The Transformers (IDW)

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The name or term "Transformers" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Transformers (disambiguation).
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The Transformers is an ongoing series published by IDW Publishing, set in the main IDW continuity. It is set three years after the events of the All Hail Megatron miniseries.

Published monthly from November 2009, it went bi-weekly from July 2011 until December 2011, alternating between two stories as part of the series-ending "Chaos" event. After that wrapped up in issue #31, a one-shot (formerly labeled issue #125) entitled The Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime was published, and then the title was replaced by two new monthly ongoings, Robots in Disguise and More than Meets the Eye.


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"It's been three years since the devastating events of All Hail Megatron. The Earth has been rebuilt, the AUTOBOTS are in hiding, and the next great era in the Transformers saga is about to begin!"IDW solicitation

Overview

Three years after the defeat of the Decepticons, the Autobots remain stranded on Earth low on energon and hounded by Skywatch. After a rescue raid led by Hot Rod results in Ironhide's death, Optimus Prime gives up his position as leader and surrenders to Skywatch, causing a schism between the Autobots, who split into two groups: one led by Hot Rod, who, taking the name "Rodimus", joins forces with a group of Decepticons fronted by Swindle in an effort to build a ship and leave the planet, and a second who elect Bumblebee as their new leader, and are soon joined by Ultra Magnus, who determines to arrest Rodimus for treason. In the battle that follows, Swindle betrays Rodimus and reveals his new creation, Menasor, but the day is saved thanks to Skywatch, with whom Optimus Prime has brokered an alliance, and some timely side-switching from the disillusioned Thundercracker. The disgraced Rodimus flees Earth alone, and the Autobots rally under Bumblebee.

Working with Skywatch, the Autobots begin helping them deal with Transformer-related crises around Earth, finding themselves caught between the Combaticons, allied with North Korea, and the Predacons, working for China. Disenchanted Skywatch operative Sandra broadcasts footage of his battle to the world, exposing Skywatch's secret alliance with the Autobots; when Bumblebee tries to hold a press conference in response, he is grievously injured by a human agent of anti-Transformer movement Earth's Children, wielding Cybertronian weaponry surreptitiously supplied by the Decepticons. This heralds the return of the rebuilt Megatron, who launches a devastating attack on Skywatch and the Autobots but is eventually defeated by Optimus Prime and surrenders to his custody.

Meanwhile, on his sojourn in space, Rodimus manages to recover the Matrix of Leadership from Starscream. Gathering allies Wheelie and Garnak on the planet LV-117 and then heading to Cybertron itself, where he adds Sunstreaker and a resurrected Ironhide to his team, Rodimus discovers that Galvatron has returned with an army and is planning something on the Transformers' homeworld. Rodimus returns to Earth to pass on this news, and most of the Autobots then join Optimus Prime in taking off for Cybertron aboard Omega Supreme, with Megatron as their prisoner, to stop Galvatron's scheme. A small contingent of Autobots remains behind on Earth to investigate allegations that Skywatch head Spike Witwicky illegally executed Scrapper, discovering that his crimes go far deeper, and that he has been trading weapons technology with Swindle. Spike goes on the run, and Jazz, already compromised after killing a human in the heat of battle, dissolves the Autobots' alliance with Skywatch.

Prime's Autobots arrive on Cybertron and engage both Galvatron's forces and the Decepticons who have followed them there, but when they are merged together into the monstrous "Deceptigod" by the power of Galvatron's dark master, the D-Void, Megatron joins the fight and triumphs over the hellish avatar. Galvatron, meanwhile, ventures into the planet's depths, intending to use the Heart of Darkness with Vector Sigma to open a portal to the Dead Universe and release the D-Void, but is stopped by Optimus Prime, who opens the Matrix and drains its energies to stop the creature's entry into the living universe. The interaction of the Matrix and Vector Sigma, however, prompts an incredible transformation for Cybertron itself...

Creative team

The series was mainly written by Mike Costa, who penned two of the stories in All Hail Megatron Coda. Issues #22 and #23 were written by James Roberts, and 4-part "Chaos" arc (#24, #26, #28 and #30) were co-credited to Costa and Roberts.

Line-art for the first 6-issue story-arc was provided by fan-favorite, Don Figueroa, officially marking his return from Transformers hiatus. Don's art was modified somewhat to make the Transformers more technically complex (more like the movie 'bots) but still recognizable to their classic designs. James Brown provides colors. Alternate covers for issues 2–7 were by Transformers veteran Andrew Wildman.

Volume 2 (issues 7–12) had a bit more variation. "-Ations" artist E. J. Su and Javier Saltares illustrated issues 7 and 8 respectively. All Hail Megatron artist Guido Guidi returned to draw the 4-part arc, International Incident, running from issues 9–12.

Volume 3 started with Nick Roche drawing issue 13, while Figueroa returned, intending to illustrate the following arc, titled "Revenge of the Decepticons". Alternate covers for this were provided by Roche. However, Figueroa again stepped away from the comic due to a new job after #15, and was replaced by Alex Milne for the remainder of the arc (issues 16–18). Milne kept Don's designs, but tweaked them to his own style, and gave the faces a more traditional appearance.

Volumes 5 and 6 also had a variety of artists. Issue 21 ("Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix") was drawn by Guido Guidi and Brendan Cahill, while Milne returned for the 2-part "Chaos Theory" (issues 22 and 23). The 4-part "Chaos" (even-numbered issues 24–30) were drawn by Livio Ramondelli and the 3-part "The Last Earth Story" (issues 25, 27 and 29) was by Brendan Cahill. "Chaos Epilogue" (issue 31) was drawn by Casey Coller [1].

Figueroa's new designs for the cast proved very unpopular with the fandom, but—or perhaps because of this—IDW did not require their artists to adhere to these designs. As such, the various companion mini-series published alongside the ongoing, as well as the Guidi-, Su-, and Saltares-drawn issues of the series itself, featured a bevy of styles and designs that played fast and loose with any kind of consistency regarding character appearance and alternate mode—a disconcerting move that also proved unpopular, and became one of the infamous hallmarks of the series. When Milne took over the book, he introduced some consistency by drawing the characters in streamlined versions of their Figueroa designs, though Ramondelli would wind up mixing and matching various designs for "Chaos".

Collections

All thirty-one issues of the series were collected in a series of seven trade paperbacks; volumes 1-3 and 5-7 collect the series itself, while the fourth volume instead collects the four-issue tie-in mini-series, Heart of Darkness. Volume six also includes Spotlight: Prowl (unable to be collected anywhere else due to the cancellation of the Spotlight series); this issue was originally intended to be part of the ongoing series anyway, but was brought forward due to negative fan reaction to Prowl's characterization in the first arc of the ongoing series.

  • The Transformers: Volume 1: For All Mankind (June 9, 2010) ISBN 1600106846 / ISBN 978-1600106842
    • Collects issues #1-6
    • Bonus material includes: art from all covers, including design sketches from Don Figueroa.
  • The Transformers: Volume 2: International Incident (December 8, 2010) ISBN 1600108040 / ISBN 978-1600108044
    • Collects issues #7-12
    • Bonus material includes: art from all covers, including design sketches from Don Figueroa.
  • The Transformers: Volume 3: Revenge of the Decepticons (July 27, 2011) ISBN 1600109810 / ISBN 978-1600109812
    • Collects issues #13-18
    • Bonus material includes art from all covers, including design sketches from Don Figueroa and Marcelo Matere.
  • The Transformers: Volume 5: Chaos Theory (November 2, 2011) ISBN 1613770901 / ISBN 978-1613770900
    • Collects issues #19-23
    • Included extras are unknown at this time.
  • The Transformers: Volume 7: Chaos (March 14, 2012) ISBN 1613771401 / ISBN 978-1613771402
    • Collects issues #24, 26, 28, 30 and 31
    • Bonus material includes art from most covers, plus B&W art sketches from Livio Ramondelli.

References

  1. ↑ http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=9451&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=135
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