IDW "Combiner Wars" comic discussion and speculation

The modern comics universe has had such a different take on G1, one that's significantly represented by the Generations toys, so they share a forum. A modern take on a Real Cybertronian Hero. Currently starring Generations toys, IDW "The Transformers" comics, MTMTE, TF vs GI Joe, and Windblade. Oh wait, and now Skybound, wheee!
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Dominic
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IDW "Combiner Wars" comic discussion and speculation

Post by Dominic »

The combined thread worked out pretty well for "Dark Cyberton". And, a *combined* thread should work out well enough here as well. ("Combined", "Combiner Wars"? Eh, eh? Ah, screw you.)


Not planning to do more than flip through "Combiner Wars" myself. "Dark Cybertron" was a generic event. And, "Combiner Wars" is an event written by two creators that I am, at best, indifferent to. I love Ramondelli's art. But, it is not likely to be enough to buy in on a big stupid event that I am wary of to begin with.


We should probably just accept that "Robots no longer in Disguise" is more or less a generic comic. It will roll from one event to the next, with a patter of "breather issue" followed by "filler" and then "lead in" to the next event. Every change in status quo (probably resulting from a previous event) will be balanced by another change being undone.

Scrapper returning form the dead is all but guaranteed. (Best case scenario, Scoop is rebuilt, renamed and reprogrammed as a new Scrapper.)


But, what about "More than Meets the Eye". Is that likely to be derailed?

Previewed toys include Megatron, 2 Magnus figures, Rodiums, First Aid and Cyclonus. All of them are crew members of the Lost Light.

One of the Magnus figures is a core-body, as is Cyclonus. Rodimus is a combiner piece (recoloured from Blackjack). And, First Aid is a limb for an iconic team.

Megatron is probably reasonably safe in this regard, as the new toy is not a combiner any more than Thundercracker (from "Robots no longer in Disguise"). While the recent issue of the comic may be setting up for Megatron to go back to 80s bad guy spec, I doubt he will be playing much of a role in "Combiner Wars".

Magnus might not be a total loss either. In theory, the core body Magnus might be another guy using a fungible title. (This would allow Hasbro to have two figures with the same name while having those figures be two different characters.)

Similarly, the Cyclonus figure could in fact be a new Galvatron, as evidenced by the fact that the combined form is Galvatron. (And, Galvatron is shown to be en route to Cybertron.)

Rodimus and First Aid are more worrisome though. Are they going to be magically pulled from the Lost Light by Hasbro decree?
Last edited by Dominic on Sat Mar 07, 2015 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Combiner Wars discussion and speculation thread

Post by JediTricks »

This thread makes me think it's time to change "Generations" forum into the IDW/Generations forum. I'll think about it and act probably on Sunday, if anybody wants to chime in, this is as good a place as any since Combiner Wars more than anything breaks the G1 mold and is planted firmly in the modern Generations toyline and IDW comic universe.

CW Cyclonus' combined form is called "Galvatronus", but I see what you mean.
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Re: Combiner Wars discussion and speculation thread

Post by Dominic »

"Generations" is about murky branding though. If anything, we should probably move this thread (and or the other IDW comics threads) up to the "Generations" forum.
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Re: Combiner Wars discussion and speculation thread

Post by Onslaught Six »

Dom: There are not two Magnus figures. There is a (as of yet unannounced) white Voyager Prime repaint, but this is reportedly named "Ultra Prime" or something similar.
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Re: Combiner Wars discussion and speculation thread

Post by andersonh1 »

Ever since they've been tying the new toys and comics together, it's definitely been more "Generations" than G1. I think moving it makes sense.

And putting Combiner Wars discussion in a single thread makes sense too.
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Re: Combiner Wars discussion and speculation thread

Post by Shockwave »

I think something in the title of this thread should specify comics to distinguish it from the already established toy discussion thread. Or perhaps "combine" the two? Also, Ultra Prime is the combined form of the existing Optimus Prime figure, it says so on his box. It does not refer to a white repaint, and to the best of my knowledge that was only people speculating what the Leader UM was going to be, which we now know isn't the case. I do not think Hasbro is going to have two Ultra Magnuses on the shelf at the same time.
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IDW "Combiner Wars" comic discussion and speculation

Post by Dominic »

Thread name changed.

I am pretty sure I saw a picture of an upcoming Magnus retool/recolour of the Prime/Motormaster mould.
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Re: IDW "Combiner Wars" comic discussion and speculation

Post by Sparky Prime »

Dominic wrote:I am pretty sure I saw a picture of an upcoming Magnus retool/recolour of the Prime/Motormaster mould.
There was a partial image of some art showing what appeared to be Magnus combined with Rodimus, but it has since been revealed that was actually Ultra Prime, with Sunstreaker and Mirage (repaints of Breakdown and Dragstrip) as his arms and Rodimus (repainted from Blackjack) as the chest piece.
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Re: IDW "Combiner Wars" comic discussion and speculation

Post by BWprowl »

I think the white Prime repaint is actually called "Optimus Maximus", with Ultra Prime still the name of Optimus Prime's gestalt-torso form.

Christ this is all confusing.
Dominic wrote:But, what about "More than Meets the Eye". Is that likely to be derailed?

Previewed toys include Megatron, 2 Magnus figures, Rodiums, First Aid and Cyclonus. All of them are crew members of the Lost Light.

One of the Magnus figures is a core-body, as is Cyclonus. Rodimus is a combiner piece (recoloured from Blackjack). And, First Aid is a limb for an iconic team.

Megatron is probably reasonably safe in this regard, as the new toy is not a combiner any more than Thundercracker (from "Robots no longer in Disguise"). While the recent issue of the comic may be setting up for Megatron to go back to 80s bad guy spec, I doubt he will be playing much of a role in "Combiner Wars".

Magnus might not be a total loss either. In theory, the core body Magnus might be another guy using a fungible title. (This would allow Hasbro to have two figures with the same name while having those figures be two different characters.)

Similarly, the Cyclonus figure could in fact be a new Galvatron, as evidenced by the fact that the combined form is Galvatron. (And, Galvatron is shown to be en route to Cybertron.)

Rodimus and First Aid are more worrisome though. Are they going to be magically pulled from the Lost Light by Hasbro decree?
MTMTE is way too popular and established as what it is for IDW to let it get messed with too much. It's easily the 'face' of their TF output at this point, this is the book basically everyone tells people to read when they get into IDW TF. There's a reason it's not being pulled into the 'Combiner Wars' overarch the way Adjectiveless TF and the new Windblade are; they've learned to leave well enough alone.

Megatron's new toy looks little enough like his MTMTE incarnation, aside from coming with an Autobot symbol, but that's hardly a big deal compared to other situations like this before, and he's already been established as pretty damn integral to that book at this point, he's probably safe.

The bigger question is if/how they're going to integrate the Armada Megatron toy. Remember Dark Cybertron having to show off the new ArScream figure?

Rodimus is likewise probably not going to have anything happen. That guy is one of the MAIN main characters of MTMTE, he's super-important to several of its themes and direction. He's not going anywhere, and a quick'n'dirty repaint figure because they had to turn Blackjack into SOMETHING won't do anything to change that. (And I welcome any and all Micromaster Rodimus homages, oblique though this one may be)

First Aid's the only one I can see really getting pulled too far away. He's not too terribly important to MTMTE as a whole, and they're definitely gonna wanna show off Defensor. Had they been smart, they would've left him off during the musical chairs played between the casts after Dark Cybertron, but eh.

I'm morally opposed to anything written by Barber, but I DO have the Windblade series on pull, since I can't resist having more Sarah Stone art in front of my eyeballs. I'll probably just
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Re: IDW "Combiner Wars" comic discussion and speculation

Post by Sparky Prime »

BWprowl wrote:I think the white Prime repaint is actually called "Optimus Maximus", with Ultra Prime still the name of Optimus Prime's gestalt-torso form.
Is it actually a white repaint? I thought Optimus Maximus was going to be an RID2015 cartoon thing.
First Aid's the only one I can see really getting pulled too far away. He's not too terribly important to MTMTE as a whole, and they're definitely gonna wanna show off Defensor. Had they been smart, they would've left him off during the musical chairs played between the casts after Dark Cybertron, but eh.
I think all of Defensor's components might be on the Lost Light. I know a couple of them have appeared recently in MTMTE at any rate.
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