IDW1 was pretty great most of the time. IDW2 has just been. . . boring. I can't say I'm interested in where they're taking the franchise, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited at the prospect of this being true.

 

Welp, I hope whoever picks up the license next puts out something that can reel me in again, try as I might post-IDW1 Transformers comics just haven't been doing it for me.

 

Well, looks like IDW2 might turn into the next Dreamwave if this is true, which would kind of suck… I hate cutoff stories…

 

We can only hope. If I were Hasbro there is no way I'd renew IDW's license.

Transformers Infiltration #5 - $27,254
Transformers Devastation #1 October 2007 - 15,688
Transformers Ongoing sales October 2010 - 11,951
Transformers Ongoing sales June 2021 - 8175
Source: Comichron: Comic Book Sales by Month

There ARE more books being sold per month now (King Grimlock, Beast Wars) than the Ongoing period, but the next toal is still sub 25k per month with the added costs of all those books.

Fact is, comics are doing fine right now in sales due in no small part because Marvel and DC are moving away from the Direct Market and Diamond after nearly 20 years servicing ONLY it. They've been flat or improving for some time and now partnering with Lunar, Penguin and digital opened up another avenues to revenue. But Transformers has seen a slow and steady decline for the better part of a decade (and I loved IDW1 fwiw). And IDW? They make weird publishing choices. Beast Wars is great. The ongoing is basically unreadable slop. But they're totally niche direct market faire.

I would say Hasbro should give it to Marvel, but they don't really do licensed books anymore. DC... if they're non-digitally publishing more than just 8 Batman books, 1 Superman book and 1 Justice League book by the end of the decade, I'd be surprised. I think the best option would be to pull it in house, publish only digitally through the Hasbro Pulse app and website for Pulse Premium members and hire quality past and present IDW talents on contract. The direct market comic book industry is a dead market walking and forking the license over to Boom or Image or Dark Horse will just be more of the same in time. It'll be a 15k sales premier followed by an drawn out ride down to 6000 by 2025.

 

Damn, idws been around awhile, if true then I hope they have something to end 2.0, I've been enjoying that.

 

This has such HE TELL ME energy coming from it, its nuts.

Dreamwave was a very different thing. I'm pretty sure IDW actually pay their employees.

 

Still, the result could be an unfinished story. Unless this results in a hasty conclusion instead…

 

I've felt the same about IDW2. Back during MTMTE and Lost Light, I was always excited to read a new issue and with the current run, it's just...meh. I understand that a story isn't always going to be blazing full speed, but even when IDW1 was "slower", it was still interesting. IDW2 is just...well, you said it...boring.

IDW1 made the politics of Cybertron interesting. IDW2 has made it feel like watching CSPAN. It's weird.

 

Saddest part of this is that the whole Beast Wars reboot will be cut short.

... I mean, the reboot is not very good but it has a few good things going on (New characters being introduced, Scorponok actually having a personality, etc.). It would be a shame if it's cancelled once that it actually starts to diverge from the original show.

 

Transformers manga is the way to go. Abou IDW, they had their moments, but that's long past.

 

I'm fine with this happening.

IDW1 crashed and burned hard. IDW2 has tried, but it has just completely failed to recapture any of that magic from the good years, it has just been mindlessly meandering around.

 

Watch Boom Studios get Transformers.

 

As someone who never cared much about IDW at all, I find this fairly interesting. I wonder if IDW is choosing not to renew or if it's Hasbro cutting ties with IDW. I wanna know this story should this pan out to be true!

 

Oh man. I’m glad at least the 2005 continuity got an ending. Hoping for the best.

 

I'd like to see Boom! Studios take over, especially since they have the Power Rangers license.

 

Good. Gimmie some NOT boring comics for once.

 

I guess the question is, does something better come next? Because the bar for me is pretty high (taken as an aggregate).

I also wonder if the primary factor is control, or revenue?

 

as long as the art is better and the stories are more interesting idc who has the license.

 

Whatever happens next, I just hope that Nick Roche has a role in it.

(Although the current Wreckers comic is pretty solid so far).

 

Well, that's depressing, I think they put out some of the best TF media of all time, and I don't think a change of comic publisher is somehow going to make this franchise more popular.