The Energon Pub

So, this is a bit latecoming since what I'm about to talk about came out back in February, but better late than never.

Transformers Animated's 10th anniversary is on the rise and to celebrate, a new unofficial artbook was released in Japan containing brand new pieces of Animated artwork, manga, and other imagery all provided by several fans and contributors of the series, including Naoto Tsushima, Derrick J. Wyatt, Marcelo Matere, Josh Burcham, Alex Milne, Josh Perez, Hayato Sakamoto, Jesse Wittenrich, and more.

This book was briefly touched upon before in the TCC Exclusives and Subscription thread, but I figured the book deserved its own thread.

Though, I reiterate, this is a FAN BOOK, meaning that it is completely unofficial, produced and released entirely without license or endorsement by Hasbro or TakaraTomy. So all of its content is considered fanart and fan-produced works, but still of a professional quality grade.

There is zero chance of this book getting released anywhere outside of Japan, as it was an independently published fan product. I, however, was able to get my hands on a copy thanks to Andrew Hall helping to hook up anyone who was interesting in buying a copy from him (shipping from Japan included).

Additionally, several images of the book's interior pages were posted on TFW2005 back when the book was released, so a lot of the book's content is viewable thanks to them.

Here's a rundown of all the book's contents, with images from that TFW thread:



Front cover, by Derrick J. Wyatt (featuring sample snippits of all the interior pieces)




"Optimus Meets Hot Rodimus" 8-page mini-comic, by Naoto Tsushima
(Only two pages were posted)





DERRICK J. WYATT

Pretender Bumblebee


Optimus Prime
(not pictured)
Just the same shot of Optimus's head from the cover, minus all the glass fragments

Tailgate and Shipwreck
(not pictured)
Animated-ized versions of IDW Tailgate and the G.I. Joe ARAH version of Shipwreck

G2 Straxus
(not pictured)
Just the same art of G2 Straxus that Wyatt Tweeted years ago, but now set against a neat G2 packaging-style background

Rodimus in Lost Light colors
(not pictured)
Animated Rodimus in the SG-esque color scheme that his IDW counterpart currently sports in the Lost Light comic series



MARCELO MATERE

A piece of art based on the appearance of Rodimus's team in the Season 3 premiere
(not pictured)
A battle-ready Rodimus standing over the fallen Brawn and Ironhide with his bow and arrows drawn

A fight between Shockwave and Grimlock, featuring the sparked Blurr cube


A fight between Marauder Megatron and Powermaster Optimus Prime from the unproduced fourth season
(not pictured)
This piece of art feels very familiar to me, as though it evokes another piece of Optimus vs. Megatron art



JOSH BURCHAM

A Wild West take on Optimus's team




ALEX MILNE

Grandus, Dai Atlas, and Sky Garry


Flareup, Glyph, Lickety-Split, and Arcee
(not pictured)
Just the four of them huddled together looking pleasant



JOSH PEREZ
A Second Generation of Power
The Mysterious Forestonite!


The Blurr-enhanced Sari from "The Return of Blurr" script reading/storybook, with a surprised-looking Bumblebee, and their SG counterparts
(not pictured)
SG Bumblebee instead looks evilishly pleased at SG Blurr-Sari

Animated Machine Wars




HAYATO SAKAMOTO

Animated Kiss Players




HIROMI WAKABAYASHI

A drawing of a young Bumblebee wearing a rain coat and carrying an umbrella and an Optimus Prime doll
(not pictured)



MASARU SAKAMOTO

SG Animated Optimus hold Ultra Magnus's severed head




AKIRA AMEMIYA

Elite Guard Optimus Prime
(not pictured)
Based on the deco of the Japanese exclusive Voyager toy, and armed with the Magnus Hammer



KAMIZONO

This epic artpiece




TOMOYA HOSONO w/ KOKOA

Animated Armada
(not pictured)
Animated versions of Armada Optimus, Megatron, and Hot Shot holding the Star Saber



DAI-XT.

10th Anniversary party art




一〇〇〇‏

Swindle in all of his glory




GENTRO

Sari and SG Sari




JESSE WITTENRICH

Unproduced (not "canceled") proposals for two Animated-themed Fun Pub sets, which he elaborated more on here:

These are from two separate proposals. The first one was an all Beast Wars-themed set which told the story of Primal Minor searching for his missing friend. His journeys take him to a strange jungle where he finds a collective of odd semi-organic Decepticons, led by none other than Blackarachnia! The dark-hearted spider has continued her experiments and created Fractyl, Terrorsaur, Inferno, Antagony, and Megatron - an egotistical former tyrant who reminded her of her previous boss. To Minor's horror, also among the Decepticons is his friend, now renamed "Tri-Nox*", given a prehistoric beast mode, and enslaved using a control collar and brainwave bolts. The stalwart Autobot explorer must battle these Decepticons - or Predacons as they've taken to calling themselves - alone and so resorts to guerrilla warfare as he also tries time and again to break Blackarachnia's hold over Tri-Nox.

The second was Transformers Unanimated, featuring Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Sentinel Prime, Sari, and Yoketron vs. Starscream/Headmaster, Lugnut, Wasp, Elita-One, and a confused Wreck-Gar.

From the "Transformers Unanimated" proposal, Sari, Yoketron, and Wreck-Gar made it into the book.

From the Animated Beast Wars proposal, Optimus Primal and Megatron made it into the book.

Sari


Yoketron
(not pictured)
Headmaster version of Yoketron made from the Voyager Brainstorm mold

Wreck-Gar
(not pictured)
Made from the Prime Voyager Breakdown mold

Optimus Primal and Megatron




TASUKU TAJIMA

A 3-page mini-comic featuring Sari's birthday
(not pictured)
Also features a boat-load of Animated Autobots and Decepticons from the show

The closing artpiece of the book




The back cover, by Gentro

Seibertron wrote:Animated is 10 years old next year, 2018

"Transform and Roll Out" debuted on Toonami in 2007.

Seibertron wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Seibertron wrote:Animated is 10 years old next year, 2018

"Transform and Roll Out" debuted on Toonami in 2007.

Don't kid yourself. It debuted on December 26, 2007 with 5 days to go. It's a 2008 series.

Oh, come on, man, you know a lot of people don't care to wait until the exact day and month to celebrate longterm anniversaries. It's only the year that matters to these people.

And besides, this book has already come and gone three months ago. It's too late to pick nits about its release and commemoration by this point.

And shouldn't we really be glad that such a book was even made at all? I mean, all these artists put their effort into making something cool to celebrate the series that both they and we all love, and your first reaction is to complain about its release date?

It's enough to make me wonder why I even bothered with wanting to share this here in the first place. I saw that it had been discussed in other places but not here yet, so I thought I'd share this thing here to talk about how cool it is, but instead it gets met with ire based on a minor technically.