Comics: Why not make a G1 sequel?

Discussion in 'Comic Books and Graphic Novels' started by dlobro1080, Jul 14, 2005.

  1. dlobro1080

    dlobro1080 Member

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    Hey everyone,

    I posted this in the General forum, not seeing that there was a comics forum:

    Haven't posted in awhile. Anyway, I'm very excited about the new comics, especially the fact that the new G1 series won't be holding to any continuity.

    However, one thing I've wondered -- which, I know, is the opposite of what I just said -- is why not make a comic series that is a sequel to G1? In effect, the only continuity it would hold to is wherever the creators decided to pick up from -- say, the ending of the G1 US cartoon. Optimus is back as leader, and brand new adventures could begin. At least we'd have a definitive answer to: what happened to everyone after the cartoon ended? Short of that happening, pick up where the Marvel G2 comics ended.

    The reason I feel this way is that while retelling, or "Ultimatizing" the universe is fine, I think a sequel would be, truthfully, more exciting.

    Thoughts?

    Dan
     
  2. Zathras

    Zathras Vive le Quebec Libre

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    Legal issues prevent using the same continuity as the G1 comic from marvel and DW.

    DW worked around it by combining the show and comic storylines... therefore creating a brand new story.
     
  3. Kickback

    Kickback @GeekWithChris Administrator News Staff

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    Might happen with the IDW Evolution mini-series.
     
  4. dlobro1080

    dlobro1080 Member

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    Hmmm, never thought of the legal red tape. That's too bad. The Evolution series is a nice idea, though I wonder who they'll get for that. Is Transformers that attractive to the more respected creators (Jim Lee, Frank Miller, JMS, Grant Morrison, etc)?
     
  5. Wreckgar

    Wreckgar Anthony Stark Veteran

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    they did, it was called G2 :D 
     
  6. G.B. Blackrock

    G.B. Blackrock Autobot Ally

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    You might want to go back and re-read that first post. It asked about a sequel to "pick up where the Marvel G2 comics ended."
     
  7. Groundsplitter

    Groundsplitter Decepticon

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    I have never believed that explanation. To me it sounds like an excuse that Dreamwave made up to satisfy the fans who asked for a continuation.
    Devil's Due's take on G.I. Joe is a direct continuation of Marvel's G.I. Joe series, which shouldn't have been possible if these legal obstacles existed.
     
  8. G.B. Blackrock

    G.B. Blackrock Autobot Ally

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    I myself have pointed this out on more than one occasion, and yet this explanation persists.
     
  9. Wreckgar

    Wreckgar Anthony Stark Veteran

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    And that was called Alignment, a Transforce convention exclusive also made into a novelization
     
  10. G.B. Blackrock

    G.B. Blackrock Autobot Ally

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    The existence of which still does not defeat the purpose of the original post.
     
  11. Wreckgar

    Wreckgar Anthony Stark Veteran

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    Well between the End of G1 and the begining of G2 nothing happened that wasn't explained in G2. The Autobots took back Cybertron at the end of G1 and stayed there until called back to Earth by GIJoe to battle a resurrected megatron.

    After Alignment, I'm not sure if everything was wrapped up because I haven't finished it. So an argument could be made for a G2+ series but I believe that DW was kind of a sequel along with a mix of their own ideas.
     
  12. G.B. Blackrock

    G.B. Blackrock Autobot Ally

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    Well, we weren't really talking about a "between G1 and G2" thing, but there's plenty of room for stories that detail the Autobot's return to Earth with the Neo-Knights, or what happened to Galvatron (it's laughable to think he was destroyed forever by that ice bath, when Shockwave, a far less sturdy 'bot, survived a similar fate in issue #12 only to return two issues later). Or how Megatron and Ratchet lost their mind-link. Or how Megatron survived when Ratchet apparently didn't (since Fixit said this was impossible). Or how Grimlock got his ability to transform back. (Can't really take UK stories as part of G2 continuity. Especially since their G2 started out entirely differently.)

    But back to G2. Assuming Alignment as canon (an iffy proposition giving the non-official nature of the work and the convention it appeared in, but a possibility given that it was written by Furman), although it "wrapped up" the story about the Liege Maximo, there were obviously stories that could still be told if someone wanted to do so.

    And that's all this has ever been about, anyway. Setting more stories in THAT universe, rather than a total reboot. It's not even especially important that "loose ends" (if any exist) be tied up. The DW stories can't really be said to be in that universe at all. They just used some characters in common. But their version of events is difficult (if not impossible) to reconcile with the events we'd already seen happen in the Marvel comics.
     
  13. dlobro1080

    dlobro1080 Member

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    Thanks for all the replies -- I have a couple of questions I think you guys can help with.

    I picked up a couple of graphic novels: All Fall Down and End of the Road. Were those UK comics? I really enjoyed them, but I'm wondering where they fall in the canon.

    Are the G2 comics available in a trade?

    Also, can anyone talk a little more about what happened in Alignment? Did Optimus die? Did they all live happily ever after?

    Thanks,
    Dan
     
  14. RabidYak

    RabidYak Go Ninja Go Ninja Go

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    The answers to all that and more can be found in the reprint sticky at the top of this forum.
     
  15. KidDynamite

    KidDynamite Do good recklessly Veteran

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    All Fall Down and End of the Road are US comics. They comprise the last 12 or so issues of the Marvel G1 comic. The G2 comics, along with the entire run of US G1, and a pretty healthy chunk of the UK G1 comics, have all been collected in trades from Titan. The G2 trades were called Rage in Heaven and Dark Designs.

    There's a lot of them. I think there are 14 G1 trades, 2 G2 trades, and as of now 10 UK trades and/or manga-style books with 2 more coming soon.

    To see how they all break down check out RabidYak's very informative guide here:

    http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/thread45197.html

    I'd like to help with your Alignment questions but it's been so long since I read it that I forgot what happens.
     
  16. dlobro1080

    dlobro1080 Member

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    Thanks, that sticky was helpful. I think the problem -- as much as respect what IDW is proposing -- is that after awhile, all these reboots just water down the impact these comics have. As far as I'm concerned, the Armada-Energon comics were the reboot for the new generation. G1 should be continuing from where it left off all those years ago. However, with each new comic licensee that reboots G1, after awhile there's going to be no point to even considering a true sequel (which I truly think their target audience would f*cking love), because how would you know where to start from?
     
  17. KidDynamite

    KidDynamite Do good recklessly Veteran

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    I wouldn't love a continuation of the G1 comics. The problem is all the baggage that comes with it. There are popular but dead characters that you've either got to leave dead and not use or come up with a lame excuse for why they're alive again. And most importantly to me, where do you take the storytelling? Everything else seems like small potatoes when you've made peace with your enemies and killed a god. The meat and potatoes of Transformers is war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Sure, you could do yet another mysterious outside threat, but whoopie. After Unicron and the Liege Maximo it just seems redundant and lame. I'd personally just prefer a reboot and start over.
     
  18. dlobro1080

    dlobro1080 Member

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    >>I wouldn't love a continuation of the G1 comics. The problem is all the baggage that comes with it. There are popular but dead characters that you've either got to leave dead and not use or come up with a lame excuse for why they're alive again. And most importantly to me, where do you take the storytelling? Everything else seems like small potatoes when you've made peace with your enemies and killed a god. The meat and potatoes of Transformers is war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Sure, you could do yet another mysterious outside threat, but whoopie. After Unicron and the Liege Maximo it just seems redundant and lame. I'd personally just prefer a reboot and start over.<<

    I understand that. I was talking with a friend about the whole All-Star Batman and Superman thing. He was saying that he wished they would just do it in the regular Batman book; there might be 5 dorks who get bent out of shape about it, but that's it. The rest of the world wouldn't care, and at best, would get more people interested in comics because it would be a clear, clean slate.

    Personally, I think the problem with Transformers is that there have been TOO many reboots, too many conflicting continuities. But if the publisher had the balls to say, "Our story takes place after TF:TM, and throws out everything else," or "We're starting right after G2. Here's who's dead and who's alive," then I think it would work. What happens in 2 years (or whenver) and IDW loses the license? It'll be another reboot. It's almost hard to care about anything DW did, because in a sense, those stories don't matter.

    Dan
     
  19. Chrono Grimlock

    Chrono Grimlock Buttstuff Werewolf

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    I loved the Dreamwave stories, issue 9 and 10 of the ongoing were my favorite Transformers ever. I think what Dreamwave did with their reboot was the best of both worlds; their continuity tied into the cartoon, the G1 comic and eventually Beast Wars. Plus they were giving the Transformers some very cool back stories(War Within). I'd rather see the Dreamwave continuity used in some up coming stories from IDW. A six issue mini finishing off the unifinshed arc left with issue 10 of the cancelled DW series would, in my opinion, be much better than trying to find stories that fit into G1/G2 of the Marvel stuff.
     
  20. G.B. Blackrock

    G.B. Blackrock Autobot Ally

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    I'm going to nitpick here. The DW books DID NOT tie into the G1 comic. It did, yes, borrow some elements of that, but (to pick an example) DW Shockwave clearly was not intended to be the same Shockwave that had taken command of the Decepticons on Earth for a time between Marvel issues #5 and #39. If DW Shockwave had been on Earth at all before Vol. 2 #1 (they were starting to suggest some behind-the-scenes manipulation), it was not widely known.

    To tie-in means (at least to me) more than just to take a few elements from a source. It means to actually fit into continuity with it, something the DW comic expressly did not do.