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Transformers Interviews News on Seibertron.com

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Interview with Transformers Rise of the Beasts Composer Jongnic Bontemps on Unicron, Maximals and More

Transformers News: Interview with Transformers Rise of the Beasts Composer Jongnic Bontemps on Unicron, Maximals and More
Date: Wednesday, June 14th 2023 6:05am CDT
Categories: Movie Related News, People News, Interviews
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 52,964

We thank White Bear PR for putting us in touch with Jongnic Bontemps (aka JB), the composer for the film Transformers Rise of the Beasts. While we of course hope you watch the interview, we have a summary of the key points below. While we do mostly talk about the film itself, there are some interesting bits that could interest those wanting to compose in hollywood as well as parents who would want their kids more engaged with the musical instrument they are learning. Also, please note that this interview was done before the movie's release.

Summary of key points:
- JB grew up with the Transformers brand and his favourite transformers toy was G1 Optimus Prime (with trailer)
- We go over the basics of composition, how even though it involves an entire orchestra, it all starts with a single melody and then the various instruments are included at various moments or renditions
- JB discusses how they got Steven Jablonksy involved in the score and the transition from themes of the previous films into this new one.
- JB does include parts of the Unicron theme from the original 86 Transformers movie within the film. He also notes the irony of how those chilling notes for this immense being come from a tiny glass harmonica (originally)
- JB then talks about the leap of faith he took and the massive investment he made to show the studio his vision of the theme for this film and how what you hear in the film came to be.
- We end on a extra tip for parents who are bringing their kids to music lessons and want to keep them engaged. The key is to make them play something they like and weave that with the more classical compositions they need to learn to hone their skills.

Here is the full interview, enjoy!


Unicron.com's Interview with Hasbro's Ben Montano on HasLab Unicron

Transformers News: Unicron.com's Interview with Hasbro's Ben Montano on HasLab Unicron
Date: Monday, March 15th 2021 4:47am CDT
Categories: Movie Related News, Toy News, People News, Collectables, Interviews
Posted by: Bounti76 | Credit(s): Unicron.com

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Views: 79,048

We at Seibertron always aim to bring you the latest and most relevant news on all things Transformers. Occasionally, we do get opportunities to bring you content that's not exclusive to Seibertron, but is very newsworthy, and in this case, we feel is important for all Transformers fans to know. Kevin Lukis, the owner of fellow fan site Unicron.com, was granted an exclusive interview with Hasbro's Ben Montano, who's the Senior Director of Global Brand Marketing. Many thanks to Kevin for bringing this to our attention.

In this interview, Lukis and Montano discuss the biggest (and most expensive) Transformer ever made, the Chaos-Bringer himself, Unicron! They cover all things Unicron, including:

    Why the changes to the color of the planet mode's maw was made.

    Though he's the biggest Transformer ever made, he was, at one point, going to be even bigger.


    He'd actually been planned for the Generations Selects line, which is reflected in his packaging.


    When exactly he'll start shipping to U.S. backers.


    Issues with distribution outside the U.S.

    The unlikely chance of Unicron ever being reissued.

There are many other topics covered in the interview, which you can watch below.



So are you one of the lucky backers that will be getting your figure in the next few weeks? Just curious about what a senior Hasbro figure has to say about him? What did you think of the interview? Let us know below, and sound off in the Energon Pub forums!

(We would again like to thank Kevin Lukis of Unicron.com for the content).

Peter Cullen and Garry Chalk Chimed In on Netflix Series' Voice Acting and Business Practices

Transformers News: Peter Cullen and Garry Chalk Chimed In on Netflix Series' Voice Acting and Business Practices
Date: Sunday, August 2nd 2020 8:54pm CDT
Categories: Cartoon News, People News, Interviews
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 136,073

The Netflix Transformers War for Cybertron Siege series is being well recieved by many fans and critics but you may be curious as to what some of the most prominant Optimus Prime voice actors had to say about it.

Firstly we have Garry Chalk, who was the voice of Optimus Primal in Beast wars and the voice of Optimus Prime in the Unicron Trilogy. Here is what he stated on Facebook:

"Ok I watched the first episode of the new Transformers on Netflix .....um...
Everyone tries to sound like a tough guy and as a result they all have the same pace and delivery. Visually it's pretty good but I am sorry the voices were kind of low energy."

Transformers News: Peter Cullen and Garry Chalk Chimed In on Netflix Series' Voice Acting and Business Practices

Transformers News: Peter Cullen and Garry Chalk Chimed In on Netflix Series' Voice Acting and Business Practices

And then we have Peter Cullen who was asked how he felt about other people doing Optimus Prime back in March (when conventions were still a thing that happened). He specifically mentions the Netflix series when mentioning that it hurts that he isn't the one doing Optimus Prime and that it is wrong for the production to be using non union talent in order to cut costs. You can tell he cares deeply for the character he voices and his legacy. Now, while it may seem like he is speaking ill of other voice actors or of the idea of others being Prime, his emotional responses are really towards the producers who are using cost cutting tactics that may hurt actors' wellfare in general. Frank Welker, the voice of G1 Megatron, also shares how wrong he feels it is for others to be hired when the known voice actors are available and willing to work.


#SDCC2019 Interview with John Warden and Ben Montano and HasLab Unicron Image Gallery Updated

Transformers News: #SDCC2019 Interview with John Warden and Ben Montano and HasLab Unicron Image Gallery Updated
Date: Tuesday, August 27th 2019 11:56pm CDT
Categories: Movie Related News, Toy News, Event News, Interviews
Posted by: Stargrave

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Views: 67,105

With the Haslab Transformers War for Cybertron Unicron crowdfunding in its final four days Seibertron is serving up a few tasty appetizers to whet the appetites of all you Angolmois fueled disciples of Unicron out there. We've updated our Haslab Transformers Unicron prototype display image gallery from the San Diego Comic Con last month. These images are familiar but we've cropped some of them and want to make sure you're able to see this mammoth monstrosity from every possible angle.

Click HERE or on any of the images below to head to the updated Unicron SDCC2019 gallery.
Transformers News: Unicron Display at SDCC2019 Image Gallery Update and Interview with John Warden and Ben Montano

Transformers News: Unicron Display at SDCC2019 Image Gallery Update and Interview with John Warden and Ben Montano

Transformers News: Unicron Display at SDCC2019 Image Gallery Update and Interview with John Warden and Ben Montano

We're also giving you our interview with the Transformers Brand Team Hasbro's Senior Design Manager John Warden and Hasbro's Marketing Director Ben Montano. Our very own head Seibertronian Ryan Yzquierdo was on the scene to interview the two gentlemen in front of the Unicron prototype itself. But they don't just talk about Unicron, they also discuss the Studio Series and the recent G1 reissues. Here's some highlights from the interview.
Transformers News: Unicron Display at SDCC2019 Image Gallery Update and Interview with John Warden and Ben Montano

- They go over the challenges of converting a sphere like a puzzle into the familiar devourer of worlds, and some of the logistics of the Haslab crowdfunding project.
- They also touch on the prioritization of features focusing on articulation such as in the fingers and eyes in place of electronic light up or sound features.
- They also touch on the vintage G1 reissues such as the Dino cassettes and The Sonic Iconic, everyone's favorite who raves it, Soundwave!
- They remind us that Blaster and Astrotrain are still coming down the tracks so keep your optics focused on those WalMarts Seibertronians.
- John states very seriously about listing Unicron in an official size class, name yet to be determined.
- The Studio Series is also discussed, or the lack thereof. They say they fully intend to continue with the line and wanted to debut some of their newer products but didn't want the SDCC2019 to be too busy given all the other Siege reveals let alone Unicron. They do mention wanting to wait to show the finalized Studio Series Devastator once all the individual toys are finalized and revealed. They talk about how the gestalt mode is not just tall, but deep and extremely bulky. Very much a monster! A very different type of combiner than we've seen before.

Check out the video for the full interview. It's always a pleasure to hear people who are so passionate about the brand guiding its current vision.



And if you're ready to take the next step and back this project, don't forget to click this link to head to Haslab and place your order for Unicron!

Make sure to stay tuned to Seibertron for the ultimate in Unicron news!

Slate Interview With Hasbro's Design Manager John Warden and Project Engineer Lynsey Bernier

Transformers News: Slate Interview With Hasbro's Design Manager John Warden and Project Engineer Lynsey Bernier
Date: Tuesday, July 30th 2019 5:51pm CDT
Category: Interviews
Posted by: Stargrave | Credit(s): Megatronus on Seibertron/Slate Magazine

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Views: 31,781

When you were a kid did you dream of growing up and designing and building toys as a job? Are you an adult and that's still your dream? Hear how these kinds of dreams come true in this truly fascinating audio interview by Slate Magazine with Hasbro Senior Design Manager John Warden and his right hand bot Senior Project Engineer Lynsey Bernier. We learned of this article from our own fellow Seibertronian Megatronus.

John and Lynsey go over the entire evolution of a Transformer from concept to design to final product. They also go over many of the details of the concept and creation of the new Unicron crowdfunding project through HasLab.

If any of the behind the scenes aspects of the Transformers creation process interests you then this is easily a worth while listen. Learn why certain exceptions have to be made during the design process, how affordability is minded throughout the process, and where dreams and actuality find compromises.

Whatever you do, don't forget these key words: Man-Bear-Plane. You'll have to listen to the interview to find out what that means.

Enjoy the interview and share your thoughts with the Seibertron crew in the forums, and as always stay tune to Seibertron for the ultimate in Transformers news!

Just click the interview description for the link to Slate's article:
Transformers News: Interview With Hasbro's Design Manager John Warden and Project Engineer Lynsey Bernier
"How Do a Toy Designer and a Toy Engineer Do Their Jobs?
Meet John Warden, Transformers senior design manager, and Lynsey Bernier, Transformers senior project engineer, at Hasbro."

Backwards Compatibility with Prime Wars Confirmed for WFC Siege Omega Supreme and Jetfire

Transformers News: Backwards Compatibility with Prime Wars Confirmed for WFC Siege Omega Supreme and Jetfire
Date: Tuesday, February 19th 2019 12:49pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Interviews
Posted by: william-james88 | Credit(s): unicron

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Views: 37,587

A video from unicron.com surfaced on Facebook with John Warden talking about the new Jetfire and Omega Supreme toys done by him and his team. The big takeaway from it was the fact that both feature backwards compatibility with the previous toyline trilogy John Warden worked on, Prime Wars.

Omega Supreme has ports on his track which are compatible with the bases in Titans return including of course the other Titans Trypticon and Fortress Maximus. This is so that fans and kids can build their own massive citis with the huge bases. You can see those connecting ports on the image below.

Jetfire also has backwards compatibility but with Prime Masters and Titan Masters. Both of those smaller kinds of bots can sit in Jetfire's cockpit.

These are just fun Easter Egg type features that will not be documented since they are meant as a bonus to fans who already have figures from prevous lines. If you don't have those previously released figures, don't worry there is a lot to enjoy from these fgures which each have their own special features.

Another point regarding Omega Supreme, John Warden did confirm that his bot mode is meant to scale with Devastator.

Let us know if any of this info makes you happy and if you feel Hasbro is taking things up a notch with their Transformers toys.

Transformers News: Backwards Compatibility with Prime Wars Gimmicks Confirmed for WFC Siege Omega Supreme and Jetfire

Video Interview and Transcript with Hasbro Transformers Brand Team at #SDCC2018 #HasbroSDCC

Transformers News: Video Interview and Transcript with Hasbro Transformers Brand Team at #SDCC2018 #HasbroSDCC
Date: Thursday, July 26th 2018 7:54am CDT
Categories: Movie Related News, Toy News, Event News, People News, Interviews
Posted by: Va'al

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Views: 98,185

Another of Seibertron.com's big interview videos from last weekend's San Diego Comic Con 2018 event features the Hasbro Transformers brand team, with the awesome/gruesome twosome of Ben Montano and John 'Hasbro' Warden answering questions as much as they're allowed to on the War for Cybertron: Siege toyline for the first half, our thoughts about the reveals and the future events in which more product will be shown (worldwide), then moving on to some Masterpiece line questions and US distribution of those figures (they're all coming over!), their hopes for the Bumblebee Movie and what's next in fiction.

The full video is posted below for your viewing pleasure, and we've provided an almost verbatim transcript beneath that for ease of parsing and understanding the points made in the interview. Check it all out, and let us know what you think in the Energon Pub discussion boards!



Ryan Yzquierdo (Seibertron) - Seibertron.com
Alex Valente (Va'al) - Seibertron.com
John Warden – Hasbro Design Manager
Ben Montano – Hasbro Marketing Manager

Va'al: "We saw today the reveals for the War for Cybertron Siege stuff, and you've said it's a very one sided war with only the Autobots revealed for now – when are we to expect more stuff (Decepticons in particular, ndr)?"

Ben: "Later this fall, there are some really cool conventions coming up around the world and we have a global tour coming up on our plan and we'll have a lot more to share. I can't say right now exactly when but stay tuned. Best non-answer answer I can give you."

John: "But I can say that if there were enemies they would be very cool and defy all expectations."

Va'al: "We've seen the different size classes for the line (Battle Master, Micro Master, Deluxe, Voyager, Leader, Weaponizer). IS Weaponizer only for the deluxe class, or will we see it across the line?"

John: "The Weaponizer classs robot is a deluxe class character, there will be other in the line than Cog, it makes sense from [?] - take Cog, he transformed into a bunch of weapons and vehicle, so it makes sense for that size to work with other characters to hold. So right now, deluxe."

Ryan: "One of the comments on our YouTube videos asked if Cog can also turn into the invidual robots that made up the character originally, can he still do that?"

John (with Ben) – No, he's not a Duocon. We'll put the actual vehicle and robot mode in the case soon, we need to move things around. He has a dedicated vehicle mode that can split into two, and he does have a third mode in being able to be all the weapons – that's the Weaponizer."

Va'al: "Combiner Wars had Devastator, Titans Return had Trypticon, Power of the Primes Predaking. Are there any plans to have something that size or with that idea in the line, at any point in the trilogy?"

Ben (with John) – Yes, that's our intention. Somebody fitting of the battleground. Fans have responded really strongly to it, so we'd like to continue with it."

Va'al: "So you'd like to continue the Titan class."

John: "Definitely. I mean, this is really taking a page from the 1984 pilot episode, and it's what happens on Cybertron in the last hour, and there's definitely room for a big character for sure"

Ben: "There's a lot of good guesses out there, online right now."

John: "It's exciting to see what people are saying, because we get an idea of what they want."

Ryan: "A question about Micro Masters, for the Unicron Trilogy fans: was there any talk of giving the Minicon ports? Are they compatible with previous figures?"

John: "We did talk about that actually, early on. We didn't want them to become too cluttered with stuff, and in order to pay homage to the original late 80s Micromaster line we wanted to really keep the conversion from vehicle to robot, but also make sure fit in the new ecosystem which is weaponizing. So they do convert and form weapons and munitions thing, so they do have that screwport, but so did the original Micromasters anyway."

Va'al: "In terms of the where this is now going, Siege being the first chapter and two more after that. Do you already know what the next two will be, or are you waiting to see how this one goes before moving onto the next part?"

Ben: "We already know where it's going. The Trilogy is mapped out, we're waiting to see some of the response and reaction, and some elements can change but the story is pretty much outlined in our heads, which is great and why – I think John would agree – the product is sharp, because we are focused, we have a plan, and we're able to provide a real play experience in Siege."

John: "Part of it is putting a stake in the ground with our design philosophy early on, we've been working of Siege for almost two years now, and trying to understand the constants. Scale is going to be a constant. The level of articulation mostly, and trying to make the characters the best version of that character they can be. Ultra Magnus is kind of a testament to that. The front cab turns into the white Ultra Magnus, the trailer turns into his armor, that's part of what he is. The plan is to keep that philosophy, so that people can go for a ride for three years. If this year they didn't get this one guy, they might get it next year."

Ben: "Assuming that fans love all we're doing is not fair to anybody."

John: "But coming to events like this and talking to you guys, finding out what you want is really exciting. Hearing what you have to say really does influence what we're doing."

Ben: "We had some people say 'I didn't vote for Impactor or Mirage' and the votings were close, so the more we hear from you guys, from your fans, it feeds the roster, it gives us depth through the line. There are certain things that will be standards, but there's flexibility in what micro collections can be fulfilled. Someone asked about Powermasters – there's a lot of subsets within the continuity that we can bring into the storyline if we see there's enough interest in it."

Va'al: "You mentioned the Armada retro-compatibility with the Minicon ports (that are not there), you have RID elements in Ultra Magnus, are there any other references or ideas from previous iterations that are not G1 or not RID that are present in the line?"

John: "There is Chromia, who is sort of IDW but really is an homage to that episode where she appears, briefly for a second. But there is definitely room to put things in that make sense in War for Cybertron: Siege and the Trilogy in general. There's a misconception that this is a G1 brand, and in a certain sense it is: there's the original Ark crew, things like that, but we also have characters like Ultra Magnus, he's got the RID vehicle mode. As we think about this toyline, it's more about who makes sense, if people want an authentic G1 experience, they can buy a Masterpiece toy – this is Generations, so what is best in the context of this new story."

Va'al: "So the story first approach is still continuing for this line."

John: "It's definitely a toy story, if you think of the ecosystem at play. I don't know about you guys, but my most favourite toy experiences as a kid were coming up with my own stories, pulling down Encyclopedia off the shelf and building a Cybertronian base and using sugar cubes as Energon."

Ben: "You took off a week from not designing toys and made this diorama. John did this for a week, or a month. 'John aren't you supposed to be checking emails?' 'No, I'm busy making this diorama.'"

John: "I was just moonlighting, much to my wife's chagrin. I jut worked day and night, I worked twice as hard. But when you get an opportunity to build a diorama… Ben's right, you get a chance to channel those exciting things that made you fall in love with being a toy designer in the first place, and I think this new line is not just about collecting characters, it's about creating that universe of story on the shelf, that's why those fireblast effects are in there. That's why we're adding levels of customisation to the characters, and more articulation than we've done in years. It's about how does your Transformers universe come to life. What does it mean for you to be a collector."

Va'al: "To that point, what is your target point for this particular age bracket? Are you looking at both the old collector and the new collector?"

Ben: "We've found that a huge set of the audience is kids, 7-8-12 years old getting into the Generations line. A lot of it has to do with parents getting their kids into the line, whether this is the touch point or the animation. But a large percentage of the fanbase is not the 30+ collector. It's just appreciation for really cool toys. John and I talk a lot, and you've asked if we have a long view for this trilogy, and we definitely do. And there's definitely a misconception in the universe that we may prefer one era of Transformers over another, say G1 over Beast Wars, but we grew up in different eras, half of our writers on Cyberverse grew up in the 90s, early 2000s, our design team is the same, we have designers who are in their mid 20s, so we're introducing G1 to them too – so what you'll see in this is an extended universe continuity introduced within Siege. So to a lot of people saying 'you don't like Beast Wars' 'you don't like the Unicron trilogy' I am fairly confident that we will debunk that over the course of the next couple of years. We respect the entirety of this brand. This is our first step, a starting point which will be epic, and I'm confident that everyone will be excited to go on this journey with us."

John: "Ultimately, the reason I hope this line will be popular with kids – just like Power of the Primes is – is that Transformers is fun to play with. It's fun to change a vehicle into a robot, you take time out on a rainy day to do so. And I think it's time to break that perception that there's Beast Wars fans or G1 fans – we're Transformers fans, we're a big family, we may have big fights online about stuff but we still love robots that convert into cool stuff."

Va'al: "So what you're saying is we'll complain no matter what you do anyway. [Laughter]"

John: "I didn't say that."

Va'al: "No, that's what I said. It's what I heard."

Ben: "Transformers fans unite. That's the vision we have, the entire team has, there's no reason there should be animosity within the fandom. Everyone has their own preferences, got it, we respect that, we don't want people to lose that, their passion, their 'G1' - but everyone has their own G1. We hope that this trilogy will be the opportunity to bring all of those things together, same with the Bumblebee movie, I really feel like that movie is going to unite fandoms. That's really a vision we have."

Ryan: "I hear you talking about Siege, your plans for the next stuff, I see IDW is coming to an end with the Unicron storyline – can about the fiction behind this? It's ripe with stories, any plans on that front?"

Ben: "Nothing yet. Nothing yet. But the fact that your head is already going there is great, this says 'tell me about it'. So we'll have a lot more to share in the future."

Ryan: "I'm really excited about this, I think it has a lot potential. If we switch gears real quick, I wanted to ask about Bumblebee – it looks like a different style to what we've been used to, there's a lot of love going into it, you seem to be having a lot of fun, can you speak to that?"

Ben: "The toys or the movie?"

Ryan: "The toys, that's where you guys are at."

Ben: "Yeah, so we've shown two characters so far with the Studio Series, Dropkick in a really cool new mode, that no one had seen yet. But also to have a VW mode for Bumblebee is really fun, it tugged at a lot of strings that we had as we got into this brand a long time ago. But even a lot of the other stuff, DJ Bumblebee, Energon Igniters, there's a place for them. Here at SDCC, seeing the kids' surprise and excitement around Bumblebee, having 3-4 year old kids running into here screaming 'Bumblebee' that's a whole new universe, a whole new group of fans that want to have fun with this brand. They're not looking for war, they're looking for their favourite hero, the playfulness of it, converting their figure, and we're having a lot of fun creating toys that do that."

John: "And what's exciting is knowing that that kid, who might go see the Bumblebee movie, maybe his first toys is the Power Surge one, but guess what – this world [Siege] is here, if he or she feels like they need another level of complexity, Transformers is great like that. There's room to grow into something. Once that kid is done with doing War for Cybertron, maybe they start collecting Masterpiece. There's ways of graduating into it."

Ryan: "Speaking of Masterpiece, Takara Tomy is releasing Beast Wars Megatron – is that coming from you guys or not?"

Ben: "It's a partnership we have with Takara now, so Hasbro are now importing the Takara Masterpiece items stateside. You will see a box that will go around the Takara Tomy original packaging, like a slip sleeve sort of thing, that will bring our brands together. It will be the exact release you would've expected in Japan, at the same time you would've gotten it in Japan."

Ryan: "Is it a product you worked on together?"

Ben: "There's definitely more collaboration going on, not to the level of Movie Masterpiece, but in general you see the unification of our brands, product lines, the Masterpiece line that Takara is creating is our next step in working together."

Thanks and END.

Interview with IDW Transformers Writer John Barber on Unicron

Transformers News: Interview with IDW Transformers Writer John Barber on Unicron
Date: Sunday, June 3rd 2018 9:52pm CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Interviews
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): Previews World

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Views: 21,021

And finally in comics news today, we have a lengthy interview with IDW Publishing writer John Barber, courtesy of Previews World's Vice Brusio, on the upcoming Unicron event in the Transformers comics - one that will bring the current narrative universe to an end, and Lost Light and Optimus Prime ongoing series with it.

The two touch upon a number of general points from the mini-series, including what it means for the comics in general, and the mythos of Unicron up to this point, plus what we're to expect from the event. The article also showcases the covers revealed so far by Alex Milne and James Raiz (see the latter's full piece here), so take a look below, and join the conversation in the Energon Pub!

Vince Brusio: The cover page for IDW’s section in the May PREVIEWS touts how Transformers: Unicron “marks the end of the Transformers universe as we know it.” That’s a bold statement. The history behind Transformers at IDW is considerable. New characters like Windblade have been introduced. Countless stories have been collected in trade paperback. And now we’re told it can all get wiped out? Can you give us some details on how Unicron is going to live up to such hype?

John Barber: This is going to be the conclusion to the story — and the universe — that IDW launched back with Transformers: Infiltration #0 in 2005. IDW and Hasbro still have plenty more to say with Transformers — don’t misunderstand that! — but for this particular history, it’s all over. Now — whether that history gets wiped out or gets a nice happy ending for everybody? That’s the part that is playing out in the Unicron event.

I’m incredibly proud of the work that’s been done on this universe. Simon Furman and EJ Su started it, and I’ve had a hand in it for over six years, working alongside Transformers greats like James Roberts, Mairghread Scott, Kei Zama, Jack Lawrence, Andrew Griffith, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Livio Ramondelli, Priscilla Tramontano, Brendan Cahill, Guido Guidi, Shane McCarthy, Nick Roche, and so many more. For me, I started writing Transformers: Robots in Disguise back in 2012. I’ve written more Transformers comics than I ever thought possible, and I loved every minute of it. Working on the same set of characters, the same universe, for so long has been the most rewarding creative experience of my life, and one I really doubt that I’ll ever be able to duplicate.

So, for me — and for Unicron artist Alex Milne, who’s been with Transformers longer than me — we both feel that if we’re going to do an ending for this, we’d best make the greatest ending we can.

[...]

Vince Brusio: An unlettered preview page is featured just below the cover of issue #1 in the May PREVIEWS solicitation. Tell us what we’re seeing on this page. How is it a window into understanding the consequences of this storyline?

John Barber: That’s page one from issue #1. In it, we see the legendary history of the great creator, Primus, and his opposite — Unicron, the Chaos-Bringer. These are characters that run deep in Transformers history — back to the original runs of the comic books and animated series. Over the years, in different media, Primus and Unicron have usually been portrayed as primal cosmic beings locked in an endless struggle. So, here, on this page, we’re seeing the legend — the story Cybertronians have passed down for millions and millions of years.

The thing is, now that Unicron is here, the facts don’t match the legend... so Optimus, Windblade, and Starscream are all asking the question, “How much of this is true and how much was just a bedtime story?"

[...]

John Barber: Ooooh, we did a lot of drafts. When we settled on doing Unicron, I got on the phone with James Roberts, Mairghread Scott, Nick Roche, and then-Transformers Editor (and still-good friend) Carlos Guzman, and we talked at length about the possibilities of the story. We had a lot of really good ideas, some of which worked, and some didn’t. We all wanted this to have meaning, and to have this even actually be about something — not just be empty spectacle. If you know the IDW Transformers comics, you know they’re about character first and foremost. We like to tackle big themes and big emotions, and it was important to all of us to keep that foregrounded. Which is a long way of saying that there’ve been a lot of drafts.

We’re about halfway through as I type this, so we’re pretty deep in. We’re double-shipping for the start of the event, but we’re back to regular schedule for the end, in something of an effort to not kill Alex, who is doing the work of his career here. And that is saying a lot!


Transformers News: Interview with IDW Transformers Writer John Barber on Unicron

Transformers News: Interview with IDW Transformers Writer John Barber on Unicron

John Barber Talks IDW's Unicron Event, Role in IDW Transformers Comics After Unicron

Transformers News: John Barber Talks IDW's Unicron Event, Role in IDW Transformers Comics After Unicron
Date: Tuesday, May 8th 2018 9:29pm CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, People News, Interviews
Posted by: D-Maximal_Primal | Credit(s): The Beat

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Comics WebsiteThe Beat had the opportunity to sit down with the newly appointed Editor-In-Chief of IDW publishing and continuity master extraordinaire John Barber to talk about the upcoming Transformers: Unicron series, which saw it's issue #0 released this past Saturday at Free Comic Book Day. You can find a review of that issue HERE.

Over the course of the interview, Barber talks about his upcoming role in the IDW Transformers comics following the end of the current continuity, where he states that he will have a guiding hand involved with whatever new series is set to start. This is a comforting piece of news, seeing as how Barber has proven to be one of the best, if not the master of continuity. So while he may not be writing the new stories, he will be responsible for overseeing them.

You can check out the full interview by following the link above, and you can catch some of the content quoted below!

Alexander Jones: How do your new responsibilities as Editor-in-Chief effect your contributions to the Transformers franchise?

John Barber: My recent return to IDW as Editor-in-Chief won’t impact Unicron—I’m still writing the event (along with the Optimus Prime series) through to the end, and my excitement and commitment to this story could not be higher. But I’m also incredibly honored and excited to have the opportunity to take a guiding hand on where the Transformers comics from IDW and Hasbro go next—and on where we take all of IDW’s amazing comics. I’ve been at this job for about a week, and it’s been thrilling working with our partners. The future of IDW—and of comics—looks very, very bright. Unless a big metal planet eats the whole universe, but we’ll have to see how that goes.

.....

Jones: Why was Unicron chosen as the story to close out the current Transformers Universe?

Barber: Unicron is a really iconic piece of the Transformers mythos. If you’re old enough to have lived through the original Transformers cartoon in the 1980s, you remember what a massive, disruptive thing Unicron was in the movie. That movie was one of the most apocalyptic cartoons you were going to see as a kid in the 1980s—it was devastating watching those familiar characters die. And that’s intrinsically linked with Unicron—in my mind, at least—even though, as editor David Mariotte likes pointing out, Unicron didn’t really kill very many Transformers. He still ate whole planets!

Unicron is something we’ve thought about doing in the IDW universe for a long time but always held off. The time never felt right, and I think the chance to do something really big—something where genuinely anything can happen, and will—was a chance, really the first chance we’ve had, to do Unicron right.


Transformers News: John Barber Talks IDW's Unicron Event, Role in IDW Transformers Comics After Unicron

Free Comic Book Day Interview with Alex Milne and John Barber!

Transformers News: Free Comic Book Day Interview with Alex Milne and John Barber!
Date: Saturday, March 17th 2018 7:28pm CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Interviews
Posted by: WreckerJack | Credit(s): Freecomicbookday.com

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Freecomicbookday.com held an interview with Alex Milne and John Barber about the upcoming Unicron comic and their take on comics in general. Many of our readers will recognize Alex Milne's artwork in More Than Meets The Eye, Lost Light and many other comics. John Barber has worked as a writer for numerous Transformers comics, including Optimus Prime and Rom vs. Transformers. It is worth the read to hear their insight about comics and get to know the people who put so much work into creating the stories we have come to enjoy. You can read the whole interview here.

Free Comic Book Day won't be until May 5th, 2018 (details here) Until then we will keep our eyes open for updates! Make sure to mark your calendar and locate your local comic shop so you don't miss out!

Transformers News: Free Comic Book Day Interview with Alex Milne and John Barber!

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