Transformers People News

Alex Milne joins IDW Publishing VIP Tour

Date: Tuesday, June 18th 2013 7:37pm EDT
Categories: Event News, People News
Posted by: LOST Cybertronian | Credit(s): IDW Publishing

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TRANSFORMERS fans rejoice!

IDW PUBLISHING is hosting a VIP TOUR of the comic book publisher's offices on Thursday, June 27th—the week of Botcon—and we are pleased to announce that TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE penciler Alex Milne will be joining this can’t-miss event!

In addition, this once-in-a-lifetime experience boasts an incredible host of already-announced guests: Andrew Griffith (artist of TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE), Livio Ramondelli (artist of TRANSFORMERS: MONSTROSITY), John Barber (TF editor and TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE writer), Mairghread Scott (TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS writer), Marcelo Matere (TRANSFORMERS packaging and comic artist), Casey W. Coller (TRANSFORMERS: IRONHIDE artist), Josh Burcham (Botcon comic artist and MTMTE colorist), Matt Frank (TF COLLECTOR'S CLUB and MARS ATTACKS TRANSFORMERS artist), and Michael Kelly (Director, Global Publishing at Hasbro)—plus fan favorite James Roberts (TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE writer) joining via videoconference!

All that and an impressive array of gifts, Q&A with editorial staff, hands-on tutorials on making comics—and many more great surprises—are in store for our attendees!

For details and tickets, visit http://IDWPUBLISHING.com/viptour

For more info, contact:

Dirk Wood

VP of Marketing

IDW Publishing

5080 Santa Fe St.

San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 270-1315 x123

dirk@idwpublishing.com

Seibertron.com Interviews Andrew Griffith

Date: Monday, June 17th 2013 2:16pm EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Interviews, People News, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): Andrew Griffith

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Hello you lovely folks! Here at Seibertron.com we've decided to go find some of the best names in the Transformers comics industry, to bring you some fresh information about the people behind the scenes. IDW have been nice enough to provide us with contact information for their legion of creators, and our first volunteer is none other than Andrew Griffith! Read the whole interview below.



Va'al - It's an honour for me to actually interview my first professional comics artist for a website, and who should it be if not Andrew Griffith, one of the minds (and hands) behind the highly popular current IDW ongoing Transformers: Robots in Disguise. Andrew, thank you for this opportunity and for your time! Before we get to what you do, let's find out more about you: How did you first get into Transformers?

Andrew - Well, I've been into Transformers for about as as long as anyone could be. I still remember my older brother coming home from school one day talking about this new toy everyone at his school was excited about. He was able to talk our parents into going to the nearest mall, and when we arrived it seemed like an entire row of the department store's toy section was displaying these cars, planes and machines that transformed into crazy looking robots. What more could an eight year old boy ask for? My parents were generous enough to buy my brother Prowl and to buy me what I found out later was a miscolored (red) Bumblebee.

By that point I had already been into comics a bit, and I remember soon after that we stopped at a bookstore that sold comic books, where I picked up G.I. Joe #24 and my brother decided on the very first issue of Transformers. I'd sneak into his room when he wasn't home and read that thing every chance I got. It just felt so alien and foreign too me, it really blew me away. (IDW Editor and RID scribe) John Barber and I have talked about that a number of times, how we had very similar impressions from reading Transformers #1 as a kid. (And man, that Bill Sienkiewicz cover is still one of my favorite Transformers images ever, just for the sheer epicness and alien-ness of how the Transformers are depicted.)

Soon after I discovered the toys and the comics, the cartoon show debuted in an after-school time slot on one of the few channels we had at the time, and from then on I was hooked.



Va'al - Schools seem to be the catalyst for a lot of fans' discovery of the brand! And as for most people, it looks like it was toys-comics-cartoons for you too. I can sense a tendency towards the artistic side of things more than anything though - were comics the highlight of your first years as a fan, or did you prefer other aspects more?

Andrew - Wow, hard for me to say what the highlight was now that I think about it. I was into the toys for most of the run. After the US line ended I had no idea they were still going in Europe as G1.5 or whatever they call it. Then G2 came out, and I think I got Jazz but that was it.

As far as the comics go, I had gotten a few of the early issues, but then my Aunt and Uncle got me a two year subscription for my birthday and that really cemented the US comics as part of my youth. At some point after they brought Optimus Prime back I stopped reading, just got into different things. But I came back about ten issues or so before it ended when Simon and Andrew were doing it, which was funny because neither I or anyone I knew in the States were aware that extra comics had been being made in the UK.

And the show? Yeah, getting up early before school to see it or coming home to find it on was anyways a treat.

Va'al - I have memories of getting up stupidly early to watch Transformers, but that was Beast Wars. Different generations (and different countries, too)! So your comics passion dwindled and was then relit by the Wildfur combination on the Marvel run - is that also when you found your own artistic streak?

Andrew - Well I wouldn't say my interest in comics dwindled. I just found myself reading different comics more often. My very first comic I ever purchased was Secret Wars 8, where Spider-Man first got his black costume. And after that I was always into Marvel stuff, including Transformers and Joe. I also read DC to a lesser extent. So whenever I wasn't picking up Transformers issues, I was still reading comics pretty regularly.



And I was drawing them. I first realized I could draw better than the average kid around Kindergarten. Most kids were drawing stick figures and I was realizing people had actual thickness and dimension to their forms. I'd always take an art class when I had the option, and spent a lot of free time drawing at home. I was always drawing comics of my own, and even made a submission or two to Marvel in high school. Looking back I can see why I was rejected. My stuff had potential, but I didn't know the first thing about putting together a good submission or knowing what to show.

But I was aware of my artistic interest pretty early on.

Va'al - I think I'm still one of those people who draws stick figures, unfortunately. But my idea is that the world needs artists and fans, and the two don't always need to overlap! So you were rejected with your early attempts to Marvel - when did the breakthrough arrive? What was your first, official, published work? How long until you became a regular creator?

Andrew - Well, I kind of gave up the idea for a bit of being a comic book artist after that. I cycled through areas of focus in school, including English Literature and writing, drama, and music but ended up back with art. I did a lot of fine art and really got into painting, took a good number of painting and figure drawing classes but ended up concentrating in Graphic Design so I could get a job.

And I did design for quite a while. Eventually I got married and had a pretty good life living in California, making a good living at a startup in San Francisco and pursuing a Master's at an art school there. Yet, I found I wasn't content doing design and instead I was yearning to draw comics again.

When news of the live-action Transformers movie came out, it reignited my passion in the franchise. I started reading the Mosaics and before I knew it I was taking part in that project; drawing, coloring or even writing some.

Josh and Shaun, who ran the Mosaics ended up in charge of a contest on the IDW forums designed to find IDW's "next cover artist." I took part in the contest and did much better than I ever expected. I didn't win, but I did pretty well and got some attention from some people at IDW. That same contest helped launch the careers of now-regular names in Transformers comics like Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente.

After that contest, I did a "cover" for the pitch Josh and Shaun did that turned into Spotlight: Jazz.



Around that time I started getting emails from IDW editors, and Denton Tipton hired me to do covers for IDW's "Best of UK" reprint series. I started on those covers, my very first being for City of Fear #1. While City of Fear may have been my first commissioned work, technically the cover for Spotlight: Jazz that I had done before City of Fear was my first pro work as it ended up being used as a cover for the book when it came out some months later.



After I got started on the covers, I ended up being brought in to help with inking duties on Defiance, the prequel book for Revenge of the Fallen.

After Defiance and the Best of UK ended, I was fortunate enough to get work from companies like Hasbro and Shout! Factory. I was blown away to get to work on DVD covers for the reissue of the G1 cartoon series that came out around 2009, including the art for the "Matrix of Leadership" box set.



That kind of work kept me busy for a bit, but I spent a long time after Defiance ended checking my email often hoping for some kind of work from IDW.

After some time passed, I sent in some newer samples to IDW and established contact with Andy Schmidt now that he was editor. It was good that I did so because almost immediately they brought me in to help ink Last Stand of the Wreckers, another proud point in my career. Getting to work on one of the best received Transformers comics ever is definitely something I'm proud of.

They must have been happy with my efforts because my next assignment for IDW was getting to work on Foundation with John Barber.

Va'al - The live-action films were definitely a pivotal moment in the life of the franchise, whatever opinion people have about them. So you've been inker, cover, DVD and box artist before getting into your own inside art. How does it feel to work with the others as part of the same creative team? How much do you all influence each other, between colourists, pencillers, inkers, writers and editors? Is it any different from when you started in those same roles?

Andrew - Yeah, when I say the movies reignited my passion, I'm talking about around 2006, early 2007 when news was coming out about a movie getting made.

Well, being an inker can be an interesting experience, because it can be an entirely different thing depending on who you are inking. Nick Roche was a joy to ink, his pencils on Wreckers were very tight and I somehow felt like I was able to be expressive while still staying true to his style. And he was very communicative during the process. He really seemed to be happy with what I did.

The challenge of doing the box art was the difficulty in capturing the feel of the 80s cartoon art without making it look ridiculous. And what I mean by that is if you take a single freeze frame of the animation it usually looks very poorly drawn with very simple designs, yet when you see them in progression you can overlook some of those flaws. By the time I got to the Headmasters, Victory and Masterforce covers I think I had developed a style that worked pretty well to handle that problem.



Now that I work as the penciller and inker, or sometimes with an inker, it really ends up as a collaborative experience with John and Josh. John is very generous about hearing my input on his stories, and even takes my ideas and runs with them when they work or can improve what he's doing. He's been great to work with, and he knows when to tell me if there are specific details he need shown, or when to step back and say "just do what works." And Josh is probably my next closest collaborator. I feel like we've really gotten to know how each other's style better and better as we've gone along on RID. And when we have an inker like Brian Shearer on it seems like he fits right in, and everyone has a good sense of humor and you never know who's going to make a joke in an email at just the right time to take the stress away a little while we're trying to make a deadline. Usually it's Carlos. (The editor.)

Va'al - It's good to hear about the mutual appreciation you each have for each other, also with the editors. The results are always more than pleasing, and knowing that you all have fun making an issue makes it even more enjoyable! Robots in Disguise, the series you are currently working on, has reached a big turning point, with the new event - Dark Cybertron - about to really begin: do you have any teasers you're allowed to talk about? Or about the future of the series?

Andrew - Well, I think I should probably hold off on any tidbits for Dark Cybertron until IDW has a chance to make some reveals at BotCon in a few weeks.

I'm working on it right now though, and one thing I can definitely say is that Shockwave is definitely a main player in the story. And personally, I think fans who have been following the IDW continuity for a while now will be very pleasantly surprised with what James and John are cooking up.



Va'al - Ah, not spoiling anything, are you. Our readers should stay tuned for the Seibertron.com BotCon coverage, if they cannot make it to the event itself (like myself, sadly). Speaking of conventions, you've just been added to the IDW VIP BotCon tour, and you'll be attending Auto Assembly in the UK -- how does it feel to be a guest at such a big event, where people are turning up especially to see you?

Andrew - I was recently at Wizard World Philadelphia as a guest and as part of Artist Alley, and I had more than one person come up and tell me that they came to the show just because I would be there. That's a very flattering and humbling thing to hear, and I am very conscious of the fact that these fans pay good money to come to these events in order to see myself and others. So I'm quite happy to sign books, or put a little extra effort into a commission or sketch.

Without the fans, we wouldn't have the opportunity to do this kind of work. Which is another reason I try to not take criticisms too personally. People are paying hard-earned money to read the books and pay for convention and VIP tour tickets, so they have every right to be critical if they feel the content isn't as good as it could or should be.

BotCon and Auto Assembly are two of the events I'm looking most forward to this summer. Always nice to meet and interact with other Transformers fans and to get to spend time with the other creators, just too many good people to list here that I'm looking forward to seeing. The VIP Tour looks to be a once in a lifetime chance for any Transformers comics fan who is coming out to it.

Va'al - Auto Assembly is something I'm really excited about too! The VIP tour sounds amazing, but it's in completely the wrong country for me at the moment. And I'm glad you pointed out the criticism issue - as a comics reviewer, I was a little nervous about talking to you. For no reason though, as this has been a really nice chat! Andrew, before we leave, one more question: you are now one of the people that fans go see at conventions, but are there any fandoms you are still a part of from this side of the fence? How deep does your inner geek go?

Andrew - Well my inner geek spreads pretty wide. I'm a big fan of a lot of geeky things when I think about it. I still collect comics. I love plenty of geeky movies. From Star Wars, to Star Trek, to Superhero movies, I enjoy them all. I geek out over scientific discoveries, or reading Stephen Hawking, or noticing a "Nikola Tesla died here" plaque on the New Yorker building in NYC. I'm even kind of a fanboy to things like Shakespeare and Renaissance artists. I love Woody Allen movies. I was (and still am to some degree) a huge music geek and always loved finding a great new record shop or radio station.



A few years ago when I did those DVD covers, I did a signing at San Diego Comic Con with Gregg Berger (who I don't have to tell any TF fans was the voice of Grimlock) and Earl Kress (writer of G1 episode B.O.T. and creator of Pinky and the Brain, and sadly no longer with us) as Leonard Nimoy was doing a signing a booth down from us. That's the kind of thing I can geek out over, especially as Greg Berger is plenty willing to do the Grimlock voice on request.

Va'al - There you have it: you never really stop being a fan. Andrew, thank you again for sitting down 'with' me and bearing through all the questions and time you've dedicated to our readers. It has been a pleasure! Any last words for the Seibertron.com community (and the rest of the Transformers fandom)?

Andrew - Boy... just keep reading! Keep enjoying and keep supporting the brand. Keep coming out to the conventions and saying hello. If you're coming to Botcon at the end of the month I'll be at the show. I won't be doing Artist Alley, but I'll be doing the IDW VIP Tour as well as the IDW panel. I'll probably do some appearances at the IDW booth too. And then about a month later I'll be at Auto Assembly the whole weekend, and will probably have some things to announce for that in the future.

Looking forward to seeing anyone who comes out!

And thanks for having me for an interview. I'd come back anytime.

---

For a look at more of Andrew's work, visit his deviantART page, follow him on Twitter or say hi to him in person at BotCon or Auto Assembly! And keep your peripherals tuned to Seibertron.com for our next interview, just in time for BotCon, too!

IDW VIP Tour - Marcelo Matere and Casey Coller

Date: Monday, June 17th 2013 1:43pm EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News, People News, Press Releases
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing

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IDW Publishing has announced not one but two more Transformers superstar artists for their VIP Tour taking place at BotCon: Marcelo Matere and Casey Coller!

The guest list just keeps on growing!

IDW PUBLISHING is hosting a VIP TOUR of the comic book publisher’s offices on Thursday, June 27th—the week of Botcon—and we are pleased to announce that TRANSFORMERS packaging and comic artist MARCELO MATERE and TRANSFORMERS: ALL HAIL MEGATRON and TRANSFORMERS: IRONHIDE cover artist CASEY COLLER will be joining this can’t-miss event!

In addition to MATERE and COLLER is the stellar host of already-announced guests: James Roberts (TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE writer, joining via videoconference), Livio Ramondelli (artist of TRANSFORMERS: MONSTROSITY), Josh Burcham (Botcon comic artist and MTMTE colorist), John Barber (TF editor and TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE writer), Mairghread Scott (TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS writer), Matt Frank (TF COLLECTOR'S CLUB and MARS ATTACKS TRANSFORMERS artist), and Michael Kelly (Director, Global Publishing at Hasbro)—plus an impressive array of gifts, Q&A with editorial staff, and hands-on tutorials on making comics!

For details and tickets, visit http://IDWPUBLISHING.com/viptour

IDW Publishing VIP Tour - Andrew Griffith Announced

Date: Saturday, June 15th 2013 5:36am EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News, People News
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Andrew Griffith

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IDW Publishing is just churning out more and more guests for its VIP Tour at BotCon. Newly added is the main artist on Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Andrew Griffith! Check out the full guest list below.

Guests

Meet some of the biggest names in Transformers comics when you attend the IDW VIP Tour! Chat about their experiences, where Transformers are going, and more! Featured guests are:

Livio Ramondelli Artist, TRANSFORMERS: MONSTROSITY
John Barber Writer, TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE; Editor, TRANSFORMERS
Mairghread Scott Writer, TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS
Josh Burcham Artist, BOTCON 2013 COMIC; Colorist TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
Matt Frank Artist, MARS ATTACKS THE TRANSFORMERS; SPOTLIGHT: TRAILCUTTER
Michael Kelly Director, Global Publishing at Hasbro
James Roberts Writer, TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE (video conference call to discuss stories and to take VIP questions)
Andrew Griffith Artist, TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE Just Announced!

ReGeneration One Issue 0 - Teasers and Spoilers

Date: Thursday, June 13th 2013 1:07pm EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, People News
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): Simon Furman, John-Paul Bove

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Simon Furman and John-Paul Bove have been trickling some information about the upcoming September release (that's the first bit) of the one-off Transformers: ReGeneration One #0. This post tries summarising what we've been told so far, but for the full experience, follow Simon's blog!



According to Furman, the issue is confirmed to have a September release, pushing #95 to October. Bove seconds this, adding it will be 22 pages long, and taking place between, or to one side, of #94 and #95.

Other bits revealed include the motives behind Spike's hatred towards the Autobots, hints at something to do with Thunderwing, though Furman confirms he is dead for good, and the confirmation that Geoff Senior is one of the five artists to work on the issue!

Simon Furman wrote:We have (a lot) more to learn about exactly why Spike is so ticked off at the Autobots, what that deep-seated vein of hatred is all about. I’ll just say for now that you REALLY need to check out issue #0 (in fact, #0 should tick another couple of your wish-list boxes too) and suggest that sometimes when a character is directing rage it’s often to cover for something else, something that’s harder to acknowledge. Like guilt maybe.

[...]

#0 will slot in between #94 and #95. Stuff that would only, otherwise, have been seen in kind of abridged/flashback form in the final arc now has real room to breathe. Trust me, it’s essentially stuff. So while we are going to kind of leave you hanging at the end of #94 for an extra month, what happens in #0 is going to blow your minds!

Nick Roche Original Print Sale for Cancer Charity

Date: Thursday, June 13th 2013 11:41am EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, People News
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): Nick Roche

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Fan-favourite artist Nick Roche is currently selling an original print to raise funds in support of this own brother's marathon for the Irish Cancer Society. The latter is a charity for cancer support, care, information, research, health promotion & advocacy. You can find the print available, for only £10 ($15 approx) plus shipping, and in limited numbers of 100 copies, at Nick's blog, here.

IDW Publishing VIP Tour - James Roberts Announced

Date: Wednesday, June 12th 2013 6:22pm EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News, Media, People News
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing

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IDW have just announced the addition of another guest to their VIP tour taking place during BotCon: fan-favourite writer on More Than Meets the Eye, and co-author of Chaos Theory, Chaos and Last Stand of the Wreckers James Roberts! You can buy tickets for the event here.

IDW PUBLISHING is hosting a VIP TOUR of the comic book publisher's offices on Thursday, June 27th—the week of Botcon—and we are pleased to announce that TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE writer JAMES ROBERTS will be joining us via videoconference! James will discuss upcoming plots and answer questions from the tour guests!

James is joining the already-announced guests (all live and in-person): Livio Ramondelli (artist of TRANSFORMERS: MONSTROSITY), Josh Burcham (Botcon comic artist and MTMTE colorist), John Barber (TF editor and TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE writer), Mairghread Scott (TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS writer), Matt Frank (TF COLLECTOR'S CLUB and MARS ATTACKS TRANSFORMERS artist), and Michael Kelly (Director, Global Publishing at Hasbro)—plus an impressive array of gifts, Q&A with editorial staff, and hands-on tutorials on making comics!

For details and tickets, visit http://IDWPUBLISHING.com/viptour

More guests will be announced soon!

Auto Assembly 2013 - Alex Milne to Attend!

Date: Wednesday, June 12th 2013 10:27am EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News, People News
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): Auto Assembly

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The final guest for this year's edition of Auto Assembly has been revealed last week, and it's none other than fan-favourite MTMTE artist Alex Milne!

Milne joins the rest of the amazingly long list of guests at Europe's biggest convention, for which tickets are still available here.

We thought we’d surprise all of you with one final guest for this year’s convention and what a surprise it is! We’re pleased to announce the debut of IDW artist Alex Milne to Auto Assembly this year! Alex will be joining us at Auto Assembly 2013 for the whole weekend and will be doing sketches for attendees at the convention for anyone who might be interested (as we watch the queue quickly form…).

For those of you who don’t know (where have you been for the last few years?) Alex is a comic artist who has been working for IDW for several years, primarily on various Transformer titles athough he has worked on numberous other books although he has said that Transformers is a personal favourite. He is currently the artist for More Than Meets The Eye, working alongside James Roberts.

IDW VIP Tour at BotCon - More Guests Announced

Date: Monday, June 10th 2013 2:56pm EDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Event News, Media, People News
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing

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We've had news from the people behind the initiative, and more guests have been confirmed for the IDW VIP tour at BotCon! New names are Michael Kelly, Hasbro's Global Publishing Director, and Mairghread Scott, writer for IDW's Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters and the Transformers Prime and Prime: Beast Hunters animated series. You can buy tickets for the event here.

Guests
Meet some of the biggest names in Transformers comics when you attend the IDW VIP Tour! Chat about their experiences, where Transformers are going, and more! Featured guests are:

Livio Ramondelli Artist, TRANSFORMERS: MONSTROSITY
Josh Burcham Artist, TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
Matt Frank Artist, TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: TRAILCUTTER
John Barber Editor, TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE; Writer, TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE
Michael Kelly Director, Global Publishing at Hasbro
Mairghread Scott Writer, TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS

BotCon 2013 Special Guest Glenn Morshower Official Press Release

Date: Monday, June 10th 2013 2:07pm EDT
Categories: Collector's Club News, Event News, People News
Posted by: El Duque | Credit(s): BotCon

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BotCon 2013 announces it final special guest!
San Diego, California June 27th – June 30th

San Diego, CA – June 10th, 2013 – Fun Publications, Inc., licensee for Hasbro’s official TRANSFORMERS Collectors’ Convention, BotCon, is thrilled to announce it’s final guest for this years highly anticipated convention… Glenn Morshower! Fans across the world will recognize Glenn from his roles as Agent Pierce on the Fox series 24 and as Colonel Sharp from the first live action TRANSFORMERS movie and as General Morshower from TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen and TRANSFORMERS: Dark of the Moon. This brings the total number of special guests attending BotCon to seventeen, making this one of the most star studded BotCon’s ever! With so many amazing special guests and artists appearing at BotCon 2013, being held at the Town and Country Resort from June 27th thru June 30th in the beautiful city of San Diego, fans from around the world are in for one amazing convention!

Pop Culture enthusiasts and TRANSFORMERS fans of all ages can still register for BotCon 2013 through the BotCon.com online registration system. Fans and Collectors who register for BotCon as a Primus package holder will receive the five-figure MACHINE WARS convention set, admission to the Friday private sales room experience, priority seating at all panels and seminars throughout the weekend and admittance to the Hall of Fame Celebration party. Finally, Primus package attendees will also receive a special bonus TRANSFORMERS Deluxe figure to go along with their convention box set. General Admission for non-registered guests will be available on Saturday and Sunday only.

For more information on all of the BotCon 2013 activities and the exclusive figure offerings, as well as convention updates, please visit BotCon.com. Press inquiries; please contact Pete Sinclair pete@funpubinc.com.

About Fun Publications, Inc.
For nearly 20 years, Fun Publications, Inc. has been a Hasbro licensee offering fans and collectors of pop culture memorabilia news, exclusive product and family events through different print offerings, websites, collector clubs and brand specific conventions such as GIJoeCon and BotCon. Located in Fort Worth Texas, Fun Publications reaches a large audience, serving the United States and many other countries such as Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, Australia and Canada. For more information visit TransformersClub.com, GIJoeClub.com, GIJoeCon.com, and BotCon.com. BotCon is a registered trademark of Fun Publications, Inc. (C) 2013 Fun Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative, well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Company’s Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for markets around the world. The Hub TV Network is part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), in the U.S. Through the Company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World’s Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s "100 Best Corporate Citizens."Learn more at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2013 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.