That’s... kinda what happened. Sure, the Joes weren't referencing the Transformers back in 2009 or whatever, but when the project was decided on, it was seeded early in the different titles. Rom featured the Joes showing up at the end of his first issue. Action Man made explicit references to G.I. Joe and the Transformers throughout. Hell, Transformers used the Titans Return storyline to specifically set up that the EDC was being replaced by G.I. Joe.

 

Also, in the first issue of Rom, there are references to Monument Valley and giant robots, and EDC Agents (who were Dire Wraiths in disguise).

 

In a way, but it could have had more buildup, more...I don't know exactly what I'm trying to explain. Ugh. But, anyway, it could have been more organic I guess is a way of saying it maybe? It's one of the flaws of larger connected universes.

 

Fun fact: Chris Ryall has originally wanted to slow burn the idea of the Hasbro Universe with Rom, with the Joes showing up early on and later bringing in other series like Micronauts and Transformers.

Though I must say, I think launching with an event like Revolution was the better way to go. A lot of the books were headed towards significant plot developments (Optimus’ annexation of Earth, the arrival of the Micronauts in the Macroverse, Rom’s arrival on Earth) that created a perfect scenario to bring the characters together (such as G.I. Joe and MASK being direct responses to Optimus’ actions) and it makes more sense to launch a big initiative with a story that converges all those various points.

 

I liked it, but it was poorly handled in some spots. (MASK, WTF?!)

For a while I kinda liked the gritty post-9/11 style GI Joe, but that made the heel face turn to Saturday Morning Cartoons Joe's a little hard to swallow.

MASK could have been a stepping stone from an "organic" GI Joe to a retrofitted Cybertronian tech special forces unit. (And since ALL of GI Joe is supposed to be elite, you'd probably have to use existing Joe's rather than shoe horning in "new" MASK characters.)

Rom was awesome, Startdrive was amazing, dire wraiths,,,,, eeeeehhhh?

And I hated the wraiths infiltrating GI Joe. Couldn't deal after that. Never did find out what happened with Rock & Roll (originally one of my favorites) but I was mad they were screwing with him.

I didn't have a problem with Visionaries but the shock-kill of Kup was stupid. But since at that point they were wrapping things up I can kinda forgive the "we really don't give a shit anymore" writing.

Frankly it had little, if anything, do to with the original Visionaries, but an alien world with not quite humans (beast DNA from their totems) living in a medieval society would have actually been fun. Especially played off with the more "real world" GI Joe.

I never followed Micronauts as a kid, but I gave it a try, and while many raved about it, I was pretty much lost. Acroyear is a badass Klingon/Cyborg/Snakeeyes. Other than that, eh?

Maybe if they'd aligned all the communities from the get go (imagine Ciara's Chuckles dealing with early Furman's Rachet?) it wouldn't be so jarring.

 

Well, it's a topic devoted to showing appreciation, so...

I absolutely APPRECIATE that it's finished. Over.

 

Fun fact; this joke only gets funnier by orders of magnitude every time it is repeated. In one or two more repetitions, we'll all be laughing ourselves into a coma.

 

Fun fact. It wasn't a joke. The thing produced mostly drivel at the expense of the TF books and it's great to see it going away. Good riddance. May their next try be better planned.

 

I mean it wasnt a joke by the object of it not being very funny. But it certainly was a snide and useless bit of commentary. However you’ve definitely stepped outside the appreciative remit of this topic so maybe you can just go away now?

Gwan, shoo!

In any case to stay on topic. IDW was great! I was never a big fan of what i’d seen in the comics, it all looked so terrifically bone headed. Then i heard the buzz about MTMTE and it drew me right in, its first season was definitely right up there with my other reading material of the time, Saga. Anyway, what a ride!

 

Can't see the moderator title next to your user name, you know... Not like your efforts in telling me what to post or not are going to be successful. Not an authority to me.

The idea was a very, very bad one. Fitting a square peg into a round hole because that was exactly what each and every follower of the IDW TFverse wanted. Have it derailed for the sake of promoting other franchises. ROM crossover was great... But were the other ones really necessary?

Those titles didn't even live long enough to make it worth the hit taken by the TF books.

 

Well that is ironic enough to be a joke! You finally did it friendo! We’ll make a productive member of society out of you yet!

Back in topic, and remaining positive one of the things i deeply value abt the IDW comics was that in broadening the horizons of what tf comics could be about, it too broadened the horizons of what the tf community could look like. There is strong statistical and anecdotal evidence to say that the comic forums on tfw were a bit of a ghost town before idw’s phase 2 and now there are so many diverse people talking all manner of diverse topics. How lively!

I for one have enjoyed many a discussion about the windblade and til all are one ongoing, been thrilled at some of the treatment of trans characters, and learned a little more about a the trans experience of humans in return. Thats somethig i genuinely appreciate.

 

Phase two, MTME and TAAO were just IDW TFverse before the idea of shared Hasbroverse came. The Hasbroverse and crossovers with other franchises came later and did good job at derailing it. It's just that MTME was spared of most of this.

You might have troubles understanding what exactly you're defending or appreciating, it seems...

BTW, your friendship must be fairly cheap if you're so fast to disperse it online even if it's merely trying to come as witty or snarky.

Try again.

 

Au contraire lurking internet partypooper. TAAO came in the thick of the hasbroverse onset, as did LL which take or leave i still enjoyed. The latter’s crossover event, even as a sarcastic one noter was still pretty fun notwithstanding.

On the topic of the hasbroverse at large and not particular quadrants of it however (a hairsplitting riposte at best), Rom v tf was universally adored, the rom ongoing and rom + micronauts was by all accounts v good, revolutionaires was more fun than its composite box of action figures would bely, which leaves visionairies and one other i believe to be scorned. Hardly a poor average all told and certainly proof of concept for a stimulating shared universe going forward as serms to be the case.

As for the luxury of my friendship, perhaps i should use more to help your reading limitations?

 

As i recall the writing was bad by way of inconsistency. But that is fair as mask was always the redheaded stepchild of tfs anyway.

 

That was definitely the plot line! mayhem used cribbed tf tech to make the mask vehicles and shit. It wasnt the concept so much as the execution by the writers (see also: visionaries - which i really wanted to love but could not).

 

TAAO came as rebranding of the Windblade ongoing after the focus was shifted from marketing it as the one character book to the book about the Thirteen colonies and Cybertronian politics. Filing the niche abandoned after the ExRiD shifted the focus to Earth. LL was rebranding of the MTME same as OP was rebranding of the ExRiD. None of this was because the shared verse. The relaunches happen if only to see if sales can't be improved. You're twisting what happened just to fit your narrative. It's facepalworthy no matter how smart you're trying to be about it.

Again, try harder.


And now the Hasbroverse is no more. Pity it seemingly didn't work well enough. Ouch...

 

Your argument is then that tfs are not part of the hasbroverse..?
Optimistically i shall assume this is a droll comment instead of unfathomable pinheadery.

In any case i just pointed out how the concept as a whole was much more hit than miss and is clearly the proof of concept that hasbro seems to be using to make the shared universe a thing going further.

So i’m not entirely sure who you are trying to convince here?

A p p r e c i a t e, find out what it means to...well literally anyone really.

 

Hasbro Highlight Their Plans For 2019 - Transformers News - TFW2005

Hasbro are clearly pushing all these other properties to make something out of it. While its not definitive of a shared universe going forward, its not exactly deterring speculation either.

 

Hasbro's a branding powerhouse. For whatever interpretation anyone might have of it's attempts with Unit: E and the "Hasbroverse" comics, I doubt it's going to stop trying to steal Marvel's krabby patty secret formula until it gets a real bloody nose.