The Energon Pub

Once again Simon Furman has updated his blog. In this latest entry Furman talks about the upcoming Beast Wars mini series The Ascending. Here is what Furman posted:

"What I like about four-issue series, as opposed to the more current (trade-friendly) six-issue arcs, is that they really push the pace of the story. There’s room in Infiltration/Escalation/Devastation et al to sidetrack into ‘B’ stories and subplots (in itself a very gratifying pursuit), but with a four-issue story you pretty much have to get in, tell the story, and get out, with not much in the way of diversions. So it is with Beast Wars The Ascending, and I can’t help but feel—having just wrapped issue #3 of the series—it’s a good thing. No sooner, it seems, you’ve set up the characters, threats, etc, than you’re racing breathlessly towards the epic conclusion. Not that there’s not much to The Ascending. Quite the opposite in fact. The series is packed, both with story and characters, and set (far more than The Gathering was) on two worlds (prehistoric Earth and Cybertron). Poor Don (Figueroa). It’s not just that he’s got to squeeze in the entire cast of The Gathering along with a host of characters previously exclusive to the Japanese Beast Wars line, he’s got to retro-design about half of them (or more) so they appear in robot/alt. forms suitable for Cybertron. So what can I tell you about issue #3, while keeping things as spoiler-free as possible? Well, on the Earthbound side of the equation, heroic Maximal Razorbeast is engaged in some decidedly unheroic acts, forcing his team-mates into drastic (and quite possibly tragic) action. Conversely, self-serving Predacon Ravage is doing some uncharacteristically altruistic deeds, risking life and limb to broker a truce between the Predacons and The Pack. Seriously! Everything’s turned on its head in issue #3. Oh, and on Cybertron, those who’ve been craving some full on Big Convoy action (against The Ascending’s main ‘big bad’) will not be disappointed. Although you might want to look away on page 9! And then, as the issue comes to a close, just as Lio Convoy’s thinking things can’t get any worse and Don’s thinking, “thank God he can’t squeeze any more characters in here,” another quintet of bad guys make their comic book debut (although, thinking about it, one has previously featured in a Transformers comic book!!). Beast Wars The Ascending #3 is scheduled for October."

Remeber you can get the latest Beast Wars The Ascending and other Transformers comic news in the Seibertron.com Comics Section.

I do like the idea of miniseries that interloop, as apose to continuous run on stories, but at the same time, I feel like some of these stories are to busy and rushed.

Sometimes it's nice to sit down and read something without it being over before it begins.

But I'm not bashing here, I love Beast Wars and realy do lok forward to reading this completed story.

Anything with Don drawing Big Convoy can't lose. And I'm curious as to who the five new baddies are. I'd like to see them do something with a combining Tripredacus Council, but that's only three, so it can't be them.

Sounds hectic. I guess these stories aren't ever going to be as character-oriented as the original Beast Wars.

JazZeke wrote:Sounds hectic. I guess these stories aren't ever going to be as character-oriented as the original Beast Wars.

And what was the best part of Beast Wars that let that happen...

NO HUMANS, and lots of episodes!

That is unless you wanna count the cavefolk in the later episodes, which I realy don't as they weren't around that much

***fun fact, Susan Blu, the voice of Arcee, played the little cave girl***

But I digress, I'm realy only getting into thes comics now. Over the weekend, I picked up the SpotLight TPB. One of the stories was ShockWave and it showed him on early Earth fighting the DinoBots(L.S.C.). To combat him they had to take Maximal type bodies.

So my question as I'm seeing alot of subtle interweaving, Is this how Grimlock got a place in Beast Wars The Gathering?

I have not read the story yet, just the first issue booklet that came out with the Beast Wars 10th Primal and Megatron respectivly.

If so, this is some dam fine writing!

Love Dons work on the Gathering, cant wait for the Ascending for the art alone.

Still sounds like it'll be a new character in every frame, but I guess Furman is just trying to feature as many bots as he can...

Adding more characters to the mix? What is that now 40?

RatchetMD wrote:Adding more characters to the mix? What is that now 40?

I'm greatly enjoying seeing the B-Figures finnaly getting some love. So many of them where way better than most of the guys that made it to the shows.

But still, no Terrorgator

No Liege, Grimlock was aboard the Axalon at the start aboard a stasis pod (probably got shot into the atmosphere like the others too) and only just recently (in story terms) awoke.

Any ideas on who the big bad is? I can't really think of anyone who could fit that role so obviously yet I know I am going to kick myself when I do find out for not considering them.

Liege Evilmus wrote:

RatchetMD wrote:Adding more characters to the mix? What is that now 40?

I'm greatly enjoying seeing the B-Figures finally getting some love. So many of them where way better than most of the guys that made it to the shows.

But still, no Terrorgator

Actually he did make it into the comics. He even had a line in the first three pages of issue two.

Bass X0 wrote:Any ideas on who the big bad is? I can't really think of anyone who could fit that role so obviously yet I know I am going to kick myself when I do find out for not considering them.

I think Magmatron

Again? You'd think there would have been a new big bad.

Darth Zax wrote:

Bass X0 wrote:Any ideas on who the big bad is? I can't really think of anyone who could fit that role so obviously yet I know I am going to kick myself when I do find out for not considering them.

I think Magmatron

I think Magmatron ends up trying to work with the Maximals against the new big bad. Personally I'd love it if it were someone like Soundwave.

Hell, it could even be BM Megatron, with his transformation virus, seeing as the first BW comic took place towards the end of the Beast Wars.

i_amtrunks wrote:

Darth Zax wrote:

Bass X0 wrote:Any ideas on who the big bad is? I can't really think of anyone who could fit that role so obviously yet I know I am going to kick myself when I do find out for not considering them.

I think Magmatron

I think Magmatron ends up trying to work with the Maximals against the new big bad. Personally I'd love it if it were someone like Soundwave.

Hell, it could even be BM Megatron, with his transformation virus, seeing as the first BW comic took place towards the end of the Beast Wars.

If that's what happened, then I may have to stop buying the series. I prefer to pretend BM never happened.

But it could be written well.

JazZeke wrote:

i_amtrunks wrote:

Darth Zax wrote:

Bass X0 wrote:Any ideas on who the big bad is? I can't really think of anyone who could fit that role so obviously yet I know I am going to kick myself when I do find out for not considering them.

I think Magmatron

I think Magmatron ends up trying to work with the Maximals against the new big bad. Personally I'd love it if it were someone like Soundwave.

Hell, it could even be BM Megatron, with his transformation virus, seeing as the first BW comic took place towards the end of the Beast Wars.

If that's what happened, then I may have to stop buying the series. I prefer to pretend BM never happened.

I've got to agre with JazZeke on this one. althought i could deal with Cryoteck being involvedso long as it does lead directly into Bowel Movement that followed BeastWars

**side note: Anyone notice how bayformers seems to be in a similar design to Transtech **

i think the qunitet is gonna be;
Magmatrons Dino troops
Guiledart, Sabreback, Sling, Archadis and Dead End (if you remember he has a cameo in the gathering)

or
the Seacon pirates but to my knowledge they haven't appeared in any comics yet but i could be wrong

or even bw2 galvatrons vechile troops?
Megastorm, Starscream, BB, Thrust & Dirge again to my knowledge they haven't appeared in any comics yet but i could be wrong

the big bad i think will be bw 2nd Galvatron now he's super hard.

i_amtrunks wrote:

Darth Zax wrote:

Bass X0 wrote:Any ideas on who the big bad is? I can't really think of anyone who could fit that role so obviously yet I know I am going to kick myself when I do find out for not considering them.

I think Magmatron

I think Magmatron ends up trying to work with the Maximals against the new big bad. Personally I'd love it if it were someone like Soundwave.

Hell, it could even be BM Megatron, with his transformation virus, seeing as the first BW comic took place towards the end of the Beast Wars.

What about BWII Galvatron?

Hmm... I think i_amtrunks could be onto something. Furman likes BM, as far as I know, and I could see him wanting to tie up some of the loose ends that the BW/BM transition never answered. In fact, the very title 'The Ascending' could reference the attitude of impending godhood that TM2 Megs had in Nemesis Pt 2 (also a Furman story, natch) and into BM... hmmm.

About the only alternative I could think of is to try to tie it into the main IDWverse through Big Convoy, since whatever Dead Universe entity spoke to Optimus through the Matrix in Escalation #6 had Big Convoy's characteristic head (though I personally think it's Universe Nemesis Primal).

EDIT:
Never mind, I mis-read something.

thanks for posting, The gathring is such a great comic series.

I wonder if Tripredacus or Magnaboss will be in The gathring series