The Secret Origin Of The Transformers Part 2

Posted by LOST Cybertronian Jun 22, 2011 at 2:50pm CDT 30,807 views

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Jim Shooter has updated his blog with the second part to The Secret Origin of the Transformers. This installment covers the Marvel and Sunbow involvement. You can read the blog here. Here are some teasers.

Sunbow’s creative efforts, as near as I could tell, consisted of removing our cover sheets from whatever we created and stapling on their cover sheets.

I pointed out that we had created G.I. JOE and TRANSFORMERS. DePatie said that we had NOTHING TO DO WITH TRANSFORMERS.

That took me by surprise. I had my Hasbro file with me. I pulled out my TRANSFORMERS treatment. I said I wrote this. HE CALLED ME A LIAR, insisted that SUNBOW had written that treatment, that Sunbow had done all the development. He got up and stormed out of the room.

Sunbow or the studio people changed the human protagonist’s name from Spike to Buster because, I was told, Spike was too aggressive and violent-sounding. What?

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Re: The Secret Origin Of The Transformers Part 2 (view post)

Comment by Marcdachamp Jun 22, 2011

BeastProwl wrote:I remember reading about this story, not the blog here, but the actual story of how transformers were just a toy in japan, and a couple guys went over for ideas, came back an pitched these toys to hasbro, and transformers was born. I thought that might have been posted here years ago?
Why now? isnt this story just a bit old, or should I say, not exactly a "Secret"?

Shooter's blog always touches on old aspects of his tenure with Marvel. Seems he just got to Transformers in time for the new movie, that's all.

Re: The Secret Origin Of The Transformers Part 2 (view post)

Comment by Mkall Jun 22, 2011

Well, that's certainly interesting. If anything it gives us more questions for the guys of Sunbow if they ever come back to Botcon.

Re: The Secret Origin Of The Transformers Part 2 (view post)

Comment by TFGnome Jun 22, 2011

Mysterions, huh?
*chinscratch*

Re: The Secret Origin Of The Transformers Part 2 (view post)

Comment by GodMagnus Jun 29, 2011

BeastProwl wrote:I remember reading about this story, not the blog here, but the actual story of how transformers were just a toy in japan, and a couple guys went over for ideas, came back an pitched these toys to hasbro, and transformers was born. I thought that might have been posted here years ago?
Why now? isnt this story just a bit old, or should I say, not exactly a "Secret"?

I think we all know about the Hasbro trip to Japan, Diaclone, Microman, pitched to Hasbro execs in the USA, etc, etc, etc. What we didn't know was the development and behind the scenes stuff that took it from Japanese toy line to one of the biggest toy and cartoon lines in the US.

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