IDW Transformers solicits for April 2010

In another spur of goodwill, IDW has given out their solicits for April 2010. And it looks like this year is shaping up to be a year of new things for the Autobots; the return of E J Su, the return of the Spotlight. Here's the scoop for April:


THE TRANSFORMERS #6

Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa

It’s the AUTOBOTS versus the biggest foe they’ve faced since DEVASTATOR! But with OPTIMUS PRIME in captivity, do our heroes stand a chance? The action keeps coming courtesy of Mike Costa and Don Figueroa!

32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: PROWL

Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by E J SU
Covers by Su, NICK ROCHE

The end of the war between AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS had profound changes throughout the ranks, even for the coldly logical PROWL. Learn of his change of heart and its impact on his actions in the ongoing series.

32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #4

Written by NICK ROCHE & JAMES ROBERTS
Art by NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

The Wreckers have found Aequitas, and things have suddenly become a whole lot more complicated! As the Autobots' special ops team stands on the brink of dissolution as the fatalities mount, Perceptor realizes that drastic action is called for-but having come this far, who among his teammates is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice?


32 pages, USD$3.99.


TRANSFORMERS: NEFARIOUS #2

Written by SIMON FURMAN
Art by CARLOS MAGNO
Colors by JOSH PEREZ
Covers by Magno, BRIAN ROOD

Layers within layers are revealed as the massive global conspiracy that is Project: Nefarious continues to unfold. OPTIMUS PRIME wants answers, and he's prepared to go to any lengths to get them. But how far is too far? And by committing his forces to stopping SOUNDWAVE, is Prime just playing right into The Initiative's hands?

32 pages, USD$3.99.


See you in April guys!

Posted by Fanbot at 10:59 am, THURSDAY 21 January

Transformers: Bumblebee #1 review

Woo! This is the last review of my December haul - yes, I know its January now. Below I present to you my review of Transformers: Bumblebee #1, but first, the cover (above). I've never been a fan of Guido's cartoony style and think it demeans his artistic prowess. But colorist extraordinaire Josh Burcham colors it up something awesome with very cool-looking old style filters that make it look like an old 80's comic. Hmm? Oh yes, the review:

SYNOPSIS: The election of Bumblebee as Autobot leader is full of cheer, but within a few days, Bumblebee wishes he could give up the title. Tensions are high as the Autobots either stay in hiding, or forge out on their own. Ratchet rebukes a disrespectful Wheeljack. Meanwhile, Skywarp kills some humans who don't give him information on something he's looking for. He then teleports away from Allodyne Systems. Back at Autobase, Wheeljack receives a transmission from Colonel Gordon Horiuchi. While Bumblebee is explaining to Omega Supreme that he must hide in a very uncomfortable cave, Wheeljack listens to the Colonel, who states that he is part of a small group of rebels within Skywatch who want to work with the Autobots to capture Decepticons. Wheeljack decides to make contact.
Bumblebee and Ratchet are furious when they find out, but agree to meet the Colonel anyway. Meanwhile, At a neutral location, Horiuchi meets with Bumblebee, explains the desire to work with the Autobots, and gives them a set of badges that will mask their signal from Skywatch's scanners. Bumblebee takes the badges back to base where they are soon installed on each Autobot.

Shortly, the Autobots capture six Decepticons, the latest being Frenzy, who's lost without Soundwave. The next on the list is Scavenger, but instead, Horiuchi wants them to capture Blurr, who had earlier left the team. Cliffjumper blusters out that the Colonel is crazy if he thinks they will capture one of their own. Horiuchi has his tech activate an immobilizer built into Cliffjumper's badge, locking him into vehicle mode. The Autobots are aghast, but Horiuchi merely explains it is until he calms down. The Autobots all realize that they are now pawns for Horiuchi, who will use them as he sees fit to capture friend and foe alike.

THE ART: Chee Yang Ong's artwork as met much criticism from the fandom. His art is basic, demonstrates only basic perspective skill, and his decidedly geewun designs are inconsistent with the ongoing. As I've said before, giving employees creative freedom is great, but this is too far. It angers regular fans, confuses new readers and messes up continuity like there's not tomorrow. The hands are drawn with the skill of an eight-year-old, and the poses look unrealistic. The artwork's only saving grace is colors from the skillful Moose Baumann. His expertly rendered, highly detailed colors enhance Chee's basic artwork and make the comic look very well done. The only complaint I have would be his coloring of Frenzy (pictured above) is a very dubious, dark blue that, along with the red blood on him, makes him look like his G1 counterpart. I have no problem with this (Frenzy is red in my book) but at first glance it looks like a canonical inconsistency which, again, is something IDW seems to be doing a lot these days. Overall the art is half-terrible, half-quite-cool. Go figure.

THE STORY: Zander Cannon certainly makes an impression, though not as much as main man Mike Costa did with the ongoing. The situation of humans pretending to work with the Autobots and then forcing them to work for them is nothing new, but it's just different enough that it becomes interesting. However, there is very little substance to the issue. The first ten pages are literally 100% exposition, recapping the events of ongoing #1-3. It's very word-heavy and frankly, very boring to read. Even when the new development of Colonel Horiuchi offering the Autobots come work for Skywatch, there's three pages of featureless, blah-blah-blah of what the Skywatch badges do and why Horiuchi wants to help the Autobots. Only when you get to the last three pages does anything remotely resembling exciting happen. The only good thing about Cannon's writing is that he slots in a few obscure characters like Cindersaur, Gutcruncher, Axer and Squawkbox. So, the result for thi disappointing issue are:

TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #1
Story by ZANDER CANNON
Art by CHEE YANG ONG
Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN
Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

ART RATING: 7.5 out of 10

STORY RATING: 7 out of 10

OVERALL RATING: 7.5 out of 10

ERRORS: Silverstreak was listed as having left with Hot Rod in Ongoing # 2, but a very Bluestreak-looking Autobot is among those cheering for Bumblebee on the second page. Perhaps Silverstreak is a different character? Or maybe it's supposed to be Smokescreen? Oh, and the designs of the bots are inconsistent with the ones in the ongoing. That sucks.

VERDICT: a thoroughly DISAPPOINTING first issue that fails to impress on both literary and visual fronts. Not a good start guys. Moose Baumann is the only one who's done a decent job. Next time: Bumblebee does something! Will it be important? Probably not. Rated 7 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 12:31 pm, MONDAY 18 January

IDW Transformers solicits for Mar. 2010

Comics Continuum has been updated with IDW's solicits for March 2010. And it looks like next year is shaping up to be a great year for the Transformers! The appearance of the Stunticons, Bumblebee saving a girl and the fate of Fortress Maximus and Garrus-9! Here:


THE TRANSFORMERS #5

Story by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa, ANDREW WILDMAN

Optimus Prime and Spike Witwicky have a chat that could define the future of AUTOBOT and human relations! But lest you think it's all talky-talk, back at Rodimus' camp something big happens, something very big. A game-changing event in IDW's TRANSFORMERS, with a Don Figueroa double-page spread that has to be seen to be believed!


TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #4

Story by ZANDER CANNON

Art by CHEE YANG ONG

Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN

Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

When Bumblebee has a change of heart and goes back to help a little girl whom he had used to discover her father's secrets, he finds himself pursued by the terrifying and unstoppable Skywarp! Bumblebee's big adventure as leader of the Autobots comes to an explosive and thrilling conclusion!


TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #3

Story by NICK ROCHE & JAMES ROBERTS
Art by NICK ROCHE
Colors by JOSH BURCHAM
Covers by Roche, TREVOR HUTCHISON

Trapped inside a maximum-security prison, surrounded by Decepticons, and outgunned at every turn, it's time for the newest Wreckers to earn their stripes. But as the horrors of Garrus-9 are laid bare and the fate of Fortress Maximus is revealed, Springer realizes his team has bitten off more than it can chew.


TRANSFORMERS: NEFARIOUS #1

Story by SIMON FURMAN
Art by CARLOS MAGNO
Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN
Covers by Magno, BRIAN ROOD

The sequel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen starts here! What is The Initiative? More to the point, why doesn't the all-seeing Soundwave know anything about it? How did they come to reanimate/control Ravage? Soundwave must find the answers, and he'll destroy anything in his path to get them!

Posted by Fanbot at 3:42 pm, TUESDAY 22 December

Going Backwards - Spotlight: Cliffjumper review

Hi guys, I'm really sorry about the delay on posting but it's nearing Christmas and I'm flat out making  presents for the family. But here you go; a more in-depth review of Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper than the last one I did.

TRANSFORMERS: SPOTLIGHT: CLIFFJUMPER

Written by SHANE MCCARTHY

Art by ROBBY MUSSO

Colors by JOANA LAFUENTE

Covers by Musso, DON FIGUEROA, CASEY COLLER

SYNOPSIS: In the darkness, Cliffjumper speaks to an unknown being. Some time earlier, he crash landed on a planet and was attempting to make a transmitter to contact the Autobots when he was greeted by two natives. Kita and her younger brother Coll were orphaned when their parents died and struggle to maintain their family's farm. Others of their kind help out from a nearby settlement. After some introductions, Kita doesn't believe that Cliffjumper would hurt a fly, as hurting others is a great evil in her peoples' eyes. He hurriedly changes the subject and they later head to the farmhouse where Cliffjumper refuels on synthetic energon. He believes he will be there for awhile and suggests he help with Kita's farm. Time passes and the farm is now thriving. While Cliffjumper and Kita discuss flowers, a Decepticon ship flies overhead and lands near the farm where Coll is playing. They rush back to the farm, where the Decepticons are threatening Coll (who mistakes them for "Autosmots"). As they try to pry info out of Kita, Cliffjumper kills three of the landing party. They finally use her as bait to lure out Cliffjumper, and are surprised to learn he is but one Autobot. To humiliate him, they tell Kita that Cliffjumper is a killer who sabotaged a Decepticon ship. She is saddened and wishes to leave.

They let her go but only to shoot her in the back and then toss a bomb toward her and her brother. Cliffjumper uses his body to protect his friends and then rushes them to the barn. In the present, Cliffjumper consoles the dying Kita and tells Coll to stay with the body while he tends to his enemies. The Decepticons had called for backup, who chastises them when he finds out it was but one Autobot. However, when he figures out it is Cliffjumper, he quickly tells the team to arm themselves, but it is too late, as the furious Autobot unleashes on the 'Cons and destroys them all. Cliffjumper later plants a memorial for Kita, banging it down with the head of the 'Con who threatened Kita. He places her favorite flowers on the gravestone and sees to it that Coll is raised by a new family. He then takes off in the Decepticons' ship to rejoin his own family, the Autobots.

THE ART: I'm fairly new to the Transfandom and so have never seen Musso's other work (on Spotlight: Ultra Magnus), but from this issue I can see he is a very talented artist. The art is breathtaking and smooth, with every line looking like he spent an hour on it. The robots' facial expressions are very realistically done, which is something rarely seen in today's Transformers comics. I wasn't so sure about the anime facial styling on the flashlings, but. Joana Lafuente returns to her shiny, soft-light coloring style seen in Spotlight: Blurr and Maximum Dinobots3-5, and she does an excellent job at conveying the serene, anime-style environment of Kita and Coll's planet. I absolutely love the artwork and think the anime flair makes it interesting and different. An instant classic.

THE STORY:  Shane McCarthy again. Hmm. I'm a bit at odd for what to write for this one; sitting at my computer, the little blinking cursor mocks me; "What you gonna put? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Shut up, little cursor. Shane McCarthy has done a reasonable, though in no way perfect, story for us today. The plot is pretty standard -- a lone warrior (who turns out to be not all he seems) comes to a peaceful land to escape his enemies, and in doing so brings his war to the land. Nothing we haven't seen before, but McCarthy has made is unique enough to make the story enjoyable. I am still really annoyed that the awesomely cool internal monologues characteristic of Spotlights have disappeared. CJ only does this on the last page -- literally. The only place you find the int/monos is in Tales of the Fallen, and I don't even read that! The killing off of Kita borders on sentimentalism, and I think McCarthy shouldn't do this again. But I like it, kind of. The story flows well, and I like the idea that CJ is so feared by the Cons that a warlord and his unit are scared of him -- not to mention him slagging them all single-handed! The dialogue isn't very natural or smooth and seems very plot-driven. But I think Coll's rendition of "Autobots" is so cute! ("Autosmot." "Uh, don't touch that.")So, Spotlight: Cliffjumper's results overall:

ART RATING: 9 out of 10

STORY RATING: 7.5 out of 10

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

FAVE QUOTE: Decepticon 1: Did you say "little red runt"?
Decepticon 2: Yeah, little red-
Decepticon 1: Small?
Decepticon 2: Yeah.
Decepticon 1: About so high?
Decepticon 2: Yeah.
Decepticon 1: Horns?
Decepticon 2: Yeah, but-
Decepticon 1: Arm yourselves! [The Cons slowly realize they are so dead.]

VERDICT: A reasonably-plotted story with purely breathtaking art that blew me away. Robby Musso and Joana Lafuente have really outdone themselves this time. An instant classic worth every cent. It's out in the All Hail Megatron Vol.3 TPB now. Next month: who knows? Stay tuned! Rated 8 out of 10.

Posted 9:53 pm, SATURDAY 19 December

Going Backwards - Spotlight: Blurr review

This Spotlight is a tad old and out of order for my Going Backwards reviews, but I still love it. Casey Coller rocks! And I think he's doing the upcoming Spotlight: Prowl in April. But anyway, onto the review of Transformers Spotlight: Blurr...

TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: BLURR

Written by SHANE MCCARTHY

Art by CASEY COLLER

Colors by JOANA LAFUENTE

Covers by Coller, TREV HUTCHISON, GUIDO GUIDI

SYNOPSIS: Blurr, the best sportsbot on Cybertron, wins his latest race and sets a new track record. Though he’s barely aware of his assistants like Piston he and competitor Fasttrack are friendly enough to follow up the race by going to the Circle, the most exclusive club on Cybertron.

Outside a reporter asks him about the current political unrest but Blurr couldn’t care less. That is until a Decepticon terrorist attack destroys the main racing arena, resulting in Zeta Prime shutting down the races for good. An annoyed Blurr finds Piston (one of his race helpers) cleaning out his stuff, the worker having decided to join the Autobots. His efforts to persuade Blurr to join as well fall on deaf ears, as even without the races Blurr still has no shortage of parties to go to.
But the Circle is now deserted, with everyone either hiding or fighting. Without even his adoring crowds anymore Blurr seriously considers plugging into a addictive virtual reality device but is interrupted by the arrival of Starscream, who tries to persuade him to join the Decepticons.
Travelling home with much on his mind Blurr wanders into a firefight, where he finds Piston and Fasttrack -- now on different sides -- have killed one another. A young Autobot commander called Optimus approaches him and explains the group they were fighting were a Decepticon assassination squad out to kill Zeta Prime. Communications are being blocked and no one on Optimus’ team is fast enough to get to Zeta in time to warn him. After an impassioned speech about Blurr’s true nature the speedster decides to help, and races off to beat the Decepticons…

THE ART: Ah, Casey Coller. He was a complete newcomer to many TF fans who didn't read Mosaics. But his clean, simple style makes me feel tingly inside. The panels convey action well and you really get a feel of the moods in the story; the loud, strobe-lit bar looks alive and bustling, but when Blurr comes in during the fighting it feels really, really empty. It sent a little tingle up my spine when I read it. And although the inconsistencies of Cybertronian mode with Screamer and Warp annoy slightly (this issue takes place just after Megatron Origin), the designs for the characters look very cool and have obviously been well planned. Blurr's design in particular is very well done; his sleek body and Hermes-style helmet wings (or is this a pop culture reference to the Flash?) fit his racer personality perfectly. Damn you Figueroa, for making Blurr look like his Animated counterpart. And I love how she put lots of tiny cameos into the race scene; seen in the stands are (very hard to see); Blaster, Optimus, Jazz, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Starscream. Joana Lafuente does a beautiful job on coloring this baby up; her use of soft light and muted tones makes for excellent viewing. I almost hate her for changing her style to a more painted one, but it still retains her soft light look. Great job guys, I love it.

THE STORY: Shane McCarthy. Those two words can turn a room into a riot. His highly controversial and -- frankly -- very clunky writing makes for bad reading. But in this case the story is simple and good quality with interesting plot and great characterisation. I like McCarthy's portrayal of Blurr as an egotistical prick turned cheery good guy, and Ops' natural ability to inspire bots. The way Blurr talks to others and interacts with them makes it very clear what he thinks of them. Very cool. I like this one. So, Spotlight: Blurr's results overall:

ART RATING: 9 out of 10

STORY RATING: 7.5 out of 10

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

VERDICT: A stunningly done issue that shows the beauty that Casey and Joana bring to the Transformes franchise. A true goldmine of wonderful art. Next review: who knows? Rated 8 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 12:09 pm, MONDAY 14 December

Transformers: Bumblebee #1 preview

TF Archive has updated us with a cool six page preview of the maxi-spotlight miniseries Bumblebee, by Zander Cannon with art by Chee. This mini spins out of the events in the Transformers #2. I really like Chee's artwork after this cos' he conveys the story very well. Kudos to Zander for including Omega. It's out December 16. Here's the pages:

TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #1
Written by ZANDER CANNON
Art by CHEE YANG ONG
Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN
Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

In this first-ever Bumblebee miniseries written by Zander Cannon (Top Ten), it's a shakeup in Autobot leadership! Bumblebee finds himself leading a group that believes him to be unprepared for the job. An opportunity to radically improve the Autobots reputation arises. Bumblebee accepts the challenge despite his reservations, and embarks on a clandestine mission for the human military to find and disable all remaining rogue robots.

Posted by Fanbot at 8:38 am, MONDAY 14 December

Andy Schmidt Q & A at TFW 2005!

I have absolutely no idea when this thing went up but it is very informative to what the hell. TFW2005 had an interview with IDW editor and writer of Continuum Andy Schmidt. There's a lot of waffle contained in this Q & A but the most important thing that Schmidt mentions is ... wait for it ... is ...

THERE'S A SPOTLIGHT PROWL COMING OUT IN APRIL!!

So there you have it. Check out that article (click here) NOW! Go! Go!

Posted by Fanbot at 9:21 pm, FRIDAY 11 December

Last Stand of the Wreckers interview w. James Roberts & Nick Roche at OSH

The Transformers UK site One Shall Stand.com has been sent a beautiful gift from the publisher heavens; AN INTERVIEW WITH NICK ROCHE AND JAMES ROBERTS, CREATORS OF LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS!! This is just too awesome. Their interview delves deeply into the minds of the creators and hints at a significant body count. Here's the full interview (contains teasers but no spoilers) at this URL:

www.oneshallstand.com/articles/wreckers.html

There, go and chew on that my Transfans!  And, just because I'm generous, I've pasted below James Roberts' teaser on Last Stand of the Wreckers' plot:

OneShallStand: What can you tell us about the story[...]?

JR: Apart from the fact that it'll be one of those Transformers stories that defines the new century? Apart from confirming that it contains enough gloves-off, teeth-bared, spine-shattering robot violence to give even hardened TF fans palpitations? Apart from the hitherto unplumbed dramatic depths it, er, plumbs?
'Last Stand...' is firmly in the here-and-now, but it takes place far away form Earth and the mainstream TF storyline; and while it's absolutely rooted in the wider TF Universe, its remote, largely self-contained setting gives us a chance to do some unexpected things and hopefully pull the rug out from readers' feet now and then. Which is always good.

I think the story strikes a delicate balance between action and characterization, between widescreen set pieces and those intimate moments that maybe you don't get too often in the TF Universe. The prelude to the mission itself and certain 'catch-your-breath' sequences on G-9 lend themselves to quieter, dialogue-driven moments, and that gives us the opportunity to explore what it means to be a Wrecker. What sets them apart from their fellow Autobots? Why would somebody want to be join a glorified suicide squad? What happens once you've spent hundreds of years carrying out the kind of missions no-one else wants to touch? What does that do to you as a soldier - as a person?

We also had a chance to expand the Wrecker mythos - we've delved into their history a bit and gave them some sturdier roots. A proper backstory, with new characters and nemeses!

What I will say is that we've tried to push this story out in all directions. It's not just a then b then c then d; it's not a simple succession of events. There is mystery and intrigue and sustained delay. There are verbal asides and background details that become more significant as the series moves forward. I love it when seemingly innocuous comments or everyday events take on a new significance when considered in retrospect, and that's why we've aimed for in 'Last Stand...'. And besides, where's the fun in having everything laid out for you on a plate? Readers like to join the dots themselves. Guessing is good, and sometimes you can answer a question with another question - provided there's a pay-off at the end. And believe me, there's a hell of a pay off in issue 5.

You've gotta admit, that is pretty damn awesome. I just can't wait for this comic to start in January 2010. The rest of the interview basically says that James and Nick love working with each other and are a perfect team, that they're looking into what makes the Wreckers the Wreckers, they wanted to include Impactor (one-time Wreckers leader), and that the deaths will be significant to readers and have deep meaning. Looks to be a promising successor to Stormbringer. Here's that page by Roche and Burcham again:

Aaaand ... with that, Fanbot bids you farewell once more. See you soon!

Posted by Fanbot at 8:13 pm, THURSDAY 3 December

IDW Transformers solicits for Dec 2009

Welcome to December, and Christmas is just around the corner. To get into the Christmas spirit I've started doing the comics I promised my parents, and persuaded my dad to look for Masterpiece toys. Hasn't the year flown by? This time last year we were entering the halfway point for McCarthy's All Hail Megatron. But anyway. Here's the comics that IDW has on offer for us this month:

THE TRANSFORMERS #2
Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa, ANDREW WILDMAN

"Things Fall Apart," Part 1: After the shocking events at the end of last issue, the Autobots are in total disarray. An unexpected leader rises, and unlikely alliances are made.

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #2

Story by ZANDER CANNON
Art by CHEE YANG ONG
Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN
Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

After a shakeup in Autobot leadership, Bumblebee finds himself leading a group that believes him to be unprepared for the job. An opportunity to radically improve the Autobots reputation arises and he accepts despite his reservations, embarking on a clandestine mission for the human military to find and disable all remaining rogue robots. 

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS BEST OF UK: PREY #5

Written by SIMON FURMAN

Art by VARIOUS

Colors by ANNIE HALFACREE

Covers by ANDREW GRIFFITH, interior art

Dinobot Swoop sets out alone to settle an old score with Divebomb, but gets more than he bargained for when the rest of the Predacons arrive. Continuing the collection of classic tales from across the pond.

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS TALES OF THE FALLEN: RAVAGE
Written by SIMON FURMAN
Art by ALEX MILNE
Colors by JOSH PEREZ
Covers by Milne
The momentous event that is Transformers: Nefarious kicks off with the sudden, shocking -- and silent -- reappearance of stealth agent Ravage. Thought destroyed in Revenge of the Fallen, Ravage is back. But who is pulling his strings, and what is his mysterious but crucial mission?

32 pages, $3.99.
And with that, Fanbot bids you farewell for now. Do NOT miss these!

Posted by Fanbot at 5:01 pm, WEDNESDAY 2 December

IDW Transformers solicits for Feb. 2010

A couple weeks back Transfans were provided with covers for Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 and Transformers #4. Now IDW has gone the whole cyber-hog and provided the full Transformers solicits for February 2010 -- that's slaggin' ages away, but you don't hear Fanbot complaining. Here's the full TF scoop for Feb:

THE TRANSFORMERS #4
Story by MIKE COSTA
Art by DON FIGUEROA
Colors by JAMES BROWN
Covers by Figueroa, ANDREW WILDMAN

His ambivalence cost him his allegiance. His unexpected betrayal set the stage for Autobot victory. His name is Thundercracker, and this issue reveals what he's been doing these past three years after his brutal expulsion from the Decepticons in All Hail Megatron! Costa and Figueroa show you perhaps the most unique transformation of all...

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE #3

Story by ZANDER CANNON

Art by CHEE YANG ONG

Colors by MOOSE BAUMANN

Covers by Chee, GUIDO GUIDI

"Things Fall Apart," Part 3: After leaving a decoy for the Skywatch colonel, Bumblebee embarks on a solo quest to find the device that will free the Autobots. He befriends the child of the one man who holds the device they need, and finally has to ask himself if what he's doing is right.

32 pages, $3.99.

TRANSFORMERS: LAST STAND OF THE WRECKERS #2

Story by NICK ROCHE & JAMES ROBERTS

Art by NICK ROCHE

Colors by JOSH BURCHAM

Covers by Roche, TREV HUTCHISON

The Autobots' finest begin their descent into hell, and all bets are off. The true nature of the Wreckers' mission is revealed and the reappearance of an old enemy drastically reduces the chances of anyone making it back alive.

32 pages, $3.99.

OK, that's it for another month, Watch this space for all the newest info on everything Transformers and comics, and if you missed out on your copy of Transformers #1, be sure to get the second printing, out on December 2nd.

Posted by Fanbot at 7:01 pm, WEDNESDAY 25 November

TF covers for February 2010

AWWWWESOME!!! Jubilation! In another spur of advance grace, IDW has gifted to the Transfans Andrew Wildman's variant cover for Transformers #4 and Trev Hutchison's variant cover for Last Stand of the Wreckers #2! BTW Thundercracker's appearance on this means that he survived getting blasted by Skywarp back in AHM #12. Also, Trev Hutchison pwns all with his cover! So cool that words are not worthy to describe it. Only grunts of surprise; "Guh..." and such.

Oh, and to refresh your memory, the covers for Transformers #3 and Last Stand of the Wreckers are viewable here and here respectively. See you next time!

Posted by Fanbot at 4:19 pm, WEDNESDAY 18 October

Going Backwards - Spotlight: Drift review

Hello again, my nonexistent fans. Fanbot will not piss around here. Let's get straight into Fanbot's dissection of Spotlight: Drift...

SYNOPSIS: In a bar on an alien planet, a clocked figure buys access to the local spaceship-docking platform on the black market. The seller warns him the ship he wants is Cybertronian and they’re a species best avoided, but is then shocked when she touches the buyer’s arm, realising that it’s metal and that he must be a Transformer as well.
The disguised Transformer is Drift, and the ship a Decepticon one carrying prisoners. Using the access codes and his own ninja skill, he manages to get onboard unseen. Such subtlety is wasted however when the Wreckers, led by Kup, just blast their way in through the side.
On the bridge, Commander Turmoil is alerted to the breech and instantly knows it can only be Kup. Below decks, Drift fights alongside the Wreckers, with Perceptor being incredibly impressed by his recently upgraded body. Drift tells Kup he has also come to rescue the Autobot prisoners, and leads them straight to the cells where the captives, a mixture of Wreckers and regular Autobots are held.
Perceptor keeps the Decepticons out by scrambling their locking system, but Turmoil simply blasts through both the door and Perceptor. Drift rushes Turmoil in an attempt to retrieve the fallen Autobot, but only succeeds in being recognised as the former Decepticon Deadlock. Turmoil then blasts through the floor with such force that both Drift and Kup are knocked to the floor below. After recovering from their fall, Kup reveals he knows Deadlock by reputation, and that he killed a lot of Autobots. He then adds that in the early days of the war there was a third faction who refused to take sides and left Cybertron never to be heard from again. The design of Drift’s sword suggests he found them. Drift agrees and explains that the consequence of that meeting led to him leaving the Decepticons and changing his outlook on life. Kup acknowledges the importance of second chances, and Drift offers to help him blow up the ship. He knows how as he used to be Turmoil’s second in command.
Soon they have reached the engine room and rigged it to explode, but are interrupted by an angry Turmoil. Drift pushes Kup out of the ship to safety, and the two former colleagues fight. Drift soon succeeds in pinning Turmoil to the wall and gives him a lecture on how much both sides have degraded each other. He then proves how much of a better person he is than Turmoil by not killing him personally, instead leaving him to die in a massive explosion instead. Before the detonation, Drift rescues Perceptor and gets out just in time. As the Wreckers head back to the Trion, Kup offers Drift both Autobot membership and the chance to join a new team he’s putting together, despite Springer’s misgivings. Drift accepts.

THE ART: The art. Hmm. Where does Fanbot start in his review of the art? I know, I'll start at the beginning, with Casey Coller's lineart The art is simple and serves the purpose well, albeit Coller could do with some facial lessons. Not quite dull surprise (that would be downright insulting), but not very expressive either. The panels flow well and he draws the 'bots very well, but there's virtually no different tier angles than 90 degrees. The fight scenes don't look very dynamic and this kinda makes them seem dull, which is a pity since Casey did a very good job of Drift fighting Turmoil. New girl Joana Lafuente uses a new, flatter, softer coloring style than her previous shiny glowy one used on the AHM covers. Personally Fanbot thinks it fits in with the comic's brooding, almost Alien-ish feel to it. So all in all the art is reasonably well done. Feedback to Coller: be more expressive and put more dynamics into your fight scenes. That is all. You have done very well overall.

THE STORY: For once, I have nothing bad to say against Shane McCarthy's writing. The story is credible enough with no annoying convenient events that prop the story up. The plot flows like a well-made action movie and is satisfying to read. That's right, I positively loved it! Very good, Mr McCarthy, very good indeed. The Aussie done well!

FAVE QUOTE: Kup: "Deadlock."
Drift: "I don’t go by that name anymore."
Kup: "That’s helpful, considering Deadlock happened to have slaughtered quite a lot of Autobots." [Drift changes his name and presto! He's an Autobot.]

VERDICT: Shane McCarthy does a good comic. Not an oxymoron apparently. In all areas a great comic that's worth buying. Rated 9 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 4:17 pm, MONDAY 16 November

Last Stand of the Wreckers update! Final press release from IDW

Finally! IDW gives us their final, detailed press release for their extremely promising five issue mini, Last Stand of the Wreckers by Nick Roche, Nick Roche and Josh Burcham. Here's what IDW has to say on Last Stand (edited slightly for space:

Fan-favorite writer and artist Nick Roche helms this five-issue series, which spins out of IDW's new ongoing Transformers series. This story line gives fans a taste of what's been happening off of Earth as the Wreckers investigate a prison planet that fell to the evil Decepticons three years ago. "Transformers fans craving that outer-space action need look no further," said IDW editor Andy Schmidt. "Wreckers is straight science fiction and action-robots in space with the highest of stakes! But don't look for all cheery fun and games here. It's not called 'Last Stand' for nothing!"
Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers plots a course to a prison planet conquered by the Decepticons during the war on Earth. With no communication in three years, the Wreckers face an unknown foe, who just might tear Springer, Kup, and their cadre of Autobot heroes apart. Roche and All Hail Megatron's Trevor Hutchison will provide covers.
Wreckers rounds out IDW's new trifecta of Transformers comics, which starts with the new Transformers ongoing series on November 18th and includes Transformers: Bumblebee, coming in December. "While Transformers the ongoing series and Bumblebee are both firmly rooted on terra firma, Wreckers gives fans a good indication of the impact the end of the Autobot vs Decepticon war is having on the rest of the Transformers universe," added Schmidt. "There is something great for every Transformers fan right now in the IDW line-up of Transformers comics."

Now does that sound pretty cool or what? Lots of hardcore Transformer action, and zero organics! This is Stormbringer all over again - pure TF action by an extremely talented artist? Nothing to dislike, really. Last Stand of the Wreckers comes out in stores January 2010. Don't miss it. Oh, and here's that fully colored page from issue 1 I showed you guys a couple months back:

Posted by Fanbot at 7:58 am, THURSDAY 12 November