Hi All,

With the release of Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Issue #1 (out today!) I decided to open up a thread for anyone who wants to reach me. Ask whatever you like. I'll answer however I can.

PS I won't be posting/reading other threads (because who wants to talk smack when Mom's around?) So if you want to reach me, here's the place.

 

W00T!
So, I appreciate you tying up Grimlock's fate after FoC, but will you be explaining Sludge's new body (e.g. survived, but rebuilt), or are you just gonna leave that thread loose? Also, will this have ANY relationship to Beast Hunters the show, e.g. any Easter Eggs/ allusions to it?

Regardless, eager to see your future works!

 

This is why I love TFW

Two part question
1) Will we be seeing Swoop?

2) I got a huge Beowulf vibe from the beginnings of this storyline. Was that an inspiration?


I'm loving it. Right off the bat I'm hooked.

 

Great to see you Ms. Scott! Loved your last TV episode (I'm pstinson42 on Twitter)

1) Not going to harp on the Sludge thing, but there's another rough spot in the game-to-TV transition: Hardshell went from G1!Bombshell-looking mech pilot to generic-looking Klingon. Are the two Hardshells different (i.e. one just took the name of an Insecticon "hero"?)

2) Any desire from Hasbro or the creative team to incorporate elements of the Prime toylines that didn't make it into the show into the comic?

3) From the overall comic/TV storyline, I've gathered that "Forged" are Cybertronians that Shockwave altered into Predacons, while Predacons that are simply referred to as Predacons are grown from raw materials and recovered "CNA." Am I barking up the right tree?

4) I understand it's not likely to come up in the show's plotline, but can we safely assume that Ultra Magnus reported to Optimus Prime that there are large numbers of friendly Cybertronians still on their homeworld?

Thanks!

 

It's an honor to meet you Ms Scott.  

If you get the chance I have some questions.

#1 Will we get an explanation about how Grimlock got better after the events of Fall of Cybertron along with Shockwave?

#2 Will we be seeing Abomnibus in this series?

#3 Will Hardshell's brothers Kickback and Sharpshot make an appearence in the comic?

 

Sharpshot died.
That reminds me though: one of the animators for TFP said the stronger Insecticons are actually larger than the ones that go down in one/two hits, and Shockwave alludes to the different classes in FoC. Will this be brought up in the comics?

Off-topic: Did Aaron Archer get swamped with questions while he was on here too? Brace yourself Ma'am!

 

Hi Ms Scott, great first issue!

The only question I have so far is: what's Swoop's role in helping oversee Grimlock's city (if he's been given one at all)?

Thank you very much, and I'm looking forward to issue 2.

 

First Question

Good questions. Yes we will address Sludge's past from FoC (in Issue 2 if I remember right) and it will tie into Beast Hunters TV, both thematically and directly. However, we couldn't risk spoiling anything on the show so we'll be hanging with the Dinos for a while longer before the other 'Bots join in.

 

TFW is really great. They were a big help getting this set up.

Answers: 1. Swoop is a big part of the story that Mike, my partner, wrote in Issue 3 and 4. We thought that by splitting the Dinos up we could highlight them a little more for fans and I've been feeling the need to offer Sludge his moment in the spotlight.

2. I was not thinking of Beowulf when I wrote this, but I'm flattered you got that vibe. I really wanted a "heavy is the head" feel for Grimlock, but Sludge's story always struck me as a bit of a wastern: "stranger rolls into a troubled town..."

Hope you keep liking it.

 

Hey,

Soo many questions; I'll try to make this brief.

1. Hardshell. I can't actually answer this one. I killed Hardshell long before I knew he was going to be in the videogame and we wrote ROTD after its release. Your theory of a namesake does seem possible, but I don't know the official verdict.

2. Hasbro's been pretty nice about allowing us to focus on telling the best stories instead of highlighting specific 'Bots. Of course, we all want to encorporate some of the non-TV toys into our line, but alot of the bios I read specifically mention that they are on Earth in the "present" and that makes it harder to introduce them right this moment in TFBH. But if you have a toy you really want to see in action, speak up. I can't promise anything, but I'm always listening.

3. You are very close. The Forged are a group of 'Bots altered by Shockwave who follow him with a fanatical devotion. Although their leader, Ser-ket, was spliced with Predacon CNA, Forged have been altered in a number of ways beyond that. You're right that Predacons in present day were simply cloned from existing material. Shockwave "grew" them but didn't alter them once they came online.

4. I'm sure UM told Optimus there were people on Cybertron when he left. On the other hand, it took him a good while to get to Earth, and the 'Bots haven't see a horde of 'Bots rushing to greet them the few times they went home, have they? I don't think Optimus knows what happened to the Dinos and the people they saved.

Glad to hear for you.

 

The honor is mine. Thanks for letting me play with your childhood toys.

1. In a lot of ways, Grimlock didn't recover. I think we covered this pretty well in the miniseries Rage of the Dinobots miniseries, (which you can get in trade), and some things are ongoing issues Grimlock will always deal with. But we've got a lot of plot on our hands already so I don't anticipate going to that much detail about FoC again for a while (except with Sludge, because he has unfinished business there, as many a fan has noted).

2. Not to my knowledge, but if a lot of people clamor, I could be pursuaded.

3 SPOILERS!! I thought Sharpshot died in the FoC game (off the top of my head remembering here), but Kickback does make an appearance at the end of this issue! END SPOILERS

 

We do see Insecticons of different sizes and strengths in the comics, but no one's really gone into a lot of detail about it, mostly because the Dinos feel the only good Insecticon is a dead one. I know, it's kind of racist of them, but tough times can bring out the worst in people.

Off-topic: Not sure if Aaron got a huge responce, but I love it. Talking to you guys is the best part of my day (outside of pretending to be a Dinobot in a fight scene).

 

Last question for the night

Swoop serves as a scout and messanger to the various citystates, which is pretty much what he did before. He checks up on New Kalis and patrols for all manner of bad guys and looks for any more energon.

 

Done for the night

Okay guys,

I'm signing off for the night so I can work on Issue 6. I'll be back tomorrow if you have any follow-ups.

Thanks everyone!
Mairghread

 

I would love to see Abominus get some attention in the comic.

I also want to thank you for the work you've done on the Prime show. I really appreciate that you're not afraid to really have fun with the characters while still delivering an engaging story. Many of my favorite character moments in the series have come from your episodes, especially Chain of Command. I hope you continue to work with Transformers for years to come.

 

^ Glad to hear from you! Thanks so much. The Forged clarification alone might be worth a post on the Wiki or something. I'll control my urge to ask really nitpicky follow up questions  

Regarding the significance of bios, I think there's a really strong historical case to be made in the franchise for them to have none whatsoever. I mean, the Beast Hunters toyline brought back Dreadwing and Breakdown! I feel that the bios for the non-show Autobots are strongly contradicted by the show itself, where it would be enormously important if any of them joined Team Prime.

As far as characters myself and others are curious about, I think Ironhide probably tops the list, along with Hot Shot, Kup, Prowl, and Thundertron. Also speaking just for myself I liked Blast Off's cameo in RotD, might be fun to see Swindle or Onslaught. And of course we are all very curious about Abominus...

 

Simple one: Who is your favorite character to write?


Thank you very much!!  

 

I always thought Thundertron getting a toy seemed indicative of something. Regarding the Hardshell confusion, you could say the same about Breakdown, right? (But that's going more into the show than the comic).

Not sure if this is on topic or not (as it does involve the show), but there is a theory floating around on TvTropes (and possibly here) that the Dark Energon discrepancy between the show and games is because the latter involve a refined/ processed form while the show uses a natural/ raw version. Is there any truth in this? (Given that the Autobots are underground, it seems like something that would be brought up).
PS. I KNEW the show's cast would meet up with Grimlock! Knew it!