IDW First Strike - The Plot to Destroy All Transformers Has Begun

The premiere season of post-REVOLUTION titles are heading towards their natural conclusions

RNSrobot wrote:

The premiere season of post-REVOLUTION titles are heading towards their natural conclusions

No.

Peace out, IDW.

Since First Strike is the second story in a trilogy with the Hasbro universe, is it packaged in a way that will allow newcomers to come in fresh, not having read Revolution? Folks still have time to catch up, but what’s the important stuff to know going in?

DR: I think the series works as a jumping on point without needing much catch up. The events that the reader really needs to know is that at some point in the past, Optimus Prime annexed Earth and begged forgiveness (not really) rather than asked permission. This rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. But now Earth is getting a seat at the big kids' table on Cybertron and joining the council of worlds. But Colton, and some other upstanding citizens of the planet, decide that the risk is too great. The Cybertronians are an immediate threat and need to be dealt with. And even if you don’t know that, we set this up in the early pages of the series.

MS: The Davids and I have done everything possible to make this event very new-reader friendly. We add little things like captions to introduce a character the first time they show up and David Rodriguez and I have made sure the dialogue gives you a great sense of who these people are and what they want right off the bat. That said, if you like earning extra credit, you should check out Revolution from last year, the current G.I. Joe comics, Revolutionaries, Optimus Prime, and Till All Are One. I am 100% biased, but definitely read all of Till All Are One just because we’ve had a grand old time doing robot politics.

[...]

Will Cybertron give the Transformer characters an upper hand going in? Quoting a line in your zero issue, are the characters from G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K. for example, going to be out of their weight class?

MS: I think the Transformers are at a huge disadvantage. Joe Colton has been studying how to defeat them for years; he is a master strategist and has planned a decisive first strike (Get it?) to knock them completely off balance. They also have to try to fight off the villains while protecting their home and civilians. Transformers may be in a whole other weight class, but they have never dealt with a foe quite like Joe Colton, which is why Scarlett becomes so important, because no one knows Joe quite like her.

DR: I think it hinders the Cybertronians at first because it is SO outside of their personal reality. A human invasion of Cybertron isn’t really something they’ve ever considered, and even while it’s happening, they are still sort of like “well damn, we’ve got termites, we ought to do something about that.” And that’s the teeny tiny advantage Colton exploits to get the jump on them. But that only lasts so long before the Transformers remind everyone just how deadly 30-foot war machines can be.

[...]

Can we expect more titles besides the announced one-shots bridging this to the third act, presumably next year? After all, Revolution was just short of 30 comics after all of the one-shots and tie-ins were tallied.

DR: I’m sure one of our lovely editors would LOVE to answer this question.

MS: Hedgecock?

David Hedgecock: Everything you need to enjoy FIRST STRIKE is contained within the mini-series and the one-shots. Coming out of the event, we have all-new, exciting storylines that will be new-reader-friendly!

o.supreme wrote:Sorry Im way late to the party on this, was on vacation last week and spent yesterday trying to play catch up, including getting my monthly comics and looking at solicitations for future ones.

So I have a question....With last years Revolution event, we got a *Revolution* comic in lieu of a regular series entry in a single month (i.e. we got TAAO #4, then the next month TAAO Rev #1, then the next month TAAO #5). With First Strike however it appears we will be getting an Optimus Prime First Strike #1, and Optimus Prime #11 in the same month (September supposedly...) do I have that correct?

DF: It is so hard to have peace in any comic book universe, but the IDW/Hasbro Earth was on the verge of joining the Cybertronian Council of Worlds … not unlike the Earth of the Star Trek universe when it was initiated into the United Federation of Planets, to my mind. What goes wrong here?

David Hedgecock: The Transformers are members of a massively powerful ancient alien race that have been warring amongst themselves for millions of years. As the Transformers have spread out across the stars, that war has spread with them. No matter where the Transformers go, they bring death and destruction. The “peace” that the Transformers currently enjoy is but a breath in the grand scheme.

There are people on Earth who understand this. People who feel that Optimus Prime, by initiating Earth into the Council, has done nothing but paint a big red target on the planet and that our destruction is a foregone conclusion if something isn’t done. First Strike is about one man's mission to save his planet from what he feels is the greatest threat to humanity in its entire history, and his solution to save all of humankind... is to destroy all Transformers.

[...]

DF: David, there certainly seems enough action for two or three “events” in First Strike, but what can you tell us about the personal side of all of this? Who are the real POV characters here and what is/will become their motivations? What will give First Strike its heart?

David Hedgecock: Scarlett is really going to be the “heart” of this story. In the midst of all the chaos and destruction that will ensue, it’s Scarlett’s personal battle that may determine the true outcome and fate of two planets. I’m so amazed by what Mairghread Scott and David Rodriguez have been able to accomplish in this regard. These two writers have put together an event book worthy of the name, with all the explosions, destruction, and cyborg ninjas one would expect while still delivering a really compelling, heartfelt character piece with resonance and meaning. I’m in awe of both of them, truly!

DF: As August and this epic crossover approaches, is it possible to give readers new and established a road map of sorts as to where it starts and where it will go, title-wise?

David Hedgecock: August will see the “Season Finale” of several of our titles— G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., Micronauts: Wrath of Karza, and Rom. These books are all coming to their natural conclusions and making way for the big First Strike event. We had several reasons for this but chief among them were two things— 1. All the stories were coming to their natural end for the “Season” and we needed to clear the decks for brand new material coming out of the event. 2. We didn’t want to ask our fans to buy more than what they were already comfortable with buying. With the event and its surrounding one-shots, we felt we had enough books in the market and didn’t want to ask our fans to buy MORE than what they might normally buy to be able to enjoy the “big” story we’ve created.

A Hasbro comic book event! A new era of peace is dawning as Earth formally joins the Cybertronian Council of Worlds. That is… until Baron Ironblood joins Destro, Storm Shadow and other nefarious villains in a terrorist attack on Iacon! As chaos takes hold on Cybertron, it will be left to Scarlett and the rest of G.I. Joe on Earth to discover the true purpose behind the attack before both worlds descend into all-out-war!

• Optimus Prime 10
• Micronauts: Wrath of Karza 4 and 5
• Rom 12, 13, and 14
• Revolutionaries 7 and 8
• GI Joe 8 and 9
• M.A.S.K. 9 and 10

ScottyP wrote:First Strike 1 comes out next week, and when it hits the following things intended to lead up to it will still not have been released:

• Optimus Prime 10
• Micronauts: Wrath of Karza 4 and 5
• Rom 12, 13, and 14
• Revolutionaries 7 and 8
• GI Joe 8 and 9
• M.A.S.K. 9 and 10

240 pages of lead-in material. 240.

Can you give us a hint of any major surprises or revelations that readers can expect from First Strike?

MS: Well, Scarlett’s gonna throw down with the last person on Earth she wants to fight. Anyone who thinks Shazraella’s gonna spend this book clinging to some-one’s shoulder is sorely mistaken. Optimus is in for a rude awakening and Elita One is going to prove once again that there’s a reason she’s the same color as Cybertronian blood. Oh, and that’ll take us to the end of Issue 2.

DR: I’m not sure what we’re clear to say this early on. But I can say that this isn’t just an “event” series—the universe is going to be permanently changed in a meaningful way by the end of First Strike. Hopefully we can get some jaws and f-bombs to drop. When working with characters with such a long history, how do you raise the bar and bring readers something they haven’t seen before?

MS: The most challenging part was more tonal than anything else. Till All Are One is a very political book. G.I. Joe is very balls-to-the-wall crazy action. Micronauts is fast-paced with a lot of wry humor. M.A.S.K. and Rom take on a darker tone. We wanted to feel like all these books could live together and still give fans each book’s unique aspect.

DR: I think the best thing we can do for the readers, and luckily Mairghread and David Hedgecock have been a big advocate for this as well, is to make sure that we are engaging all the characters in this story with emotional stakes that resonate with our readers. Sure, we can put Cybertron at risk with a huge, summer blockbuster style event and visuals, but without that relatable, human backbone to the story, it feels hollow. We are going to do our best to deliver that experience to fans.

Are there any characters you’re going to work with in First Strike that you haven’t had the chance to write before? Any characters you’ve been away from for a while that you’re excited to write again?

MS: This is my first time writing Scarlett and I am psyched. I’ve been wanting to write her for years. And it’s always a thrill to write Optimus. It’s been surprising how fun all the Joes are to write, but the real stand-out right now is Shazraella. She’s such a stuck-up, overconfident, condescending...well, every line of dialogue she has is a joy.

DR: Scarlett has always been a favorite. I was glad that I got to use her in the M.A.S.K. Annual and she has a large part in First Strike. She is just a fantastic character to write. But part of the fun of First Strike is the opportunity to discover and expand on characters I wasn’t as familiar with growing up and exploring how they interact with each other. But don’t be surprised if you see Sunstreaker. He is, after all, the prettiest damn Transformer that ever rolled out.

And finally, if you could be a Transformer,who or what would you want the ability to transform into?

MS: JET! JET! JET! Wait—! Robot dragon! No, 1950s UFO! ...Did anyone call shark/bird yet?

This may take a while.

DR: Oh, I would totally want to be Shockwave. Not only is his design incredible, but he might be the most stone-cold, ghost-faced, unflappable character in the entire universe. I don’t know if you remember, but Megatron called him from Earth after 4 million years and Shockwave picked up on the FIRST RING. No hemming and hawing, or “Where the hell you been?!” He was just “Yes, Lord Megatron.” 4 million years and he didn’t blink. That’s just badass.

Prowl4 wrote:Baffling how mairghread scott continues to get work. Awful writer.

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:Baffling how mairghread scott continues to get work. Awful writer.

Sorry, Broseph. Must hurt, my proud-standing sugarloaf, to see her name remind you that you, my pal, are baffled to the point that you - o dudemeister - feel the need to comment everytime. Such a toll it must take, my dude.

Prowl4 wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:Baffling how mairghread scott continues to get work. Awful writer.

Sorry, Broseph. Must hurt, my proud-standing sugarloaf, to see her name remind you that you, my pal, are baffled to the point that you - o dudemeister - feel the need to comment everytime. Such a toll it must take, my dude.

Cool story needs more dragonstorms and gick.

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:Baffling how mairghread scott continues to get work. Awful writer.

Sorry, Broseph. Must hurt, my proud-standing sugarloaf, to see her name remind you that you, my pal, are baffled to the point that you - o dudemeister - feel the need to comment everytime. Such a toll it must take, my dude.

Cool story needs more dragonstorms and gick.

My pal! Using some Irish on the boards, stud? Yay for linguistic diversity, dudeicus!
Thank you once again, tiger, for some excellent contributions to the discussion.

Prowl4 wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:Baffling how mairghread scott continues to get work. Awful writer.

Sorry, Broseph. Must hurt, my proud-standing sugarloaf, to see her name remind you that you, my pal, are baffled to the point that you - o dudemeister - feel the need to comment everytime. Such a toll it must take, my dude.

Cool story needs more dragonstorms and gick.

My pal! Using some Irish on the boards, stud? Yay for linguistic diversity, dudeicus!
Thank you once again, tiger, for some excellent contributions to the discussion.

Thanks for being a fan of my cac. I know a fan when I see one and you're a fan

Va'al wrote:Not a true fan - we have a thread for that.

Ain't comics swell! GI Joe on Cybertron, huh? What next? Transforming robots?!

Nexus Knight wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Prowl4 wrote:Baffling how mairghread scott continues to get work. Awful writer.

Sorry, Broseph. Must hurt, my proud-standing sugarloaf, to see her name remind you that you, my pal, are baffled to the point that you - o dudemeister - feel the need to comment everytime. Such a toll it must take, my dude.

Cool story needs more dragonstorms and gick.

My pal! Using some Irish on the boards, stud? Yay for linguistic diversity, dudeicus!
Thank you once again, tiger, for some excellent contributions to the discussion.

Thanks for being a fan of my cac. I know a fan when I see one and you're a fan

I feel like someone got drunk someone during this exchange...

Also, I absolutely love Skywarp's tag. Priceless. Absolutely priceless.

Va'al wrote:Ain't comics swell! GI Joe on Cybertron, huh? What next? Transforming robots?!

ScottyP wrote:Does it seem super obvious to anyone else that Baron Ironblood isn't Colton, but Chameleon posing as him? It's the only way I can explain Spike being all "hurr-durr gotta help these Cybertronians" without discounting that as a failure in writing.

ScottyP wrote:Does it seem super obvious to anyone else that Baron Ironblood isn't Colton, but Chameleon posing as him? It's the only way I can explain Spike being all "hurr-durr gotta help these Cybertronians" without discounting that as a failure in writing.

ScottyP wrote:^ You're both missing my point by a mile. Randomhero missed it by, well, like, didn't even get in the same orbit All good though, typing on my phone in between meetings so some brevity is in order.

I'll spell it out more carefully this time.

Spike doesn't like Transformers. Not a bit. This is long established. Due to this, it struck me as odd that he's going with the flow so easily, while on Cybertron no less. It seems like one of those things where, for Ironblood's "First Strike" to work, he'd need some help from the team assigned to this Cybertronian mission. Spike is a complete prick who'd totally help with that sort of thing, but he's also the kind of prick that'd want some dramatic subterfuge. Thus, he conspires with another team member. Who do we not see from that team? Hi-Tech, Mainframe, and Chameleon. One of these is a shape shifter. So is Zartan, if you like that better, and it gives a connection to the MASK book.

Anyhow, I think Chameleon is the most telling absence because of Flint's presence. She's been close to him at almost all times since their introduction in Optimus Prime. Odd that she's not there at a critical moment for Flint's Joe squad.

Then there's Scarlett strongly suggesting something's up with "Joe Colton", thinking he may be under someone's control. He dead. This is some crafty shapeshifter work, probably outside the realm of wraith magic this time. Maybe.

Finally, Mercy Gale and Storm Shadow got cooperative pretty quickly, and some of Gale's dialogue suggests she sees through this facade being put up.

Of course, I could be wrong and this is just some dumb stuff and FS 0 wasn't a magician's misdirection like I think it is. If this doesn't go any deeper than what's on the surface, I'm disappointed in the lack of creativity.

Daniel Adkins wrote:Sorry, Scotty, but I think you're reaching for something that isn't there. Colton is Baron Ironblood.

Daniel Adkins wrote:Now I'm not necessarily a fan of that idea

The crossover of the year continues! Scarlett learns the truth behind Baron Ironbloodês plan to destroy all life on Cybertron, but with her team stranded on Earth, she must turn to an unlikely ally to help her reach the besieged planet. Enter: Soundwave!

SG Roadbuster wrote:so Till All Are One got cancelled to make room for this?!
terrible decision IDW. this is why you're losing readers.

STORY BY
David Rodriguez and Mairghread Scott

ART BY
Max Dunbar

COLORS BY
Ander Zarate

LETTERS BY
Tom B. Long

COVER BY
Alex Ronald, Davide Fabbri, Freddie E. Williams II, Jay Fosgitt, Leonardo Manco, Max Dunbar, and Rob Duenas

PUBLISHER
IDW Publishing

The crossover of the year continues! Scarlett learns the truth behind Baron Ironbloodês plan to destroy all life on Cybertron, but with her team stranded on Earth, she must turn to an unlikely ally to help her reach the besieged planet. Enter: Soundwave!