I should have written this a while ago, but I wanted to wait until after Issue #10 because it was such an important issue for me, a triumph of our series. And I think it truly is a triumph. It’s difficult and uncomfortable and still very compelling. This is in big part thanks to Sara’s amazing art and Joana’s amazing colors. So now I’ll say it. We’re cancelled.
What happened? Nothing.
Our attrition rate was fairly normal and Issue 12 would be our profitability breaking point. We were asked if we wanted to do something to shake things up (shift focus, shift cast, shift story) after the First Strike event, which is also normal, but I didn’t. I love Transformers, but I’ve been writing it for literally years and I wanted to tell this story. So rather than think of a new story I didn’t love as much, I just chose to end us here.
Till All Are One will go to Issue 12 and then an annual will be put out late 2017/early 2018 to wrap up any loose threads. A thousand thanks to our editor, Carlos, for giving us that much-needed space. A thousand thanks to Sara and Joana and Priscilla and Tom and John and Meg and Jason and all the people I know I’m forgetting and shouldn’t.
Issue 11 and 12 are going to be awesome by the way. I think we crafted a really satisfying, positive ending emotionally and the annual puts that needed cherry on top. We did something I never thought I’d be able to pull off that I’ll talk about more when it’s released.
In the meantime, I’d like to take a moment to say all the things I couldn’t before:
FAVORITE LINE I EVER WROTE:
FAVORITE THING SARA’S EVER DRAWN:
The Combaticons. Think about it. These guys DON’T HAVE FACES! (Well, Blast Off does) and she makes them so expressive without making it seem like she’s cheating their designs or making them cartoony. I had to keep writing them!
WORST THING I EVER MADE SARA DRAW:
The Bruticus face made out of Combaticons. Even as I wrote it I was like “I’ve got nothing. Good luck!” Naturally, she knocked it out of the park, but I still feel bad. [NOTE: this doesn’t include Issue 12, which may still kill her because it’s also basically impossible.]
THINGS I WANTED TO WRITE BUT DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO:
-Ironhide’s private security firm and their wacky adventures (mostly with Tall Tankor and Fat Tankor)
-An issue of Titan’s Return just about the Maccadam’s Crew having to defend the bar from being smushed.
-Lightbright and Sparkstalker’s Conjunx Endura ceremony.
-Somehow bringing together all the femmes from the G1 crew onto one team for an issue.
-Breakdown calling out Knock Out for weight-shaming.
-Exploring the racial/tribal divides on Eukaris.
-Giving Metroplex an avatar so he could move around the city and meet people like a normal ‘Bot.
-Metroplex goes to Caminus and has to come to terms with the cut-up body of his most treasured companion.
-Tall Tankor and Fat Tankor meet the Micromaster Tankor that turns into a train and they hate him for, like, no reason. He just can’t get into the “tankor clique”.
-Elita One takes over Kaon and builds a militarized city-state that threatens to reignite the war.
-Revealing Windblade and Chromia’s holo-avatars.
-Having everyone from Cybertron be disturbed by Elita One because she is literally the color of energon so it’s like meeting someone painted in blood.
BONUS THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT FAT TANKOR:
-There were two separate occasions where my husband argued that Fat Tankor should die for emotional impact and I just couldn’t kill him.
-I almost took out the name “Fat Tankor” in the final proof of Windblade Vol. 1 because robots can’t be fat and I was nervous, but John Barber insisted I keep it.
Finally,
I want to take a moment and thank you, the readers. You’ve made me stronger, bolder, and better at my craft and the love you have shown this story has been inspiring. I will miss you most of all and I hope you follow me on my next books (because there will be more books) even if they don’t have giant robots.
Be Well,
Mairghread Wild Scott
IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
Posted by Kurona
May 31, 2017 at 8:47pm CDT
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Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Ah, thank you. I'd forgotten tigatron and airazor.
Did they ever make sparkstalker and lightbright a couple? I don't remember them getting more than a few lines in one of the windblade comics.
Personally i don't think arcee is capable of that kind of relationship, she's just now learning how to make friends and not decapitate them.
But still, even if you were to pick your sparkmate by random chance 2 to 8 are rough odds.
I only take issue with it because there's not a lot of gay people where I'm from so I have trouble relating. (Yes, I admit, I struggle to relate to million year old murderous robots)
Comment by LE0KING
May 31, 2017
Kurona wrote:LE0KING wrote:So please don't take this out of context.
Why is it that every single relationship shown in IDW has been same sex? Don't get me wrong, I understand that there wasn't gender on cybertron, but ever since fembots became a thing there still hasn't been a straight couple. We've had 8 total couples shown on page, 3 fembot on fembot and 5 robot on robot. The closest we've gotten was Skids and Nautica and that never got past the high school crush phase. And with Chromia leaving I doubt Ironhide will have a shot.
Am I the only person who has issues with this? Or am I wrong?
Sparkstalker and Lightbright, Tigatron and Airazor. Heavy hinting with Arcee and Sideswipe as well as Nautica with Brainstorm.
Regardless, considering I've seen so much fiction which purely had straight relationships, I'm very happy to have fiction which almost purely has non-straight relationships. And it makes sense considering the worldbuilding has stated Cybertron is not a hetero-normative society unlike the culture most of us are used to and live in.
Ah, thank you. I'd forgotten tigatron and airazor.
Did they ever make sparkstalker and lightbright a couple? I don't remember them getting more than a few lines in one of the windblade comics.
Personally i don't think arcee is capable of that kind of relationship, she's just now learning how to make friends and not decapitate them.
But still, even if you were to pick your sparkmate by random chance 2 to 8 are rough odds.
I only take issue with it because there's not a lot of gay people where I'm from so I have trouble relating. (Yes, I admit, I struggle to relate to million year old murderous robots)
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by ScottyP
May 31, 2017
Absolutely gutted. This was a great Transformers story that I wanted to see evolve even further and it's a shame that it appears it won't get the chance.
At the same time, this isn't super shocking given the sales. I think the TF comics faithful had bought into this one a while ago, but new readers and the folks that jumped ship last fall (you know who you are) never came around to it. Good job, nerds.
At the same time, this isn't super shocking given the sales. I think the TF comics faithful had bought into this one a while ago, but new readers and the folks that jumped ship last fall (you know who you are) never came around to it. Good job, nerds.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by Kurona
May 31, 2017
So, couple thoughts.
I was of course upset about this when I saw the name of the article and worried that something terrible had happened like the higher-ups deciding it wasn't making as much money or such. But upon actually reading the post, it made me extraordinarily happy - in a world where comics can come and go at the drop of a proverbial editorial hat, this cancellation is not happening because of some money-related business or some petty ass in charge; Scott is in complete control of this decision. She is deciding to end this story because she truly feels that this is in full the story she wanted to write and has written, and does not want to burden anyone and indeed herself and her creative team with another story she wouldn't feel as much passion for just because 'might as well continue the comic'. This is the writer saying that this is the perfect place for the story to end and the perfect direction in which to take things.
So while it's of course very sad to see the cancellation of an excellent ongoing - arguably the best ongoing of the three IDW comics this year - it's fantastic to know that that ending is coming about for legitimate reasons that come from a place of passion and reason rather than mandates and profit. This has been an incredible story to follow for the past almost-year, and I will adore seeing how it all culminates in the end
I was of course upset about this when I saw the name of the article and worried that something terrible had happened like the higher-ups deciding it wasn't making as much money or such. But upon actually reading the post, it made me extraordinarily happy - in a world where comics can come and go at the drop of a proverbial editorial hat, this cancellation is not happening because of some money-related business or some petty ass in charge; Scott is in complete control of this decision. She is deciding to end this story because she truly feels that this is in full the story she wanted to write and has written, and does not want to burden anyone and indeed herself and her creative team with another story she wouldn't feel as much passion for just because 'might as well continue the comic'. This is the writer saying that this is the perfect place for the story to end and the perfect direction in which to take things.
So while it's of course very sad to see the cancellation of an excellent ongoing - arguably the best ongoing of the three IDW comics this year - it's fantastic to know that that ending is coming about for legitimate reasons that come from a place of passion and reason rather than mandates and profit. This has been an incredible story to follow for the past almost-year, and I will adore seeing how it all culminates in the end
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Wonderfully, I had the exact comic this happened in opened and just a page away from the panel:
The 2015 Holiday Special is a thing of beauty.
Also, depends on the people around you and your environment (and, naturally, how accepting it may or may not be). I'm a queer lady myself, and the majority of my friend groups both in real life and online are of LGBT+ identities as well.
Comment by Kurona
May 31, 2017
LE0KING wrote:Kurona wrote:LE0KING wrote:So please don't take this out of context.
Why is it that every single relationship shown in IDW has been same sex? Don't get me wrong, I understand that there wasn't gender on cybertron, but ever since fembots became a thing there still hasn't been a straight couple. We've had 8 total couples shown on page, 3 fembot on fembot and 5 robot on robot. The closest we've gotten was Skids and Nautica and that never got past the high school crush phase. And with Chromia leaving I doubt Ironhide will have a shot.
Am I the only person who has issues with this? Or am I wrong?
Sparkstalker and Lightbright, Tigatron and Airazor. Heavy hinting with Arcee and Sideswipe as well as Nautica with Brainstorm.
Regardless, considering I've seen so much fiction which purely had straight relationships, I'm very happy to have fiction which almost purely has non-straight relationships. And it makes sense considering the worldbuilding has stated Cybertron is not a hetero-normative society unlike the culture most of us are used to and live in.
Did they ever make sparkstalker and lightbright a couple? I don't remember them getting more than a few lines in one of the windblade comics.
Wonderfully, I had the exact comic this happened in opened and just a page away from the panel:
The 2015 Holiday Special is a thing of beauty.
Also, depends on the people around you and your environment (and, naturally, how accepting it may or may not be). I'm a queer lady myself, and the majority of my friend groups both in real life and online are of LGBT+ identities as well.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by ScottyP
May 31, 2017
I took it as "you have to shake it up to get some sales", then she made the call to just close the curtains here rather than do a stunt launch for something less genuine. This is very close to what you said, yes, but I think $ was the genesis.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by LE0KING
May 31, 2017
Wow, that's really disappointing. I really like this comic and would rather have lost the optimus ongoing than taao. This team did an amazing job and really won the hearts of alot of people. They made this comic my favorite in just a few issues. I wish them the best.
Here's hoping this isn't the end of the cybertron stories.
I think you're right Scotty. Sounds like They wanted a change and she didn't. So to keep from potentially ruining a project she loved, she chose to end it. I can respect that. I hate that it happened, but I can respect it.
Here's hoping this isn't the end of the cybertron stories.
I think you're right Scotty. Sounds like They wanted a change and she didn't. So to keep from potentially ruining a project she loved, she chose to end it. I can respect that. I hate that it happened, but I can respect it.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by Ironhidensh
May 31, 2017
While this is sad news for those who liked the series, I'm not surprised. This series never felt right to me. That is in large part to what I see as misuse of the Stars cream character. Also, I've never been a huge fan of the Cybertron storylines, and this series never picked up with me. I really liked the Windblade character at first, but she has felt stale as of late.
Honestly, since the revelation debacle, I've simply had a hard time caring about any of the books, even my beloved MTMTE/Lost Light.
I listen to the podcasts, and I try to see the points that ScottyP makes, but they just aren't there for me. The books have become boring, I just hope this isn't a beginning trend.
On a side note, I'll admit some of my negative feelings could be due to my bitterness at IDW for their extreme failure and mishandling of M.A.S.K. it's been a very bad year for comics.
Honestly, since the revelation debacle, I've simply had a hard time caring about any of the books, even my beloved MTMTE/Lost Light.
I listen to the podcasts, and I try to see the points that ScottyP makes, but they just aren't there for me. The books have become boring, I just hope this isn't a beginning trend.
On a side note, I'll admit some of my negative feelings could be due to my bitterness at IDW for their extreme failure and mishandling of M.A.S.K. it's been a very bad year for comics.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by SG Roadbuster
May 31, 2017
so let me get this right
the book was consistently good, and good BECAUSE of it's consistency.
some dips@#$ in upper management wanted a status quo shakeup, after this year's stupid f*&%ing crossover event
Scott didnt want to shake up her status quo because she had an actual f%&*ing story planned.
book gets cancelled
the book was consistently good, and good BECAUSE of it's consistency.
some dips@#$ in upper management wanted a status quo shakeup, after this year's stupid f*&%ing crossover event
Scott didnt want to shake up her status quo because she had an actual f%&*ing story planned.
book gets cancelled
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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I prefer see real transformers devastator balls than see this I can't tell if this was meant to be funny actually happening transformers getting married it's joke right
Comment by dragons
May 31, 2017
Kurona wrote:LE0KING wrote:Kurona wrote:LE0KING wrote:So please don't take this out of context.
Why is it that every single relationship shown in IDW has been same sex? Don't get me wrong, I understand that there wasn't gender on cybertron, but ever since fembots became a thing there still hasn't been a straight couple. We've had 8 total couples shown on page, 3 fembot on fembot and 5 robot on robot. The closest we've gotten was Skids and Nautica and that never got past the high school crush phase. And with Chromia leaving I doubt Ironhide will have a shot.
Am I the only person who has issues with this? Or am I wrong?
Sparkstalker and Lightbright, Tigatron and Airazor. Heavy hinting with Arcee and Sideswipe as well as Nautica with Brainstorm.
Regardless, considering I've seen so much fiction which purely had straight relationships, I'm very happy to have fiction which almost purely has non-straight relationships. And it makes sense considering the worldbuilding has stated Cybertron is not a hetero-normative society unlike the culture most of us are used to and live in.
Did they ever make sparkstalker and lightbright a couple? I don't remember them getting more than a few lines in one of the windblade comics.
Wonderfully, I had the exact comic this happened in opened and just a page away from the panel:
The 2015 Holiday Special is a thing of beauty.
Also, depends on the people around you and your environment (and, naturally, how accepting it may or may not be). I'm a queer lady myself, and the majority of my friend groups both in real life and online are of LGBT+ identities as well.
I prefer see real transformers devastator balls than see this I can't tell if this was meant to be funny actually happening transformers getting married it's joke right
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by D-Maximal_Primal
May 31, 2017
Review will come tomorrow. Promise you that.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by RNSrobot
May 31, 2017
I don't think you have to read very far between the lines to understand this is not a sweet and rosy exit.
"this is apparently not an editorial decision but Scott's own for reasons relating to writing, finding the best way to get across her story, and out of not wanting to write another story she feels she would not be able to put as much passion into simply for the sake of continuing the comic. "
It's not editorial's "decision" in a purely legalistic sense. But they weren't going to allow Scott to continue writing the TAAO book she wanted to. She's leaving instead of writing a story she doesn't want to write about characters she doesn't care about. Her decision is forced, as her options are basically a. write shit she doesn't want to b. quit c. likely be fired.
Others have pointed out some of the other problems with this. But this is not a sweet decision, it's frustrating, particularly as TAAO has quietly become the best TF book. Lost Light has completely failed me, OP is just Barber Barbering, and I've dropped both (hard decision on LL because of what MTMTE meant/means to me, but...). I literally just this morning said to a friend "damn, this is the best issue Scott's ever written. This is fucking amazing. She's entirely found her groove." I LOVE her Combaticons. I was in to read this for a long time because it's simply become fantastic.
And ffffffft.
I'm done with IDW and their Transformers comics. I have no issue with the shared universe, but I have zero interest in continuing with a company that has, in less than one calendar year, seen a new editorial staff completely ruin what was a stunning golden age of Transformers comics.
Peace.
"this is apparently not an editorial decision but Scott's own for reasons relating to writing, finding the best way to get across her story, and out of not wanting to write another story she feels she would not be able to put as much passion into simply for the sake of continuing the comic. "
It's not editorial's "decision" in a purely legalistic sense. But they weren't going to allow Scott to continue writing the TAAO book she wanted to. She's leaving instead of writing a story she doesn't want to write about characters she doesn't care about. Her decision is forced, as her options are basically a. write shit she doesn't want to b. quit c. likely be fired.
Others have pointed out some of the other problems with this. But this is not a sweet decision, it's frustrating, particularly as TAAO has quietly become the best TF book. Lost Light has completely failed me, OP is just Barber Barbering, and I've dropped both (hard decision on LL because of what MTMTE meant/means to me, but...). I literally just this morning said to a friend "damn, this is the best issue Scott's ever written. This is fucking amazing. She's entirely found her groove." I LOVE her Combaticons. I was in to read this for a long time because it's simply become fantastic.
And ffffffft.
I'm done with IDW and their Transformers comics. I have no issue with the shared universe, but I have zero interest in continuing with a company that has, in less than one calendar year, seen a new editorial staff completely ruin what was a stunning golden age of Transformers comics.
Peace.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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I think another factor is she could seriously be burned out with how many "Start/Stop/Start/Stop/Start/Stop" moments there were between the beginning of Windblade to TAAO. Delays, Crossovers, More delays, Creative team changes, not to mention what ever editorial mandates were beginning to creep their way into her production.
Comment by SW's SilverHammer
May 31, 2017
ScottyP wrote:I took it as "you have to shake it up to get some sales", then she made the call to just close the curtains here rather than do a stunt launch for something less genuine. This is very close to what you said, yes, but I think $ was the genesis.
I think another factor is she could seriously be burned out with how many "Start/Stop/Start/Stop/Start/Stop" moments there were between the beginning of Windblade to TAAO. Delays, Crossovers, More delays, Creative team changes, not to mention what ever editorial mandates were beginning to creep their way into her production.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by Black Bumblebee
Jun 1, 2017
Damn it. Stop with the @%@%@ event crossover events and let the writers freaking write the stories that they want to write. We were enjoying them. @%@%@%@%!5&(*&ew@#%@.
The world sucks. :-/
The world sucks. :-/
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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wha...?
what are we supposed to do now?
how arrewedff
how r we going to experience life on Cybertron?
there is just so much left untold!
why?
can't we stop micronauts
or revolutionaries
or or oror
or
everything else?!
or start some new talent take over continuation?
with a writer that want to
or willing to do the whole
multitude of introducing a big new angle
that she didn't want to do?
do we kill an entire universe because the writer wouldn't be excited or motivated?
helllll noooooo!
get a new writer
or writers
that will bring in aspects of story that grab us?
we r gonna have to have just Lost Light and Optimus to sustain us?
oh gods...
Comment by X3ROhour
Jun 1, 2017
wha...?
what are we supposed to do now?
how arrewedff
how r we going to experience life on Cybertron?
there is just so much left untold!
why?
can't we stop micronauts
or revolutionaries
or or oror
or
everything else?!
or start some new talent take over continuation?
with a writer that want to
or willing to do the whole
multitude of introducing a big new angle
that she didn't want to do?
do we kill an entire universe because the writer wouldn't be excited or motivated?
helllll noooooo!
get a new writer
or writers
that will bring in aspects of story that grab us?
we r gonna have to have just Lost Light and Optimus to sustain us?
oh gods...
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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in the vernacular of my time
WORD!
Comment by X3ROhour
Jun 1, 2017
Black Bumblebee wrote:Damn it. Stop with the @%@%@ event crossover events and let the writers freaking write the stories that they want to write. We were enjoying them. @%@%@%@%!5&(*&ew@#%@.
The world sucks. :-/
in the vernacular of my time
WORD!
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by Coptur
Jun 1, 2017
Wow just wow
Like others in the forum I thought TAAO was now the best TF comic.
To me i'm fed up with LL and OP is ok but not keeping me engaged enough.
I agree with another poster about MASK from the announcement i was unhappy with it.
Like others in the forum I thought TAAO was now the best TF comic.
To me i'm fed up with LL and OP is ok but not keeping me engaged enough.
I agree with another poster about MASK from the announcement i was unhappy with it.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by Va'al
Jun 1, 2017
In comics news from IDW Publishing and their site, and trying to alleviate the news of Transformers: Till All Are One reaching its end with issue #12, we have subscription cover art for next month's book, featuring a lot of Starscream, by Priscilla Tramontano and James Raiz (plus colourists please and thank you)! Check them out below.
With Elita One’s influence closing in around Starscream, he’s desperate to make any alliances he can. Turns out, a powerful ally might already be within his grasp. But is he willing to risk his own sanity to reach them?
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by LE0KING
Jun 1, 2017
I feel like this book was picking up steam and if they'd left it alone it would have gotten the numbers on its own.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by Rodimus Prime
Jun 1, 2017
Well, now I'm kinda glad I held off on all 3 of the ongoings. I was going to get the LL TPBs, but now I have my doubts. I never cared for the OP comic, so that's an easy pass. But TAAO really had me curious. It seemed to go in a different direction, giving some characters their long overdue attention. After the initial interest, though, I kinda mellowed on it, and was gonna get the TPBs. But now? Not sure. Depends on how the entire story plays out.
As for the comic itself being cancelled, and the reasons for it? The writer might have her side of it, but in the end, it all comes down to money. If it has been profitable, IDW would have found someone else to write it and they would have continued with the title. Unless Scott herself legally owns the title of "Till All Are One" and they would have to call it something else. Bottom line is, the comic wasn't selling well enough to justify continuation, and that usually has to do with the quality of what's on the page. (I'm not saying in every case, but most cases.) So maybe Scott should look in the mirror before blaming anyone else. Again, I'm not saying this is a certainty, but it's a possibility. Just because some of us on these boards think the story is amazing, the majority of comic readers might not think so, thus skip buying the issues, leading to it being a financial failure.
As for the comic itself being cancelled, and the reasons for it? The writer might have her side of it, but in the end, it all comes down to money. If it has been profitable, IDW would have found someone else to write it and they would have continued with the title. Unless Scott herself legally owns the title of "Till All Are One" and they would have to call it something else. Bottom line is, the comic wasn't selling well enough to justify continuation, and that usually has to do with the quality of what's on the page. (I'm not saying in every case, but most cases.) So maybe Scott should look in the mirror before blaming anyone else. Again, I'm not saying this is a certainty, but it's a possibility. Just because some of us on these boards think the story is amazing, the majority of comic readers might not think so, thus skip buying the issues, leading to it being a financial failure.
Re: IDW Transformers: Till All Are One is Cancelled, will be continued in a new Annual
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Comment by BATTLEMASTER IIC
Jun 1, 2017
Regarding Metroplex's avatar: I always thought that Scamper acted as his avatar, in the IDW continuity anyway. Maybe he's just a drone?
