Shane McCarthy, a freelance writer, working for the likes of IDW and the creator of Transformers: Drift has updated his website with 3 articles regarding the character, Drift.
“This September (just a few days away) the Tranformers: Drift mini series will be hitting the shelves. This is the full origin of Drift as he journeys from Decepticon to…well…something else entirely.Art is by Alex Milne who’s been doing some amazing work. Special first time appearance by a particular Decepticon plus cameos of many of your favorites.
Plenty of fun to be had.”
You can read those articles by visiting his website. He briefly talked about the upcoming issue (Link), extensively explained how Drift came to be (Link) and felt happy for the Drift toy (Link).
SMOG
That's a bit much. I don't remember Jesus being a Roman general in charge of oppressing people, who went through a spiritual awakening and decided to become a ninja for peace. Wasn't that Kevin Costner in Dances With Wolves? Or Tom Cruise in Last Samurai? Or maybe that guy from Avatar?
Wait, maybe it was Ghandi?
Jesus only came back from the dead once. Optimus is more like… Magneto or something.
Well thank god they invented a totally new character for that role… there aren't many existing G1 character's I'd pour into that role (ESPECIALLY not f***in' Rodimus). Unless it was written by Simon Furman, in which case it would be Grimlock… just because.
He wasn't much of a damn CHARACTER in IDW until… well, ever. He's been sidelined in every IDW story arc so far.
But in terms of communing with a higher power and coming back from the dead, he did that in Furman's run pretty early on.
zmog
Sizzle
I am thinking it would kick ass if the Drift mold would be used to give my namesake Sparkabot a toy.
Shelfwarmercon
It would depend on how these obscure characters get reused, though. They tend to stay obscure because they're mainly redecos.
Kungfu Dinobot
Pfttt, you read the blog, didn't you? Drift the the guy to show the autobots THE WAY, and yes, that includes Optimus *fucking* Prime.
For the record, Optimus Prime wasn't much of a Jesus in the IDWverse, at least, until AHM #9
Keroshino
quoted for truth!!!
Wheeljack_Prime
Odd. I thought that moniker belonged to Optimus Prime.
KA
^
Kungfu Dinobot
People don't hate Drift because he's a stereotype, they hate him because he's essentially Autobot Jesus.
Wollstone
No it doesn't, it highlights the hypocrisy.
As for your second point, that strikes me as kind of racist. So I hope that is not the case.
SPLIT LIP
I hope you don't mean me. I like Drift, Banzaitron and Bludgeon.
I wouldn't know. I was just saying using them as a defense is assuming both characters are universally liked.
And for all we know they are vocally disapproving of all heavily Japanese-influenced characters, just like some people are disapproving of any non-Japanese-influenced characters. Just not vocal here or all the time.
CorporateZombie
My and they are equally as vocal about their hatred for them.
fastballspecial
Drift is cool. Cool in the comic and cool as a toy. \m/
Wollstone
If they do dislike those two then singling out Drift is just made more questionable.
General Magnus
Yeah, but how many homages, or molds did those characters had over time? Personally I think obscure characters should get toys too. After all the universe of Transformers is not limited to those who were on the Ark and the Nemesis.
SPLIT LIP
Did it ever occur to you that those people may also dislike Banzaitron and Bludgeon?
CorporateZombie
Listing his Japanese influence as something to hate Drift for confuses me. I mean we have characters such as Banzaitron and Bludgeon. I mean come on it's in the name…Banzaitron and Bludgeon is a samurai with a spooky skull for a face. Hate him for other reasons, yeah that's fine (I don't understand the being shoved down our throats argument ) but really? Really.
Sizzle
Boycotting a seeker repaint? Bite your tongue!
SMOG
See, this is the linchpin in the whole Drift debate… we get DOZENS of lame, half-baked, utterly pointless additions to the TF canon every year. Nobody bats an eye. But Drift appears in the comics as a new character, and he's suddenly the antichrist?
The mere fact that a Drift toy exists means that some Classics figure got shafted? We've gotten tons of lame toys and lamer characters in recent lines (never mind the fact that the movie line and CHUG have crossed over a bit lately).
Me personally, I'm going to start boycotting… Acidstorm and Dropshot… and uh, Treadshot. And maybe Hardhead while I'm at it, because there are already plenty of over-eager, hot-tempered delinquints in the Autobots, so his role could easily have been handed to an earlier, more deserving character. Stupid Headmasters. That whole line was just a bunch of Mary Sue characters for Hasbro's copywriters!
zmog
Airspeed
I am looking forward to this comic , issue 1 is out on the 15th right ?
Sizzle
Horrible character, fabulous toy. That's about all I got.