First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series

Friday, October 9th, 2020 2:20PM CDT

Categories: Comic Book News, Press Releases
Posted by: ZeroWolf Views: 84,053

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Greetings Seibertronians! Fans of Beast Wars need to take note of this, as IDW have given us our first look at their forthcoming Transformers Beast Wars comic! Special thanks to fellow Seibertron user, Sabrblade, for spreading the news in the forums.

The series will be written by Erik Burnham (of Transformers/Ghostbusters and IDWs own Ghostbusters series) with Josh Burcham (IDW Transformers ongoing, Galaxies and the three Wreckers books, and a lot more) on art duties. The series is set to arrive in February 2021 with issue #1. From the looks of it the core Maximal team is set to include Optimus Primal, Rhinox, Cheetor, Rattrap and a new character that looks to have a bat alt mode called Nyx. While on the Predacon side we only see Megatron so far.

There will be four variant covers at launch, three of which you can see below:

Here is the press release in full:

IDW wrote:IDW Celebrates 25th Anniversary of
Transformers: Beast Wars with
New Comic Book Series

Oversized First Issue Debuts in February 2021, with Story and Art by
Transformers Comic Alums Erik Burnham and Josh Burcham

SAN DIEGO, CA (October 9, 2020) – For an entire generation of Transformers fans, their first experience with “Robots in Disguise” was through the Transformers: Beast Wars television show, debuting in 1996 as the cutting edge of computer generated children’s entertainment. In 2021, IDW will honor the 25th anniversary of this monumental moment in Hasbro’s storied Transformers franchise with the launch of an all-new Transformers: Beast Wars comic book series!

Written by Erik Burnham (Transformers/Ghostbusters) with art by longtime Transformers artist Josh Burcham (whose credits include IDW’s ongoing series, Galaxies, the Wreckers saga, and much, much more), the new series will launch in February with a #1 issue containing 30 pages of story and bonus content.

The Transformers: Beast Wars comic series will welcome fans to a future Cybertron populated by scientific-minded Maximals and action-oriented Predacons. When the successor to the Megatron name steals a golden disk and a ship capable of traveling through time, only Optimus Primal and a team of Maximals — Rattrap, Rhinox, Cheetor, and a new character Nyx — can stop them.

“Beast Wars was a wonderful and weird pivot from the Transformers setup to which I was first introduced. Big personalities, unexpected twists, and actual stakes all popped up regularly on the show, and those are tools that I enjoy using to build new stories,” says Burnham. “Best of all, the enthusiasm from everyone involved in this project has been so high that I'm feeling constantly inspired!”

“I'm so thrilled to be a part of this team,” says Burcham. “I was a ‘90s kid and even though I knew about Generation 1, Beast Wars was really my G1. It's still my favorite iteration, and I consider it such a privilege to be able to bring the characters to life in this brand new series. Let the Beast Wars rage on!"

“Beast Wars is a beloved part of the Transformers legacy,” says editor David Mariotte. “That’s why we couldn’t pass up launching a new series in tandem with the 25th anniversary! Erik and Josh are going to take everything that’s beloved about Beast Wars — the characterization, the drama, the jokes — and start fresh with a series that will feel at home for fans of 25 years and first-timers alike.”

Transformers: Beast Wars #1 will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A by series artist Josh Burcham, Cover B by Fico Ossio (Optimus Prime), and two Retailer Incentive editions featuring art by Dan Schoening (Transformers/Ghostbusters) and Nick Brokenshire (Star Wars Adventures), respectively.

For information on how to acquire copies of Transformers comic books, please contact your local comic shop or visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.

About IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing (IDWP), a subsidiary of IDW Media Holdings Inc. (OTC PINK: IDWM), is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, trade paperbacks, and tabletop games. IDWP is one of the top four publishers of comic books and graphic novels in the U.S. with a library of world-renowned licensed content and original series. IDWP’s critically-acclaimed imprints include Top Shelf Productions, Artist’s Editions, EuroComics, The Library of American Comics, Sunday Press, and Yoe Books.

About Hasbro
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating the World's Best Play and Entertainment Experiences. From toys, games and consumer products to television, movies, digital gaming, live action, music, and virtual reality experiences, Hasbro connects to global audiences by bringing to life great innovations, stories and brands across established and inventive platforms. Hasbro’s iconic brands include NERF, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, POWER RANGERS, PEPPA PIG and PJ MASKS, as well as premier partner brands. Through its global entertainment studio, eOne, Hasbro is building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens. Hasbro is committed to making the world a better place for all children and all families through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. Hasbro ranked among the 2020 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media and has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere Institute for the past nine years. We routinely share important business and brand updates on our Investor Relations website, Newsroom and social channels (@Hasbro on Twitter and Instagram.)

What do you think of this news? Will you be getting this series? Will this be your first time with the cast of Beast Wars? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!

Credit(s): IDW

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Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083290)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 9th, 2020 @ 2:24pm CDT

25th anniversary? Has it really been that long since Hasbro actually did something brand new with Transformers??? (of course UT was more recent. But it did go back to vehicles and humans)

Pretty sure from the Maximal interactions in the pilot, the flight of the Axalon was more or less their first time meeting?

As clearly we can't do anything with Beast Wars that isn't a prequel or "new spin"/retcon/cashing in on brand recognition...

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083292)
Posted by Razorbeast88 on October 9th, 2020 @ 2:31pm CDT

So exciting! I'm wondering/hoping if this new series will include characters from the Beast Wars: The Gathering storyline
I hope hasbro doesn't stop with kingdom and brings in a 2nd beast era

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083294)
Posted by WiseMan on October 9th, 2020 @ 2:50pm CDT

As long as it's not tied in any way to the current ongoing G1 series, I'm in!

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083296)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 9th, 2020 @ 2:55pm CDT

This fan art Josh Burcham posted to his Twitter months ago should give us an idea of what to expect, visually, from this series:

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083298)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 9th, 2020 @ 3:08pm CDT

Great... Beast Wars GO! >:oP

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083306)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 9th, 2020 @ 3:52pm CDT

I am on board with this

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083311)
Posted by william-james88 on October 9th, 2020 @ 5:02pm CDT

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:25th anniversary? Has it really been that long since Hasbro actually did something brand new with Transformers???

Rescue bots is not that old and it's still going.

Also I am sure many would argue that the movies are their own thing too (I sure think that way).

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083314)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 9th, 2020 @ 5:28pm CDT

More from Erik Burnham:

We're doing something a little bit like what was done way back when with Ultimate Comics; starting from a familiar place with some beats that longtime fans will recognize, but from there we can go almost anywhere.

Can't wait to show you some of the craziness we have planned.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083320)
Posted by Bumblevivisector on October 9th, 2020 @ 7:13pm CDT

I wasn't expecting the 'if Geoff Senior drew Animated' aesthetic, but that brings up fond memories of both TFA and that final Reaching the Omega Point comic from BotCon 2000, so I couldn't be more pleased.

I've fallen waaaaaaay behind on every stretch of IDW, but I'll definitely pick up every issue of this on sight!

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083323)
Posted by o.supreme on October 9th, 2020 @ 7:44pm CDT

As much as I disliked IDW overall, with few exceptions, I actually liked the BW Gathering/Ascending series. It showed you could do something new with those characters, and not worry about having to "mess up" the original series. I'm hoping all that we've seen so far is just specialized cover art, because it all looks horrible IMHO. Hopefully they can tell an interesting story.

Still I'd much rather get a new series based on Car Robots/RiD. I know probably nobody is asking for it, but it is the one continuity we've had the least of. I'd like to see more of it.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083328)
Posted by TulioDude on October 9th, 2020 @ 8:34pm CDT

I predict that Dinobot won't be a Maximal for a long time.
The art style is exaggerated,but doesn't have that consistency that Animated has.I will give it a chance when we have the comics to check.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083330)
Posted by ScottyP on October 9th, 2020 @ 9:19pm CDT

So very pleased to see Josh Burcham finally get a gig as the main artist on a book. Fully deserved! Really excited for this comic, the Nightscream-looking character already seems fun.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083337)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 9th, 2020 @ 10:15pm CDT

ScottyP wrote:the Nightscream-looking character already seems fun.

Yeah, her name's Nyx. She's based on the old Bat Optimus Primal figure with her name also evoking that figure's redeco Onyx Primal (in addition to its obvious Greek Mythology origin).

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083351)
Posted by Ultra Markus on October 10th, 2020 @ 12:28am CDT

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Great... Beast Wars GO!

im thinking more like Beastwars Animated

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083357)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on October 10th, 2020 @ 2:10am CDT

Well the art is underwhelming for sure. I never cared for Senior's style so I hope this is the length of his involvement. If Burcham draws in similar style, I'll be hard pressed to get into this. If the story is really good, I could get past it. But as it is, I gotta Randy Jackson this one.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083359)
Posted by Rodimus Knight on October 10th, 2020 @ 2:27am CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:Well the art is underwhelming for sure. I never cared for Senior's style so I hope this is the length of his involvement. If Burcham draws in similar style, I'll be hard pressed to get into this. If the story is really good, I could get past it. But as it is, I gotta Randy Jackson this one.

I'm not a fan of that style of art. I don't think I'll pick it up if that's the interior art.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083360)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 10th, 2020 @ 2:48am CDT

Ultra Markus wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Great... Beast Wars GO!

im thinking more like Beastwars Animated

I wish I could be that optimistic.

Literally most of the buzzwords used have irked me, in fact. My immediate thought was Teen Titans GO!, Thundercats ROAR! etc Completely tone deaf bastardisations. Nothing more than milking license recognition.
A more apt TF comparison that came to mind was the Japanese dub on the Mainframe Beast Wars.
That is not a positive comparison to have, either.

Already "adding" a Bat Fembot needlessly brings to make all those "new" identical generic token characters, that flooded the tail end of IDWverse. Beast Wars has several Fembots, ready to go. Scores of unused characters too. But of course this is just about capitalising on the anniversary.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083377)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 10th, 2020 @ 9:11am CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:Well the art is underwhelming for sure. I never cared for Senior's style so I hope this is the length of his involvement.

Senior? Geoff Senior has nothing to do with this series.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083379)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 10th, 2020 @ 9:14am CDT

Sabrblade wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:Well the art is underwhelming for sure. I never cared for Senior's style so I hope this is the length of his involvement.
Senior? Geoff Senior has nothing to do with this series.

The art bares a strong influence.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083390)
Posted by bluecatcinema on October 10th, 2020 @ 1:34pm CDT

Now this is interesting. Funny how they introduced a new character who turns into a bat, when they already had Nightscream in the canon.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083391)
Posted by partholon on October 10th, 2020 @ 1:36pm CDT

nah pass from me.

im not a fan of josh's style ,though i DO think the lad should have a shot at a series as he's more than done his dues over the years, so good look to him.

never heard of the writer but i see IDW is back at it gender politics thing again so that doeesnt bode well.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083392)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 10th, 2020 @ 1:36pm CDT

bluecatcinema wrote:Now this is interesting. Funny how they introduced a new character who turns into a bat, when they already had Nightscream in the canon.

This is a different continuity from the cartoon. And Nightscream's not the only bat Maximal. There's Sonar, who was already female too.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083395)
Posted by bluecatcinema on October 10th, 2020 @ 1:47pm CDT

Sabrblade wrote:
bluecatcinema wrote:Now this is interesting. Funny how they introduced a new character who turns into a bat, when they already had Nightscream in the canon.
This is a different continuity from the cartoon.

That doesn't mean Nightscream doesn't exist. He was living on Cybertron before the Beast Wars began.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083398)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 10th, 2020 @ 2:29pm CDT

partholon wrote:nah pass from me.

im not a fan of josh's style ,though i DO think the lad should have a shot at a series as he's more than done his dues over the years, so good look to him.

never heard of the writer but i see IDW is back at it gender politics thing again so that doeesnt bode well.

The writer is behind last years Ghostbusters x Transformers comic series (which was brilliant) and also works on IDW Ghostbusters.

As to those bemoaning the new character, they just put the first bat Transformer toy back into the line with doubling up on primal, what's wrong with that?

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083410)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 10th, 2020 @ 6:18pm CDT

partholon wrote:never heard of the writer but i see IDW is back at it gender politics thing again so that doeesnt bode well.

Oh no, it's a GIRL in our BOYS TOYS comic book! The horror! >:oP

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083518)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on October 11th, 2020 @ 3:34pm CDT

Really excited for this new series. Finally, a new beast series with them as the actual main characters. Excite!

Burnham has done a great job with Ghostbusters, so I have confidence he can write a great story, glad to see we're getting more of his fiction.

Glad to see Burcham finally getting his own comic interior art. I love his art so much, and it's long overdue for him to be the main artist.

Excited to see what they do with Nyx AKA the new bat girl. Hopefully they do better than Rubble in the ongoing.

All kinds of excitement on this, next year is looking to be a great year.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083551)
Posted by william-james88 on October 11th, 2020 @ 9:21pm CDT

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:
All kinds of excitement on this, next year is looking to be a great year.

We'll know more about how good things will get come November.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083581)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 12th, 2020 @ 9:24am CDT

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Excited to see what they do with Nyx AKA the new bat girl. Hopefully they do better than Rubble in the ongoing.

That's why this character exists, isn't it!?! A lousy 4th wall breaking pun to the audience #-o

Meanwhile, the other thing which is off with that artwork is they clearly don't get Maximals and Predacons are distant future Cybertronians. They aren't blocky and angular anymore. They are all streamlined with curved edges. Far more advanced than Autobots and Decepticons in build and design.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083582)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 12th, 2020 @ 9:31am CDT

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Excited to see what they do with Nyx AKA the new bat girl. Hopefully they do better than Rubble in the ongoing.

That's why this character exists, isn't it!?! A lousy 4th wall breaking pun to the audience

You do know that Sonar is a bat girl too, right?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Meanwhile, the other thing which is off with that artwork is they clearly don't get Maximals and Predacons are distant future Cybertronians. They aren't blocky and angular anymore. They are all streamlined with curved edges. Far more advanced than Autobots and Decepticons in build and design.

Uhh...

Lots of blocky Maximals on Cybertron, there.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083583)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 12th, 2020 @ 9:50am CDT

Sabrblade wrote:You do know that Sonar is a bat girl too, right?

Yes. I am well versed in Beast Wars. I also know
(1) Sonar doesn't look like that. Sonar has a unique and interesting design. Not just a generic with wing kibble and a bat head on her chest.
(2) Sonar was not a first generation Maximal Fembot. Airazor was. The character who actually does belong there.
But neither of those character designs can be adapted, Blackarachnia-style. Not to cater to the target audience, at least.

Sabrblade wrote:Uhh...
Lots of blocky Maximals on Cybertron, there.

Those are recycled CGI models. Specifically from The Agenda. Generics with no name or standing, used to pad out a scene. Not indicative of Maximal and Predacon form, established prior to Beast Wars.

This is what first generation Predacons and Maximals look like. No edges.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083584)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 12th, 2020 @ 9:58am CDT

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Sonar has a unique and interesting design. Not just a generic with wing kibble and a bat head on her chest.

Ah, so that's how you feel about the bat Optimus Primal toy.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

You do know that that pre-beast Megatron body is just a recoloring of this with Megatron's head attached to it, right?

That's not a Cybertronian design, that's (as you put it) a recycled CGI model, specifically from ReBoot.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083586)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 12th, 2020 @ 10:10am CDT

Ok so you're trying to be clever, and just being pedantic.

That's what the Bat Primal design looks like. Or this, newer iteration:

This is also a picture of Megatron. You do know that Right? >:oP

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083606)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on October 12th, 2020 @ 4:58pm CDT

Dear gosh, what a couple of posts.

I like the art, Burcham does fantastic art, been a fan for a while, it works for me. It looks good. curves/straight don't matter to me, it looks great. It's a new universe, he can do whatever he likes with it.

Nyx isn't some sort of stereotypic "Bat Girl" thingy to break the 4th wall or such, just the new character. All writers add some new characters, it allows them to put their characters into fiction. Drift, Rung, Rubble, Wheezing Arrow, Sharpclaw, etc. I'm good with it.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083610)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 12th, 2020 @ 5:16pm CDT

I'm okay with her inclusion, I don't see what the big fuss is about. It's not going to replace the old Beast Wars >:oP

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083657)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 13th, 2020 @ 7:29am CDT

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Nyx isn't some sort of stereotypic "Bat Girl" thingy to break the 4th wall or such,

As the series hasn't dropped yet. It is all speculative conjecture.

ZeroWolf wrote:It's not going to replace the old Beast Wars

I tend to think quite highly of most people on here (that or not at all). However, You should never use that line, in particular. It is reductive towards both concern and critique. While also being dismissive of either.

Let's save the overt positivity until at least a preview appears, too. The IDW track record for Beast Wars to date, leans heavily towards scepticism. Also BW is a 90's property with very different sensibilities to those from the 80's. Setting the proper tone is more important here than anything done with G1.

On the subject, as no secondary media existed for Beast Wars at the time. One thing I would have loved was series done in the style of the original box/bio artwork. It was so detailed and visceral. There really isn't much in Transformers that would have been like it.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083664)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 13th, 2020 @ 8:29am CDT

My comment came off more sparky then I liked so I'll apologise for that. I meant it more like, no matter what the end product, we'll still have Beast Wars and all its other off shoots. It should have been more hopeful. I also wouldn't judge this solely by the past, as different creators are involved. I honestly can't remember who wrote the Beast Wars Gathering/Ascending. I have experienced this writer's work before, so I have a good feeling about it. The art will end up being more subjective and its more about how much you're willing to look past it. I can ignore a lot if the story is good, but I'm also aware that not every one can. We like what we like after all.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083666)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 13th, 2020 @ 8:54am CDT

ZeroWolf wrote:I honestly can't remember who wrote the Beast Wars Gathering/Ascending.

Alas it was Simon Furman. I had high hopes for The Gathering/Ascending, with his name attached. In light of his stint on IDWverse being the highpoint for me, personally. Plus his previous experience writing Beast Wars itself, ala Nemesis Part 2. But, it was ultimately squandered opportunity. Wasted on the BW2 & Neo cast.

I'm really trying not to be a downer on this. But I can't really look past the fact this only exists for IDW to make money out of the BW anniversary. When IDW kicked off their Transformers series, it was done purely to bring Transformers back. It was largely unconnected to a current cartoon or specific toyline HasTak were pushing at the time.

This isn't that. As someone with a creative background, it is an issue that bothers me more than anything else. More than the art. Which is far from the worst IDW has put out for Transformers.
That's a three way tie between the "Bayformers-like" Costa Era, Heart of Darkness and The Primacy Trilogy.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083678)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 13th, 2020 @ 10:38am CDT

Here's a fun hypothetical for ya, ANSR (or, perhaps, for anybody here who'd like to ponder the question).

Hasbro decides that they want to celebrate the Beast Wars anniversary (for once) by created a brand new ongoing Beast Wars comic book series published by IDW, and they in their wisdom have decided to put YOU in charge of it. Yes, total creative control over the story, characters, setting, art, etc. (though, Hasbro still gets to have the final say over everything, of course).

It could be a remake, a fresh reboot, an Elseworlds style "What if?" (though, this format might be more suited to a one-shot or a mini-series rather than an ongoing), or something set in existing Beast Wars fiction (but not Beast Machines since that's a different franchise). The only stipulation being is that it must be Beast Wars (not Beast Machines) with Maximals vs. Predacons and beast modes. Oh, and of course, no NSFW stuff (this is a children's toy property, after all).

With that kind of power thrown into your hands, how you would go about making the new Beast Wars comic series a reality?

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083681)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 13th, 2020 @ 10:53am CDT

I have two ideas.

1)An Elseworlds/What If? tale. Following through on the promise to the ending of The Agenda. A done in one graphic novel style book. Taking the tone of Season 2 and crank it up to the next level.

2)A continuation to Beast Machines. BUT! This is following the PoV of the Predacon Alliance. Absent from the story prior. Who were in fact amassing their feudal society under one banner. Their target? Follow the death of Megatron, the "defenceless" techno-organic world of Cybertron. Cheetor now leads the defending force against a planet-wide invasion. Vehicon drones are all offline. Leaving them as a potential source of new characters down the line. As the sparks of the "dead" need new bodies to inhabit. With new techno-organic Beast Modes. Yes, I would tweak BM just a little to fit more into a BW mold.

Also Nightscream died on his way back to his home planet

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083682)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 13th, 2020 @ 10:59am CDT

I should have further specified that I meant "Beast Wars, not Beast Machines" when I said "that it must be Beast Wars". :oops:

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083683)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 13th, 2020 @ 11:02am CDT

Sabrblade wrote:I should have further specified that I meant "Beast Wars, not Beast Machines" when I said "that it must be Beast Wars".

Yes, as I said. A continuation of Beast Machines. But ignore all that, I'm sweeping everything BM under the rug except for the finale. Now you have a weakened Maximal force having to defend techno-organic Cybertron from an invading Predacon army. With random Vehicon drone bodies as a surrogate for Protoform Stasis Pods.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083686)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 13th, 2020 @ 11:10am CDT

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:I should have further specified that I meant "Beast Wars, not Beast Machines" when I said "that it must be Beast Wars".

Yes, as I said. A continuation of Beast Machines. But ignore all that, I'm sweeping everything BM under the rug except for the finale. Now you have a weakened Maximal force having to defend techno-organic Cybertron from an invading Predacon army. With random Vehicon drone bodies as a surrogate for Protoform Stasis Pods.

Yeah, but it's still a Beast Machines setting with Beast Machines technorganic Maximals and Beast Machines Vehicon bodies. That many elements would peg it more as a Beast Machines comic series rather than Beast Wars.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083688)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 13th, 2020 @ 11:17am CDT

Oh no, no, no. 8-}

Predacon Beast Modes are from Elsewhere IE the unused characters and designs from the Beast Wars toyline. Transquito, [Locust] Scourge, TM Terrorsaur etc etc
Meanwhile, the Maximals are being completely redesigned aesthetically. Brought more inline with the visual identity of Transmetal 2. Which is where we left them in Beast Wars. Cybertron had no animals, so their BM visual design didn't make any sense, so it is easy to ignore.

I may not like Silverbolt, for example. But if he is going to be in the series, I'm not going to leave him with a Turkey Beast Mode. Nor Rattrap with no legs etc etc

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083689)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 13th, 2020 @ 11:19am CDT

K.

Anyone else wanna play this game? How would y'all make a new Beast Wars comic series?

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083697)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 13th, 2020 @ 12:04pm CDT

I would love to but I would need a think on it of it's just Beast Wars as one idea i had was to create a branch of the franchise were Maximals, Predacons, Autobots and Decepticons were all fighting tooth and nail for Cybertron and it's colonies. Would it have worked? Depends on execution, a lot of it came from thinking about how Cybertron would have looked post Predacons Rising, before RiD 15 put those thoughts to bed.

I would have agreed with All News what if idea, but it would depend on writers as we all know how the last what if IDW did worked out...

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083700)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 13th, 2020 @ 12:11pm CDT

ZeroWolf wrote: but it would depend on writers as we all know how the last what if IDW did worked out...

We don't mention That

To this day, I don't think IDW should have let it go to print.

That said, as for writing duties. Either Bob Forward (who wrote The Agenda) or Nick Roche (ala LSoTW). As for the former, now I've read all three IDW Wreckers stories via the part work. I'm more inclined to think Roche did the majority of Last Stand, as opposed to Roberts. Since the latter two parts don't have the same tone or vibe to them at all.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083702)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 13th, 2020 @ 12:39pm CDT

To give an idea of a remake/reboot, here's my pitch.

Picture if you will, an idea for a new take on Beast Wars that keeps the core concept of the original show intact but done a bit differently.

From a future Cybertron, a small band of Predacon criminals (led by a wannabe crime boss calling himself "Megatron") have escape the planet aboard a stolen ship. Out in space, the recently-appointed sergeant Optimus Primal of the Maximal Command Security Force is on a nearby moon or planetoid training a few cadets new to the force. Their training exercises are interrupted when a call from Maximal Command orders their vessel, the Axalon, to pursue the escaped Predacon convicts, as Primal's ship is the closest vessel to intercept the Preds.

Sergeant Primal and his cadets take off in pursuit and manage to catch up to the Predacon ship. But a brief skirmish in space creates a transwarp accident that sends the two ships back in time to crash-land on an organic planet that would later on be revealed to be Earth, and where they all scan beast modes based on the planet's various animals, insects, and dinosaur remains.

But this time, while they initially find no humans in the area, over time they gradually do discover traces of a remote civilization. Dirt roads cut through forests, stone bridges built across rivers and lakes, a village of homes made of wood and stone, and even a great castle with a drawbridge and moat overlooking a small kingdom. It is not prehistoric Earth, but medieval Earth, in the age of knights and kingdoms across Europe.

But one question still remains: If this small human kingdom exists, what happened to the humans who built it and lived there? That would remain a mystery, which probably wouldn't be solved until the end of the first season. Were the humans to return by the second season, that would allow us to see how the Maximals would interact with humans, since unlike Autobots they are not giant robots, and humans of the Middle Ages would react much differently from modern-day humans to the existence of extraterrestrials who could change into Earth animals/insects/dinosaurs/etc. (especially to those with dinosaur beast modes).

Also, the Autobot/Decepticon legacy has no significant role in this story, so no appearances of Starscream's ghost, the Ark and its stasis-locked occupants, the Nemesis, etc. Just the Maximals and Predacons and whatever else they come across in this medieval time period. Though, being a BW-original concept, a new version of the Vok could appear and play a role, possibly being the answer to the humans' mysterious absence in the first season.

While Primal and Megatron would still be the leaders, the remaining casts of Maximals and Predacons would be a bit different. For instance, since I don't think any new take on Dinobot could ever live up to the original, I'd leave him out of this and instead do something new by having Wolfang be the Predacon-turned-Maximal of this story, since his mold ended up having both Maximal and Predacon toys.

Plus, while this next decision may seem a bit audicious, there wouldn't be any Transmetals. Or at least, not in the way that they were done before. Instead, by the time of the humans' return to the story and the Maximals finding allies in them (which would actually be a rather long process due to deceptions and machinations caused by Megatron that would prevent any immediate human/Maximal alliances), the two species would work together new suits of armor that the Maximals could wear in their beast modes to essentially make them all knights, and said armor would be specifically designed to pay homage to the Transmetals of the original series (e.g. - Optimus's armor would have a shiny blue helmet and chestplate, and two maces attached to his back).

In a further Transmetal homage, Megatron would have a new design in this series that would be a cross between his pre-Transmetal and Transmetal designs. Picture his Transmetal robot mode, but in the color scheme of his pre-Transmetal form. His fake T-Rex head torso is also replaced by his pre-transmetal torso. Though, his does not have his VTOL fans since his beast mode is just his normal pre-Transmetal purple T-Rex form. And while he would have two normal arms and hands in this design, the T-Rex head of his beast mode could be pulled out from where it is stored on his back to he held in his right hand as a laser gun that wraps around his wrist to hide his hand inside it, along with his tail still being held in his left hand as a shield/lance/whatever-kind-of-weapon.

But while I'd be getting rid of Transmetals as body upgrades, I would still keep Megatron's dragon form upgrade but only as an end-of-series final form upgrade that would be the main instrument of his endgame, rather than how the original series had him get that form and then decide to use something completely unrelated to it (the Nemesis) as his final instrument of destruction. In this version, the dragon form itself would be that instrument, in his bid to become the most powerful Predacon in existence, in an unholy ascension.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083709)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 13th, 2020 @ 12:54pm CDT

Sabrblade wrote:To give an idea of a remake/reboot, here's my pitch.

Picture if you will, an idea for a new take on Beast Wars that keeps the core concept of the original show intact but done a bit differently.

From a future Cybertron, a small band of Predacon criminals (led by a wannabe crime boss calling himself "Megatron") have escape the planet aboard a stolen ship. Out in space, the recently-appointed sergeant Optimus Primal of the Maximal Command Security Force is on a nearby moon or planetoid training a few cadets new to the force. Their training exercises are interrupted when a call from Maximal Command orders their vessel, the Axalon, to pursue the escaped Predacon convicts, as Primal's ship is the closest vessel to intercept the Preds.

Sergeant Primal and his cadets take off in pursuit and manage to catch up to the Predacon ship. But a brief skirmish in space creates a transwarp accident that sends the two ships back in time to crash-land on an organic planet that would later on be revealed to be Earth, and where they all scan beast modes based on the planet's various animals, insects, and dinosaur remains.

But this time, while they initially find no humans in the area, over time they gradually do discover traces of a remote civilization. Dirt roads cut through forests, stone bridges built across rivers and lakes, a village of homes made of wood and stone, and even a great castle with a drawbridge and moat overlooking a small kingdom. It is not prehistoric Earth, but medieval Earth, in the age of knights and kingdoms across Europe.

But one question still remains: If this small human kingdom exists, what happened to the humans who built it and lived there? That would remain a mystery, which probably wouldn't be solved until the end of the first season. Were the humans to return by the second season, that would allow us to see how the Maximals would interact with humans, since unlike Autobots they are not giant robots, and humans of the Middle Ages would react much differently from modern-day humans to the existence of extraterrestrials who could change into Earth animals/insects/dinosaurs/etc. (especially to those with dinosaur beast modes).

Also, the Autobot/Decepticon legacy has no significant role in this story, so no appearances of Starscream's ghost, the Ark and its stasis-locked occupants, the Nemesis, etc. Just the Maximals and Predacons and whatever else they come across in this medieval time period. Though, being a BW-original concept, a new version of the Vok could appear and play a role, possibly being the answer to the humans' mysterious absence in the first season.

While Primal and Megatron would still be the leaders, the remaining casts of Maximals and Predacons would be a bit different. For instance, since I don't think any new take on Dinobot could ever live up to the original, I'd leave him out of this and instead do something new by having Wolfang be the Predacon-turned-Maximal of this story, since his mold ended up having both Maximal and Predacon toys.

Plus, while this next decision may seem a bit audicious, there wouldn't be any Transmetals. Or at least, not in the way that they were done before. Instead, by the time of the humans' return to the story and the Maximals finding allies in them (which would actually be a rather long process due to deceptions and machinations caused by Megatron that would prevent any immediate human/Maximal alliances), the two species would work together new suits of armor that the Maximals could wear in their beast modes to essentially make them all knights, and said armor would be specifically designed to pay homage to the Transmetals of the original series (e.g. - Optimus's armor would have a shiny blue helmet and chestplate, and two maces attached to his back).

In a further Transmetal homage, Megatron would have a new design in this series that would be a cross between his pre-Transmetal and Transmetal designs. Picture his Transmetal robot mode, but in the color scheme of his pre-Transmetal form. His fake T-Rex head torso is also replaced by his pre-transmetal torso. Though, his does not have his VTOL fans since his beast mode is just his normal pre-Transmetal purple T-Rex form. And while he would have two normal arms and hands in this design, the T-Rex head of his beast mode could be pulled out from where it is stored on his back to he held in his right hand as a laser gun that wraps around his wrist to hide his hand inside it, along with his tail still being held in his left hand as a shield/lance/whatever-kind-of-weapon.

But while I'd be getting rid of Transmetals as body upgrades, I would still keep Megatron's dragon form upgrade but only as an end-of-series final form upgrade that would be the main instrument of his endgame, rather than how the original series had him get that form and then decide to use something completely unrelated to it (the Nemesis) as his final instrument of destruction. In this version, the dragon form itself would be that instrument, in his bid to become the most powerful Predacon in existence, in an unholy trans-ascension.

An interesting idea, would you keep the fuzors? As it could give us a Griffin Maximal (a chimera combiner predacon would be ace, combines in alt and robot modes)

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083712)
Posted by Sabrblade on October 13th, 2020 @ 1:07pm CDT

ZeroWolf wrote:An interesting idea, would you keep the fuzors? As it could give us a Griffin Maximal (a chimera combiner predacon would be ace, combines in alt and robot modes)

There would need to be a very specific reason and new origin for them, since stasis pods wouldn't be in this story either.

Though, I do have one idea related to Wolfang that could open the door to Fuzors.

Said idea would be that, at some later point in the story, he'd be captured by the Preds and experimented on by their scientist (Tarantulas or otherwise), turned into a horrific cyborg in an attempt to turn him evil again, so as to repurpose the Max-B toy as this mutilated cybernetic form of Wolfang. Anyway, he'd eventually break free of his reprogramming and rejoin the Maximals, but have to go living with his disfigured new form.

With this idea in mind, the Pred scientist could create Fuzors through genetic experimentations done on his fellow Predacons, turning one into a cool, majestic-looking griffin Fuzor and another into something more hideous and gruesome like a bat/scorpion Fuzor, something that the medieval humans would mistake for a demon.

Thinking more about this, this could make a distinction between the Maximals upgrading themselves by forging armor with the humans while the Predacons upgrade themselves through ghoulish experimentation, creating a sort of "Transmetals vs. Fuzors" kind of theme in later parts of the story, with Wolfang's Cyborg Beast form being the closest we'd get to a Transmetal 2 before Megatron gets his dragon form.

Re: First Look At IDW’S Brand New Beast Wars Comic Series (2083743)
Posted by TulioDude on October 13th, 2020 @ 6:36pm CDT

Sabrblade wrote:
With that kind of power thrown into your hands, how you would go about making the new Beast Wars comic series a reality?

Since it's a comic and CGI costs are not a concern,I would make the cast bigger,to feel like a war among factions instead of small squads.You can still have the focus on smaller group,but it would be within the larger context of an army.Think of something like Star Wars the Clone Wars.
I would have the planet being earth-like,but I would consider making the planet not being Earth,making a mistery of why are there so many Earth's animals in there.

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