The Energon Pub

[psychogoatee]

Hi, I've read the Dreamwave 6-issue G1 mini-series. I was wondering what the continuity is for the various Dreamwave comics?

There's the three G1 series, which I figure are in the same continuity. Where do War Within, Armada, and the rest fit in? Are they all separate, or is it one cohesive timeline?

Thanks.

[Leonardo]

War Within was supposed to fit in with the G1 continuity, as a sort of prequel, but there were inconsistencies.

Armada doesn't fit in with the G1 continuity unless you count the fact that (possible spoiler) G1 Galvatron crosses over into Armada from a parallel universe (i.e., the G1 continuity). I suppose if you count parallel universes as one and the same then they fit in with one continuity.

O, and the Energon series carries on from Armada, so that's in Armada's continuity.

[psychogoatee]

Thanks. As for the IDW Transformers stuff, I plan on getting to Infiltration soon. After that which should be read first, Stormbringer or Escalation?

[Leonardo]

Stormbringer, probably, because it occurs at the same time as Infiltration and sets up a few minor things for Escalation.

[Glyph]

Heheh, you just opened Pandora's box... ;)

Essentially, the Dreamwave comics are in their own continuity, based on elements of both the US cartoon and the Marvel comics (but primarily the cartoon). The DW material frequently attempted to create the One True Unified Continuity, and was (for a time, at least) regarded as the new 'official' continuity by Hasbro.

As to the other series, it runs something like this:

US cartoon continuity
G1 cartoon S1-2 -> TF: The Movie -> G1 cartoon S3 -> The Rebirth
Cartoon -> Beast Wars -> Beast Machines
The cartoon -> Beast continuity is generally accepted, though not without exception.

Japanese cartoon continuity
G1 S1-2 (Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers) -> G1 S3 (Transformers: 2010) -> Transformers: Headmasters -> Transformers: Super God Masterforce -> Transformers: Victory -> Transformers: Zone -> various manga...
Scramble City bridged the S2 to S3 gap in Japan until they eventually got the Movie.

(I'm not certain how the Japanese dubs of Beast Wars (S1) / Beast Wars Metals (S2/3) and the Japanese-exclusive shows Beast Wars 2 and Beast Wars Neo fit into the Japanese cartoon continuity, or whether they're a separate entity in their own right.)

Marvel continuity
Marvel US #1-80 -> Marvel US G2
Marvel UK #1-#332 interleave between the US stories without too much trouble.
The Marvel adaptation of TFTM is outside of the regular comic continuity; the appearances of Unicron, Galvatron et al in the Marvel continuity generally involve time travel and/or alternate universes.
The UK G2 comics are generally ignored due to being, well, pretty crap really.
Various prose stories penned by Simon Furman for conventions are retroactively included in the G1-G2 comic continuity as well.

Dreamwave continuity
Pretty much everything Dreamwave published, including the DK Ultimate Guide. The G1 continuity received a reboot which tried to tie together the existing comic and cartoon continuities whilst inserting some of its own material. There is particular confusion over the 'Original 13' element of the G1 history, which AFAIK is similar to but intended to replace the 'Original 12' and Omega Point elements of Furman's retcon convention material.

The Unicron Trilogy
Armada -> Energon -> Cybertron (Hasbro version only)
The three recent series are in their own continuity (in the Hasbro dub; Galaxy Force, for example, had no links to Energon in the Japanese original). They make allusions to earlier G1 material, but this should be understood as an 'alternate universe' version of that material.

IDW comics
Beast Wars: The Gathering (and any sequels) are in the US Beast Wars show continuity, with additional elements drawn in from the Japanese shows.
Hearts of Steel is a what-if standalone continuity.
Infiltration, Escalation, Devastation, Stormbringer, the various Spotlights and the Megatron origin, along with anything else in the G1 universe, is all set in a single, newly 're-imagined' G1 continuity.

Other stuff
Uh, I think pretty much everything else falls under 'what-ifs' and standalone continuities. TF: Universe is the main player here, being in itself an amalgamated continuity pulling elements from all over the place (read: any toyline with a repaintable, marketable mould available).


That probably muddied the waters for you, but I hope it helped a bit!

--EDIT--
For reference, this would have been the first reply if it hadn't taken so damn long to type!

[Leonardo]

Glyph, you should just save it in Word so that you can copy and paste when the need arises!

[psychogoatee]

Thanks for the info.

[Chris McFeely]

Check it.

[General Magnus]

I still don´t understand why in crap´s sake Devastator had an altrustic moment and sacrficed himself. That is so not Devastator

[Leonardo]

Check it.

That's useful, thanks!

[Insurgent]

I still don´t understand why in crap´s sake Devastator had an altrustic moment and sacrficed himself. That is so not Devastator

If that's the end of the novel trilogy, he didn't. He was fighting that Omega Sentinal (which had turned back into an Autobot due to the Matrix) when OS realised he had to go through a portal and end the misery of those Keepers. Deciding that Devastator made too much of a threat on Earth, he dragged the big guy through the portal against his will (and Dev didn't exactly go through peacefully). Something happened in the other dimension and at the end, a secret Earth ship was on trails when they found a deactivated Devastator floating around Saturn. They decided to take him in, but the book never explained who these humans were. Now that I know it was the EDC, things in that novel are finally rounded off.

[Scaleface]

Now if I figure correctly, the "Beast Wars" can be fit into the G1 animated series, the G1 Marvel comics, the G1 Dreamwave comics, and the Devil's Due G1 comics. In all three cases, the Beast Wars could have taken place without contradicting these series. Of course Starscream died in Devil's Due, but if he has an immortal spark, he could return.

[Leonardo]

Of course Starscream died in Devil's Due, but if he has an immortal spark, he could return.

Yes, of course, he died in the G1 cartoon, also.

[Cyberstrike]

I'm not certain how the Japanese dubs of Beast Wars (S1) / Beast Wars Metals (S2/3) and the Japanese-exclusive shows Beast Wars 2 and Beast Wars Neo fit into the Japanese cartoon continuity, or whether they're a separate entity in their own right.

I THINK but I wouldn't swear to it that BWII and BW Neo were what essential what the we would call
"side stories" to Beast Wars.
The Maximals/Cybertrons and The Predacons/Destrons in BWII and Neo were all from the same future that the North American BW Maximals and Predacons came from.
While Optimus Primal was battling Megatron on pre-historic Earth,
Lio Convoy and Galvatron in BWII were fighting it out on a different planet at the same time, (relatively speaking) in the same future.
Beast Wars Neo took place all over the universe a few years
after Beast Wars II.