IDW held their Transformers panel at Wondercon 2019 earlier today and TFW2005 Newsie AZT was in attendance soaking it all in. IDW reps John Barber, David Mairotte, E.J. Su (in spirit) and Megan Brown ran through the new Transformers series and more. Read on to check it all out!
[2:30 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: welcome, thanks
[2:30 PM, 3/30/2019] Thanks for coming
[2:30 PM, 3/30/2019] Introductions
[2:30 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte
[2:31 PM, 3/30/2019] Announce contest: one of you gets to be E.J.
[2:31 PM, 3/30/2019] He’s running late
[2:32 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: introducing credits for new Transformers that just started Weds
[2:32 PM, 3/30/2019] Bethany arc 2
[2:33 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: set on Cybertron before the war
[2:34 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: starting point of story for Autobots, starting out earlier than any prior Transformers media……
[2:34 PM, 3/30/2019] We’ll be seeing lots of familiar faces like Windblade
[2:35 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: building a brand new Cybertron, one that hasn’t yet been destroyed by war, it’s fresh, Transformers growing into the landscape literally
[2:35 PM, 3/30/2019] Upcoming issues
[2:36 PM, 3/30/2019] 6: Bethany M S pencils inks and colors
[2:36 PM, 3/30/2019] Start of Megs and Orion Pax relationship
[2:36 PM, 3/30/2019] Issue 7 start of second arc
[2:37 PM, 3/30/2019] Ruckley: slight different take on a story you already know, all the characters are or will be in it, a lot of ground to cover
[2:38 PM, 3/30/2019] Loves writing these characters, come along for the crazy, might be a big war coming, have some fun getting from here to there
[2:38 PM, 3/30/2019] Ruckley clip played
[2:39 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: Ascenticons fomenting dissenting on Cybertron
[2:39 PM, 3/30/2019] Ruckley is a fantasy novelist
[2:40 PM, 3/30/2019] People may not have seen his writings wide before
[2:40 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber taken in by Ruckley’s pitch
[2:40 PM, 3/30/2019] Ground level view via Rubble
[2:41 PM, 3/30/2019] Plus Orion Pax, Megatron and their sort of Shakespearean drama
[2:41 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber loved previous TF series
[2:41 PM, 3/30/2019] This takes the best parts and tells a new story
[2:41 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: cachet Whitman pages
[2:42 PM, 3/30/2019] Ascenticons and OP and Megs, big story told with personal moments
[2:43 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: Veregge doing every even numbered issue with RI Welcome to Cybertron posters
[2:44 PM, 3/30/2019] Rubble my robot son – Mariotte
[2:45 PM, 3/30/2019] Geomotus : a surveyor, works with geology, totally peaceful nice Cybertronian, first one to be openly disabled
[2:46 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: re introducing Su and WC exclusive, he’s still not here
[2:47 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: Su did first issue of original TF, now as an adult getting to edit his stuff is a great moment
[2:47 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: Su also did Unicron 6
[2:48 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: Furman back in July
[2:48 PM, 3/30/2019] Transfomers 84 #0
[2:50 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: Guido / Bee flashback in the artwork
[2:51 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: introducing Ghosts of Cybertron
[2:52 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: Ectotron has a more complex Cybertronian name, forthcoming
[2:53 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: artist pull in so many inside jokes, clear MTME references, Ghozer
[2:54 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: if you like either franchise, very fun pointed references in each
[2:55 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: Fortress Tiberius, now talking about Star Trek TF crossover
[2:55 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: fun, love letter to both properties
[2:55 PM, 3/30/2019] Like Ghosts of Cybertron
[2:56 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: GoBots intro
[2:56 PM, 3/30/2019] One of his favorite comics, so heartfelt and bizarre
[2:56 PM, 3/30/2019] Megan: I liked it!
[2:57 PM, 3/30/2019] Megan: fun way to celebrate WH month (Synergy)
[2:58 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: poached a lot of the artists to put in TF series
[2:58 PM, 3/30/2019] Megan: that you helped me find originall
[2:59 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: Katie Cook talks about how she got into MLP, bio of how Mairghread got into TF,
[2:59 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: personal, touching and heartfelt stories in Synergy
[3:00 PM, 3/30/2019] Megan: they wanted to tell these stories, super excited to work with a lot of fabulous ladies
[3:00 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: Scott said that she never thought it would be published
[3:01 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: praise for Megatron, fans of Universal ride, will we ever see Evac?
[3:02 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: loved pulling in TF characters from every iteration, have to check with Hasbro of course
[3:02 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: no one has ever asked that before in those words
[3:03 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: we’re redeveloping Cybertronian from ground up; first murder of planet in memory, do they actually die? Seems to be they sit down, think and grow into the planet
[3:04 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: Brainstorm? LL crossover potential?
[3:05 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: wanted to leave LL open for fans continuing to tell those stories on their own, don’t want to invalidate anyone’s ideas by picking it up IDW officially
[3:05 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: IDW G1 Continuity, what do we call it now?
[3:06 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: I don’t know that we have any concrete ideas, we’re calling it Transformers 2019
[3:06 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: that has to come from the fans, what it’s called
[3:06 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: how far back is this series going?
[3:07 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: for a starting point to any other TF story, we’re still the earliest but undefined by actual date
[3:07 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: influence from other series?
[3:08 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: always a consideration, 13 year old ongoing story, nothing specific except tone and humanizing them
[3:09 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: some of prior series – Starscream for example – are integral to the overall TF mythos, no hard and fast rule limiting them
[3:09 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: TF 84 #0 is a one shot?
[3:09 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: yes
[3:09 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: Netflix show?
[3:10 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: not directly based on this new series, designs are straight out of the new toyline, walking the line with Hasbto
[3:11 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: Easton is one of the writers, great friends
[3:12 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: is there a Cybertronian baby?
[3:12 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: there is a character who’s been around for only 48 cycles
[3:13 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: Orion Pax and Megs will be doing a really cool thing for issue 6, stay tuned
[3:13 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: will we see other Cyb cities?
[3:13 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: Tarn, Iacon, yes, we will see new locales
[3:14 PM, 3/30/2019] Q: your dream crossover?
[3:14 PM, 3/30/2019] Megan: MLP x TMNJ
[3:14 PM, 3/30/2019] Mariotte: Sonic x TF, see Sonic and Blurr race
[3:15 PM, 3/30/2019] Barber: thank you all
kwanzaabot
BotBots. Literally said it in the post directly above yours.
Or a return to the days of Beast Wars and RID 2001/Unicron Trilogy, where a new toyline meant new characters and a new story. The occasional homage or returning character is fine (I'm personally hoping for a new Tigerhawk and crabtank-Rampage myself one of these days), but I want a brand-new continuity like we had when I was growing up with Transformers. Where a series with transformation literally in the name actually transformed.
By 1986, the second year of the franchise, they were trying new things. Each year brought with it a new leader, a new villain (at least in Japan). Did it always work? No.
But they were willing to try.
G1 is fine. It's fine. There's a reason it's lasted this long, after all.
But honestly? I'm sick of seeing the same 1984 characters over and over and over again. It's getting boring.
power3921
I'd love to see something like Animated again. Super unique aesthetic, new memorable characters and creative new takes on classic characters. The last two are actually ones I think original IDW continuity did a good job of.
AzT
IDW Publishing on Twitter
link to the Ghosts of Cybertron sneak peek distributed to panel attendees:
https://www.idwpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/TFGB-Ashcan_small.pdf
misfire19d
That’s reasonable. However, based on the last few years as well as seeing the same complaints now, I have zero confidence in the current editorial staff.
Dinobot Snarl
I do but changing the staff does not equal better. It could also get really bad. And right now I like where we are headed.
CyberstormSM
You don't want things to improve?
Dinobot Snarl
Things don't always improve with change. Not that i want it to.
highlander3000
I'm curious. Those who don't want G1, what do you want? A return to some other era? Some new continuity altogether?
kwanzaabot
Yep, this.
Look, unless TF 84 is a direct continuation of Transformers Zone/Return of Convoy, I think we're about tapped out on what a 1984 comic can accomplish when we've already got a comic doing exactly that. Optimus versus Megatron with cartoon-accurate designs? Wow, so original.
We've got the reboot comic with cartoon-accurate designs. We've got the Star Trek and Ghostbusters crossovers with cartoon-accurate designs. We've got Generations with cartoon-accurate designs. We've got Masterpiece with cartoon-accurate designs. We've got the upcoming Netflix series with cartoon-accurate designs. We've got Cyberverse with stylized yet still cartoon-inspired designs. We've got Bee Movie with stylized cartoon-inspired designs.
The only new blood in Transformers these days is BotBots.
Now, a Furman-penned, Guidi-pencilled BotBots comic? Now, THAT'S got potential. Do that, IDW.
highlander3000
Totally agree! I can't wait to hear Megatron's response when Gozer asks, "Are you a god?"
Novaburnhilde
Incredibly excited to see and learn more about Transformers '84, especially considering we have two really good names attached to it. Please make this a new ongoing so we can just forget about IDW's increasingly sad looking attempt at a reboot.
Synergy continues to look like one of the worst things released by IDW in recent history.
Definitely gonna check out the Ghostbusters crossover, as it has nice art and is looking to be quite an amusing little romp.
GizmoTron
Something probably came up and he couldn't attend the panel. It's just a panel, they're literally subject to change and it's not that unusual for them to do so.
RodimusRex
Transformers 84 looks to be set ON EARTH.
Lucas35
I hope that with the release of Transformers 84 # 0 increases the chances of IDW launching an adaptation of Alignment with Kei Zama as artist.
Grand Slam
I think AT&T will start to put its paw print on DC, and the abomination that is contemporary Vertigo does not mesh well with AT&T's values.
THE-TRANSFORMER
I for one am excited about Transformers 84.
Not so excited about the name, however Furman and especially Guido on TF's again is amazing news.
It's a shame they are doing a 1 shot. You'd assume they are testing the waters, however surely a miniseries would be a better way of doing that?
misfire19d
There’s a whole world of nfl coaches and politicians that want to be your friend.
misfire19d
Yeah. New writer and artist but I’m seeing some of the same complaints from the previous embarrassing iteration of comics. These guys on the panel are the only common denominator between last version and now. So, the likely source of the problems are becoming more apparent.
For goodness sakes, one of them was a freaking no show! How unprofessional. No wonder they’re in the red.
kaijuguy19
Tell me about it. It's hard to get excited for anything G1 related nowadays when you have almost everything G1 related. Talk about having too much of a good thing.
Michael Payton
DC will hire the worst of the IDW castaways for a new round of "How Bad Can We Tarnish Vertigo Comics This Time?". Whoever has the biggest daddy issues will get to write the new JSA, where they're all openly racists or pedos raping their sidekicks. They'll all be fine, even without IDW.