Series author Erik Burnham returns with more insights about Transformers Beast Wars, including a cast list and an explanation of the timeline at play in this series.
So where in the timeline does this take place? Are we still about 500 years before Generation One?
That’s the fun thing. It could be. It doesn’t have to be. We haven’t made plain the whens or the wheres of it all yet because the big twist that the show used (this all happening on a prehistoric Earth) may or may not be something we ultimately follow. Hasbro has been open to making changes — in fact that was a key thing they wanted — so long as they liked the new ideas as much as the old.
Will this series have any connection to the original Beast Wars comic from 2006?
It will not! The idea here was, at first, to just do exactly what the show did — but pad it out more, give more of a look into things. That was where we started. And then Hasbro & IDW decided, instead, to go for something different. The word thrown out was ‘Ultimate,’ like Marvel’s old Ultimate line. We start in a familiar place, with tiny changes. But a tiny change can change the path of a story—leading to other changes and a wholly different path.
Review our coverage of issue #1’s 5-page preview, then sound off on the 2005 boards!
The cast list:
Maximals
- Optimus Primal – Captain of the Axalon. One of the Maximal warrior class.
- Nyx – Ace pilot. Loves flying more than anything.
- Rattrap – Data Analyst/Scrounger. Thinks he should be in charge. Of what, well, he’s not picky.
- Cheetor – A former athlete that wanted to see what was in the wider universe and joined the Axalon’s crew.
- Rhinox – Lead Scientist. As smart as he is tough (and he’s very, very tough.)
Predacons:
- Megatron – Commander. Wants to overthrow the Maximals and Predacons governing Cybertron. Can be impulsive.
- Tarantulas – Mad scientist. Lover of chaos. Possibly a cannibal.
- Scorponok – True-Blue Predacon believer. He is all-in for the glory of the cause of Predacon supremacy.
- Waspinator – Good pilot, but also kind of unlucky.
- Terrorsaur – A bully, and possibly even more cruel than Megatron himself. No one really likes him, but he’s handy in a fight.
- Skold – A tank of a fighter, Skold is looking for acceptance and thinks the separatists will provide it. She’s loyal to Megatron.
- Dinobot – A pure warrior that has been convinced that the Maximal/Predacon dynamic needs to be shaken up. In the show, folks know he starts as a Predacon before switching sides.
AzT
https://twitter.com/IDWPublishing/status/1366448295778934789
Necromaster
I'm surprised I haven't seen the five-page preview of Issue #2 yet, now that I think about it.
Necromaster
It just hit me that issue #2 drops four days from now.
Where does the time go?
AzT
https://twitter.com/teyowisonte/status/1364047751911202816
Verno
The Beast Wars TV series has 52 episodes over three seasons — 26, 13 and 13 episodes respectively. At one monthly issue per episode, we're looking at over two years just for Season 1, assuming the overall storyline of the comic book series follows somewhat loosely along with the TV show; and that's even before taking the opportunity to delve deeper into some of the storyline potential from the show and adding new plots.
Take Dark Designs, for example, with Megatron using the Transmuter device to turn Rhinox into a Predacon. In the show, it was given a single episode, but you could see that being easily expanded into a four or five issue storyline. Rhinox is turned into a Predacon, betrays Megatron, forms his own sub-faction (perhaps gaining some allies from Stasis Pods, or a super-powered Terrorsaur, a la Power Surge) and tries to see out his own plans before finally being turned back to his Maximal self. So much juicy stuff that could be done.
I'm excited to see where the series can go, and what it can do. We already have some potential foreshadowing for stories. Earth has the two moons, and we saw Protoform X's Stasis Pod ejected from the Axalon. These are plot points from late Season 1 and Season 2. While things like the floating mountains will likely be played upon sooner, Planet Busters and Rampage are well down the line from here if the TV show is anything to go by, and both tie directly into the notion of Transmetals. Whether they're utilised in a similar way, time will tell, and their inclusion now could just be Easter Eggs more than anything, but seeing them is exciting nonetheless.
It's been said a couple of times that the series is an "Ultimate" version on Beast Wars. Something I would love to see them do, well down the line, is play with the ideas behind Dark Glass. The story could actually run as a nice addition to a Feral Scream storyline:
Like I said, this is would be well down the line of the series, but it's opportunities like this that make the potential for the series so exciting.
Necromaster
Alright, that answers that. Wasn't sure if it was going to get locked or stay open, I figure this was probably the best route that could've been taken.
AzT
Moving to Transformers Comics area for general ongoing discussion, join discussion of individual issues in each month's solicitations thread.
T-Hybrid
Isn't there a Comics subforum? I'd assume further discussion would go there.
Necromaster
I'm curious as to what should be done with this thread now that the first issue is out and the second is on its way in about two weeks– should this be repurposed into more of a general discussion/speculation thread for the comic as a whole?
Sockie
Barber talking a little about how the comic came to be.
T-Hybrid
Seems like something worth exploring, right? Like a stasis pod crashed in water so the nearest lifeform was aquatic…what now?
CryptiniteDemon
They can just lay there.
Rapidfirestormer
Yeah, but what happens if they have to return to beast mode due to energon build up while on land?
Necromaster
Don't discount the value of an aquatic alternate mode on a planet that's 71% water.
T-Hybrid
If I remember his bio, he's vain. Which would be great. Just the stupidest looking alt mode on the most self-absorbed person ever.
Walking around thinking he's King S**t.
SpiderMunky
Injector is the Dracovish of Beast Wars, in more ways than one.
T-Hybrid
View attachment 28952171
SpiderMunky
Imagine the poor sod who gets a fish alt-mode.
Depthcharge was lucky he arrived after the quantum surge.
T-Hybrid
Just got my copy home, and if they make figures of everyone on that scale chart….yes please. Especially if they go with the sizes of the four dudes I wasn't expecting to see on there.
T-Hybrid
I hope they go over her past a bit. Even if she eventually meets the same end, getting more character time would be great.