New interviews on IDW's new Transformers comic

What was life like on Cybertron before the Autobot/Decepticon War? IDW Publishing turns back the clock for a "bold new era" that's actually an old era - when Optimus Prime and Megatron got along.

Well, "got along" might be a touch strong.

Prose author Brian Ruckley ("The Goddess World" trilogy) partners with artists Angel Hernandez and Ron Joseph for this eye opening "Year One" style story of the Transformers people have known and loved for almost 40 years.

With this new Transformers #1 arriving March 13, Newsarama spoke with Ruckley about this new take on a classic era, which Transformers are involved, and how all wars start with simple disagreements.

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Newsarama: Brian, where do we pick up with this new series? We know we are back on Cybertron before the Fall, but is that still a ways off?

Brian Ruckley: We start off basically in a time of peace and prosperity, on a Cybertron that’s a living, changing planet filled with wonders and different forms of life, cool technology and a more-or-less content population.

At the point the story actually starts, there’s been no substantial conflict on Cybertron – no war – for a crazy long time. There hasn’t even been a murder within the lifetime of most of the planet’s inhabitants. How long will we have to wait for everything to go wrong? That’s something readers’ll just have to wait and see...

Nrama: And who makes up our cast this time around?

Ruckley: The idea as far as cast is concerned is to build it up step-by-step, rather than overload the book with a host of characters right from page one.

The huge potential cast is one of my favorite things about the Transformers universe, and I’ve got plans for lots of them, but early on, we’ll be spending most of our time with a more focused selection. Folks like Bumblebee, Chromia, Windblade, Prowl, and a new character called Rubble. Megatron’s in there, Wheeljack’s in there, Optimus Prime is there. Some others.

The events taking place, and the world, are fairly epic, but we’ll be experiencing them mostly as they impact certain key individuals.

Nrama: Is it safe to assume that the ideological divides between the Autobots and Decepticons are back?

Ruckley: There are absolutely ideological divides on Cybertron. Exactly what they are, and who they’re between, I wouldn’t want to spoil. But you can safely assume Optimus Prime and Megatron do not agree about everything. Which isn’t to say they’re necessarily mortal enemies as this point either, of course. Or that they’re the ones actually running things.

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Nrama: How is Cyberton as a culture fairing around the time of this run? Are they in decline or is this a story of a perfect society?

Credit: Casey Coller (IDW Publishing)
Ruckley: It’s doing pretty well, really. There are some tensions, some issues, but overall Cybertron is a peaceful, prosperous place. Even if everything’s not quite as rosy as it once was, though, it’s still pretty idyllic. There’s plenty of traffic and trade with other civilizations. It’s not a particularly oppressive place, there are no real shortages of anything, and there’s plenty of spectacularly advanced technology.

All in all, not perfect but not bad at all.

Nrama: Would you characterize this new comic as “user friendly”? I know the previous volumes had large followings but are you working for accessibility for new readers as you script?

Ruckley: I’m certainly trying for something that’s accessible, even if a reader knows essentially nothing about past Transformers storylines (although honestly, it kind of feels like pretty much every potential reader on the planet knows at least something about Transformers these days). But yes, the goal is to come up with something that absolutely works as someone’s first-ever Transformers comic, while also delivering something a bit fresh, a bit intriguing, for the reader who’s read every Transformers comic ever published.

Nrama: Has the current political climate fed into this new volume? It is kind of hard to not find comparisons to Brexit and various other political divides.

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Ruckley: I think “kind of hard” is right. I’m sure some readers will see comparisons, influences, and so on in there - but it won’t really be because I’ve put them there in a deliberate, pointed way. I’m inevitably influenced by what I see around me, and what I know of history - you can’t not be, as a writer - and I might well be borrowing the odd idea, a few tactics, a few preoccupations, from here and there in history, or even current affairs. But I’m not going for a commentary on any particular viewpoint or agenda.

A lot of political divides tend to look a bit similar when you see them from far enough way, in distance and in time. They lose some of their black and white, get a bit gray. That, rather than anything specific about current events, might be the biggest influence.

Nrama: The Transformers comics have famously crossed over with other IDW/Hasbro titles. With the relaunch, is that a tradition we can expect to continue?

Ruckley: Well, that’s a bit above my pay grade in the long run, but I can say that it isn’t something I’ve been asked to think about. I’m 100% focused on Transformers at the moment, and as far as I know so are IDW and Hasbro, as far as this series is concerned.

Nrama: In terms of artwork, was there a certain look or tone you were going for this new series?
Ruckley: All I’ll say about that, as a writer, is that being the artist on a Transformers comic has always struck me as a huge challenge, and I’m dazzled by the artists who bring this stuff to life. You need to blend precise linework with emotional beats, big-scale spectacle with more subtle moments. It’s not easy, and we’re lucky to have a couple of seriously talented artists working on this, in Angel and Ron.

Nrama: What about the Cybertronian relationship with Earth? Or are we mainly in space for this first arc? No spoilers of course!

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Ruckley: I don’t mind spoiling that aspect of the first arc: no Earth. This is all about what’s going on with Cybertron and its inhabitants. Not all of those inhabitants necessarily convert, but I can promise that none of them are human, and the chances are good (maybe not 100%, but good) that no one living on Cybertron has the slightest idea that a planet called Earth even exists.

Nrama: Before we wrap up, I have to ask - if you were part of the Transformers universe, what vehicle and faction would you be?

Ruckley: The vehicle bit’s a “no contest” kind of thing: I’d want to be able to fly. Some kind of jet plane, or possibly a helicopter. Heavily armed preferably, but the ability to fly is the main thing.

Faction-wise? That’s a bit harder to answer. Generally speaking, I guess I’d like to think I’m on the side of Optimus Prime, because he’s Optimus Prime and as a rule he seems a pretty decent sort of robot.

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IGN INTERVIEW AND PREVIEW OF NEW ONGOING SERIES

BY JESSE SCHEDEEN The Transformers comic book universe as you know it is gone. Last year's Transformers: Unicron didn't just bring an end to a 13-year saga of Transformers comics at IDW Publishing, it also marked the end of the entire Hasbro Comic Book Universe. But that doesn't mean IDW is finished with this license.

Instead, the company is using 2019 to reboot Transformers and start fresh. Their newest series, simply titled Transformers, reboots continuity from square one and travels back all the way to the beginning of the rivalry between Optimus Prime and Megatron.

We had an opportunity to interview both IDW Editor-in-Chief John Barber and Hasbro's VP of Global Publishing Michael Kelly to learn more about the new series and why starting from scratch was the right move for this long-running franchise. They also shed light on a brand new character that is a franchise-first and some unexpected ways in which the new series is exploring the humanity behind the Robots in Disguise.

Why Transformers Needed a Reboot
Since first acquiring the rights to Transformers in 2005, IDW has basically been telling one massive story spread across a number of different titles. While relaunches and new titles were common, most of these books followed one consistent, unified continuity. The new series is unique in that it abandons those 13 years' worth of established history and starts completely fresh.

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As you'd expect, this is part of an attempt to broaden the appeal of the franchise and make the Transformers comics more accessible for new readers who might be intimidated by the sheer number of books available. Kelly told us, "When you are working with a continuity that spans 13 years, it can be pretty daunting to jump on board. The creative teams we’ve worked with in the former continuity excelled at appealing to new readers, and I think it is safe to say that over the past 5 years we’ve had the broadest and most diverse audience in the history of our Transformers comics program. But this new series provides an opportunity for new readers to join us who may have been on the sidelines wanting to get in but overwhelmed by the sheer volume of storytelling, while at the same time renewing our commitment to our long-time fans and giving them both a satisfying ending and an exciting new beginning."

"We already had the best fans in the world, so we had that going for us." said Barber. "That said—absolutely, we all want to reach out and introduce new readers to these characters and worlds and mythology. The previous Hasbro comics universe was one that meant a whole lot to me. I love that series and those versions of the characters. But we hit a really natural point to put a genuine, and I hope satisfying, ending on that story.

As for whether fans can expect the Hasbro Comic Book Universe continuity to continue in some form, it doesn't sound likely. Barber said, "I really love that story and that universe. I still talk to everybody that worked on those comics. I love reading them, and we’ll continue to keep the comics in print and in our deluxe IDW Collection hardcovers. But there’s no plans for ever going back to that universe. Much as I love it, personally I feel like we told the story we set out to tell."

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Choosing the New Creative Team
A new continuity also means a new creative team tasked with reshaping the Transformers franchise. That responsibility falls on writer Brian Ruckley (The Godless World trilogy) and artist Angel Hernandez (Star Trek/Green Lantern).

We were curious what made these two the right candidates for the job, especially given that Ruckley comes from a fantasy novel background rather than being a traditional comic book writer. Both Barber and Kelly indicated it was Ruckley's knack for finding the humanity behind these larger-than-life characters that made his pitch for the reboot stand out.

According to Barber, "Co-editor Tom Waltz had worked with Brian in the past, and had great things to say about him. I mean, I love his writing, too, of course. Tom really wanted Brian to pitch, and the stuff Brian came back with was really exciting. It had an amazing sense of scale. Physical scale, in terms of the idea of there being Transformers that are new, young, and (relatively) small coming into a world where there are giant, massive, ancient mechanical creatures. And emotional scale in the sense that this is an epic struggle for the heart and soul of the galaxy but we’re seeing it through the eyes of real (metal) people with real feelings."

"It’s not always easy to write gigantic, mechanical, shape-shifting alien beings in a way that makes them relatable and sympathetic," said Kelly. "But that’s what we need, because these characters have dreams, aspirations, and motivations that are not that dissimilar to ours. It was very clear in Brian’s pitch that he understood and embraced that challenge, and I was eager to see how his grand plan would play out. And as John says, his ability to show Cybertron through a lens of wonder and discovery is a unique take that I think will appeal to a very wide audience. We’ve really never before seen Cybertron in quite this light."

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As for Hernandez, Barber praised his take on the world and characters of Cybertron, saying, "The art of Angel Hernandez and Cachét Whitman has crafted a world full of wonder. That’s the thing to me—the sense that Cybertron is an amazing place, unlike anywhere else in the universe. That’s what makes the world special, and what makes its downfall so tragic.

The Golden Age of Cybertron
Perhaps the single biggest difference between IDW's previous Transformers comics and the reboot is that the new series is firmly set in the past. Transformers won't showcase Optimus Prime and the Autobots defending earth from Megatron and the Decepticons. Instead, it's set during the golden age of Cybertronian civilization, before the planet was ravaged by civil war. In this era, Optimus Prime is still known by his original name, Orion Pax, and he and Megatron are still close friends and allies.

Barber teased that the series will showcase the growing friction that eventually leads to all-out war on Cybertron. "What I think is really cool about this—besides the characters and the mystery our heroes find themselves embroiled in as the series opens—is that we get to see all these changes happen in real time. We’ll be there with Orion Pax and Windblade and Soundwave as society starts to fall apart. This won’t be a flashback, or a history lesson—it’s all happening right in front of us."

"The relationship between Orion Pax and Megatron is one of the great tragic set pieces in comics, and this telling will feel both archetypal and fresh, " said Kelly. "Knowing they were once friends; knowing that in many ways their ideals are compatible, and yet knowing they are doomed to fall into devastating conflict provides never-ending drama, even if in the back of your mind you think you know how it’s going to end. I keep wishing we could go back to that moment and prevent the rift; just imagine what these two could have achieved working together."

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>"We already had the best fans in the world, so we had that going for us." said Barber.
Blatant lies.