The Energon Pub

[Va'al]

We have seen the solicitations from IDW Publishing for November 2016 here, with the first full reveal of the new ongoing series Optimus Prime, at the hands of John Barber and newcoming artist Kei Zama - a series that takes over from the current The Transformers ongoing, and that sees a 'corkscrew from space', that ring any bells? Below, find three full covers via Comics Alliance for this new start in the IDWverse for Transformers, from Zama, Sonny Liew and Andrew Griffith, plus a reminder of the solicit!

Start: November 2016
Writer: John Barber
Artist(s): Kei Zama

Optimus Prime #1— GEM OF THE MONTH
John Barber (w) • Kei Zama (a & c)
REVOLUTION is over—but the danger to Earth is just beginning. As OPTIMUS PRIME pulls Earth into the larger universe, he’s painted a target on Earth… and a new alien incursion begins when a corkscrew shaped craft drills into our world!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 11/16/16

[Kurona]

Quintessons are gonna be bizarre in IDW. I'm wondering if and somewhat hoping they'll get a redesign, because the original one is a little hard to take seriously.

[Tyrannacon]

I doubt they will get re-design. Remember Pentius? I think he kept the look (haven't read the comic, just have read about). I have not noticed any major departure from the previous design with him. I do agree though, they are hard to take seriously with their original design.

[Kurona]

I doubt they will get re-design. Remember Pentius? I think he kept the look (haven't read the comic, just have read about). I have not noticed any major departure from the previous design with him. I do agree though, they are hard to take seriously with their original design.

Oh woah, I didn't know they'd already appeared in IDW. I really need to read the pre-DoOP stuff...

[Tyrannacon]

Hey, don't feel bad. I haven't read all of the comics my self entirely. I was getting a few of them here and there, but have just been reading the summaries and such as they come out to stay up on it. I was doing this before in between pays with reading up on the characters in the comics on TFWiki to get up to speed for when I was able to have money to get the comics.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Preview World has provided us with an interview today for the upcoming Transformers: Optimus Prime ongoing series. The interview features John Barber, who will be writing the series and is the current author the Transformers ongoing, set to have its concluding issue later this month prior to the Revolution crossover. You can check out the full interview by clicking the link above, and we have mirrored some of the interview below for you to read. The series will be beginning in November.

Optimus Prime As Both Statesman & Soldier

PREVIEWSworld: What reverberations from Revolution will carry over into the events of Optimus Prime #1 (SEP160404)?

John Barber: Not to give anything away, but as Revolution starts, Optimus is in a fairly antagonistic relationship with ... well, almost everybody. He’s come to Earth and said the whole planet is going to be part of Cybertron’s Council of World, without asking if the people of Earth wanted to be in it — or if the people of Cybertron wanted them. He’s doing this because he thinks he’s out of options to protect the Earth — he’s tried fighting evil Cybertronians, tried leaving the place alone. But bringing Earth into Cybertron’s fold is the only thing he hasn’t tried.

.....

PREVIEWSworld: Describe your working relationship with artist Kei Zama. How have you two got along during production? How does the chemistry work, and why is Kei the best person for this book?

John Barber: I’ve known of Kei for a while — she’s friends with Andrew Griffith, who drew the Transformers series. I’d been working with him for years, and he — understandably — wanted to take a break from Transformers and work on some other characters for a little while. So I knew there was going to be a change.

[Mkall]

So is this gong to be the 4th ongoing TF series?

[D-Maximal_Primal]

So is this gong to be the 4th ongoing TF series?

This is replacing ex-RiD, so essentially they are the same thing, different name

[Insurgent]

So is this gong to be the 4th ongoing TF series?

This is replacing ex-RiD, so essentially they are the same thing, different name

Phew. That's a relief. Because a fourth ongoing would have been too much. Even three is pushing it.


Also, I really like Kei's artwork. Got a print she did at TFN of the season 1 Maximals. Looks awesome.

[Kurona]

Hope we get to see more of Cosmos. I know it sounds a bit odd and specific, but he is one of the better characters in the current roster imo.

[1984forever]

New title, same crappy line up.

It's got the weakest version of Optimus Prime ever known to man or machine.

A Soundwave who can't decide if he wants to be 'bot, 'con, or Nail. He also has a speech pattern every single writer at idw gets wrong except Shane McCarthy.

A Arcee whose gender has been changed from no gender to female by simply adding robot breasts, child bearing hips and lipstick.

And a Back to the future homage that transforms into one of the new Ghostbusters.

It's just so ironic how people say I'm closed minded, but they're willing to read a Transformers title that has had the same roster for years.

[Va'al]

NEW CYBERTRON! A massive corkscrew-shaped space ship has drilled into Earth, bringing with it a surprising disruption to OPTIMUS PRIME’s plans. Meanwhile—ARCEE fields a dangerous offer that may be too good to resist!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Guest starring G.I. JOE!
The new world order continues as OPTIMUS PRIME struggles to bring Earth into the cosmic community!
Plus—how ORION PAX first met BUMBLEBEE!
Variant cover by Zoner!

[Kurona]

Welp, gotta get Bumble-big-bucks-bee in there somehow.

[Va'al]

IDW Publishing's Chris Ryall has updated his Tumblr with an extract from the new Transformers series starting next month, post Revolution: Optimus Prime! Newcomer Kei Zama takes on the art duties, and we are treated to a full clean first page of the new book, with colours by Josh Burcham too. Check it out below, and join the discussion in the Energon Pub.

Welcome to the Transformers officially, Kei Zama (@Golby_mkII )! Page 1 from next month’s Optimus Prime #1. Colors by Josh Burcham.

the first page of Optimus Prime #1! Say hello and goodbye to new character...

[Kurona]

Is that Armada Smokescreen?

[SG Roadbuster]

I'm pretty sure it's his Minicon, Liftor

and might I say, Kei Zama's art is AMAZING! sooooo much better than the garbage that Livio Ramondelli vomits onto books Condemned to be punished by him.

Hopefully IDW makes the right choice for artist to use in future "big event books"

[Deadput]

Holy crap we get another good Transformer artist who's art actually looks not crap and is someone besides Alex Milne not saying his art sucks I love his style but it's good for Alex to get a break every once in awhile.


But seriously Livio was appalling in his work for Transformers when he isn't doing a cover I mean good god I stopped bothering with Ex-Rid when he started becoming the artist for it.

[ricemazter]

I'm pretty sure it's his Minicon, Liftor

and might I say, Kei Zama's art is AMAZING! sooooo much better than the garbage that Livio Ramondelli vomits onto books Condemned to be punished by him.

Hopefully IDW makes the right choice for artist to use in future "big event books"

Hmmmm, let's not be too hasty. I agree with the sentiment Livio isn't my favorite transformers artist, but the man's art is by no means bad. The first problem as I see it is that Livio has a really painterly style that doesn't mesh well with the transformers aesthetic of clean lines and bri colours.

The other is that of time. Comic books are produced really quickly and require a ton of different images with a lot of different compositions in a short period. That's why you normally have a line artist and a colorist on the same book. Livio, probably because his style doesn't lend itself to a separate colorist to match the kind of linework he does, pulls double duty. That's also why his covers are excellent, as is the material on his deviant art page.

Sorry about the rant, but as an aspiring artist it reaaly grinds my gears when someone says an artist is "bad".

[Rainmaker]

Am I the only one who doesn't understand what this page means

[rockman_fan]

color scheme reminds me of optimal optimus.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Wonder who the guy will be and why he ends up dead.

And I think some of us can agree Livio's art really improved. Look at Titans Return. It was a really well-drawn comic

[Easy Tiger]

Goshooter cameo!

Guess he must have had stuff going on before becoming a Transtector...

[ScottyP]

If I have one fanboy gripe about IDW, it's that Unicron Trilogy era characters are treated as absolute cannon fodder.

It's not the only era to get that treatment, but one of the only ones to not get much exception to it

[Kurona]

If I have one fanboy gripe about IDW, it's that Unicron Trilogy era characters are treated as absolute cannon fodder.

It's not the only era to get that treatment, but one of the only ones to not get much exception to it

I think it's mostly just that people like killing Hot Shot.

[Shot Put]

If I have one fanboy gripe about IDW, it's that Unicron Trilogy era characters are treated as absolute cannon fodder.

It's not the only era to get that treatment, but one of the only ones to not get much exception to it

We don't know for sure who this guy is, so I'd wait for the issue to come out before complaining about anyone getting the short end of the stick.