"To all my Transformer buds,
I recently directed a demo for a series of motion graphic "Transformers" comics which could be downloaded via iPhone, iTouch, and other outlets. Many talented professional actors provided the voices for the characters in the demo including myself. The plan was to present it to IDW Comics who had shown more then a passing interest in this budding new concept. With a go ahead on producing the series, I would be employing the talents of as many of the original voices from the early series as possible. I had already cleared this with my fellow "Transformers" actors, and everyone was waiting in the wings for the response from the powers at IDW comics.
After months of mulling over it, they ultimately passed on the idea, and surprise surprise, decided to produce their own graphic motion novel without the voices or even the superbly heightened animation. So, essentially what you now have the ability to download is a plain old comic book.
Nothing new there.
SOooooo, I am taking my request to the troops. To all the die hard fans who I have met over the years at Botcon conventions, or who have written to me asking about my experiences working on one of the most inventive animated series in TV history- I need your help! I am requesting that you do something for me and my fellow actors, so we can in-turn do something really cool for you.
Please contact IDW and let them know that their concept of a series of comic books based on "Transformers" WITHOUT the talents of voice actors, especially many of the original voices, just doesn't cut it.
Please ask them to contract Creative Producers Chris Folino and William Katt, and make a deal for them to produce their concept of a downloadable graphic motion comic series of "Transformers" with - Hide quoted text - professional actors, progressive animation, and lotsa sound effects.
On behalf of all those actors, animators, and studio techs that will get an opportunity to carry on a great tradition,
I thank you,
Michael "Prowl/Swoop" Bell"
"Hey T purists,
Thanks for all the responses to the demo. To those of you that liked, loved, and used it for personal gratification, cool beans!
Those of you that thought it was limited in content or approach, remember, it was a demo..designed to show the possibilities and not for public consumption. Time constraints demanded an immediate presentable product. No time to start sifting through the best stories etc.
If IDW recants and gives us a go ahead with some scratch to do a good job, I assure you, you will be blown awayby the end result.
In expensive but classy thrills for a .99 cent download. Much MORE THEN MEETS THE EYE!
Again, thanks for the attention and cogent responses.
For those of you who took the time to write IDW, you are da bomb.
MB
"
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932752) Posted by Blackstreak on June 6th, 2009 @ 6:44am CDT Heh, they weren't spending months mulling the idea over. They were planning how to steal the idea. But I'll be more than glad to send a letter. I like the snippets of 'live-action' comics that I have seen so far and would like to see more of them. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932778) Posted by ashe5k on June 6th, 2009 @ 7:36am CDT I might actually pay money for the version with the voiceovers. Not a straight comic. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932786) Posted by Dragonslayer on June 6th, 2009 @ 7:55am CDT Yeah, I bought the Watchmen motion comics off of iTunes and thought that was pretty cool. A Transformers motion comic would be excellent | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932808) Posted by Black Bumblebee on June 6th, 2009 @ 8:39am CDT Would LOVE to see more of this come to fruition. Did something like this myself with the War Within comics a year ago (and yes... I am still working on episode 2... just haven't had a lot of free time). You can better believe that I'll send my support their way. I do, however, hope that they avoid using the "shadow" effect of object movement. A few moments of Photoshop can fill in the missing bits, after all... | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932809) Posted by karellan on June 6th, 2009 @ 8:41am CDT I'm actually really surprised IDW didn't go for it. It seems to be the next big thing over at Marvel and DC (the Watchmen one is probably the most well-known, but they have lots of them). I don't understand why IDW would want to push tech that's already outdated. It's like pushing your great new laser disk movie right after DVD was invented. Transformers: The Movie! Now available in Betamax! | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932835) Posted by Wheeljack35 on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:03am CDT That was seet but weird to hear Michesl Bell's voice come from Skywarp | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932836) Posted by CrabHeart on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:03am CDT REALLY REALLY REALLY o rly? REALLY REALLY!!! want to see more. go prowl go!!! | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932843) Posted by Wheeljack144 on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:31am CDT That was really excellent. I would love to see that product come to fruition. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932848) Posted by PoweredConvoy97 on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:41am CDT Go on Prowl! | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932855) Posted by Sabrblade on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:56am CDT What? No Welker? | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932857) Posted by typh0id on June 6th, 2009 @ 11:07am CDT Motion comics actually annoy me...Don't care for them...But that one IS at least well done and Megatron sounds awesome | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932866) Posted by CrabHeart on June 6th, 2009 @ 11:28am CDT hey there might not be frank as megs but still. we need this. atleast i do. we need some kind of g1 animation going on.. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932880) Posted by Sustain on June 6th, 2009 @ 12:17pm CDT I am impressed, my letter is gettin' sent. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932892) Posted by Hard Hacker on June 6th, 2009 @ 12:42pm CDT Bell's Starscream voice is pretty good. Hell, I'd say it was a far better take than Latta's iteration. Anyway, so we'll have to download a comic over an animated feature with established talents... I know which one I'd prefer. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932909) Posted by Windsweeper on June 6th, 2009 @ 1:21pm CDT Would love to see more of that. Bell is great as Starscream. Closest I've ever heard to Latta. Just seems weird to think of the voice of Prowl doing Starscream so well. His Skywarp is cool too. Always liked his performance as Prowl. Had a certain calmness to it as befits his logical, patient tech Specs. Really liked him as Raziel in the Soul Reaver/Legacy of Kain games. Pity TFCog couldn't get him for their fandubs. Anyway, would be great if IDW picked up on this although I'd recast Megatron. I can do a pretty good Welker-esque Megatron myself. Be cool if Bell could persuade IDW and then Welker to do it. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932941) Posted by Megatron Wolf on June 6th, 2009 @ 2:26pm CDT Wow that was awesome. His Starscream is the best ive heard in a long time. Bell is one of my favorite voice actors of all time. Not only did he do some of my favorite voices in TF but he also voiced some of my favorite video game characters as well, Raziel (Legacy of Kain) and The Fear (MGS3:Snake Eater)just to name a couple. Ill be sending out a letter next chance i get. I also think we should maybe get a petition going or some kind of mass letter that we all sign. The more we do the better chance this will become a reality. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (932976) Posted by omega666 on June 6th, 2009 @ 4:37pm CDT I want to see THAT cartoon. THAT is Transformers. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933008) Posted by Firebird on June 6th, 2009 @ 6:06pm CDT That was awesome! I all of a sudden care about All Hail Megatron, It's amazing what some good voice talent can do. I would gladly buy this. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933151) Posted by Vectorshot on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:40pm CDT That was awesome!!! I'd love to see more. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933153) Posted by Blurrz on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:44pm CDT That was pants-wetting material right there. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933158) Posted by Elita One on June 6th, 2009 @ 10:50pm CDT If this were to become a reality I'd buy it. Also nice to see more G1 VA's getting back to the TF universe. Thanks Mr Bell. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933164) Posted by InvaderJes on June 6th, 2009 @ 11:03pm CDT I'm really not into motion comics. I am, however, into Mikey Bell's voice coming out of any TF project! IDW, I want this to happen!!! | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933236) Posted by Dead Metal on June 7th, 2009 @ 5:02am CDT Nope, that's how much I dislike AHM. He's one of my fave voice actors but not cos of TF but cos of being Raziel. But I just seem to hate AHM more then I love my G1 voices. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933313) Posted by justynnbailey on June 7th, 2009 @ 11:54am CDT As far as the voice acting...I think he said that if the project was given the green light, that the original voice actors would pitch in. So maybe we would get a Welker voiced Megs (after all, he did that movie prequel thing in the TF Movie dvd in 07). Also, I found it odd that he used "Swoop/Prowl" in his signature but he left Scrapper out, which was the onlt character he originally voiced, that was in the video...shrugs... | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933398) Posted by Head Shot on June 7th, 2009 @ 4:01pm CDT This is very cool. I left transformers comics once dreamwave went down. I couldn't get into idw's comics. (And I was too young to follow the marvel transformers comics). If they went through with Bell's version that would bring me back into transformers comics for sure. This was top notch stuff. When I get time during this coming week, I'll make sure to voice my opinion on this matter, demanding bell's version. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933627) Posted by vectorA3 on June 8th, 2009 @ 3:22am CDT loved the preview vid of course. If he makes an online petition/form, I'll sign it. That'd make it a lil easier | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933676) Posted by Prime Evil on June 8th, 2009 @ 8:26am CDT
Agreed. I would have thought that there would be a link somewhere to an online petitions, but they say those never work. Meh. I do like what I've seen so far and will send my piddly lil message to IDW for what it's worth. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (933997) Posted by tigertracks 24 on June 8th, 2009 @ 10:03pm CDT Updated...see first post. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (934047) Posted by Primus1101 on June 9th, 2009 @ 1:39am CDT i liked the look and i think this would be BETTER tha normal comics. but i don't know what the hell your supposed say to idw "dear idw, make this NOW!"? | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (934088) Posted by vectorA3 on June 9th, 2009 @ 4:30am CDT
the petitions do work - when the last Fiona Apple album was being withheld by the record label, a ton of people signed the petition & let their voices be heard and then shortly thereafter it was released. If this guy wants us to buy his comic & stuff, then this is the least he can do. No disrespect. I'm sure he'll get faster & more results. where's your avie Prime Evil?? Put it up there yo!!!! | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (934363) Posted by chuckdawg1999 on June 9th, 2009 @ 3:56pm CDT I hate to ask but has IDW released a statement regarding their side of things? I'd hate for the comuntity to get all worked up only to find out that we might not have been given all of the story leading to the end of a very friendly and open relationship between IDW and the fans. | |
| Re: Tranformers G1 Voice Actor Asking For YOUR Help-- Updated 6 / 8 / 09 (934369) Posted by justynnbailey on June 9th, 2009 @ 4:05pm CDT Theres an article on this site actually...an interview with IDW's TF Editor and he pretty much sayd "No way, too expensive." Though things can always change... | |