Botcon 2008 IDW Panel Q&A

Lots of good stuff here - some new artwork too, check out the frontpage too for that in a little while.

- All Hail Megatron and Revelations will have different story threads and won't intersect too much.
- All Hail Megatron will establish a new status quo for the TF comic universe, no magic reset button will be pushed at the end to make things go back to how it was.
- Coming up - no more Masters (Target, Power, etc), but look forward to Combiners and Pretenders of a sort (they may mean the holo-humans). No plans for Predaking or Piranacon / God Neptune, though.
- The original 13 mini has slipped back to 2009.
- In All Hail Megatron, there will be no Autobots on Earth at all.
- Denton Tipton apologised for the errors up to this point, he is working to make them a thing of the past.
- No more TPBs of the club comics.
- No more Evolutions minis are planned.
- There has been talk of doing more Beast Wars stuff, but there are no plans to visit any of the other series, like RiD.
- Starsabre may show up in the first 13 miniseries - IDW are currently negotiating to see what they can and cannot use.
- The Titan UK comics from now on will all carry on the continuity laid out in the Twilight's Last Gleaming story.
- Simon Furman's next IDW project will be Maximum Dinobots, and will feature a lot of battles, Scorponok, the Machination, Sunstreaker, etc. Coming in October.
- A second hardcover collection of IDW issues is planned.
- The Dead Universe cast are all undead, zombie Transformers, and consist of Galvatron, Jhiaxus, Nemesis Prime, Cyclonus, and two others who will be revealed in Spotlight Cyclonus.
- Some more of the legends and history will be told, but mainly they want to move forwards with the stories. Nothing like War Within covering the past is planned.
- The Animated comic is going to be in continuity with the show, issue #1 will retell the pilot episode, with scenes that were dropped and from the perspectives of different characters, giving a different view on the story. It is set during season 1, and Oil Slick will show up in issue #3.
- The Animated comic will include some 5 page backup stories, for example in issue 2.
- The Fallen can be used by IDW, and may show up in the 13 mini.
- Reign of Starscream #1 will retell the Movie from Starscream's perspective, show you what he thinks of Megatron, etc.
- Wheelie in his spotlight will not be the show Wheelie, but they will explain why he rhymes after a fashion.
- Best of UK will continue with Time Wars, and the stories leading up to it.

All sounds good! Although I'm disappointed about the lack of Predaking, esp since we've already seen the Predacons...

It seems that they're trying to go do a bit of the popular stuff everyone expects and obscure or groundbreaking. I for one am glad about the AHM being the new status quo.

All awesome except lack of club comic reprints, ah well, maybe next year
DN

Nice news... I'm glad that AHM is going to set a new status quo, but it makes me wonder that if all the Autobots are off Earth... what happens to the Dinobots, Hot Rod & Sunstreaker (I think that's everyone that stayed behind when Prime took off). I guess we'll find out in Maximum Dinobots...

Meh. Very little IDW does excites me. I mean, Megatron: origins was VERY good, but I still miss DW's style and focus. I guess it helps that IDW pays people though.

Spotlight Starscream please. >.>

Sounds good to me. I'm really liking the direction the IDW Universe is taking. Can't wait to see what Maximum Dinobots has in store for us.

True true. I just want Preddy! hehe

I just saw this in the main botcon photo gallery, looks like the decepticon "mirror" to the Autobots cover from IDW's animated series;
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-...-0183.jpg.html

Very slick I must say, really would like a big poster of the completed image.

Edit, yep, here it is in full, lol.
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-...achmentid=6585

Nice, can't wait for the original 13 miniseries, and the rest looks good also.

shame they couldn't have done an evolutions alternators series. that would have been cool.

That's annoying but I'm not signing up to the club just to get it.

I'm guessing this will be the eight issues between Revelations and AHM.

Good stuff. I don't mind the occasional story in the past (Megatron: Origin, The 13), but going forward is important in keeping the story going.

A cartoon and comic in continuity at the same time. Finally.

I'm with Big Bot on that being annoying.

I'm half holding my breath on them putting that on a hiatus, given everything else they're working on. HoS shows there's potential, even if they are simply unrelated stores. Be cool to see a WWII one, or them inspiring the creation of various "giants" legends/myths.

Nuts on other series like RiD/CR, but "Oooohhh!" for Star Saber. "Let's say go!"

And there goes my wallet. Again. Notice how I'm a more of reading-material collector/junkie... X3

Yay! Different perspectives are good!

Sounds like IDW are going in the right direction with the TFs comics. Sometimes too much of the past does not move a story forward. Hopefully their story plans will pay off.

I'm keen to see more from BW and looking forward to checking out the Animated comics!

Bah, all I care about is the Animated comic. That should be a regular not a mini. Zombie Transformers? Please.

- No more TPBs of the club comics.
- No more Evolutions minis are planned.




- There has been talk of doing more Beast Wars stuff, but there are no plans to visit any of the other series, like RiD.

I'm probably in the minority, but please leave BW alone. Part of what made it great (for me) was that it has a beginning, middle and end, and more stories means they have to keep cramming stuff within its boundries.

Shame on them for ignoring all the other TF lines. Lot of great potential there.

- The Titan UK comics from now on will all carry on the continuity laid out in the Twilight's Last Gleaming story.

What the heck is "Twilight's Last Gleaming"?

Everything else sounds really awesome.

IDW said they won't do regular series, ever, as it makes it hard to attract new buyers since from their perspective, someone is less likely to buy a #18 than a #1 or a #2. There is an idea of alienation of readers.

Alternate UK continuity spinning out of a different ending to the Movie where Megatron won and Sam's gamble failed. Sam is dead, Optimus is frozen in the old Sector 7 base. It is a fantastic storyline that deserves more exploration since it changes the status quo, and with IDW covering the main universe with Reign of Starscream, this is a good alternative shaping up to be on the same level as Time Wars and Target 2006.

Well, they do have at least one ongoing, even if it's not TF...

I would have liked to have seen Sam following Prime's "plan" and sticking the All Spark into Prime's spark. Just to show how absolutely moronic that would have been...

Sounds cool. Is that going to be collected in the US at all?

With the exception of AHM and some of the books being planned. I'll wind up adding Transformers Animated comics in my To Buy list.

Just my two cents.

1- i HOPE i can eventually read Twilight's Last Gleaming.
2- no club TPBs for the LOSS!!

I'm bummed that Evolutions is dead already, I love seeing favourite characters with different looks.
I would have loved to see gangsta/retro future/art deco styled Transformers for one.

Yes - a TPB was announced some time ago. The UK movie-verse stories have been a bit hit-and-miss, but it looks to be finally getting somewhere TLG. I might just be renewing my subscription after all...

Awesome that we may see star saber! I am excited we may see more beast wars...loved the first two series! I hate we get no more club comics tpbs. How many issues has there been of transtech so far?

That sounds really cool, I'm sure it will look fantastic.