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AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Cartoons have always been their own thing anyway, since G1 (Sunbow vs. Marvel Comics). Yet in the comics, most context specific characters IE Thunderwing or Grimlock have been different visually in every continuity.

Dreamwave kept every G1 character's classic looks for their comics set in the 21st century, yet that was a new continuity,

Not really as the designs would often change to match current toys (look at Starscream).

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Cartoons have always been their own thing anyway, since G1 (Sunbow vs. Marvel Comics). Yet in the comics, most context specific characters IE Thunderwing or Grimlock have been different visually in every continuity.

Dreamwave kept every G1 character's classic looks for their comics set in the 21st century, yet that was a new continuity,

Context Specific characters. Dreamwave didn't keep the characters with the same look in every storyline, set in every time period. For example, having Bumblebee or Grimlock look like a VW Bug and T-Rex respectively, on Cybertron millions of years prior to their arrival, would have stupid and a massive aesthetic plot hole.

As we edge ever closer, I got to thinking about the limitations of a licensed property and how the New Continuity could still work around it. In an ideal world, Transformers could greatly benefit from someone like Grant Morrison. If a truly New Continuity would be the aim of the Reboot, none could do it better. Tear it all apart and rebuild the series from the ground up. When it comes to Transformers in recent times however, The problem does tend to be two fold.

1. HasTak - License Holder. They have been known to be quite flexible, but only to a point and since the implementation of Aligned Continuity, tend to revert the series to a fallback position, catering to...

2. Slavish devotion to G1. Does Transformers need cookie cutter repetition? A vocal group (of unknown size) would scream yes and thus Transformers becomes an ouroboros. For every Rhinox, a Prowl. Every Hot Shot, a Bumblebee. Every Bulkhead, an Ironhide etc etc etc

Now neither of the above are going to be upended in the Reboot. The Comic Book arm of Transformers doesn't have that level of power/autonomy. Plus SIEGE is clearly helmed by someone with a similar G1-Fetish. But even if locked in a visual 'cage' for lack of a better word, I do hope the new creative teams don't just settle for what is easy aka G1: 2019 Edition Or something ultimately superfluous to being based within Transformers at all ala MTMTE/LL.

A 'Spotlight: Arcee' level reinvention would be the ideal, yet the promo material to date doesn't fill me with much confidence of that either.

Thanks to a Tweet from Tom Waltz, we have a new cover to look at for the upcoming IDW Transformers ongoing! The new cover is for issue #8, which will most likely come out in the latter part of June of this year. The cover art features Cyclonus, who is a fan favorite from the original IDW run, standing in a yellowish haze with a Titan that looks to have stolen Armada Megatron's head standing in the background. Interesting to note here is that Cyclonus is based on his 2015 Combiner Wars toy, the first time this body is seeing the light of day past his box art, and continues the trend of all characters showing up in this series being based on either upcoming Siege toys or older Prime Wars Trilogy toys.

The artwork for this issue was done by Anna Malkova, Who has already become quite the fan favorite cover artist thanks to previous covers revealed for the series.

Check out the cover below, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Cyclonus was also in his Combiner Wars design in Forged to Fight.

It's amazing how much better this version of Cyclonus looks with better proportions!

Quantum Surge wrote:Cyclonus was also in his Combiner Wars design in Forged to Fight.

Exactly so


Also, what is teenage Metroplex doing in the background?

Takara also used the Unite Warriors deco of CW Cyclonus in the Unite Warriors comics:

To be fair guys, this is the first time IDW have used the design After what Roberts did with Cyclonus, it'll be interesting what they do with him here.

Can't be any worse than that, true

As long as he has a on his chest, all will be well. They can start rebuilding a recognisable Cyclonus for a new generation. Not just use his 'skin' for a different kind of character altogether.

I quite liked Roberts Cyclonus, it was far better then anything that came before where he was just galvatrons nanny. I'm all for taking characters in new directions, exploring new concepts. What's the point of treading old ground? Given his form maybe they'll try out the Galvatronus combiner (they can easily transfer the mind to a solitary body or even better have the mind possess Megatrons body to play to the best of both worlds)

As it is I'm looking forward to this and to the outbreak of war.

ZeroWolf wrote:I quite liked Roberts Cyclonus, it was far better then anything that came before where he was just galvatrons nanny.

Or just a thuggish bully in Marvel G1.

ZeroWolf wrote: What's the point of treading old ground?

One word good sir, "Evergreen"

Cyclonus was as bare bones as anyone else in previous continuities. Wherein the characterisation could generally be summed up in a blurb at the most. Re-treading "old ground" in the case of Cyclonus could be done in a page or less.

As an aside, the Partwork just began the first arc of MTMTE, "Liars A to D". I decided to go into it with an open mind and I'm not liking what I'm reading already. Plus the two 'Chibi' characters (Swerve and Tailgate) have been visually jarring from the outset.

Well, I'm bit late to the party in this one, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating what anyone has said before. I've only just been able to catch up on the IDWverse thanks to picking up trades here and there when I can. (Damn you Hasbro, is it not enough that I spend all my money on transformers already? Must I spend more money on damn good comics too?)
I'm interested in the direction this line is going to take compared to the ways Roberts and Barbee went, and the bar they set. MTMTE/Lost Light was so good that I don't envy whoever is stepping in to fill those shoes.

One thing though, it does kill me that this means we'll probably never get official Lotty, Rung, and the DJD or a Nautica outside of a box set.

Personally I'd love to see stark reinventions of existing characters, as we are lumbered with the same tired old G1 faces. Akin to what Furman gave us with the -Ations and Spotlights. Thunderwing as The Hulk, Arcee as Frankenstein's Monster, Ultra Magnus as Judge Dredd, Galvatron as his own character etc etc

It annoys me that all of Transformers, from G1 to Modern Day, is there to make use of EG Furman had everything from Gestalts to Micromasters within a year or two. Alongside the ever present need to make new characters and some writers are just stuck reusing the same ones over and over.

Let's not just write this off just yet, but from hasbros point of view, this is to tell the story of the toys, where IDW was given a lot more freedom at first. Who knows what we could get if Hasbro stepped back and just made toys based on the comics instead of insisting on tie ins

I was more referring to the tail end of the previous continuity than assumptions on the new one, which I am relatively positive about.
Indeed, to sell the toys. So why not use as many as you can? Increased exposure would create a new fanbase for just about anyone. They could even make the Firecons or Hot Shot into something people actually want a Modern toy for, not just as a nostalgia piece.

Their first priority is selling toys that are out now. We may see more cases of being able to guess future toys from the comics (like now with them using the (at the time) Leader Class Prime redeco. Could be the upshot of how close hasbro and IDW are currently.

Surely that was also the same priority for Furman when IDWverse began in 2006? But he still used everyone, even both iterations of Pretenders. Use the entire back catalogue and let HasTak pick and choose who to release at their leisure.

I don't know, especially if you think the designs of the characters then compared to the toys out at the time. Different marketing approaches for different times. If Hasbro really cared about the comic selling toys, would they let Mcathy reboot the designs back to the G1 toon style for All Hail Megatron?

The fallback to G1 always tends to be the knee jerk reaction to rebooting Transformers, regardless of media. Even though the brand is 35 years old now and there are entire generations of fans with no affinity towards G1 AT ALL, this is still the preferred "jump on" point. Because nothing quite says "modern" to fans of the 90's, 00's and 10's, like a throwback to the 80's

It is a shame HasTak were so late in adapting the IDW designs into toys. I would have loved to see Thunderwing, the -Ations Seekers etc as toys.

Thunderwing would have been a good one, but how many would have complained that he didn't stick to Marvel G1 stylings?

But it wasn't the Marvel series, it was IDW continuity - Is the counterpoint to shut down the whiners. Besides, I'm sure the ratio of people in 2006 thinking he was a new character, who probably had never seen the Marvel Comic from the 80's would have been quite high in itself.

Thanks to a heads up from Transformers comic book artist Robby Musso, who longtime Transformers comics fans will remember from IDW's Spotlight titles such as Spotlight: Ultra Magnus and Spotlight: Cliffjumper among others, we can share a first look at an exclusive cover for the upcoming Transformers #1 that will be available through Showcase Comic Books and Collectibles in Slidell, Louisiana. Check out the info and the cover itself below!

Showcase Comic Books and Collectibles wrote:It’s a slow Sunday, who wants to see something cool?

We decided since IDW was rebooting Transformers next month, we should get in on the action. With Robby Musso being one of the best Transformers artists on the planet, and a good friend of the shop, we decided to get our own cover done for the release!

These will be available through the shop or Facebook page for $19.99 each. Word on the street is he may be signing them for free at the shop in March also, keep an eye open for more updates on that! Plenty of room to get a nice remark on the front, or back cover also!

If you're in the area, or just want to order a copy of the book with this cover for yourself, the Showcase Comic Books and Collectibles Facebook page will have additional information on release timing and launch event details in the coming weeks to keep you informed. Keep it here at Seibertron.com for all the latest as the new iteration of IDW's Transformers approaches launch next month.