Previewsworld has listed the Transformers comics coming in March 2015 from IDW Publishing. In March 2015 we have the opening salvo of the Combiner Wars and the Return of the Decepticon Justice Division in the two ongoing series, plus an Omnibus edition of the Transformers Spotlights.
In addition to this – Windblade Returns!
Read on for the full solicit text. Transformers #39 Combiner Wars Opening Salvo
(W) John Barber (A) Livio Ramondelli (CA) Casey W. Coller
[no preview text given]
Transformers Windblade Combiner Wars Part 1
(W) Scott Mairghread (A) Sarah Stone (CA) Livio Ramondelli
THE WAR BEGINS! The first strike in COMBINER WARS is against WINDBLADE’S homeworld-and she’s not happy about it! Her long- lost CYBERTRONIAN colony is found… and the only thing that can protect it is SUPERION. But who’s side will [preview text truncated at this point]
More than Meets the Eye #39 Return of the Decepticon Justice Division
(W) James Roberts (A/CA) Alex Milne
RETURN OF THE D.J.D.! A punishment squad created by MEGATRON to hunt down dissidents, turncoats and cowards-no one believes more passionately in the DECEPTICON cause than the D.J.D. So what happens when they discover their founder has joined the Autobots? (Clue: it’s not pretty.)
[Sol’s note – that’s Deathsaurus from Transformers Victory on the cover – another Japanese character making his debut in IDW]
Transformers VS G.I. Joe #7
(W) Tom Scioli, John Barber (A) Tom Scioli (CA) Joe Quinones
THE WORLD AS THEY MAKE IT! Alliance are forged! Enemies are enraged! The war burns on Earth and Cybertron! And now… now the real battle begins.
Transformers Spotlight Omnibus Volume 1
(W) Simon Furman & Various (A) Nick Roche & Various (CA) Nick Roche
Individual Transformers stories focusing on a vast array of characters such as Shockwave, Nightbeat, Kup, Arcee, Grimlock, Optimus Prime, and more! Volume 1 collects the first 13 issues of the Spotlight series.
Jalaguy
Mm, fair point. But I imagine that at the very least the business with Alpha Trion/the Thirteen/the Enigma of Combination, and whatever's going on with Prowl/Scrapper/Devastator, will be wrapped up by the time Combiner Wars is all said and done.
Maybe a more apt comparison would be to MTMTE's Overlord story, which finished up a plot thread or two without being a definitive 'finale'.
Sockie
I don't think that's the case at all, especially as it looks like Earth isn't really going to be involved, and there's also been little mention of Galvatron and Soundwave's group. I think all of that, plus the Ramjet/Thrust army, would need to be present in any finale to this "season." Also, I think they'd have Griffith be the one doing the art.
SpinalCord
Thanks man, that was nuts lol. Starting issue #24 now, so I haven't gotten there yet. I guess as long as it's a season finale I'm alright with that… was afraid it was completely turning into CW so I was really turned off by that thought
Jalaguy
Oops, sorry I was being a bit confusing there. It's like this:
ex-RID #39 – Combiner Wars Prologue
Windblade v2 #1 – Combiner Wars Part 1
ex-RID #40 – Combiner Wars Part 2
Windblade v2 #2 – Combiner Wars Part 3
ex-RID #41 – Combiner Wars Part 4
Windblade v2 #3 – Combiner Wars Part 5
Then Combiner Wars is over and everyone continues to go about their business.
But yeah, basically everything in RID from issue #33 (and arguably there's been seeds planted since issue #9) onwards is pretty explicitly building towards Combiner Wars. By all appearances it's pretty much going to be RID's second "season finale" (pulling in Windblade v2 to have some extra issues to work with).
SpinalCord
Okay, so issues 39-41 will be a prologue, but what of these parts 1-5? Where are they? In RiD or as a standalone?
I'm several issues behind, so nope didn't realize. Still not interested any, though
Negativedark
So Deathsaurus… Japanese only character… In a issue with the DJD… Written by Roberts… Yeah he's gonna get killed by the DJD in the first 3 pages.
Jalaguy
Combiner Wars is a crossover running in The Ongoing Formerly Known as RiD and the new three-issue Windblade miniseries. Issues #39-41 of ex-RID will be the prologue and parts 2 & 4, and Windblade #1-3 will be parts 1, 3, & 5.
You do realise that basically everything ex-RID is doing right now is building towards Combiner Wars, right? They're inextricably linked. Combiner Wars will be the grand finale to all this business with Prowl and Devastator and the Enigma of Combination, not some tangential interruption.
dragon_lord
Aw yeah, Zan Rás is back.
I just hope they don't turn him into a nice and righteous guy doing the polar opposite of what they did with Star Saber.
SpinalCord
Still confused… RiD turned into The TransFormers, but read-up on this and it's going to be a six-issue miniseries where also the Windblade ongoing will shoot from… so my question is, will Windblade and the 6 CW issues be within the RiD numbered issues, or as a crossover will they be separate but feature the RiD cast? Basically what I'm getting at is I don't care about CW and am hoping I can continue RiD uninterrupted…
Yobuster
Oh my, these covers are really really nice.
Sockie
Slingshot's part of Superion on the other cover, so Scrapper being part of Devastator on that one doesn't mean much.
No, it's part of the Combiner Wars crossover. It's still just "The Transformers."
SpinalCord
Wait… is RiD turning into Combiner Wars?
Jalaguy
The lowdown on the big white space on the RE covers, courtesy of Josh Burcham:
So yeah, it's not censored, it's a "YOUR SHOP HERE" space! That's a pretty cool idea on IDW's part.
Here's the Godzilla cover Josh mentions.
JudgeDeliberata
Called it. Welcome back,
missed ya!
Autovolt 127
March is clearly going in like a LION.
The Combiner Wars Finally Begins and Camnius is where it's first headed. Awesome.
The DJD Return…..well fine then. Tarn destroying Towards Peace….OH DAMN.
DEZARAS is showing up too and he has multiple eyes…..FREAKING AWESOME!
payres
I think he's getting confused: It's Gigatron* in Drift, whose mould was used as Botcon Deathsaurus so I could see how you'd mix the two up
* The Japanese name for RID Megatron
Ironhide4
Livio ramondelli involved again……*facepalm* terrible incoherent art.
Reask
Deathsaurus! Yesss! At last!
General Magnus
I really hope that Megatron pummels Tarn. And gives him a mental breakdown before.
vrba79
And incase you forgot she existed for five minutes, here's Windblade again.