Page 1 of 1

IDW to Publish Transformers 1984 #0 in July

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:08 am
by andersonh1
Sounds like a very retro series, but if it's Furman and Guidi, I'm in.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/03/31 ... 84-0-july/
But in July, as the Transformers series at UDW is rebooting, he is being invited back for a special one-shot, titled Transformers 84 #0 which may kick off a new Transformers comic book series based around the original nineteen-eighties cartoon and comic publication of Transformers. Maybe giving Simon a little more control from the get go this time.

Announced by IDW at WonderCon yesterday, the comic will be drawn by Guido Guidi, who has another long history working on Transformers comics for both Dreamwave and IDW.

Re: IDW to Publish Transformers 1984 #0 in July

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 9:13 am
by Dominic
Of what is definitely known, the most interesting thing is that IDW is openly saying this one-shot is a pitch for an ongoing series. It is not surprise that they are trying this. But, the honesty is refreshing.)


Normally, I would be skeptical about having Furman come back, yet again.

"ReGeneration One" was about as definitive a coda to his time with the franchise as I would have expected. And, while that was based on his notes from 20+ years earlier, Rob Tokar (the original editor) has noted that they enjoyed significant creative freedom on the last year of the original "Transformers" run. (The lack of editorial and corporate oversight was a function of nobody caring more than anything else. But, it meant that Tokar, Furman and the rest had creative freedom.) How much more could Furman have to say about/with Transformers?

But, Furman more or less recovered from the slump he was in ~15 years ago. I have not quite forgiven him for "Beast Wars". But, I do trust him not to pull that kind of stunt again.

Re: IDW to Publish Transformers 1984 #0 in July

Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 1:03 pm
by Dominic
Time and money are against me this week. But, I have my copy in my pull-file. (I might pick it up tomorrow. Next week is a little more likely.)

What about everybody else? If you bought a copy, you are ahead of me.

Re: IDW to Publish Transformers 1984 #0 in July

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 1:03 pm
by Dominic
Transformers '84 #0:

After "Re-Generation One", I was looking forward to a new Furman/Guidi Generation 1 series. Unfortunately, I am going to be settling for looking back on "Re-Generation One".

The "'84" one-shot is ostensibly a retro-themed call-back to the original series. The premise of the issue is that Optimus Prime planned for the Ark to crash on Earth as a way to lure Megatron and his most powerful troops to their deaths. Not only was Optimus willing to sacrifice a large number of his own troops (who would have been needed on Cyberton), but he gave Double Spy orders to maintain the ruse at all costs, including killing Autobots who might have stumbled on to the secret. (In this case, the Fastlane and Cloudraker die to keep a secret that they were not a part of.)


An anniversary issue that is billed as the potential launch of a new series needs to be better. The basic plot and execution are nothing special, the caliber of the typical back-up story that one would find in the comics (Transformers or otherwise) of the 80s and 90s.

More importantly, a retro-themed special should be focused on a significant back-write that does not even match the tone of the comics it ostensibly draws from. The degree of moral ambiguity that Furman introduces to Marvel US/UK's Optimus Prime is comparable to something one would expect from a bad 90s comics, or a bad parody of modern comics.

The fact that Furman actively cribs from Starkings' "Man of Iron" (reprinted in issues 33-4 of the American comic, one of the best TF comics) ever is added insult, as it only serves to remind readers of better comics.

"Transformers '84" is, as best, an oddity. In real terms, it is a poor launch of a new retro-themed series.

Grade: D (This grade is carried mostly by Guidi's art.)

Re: IDW to Publish Transformers 1984 #0 in July

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 1:23 pm
by andersonh1
I forgot this was out, and they didn't put it in my pull box. I'll have to go track it down now.

Re: IDW to Publish Transformers 1984 #0 in July

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 11:37 am
by Dominic
Do not go too far out of your way. This comic is not worth it.