Don Figueroa

This article is about the nonfictional Transformers artist. Para el técnico oficial de la película de 2007, véase Jorge Figueroa.

The DON, artist, designer and a career batting average of 99.94

Don Allan Figueroa is a Filipino-American artist and a toy designer. In his early years in comics, he was the writer and artist of the fan-comic series "Macromasters," featuring his original Transformers designs, of which he also built large transformable, scratch-built toys.

When Dreamwave Productions received the Transformers comic book license, Figueroa was initially signed on to illustrate packaging art for the Armada toy line. He went on to pencil The War Within miniseries, for which he designed a pre-Earth mode for every single character that appeared in the series (with the exception of Megatron, whose design was done by Pat Lee). Aaron Archer took notice of his talents, and Hasbro hired Figueroa to help design toys for them, most notably the Titanium and Classics series. Since then, he has also contributed art to IDW Publishing's new range of Transformers comics.

Eventually Don became burnt out on Transformers and left the franchise as his primary creative work, and was said to be taking an indefinite break.

Everyone still loves him, though, which may be why he returned to illustrate the Shattered Glass comic. He also illustrated issue 3 of Defiance and provided a cover for Spotlight: Cliffjumper.

Don also still creates amazing gigantic scratch-built transforming robot toys in his spare time.

Comic book art

Dreamwave

Let's hope he got paid for this one!

• The War Within #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6
• Armada #14, #15, #16, #17
• Generation One ongoing #0, #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10
• Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Profile books (select pages)
• Transformers Armada: More Than Meets The Eye Profile books (select pages)
• 20th Anniversary Lithograph

IDW Publishing

• The Gathering #1, #2, #3, #4
• Stormbringer #1, #2, #3, #4
• Transformers: The Animated Movie #1, #2, #3, #4
• Movie Prequel #1, #2, #3, #4
• Spotlight: Optimus Prime
• The Ascending #1, #2, #3
• Beast Wars Sourcebook, part 1 (cover and select pages)
• Beast Wars Sourcebook, part 2 (cover and select pages)
• Beast Wars Sourcebook, part 3 (cover and Optimus Primal)
• Beast Wars Sourcebook, part 4 (Torca)
• Transformers: Defiance #3
• Spotlight: Cliffjumper (alternate cover)
• All Hail Megatron #13
• The new ongoing series of Transformers.

Titan Magazines

• Transformers Comic #4

Fun Publications

• Shattered Glass

DVD cover art

Madman Entertainment

• The Transformers: The Movie (2003 Australian DVD release)

Sony Wonder

• The Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Edition DVD

Shout! Factory

• The Transformers - The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition

Transformers packaging art

Armada

• Adventure Mini-Con Team
• Blurr
• Hoist
• Powerlinx Hot Shot
• Galvatron
• Nemesis Prime
• Powerlinx Optimus Prime
• Skywarp
• Starscream
• Street Speed Mini-Con Team
• Thundercracker
• Tidal Wave
• Unicron
• Wheeljack

Energon

• Hot Shot
• Inferno
• Ironhide
• Megatron
• Scorponok
• Tidal Wave

Timelines

• "Games of Deception"

Universe (2008)

• Optimus Prime Special Edition (heavily reworked by an unknown artist from an existing piece of stock Generation 1/Universe art)

Merchandise packaging art

Kinnerton

• 2008 Transformers Christmas Advent Calendar

Toys Don is known to have had a hand in designing

Titanium

• All 6" Titanium figures

Hasbro-Galoob's adherence to his concept designs varied wildy.

Classics

• Astrotrain (with Takashi Kunihiro)
• Optimus Prime - Voyager class (with Takio Ejima and Alex Kubalsky the latter of whom designed the transforming smokestack gun, which was not a part of Don's design)
• Rodimus
• Starscream (with Shogo Hasui)

Despite popular opinion to the contrary, Don did not actually design Classics Jetfire. According to him, he had seen the design some time before the public did, and decided to use it in IDW Publishing's Stormbringer mini-series.

Universe (2008)

• Cyclonus with Nightstick (with Bill Rawley and Takashi Kunihiro)

Notes

We suffer from a depressing series of rejections!

• Don came up with his own Transformers/G.I. Joe story pitch back when the original Dreamwave G.I. Joe crossover was in production. Dreamwave did not approve this pitch, instead going with Transformers/G.I. Joe: Divided Front. After Dreamwave's bankruptcy—when Don was under contract with Devil's Due Press—he tried pitching his story again, including designs for Optimus Prime as the Rolling Thunder and Megatron as Destro's Dominator; Devil's Due instead opted to continue their own crossover universe. Don was subsequently assigned to pencil the third Devil's Due G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover, at the time a Cobra-La-centric story; however, Hasbro then told them that Cobra La could not be used. Don tried submitting his pitch again to fill the apparent story-void, but it was once more rejected... and then on top of that, Devil's Due was told that they could not publish another Transformers crossover until 2006. Don would leave for IDW Publishing not too long afterward.

• According to Transformers screenwriter Roberto Orci, the surname of Jorge Figueroa refers to both a friend of the writer and Don Figueroa.

External links

• Interview with Don Figueroa at TFW2005.com