IDW have released their comic solicitations for April 2019. April 2019 brings the next two issues of the new ongoing Transformers series. Issue 3 is set to focus on Bumblebee’s plot thread, and also introduces Megatron assembling a security force. Meanwhile issue 4 focuses on the Prowl and Chromia plot thread and a missing scientist. Written by Brian Ruckley, the comic is set to feature art by Angel Hernandez and Ron Joseph, and covers by Nick Roche (issue 3, included in this post), Anna Malkova, Sara Pitre-Durocher (issue 4, included in this post), Umi Miyao, Jeffrey Veregge and Guido Guidi – the latter of whom will be providing artwork for a retailer incentive cover to issue 3 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Transformers!
Transformers #3—Cover A: Nick Roche
Brian Ruckley (w) • Angel Hernandez & Ron Joseph (a) • Nick Roche (c)
High above Cybertron, the planet’s inner moon unfolds to become a gigantic energon harvester, a magnificent show for Bumblebee and his new friend. Meanwhile, Megatron is assembling a new security force, but rumors abound about the new team.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Transformers #3—Cover B: Anna Malkova
Brian Ruckley (w) • Angel Hernandez & Ron Joseph (a) • Anna Malkova (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
*Retailer incentives:
Order 10 copies and get one free 35th Anniversary variant cover by Guido Guidi!
Order 25 copies and get one free variant cover by XXX!
Bullet points:
- A cosmic epic of grand scale, presented by Star Trek/Green Lantern and Injustice 2 artist Angel Hernandez! Plus awesome action by I. Joe: A Real American Hero and Revolutionaries artist Ron Joseph!
- Featuring 35th Anniversary covers by Guido Guidi!
Transformers #4—Cover A: Sara Pitre-Durocher
Brian Ruckley (w) • Angel Hernandez & Ron Joseph (a) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (c)
Prowl and Chromia are investigating the disappearance of a missing scientist in the wilds of Cybertron when a mysterious figure crosses their path. Who is he and what does he know about the murdered scientist? And where is Bumblebee disappearing to at all odd hours?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Transformers #4—Cover B: Umi Miyao
Brian Ruckley (w) • Angel Hernandez & Ron Joseph (a) • Umi Miyao (c)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
*Retailer incentives:
Order 10 copies and get one free variant cover by Jeffrey Veregge!
Order 25 copies and get one free variant cover by XXX!
Bullet points:
- Transformers—now shipping twice monthly!
- All your favorite Transformers characters as you’ve never seen them before!
MaximusPrime2002
That'd be interesting. Genderswapping a few characters would be a nice way to mix things up keep things from getting to stale and repetitive.
fishpop
When i looked at the minimised version of the picture; something about Prowl's posture seemed… feminine…
I wouldn't mind a female Prowl or, to be honest, anyone else. : P
dj_convoy II
The covers are so inconsequential to me. I want to know more about the story, and what the writer is bringing to it.
MaximusPrime2002
Huh. Never noticed that. And now I'll never be able to not notice that.
Maybe he stole the parts from Animated Longarm? Man this cover art just keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Nemisispath
Because he does.
CrimsonMagnus
Everyone mentioned Bee\'s eyes, but why does it look like he has one extra long arm?
SparkPlug24
Coralus getting published again! Now I'm a little more excited for this new series.
MatrixOfWumbo
The Cons probably won't exist to BE a threat considering this is pre-war and Megatron doesn't have his insignia yet. But you're going to give up on issue 2, so I wouldn't be that worried.
TheSoundwave
The designs aren't a huge departure from the previous IDW universe, but they click a lot better for me. Initially I wasn't sure why, but it just hit me…these designs actually have pupils. Something about the faces in the past series (especially MTMTE, because I read the most of that) struck me as slightly creepy and lifeless, despite being drawn with energetic expressions. I think the glowing pupils makes them look more focused and expressive.
It might sound kind of ironic since this Bumblebee looks kind of creepy here, but that's more that particular expression.
Autobot Hound
Yeah, I was just thinking this myself. IDW didn't start out /that/ great. I was glad at the time to see G1 favorites reappear in the comics but the earlier part of the run wasn't anything I usually go back and reread. It took awhile for IDW to find its footing. By the time we got to MTMTE, Wreckers, and more they'd been developing the stories for years. So yes, probably should expect to have to be patient as the new team develops the story- and hope that eventually they're given a bit of that freedom to create the really memorable stuff. It does seem to me like nothing good happens anytime Hasbro comes in and insists on dropping everything else for an emphasis of what are basically toy commercials for their current TFs or their other toy lines (like those forced multiverse stories that were always disruptive and confusing to the main storyline- in fact, I think those harmed sales? Certainly turned me off from several issues). Granted, that will always be a factor, since Hasbro IS a toy company and is giving these comics the greenlight hoping they'll sell toys.
Of course, if it's fantastic from the get-go I'll be happy to say my worries were unfounded!
But if it's the "Adventures of Bee and Windblade with no really developed Con characters"…. yeah, the next few years may not be that exciting for me. Already have that exact theme in Cyberverse. I'm hoping the Prowl and Chromia storyline is interesting- they're not favorite characters of mine, but at least they're not Bumblebee! Plus, Prowl is a popular character who hasn't been overused, so I think that's a good call to have him in the series. I want to see other characters developed, too. (Give Hound some long overdue development, please! He's even in the current toyline!) Personally I don't mind Windblade when she's written right but have felt Bee's been stuffed down my throat since the 80's. (But hey, maybe have a non-murderous Arcee sometimes instead of always defaulting to Windblade now?) Megatron did get mentioned in one of the solicits and I'll hope that he is given an interesting story, too. Soundwave's on a cover, too. As I mentioned before, after his previous and amazing IDW run, it's hard to imagine this Soundwave topping that one, but I hope he's at least got an interesting story here, too.
Lol..and ugh, Combiner Wars, the series that had me so excited to see some combiner teams finally get more development and focus- and turned out to be "the story of Windblade, Starscream, and a few other non-combiners with combiners mostly featured as a background prop/MacGuffin". *Grumble grumble* Yeah, hopefully if they do a "combiner" thing again they'll actually FEATURE the COMBINERS as CHARACTERS. *mutter*.
Maximus Danz
Yes, everytime they got a new toy, they had a random new design. they only explained it once with starscream but for no one else. if you notice at the end of Optimus Prime series, Soundwave and shockwave change to their cyberverse designs.
MaximusPrime2002
One thing I don't think a lot of people keep in mind is that IDW had two major sides.
There's the creative and memorable series like MTMTE, Lost Light, Last Stand/Sins of The Wreckers, etc. These are the series that everyone loves and remembers because they had a lot of freedom. They were able to do what they wanted to do, have the characters they wanted, tell the story they wanted to tell with little to no restrictions.
On the other end, there's series like RiD, Optimus Prime, and Combiner Wars. I haven't looked into these much, but from what I've heard the designs and story in these series were much more slavish to the current toyline, and they suffered greatly for that.
IDW in its entirety isn't perfect. The half of it that's good is beautiful and some of the best comic book series period. But that isn't the entirety of IDW.
Now it seems just by looking at the designs that what we're looking at now, will be closely tied to the toyline. Hopefully there will be a second series running along side it that isn't as restricted.
Thundershot
Characters usuallybecome fan-favorites because of, well, the FANS. Nightbeat was a nobody 1988 Headmaster with a crappy toy and a cool bio. Furman took it and ran and now Nightbeat is a fan-favorite.
Windblade is Hasbro trying to force a character into becoming a fan-favorite, and it’s not working. Let the character have time to grow. Let the fans actually start to like the character before forcing her down our throats.
Now let’s give some good fiction to Doubleheader and Vroom so they can become fan-favorites too…
Maximus Danz
That worries me too, IDW most of the time had an ans amble cast which allowed memorable cons like Megatron, Thundercracker, the DJD, Scavengers, and others, the list is a mile long.
MaximusPrime2002
Sovietbot
Good old dull surprise…
User_124141
What is with Bumblebee\'s eyes?
Omegashark18
Dutchman voice, “And stop staring at me with’em big ol’ eyes!”
MaximusPrime2002
Hm. Looks good. The style is nice, the chatacter designs are good, but then… Bumblebee\'s eyes… Mother of Primus something is wrong with his eyes.
artiepants
well, that nugget (if true) takes me from like 2.5% interest to actual 0%.
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I've never seen something so blatantly corporate-ly desperate as how hard they've tried to make Windblade REALLY REALLY important, but they forgot to make her an actual character people care about first. Maybe 4th (5th?) time will be the charm?
it's also weird/surprising with the level of focus on the Siege line, that if they are leading the book with those 2, there's been no rumors about either receiving a figure in the line.