Botcon Comic Preview (APRIL FOOLS!) and More Guests Announced This Week

I was thinking they probably had him in red just as a reference to that Red Geist toy, which was a red recolor of G1 Deathsaurus.

Well, this thread was posted at 11:00 PM GMT. Nice joke, but I hope this preview is printed in the comic anyway!

Nah, all depends on what time zone you post from

and Nevermore, ease up, I don't think people will be dissappointed seeing Don again lol...

I'm more complaining about what I believe to be the first Fun Publications announcement that is met with an overwhelmingly positive feedback turning out to be a fake. Even if the real comic WAS good, it'd still have to live up to this. And that's why I think this joke could ultimately backfire, in a "joke was better than the real thing" sense.

I don't have anything against Don, he's just not one of my favorite TF artists. I'd be all over an official comic drawn in the style of those three pages.

Quoted for truth - there's fail plastered all over the truth of these pages. Even Don returning doesn't make me feel better about it at all. I wanted intelligent genius Grimlock, jibba-jabba Jazz, and all the rest.

The only part I really did find amusing is that Pete made this one work out perfectly with the way a lot of actual news from their site has leaked early.

i was just gonna say that (both parts)

i for one am so bloody excited to see DON doing the con comic...cant wait to order my diamond edition...

Gotta agree there - so far none of the Collector's Club comics were enjoyable. The whole storyline of Mr. Transparent Energon Combiner Limb and his buddies travelling through timelines kind of left me cold.

That said, a mirror universe holds good possibilities... It can be done right, like the Justice League episode "A Better World" - or it can be dull and boring, like Spotlight: Mirage. We'll see...

While Don is a great artist and some of his BW work is the best stuff I have seen, we have been inundated with a single style of TF art for years now in the comic industry to a point it is becoming boring and mundane even when the quality is excellent.

I think some of the Spotlights in different styles are some of the best pieces of art out there.

I gotta say that I am unsure I will be able to enjoy the REAl story now that we have seen it would be possible to have G2-style art and design and it still holds up 10+ years later. Instead of standing out with a unique style I hope it doesn't fade into the background.

Wow, the astute ability to decide that this is the "BEST comic" based on three preview pages, lol...

Same here. G2 fo evah!

Dang, they revealed the gag this early? I was hoping it would ride out at least until late afternoon.

It was another Troop-Sepelak 1-2 punch (I was really stifling giggles at all of the 'It was drawn by Walky!' comments). We wrote it based on an outline and notes by Pete. Greg drew and inked it and I colored it (using sampled colors from the g2 comics). What really shocked me is that no one mentioned the flat, old-school coloring as a negative. I thought for sure that would have been a point of contention.

Happy April Fool's, folks.

-Trent

I am STILL tempted to buy a set of Pretender Classics and make them into this comic's versions. And I would give Jazz's shell a Mr. T deco!

I think it really depends on how the methods are used. Flat colors can look garish if the wrong colors are used. Computer coloring can look very blurred if there's not enough contrast (it's sometimes a problem I had with some of Dreamwave's stuff).

awesome man, love the color work and the inclusion of all the other con exclusives recolored as heroes...

Now that's funny... though I can see this backfiring on them... seems like they expected people to absolutely hate this and it was loved by much of the fandom. Now, no matter how good the actual comic is, it's going to have to live up to this 'joke'.

Wow. A fun, funny and interesting comic preveiw by FP is a joke. ha ha Well, here's to hope the actual comic is half as good. Silly me, I always thought an April Fools joke was meant to be funny. Well, I hope FP is laughing anyway. Darn, a really intelligent Grimlock went all the back to Grimlock's episode in Season 3. Evil Jazz doing a Mr. T impression is classic too. Also a Classics Thundercracker in Action Master colors would be just too cool. Oh well.

I do agree it was a joke well-done, but like others I could easily see this backfiring in terms of my liking the real Botcon comic. I mean, those three pages were just brilliant.

Now, if the REAL comic is the exact same plot and dialogue but with DON drawing it, THEN I'll be pleasantly surprised...

There's a typo on page 2, even though it's fake, doesn't mean it can't be nitpicked.

"A Predacon? So...the srhink ray didn't finish them off..."

Awww...it's a stinking April Fool's joke...this makes me a sad panda. I, Seaspray loved it!

QFT.

Ah, well. This gives me some hope for more goodness:Meanwhile, I do like Don's art, so all isn't lost.

Sorry to jilt you, FP, but I think we should just remain good friends for now.

Sipher just admitted as much.

http://www.allspark.com/forums/index...dpost&p=895902

Not every comic needs to be SRS BUSINESS. Shame how some continually fail at that.

I haven't had this much fun since the Ramjet Spotlight!

that would be so awesome...

Aww, I too really liked this. What a shame.

here's the message from MSipher for those who dont want to head to the allspark...

I absolutely agree. I am bored to tears with the same old Dreamwave-esque art style. I miss the days when artists brought their own spin on Transformers. Derek Yaniger and Geoff Senior being some of my favourites. And yeah, those Spotlights are a fantastic example of the variety we could have. I would love to see more of this G2 styled world.

So what's everyone's favorite cameo? Pretender Dirge? Colonel Deathsaurus? Laserbeak? Bug Bite the Laughing Renegade? Thundercracker?

Now, I'm seeing a lot of disappointment that this was a prank. I would like to know what elements really grabbed people. It helps for future projects. There's a lot of fun to be had in this setting. While the convention comic is going to be a different take, there's plenty of room to expand, wot?

-Trent

Like Kup! Favorite TF issue ever just because of how genius Nike Roche made it. Don's great, but we've seen sooo much by him it seems.

Darn. Darn. Darn. Part of me knew it. I mena it IS April 1, so you don't really beleive anything. But Still, I hoped I was wrong.

This was one of the coolest bits of fiction I've seen from the club and it was a fake.

That just sucks.

Most of all because now Il bet anything that their "true" serious version of this universe isn't anywhere NEAR this cool and FUN. This was FUN. sigh


-ZacWilliam, Loves the Pretenders, knew this was too good to be true, and bets the real con comic seems pretty boring and conservitive in comparison.

Jibba Jabba Jazz and Major Bluddbite, for sure.

I really like seeing Botcon Astrotrain.

Wait, this was a joke?

WOT?????

I agree with others that the reason it got the reception it did was that it was something different and unexpected that got a lot of people's attention. Thing is, if you start doing the next.... I dunno, eight years of future comics in this style, then people will get tired of it and long for the Dreamwave comics style or something.

Try different things, have fun with it, but make it work, I guess is probably the best way to go about it. Change tones! Try different art styles! There'll be people complaining about it, and I probably won't like everything but it's worth a shot.

which one is pretender dirge? i want to see that... i'm gonna have to find those pictures again...

Since it was asked...

Why I loved this:

1) The toys/concept for this year was pretty boring-dull (IMO) and this suddenly made them all Fun, Surprising, Original, Different, and most of all FUN. By sticking to the concept of a mirrorverse but going light and just campy enough with it it revitalized an otherwise dully-dark and cliche' setting. My heart drops when I think how saddly serious the real thing's gonna be, even with Don art.

2) It really captures the visual feel of the G2 era perfectly. Great fun homage. I wouldn't want all our TF stuff to have this art, certainly but it was really cool and different to revisit it for a while. It hit just the right combo-note of G2 Nostalgia and Change of Pace.

3) I don't care what anyone says, I LOVE PRETENDERS. I love the callback to the Marvel story and I LOVE seeing Spider-Banditto make an appearence.

4) Favorite characterizations: Mr T. Jazz makes perfect sense, Grimlock is just FUN, and cheery British Bug-bite RULES. I also like the AM colored Thundercracker. The "Mayhem Supression Squad" name is just perfect too. Seriously I love the way things are totally mirrorverse but in appropriate and yet unexpected and fun ways. Great creativity.


If we were to see more set here. I'd want it to keep just this same perfect level of fun and camp, but without degenerating into total wackiness. Transformers can be fun camp without being silly nonsense and this stays right on the good side of that line. More Pretenders. More unexpected but clever alts. More G2 References. More surprising cameos. Darn this again for not being the true con comic. !

Aww man, the best comic I've seen I a LONG time is fake.

[darth]NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO![/darth]

I declare "wot?" shall be a new meme.

-Wot? (my new sign-off)

What I liked:
Grimlock's dialog, reminded me of "Grimlock's new brain"
Evil Jazz = Mr. T

TALLY HO!!!

Now that I look at it, I would love to get my hands on some unproduced Pretenders.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...zo/BC96-01.jpg

I've said it elsewhere, but I'll restate it here - the reason, for me, that this was so enjoyable was that it treated the concept with as much respect as it deserved. "Evil parallel universe" is not new or clever - its overplayed, shlocky campness, and this was reflected in the primary response to the set in the online fandom (despite the fact that the set sold out), which was a resounding "Meh." THIS three-page delight simply gave a silly concept the treatment that it merited - a silly one, that takes the idea and has some goddamned FUN with it.

Ah, interesting read there, thanks.

Well, for me, while I don't really like the art style the camp was enjoyable (and probably wouldn't have worked with any other art style so I forgive it) and made what is probably going to be a very dark and serious real story... very light and fun... for a minute it actually made me want to get this boxset off of eBay (I passed originally because I'm not a fan of mirror-verse concepts, but you guys made me want some of these guys... now, knowing that the real story will probably be your same old same old... I'm back to only grabbing the two to three guys I want off of eBay). Basically, you took something that I expected (still expect) to be overly dark and serious and you made it fun, campy and lighthearted. With fun fan nods that didn't enter the Totaly Fanwank area like the Pretenders.

As for favorite characters... I loved Intelligent Grimlock and his 'Wot' lines. I also enjoyed Mr. T Jazz... and the Mayhem Supression Squad as well as Quintesson Federation made me laugh really hard! Deathsauras was cool and, though I never liked the colors, for some reason I now want a club exclusive Action Master Thundercracker from the Classics Seeker mold! Bugbite was funny as well... Tally-ho!

I also enjoyed the pretenders cameos... the first three in a sense of the three Evil Autobots were basically looking at their own pretender shells and you could see Starscream's behind them. Then, the others in the background behind SS were a cool little fan nod too... I mean, how many fans actually know about those guys?

Most of all I love the final splash page that shows Deathsauras Mayhem Supression Squad, because they are all FP exclusives either from past conventions or from the club... just redone in different colors. Very cool!

Pretender Dirge isn't my favorite out of the bunch of cameos - might have to go with "Spider Bandito" or AM Thundercracker - but he definitely caught my attention as I love that mold, and wasn't sure what was going on. It almost looked like a Mini-Con was riding him! Lumpy, he's apparently the white and blue Buzzclaw/Dirge in the Mayhem Suppression Squad.

Among the characters, I definitely could have gotten behind this good, probably loyal Starscream, and Grimlock was just brilliant in all respects. He was clearly ruthless, evil, and almost polite about the whole thing, wot?

wow, so I am what defined Dreamwave ? wow... that's..

I think Don needs a hug.

It was fun and didn't take itself too seriously, unlike most club/con comics. Plus the G2-style art.

Basically what McFeely said -- it's pitched perfectly for the level of kitsch a mirror universe setup is already at. It made Classics Grimlock in Trypticon colours interesting and instantly memorable.

Not the art-- I didn't like the flat art, as I'm one who hasn't tired of the current "style" of TF comics and probably never will.

But the dialogue, the characterization, and the story just took the mirror universe concept as it was. Everything was just so SPOT ON-- you guys KNEW the mirrorverse had been done to death, that at this point it was just hokey, and so you rolled with it and made everything hokey, but in a fun way that others have already pointed out.

Dangit, I'm REALLY going to have a hard time enjoying the more serious real Botcon comic now, even if it is well-written, because it can't be THIS.

I'm definitely making English Bugbite my avatar at least until after Botcon, and I freaking NEVER change my avatar from Toad. Because something this awesome doesn't deserve to die away after a few days like most other April Fools' jokes.

If it was in America, it was March 31st. The "It was the 1st somewhere" thing won't work with me.

But I blame Munkeefist more than I do you guys. That's almost always a safe bet.

Lordy, no, I don't think anyone's saying that. But Dreamwave popularized the chunky, mech-out robotic style that has essentially defined Transformers comics since then, and you're a big representation of every that's *good* about that style. It's just that... nearly *everyone* tries to draw like that now. So something that's visibly different is immediately eye-catching and intruiging.

Those preview pages were FUN! I'm also sad they were made as a joke, but the announcement at transformersclub.com is enough for me to stay positive we'll see more of this.

Kudos to Pete and FP for a great joke. Using the very same kind of "leaks" than in the past was genius.

Hmm ... seems to me Munkeefist was on to the joke from the beginning.

QFT!

- Bugbite (with eye patch and mustache!)
- Classics Pretenders shell
- Classic Actionmaster Thundercracker
- Club Astrotrain

I also loved Grimlock's speech pattern. If there's anything from the "joke" that it's the same on the actual comic, I hope is Grimlock's speeches.

-airfox

I quoted the whole thing because it's SO TRUE it needed to be said twice. Those three pages were pure win, and I'm saddened to find out they're a joke. Not totally surprised, but saddened. That could have been whole lot of fun, and more importantly, unique. That's really the appeal for me right there. I've already worked out a deal for a couple of my loose figures, and this comic was really making me rethink that, since it looked like the characters were going to be more fun than I'm expecting them to be. Not that I'm unwilling to give the comic a chance. I don't want to say it won't live up to this without seeing it, but that preview was just pure fun, and that's something that I think the club fiction has been missing. Requiem for a Dream is an outstanding film, but Goonies gets more play time in my DVD player. While I realize this year can't change, with the possibility of Animated figures in next years set, I hope the club takes our reaction to this seriously. I think some Animated figures would work quite well for a fun, campy universe like they've given us here. I wish I knew where they were meeting to plan next year's set, so I could make these three pages into a big banner and stand outside the room saying "This is how you do it, guys!"

I wouldn't want it EVERy year, but yeah, have some 8-year-old fun once in a while.


Also, to Don, do not take this as ANY slight against you. Even if I end up not being big on this year's story, I know the art will rule.

Well, for me you very nearly define everything that was GOOD with DW. So chin up, ey. Seriously, DW gets a lot of flack and some of it is earned but, atleast IMHO, your run on WWI and thier G1 ongoing is absolutely the best thing to come out of the era and some of my favorite TF art ever.

Normally I'd be raving that we get Don art for the Con comic right now if I wasn't so bummed that this ultra-fun preview was fake. Go figure. I am still quite happy about it, I just wish we were getting it in addition to this.


-ZacWilliam, can't get enough Don art but also can't get enough original, creative, and fun ideas.