The Energon Pub

[Daniel Adkins]

WTF BUMBLEBEE'S ALIVE?!?!?!?!?!?

...We’ve known this for over a year.

Since Dark Cybertron, to be fair.

Comic Book Death trope 101: If you don't see the body, they ain't dead.

That's the only reason I'm hokding out any hope for Sixshot.

Although this rule does not apply to Hubcap, who was in fact killed by Prowl retroactively due to the continuity ending

Bumblebee had a REASON to come back, though. SIxshot doesn't.

[ScottyP]

WTF BUMBLEBEE'S ALIVE?!?!?!?!?!?

...We’ve known this for over a year.

Since Dark Cybertron, to be fair.

Comic Book Death trope 101: If you don't see the body, they ain't dead.

That's the only reason I'm hokding out any hope for Sixshot.

Although this rule does not apply to Hubcap, who was in fact killed by Prowl retroactively due to the continuity ending

Bumblebee had a REASON to come back, though. SIxshot doesn't.

Fine, reject his friendship

[AllNewSuperRobot]

WTF BUMBLEBEE'S ALIVE?!?!?!?!?!?

...We’ve known this for over a year.

Since Dark Cybertron, to be fair.

Comic Book Death trope 101: If you don't see the body, they ain't dead.

That's the only reason I'm hokding out any hope for Sixshot.

Although this rule does not apply to Hubcap, who was in fact killed by Prowl retroactively due to the continuity ending

Bumblebee had a REASON to come back, though. SIxshot doesn't.

Really
I'm pretty sure Goldbug or, lets face it, ANYONE could have fulfilled that "reason".

Besides the reason for Sixhot's absence I mentioned before, there is also the fact that neither Barber nor Roberts actually wanted to write Decepticons at all, other than less than a handful they could actually be bothered with. Outside of Shockwave, Overlord and the DJD (all of which have been "killed off/dealt with" consistently) everyone else was cast into the background or diluted into becoming pseudo-Autobots.

Hopefully the new continuity recognises the 50/50 split of Transformers once again.

[budmaloney]

Actually it's a nice read. Though I'm glad I got caught up before this. I still don't think they're ending the idw universe, it seems such an odd thing to do. Were the sales bad? Why throwaway their hardwork so recklessly?

It's not throwing anything away IDWverse will still exist, as a collected series, much like Marvel and DreamWave.
Nothing lasts forever and reboots are often both a sound business decision and a necessity, more frequently in this day and age of limited attention spans and quicker, marketing-based turn over. The era wherein you could be following a book for over 200 issues is long gone.

I do hope they end it clean. No ties whatsoever. a Real reboot, not a halfhearted one.

Yeah I guess that's a very nice way of looking at it. I agree with you that I'd like a real rebook with no ties so that in many ways we could get closure on an incredible story that spanned and amazing ten years or so.

Actually it's a nice read. Though I'm glad I got caught up before this. I still don't think they're ending the idw universe, it seems such an odd thing to do. Were the sales bad? Why throwaway their hardwork so recklessly?

The sales were bad, yes. That's kinda the long and short of it. While its scope is very limited, http://www.comichron.com is a place you can dig into some numbers if you're curious.

As for Transformers, (post is all speculation from here on!) I think Roberts and Barber were close enough to the end of the stories they wanted to tell and rather than try to shift creative teams and continue on, as was done for McCarthy, Costa, and said duo, they just decided to end it. Whoever comes in after can start fresh, unhindered by the 2nd longest running and probably most complex Transformers continuity ever. That goes for readers and the creative teams!

Thanks for the link, I didn't know about this website it's intriguing. Perhaps if the reason was to maintain the creative integrity and vision then they've been going strong all this time and to wrap it up in such a planned way is something I hope to see. And honestly what better way to wrap things with Unicron? If he does destroy the entire IDW and Bumblebee is the only one that passes through the portal or something I'm ok with that. And maybe , just maybe the Bayverse Bumblebee would be the same IDW one that teleported through then they can keep the threat of Unicron legitimate and alive. Wishful thinking I guess

I am so happy that Bee is alive but Wheeljack

[Daniel Adkins]

WTF BUMBLEBEE'S ALIVE?!?!?!?!?!?

...We’ve known this for over a year.

Since Dark Cybertron, to be fair.

Comic Book Death trope 101: If you don't see the body, they ain't dead.

That's the only reason I'm hokding out any hope for Sixshot.

Although this rule does not apply to Hubcap, who was in fact killed by Prowl retroactively due to the continuity ending

Bumblebee had a REASON to come back, though. SIxshot doesn't.

Really
I'm pretty sure Goldbug or, lets face it, ANYONE could have fulfilled that "reason".

Besides the reason for Sixhot's absence I mentioned before, there is also the fact that neither Barber nor Roberts actually wanted to write Decepticons at all, other than less than a handful they could actually be bothered with. Outside of Shockwave, Overlord and the DJD (all of which have been "killed off/dealt with" consistently) everyone else was cast into the background or diluted into becoming pseudo-Autobots.

Hopefully the new continuity recognises the 50/50 split of Transformers once again.

But Goldbug ISN'T Bumblebee. Sure, he's based on a toy of Bumblebee, but he's a completely different character in the IDW Universe. He didn't come to Earth with Prowl and the rest, he didn't become leader of Cybertron, he didn't meet Rom. He didn't do anything of the things Bumblebee did. His presence wouldn't have the same effect as Bumblebee's.

And no, Sixshot had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

But Goldbug ISN'T Bumblebee. Sure, he's based on a toy of Bumblebee, but he's a completely different character in the IDW Universe. He didn't come to Earth with Prowl and the rest, he didn't become leader of Cybertron, he didn't meet Rom. He didn't do anything of the things Bumblebee did. His presence wouldn't have the same effect as Bumblebee's.

And no, Sixshot had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

I didn't say Goldbug was Bumblebee, just that he was as good a place holder as anyone else. In recent years Bumblebee has become the definition of a tryhard character. Along similar lines to Rey in the new Star Wars. Since Bayformers, IDW and HasTak couldn't be giving a more concerted effort to force his prominence, when all he has ever really been is the gateway character to the series.

It's one of those things, I remember being a part of the IDW forums at the time and people were angry that Bumblebee had been shoehorned into leadership. That it was clearly mandated and not natural story progression.

Ask around, for those that were reading IDWverse post- Dark Cybertron, how many even noticed he wasn't there? (although they copped out on that too). He is not pivotal at all, to anything that is going on. He's not Soundwave, Optimus, Windblade, Rodimus or Ultra Magnus etc If anything...

And no, Bumblebee had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

This edit is quite apt.

[AlphaBass]

And no, Bumblebee had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

This edit is quite apt.

Isn't Bumblebee's movie coming out at the end of the year, around when the IDW-verse is supposed to end? That's about as good a reason as any to bring him back.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

And no, Bumblebee had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

This edit is quite apt.

Isn't Bumblebee's movie coming out at the end of the year, around when the IDW-verse is supposed to end? That's about as good a reason as any to bring him back.

Exactly. A mandated reason, not a legitimate one.

[Daniel Adkins]

And no, Bumblebee had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

This edit is quite apt.

Isn't Bumblebee's movie coming out at the end of the year, around when the IDW-verse is supposed to end? That's about as good a reason as any to bring him back.

Exactly. A mandated reason, not a legitimate one.

Bumblebee’s resurrection was planned four years ago. He was always going to come back becuase he’s a tent pole character of the franchise. Whether you think he’s being “forced” or whatever (which he isn’t, he’s always been a popular character) doesn’t really matter becuase the fact is he’s one of the most important characters in Transformers fiction, right up there with Optimus, Megatron and Starscream. And you can’t simply replace him with any character like Goldbug or Centurion or whoever becuase regardless of appearance, they aren’t the same character as Bumblebee.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

And no, Bumblebee had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

This edit is quite apt.

Isn't Bumblebee's movie coming out at the end of the year, around when the IDW-verse is supposed to end? That's about as good a reason as any to bring him back.

Exactly. A mandated reason, not a legitimate one.

Bumblebee’s resurrection was planned four years ago. He was always going to come back becuase he’s a tent pole character of the franchise. Whether you think he’s being “forced” or whatever (which he isn’t, he’s always been a popular character) doesn’t really matter becuase the fact is he’s one of the most important characters in Transformers fiction, right up there with Optimus, Megatron and Starscream. And you can’t simply replace him with any character like Goldbug or Centurion or whoever becuase regardless of appearance, they aren’t the same character as Bumblebee.

To anyone that has read comics for a long enough time, the thought of his "resurrection" was redundant because although gravely wounded you never saw his body so he was never dead in the first place.

The anecdote I mentioned didn't reflect my thoughts in the slightest. I couldn't care less about Bumblebee, or Prime for that matter. Other than two exceptions, I don't like any of the Autobots by default. The cynicism I mentioned was from other fans of the series.

Let's draw a line here, Within IDWverse, you can clearly see how his prominence has been forced. The subtle character introduction from Infiltration to leadership in RiD. If not for the success of Bayformers, which used BB as its poster child, I doubt he would have gained such a featured role in this continuity. His previous niche was already taken.

Ratchet took his place as the gateway character, Prowl took his place in a meaningful relationship with Spike Witwicky etc etc

The fact is, prior to the movies, Bumblebee was not that important. He was entirely absent from the Beast Era, Car Robots, The Unicron Trilogy. From Sunbow to Animated. To that end he wasn't on the same level of popularity as Prime, Megatron or Starscream, that have never been away from the franchise in any media.


As I said above, the only reason they are "resurrecting" him now, is because a Movie is coming out. Otherwise, the continuity is ending, so there would be no point in reintroducing him only for him to die again with the rest by the end of Unicron's story.

[Daniel Adkins]

And no, Bumblebee had no narrative reason to come back. His story is over. He died. That's it.

This edit is quite apt.

Isn't Bumblebee's movie coming out at the end of the year, around when the IDW-verse is supposed to end? That's about as good a reason as any to bring him back.

Exactly. A mandated reason, not a legitimate one.

Bumblebee’s resurrection was planned four years ago. He was always going to come back becuase he’s a tent pole character of the franchise. Whether you think he’s being “forced” or whatever (which he isn’t, he’s always been a popular character) doesn’t really matter becuase the fact is he’s one of the most important characters in Transformers fiction, right up there with Optimus, Megatron and Starscream. And you can’t simply replace him with any character like Goldbug or Centurion or whoever becuase regardless of appearance, they aren’t the same character as Bumblebee.

To anyone that has read comics for a long enough time, the thought of his "resurrection" was redundant because although gravely wounded you never saw his body so he was never dead in the first place.

The anecdote I mentioned didn't reflect my thoughts in the slightest. I couldn't care less about Bumblebee, or Prime for that matter. Other than two exceptions, I don't like any of the Autobots by default. The cynicism I mentioned was from other fans of the series.

Let's draw a line here, Within IDWverse, you can clearly see how his prominence has been forced. The subtle character introduction from Infiltration to leadership in RiD. If not for the success of Bayformers, which used BB as its poster child, I doubt he would have gained such a featured role in this continuity. His previous niche was already taken.

Ratchet took his place as the gateway character, Prowl took his place in a meaningful relationship with Spike Witwicky etc etc

The fact is, prior to the movies, Bumblebee was not that important. He was entirely absent from the Beast Era, Car Robots, The Unicron Trilogy. From Sunbow to Animated. To that end he wasn't on the same level of popularity as Prime, Megatron or Starscream, that have never been away from the franchise in any media.


As I said above, the only reason they are "resurrecting" him now, is because a Movie is coming out. Otherwise, the continuity is ending, so there would be no point in reintroducing him only for him to die again with the rest by the end of Unicron's story.

You have a very cynical and utilitarian way of looking at stories, my friend.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

Yes, the cynicism comes from reading comics since the 80's. Likewise I have no real diehard affinity to any continuity or character, so my perception is very black and white. What is in print and/or onscreen is all that matters.

Sure, Beast Wars is my favourite Transformers series, but it's not the greatest thing ever. It's not even the best CG series Mainframe made.

[ZeroWolf]

:lol:

Yes, the cynicism comes from reading comics since the 80's. Likewise I have no real diehard affinity to any continuity or character, so my perception is very black and white. What is in print and/or onscreen is all that matters.

Sure, Beast Wars is my favourite Transformers series, but it's not the greatest thing ever. It's not even the best CG series Mainframe made.

I think the greatest thing mainframe did was reboot or shadow raiders...

[Va'al]

Via online retailer Amazon, we have a listing for the final trade paperback for this narrative continuity in the IDW Publishing Transformers universe (barring any issues in scheduling releases, of course) collecting the mini-series / event named after its main threat: Unicron.

Due out next March 2019, the blurb hints at something of a revenge story from the devourer of worlds, and the event itself should be starting this month, so stay tuned to Seibertron.com for more coverage as we discover it!

Transformers: Unicron Paperback – March 12, 2019
by John Barber (Author), Alex Milne (Illustrator)

The end is nigh! Unicron, a planet-sized being that devours other worlds, has set its sights on Cybertron and all of its colonies–including Earth!

Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and their friends must unite every Cybertronian, Earthling, and ally they have to stand against this threat to all existence. But why is Unicron hellbent on destroying Cybertron–what original sin did Optimus Prime’s ancestors commit to earn this wrath? It’s an all-out battle against extinction as the world-destroying, universe-shattering threat of Unicron comes to destroy everything.

Collects the complete six issue series Transformers: Unicron.

Product details

Series: Transformers
Paperback: 152 pages
Publisher: IDW Publishing (March 12, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1684054230
ISBN-13: 978-1684054237

[ZeroWolf]

A revenge story? So will thus be a riff of the original take of primus v unicron after all

[AllNewSuperRobot]

A revenge story? So will thus be a riff of the original take of primus v unicron after all

If so, that is both disappointing and creatively, lazy as hell.

[ZeroWolf]

There could be some room to maneuver depending on specifics.

[Daniel Adkins]

"...must unite every Cybertronian, Earthling, and ally they have..."

Clearly this means the most important hero in the universe will be showing up.

[ZeroWolf]

...and the bear is who?

[Daniel Adkins]

Nikomi the Space Knight!

(whose full history can be read here https://www.allspark.com/2018/06/the-al ... d-issue-1/)

[AllNewSuperRobot]

Nikomi the Space Knight!

(whose full history can be read here https://www.allspark.com/2018/06/the-al ... d-issue-1/)

Oh? I thought that was just fan art of the Hero of Time...

[ZeroWolf]

Either would subjugate unicron

I am interested in seeing how they set up this grudge (maybe primus took the last pancake or he framed unicron for a crime he didn't commit)

[Daniel Adkins]

That's assuming Primus actually exists at all, and Unicron isn't just some monster that inspired the myths of Primus and Unicron.

Becuase let's be real, the IDW Universe has gone to such great lengths to keep the myths and religion of Cybertron vague and unconfirmed that outright saying "Yes, Primus the all-powerful deity and creator of the Cybertronian race, really does exist" would be... kinda lame.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

That's assuming Primus actually exists at all, and Unicron isn't just some monster that inspired the myths of Primus and Unicron.

Becuase let's be real, the IDW Universe has gone to such great lengths to keep the myths and religion of Cybertron vague and unconfirmed that outright saying "Yes, Primus the all-powerful deity and creator of the Cybertronian race, really does exist" would be... kinda lame.

Agreed.

[ZeroWolf]

Ah but then who would unicron be getting revenge on unless...unicron here was actually megatronus but changed beyond all recognition. Sort of like how Mr sinister turned into Apocalypse in ultimate x men.