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AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It is just a shame we missed out on some official physical representation of their more original redesigns. I'd have preferred Headmaster Sunstreaker, Stormbringer Thunderwing or even Infiltration Starscream over Rung, Drift or Victorion.

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ZeroWolf wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It is just a shame we missed out on some official physical representation of their more original redesigns. I'd have preferred Headmaster Sunstreaker, Stormbringer Thunderwing or even Infiltration Starscream over Rung, Drift or Victorion.

Just to point out Victorion isn't like the two you mentioned for the sole reason that she was created through Hasbros Create a Combiner promotion (which a year or two prior gave us Windblade), thus IDW didn't create her.

Also those designs you mentioned didn't have much chance with the design team of that time. In fact it was in Wardens time frame that Stormbringer Astrotrain and the centurion drone got some love.

Shout out to Centurion Drone / Brunt, one of the greatest cases of engineering for two characters and decoes ever.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It is just a shame we missed out on some official physical representation of their more original redesigns. I'd have preferred Headmaster Sunstreaker, Stormbringer Thunderwing or even Infiltration Starscream over Rung, Drift or Victorion.

Just to point out Victorion isn't like the two you mentioned for the sole reason that she was created through Hasbros Create a Combiner promotion (which a year or two prior gave us Windblade), thus IDW didn't create her.

Also those designs you mentioned didn't have much chance with the design team of that time. In fact it was in Wardens time frame that Stormbringer Astrotrain and the centurion drone got some love.

Shout out to Centurion Drone / Brunt, one of the greatest cases of engineering for two characters and decoes ever.

You're absolutely right there, Brunt and Six Gun are my favourite weaponizers with Centurion being the best colours.

ZeroWolf wrote:Just to point out Victorion isn't like the two you mentioned for the sole reason that she was created through Hasbros Create a Combiner promotion (which a year or two prior gave us Windblade), thus IDW didn't create her.

Also those designs you mentioned didn't have much chance with the design team of that time. In fact it was in Wardens time frame that Stormbringer Astrotrain and the centurion drone got some love.

Interesting. Didn't know that about Victorion. I thought that was just Windblade's thing? Literally the most unique Sunstreaker and Thunderwing designs, that aren't an alternate universe take. A pity. It's not like people will be clambering for a new Thunderwing any time soon.

AcademyofDrX wrote:whynotboth.gif

#Hasbronevergivesusboth

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:#Hasbronevergivesusboth

Still waiting for Needlenose from the Needlenose versus Tracks fanvote!!

AcademyofDrX wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:#Hasbronevergivesusboth

Still waiting for Needlenose from the Needlenose versus Tracks fanvote!!

Yup.

This Fan Polls list is just depressing reading really.

I still long for a TR Sunstreaker with Hunter headmaster.

I count myself as one of those that enjoyed RG1. That series is the only reason i own Selects Galvatron. It was fun for me

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I count myself as one of those that enjoyed RG1. That series is the only reason i own Selects Galvatron. It was fun for me

But he was even better in the original Marvel series!

I wonder if they'll try a unified Hasbro-verse again, or keep every property separated and only include the occasional universe-hopping crossover. I could see Transformers and GI Joe running parallel to each other within the same universe until the former arrive on Earth as the first crossover event, but keeping them separate might be more manageable in terms on continuity than making such separate histories, tones and references mesh together.

MaximalNui wrote:I wonder if they'll try a unified Hasbro-verse again, or keep every property separated and only include the occasional universe-hopping crossover. I could see Transformers and GI Joe running parallel to each other within the same universe until the former arrive on Earth as the first crossover event, but keeping them separate might be more manageable in terms on continuity than making such separate histories, tones and references mesh together.

I think shared universe / parallel narratives is much more likely than a unified narrative environment. There's no indication that Skybound is interested in the other toy properties, and I haven't heard a thing about Hasbro's film plans for the other Revolution properties in years. I'm not sure if people were following it closely at the time, but while IDW was publishing Revolution, film producer and writer Akiva Goldsman was running a writers' room for Paramount for a film Hasbro-verse. They announced a bunch of projects with fanfare and then ... nothing. Everyone has moved on, and Hasbro is back on its heels with underperforming Snake Eyes. My guess is they'll take a back-to-basics approach and keep things simple in the near-term.

After I read that latter shared universe IDW stuff. I just don't think it worked. Mask for example, is redundant technology in the same world as GI Joe and Transformers. GI Joe, by the same token, is redundant in a world of giant alien robots.
Visionaries was completely botched.
Characters like Rom, the Micronauts etc would be better in their own books.

GI Joe will always be crossed with Transformers due to their shared history (the references in Transformers G1 cartoon, the overt references in the Marvel G1 comics and of course, the various crossovers.) Rom worked well as they even made a unique Transformers character for his series. Micronaughts was okay.

Mask would have worked better as a prequel miniseries. The setup would be that it takes place before the Transformers wake up but some of their tech has been claimed (thus making the transforming vehicles) nothing too fancy with the plot, just a one-and-done mini series.

Visionaries would have been much, much better simply leaving them on their own world, Over there...

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Visionaries would have been much, much better simply leaving them on their own world, Over there...

Agreed

Don't know if I ever said it but my favourite piece of Transformers fiction of all time is IDW's Transformers 22 and 23. Just amazing.

For good or ill, I do find it impressive that IDW has/ will have had TF for 17 years when its all over, even if I do not like most of it's content. For Me, it's the whole "You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain"...

I know people always talk about being innovative, trying new things, and keeping the brand fresh. Well IDW did pretty much that, and it mostly failed (for me at least).

Dreamwave's initial 2 Mini Series, and 10 issues of ongoing for me was the Best TF Print fiction ever. Aside from Pat Lee giving the company a bad rep, and undoing it by nefarious means, the company itself had some amazingly talented artists and writers, many of which jumped over to IDW, but the overall aesthetic was not the same.

Also those MTMTE profile books are amazing. I have the original 8 individual issues, but I have the 2 collected volumes that IDW reprinted, and I read/refer to them often.

Art, being the subjective and fickle thing that it is. I found Don Figueroa's work, during Stormbringer etc the most appealing visual identity for Transformers. Emphasising the bulky and mechanical. The worst was a tie between Heart of Darkness and the Primacy Trilogy.

I can sound off individual stories that I've liked from every TF run (aside from Marvel US). But there hasn't been a full run that has really captivated me to date. After LSotW, IDWverse's quality began it's decline which ended with Unicron.

I still await to be engaged by a whole Transformers series... in any medium.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I still await to be engaged by a whole Transformers series... in any medium.

This is a real nugget of truth, for the most part. The '86 movie is phenomenal but the cartoon series around it is at times an absolute bore, especially bits of season 3. Beast Wars is great if you skip 1/2 to 2/3rds of the first season. Armada's first half, and especially its first quarter, are just not great. The Bayverse has three good movies and three more that range from godawful to average-but-boring. More recently, Cyberverse is great if you just kinda gloss over most of the first entire season. Sheesh, I haven't even touched on comics yet!

Point is that I really agree with the initial quote. Everything has its warts, but TF media really likes to weigh down the good with loads of disappointment.

I'd say it's mostly true, but not always. I understand that as an older fan, I have much more passion for the original series than most, and am more forgiving. Of 98 episodes, I'd say there are probably only 5 or so I find that are absolutely awful. But if I am binging, or watching a random DVD I wont skip them.

BW I agree with, as much as I love that show. the first part of S1 after the initial 2 part opening is pretty slow. I'll watch episodes that introduce new characters like Tigatron, BA, Inferno etc.... then the 2 parter with the floating Island, then I can pretty much watch every episode from that point on.

RiD (or more aptly Car Robots), is a series I do find consistent throughout however , and can watch from beginning to end and thoroughly enjoy still to this day. Armada, I am a bit more harsh on, I'll watch the last arc (Unicron Battles) if anything, and that's it. Energon is the opposite. I keep thinking the story ends when Optimus and Omega Supreme combine to fight Unicron, and that would be a great ending...but then it keeps going...aimlessly, and I remember why most fans don't like that show. Cybertron isn't bad, I just find a LOT of it to be boring.

o.supreme wrote:Also those MTMTE profile books are amazing. I have the original 8 individual issues, but I have the 2 collected volumes that IDW reprinted, and I read/refer to them often.

Yes they are great. I also have the 8 individuals as well as the 3 Armada ones. Great art and fun to read.

I don't care for most of the IDW stuff before 2012, I tried to get into it a couple of times and the art turned me off each time. I was hoping the story would get me past it, but it was never good enough. I did go back and get the collected AHM hardcover, the collection including Infiltration, Escalation and Devastation as well as Megatron Origin, but that's all I have from the time before The Death of Optimus Prime and the beginning of MTMTE. Then RG1 came along and of course I had to get that. I like most of the stuff printed from 2012 to 2018, with the exception of a select few and all the crossovers.

o.supreme wrote:Also those MTMTE profile books are amazing. I have the original 8 individual issues, but I have the 2 collected volumes that IDW reprinted, and I read/refer to them often.

I adore them! I have both softbacks from the DW era and I still flip through them occasionally. Some stunning art in places. Some puffy, marshmallow Pat Lee art in others. But I still love em!

~ Grim

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:After I read that latter shared universe IDW stuff. I just don't think it worked. Mask for example, is redundant technology in the same world as GI Joe and Transformers. GI Joe, by the same token, is redundant in a world of giant alien robots.
Visionaries was completely botched.
Characters like Rom, the Micronauts etc would be better in their own books.

I don't exactly agree with that. Having characters with similar powersets, or completely disparate ones, doesn't make them redundant; in the hands of a good writer who knows how to play with the differences and establish some worldbuilding, it can even be a good thing.

Does Superman make Captain Marvel/Shazam irrelevant because they're both flying bricks? No, because aside from the basic powerset, they each have their own unique abilities, weaknesses and links to different genres (Superman being more sci-fi and Shazam more mystical). Do cosmic or event-level heroes like the Silver Surfer and the Avengers make street-level heroes like the Punisher and Daredevil irrelevant? No, because they illustrate a nuanced multi-layered world, where crime and evil exists at different levels and require different solutions, and where everyday life doesn't just stop for the latest punchfest.

For example, I could see MASK distancing from Transformers by focusing more on espionage and intrigue than open war, like the campier Bond films with unbelievable gadgets. Or, taking inspiration from the Unit:E comic with its "League of Ancient Wheelmen" and Lemony Snickett's VFD, as a secret society who suffered an old schism and is currently fighting a covert civil war. And GI Joe would greatly benefit from a shared universe: they could keep the more grounded, "real-american-hero" stuff in their own book, while exploring their more outlandish side like Cobra-La, the Intruders and the Lunartix when interacting with the larger, wilder Hasbro-verse.

I will agree, however, that they handled the Hasbro Comic Universe at large rather poorly. It was already difficult to reconcile two already-established separate continuities as a single universe with all the heavy retcons it entails, but add the rushed introduction of the other properties followed immediately by a ton of crossover events before they could establish a canon and foothold of their own, it wasn't going to last long.

ZeroWolf wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Visionaries would have been much, much better simply leaving them on their own world, Over there...

Agreed

Visionaries, for example, should have been its own series. Or, if they absolutely needed to introduce it with a crossover, I'd suggest Rom instead: they both share themes of knights and magic, but between the technological Spaceknights and mystical Dire Wraiths can still play the angle of magic vs science - probably better than Transformers with its occasional science-fantasy trappings.

Personally, I'm just disappointed they never got to Xevoz.

Take this with a grain of salt but I was at a Halloween party with Daniel Warren Johnson and he was bragging about being the writer and artist for the first six issues of the comic relaunch.

Rich Johnston confirms rumors that Kirkman's Void Rivals launches the new shared TF/Joe universe in the last pages of next week's debut issue.
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/exclusi ... -rivals-1/

Related, and as an expansion on the post above, Daniel Warren Johnson is doing a 1:100 variant that hasn't been revealed yet, and is rumored to include Transformers.