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[El Duque]

Our friends at IDW Publishing have sent over the preview for this week's release of Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots #1. Enjoy the preview found below and be sure to pick up or download the first issue of this exciting four part mini-series tomorrow.

TRANSFORMERS PRIME RAGE O/T DINOBOTS #1 (OF 4)
(W) Mike Johnson, Mairghread Scott (A) Agustin Padilla (CA) Ken Christiansen
Bridging the story from the Fall of Cybertron video game to the Prime TV show-the DINOBOTS hold the line as CYBERTRON falls! With OPTIMUS PRIME and the Ark long gone, the rest of the population makes their escape from the dying world-but SHOCKWAVE remains behind, continuing his experiments!

[PrymeStriker]

Magnus...

Yeah, he's totally going to be in season 3.

The Dinobots look beautiful.

Can't wait to be filled in.

[KNM2012]

I literally found myself rubbing off a speck of drool from the corner of my mouth. I guess the Dinobots still have that kind of impact on me.

Magnus...

Yeah, he's totally going to be in season 3.

The Dinobots look beautiful.

Can't wait to be filled in.

I hope so. And totally agree.

[toddstarz]

that magnus face is great. why cant they replicate it for the voyager toy?????

[KNM2012]

that magnus face is great. why cant they replicate it for the voyager toy?????

Because they are so evil, they realized that they can do far worse than kill likable Decepticons?

[Va'al]

Ha! Slug!

Anyway, this looks good, but I'll wait for the TPB.

[Rodimus Prime]

Slug? SLUG??? WTH?

Other than that, I'm sold. I didn't think iDW would get my money for anything other than ReGen, but this looks so promising it could be a stand-alone series even if it wasn't a TFP tie-in. And I liked both the game and Alex Irvine's books. So bring on the Dinobots! I just hope it doesn't end up like Maximum Dinobots. That was a bit disappointing. But I'm not at all familiar with Johnson's writing, so I don't know. All I know is Furman dropped the ball with MD.

[Sabrblade]

Uh, Sludge, you're supposed to be dead.

Still, can't wait to read it.

Slug? SLUG??? WTH?

Where've you been? He's been "Slug" ever since we first saw his Fall of Cybertron design.

But I'm not at all familiar with Johnson's writing, so I don't know.

Some examples of Mike Johnson's works are the Prime prequel graphic novel (the one about Cliffjumper and Arcee coming to Earth), TF: Prime episode 20 "Partners", and TF: Prime episode 43 "Out of the Past" (which itself was an adaptation of the graphic novel).

[Rodimus Prime]

Slug? SLUG??? WTH?

Where've you been? He's been "Slug" ever since we first saw his Fall of Cybertron design.

Really? I even played the game and for some reason that never registered. Never. Wow. I just always read "Slag" because I was so used to it. Anyway...

But I'm not at all familiar with Johnson's writing, so I don't know.

Some examples of Mike Johnson's works are the Prime prequel graphic novel (the one about Cliffjumper and Arcee coming to Earth), TF: Prime episode 20 "Partners", and TF: Prime episode 43 "Out of the Past" (which itself was an adaptation of the graphic novel).

I've seen those episodes, they were pretty good. OK, I'm definitely sold on this series. Hopefully I won't be let down.

[PrymeStriker]

Uh, Sludge, you're supposed to be dead.

Yeah, I wanted Sludge dead too. Now Slug and Sludge will be like Laserback and Laserbeak.

[Arrancon]

Blast Off didn't just die, right? Cuz that would mean no more Bruticus, and that would make me sad

[Sabrblade]

Uh, Sludge, you're supposed to be dead.

Yeah, I wanted Sludge dead too. Now Slug and Sludge will be like Laserback and Laserbeak.

It's not that I WANT him dead, simply that he WAS dead and is now alive here with no explanation. I'm hoping there will be one, but still.

Though, Lazerback has a Z in his name.

[PrymeStriker]

Uh, Sludge, you're supposed to be dead.

Yeah, I wanted Sludge dead too. Now Slug and Sludge will be like Laserback and Laserbeak.

It's not that I WANT him dead, simply that he WAS dead and is now alive here with no explanation. I'm hoping there will be one, but still.

Though, Lazerback has a Z in his name.

I still want Sludge dead. Kill a Dinobot for a change.

Lazerback has the same pronunciation. I hate Transformers whom have names that close to another's.

[Kiracon]

Uh, Sludge, you're supposed to be dead.

Yeah, I wanted Sludge dead too. Now Slug and Sludge will be like Laserback and Laserbeak.

It's not that I WANT him dead, simply that he WAS dead and is now alive here with no explanation. I'm hoping there will be one, but still.

Though, Lazerback has a Z in his name.

Because we need more inconsistencies between FoC and Prime, it adds pizzazz.

[Sodan-1]

Poor Sludge. Sure, he's unusually active for a dead 'bot, but he's really at the arse end again as far as introductions go. Logistics??? Is that the best role they could think of for him? Couldn't he have been the weapons expert, demolitions, or even just 'the muscle'? And the only thing they can say to describe him is "Less angry than Slug." Come on.....

Still, the comic is looking promising.

[PrymeStriker]

Poor Sludge. Sure, he's unusually active for a dead 'bot, but he's really at the arse end again as far as introductions go. Logistics??? Is that the best role they could think of for him? Couldn't he have been the weapons expert, demolitions, or even just 'the muscle'? And the only thing they can say to describe him is "Less angry than Slug." Come on.....

Still, the comic is looking promising.

What's wrong with being in the position of logistics?

[CBratetron]

The return of the Dinobots is possibly the only thing I look forward to from Beast Hunters assuming this isn't just TFP in name.

[PrymeStriker]

The return of the Dinobots is possibly the only thing I look forward to from Beast Hunters assuming this isn't just TFP in name.

This is the bridge between season 2 & 3 of Prime. Why would there be any doubt on that?

[El Duque]

The official Transformers facebook page has posted a Creator Commentary for this week's release, Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots #1. Transformers Prime writers Mairghread Scott and Mike Johnson give us some insight into the first five pages. We've mirrored the commentary below for those without facebook access.

PAGE 1: An Autobot fleet is leaving Cybertron. For those who may not be caught up on PRIME, can you say a little what has gone before, and why pick this point in history to start of your story?

MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: Okay, at this point in time, Optimus and Megatron have left for parts unknown and the Autobots who stayed behind are basically all holed up in Iacon fighting Shockwave and the Decepticons under his command. Our story starts right as Iacon, the last Autobot city, is falling and everyone who can get out is desperately trying to.

MIKE JOHNSON: We liked starting the story here because it’s a less explored part of Transformers lore. The vast majority of stories in any medium have focused on what happens to Optimus and the others. In RAGE OF THE DINOBOTS we get to shine the spotlight on those who were left behind, or intentionally stayed behind, after the Exodus.

PAGE 2: At Iacon, Snarl fights with other Autobots who are still on the planet. How does the PRIME version of Snarl differentiate from his previous incarnations across the other Transformers franchises?

MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: We really wanted the Dinobots to have distinct personalities from each other. Snarl is the smartest, a real tech guy and the least comfortable with the idea that he’s now a Stegosaurus. So you won’t see him in Stego mode unless a fight starts getting really heated.

MIKE JOHNSON: The series is going to highlight what each Dinobot does and how they relate to each other. We have the opportunity to really explore the Dinobots and dig into each of their personalities in a way that no story has had before.

PAGE 3: Grimlock and the other Dinobots arrive on the scene, and do what they do best. Grimlock is a legendary character. What was the greatest challenge you both face while writing him into the Prime universe?

MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: Grimlock’s voice is a constant challenge, but one of my favorites. In FALL OF CYBERTRON, he’s clearly a smart guy who has been through a lot, but he doesn’t speak that much. So we made a conscious choice to have Grimlock’s dialog break down on the page, especially when he’s exerting himself. That means we had to build Grimlock’s voice at 100% mental capacity and 70% and 50% and 20%. It’s a lot of work, but let us keep some of his best lines while still being able to give him a complex story new readers could relate to.

MIKE JOHNSON: Everybody knows the “Me Grimlock!” I even have a “Me Grimlock Kick Butt!” shirt I bought at San Deigo Comic-Con a few years back. We don’t want to completely abandon what has made the character so beloved. But at the same time we really want to emphasize that Grimlock is a leader, and it wouldn’t work if the leader’s monosyllabic cadence carried over into a less-than-average mind. So we are taking advantage of the PRIME reality to balance Grimlock’s tactical smarts with his traditional way of speaking. We do it in a fun and unexpected way that (fingers crossed) will encompass all aspects of his personality.

PAGE 4: Slug and Sludge get their chance to do some damage in the battle. With a group of characters like the Dinobots, which parts of their characters traits would you say are the easiest and hardest to write and figure out?

MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: You want to find a balance in the characters. So Slug in FoC is a bit less aggressive than Slug in our comic, but with Sludge involved, we needed to balance the group’s dynamics. So Sludge became more of the voice of wisdom and Slug got a bit more gung ho.

MIKE JOHNSON: You don’t want them all to act the same, but at the same time you want them all to share the common experience of being Dinobots, which means being unique among the larger Autobot population. The best way to do it is to take the things they have in common: they’re soldiers, they have strange (to Cybertron) beast forms, they stay behind on Cybertron… and then show how each of them reacts in their own way to those conditions.

PAGE 5: Swoop flies in on the act, and is loving it! What would you both say to a potential reader, who may have never have seen an episode of Prime about this mini-series and how it ties in with the TV show?

MAIRGHREAD SCOTT: You do not have to watch Prime to read this book. Although we tip our hat plenty to people who have loved the videogames and books and TV shows as much as we do, we wanted RAGE to be a place where new readers could find a footing in the Transformers brand. Autobots are the good guys, Decepticons are the bad guys. Cybertron is the planet. Everything else, we’ll explain.

MIKE JOHNSON: We are definitely trying to make the book accessible to anyone for whom this is their first exposure of any kind to Transformers. At the same time, we hope long-time fans enjoy the nods we’ve included to past lore. Add on to that that we hope it meshes well with the animated series and the video games, and we’re performing a careful – but very fun – balancing act. Hopefully it kicks butt.

[Super Megatron]

Snarl "engineer/medic/Dinobot"?!?

They picked the dumbest Dinobot to cover the roles that needs brains?!?

[Sabrblade]

Still no explanation for Sludge's presence.

Snarl "engineer/medic/Dinobot"?!?

They picked the dumbest Dinobot to cover the roles that needs brains?!?

He's not G1 Snarl. This Snarl is the smart one of he group.

[KNM2012]

Slug? SLUG??? WTH?

Where've you been? He's been "Slug" ever since we first saw his Fall of Cybertron design.

Really? I even played the game and for some reason that never registered. Never. Wow. I just always read "Slag" because I was so used to it. Anyway...

I thought you might some fun trivia on Slug. According to 20th Century Toy Collector, Milton Bradley published Slug as Slag. However, there was an issue with that because "Slag" had a certain meaning in the UK. So when the game came out, Hasbro (who had later bought out Milton Bradley) had the name changed to Slug.