10 Years of IDW Transformers Comics - discussion

[andersonh1]

Has it really been 10 years? Amazingly, it has. Ten years ago, in October 2005, Transformers #0 was published, with the first issue of Infiltration to follow in January 2006.

I was still in Dreamwave-withdrawal at the time, and so were many other fans, as proven by message board chatter at the time. But I was glad to see the license picked up so quickly, and I was certainly willing to give IDW a chance. What we got was something very different from Dreamwave's G1 continuity, and though it was a slow burn storyline, I enjoyed the new storytelling approach and the art. We've had four "eras" since things began, each with varying degrees of success.

Furman - laid the groundwork for the IDW continuity by breaking with previous established events that tended to carry over from continuity to continuity. There was no accidental crash of the Ark on Earth, and Megatron and Galvatron were two different individuals, just to name a couple. The war was a war of attrition waged across many star systems, and there was a methodical six phase process used by the Decepticons for reducing planets, while Autobots fought to defeat them. Earth became central to the plot thanks to Ore-13, the super energy source found there thanks to long ago seeding by Shockwave, who had forseen the energy crisis. Furman gave us a covert war on Earth not just between Transformers, but between various human groups who tried to use Transformers technology to their advantage. And that's not even bringing the Dead Universe into the equation. Furman had a vast, sprawling plot that came out in bits and pieces via mini-series and Spotlight one-shots. I enjoyed it, but after a strong start, sales went down, eventually leading to a rapid wrap-up of Furman's plotlines and a move to the second era.

McCarthy - "All Hail Megatron", the so-called "soft reboot" that lasted a year and saw the Decepticons conquering Earth, while the Autobots are stranded on Cybertron with Optimus Prime dying. Very controversial among fans for conflicts with what Furman wrote, though some of the supposed continuity errors are overblown. I enjoyed this series, though I still think it's a step down from Furman's storytelling. If Furman's era defined the war and how it was fought, AHM showed us how it ended, which set the stage for the next phase.

Costa - Mike Costa's ongoing gave us directionless factions. The Autobots eke out a miserable existence on Earth, trying not to get captured by Skywatch and Spike, while the Decepticons fall apart on an asteroid somewhere. The end of the war is a mess for both sides. I'm thinking that Last Stand of the Wreckers takes place during this time, so we get some idea of what's going on with other groups of Transformers. The Autobots transition away from military organization and back towards a democracy, electing Bumblebee as leader. Continuity is at a low ebb around this point, and some cleanup is required. The Ironhide mini-series explains why Cybertron isn't the lethal wasteland that it was back during Stormbringer, for example. I liked Costa's series, but looking back, there are some pretty bland issues. The whole thing ends with "Chaos", which sets up the next era.

post-War Cybertron - the current twin series of RID and MTMTE fall here. Just speaking from personal experience, I thought these series began strong, and have since become bland, with banal attempts at humor that often fall flat, and conflict that it's hard to care about. There was so much potential in a chaotic Cybertron, ripe for political maneuvering and backstabbing, but that potential has never been realized. There have been some good stories and good ideas, and then there have been some poor attempts at Transformers sitcoms. Ultra Magnus can't hold his liquor? Really? This era seems to me to lack focus and direction, with the writers trying but failing to really make it work. Dark Cybertron promised much but delivered very little, as Shockwave tried to destroy the universe with his magic rocks and Megatron magically became remorseful over his past actions through the power of friendship.

So where are we now? I think IDW began very strong, but has since lost its way, and their franchise is badly in need of reinvigoration. Their efforts to make both Autobots and Decepticons more or less morally equivalent results in a lot of broken characters and very few worth caring about, meaning it hardly matters who wins in any given conflict. The conflicts themselves have become artificial and trite. It almost feels as though the whole thing started with such spark 10 years ago, and has been slowly sputtering out for a few years, though fans of either book currently being published would certainly disagree with me. On the other hand, it's an impressive publication record when it comes to the Transformers franchise. IDW has put out more fiction than probably all other publishers of Transformers combined. Dreamwave may have been the first to redesign characters with "The War Within", but IDW has taken that idea and run with it. IDW has gone futher into world-building than anyone else, and they weren't afraid to step on some toes by changing long-standing concepts.

The two current books are very inward-looking. They have no appeal beyond pre-existing fans of the franchise. Transformers are classically portrayed is alien robots in disguise fighting a war over freedom versus tyranny. That's a simple concept, easy to sell. What is the current concept behind IDW's books? How would you sell the idea to a non-fan? What would you tell them that the books are, and are about? What is the "hook" to capture the interest? I'm not seeing one. And I think that's perhaps where the books fall down the most.

[JediTricks]

Interesting write-up. You left out the Windblade factor though. And they keep making TF vs Joe.

I'd argue that MTMTE is anything but directionless. The crew is directionless, feeling no closer to their goals than when they left, essentially. But the story itself is not remotely about that goal, a goal that was always a fantasy, a quixotic quest; no, the story is about the people on that journey. Whenever I go into the comic shop and people hear I'm buying Transformers books, MTMTE is the only thing on their lips.

I'd further argue that Windblade hasn't been at all directionless, it just has been toothless in how it's driving its story forward. But it's popular enough with an alternate crowd, it reaches out.

RID/The TF though, that has become a quagmire of ever-changing tones, styles, aims, goals, and gimmicks ever since season 1 ended and Dark Cybertron ruined the book. Its inability to grasp where it goes now that Starscream is leader of Cybertron has infected the Windblade book, causing Cybertronian stories to stagnate - no more building a new Cybertron, no more politics, no more post-faction issues, no more ANYTHING really. We kinda bounce back and forth with these Earth stories that feel like they're stuck in the mud, backwards-gazing and decompressed beyond belief.


Honestly, for me, going back to a generic Autobots vs Decepticons war feels small and depressing at this point, as if the brand is nothing more than an eternal retelling of the G1 cartoon. If there's no traction, no growth for the Transformers, then it may as well be shoved into a corner with Power Rangers that will never mature in any way into a franchise that can tell stories.

AHM shed nearly a third of its audience by the end, and that's the level we're at now, every book sells between 9k and 11k as the story goes on. The only way to grow an audience and KEEP that audience is to tell good stories so that people hear about them and try them for themselves, then be CONSISTENT. Transformers keeps having "events" thrown at it, derailing consistency to the outside. So you could just New 52 it, reboot reboot reboot, or you can make tales accessible to new readers and tell those stories well. Right now, Transformers isn't doing a good job of being accessible to new readers, and the quality is still in flux. But I'd say the current run is still the strongest it's been since Marvel stopped publishing the title.

[andersonh1]

Interesting write-up. You left out the Windblade factor though. And they keep making TF vs Joe.

Yeah, I was mainly thinking of the main continuity books. I used to buy just about every Transformers book that IDW published, but that hasn't been the case for the last year or so, so I'm unable to fairly evaluate Windblade or TF vs. GI Joe. Anyone else can feel free to add comments on those to the discussion.

And I left out the Beast Wars minis and Hearts of Steel as well. I need to give both some thought and add them to the write-up.

I'd argue that MTMTE is anything but directionless. The crew is directionless, feeling no closer to their goals than when they left, essentially. But the story itself is not remotely about that goal, a goal that was always a fantasy, a quixotic quest; no, the story is about the people on that journey. Whenever I go into the comic shop and people hear I'm buying Transformers books, MTMTE is the only thing on their lips.

I'd further argue that Windblade hasn't been at all directionless, it just has been toothless in how it's driving its story forward. But it's popular enough with an alternate crowd, it reaches out.

Both books certainly have an audience, and that's a good thing. They don't appeal to me, but I'm not sure they should. If IDW's three different series reach three different groups of people, that's not a bad thing.

Honestly, for me, going back to a generic Autobots vs Decepticons war feels small and depressing at this point, as if the brand is nothing more than an eternal retelling of the G1 cartoon. If there's no traction, no growth for the Transformers, then it may as well be shoved into a corner with Power Rangers that will never mature in any way into a franchise that can tell stories.

I'm dying for a return to Transformers stories with some bite to them. I haven't seen that type of story from either RID or MTMTE since early in the run of both series. Maybe the upcoming Wreckers mini-series will remedy that. I hope so.

[Onslaught Six]

RID/The TF though, that has become a quagmire of ever-changing tones, styles, aims, goals, and gimmicks ever since season 1 ended and Dark Cybertron ruined the book. Its inability to grasp where it goes now that Starscream is leader of Cybertron has infected the Windblade book, causing Cybertronian stories to stagnate - no more building a new Cybertron, no more politics, no more post-faction issues, no more ANYTHING really. We kinda bounce back and forth with these Earth stories that feel like they're stuck in the mud, backwards-gazing and decompressed beyond belief.

I feel like the main book suffers the most from having to be, on some level, a vehicle for whatever version of Generations Hasbro is pushing. It was different when the toyline was like, "Let's make toys of IDW designs and characters," which started off great (Springer! Bomber Megs! Skids!) but got progressively worse off when the comics suddenly needed to adhere to whatever toys were coming out soon (Like Rhinox showing up. What?), especially if they had to go through a story element to "explain" why x character is suddenly in a new body--because there's a new toy of him! That kind of writing is so ass-backwards, 1987 style that I legitimately can't believe it's happening. Thankfully, MTMTE seems to be relatively clear of such things, and has established so many previously unimportant characters as mainstays that they can pretty much make new toys of random MTMTE cast members for years before they have to tell that book what to do.

RID/TF is so directionless because for 1/3 to half the year, they have to shoehorn in a new event--Dark Cybertron, Combiner Wars, and now Titans Return and the one after that--that's a significant part of each year's comics dedicated to an annoying crossover "event" that people who normally read the book aren't going to care much about that's just going to disrupt the normal flow. So yeah. That.

AHM shed nearly a third of its audience by the end, and that's the level we're at now, every book sells between 9k and 11k as the story goes on. The only way to grow an audience and KEEP that audience is to tell good stories so that people hear about them and try them for themselves, then be CONSISTENT. Transformers keeps having "events" thrown at it, derailing consistency to the outside. So you could just New 52 it, reboot reboot reboot, or you can make tales accessible to new readers and tell those stories well. Right now, Transformers isn't doing a good job of being accessible to new readers, and the quality is still in flux. But I'd say the current run is still the strongest it's been since Marvel stopped publishing the title.

MTMTE seems like it keeps getting more and more traction, if only because people keep telling people to read it--but the problem is that the book has been going on for so long (Is it the currently longest running IDW TF book without a name change or renumbering?) that there IS a significant chunk of backstory you need to know for some of it. AHM worked (and still works; I reread it recently) primarily because if you know about Transformers, you have everything you need to know to read the book. (Almost.) When people tell other people to read MTMTE, they don't mean "go out and buy the latest issue," they mean, "Go buy the first compilation and start there." Which is good for the trade sales--which they probably make more money on long-term anyway!--but it doesn't help the current book sales at all.

If IDW's three different series reach three different groups of people, that's not a bad thing.

I think at this point that's exactly what they're going for. Let's also not forget that there's an RID animated book that focuses on...well, people who like that show, I guess.

Maybe the upcoming Wreckers mini-series will remedy that. I hope so.

God, I need to call my store and tell them I want it. SINS OF THE WRECKERS! It's such a damn good title.


On a personal level, I've fallen off the wagon (so to speak) in the last year or two primarily because my comic shop is oddly offputting and I can't get there consistently--working 3rd shift with inconsistent days makes it tough to plan a day every week or even every month to go get comics--and pirating them without someone pirating with you (to share the brunt work or to discuss with) in a pain. (For the first 20 or so issues of MTMTE I was "the source" amongst some of my friends.)

Regardless of my current engagement though, I think IDW has done not just the best Transformers comics ever, but the best Transformers stories period. They pitch to the exact level of "fandom" I find myself at--a long term fan with lots of knowledge of the backstory and characters who has grown a little tired of a "mainstream" approach to TF; Autobots and Decepticons on Earth with boring human identification characters and generic plots that revolve around superweapons of the week or plotlines to steal or create things with incredibly bad names like "Dark Energon." The obviously-bad "events" are stretching that a little thin (I can't believe there was a comic published in 2015 with "The Enigma of Combination" in it) but for the most part I don't feel insulted while reading these; I feel like the material is being treated as seriously as I'd like it to be, with a focus in the areas that I like there to be a focus on. Those few early issues of MTMTE with the Scavengers? Brilliant stuff. I loved (and still love) AHM for basically being the big budget live action movie we should have gotten.

I hope IDW continues in this direction for a long time. Even if Barber gets moved off the book and they shift directions, I hope Roberts sticks around doing his own little corner of TF books for as long as he wants to do it.

On another level, IDW are clearly a super-professional company that is largely successful in all their endeavours. They've taken what used to be a niche market for comics (licensed properties) that was generally considered to be passable at best (let's face it, Furman's Marvel run is great, but it's not Sandman or Watchmen--it's more like any random issue of a second-or-third tier superhero book from that time period.) and turned it into something respectable and legitimately great. Transformers, GI Joe (before this recent clusterfuck--but I blame GI Joe as a property), TMNT (I know it started as a comic but it's basically a license at this point), Star Trek, Back To The Future now (which Barber has a story in!), Godzilla...They are all over the licensed comic game and have managed to use that equity to build themselves into an alternative company for people looking for comics that aren't necessarily superhero comics but are still in that same vein. (Most indy publishers either create their own superheroes like Image or they focus on, well, "indy" books that stray from superheroes to do fantasy or sci-fi; not that there's anything wrong with that.) I would argue that IDW is possibly the #3 comic company in America right now for that reason--maybe Dark Horse or Image are above them, but IDW is certainly more talked about amongst people I know.

[Dominic]

Has it really been 10 years? Amazingly, it has. Ten years ago, in October 2005, Transformers #0 was published, with the first issue of Infiltration to follow in January 2006.

IDW is within a few months of over-taking Marvel for longest tenure with the license, even if we count the lost year between the original series and G2 as Marvel actively using the license.

Furman -......

Looking back, I have a greater appreciation for Furman's early run than I did. The biggest problem remains that he tried to upset the status quo before fully establishing it. Maybe he thought (not without some cause) that he would not have had time to go through all six phases of a "standard" infiltration?

The Dead Universe is gone, and I hope it stays that way.

McCarthy/Costa...

While they are clearly two different runs, (especially because IDW was still publishing consecutive miniseries, similar to early Dark Horse "Star Wars"), I tend to consider McCarthy and Costa to be the same era.

Many fans seem to ignore (or just not understand) that IDW was deliberately changing direction after Furman's run was truncated, particularly with "All Hail Megatron". It was less an issue of IDW having continuity errors and more a question of IDW not caring. The comics were easier to read if you only expected them to fit together at the level of a compilation or a run, rather than a unified property.

IDW managed to avoid having the property become generic at this point, and was willing to push it in to new places (even if those places were uncomfortable for many GeeWunners). And, Costa's run was the first time since Dreamwave that there was an ongoing "Transformers" comic.

As much as I liked the ideas based comics of this era, I will admit that it actually began the loss of linear progress and the beginning of IDW using big two plot elements. (I refuse to believe that Thundercracker and Sunstreaker coming back is anything other than a back-write for the sake of bringing them back.)

The lowest point of this era was "Infestation". Not only was "Infestation" the sort of intrusive event that one could have previously avoided by reading TF (a property that largely existed in a vacuum), but it was impossible to avoid, resolving both a previous plot-line (Prowl reprogramming Kup) and leading in to an upcoming mini series ("Heart of Darkness"), which itself led in to an upcoming arc.

And I left out the Beast Wars minis and Hearts of Steel as well. I need to give both some thought and add them to the write-up.

"Beast Wars" was a piss poor attempt at piggy-backing on a popular show from nearly a decade before. "Hearts of Steel" was a good concept ruined by a lazy writer. Unfortunately, because it was the first attempt by IDW at producing a TF "Elseworlds" (similar to the old DC "Elseworlds"), the concept has been irreparably tainted.

post-War Cybertron....

I would argue that his is two eras.

First is "the split", where IDW split TF in to two different series (complete with different tone and direction). "More than Meets the Eye" was doofy and zany. "Robots in Disguise" largely kept the best of TF intact, with a linear and idea based run.

This ended with the start of what I call "the Event Era" in late 2013. I dropped "More than Meets the Eye" (largely for the reasons Anderson described) in 2012. But, "Dark Cybertron" completely derailed both series. I tend to think that problems that have plagued Barber's writing for the last 2 years have as much to do with editorial mandates as they do with any real flaw in Barber himself.

"Dark Cybertron" was the most generic sort of event. It promised big stuff while nudging previous stuff back "in to place". Aside from post-AHM Earth, I am hard pressed to come up with any state change (character death or allignment, whatever) that stuck after "Dark Cybertron". (Seriously though, IDW could not keep a d-lister like Nightbeat dead?)

Dark Cybertron promised much but delivered very little, as Shockwave tried to destroy the universe with his magic rocks and Megatron magically became remorseful over his past actions through the power of friendship.

Quoted because I like it.

So where are we now? I think IDW began very strong, but has since lost its way, and their franchise is badly in need of reinvigoration.

It is not entirely fair to blame IDW. Hasbro has clearly taken a more overt role in the comics. And, the franchise as a hole might be in decline. ("Age of Extinction" toys sat on clearance longer than previous lines, despite their being fewer waves of toys to sell through. Kids were not buying a line with robot dinosaurs.) Is this this end of TF? Not likely. But, it is probably a time to scale back.

What is the current concept behind IDW's books?

The current series are both trying to reach new audiences. "More than Meets the Eye" is making a play for the hipster crowd who does not really need their comics to be good. (There I said it.) You (or I) may not like zany and doofy, but it sells. Gender-blurred space robots (that act very human) and "teh feelz" are selling.

"Robots in Disgrace" is either being pitched towards generic comic readers (all the back-writes and McGiffins and cyclical events) or is being used as Hasbro's toy market. (Neither really excludes the other.)

As much as I am not liking the current runs of comics, I cannot say it is a bad model.

Honestly, for me, going back to a generic Autobots vs Decepticons war feels small and depressing at this point, as if the brand is nothing more than an eternal retelling of the G1 cartoon. If there's no traction, no growth for the Transformers, then it may as well be shoved into a corner with Power Rangers that will never mature in any way into a franchise that can tell stories.

This. Ever at its worst (the mid to late Budiansky run), "Transformers" had a sense of progression. Even when it was a question of shallow plot-points, there were still state changes. (Factions grew and shrank. Leaders came and went. Robots were damaged and repaired. Things changed, but rarely changed back.)

My biggest complaint about upcoming changes like "All Hail Optimus" is that I do not trust IDW to follow-through or avoid changing it back to something more akin to the 80s.

AHM shed nearly a third of its audience by the end, and that's the level we're at now, every book sells between 9k and 11k as the story goes on.

Sales do not indicate quality. And, when fans are complaining that a writer is being mean to a character or simply does not get their favourite property, the problem might be the fans. (A more current example is "Secret Wars". Old style fans are whining about Marvel's handling of the Fantastic Four or Hickman's non-traditional style. Never mind that "Secret Wars" is a solid Doom story that also works as an event.)

They've taken what used to be a niche market for comics (licensed properties) that was generally considered to be passable at best (let's face it, Furman's Marvel run is great, but it's not Sandman or Watchmen--it's more like any random issue of a second-or-third tier superhero book from that time period.) and turned it into something respectable and legitimately great.

Dark Horse made licensed comics respectable in the 80s. They built their business around it. The published comics that took licenses to places that movies could not go (for reasons of time or audience smarts) and used that revenue to fund smaller books (that sometimes took off). Good for IDW in attempting the same. But, it is not a new or unique model.

"Watchmen" and "Sandman" are over-rated.

[Onslaught Six]

While they are clearly two different runs, (especially because IDW was still publishing consecutive miniseries, similar to early Dark Horse "Star Wars"), I tend to consider McCarthy and Costa to be the same era.

Even if the direction of both is similar, they shared different lead writers--which is the easiest way to differentiate the "eras." Furman/McCarthy/Costa/Barber and Roberts is the cleanest thing. There is also the question of the major art style shift between AHM and Costa's run, which was enough to make me skip Costa's run in its entirety.

(Seriously though, IDW could not keep a d-lister like Nightbeat dead?)

Nightbeat is arguably a fan favourite character, especially amongst long-term TF comic fans. (Nightbeat's center stage bits during Furman's late run is arguably as significant to that era's writing as someone like Swerve or Tailgate is to MTMTE.)

Dark Horse made licensed comics respectable in the 80s. They built their business around it. The published comics that took licenses to places that movies could not go (for reasons of time or audience smarts) and used that revenue to fund smaller books (that sometimes took off). Good for IDW in attempting the same. But, it is not a new or unique model.

This is true, but "licensed comics" haven't been Dark Horse's bread and butter for a long time now, and IDW is snatching up new licenses left and right and doing legitimately interesting and unique things with them. You say "places movies could not go" and I point out that right now I can go out and buy a book named "Godzilla Goes To Hell." IDW is the new king of that model.

"Watchmen" and "Sandman" are over-rated.

Splitting off...