Comic Book Resources have posted a very insightful interview with one Mr Simon Furman, who you might have heard of for being the writer behind many a classic Transformers tale. Simon Furman is returning to the continuity that started it all, the Marvel Comics Generation 1, this July. This interview features some art from the upcoming issue 80.5, a Free Comic Book Day special titled Regeneration One, showing mostly some very cool flashback montages – you’ll spot Jhiaxus and the Generation 2 origin of life on Cybertron in these new pieces of artwork, seeming to indicate that Generation 2 as a series is being acknowledged.
As for the interview itself – there’s a lot of teasing of things to come, and I’ll directly quote you one line that tells us some of the things to expect:
… you can expect Soundwave, Ultra Magnus, Wreckers, Kup, Hot Rod, Circuit Smasher, Nebulos, Grimlock, Headmasters, Zero Space, Nova Point, Bludgeon, War-Worlds, G.B. Blackrock, Ratchet, Starscream, and the Optimus Prime vs. Megatron battle to end all Optimus Prime vs. Megatron battles. And that’s a promise.
DeathsHead
Think it was a cover? It was movie Optimus taking out some enemy on Cybertron and it looked like he'd knocked it up as sketch in his lunch hour.
Terrible.
OptimusTimelord
Haven't seen that, was it movie-verse art?
Shame he's not interested in returning, his bots were always cleanly drawn with a nice 'robotic' straight line style.
DeathsHead
See above – no he doesn't.
artiepants
Does Senior do ANY comic work anymore? I thought i'd heard he moved into advertising…
the only person I'd rather have doing the art on this would have been Guido rocking his retro style, i think he actually pulls it off really well.
DeathsHead
Yeah – I was GUTTED. I would happily drop big figures for a one-of-a-kind Senior artwork.
dj_convoy II
Aw, that's a shame. Still, I can see where he might want to only go forward and not look back in regards to his work-
DeathsHead
I spoke to Geoff shortly before the UK TF get-together with a query as regards one off commissioned work. A more lovely correspondent you couldn't hope to encounter. However, he confirmed that he really doesn't want to draw Transformers now – even as a one off for what would be substantial money for the time spent. I suppose if IDW really upped the dollars…
His small bit of work for the comic released at the time of the first Bay movie was pretty awful and showed that his interest in this subject matter has vanished.
Thundershot
Even though he's got some Circuit Breaker print on his face, are we sure it's not Spike? Maybe it's an upgrade after being bonded for Fort Max for all that time…
G.B. Blackrock
You're responding to a question I asked immediately after reading the original article. Before I'd read any of the comments. I'm still holding out hope that Smasher might be Josie's son, but by some other father. A relationship with Blackrock just strikes me as inappropriate and unhealthy. Leaving aside the former professional (boss, later mentor) relationship, there's an age difference. Even if these things were ignored, the dynamic created over Blackrock's guilt over Josie's condition (first her paralysis, and later her catatonic state) would make for a VERY awkward romantic dynamic.
It could happen, but I'd much rather see a relationship of equals. Perhaps Josie with one of the Neo-Knights?
Megabattimus
Yeah, in no way is Geoff Senior a hack.
OptimusTimelord
Yeah it's refreshing (and nostalgic) to see the old style art after all these years, I'm glad they made the effort to go retro instead of just getting the latest flavour of the month artist to do it.
TBH there weren't many of the old G1 artists who I actually disliked (the guy who did 'The Human Factor' stands out as worst). I even thought Jose Delbo was quite good. What sometimes ruined the art back then (for me at least) was Nel Yomtov's colours and the big dot-print way they were done (this probably stood out more to us in the UK who were used to good colourists and smooth paper/printing techniques).
SouthtownKid
Bite your tongue. Bite it.
aussiehippy
Well looking forward to this
I like the art, in my eyes both Wildman and Senior produced the best art of Marvel G1
MJRJ13
I am an old school G1'er (More Then Meets the Eye'er). I am very excited about this! I just hope they don't bring back that hack Geoff Senior…He is no Andrew Wildman!
NormanB
YMMV. I've never liked anybody's art better than Wildman's. He is the quintessential TF comic artist in my book.
dj_convoy II
Yep. That's the point! Look, we've known that Wildman was going to be drawing it since the announcement… this can't be a shock… I also wish Geoff Senior could be doing something (and since it's IDW, there will probably be a million variant covers, so who knows who they'll get to draw 'em), but I think he's pretty busy in advertising. Still, they could surprise us…
I'm guessing the blonde dude is Circuit Smasher… and probably a Beller/Blackrock creation, as Sky Shadow said.
Super stoked…!
Murasame
Looks like the old marvel comics
Sky Shadow
Or, since Circuit Smasher is blond, wears blue and doesn't have a moustache, maybe Circuit Breaker got together with Spike and he's their son.
haventgrownup
Sigh.
The enormous excitement I have for returning to the original universe is equally tempered by the knowledge that Wildman is doing all of the art.
So, I'll have to take my nostalgia and hope with large doses of spitting 'bots with nostrils and muscles.
F***.
Couldn't they get ANYBODY else to do some of the art? Covers? Flashbacks?
Sky Shadow
I believe it's actually Stephen Baskerville who inks the metal like that (even in his non-Wildman-pencilled art it looks like that) – since Baskerville's back, so is the style.
Since #80.5 onwards is set 21 years after #80, Circuit Smasher is presumably Josie Beller and G.B. Blackrock's son.