IDW Publishing: Difference between revisions

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==Series published==
==Series published==
=== G1 rebooted ===
=== G1 rebooted ===
Initial ideas for IDW's Transformer line included a ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''-style story crossing over with the new [[Cybertron (toyline)|''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 Key]]s 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.<ref>Pitch printed in ''[[The Best of Simon Furman]]''</ref>  
Initial ideas for IDW's Transformer line included a ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''-style story crossing over with the new [[Cybertron (toyline)|''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 Key]]s 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.<ref>Pitch printed in ''[[The Best of Simon Furman]]''</ref>  


This was considered too confusing for new readers, however, and dropped for a [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|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. <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSyBtqe67uk Moonbase 2m AA2010 interview]</ref>
This was considered too confusing for new readers, however, and dropped for a [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|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. <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSyBtqe67uk Moonbase 2m AA2010 interview]</ref>

Revision as of 05:44, 26 July 2011

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 The 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 Codes 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:

  • Infiltration (2005–06) 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).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Escalation (2006–07) 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.
  • Megatron Origin (2007) A four-issue story arc detailing the events surrounding Megatron's rise to power and the founding of the Decepticon faction.
  • Devastation (2007–08) 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.
  • All Hail Megatron (2008–2009) A twelve-issue maxi-series, extended to sixteen to include the All Hail Megatron Coda series. It chronicles the aftermath of the defeat of the Autobots and the Decepticon conquest of Earth. The publication schedule overlaps with Revelation and Maximum Dinobots. Issues 13–16 each consist of two 11-page stories that help strengthen the flaws in All Hail Megatron and tie into the ongoing series.
  • Maximum Dinobots (2008–2009) A five-issue which takes place chronologically between Revelation and All Hail Megatron (which it was published concurrently with). The series wraps up Furman's story arcs with the Dynobots, Sunstreaker, the Headmasters, Shockwave, Skywatch and the Machination.
  • The Transformers (2009–present) An ongoing series which began in November 2009 [1]. The series is penned by Mike Costa with art on the first arc by Don Figueroa. Different artists have contributed as well.
  • The Transformers: Bumblebee (2009–2010) A four-issue miniseries chronicling Bumblebee's journey on Earth after the events of All Hail Megatron, focusing on the conflicts and decisions 'Bee makes (sort of like a Spotlight). It began in December 2009, written by Zander Cannon with art by Chee Yang Ong (the team that worked on the second story of All Hail Megatron #16).
  • Last Stand of the Wreckers (2010) A five-issue miniseries which began in January 2010, written by Nick Roche and James Roberts and drawn by Roche with colors by Josh Burcham. It chronicles the antics of the Wreckers in deep space after AHM.
  • The Transformers: Ironhide (2010) A four-issue miniseries covering Ironhide, with story by Mike Costa and art by Casey Coller. It was published from May through August, 2010.
  • The Transformers: Drift (2010) A four-issue miniseries that chronicles Drift's origins as the Decepticon Deadlock to becoming an Autobot. It's written by Shane McCarthy, with art by Alex Milne and colors by Josh Perez. It was released bi-weekly in September, 2010.
  • The Transformers: Infestation (2011) A two-issue story set within the larger Infestation, a cross-over in which zombies invade multiple IDW properties. In addition to Transformers, Star Trek, G.I. Joe and Ghostbusters are all invaded by the cross-dimensional zombies. The Transformers segment involves the Autobots teaming up with Galvatron's crew to stop the menace. It is written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with art by Nick Roche and colors by Joana Lafuente and Josh Perez. The entire series is released weekly over 10 weeks, starting in February, 2011.
  • The Transformers: Heart of Darkness (2011) A four-issue miniseries featuring Galvatron and crew, following the events in Infestation. It's written by Abnett and Lanning, with art by Ulises Farinas. To be released March thru June, 2011.
  • The Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2012) An new ongoing written by John Barber.
  • The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye (2012) Another ongoing from the Last Stand of the Wreckers team of Roberts and Roche.
  • The Transformers: Autocracy (2012) A digital comic written by Flint Dille.

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 G1 Transformers in the American West during the Industrial Revolution.

Live-action film series

Transformers Animated

Reprint series

Others

Editorial policies

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 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 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 modes.

  • Regarding 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.[4] The results were questionable, and AHM later required a four-issue "Coda" intended to sort out apparent inconsistencies and answer open questions.
  • Editor Andy Schmidt wrote Continuum, the self-declared "Definitive Chronology" of the IDW Generation 1 continuity up to that point, which was chock-full of inaccuracies, blatant omissions and even chronological errors within the issue itself. Schmidt revealed in an interview[5] that all of these changes were intentional, in order to simplify things, because he had hoped to attract new, younger readers he didn't want to "confuse" or confront with concepts unfamiliar to them. To his credit, Schmidt formally admitted to the poor quality of Continuum five months after it had been released.[6]
  • As of 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's modernized robot mode designs, entirely new designs, and almost slavish rehashes of the Generation 1 animation models. At the IDW forums, artist Guido Guidi stated that, regarding his work on the ongoing series that followed AHM, 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.[7]
  • Artist Alex Milne deliberately drew two background generics that were killed as cannon fodder in Drift issue 2 to resemble established characters from other franchises. 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.[8] 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.'"[9]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Pitch printed in The Best of Simon Furman
  2. ↑ Moonbase 2m AA2010 interview
  3. ↑ Post by Chris Ryall at IDW's forums
  4. ↑ Simon Furman November Q&A
  5. ↑ TFormers interview with Andy Schmidt
  6. ↑ Continuum "apology"
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Post by Alex Milne on IDW's forum
  9. ↑ Post by Denton Tipton on IDW's forum
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