' | [[File:Timelines07-Retailcover.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | ||
< | [[BotCon 2012]] saw the long-overdue return to the ''Classics'' and ''Shattered Glass'' universes, in the form of the epic "[[Invasion (issue)|Invasion]]" crossover. A six-page "[[Invasion Prologue]]" comic was released online during the build-up to the convention, with the TransTechs observing the opening of a gateway between the two universes, and would be printed in the Diamond Edition of the convention comic. A two-page "[[Invasion: Epilogue]]", in which the TransTechs recruit [[Depth Charge (BW)#Beast Wars: Uprising|a Depth Charge]] to intercept some temporally-displaced survivors of the invasion, was released after the convention and was reprinted in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 48|#48]].<ref>This story served as something of an advertisement for the first series of [[Transformers Figure Subscription Service|Figure Subscription Service]] figures, with only [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Timelines|Ultra Mammoth]] and [[Scourge (RID)#Timelines|Scourge]] not making an appearance. Ultra Mammoth would show up in the next comic arc, but Scourge never got any fiction from the club. This is because another 2-3 page ''Wings Universe'' prologue story set prior to "Termination" was planned but never released, in which he would have been one of [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s clones and would have killed both Optimus and Galvatron.</ref> 2013's comic arc, "[[Beast Wars Shattered Glass]]", starred those survivors: Ultra Magnus and Megatron's ships had just made it through to the prehistoric Earth of the ''Shattered Glass'' universe. A seven-page ''TransTech'' comic, "[[Timeless]]", advertised the second series of subscription figures and had Rhinox monitor Ultra Mammoth and Megatron. The leaders would make it back to the present day with their crews just in time for 2015's comic arc, "[[Another Light]]", which served to wrap up most major plot threads left dangling since the club's very inception. Fun Publications collaborated with [[e-HOBBY]] to release "[[Solar Requiem]]", a comic starring Soundwave and Blaster. The four-part ''[[Spatiotemporal Challengers]]'' series of prose stories ("[[Sunrise]]", "[[High Noon (SG)|High Noon]]", "[[Journey's Eve]]" and "[[Last Sunset]]") starred the [[GoBots]] from "Withered Hope" and their arrival on post-"Invasion" ''Shattered Glass'' Earth.<ref>"Last Sunset" would be the final piece of material produced by the club, being posted just before midnight (EST) on New Year's Eve 2016-2017.</ref> ''[[Recordicons]]'', starring ''Shattered Glass'' Ravage and the other [[Mini-Cassette]]s, was published as a back-up strip in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 34|#34]] to [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 63|#63]]. | ||
[[File:Timelines11-RetailCover.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
' | Meanwhile, a smattering of ''TransTech'' stories were released. BotCon 2012's script reading "[[Bee in the City 2: Electric Boogaloo]]" was a loose sequel to that of BotCon 2008, with the main connection being the appearance of the same [[Megatron (BW)#TransTech|Megatron]]. The three-page online comic "Collections" starred [[Packrat]], leading into his appearance in the [[BotCon 2015]] comic "[[Cybertron's Most Wanted]]" and following up on threads from the aforementioned "Timeless". Several [https://www.facebook.com/ Facebook] pages would spring up during this time, building on the success of Tornado's journal: "[[Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter]]", "[[Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist]]" and "[[Axiom Nexus News Editor]]" all ran in parallel and were soon joined by "[[Ask Vector Prime]]", "[[Transformers: Spacewarp's Log| Spacewarp's Log]]" and "[[Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric| Renegade Rhetoric]]". Three back-up features in the magazine, ''[[Transformers I.Q.]]'', ''[[Hot Shot's Bot Thoughts]]'' and ''[[Bot on the Street]]'', were generally set in the ''TransTech'' universe but often touched on events from other continuities. ''TransTech'' Rhinox featured in "[[The Beast Wars Road Map]]", a flowchart published in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 70|#70]] explaining the chronology of the various Beast Era stories until then. A single-page "[[Epilogue]]" published in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 72|#72]] revealed the fates of some of those left unaccounted for in the aftermath of "Invasion". "[[Epilogue Two]]", a two-page comic published in the Diamond Edition of GIJoeCon 2016's comic "Project Downfall" (of all places), wrapped up the ''TransTech'' story. | ||
Profiles for a variety of characters were published during this time. [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Hero Prime|Optimus Prime ("Hero Prime")]] and [[Depth Charge (BW)#Beast Wars: Uprising|Depth Charge]] got profiles in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 49|#49]], and [[Rhinox (TransTech)|Rhinox]] got one in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 54|#54]]. A Tech Spec for the [[INSIRT]] was published on Facebook. The Diamond Edition of "[[Cybertron's Most Wanted]]" included profiles for [[Optimus Prime (G1)#General Optimus|General Optimus Prime]], [[Battletrap]] and [[Zaptrap]] with [[Beet-Chit]]. ''Classics'' [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], [[Scylla#Classics|Scylla]], [[Autojetter#Classics|Autojetter]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Mammoth]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]], [[Autolauncher#Classics|Autolauncher]] and [[God Neptune (BWSG)|God Neptune]] got profiles from issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 50|#50]] to [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 54|#54]]; [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity#Classics|Prowl]] would get his own profile in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 62|#62]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity#Classics|Grimlock]] would get a ''third'' in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 63|#63]]. ''Shattered Glass'' [[Sir Soundwave|Soundwave]] finally got a profile in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 65|#65]], and artwork for [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Nova Prime]] and [[Megatron (SG)|Galvatron]] would be published in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 66|#66]]'s feature. On its last day, the club's Twitter would release four profiles [[Repurposing|repurposing]] the BotCon 2015 [[Waruder]]s as other characters: [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]], [[King Waruder]], [[Skywasp]] and ''Shattered Glass'' [[Waspinator (BWSG)|Waspinator]]. | |||
'' | |||
The BotCon 2014 script reading, [[Prevenge]], starred character plucked from a wide range of continuities in a ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)| Universe]]''-style battle royale. | |||
===''Beast Wars: Uprising'' and "Dawn of the Predacus"=== | |||
'' | [[File:Brkw titlepage.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.5]] | ||
The universe first glimpsed in the bios for Blackarachnia and Depth Charge would finally get a dedicated story with "[[Alone Together]]", 2014's comic arc (starring [[Rampage (BW)#Timelines 2|Rampage]] and [[Transmutate (character)#Timelines|Trans-Mutate]] in their ''Timelines'' forms). Then, from 2015 to 2016, twelve prose stories written by [[Jim Sorenson]] and [[David Bishop]] were released: "[[Broken Windshields]]", "[[Head Games]]", "[[Burning Bridges]]", "[[Micro-Aggressions]]", "[[Intersectionality]]", "[[Trigger Warnings]]", "[[Identity Politics]]", "[[Not All Megatrons]]", "[[Cultural Appropriation]]", "[[Safe Spaces]]", "[[Derailment]]" and "[[The Inexorable March]]". Unlike the vast majority of Fun Publications' stories, which often dealt heavily in interdimensional shenanigans, this new continuity was much more isolated and grounded (although a screen-capture comic published in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 70|#70]], "[[A Change to the Agenda]]", would try to provide a divergent-timeline "origin" of sorts to the universe). A small set of profiles for [[Rampage (BW)#Beast Wars: Uprising|Rampage]], [[Transmutate (character)#Beast Wars: Uprising|Trans-Mutate]], [[Jawbreaker]], [[Bigmos]], [[Medusa]], [[Lord Imperious Delirious]] and [[Lio Convoy#Beast Wars: Uprising|Lio Convoy]] were released in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 55|#55]], [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 57|#57]], [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 59|#59]] and [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 61|#61]]. | |||
[[File:DawnOfThePredacus-cvr.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.5]] | |||
The [[BotCon 2016]] comic "[[Dawn of the Predacus]]" and associated script reading "[[The Hot Rod]]" were originally intended to be ''Beast Wars: Uprising'' stories, but plans changed once [[IDW Publishing]] was brought on-board and the final comic was ostensibly set in their ''Beast Wars'' continuity. | |||
===''Of Masters and Mayhem''=== | |||
The last new continuity to be created by the club saw the relocation of the humans and ''Classics'' [[Pretender]]s from the ''Shattered Glass'' universe in the aftermath of "Another Light" and served to advertise the fourth and fifth series of the [[Transformers Figure Subscription Service]]. It would see the return of [[Ramjet (Universe)|Ramjet]], last seen in "Revelations". Five prose stories ("[[The Truth We Make]]", "[[Life Finds a Way]]", "[[The Toxic Transformer]]", "[[Foundation and Wreckage Part 1: Deadly Aim|Deadly Aim]]" and "[[Lively Pursuit]]") supplemented the main "[[Of Masters and Mayhem]]" comic arc. | |||
Five profiles for [[Ramjet (Universe)|Ramjet]], [[Lifeline (G1)|Lifeline]], [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]], [[Gnash]] and [[Thrashclaw]] were published in issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 67|#67]], [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 68|#68]] and [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 70|#70]]. | |||
===Back-up strips=== | |||
'' | The magazine also included a variety of humour strips in its earliest years, none with a strict continuity: ''[[Another Con]]'', ''[[Lil' Jerry]]'', ''[[Robot Parade]]'', ''[[Mini Mayhem!]]'' and ''[[Lil Formers]]''. | ||
'' | |||
===YouTube Videos=== | |||
'' | [[File:Jointheeliteguard.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1]] | ||
In [[2008]], the club's official YouTube channel uploaded [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrrSq1iPTtQ its first video]: a brief teaser for BotCon 2008. After that convention, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIJVSjIuNYg both] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDRYFCO7fpo parts] of "Theft of the Golden Disk" was released on the channel. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMSOUKT4vyY A teaser] for 2008's membership figure, Topspin, was released which consisted of about seventy seconds of text and three seconds of stop-motion animation. From [[2009]] to [[2013]], the club teamed up with media professionals [[Randall Ng]] and [[DR.SMOOV]] to produce several short videos to promote both BotCon and the Collectors Club. [[BotCon 2009: Join the Elite Guard!|The first of these]] was an [[Elite Guard]] recruitment video, starring young Kup and advertising BotCon 2009. [[BotCon 2009!|The second]] had [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream|Starscream]] making plans to go to the convention. Advertising BotCon 2010, the club released [[BotCon 2010 - Generation 2: Redux|a parody]] of the original ''Generation 2'' cartoon opening sequence along with [[BotCon 2010 Promo|another video]] starring Megatron, the exclusive-toys-obsessed Starscream, [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], Optimus, and [[Punch (G1)|Punch/Counterpunch]]. They also released [[Mega Spice -- The Transformer Your Fan Could Be Like|a parody]] of an Old Spice commerical advertising club membership. [[Gregg Berger]] voiced G1 Grimlock in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf1uo3cM6SM a video] asking fans to vote for him in the 2011 [[Transformers Hall of Fame/2011|Transformers Hall of Fame]]. [[Who is the Greatest Starscream Of All Time?|Another animated video]] was released to advertise BotCon 2011, in which Starscream finally found [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] someone to share his passion for exclusive toys with, and [[BotCon 2012: Figure Reveal!|another]] for BotCon 2012. [[Blaster VS Soundwave 2013|The last animated video]], advertising BotCon 2013, had [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] battle in a... dance-off. For BotCon 2016, Fun Pub worked instead with voice actor [[David Kaye]] to produce [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M76OAFBmxTA that year's video]. | |||
==Footnotes== | |||
== | |||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
Revision as of 19:55, 7 March 2018
| The name or term "Timeline" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Timeline (disambiguation). |
![]() |
| |||||||||||||||

Transformers Timelines is the franchise under which much of Fun Publications' Transformers fiction was published from 2005 to 2016. The stories were told in a variety of media and set in a variety of continuities - some pre-existing, others created from scratch. Roughly half of the content was published in the club's magazine, not under the Timelines banner, and half was published as online prose stories and BotCon-exclusive comics.
Unlike the lengthy stories with complex ties to existing fiction published by the previous convention organizers, 3H Productions, Fun Publications promised more standalone stories starting with a short comic accompanying the BotCon 2005 boxed set. While the BotCon issues would traditionally prove to be very self-contained, the vast majority of content that the club produced ended up being just as convoluted and referential as 3H's work ever was.
Alongside the main fiction sources, every Timelines figure released by the club came with a bio card. Many characters would receive full profiles in the style of Marvel's The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye series. The main stories were also supplemented with short online comics and the convention's live script readings. The release order and chronology of all these sources is uniquely complicated, with many plot threads and characters across a multitude of universes being suddenly dropped only to get picked up again years later. Fun Publications lost their fan club and convention license in 2016. Remarkably, they managed to resolve most of their stories by midnight on December 31st that year.

An attempt has been made here to include every source in an understandable manner which doesn't stick rigidly to either chronology or release date but rather attempts to demonstrate the connections between stories (both in and out of universe) - by necessity, this means including all of the content released in the magazine even though those were not explicitly Timelines stories.
BotCon issues
The only stories released under that banner to receive any kind of numbering system were the hard-copy-published comic book issues. Ironically, these were the stories that probably benefited least from such a system; the individual issues were almost all self-contained stories with no continuity from one to the next. The BotCon issues were each around 22 pages along, and were usually released in two versions: a convention edition, and a mass-retail Diamond Edition which included additional profiles. They always featured the characters available as exclusive toys at the convention.
| Transformers Timelines issues: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
v1:
v2:
| |||
Text Stories
Thirty-six illustrated online prose stories were published by the club. They varied in length, with the longest reaching a whopping 179 pages but most in the region of 10-30. Like the BotCon issues, these stories usually starred characters with exclusive toys being sold by the club.
| Transformers Timelines text stories: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
2007:
2008:
2009:
2010:
2011:
2015:
2016:
| |||
Magazine
A bi-monthly magazine titled the Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club was published throughout the club's tenure. It included comics, profiles, interviews, previews of upcoming toys, fan art, and other features. Each issue of the magazine contained at least six comic pages, adding up to a complete 36-odd page story over the course of each year. Some issues also included a one-page tie-in prologue or comic to upcoming Timelines text stories.
| Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issues: | |
|---|---|
| 2005 "Balancing Act" | 2006 "Revelations" |
| #01 | #02 | #03 | #04 | #05 | #06 | #07 | #08 | #09 | #10 | #11 | #12 |
| 2007 "Crossing Over" | 2008 "Transcendent" |
| #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | #24 |
| 2009 "Reunification" | 2010 "The Coming Storm" |
| #25 | #26 | #27 | #28 | #29 | #30 | #31 | #32 | #33 | #34 | #35 | #36 |
| 2011 "Battle Lines" | 2012 "A Flash Forward" |
| #37 | #38 | #39 | #40 | #41 | #42 | #43 | #44 | #45 | #46 | #47 | #48 |
| 2013 "Beast Wars Shattered Glass" | 2014 "Alone Together" |
| #49 | #50 | #51 | #52 | #53 | #54 | #55 | #56 | #57 | #58 | #59 | #60 |
| 2015 "Another Light" | 2016 "Of Masters and Mayhem" |
| #61 | #62 | #63 | #64 | #65 | #66 | #67 | #68 | #69 | #70 | #71 | #72 |
Other stories
The rest of the content produced by the club came in the form of script readings, online mini-comics, YouTube videos, and Facebook pages. Most BotCons featured a panel in which the voice actors present would perform a brand-new story (except the two readings at BotCon 2011, which were adaptations of other stories). These stories often, but not always, tied into the rest of the club's main continuities but always took on a more comedic tone. "The Return of Blurr" was later adapted as an illustrated storybook. The mini-comics were up to seven pages in length and were occasionally printed as back-up features in the magazine and BotCon issues which they tied into ("Legacy" was only released as a pack-in comic; "Epilogue Two" was released in the Diamond Edition of the GIJoeCon 2016 comic). The videos were generally comedic in tone, breaking the fourth wall to advertise the convention ("Theft of the Golden Disk" was an exception to this rule). Finally, the Facebook pages often directly interacted with readers and responded to events in other ongoing fiction.
| Other Transformers Timelines stories: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Script readings:
Mini-comics:
YouTube videos:
Facebook pages:
| |||
Continuities
Universe and Cybertron

The club's first year saw a smattering of fiction to be released. The first two years/arcs of the magazine comic were "Balancing Act" and "Revelations", twelve parts tying into the Cybertron cartoon and wrapping up loose ends from 3H Productions' Universe and Dreamwave Productions' Energon storylines. 2007's "The Dark Heart of Sandokan" (advertising Timelines Astrotrain) and 2008's "Force of Habit" prose stories were also set in this continuity. These stories all mainly focused on characters and toys with very limited roles in fiction so far; this would become a major theme throughout Fun Publications' tenure. The last part of the cancelled The Wreckers comic was finally published, with the four-page "The Wreckers: Finale Part 1" appearing in issue #16 and the prose story "Wreckers: Finale Part II" being released online.
The magazine soon started including profiles for the characters appearing in the comic, which further filled the gaps between storylines. Skyfall, Vector Prime, Ramjet, Nemesis Prime, Sentinel Maximus, Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Optimus Primal, Soundwave, Downshift, Unicron, the Mini-Con Council of Sages (Anti-Blaze, Scythe and Checkpoint), Landquake and the Street Action Mini-Con Team all recieved full-size profiles by issue #12. A bio for Quickslinger was included in issue #6. Short profiles for the Giant Planet Mini-Con Team (Deepdive, Longarm and Overcast), Rapid Run's partners and their combined form, Heavy Load, Stripmine and Drill Bit were published in issues #13, #14 and #15.

A large amount of short profiles for various other Mini-Cons were released in the members-only section of the club website: these included a load of Mini-Cons from the Transformers PlayStation 2 video game (Aftershock, Jumpstart, Buildup, Flashbang, Hawkeye, Highgear, Kickback, Smackdown, Claymore, Overwatch, Covert, Highjump and Lookout) and their combined Matrix Cannon form, the Extreme Competition Team and their combined form Heavy Metal, the unreleased Attacktix Mini-Con Bunker-Buster, the four Classics Mini-Cons to be re-released with a Walmart exclusive Cybertron Primus (Strongarm, Offshoot, Knockdown and Nightscream), the Apocalypse Brigade Mini-Con Team[1], the Dead End General/Drones, Drop-Test, the Noble Force Mini-Con Team, the Steel Reinforcement Team, Starcatcher, the Aerial Extermination Mini-Con Team and their Vorpal Saber combiner form, the Sabotage Team, Flashbox (a generic seen in an episode of the Armada cartoon), Heavy Barrel, and Road Rebel. Finally, profiles for Cop-Tur, Snowblind and Liftor were published in issues #31, #32 and #33 respectively.
Beast Wars

BotCon 2005's comic, "Descent into Evil" and its follow-up script reading "Intimidation Game" were set between Generation 1 and the Beast Era, in a new continuity. BotCon 2006's comic, "Dawn of Future's Past", and its immediate prequel (BotCon 2007's exclusive short animated film, "Theft of the Golden Disk") were also immediate prequels to the Beast Wars cartoon. The 2007 prose story "The Razor's Edge" (advertising the club's exclusive Airazor figure) was intended to bridge between these two pairs of stories, but Pete Sinclair would state that "Dawn of Future's Past" stood apart as the definitive Beast Wars prequel and "The Razor's Edge" was brushed under the carpet. Despite all this, there are no major contradictions between these five stories.
MTMTE-style profiles for Optimus Primal and Megatron were released in the Diamond Edition of "Dawn of Future's Past" along with short bios for Cheetor and the Maximal Command Security Force. The individual MCSF members 9K, Overshoot, Switchblade, High Beam, Shatterpoint and Getout would get similar bios in issues #13 and #14 while Stopgap would get one on the Club website.[2] MTMTE-style profiles were also published online for Cryotek and his minions Backslash, Dirge and Buzzbomb.
Classics

The third year/arc of the club storyline, "Crossing Over", was the first in a series of Classics stories set after the end of the Marvel US The Transformers comics (but ignoring the UK continuity, Generation 2 and Regeneration One). The third prose story, "The New World", focused on the Classics Mini-Cons on Cybertron while BotCon 2007's comic "Games of Deception" brought more characters to Earth. A "Spring Special" Classics comic ("Cheap Shots") was released in 2008 with Timelines Nightbeat, starring him, Siren, Slag and Sludge.[3] The last prose story of 2009, "At Fight's End", seemed to be an attempt at closure for the universe and included an in-fiction appearance of the Timelines Seacons.
Profiles for Classics character continued to be published in issues #13-#18: Grimlock, Mirage, Astrotrain, Skywarp, Rodimus, Ramjet, Breakaway, Cliffjumper, Megatron, Optimus Prime and Starscream. The Diamond Edition of "Games of Deception" included profiles for Springer and Bug Bite. All twelve Classics Mini-Cons got short profiles in issues #16, #17 and #18.[4] Profiles for Slag and the Headmasters Lug, Minerva, Muzzle and Quig would be published in issue #22 as a "Cheap Shots" tie-in.
TransTech
The two continuities created by the club over the next two years would prove to be amongst their most original and enduring. The fourth year/arc of the magazine introduced Axiom Nexus, the world of TransTech. This world took the concept of interdimentional travel up to eleven, with characters from countless continuities interacting on-panel. Many characters used their designs from the cancelled Transtech series, which would have been a sequel to Beast Machines, but the world and story were wholly original. To give the impression of a vibrant metropolis, all five stories released during this time (the "Transcendent" comic arc, the "Gone Too Far", "Withered Hope" and "I, Lowtech" prose stories and BotCon 2008's "Bee in the City" script reading) took place roughly concurrently, with minor plot threads tying them together. The magazine's back-up humour strip Around Cybertron also tied into various events in those stories.
Six TransTech characters would get profiles in issues #22-24 of the magazine as part of "The World of... TRANSTECH," a feature which sported a unique design and layout but was textually almost indistinguishable from the regular MTMTE-style profiles, namely Cheetor, Shockwave, Prowl, Starscream, Optimus Prime and Megatron. Two lowtechs, Blackarachnia and Topspin, got normal profiles in issue #25. Beta Maxx, who initially went unnamed when he was released at BotCon 2007, was given a full profile online.
Shattered Glass

BotCon 2008 would introduce perhaps Fun Publication's most iconic creation: the Shattered Glass mirror universe. The first three pages of that year's convention comic, "Shattered Expectations", were "leaked" online to universal acclaim. This turned out to be an April Fools' Day prank, and the real comic (simply "Shattered Glass") turned out to be much more serious in tone. The story split in two roughly-parallel branches after this: the magazine's 2009 comic arc, "Reunification", maintained the tone of the BotCon comic and continued the interdimensional plot threads from previous arcs. Around Cybertron also made the jump to the new universe. The second branch took a campier approach to the "evil mirror universe" concept and consisted of "Dungeons & Dinobots", "Do Over", the preview comic "The Desert Heat!", "Eye in the Sky" and "Blitzwing Bop". Another prose story tying these two branches back together, "Transhuman", would eventually get published in 2011 but its intended sequel, "Coalescence", wouldn't see completion until the club's last days in 2016.
MTMTE-style profiles for Shattered Glass characters were published in issues #25 to #30, though for the first time the amount of space given to each character varied. Abominus, Aquarius, Computron, Cyclonus, Dirge, Galvatron, Heatwave, Hound, Ratbat, Ravage, Sky Lynx, Steeljaw, the Technobots, the Terrorcons and Whisper all got profiles during this time. When Nexus Prime finally appeared in the comic, he too received a profile. Rodimus and Starscream each got a profile in the Diamond Edition of "Shattered Glass". In 2011, a contest was held on Twitter to decide Scourge's bio - the winning submission was expanded into a full-sized MTMTE-style profile released online.
Wings Universe

With the club's many stories having come to something of a conclusion, it was time for something brand-new. Having already tackled most major continuities, one of the most glaring omissions was perhaps that of the original Generation 1 cartoon. BotCon 2009's "Wings of Honor" ventured far back along the cartoon timeline, before "War Dawn", to tell the tale of one of Kup's earliest missions. Pete Sinclair made sure to explain that these so-called Wings Universe stories would deviate from the cartoon in several ways, some cosmetic and some not, and more so as they progressed. 2010's comic arc, "The Coming Storm", took place ten years later. "Flames of Yesterday" took place between parts #2 and #3 of that arc; "A Team Effort" between parts #4 and #5. 2011's comic arc, "Battle Lines", was an immediate sequel. Around Cybertron continued for another ten strips set in this universe. BotCon 2010's "Generation 2: Redux" comic jumped forward in time to 2010, and 2012's comic arc "A Flash Forward" picked up from there. This arc led into "Termination", BotCon 2013's comic, and its immediate sequel "A Common Foe". A single-panel "Interlude" was given in the customization class handbook for that convention. These stories told a G1-cartoon version of the Machine Wars and advertised the third series of the Transformers Figure Subscription Service. As a prelude to BotCon 2014, a Facebook page was created for Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur where he would post entries of his personal journal. The convention's comic, "Hoist the Flag", took another time-skip to post-Beast Machines. This issue was branded as Timelines #10 (with "A Common Foe" being #9) and served as a celebration of both Fun Publications' tenth convention and the 20th anniversary of BotCon as a whole. It also incorporated some version of 3H's stories into the Wings Universe. A pack-in comic released with the "BotCon Legacy Collection", simply titled "Legacy", further strengthened these ties.

Profiles were published at a steady rate of two per issue throughout those three years (issues #31 to #48). The characters to receive profiles were Runabout, Jetstorm, Magnum, Over-Run, Onslaught, Moonracer, Deathsaurus, Metalhawk, Sentinel Major, Ricochet, Ironfist, Bruticus, Landshark, Starscream, Outback, Ironhide, Side Burn, Prowl, Thunderclash, Lyzack, Gyronian Sentry, Sprocket, Hauler, Devastator, Ultra Magnus, Runamuck, Sizzle, Jhiaxus, Windbreaker, Flamefeather, Hubcap, Nightracer, Blaze, Soundwave, Sideswipe and Frenzy. The Diamond Edition of "Wings of Honor" contained profiles for Kup, Banzai-Tron, Flak, Leozack and Dion; "Generation 2: Redux" included profiles for Clench, Rapido, Slicer and Scorch; "Termination" included profiles for Strika, Obsidian, Megaplex, Thundercracker and Mirage; "A Common Foe" included profiles for Krok, Serpent O.R., Carzap and Tarantulas; "Hoist the Flag" included profiles for Alpha Trizer, Apelinq and Flare-Up. Thundercracker was to receive a Wings Universe bio card for his Action Master form, but when that figure was released as Shattered Glass Thundercracker instead the bio was shelved and later published in non-canonical form in issue #42. A series of features titled "The Transformers Menagerie" were released in issues #49 to #54 and provided information on the Primitives.[5] As a tie-in to "Hoist the Flag", profiles were published in issue #56 for Squirm and Olin Zarak and in #58 for the Dread Pirate Crew and Flamewar.
Animated and Aligned

A two-page online comic, "Moving Violations", was the first Timelines story to be entirely set in the Transformers Animated universe. It doubled as both an advertisement for Cheetor's exclusive toy and as a prologue to BotCon 2011's comic, "The Stunti-Con Job". Both stories were set after "Endgame, Part II". A live script reading of "The Stunti-Con Job" was performed at the convention, along with a script reading of the Prime episode "Shadowzone". Both performances included extra scenes not present in the original versions. BotCon 2013's script reading, "Unreliable Narratives", had Prime Kup tell Hot Shot a tale (taking place between War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron). BotCon 2015's script reading, "The Return of Blurr", would prove to be the last Animated story. The script was later re-released at BotCon 2016 as an illustrated storybook.
Supplementary material for Animated came in the form of The AllSpark Almanac Addendum, printed in the Diamond Edition of "The Stunti-Con Job" and issues #43, #44 and #45 of the magazine. A series of Tech Specs were published with ten in issue #24, two each in issues #25 to #30, and six (plus four reprints) years later in issue #71. All twenty-eight of these plus twenty-four extras were also released as a BotCon 2011 exclusive lithograph. A single MTMTE-style profile for the Animated Headmaster Jrs. (Nightbeat, Siren and Hosehead) was published in issue #71.
"Invasion"

BotCon 2012 saw the long-overdue return to the Classics and Shattered Glass universes, in the form of the epic "Invasion" crossover. A six-page "Invasion Prologue" comic was released online during the build-up to the convention, with the TransTechs observing the opening of a gateway between the two universes, and would be printed in the Diamond Edition of the convention comic. A two-page "Invasion: Epilogue", in which the TransTechs recruit a Depth Charge to intercept some temporally-displaced survivors of the invasion, was released after the convention and was reprinted in issue #48.[6] 2013's comic arc, "Beast Wars Shattered Glass", starred those survivors: Ultra Magnus and Megatron's ships had just made it through to the prehistoric Earth of the Shattered Glass universe. A seven-page TransTech comic, "Timeless", advertised the second series of subscription figures and had Rhinox monitor Ultra Mammoth and Megatron. The leaders would make it back to the present day with their crews just in time for 2015's comic arc, "Another Light", which served to wrap up most major plot threads left dangling since the club's very inception. Fun Publications collaborated with e-HOBBY to release "Solar Requiem", a comic starring Soundwave and Blaster. The four-part Spatiotemporal Challengers series of prose stories ("Sunrise", "High Noon", "Journey's Eve" and "Last Sunset") starred the GoBots from "Withered Hope" and their arrival on post-"Invasion" Shattered Glass Earth.[7] Recordicons, starring Shattered Glass Ravage and the other Mini-Cassettes, was published as a back-up strip in issues #34 to #63.

Meanwhile, a smattering of TransTech stories were released. BotCon 2012's script reading "Bee in the City 2: Electric Boogaloo" was a loose sequel to that of BotCon 2008, with the main connection being the appearance of the same Megatron. The three-page online comic "Collections" starred Packrat, leading into his appearance in the BotCon 2015 comic "Cybertron's Most Wanted" and following up on threads from the aforementioned "Timeless". Several Facebook pages would spring up during this time, building on the success of Tornado's journal: "Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter", "Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist" and "Axiom Nexus News Editor" all ran in parallel and were soon joined by "Ask Vector Prime", " Spacewarp's Log" and " Renegade Rhetoric". Three back-up features in the magazine, Transformers I.Q., Hot Shot's Bot Thoughts and Bot on the Street, were generally set in the TransTech universe but often touched on events from other continuities. TransTech Rhinox featured in "The Beast Wars Road Map", a flowchart published in issue #70 explaining the chronology of the various Beast Era stories until then. A single-page "Epilogue" published in issue #72 revealed the fates of some of those left unaccounted for in the aftermath of "Invasion". "Epilogue Two", a two-page comic published in the Diamond Edition of GIJoeCon 2016's comic "Project Downfall" (of all places), wrapped up the TransTech story.
Profiles for a variety of characters were published during this time. Optimus Prime ("Hero Prime") and Depth Charge got profiles in issue #49, and Rhinox got one in issue #54. A Tech Spec for the INSIRT was published on Facebook. The Diamond Edition of "Cybertron's Most Wanted" included profiles for General Optimus Prime, Battletrap and Zaptrap with Beet-Chit. Classics Grimlock, Dirge, Scylla, Autojetter, Ultra Mammoth, Megatron, Magnaboss, Autolauncher and God Neptune got profiles from issues #50 to #54; Prowl would get his own profile in #62 and Grimlock would get a third in #63. Shattered Glass Soundwave finally got a profile in issue #65, and artwork for Nova Prime and Galvatron would be published in #66's feature. On its last day, the club's Twitter would release four profiles repurposing the BotCon 2015 Waruders as other characters: Bug Bite, King Waruder, Skywasp and Shattered Glass Waspinator.
The BotCon 2014 script reading, Prevenge, starred character plucked from a wide range of continuities in a Universe-style battle royale.
Beast Wars: Uprising and "Dawn of the Predacus"

The universe first glimpsed in the bios for Blackarachnia and Depth Charge would finally get a dedicated story with "Alone Together", 2014's comic arc (starring Rampage and Trans-Mutate in their Timelines forms). Then, from 2015 to 2016, twelve prose stories written by Jim Sorenson and David Bishop were released: "Broken Windshields", "Head Games", "Burning Bridges", "Micro-Aggressions", "Intersectionality", "Trigger Warnings", "Identity Politics", "Not All Megatrons", "Cultural Appropriation", "Safe Spaces", "Derailment" and "The Inexorable March". Unlike the vast majority of Fun Publications' stories, which often dealt heavily in interdimensional shenanigans, this new continuity was much more isolated and grounded (although a screen-capture comic published in issue #70, "A Change to the Agenda", would try to provide a divergent-timeline "origin" of sorts to the universe). A small set of profiles for Rampage, Trans-Mutate, Jawbreaker, Bigmos, Medusa, Lord Imperious Delirious and Lio Convoy were released in issues #55, #57, #59 and #61.

The BotCon 2016 comic "Dawn of the Predacus" and associated script reading "The Hot Rod" were originally intended to be Beast Wars: Uprising stories, but plans changed once IDW Publishing was brought on-board and the final comic was ostensibly set in their Beast Wars continuity.
Of Masters and Mayhem
The last new continuity to be created by the club saw the relocation of the humans and Classics Pretenders from the Shattered Glass universe in the aftermath of "Another Light" and served to advertise the fourth and fifth series of the Transformers Figure Subscription Service. It would see the return of Ramjet, last seen in "Revelations". Five prose stories ("The Truth We Make", "Life Finds a Way", "The Toxic Transformer", "Deadly Aim" and "Lively Pursuit") supplemented the main "Of Masters and Mayhem" comic arc.
Five profiles for Ramjet, Lifeline, Impactor, Gnash and Thrashclaw were published in issues #67, #68 and #70.
Back-up strips
The magazine also included a variety of humour strips in its earliest years, none with a strict continuity: Another Con, Lil' Jerry, Robot Parade, Mini Mayhem! and Lil Formers.
YouTube Videos

In 2008, the club's official YouTube channel uploaded its first video: a brief teaser for BotCon 2008. After that convention, both parts of "Theft of the Golden Disk" was released on the channel. A teaser for 2008's membership figure, Topspin, was released which consisted of about seventy seconds of text and three seconds of stop-motion animation. From 2009 to 2013, the club teamed up with media professionals Randall Ng and DR.SMOOV to produce several short videos to promote both BotCon and the Collectors Club. The first of these was an Elite Guard recruitment video, starring young Kup and advertising BotCon 2009. The second had Optimus Prime, Megatron and Starscream making plans to go to the convention. Advertising BotCon 2010, the club released a parody of the original Generation 2 cartoon opening sequence along with another video starring Megatron, the exclusive-toys-obsessed Starscream, Breakdown, Optimus, and Punch/Counterpunch. They also released a parody of an Old Spice commerical advertising club membership. Gregg Berger voiced G1 Grimlock in a video asking fans to vote for him in the 2011 Transformers Hall of Fame. Another animated video was released to advertise BotCon 2011, in which Starscream finally found Starscream someone to share his passion for exclusive toys with, and another for BotCon 2012. The last animated video, advertising BotCon 2013, had Blaster and Soundwave battle in a... dance-off. For BotCon 2016, Fun Pub worked instead with voice actor David Kaye to produce that year's video.
Footnotes
- ↑ Trickshot's bio was never published on the Transformers Collectors' Club website like that of his teammates, but he was named in Flashdrive's bio... something that failed to be noted by Triac's TFWiki page, leading to the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime ascribing Triac a new identity in 2015. Er, whoops!
- ↑ Nitrostreak and Tigatron would be the only MCSF members not to get profiles like this, as they appeared exclusively in "Dawn of Future's Past".
- ↑ Hosehead perished in "Still Life!", so couldn't appear. The rest of the Dinobots had previously appeared in other stories.
- ↑ Snarl and Divebomb's were previewed online in a slightly different format.
- ↑ Though the continuity of these features was never explicitly defined or discussed, Jim Sorenson would clarify the intended setting as being a Sunbow cartoon-esque continuity, specifically the Wings Universe.
- ↑ This story served as something of an advertisement for the first series of Figure Subscription Service figures, with only Ultra Mammoth and Scourge not making an appearance. Ultra Mammoth would show up in the next comic arc, but Scourge never got any fiction from the club. This is because another 2-3 page Wings Universe prologue story set prior to "Termination" was planned but never released, in which he would have been one of Jhiaxus's clones and would have killed both Optimus and Galvatron.
- ↑ "Last Sunset" would be the final piece of material produced by the club, being posted just before midnight (EST) on New Year's Eve 2016-2017.


