Fellas I hate to say this but, and I'm not the only one who feared this, this smells of Hasbro dipping more than just a finger into IDW's storyline writing recipe now....  

 

I'm disappointed that Windblade Returns is a.) going to have a combiner-focused plot rather than the setup Windblade #4 left for it and b.) only going to be a 3 issue series?

 

Maybe they want to show some appreciation for the owners of the franchise, and maybe they like the toys too, also who knows maybe IDW suggested combiners be made...

Besides I'd love to see Stone's combiners!

 

So this will help with predicting what figures will get combiner toys. Basically, it sounds like MTMTE is not involved with Combiner Wars... so that means any characters in that cast will not be combining.

Does that eliminate any teams?

Curses... my dream of a Swerves/Rung/Tailgate combiner is ruined!

 

True, however think about the process of them making toys, and how long that takes. Once Hasbro settled on making the combiners, they probably spoke with IDW pretty quickly after that and said 'these need to be included in the comics'.

Given that Superion and Menasor have already appeared, it's not likely to be terribly devastating across previous media/disrupt the main story too much given that Barber and co have known about this a lot longer than we have, and have the time and intelligence to work it into their storytelling.

Basically, everyone calm down until you actually get to read the comics, they might actually be good.

 

Indeed. Don't really get the hate for Stone's art. I think some people are just too used to the art they've gotten with MTMTE, and maybe RID, and when something different comes along they get all "OMG, what is this crap?".

 

All the Protectobots are on board the Lost Light. Although I doubt that has a lot of influence on which toys will be made. If this is an event shoe-horned in by Hasbro, they can probably figure out a way to magically transport them back.

Edit: And, um, 3 of the 5 Technobots are dead in the IDW continuity. So that complicates things.

 

I've been wondering about that... but I think the press release may just be trying to indicate that issues 1-3 of the already printed series will be released with some of the upcoming toys and those issues will also include a few pages of the combiner story.

I'd love to see a new Windblade series, but looking over the mishmash of information about what's coming out, I think they're just folding her into the main RID storyline. Comic-book marketing is really miserably bad across the entire industry; they always make you work to figure out what they're publishing.

 

It was confirmed at BotCon there's a new Windblade mini coming in early 2015 with the same creative team. I really doubt they mean the first mini but with toys and with a few extra pages. (especially when they describe it as "new" in the press release)

 

Well..., I remember a time when reading comics as a young whipper-snapper wasn't about selling toys. It was a time when we had to use our imagination. Back before the days of Laptops, smartphones, and Video Game systems.

Those were the days.

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



On another note: once again Consumerism strikes again!

DANG NABBIT!!!!

 

Comics for toylines have always been about selling toys; they are basically pages of advertising, a catalogue with a storyline...

 

You mean before 1984?

And I'm not even just talking Transformers... we've also got GI Joe, He-Man, and of course lest we forget Marvel's event Secret Wars. Which existed to sell toys.

Hell, Rom Spaceknight was 1979.

 

I was just about to say this.  

 

I'm glad it's not affecting MTMTE. I'm glad that it's using combiners that have already shown up in IDW.

I am not glad that it's affecting Windblade Returns, or that it's only three issues. That's very disheartening.

I hope trade sales for the first mini and sales for this second one actually let it turn into an ongoing, I was very disappointed about the first one's success not leading directly to a third series.

 

you were supposed to read my reply in Grandpa Simpson's voice.  

tbh when I was reading comics I never though to tie them in with toys.  

 

I'm not so sure (see below).

I was about to post this. This looks to me as setup for MTMTE to be involved, especially as it does specify which transformer series is involved.

How many Seacons are left too? Is it just Nautilator who was killed?

 

An ancient artifact? If this is what caused Superion, it could be a decent expansion of something already set up. If it's not connected, this will seriously come off as Hasbro forcing themselves into these comics to sell toys through TFP level lazy writing.

 

On the subject of toys and comics. Of course its a way of selling whats new and I'd call BS if they say otherwise. I'm not going to go as far as saying some PR guy at Hasbro says characters XY and Z need a feature but I'd be willing to say many characters have been put on the back burner if Hasbro had a toy in development so that both the toy and comic appearance coincide as an event. Also Hasbro own the rights to whats now a multi-million $ property and I'd be shocked if they didnt oversee every detail.

As for Ramondelli's art I enjoy his colours but some of the line work does seem a bit patchy. I'd be willing to say he has his fans but from a business view I'm thinking he's really good at turn over and probably cheaper then some others on IDW's books. But that's just a theory

 

It's pretty in its own right but the style is so completely dissonant with the rest of the books that I feel like I'm reading something completely unrelated.