PREVIEWSworld hits their catalog refresh button, providing an early look at Transformers titles scheduled for April in shops arrival dates: Beast Wars Annual 2022, Transformers #42, Beast Wars #15 & War’s End #3.
Discuss the cover artwork, creator credits and synopsis details for these publications on the 2005 boards!
Transformers Beast Wars Annual 2022
(W) Various (A) Various (CA) Ryan Miller
This collection of three stories centers on the characters we know and love from the IDW Transformers: Beast Wars series with some fun surprises and adventures. Featuring fantastic creative teams and wonderful art from Phillip Johnson, Sam Maggs, David Mariotte, Nick Marino, and more! This annual is a fun glimpse into the Cybertronian’s lives outside of their main series adventures.
Transformers #42
(W) Brian Ruckley (A) Andrew Griffith (CA) Blacky Shepherd (CA) Evan Gauntt (CA) Nicole Goux
Cybertron is under siege. Carnivorous Insecticlones and rust worms are eating the planet. Exarchon is returned, but Megatron’s not giving up without a fight. Against impossible odds, Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, and Bumblebee must make an unthinkable choice: Is Cybertron even worth saving?
Transformers: Beast Wars #15
(W) Erik Burnham (A) Josh Burcham (CA) John Jennings (CA) Andy Duggan (CA) James Marsh
The Children of the Vok make their presence known, causing the Predacons and the Maximals to put aside their differences and team up. But that is easier said than done. Will Optimus Primal and Megatron bury their feud once and for all? Or will they let petty disputes end everything they hold dear?
Transformers: War’s End #3
(W) Brian Ruckley (A) Jack Lawrence (CA) Sebastian Piriz (CA) Susan Margevich (CA) Joana Lafuente
The origin of Exarchon revealed! Find out the secret history behind one of Cybertron’s greatest threats, the Threefold Spark. As Exarchon looks for a third body to make himself complete once more, he also receives backup that could prove devastating to all who oppose him.
misfire19d
This is the editor’s fault as well.
There was a IDW contractor that said some other publisher gave Hasbro a pitch they liked better.
Hasbro better hope national news outlets don’t find out about what IDW did in a comic about a kids toys.
T-Hybrid
Ruckley's still alive?
Yup. It's like a show getting cancelled. They can either rework what they've got to land the plane (if the cancellation notice comes in time) or the show just goes out as is and ends with whatever loose threads were there.
RNSrobot
In terms of Hasbro being all YOINK??? with the license lmao
RNSrobot
gathering/ascending sucks, you're missing nothing.
RNSrobot
We already know. Skybound is getting the license.
‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘Transformers’ Licenses to Leave IDW at End of 2022 – The Hollywood Reporter
YoungPrime
…….Wasn't calling out lackluster scriptwriting my point?
The real question is who will win… The ability to publish G1 based Transformers comic books after IDW has written their last?
Bass X0
You know the difference between Stan Lee and Ruckley? Stan Lee knew how to grab a reader’s attention from the first page of an issue. Ruckley does not.
AcademyofDrX
Stan Lee: "So one question I'm always asked. Who would win in a fight? Who would win in a fight if Galactus fought The Hulk, or if Thor fought Iron Man? And there's one answer to all of that. It's so simple, anyone should know this. The person who'd win in a fight is the person that the scriptwriter wants to win! If I'm writing a story, about The Thing, from the Fantastic Four, and he gets into a big fight with Spider-Man, and millions of people out there say Who Would Win? Well, it depends on who I want to win if I'm writing the script. If I want Spider-Man to win, he'll win. If I want the Thing to win, he'll win. These are fictitious characters, the writer can do whatever he wants with them! So stop asking those questions, 'cause I've had it with that."
YoungPrime
Deathsaurus should be able to rip that irritant apart in Dragon mode. But after trying to give that Cliffjumper mini a chance I'm not surprised that they're demoting his rank and relevance again making him villain of the week instead of a real threat. Hell, I didn't really like his portrayal in LL either. But this feels worse. So easy pass on IDW once again.
T-Hybrid
See also Batman, Xmen, etc etc which *also* often open with dialog setting up future action in the issue.
Comic books are a visual medium, but they're still also reading material. If every issue was just characters shouting in the middle of giant action splash pages it'd become tiring.
IDW got caught with their pants down on this one, so everything they've had to do since finding out amounts to damage control. I can tell it's impacted BW, and it's probably impacting their others ongoings as well.
Rojixus
I would fucking love that, actually. The time for talk ended a long time ago, Megatron chose violence and now it's time he got violence!
Bass X0
That’s what an action orientated comic like Transformers should do, yes.
T-Hybrid
So every comic is supposed to open with a battle scene now?
Blitz.
Why change a winning formula? /s
I assume they know and have known for years. The main line of comics have a niche and tiny (compared to their peak numbers) set of fans who seem to want this and still buy the comics I assume IDW seeing it's numbers shrink didn't want to rock the boat for fear of loosing even more.
I'd love to see the internal meeting notes leak some day from the meetings Hasbro and IDW had. Because it seems like IDW was more then happy to sell 9k-ish issues a month (well when it wasn't delayed) to it's loyal fans while Hasbro prob wanted numbers closer to the TMNT, Sonic etc comics. I guess the two corporations visions of the brand didn't line up after years of business to put it lightly.
It's going to be interesting to see how they cap it off. I wont buy it or even pirate it I'll just wait for the wiki page to update about whatever weirdness they need to do to try and make it work.
BB Shockwave
So it is a flashback now? Oh I get it, since they got cancelled, they are trying to tell the end of the war that barely began in this way? Odd that they chose Rodimus Prime as the narrator, when Hot Rod never even appeared so far in the main comics.
And I guess this writer has some beef against Sixshot that he turned him from a super powered badass to this loser who gets defeated by everyone?
Bass X0
Ruckley still hasn’t learned that readers expect more from a Transformers comic book than characters standing around talking. Maybe there are action packed fight scenes later in the issue, but a preview is supposed to get the reader interested in buying the book not turn them off by how boring the preview is.
f-primusunicron
so damn BORING
AzT
IDW’s Transformers: War’s End, 5-Page Preview of Issue #3 – Transformers News – TFW2005
IDW’s Transformers (2019) Comic Series: 5-Page Preview of Issue #42 – Transformers News – TFW2005
RacerCheetor
Nice!
AzT
https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/1517262456967471104