Incredible Change-Bots

Last updated
Incredible Change-Bots
IncredibleChangeBotsBook1.jpg
The cover to the first Incredible Change-Bots graphic novel.
Publication information
Publisher Top Shelf Productions
Publication date11 September 2007
Creative team
Created by Jeffrey Brown
Collected editions
Incredible Change-Bots ISBN   9781891830914
Incredible Change-Bots Two ISBN   9781603090674
Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something ISBN   9781603093484

Incredible Change-Bots is a series of graphic novels written and illustrated by the American comic book artist Jeffrey Brown and published by Top Shelf Productions. The first graphic novel was released on 11 September 2007, [1] and is a parody of the shape-changing robot genre, [2] described by Brown as being "part parody, part nostalgic tribute and part moral fable". [3] A sequel was released in 2011. [4]

Contents

Creation

Brown credits the initial inspiration as being an incident in high school where a friend joked that the soundtrack album of The Transformers: The Movie consisted of an hour of "chee choo chee choo chook" sound effects, something which stuck with the artist and led to the Incredible Change-Bots' distinctive onomatopoeia. He revisited the idea in Sulk Sketchbook #10 in January 2004. [5] Transformers and GoBots toys Brown owned as a child were also an inspiration. [6]

Publication history

News of the book's release broke in June 2007, just as Michael Bay's first Transformers movie was about to be released. [7] The first release was a 144-page digest format graphic novel, on 11 September 2007. The book was previewed by an exclusive strip in Wizard . [8] In 2010 an exclusive Christmas-themed strip was produced for Comic Book Resources. [9]

A sequel called Incredible Change-Bots Two followed in 2011. [10] Announced at the C2E2 convention, [11] it was again previewed with a strip in Wizard, which appeared in the final print edition of the magazine. [12] Another exclusive strip was created for ComicsAlliance. [13] In the run-up to the sequel's release Brown's artwork for the book was the subject of a month-long exhibition at the Scott Eder Gallery in New York. [14] [15] He stated the fun he had making the first version and the positive reception to the characters was a factor in making the sequel. [16]

In 2014 a collection of short strips and other material [17] [18] was released as Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something. [5] This compiled material produced for the fan club, the online strips, the Scott Eder Gallery Show and numerous other sources, and included additional commentary and notes from Brown. [5]

Synopsis

Incredible Change-Bots: More Than Just Machines!

On the planet of Electrocybercircuitron machines have evolved into sentient beings called the Incredible Change-Bots. They are named such due to their ability to Incredible Change from robots to vehicles or other objects. The population of Electrocybercircuitron is split into two ideological groups, the Awesomebots, led by Big Rig, and Fantasticons, led by Shootertron. The latter tamper with senate elections and take control of the planet, and the resulting heavily armed peaceful protest mounted by the Awesomebots soon escalates into civil war. The long conflict leaves Electrocybercircuitron drained, so both factions work together to build a ship and set off into space to find a new source of energy.

The truce soon breaks down, causing the ship to crash on Earth. Like all alien spacecraft it lands in a remote North American desert, and the Fantasticons leave the ship to set up a base called the Fantasticave in a nearby mountain. Realising that their Incredible Change ability gives them the perfect disguise, the Awesomebots go looking for them - but are wary due to many of Earth's machines due to them carrying organic infestation. During a skirmish the Awesomebot called Balls goes missing. He is found by human mechanics Jimmy Junior and his father Monkeywrench. They help repair him and befriend the Awesomebots. Shootertron also makes an alliance, with General Deeyer and the army. They pleasure each other by exchanging Incredible Change-Bot technology for supplies of energy. In the resulting battle the Awesomebot Arsonal is destroyed. Monkeywrench is able to repair him, and the Fantasticon spy Microwave tells Shootertron they ask for nothing in exchange.

Enraged with Deeyer, he sends Rusty and Gasser to find him. Due to there being two General Deeyers the errand takes them two years. They try to get him to ally the army to the Fantasticons but the Awesomebots thwart this by ramming Deeyer's car, badly injuring him. However the Awesomebots are betrayed when Siren, one of their own, shoots her lover Honkytonk. To reverse their fortunes, Awesomebot Eject devises a plan to construct a Solar-Turbine Power Converter to gather energy. However, their plans are overheard by Fantasticon spy Microwave and after setting up the Converter in the South American jungle the Awesomebots are ambushed - with Arsonal getting shot again. The Fantasticons' new ally Dr. Infallible unleashes his new origami creation Papercut, which kills Monkeywrench. The Awesomebots return to Awesomebase in low spirits, and shortly after Honkytonk and Siren destroy each other in a brief shoot-out. Fed up of Big Rig's repeated incompetence, the Awesomebots decide they want a change of leadership - especially after Eject reveals Big Rig is Shootertron's brother. Big Rig is impeached into the desert, swiftly becoming delirious before being found by the Fantasticons, who convince him to join them.

The Awesomebots, having elected Stinky as their new leader, track Big Rig to a dam and battle is joined. Big Rig rejoins the Awesomebots and knocks Shootertron off the dam, the Fantasticon refusing to be rescued due to belief his opposite number will use him to shoot himself. As the fight rages Gasser has an existential crisis and douses the dam in petrol before setting it off. Between the battle and the explosion only a few survivors are left. After Rusty reveals they weren't there to steal energy but just to see the view. They band together and repair the ship before leaving Earth - and an awkwardly emotional Jimmy Junior - behind.

In an epilogue construction workers begin to clear the debris of the dam, revealing Shootertron. [3]

Incredible Change-Bots Two: The Vengeful Return of the Broken

Three years later, an amnesiac Shootertron digs himself free and is adopted by the Dards, a kindly couple of farmers called Stanley - who calls him "big guy" - and Edna. Despite being a gigantic robot he is enrolled in the local high school, becoming a key player in the football team. He rediscovers his powerful gun when protecting Stanley from Tracktor, which Shootertron has mistaken for a sinister presence due to pareidolia; runs a successful campaign of terror in order to be elected Class president; and begins dreaming of the war between the Awesomebots and Fantasticons. However his school rival alerts General Deeyer to Shootertron's whereabouts, and he is captured by agents of a Washington think tank. Deeyer's scientists try to harness Shootertron's powers, eventually reawakening his memory.

Meanwhile, in space the Change-Bots' ship is coming up to Jupiter. Big Rig proposes they formalise their alliance with a triumvirate of leaders - himself, Eject and Rusty - while medic Ivy is gradually restoring destroyed Change-Bots to life. However Calculatron has only double-checked their trajectory despite Big Rig's request he triple-check it, and the ship goes off course, back towards Earth. Even though the ship is totally destroyed on impact everyone survives unharmed.

Desiring revenge, Shootertron decides to work with Deeyer to destroy the Change-Bots, and leads a planning session to map the battlefield using pirate-themed interlocking bricks. They confront Big Rig and a battle breaks out. The Change-Bots find their lasers are useless as Eject sold the idea of using mirrors to deflect them to the military before they left Earth. However, Eject and Rusty soon hit on the idea of just punching the soldiers. The army is driven off and the Awesomebots and Fantasticons begin squabbling as to whether it counts as a victory as the enemy weren't finished off. The Fantasticons leave and head back to the Fantasticave, where Shootertron is waiting and retakes command. While the Awesomebots receive a visit from Jimmy Junior and Monkeywrench. Initially, Big Rig is perplexed by Monkeywrench being alive until Eject suggests they might be time-travellers and the Awesomebots decide to go with it.

Shootertron proposes arbitration and the Awesomebots meet with the Fantasticons, taking Jimmy Junior and Monkeywrench along after the former points out to Big Rig they can be used as human shields. Shootertron's lawyers tell Big Rig he and the Awesomebots have 48 hours to submit to his control or be wiped out. Both sides throw new creations into the fight - the tiny annoying Fantastinsectors, the giant Awesomesauruses and the huge Macrowave- but the key tussle is once again between Big Rig and Shootertron. However, the Fantasticon leader refuses to fight after Big Rig calls him "big guy", reminding of his time with the Dards. He apologises to Big Rig and both groups reconcile.

In the epilogue, the two groups move into the new Fantasticawesome complex, rapidly become bored and start squabbling about minor things. [10]

Characters

Awesomebots

Fantasticons

Humans

Cultural impact

Various projects have been inspired the novels. After discussing the idea of a theme tune for Incredible Change-Bots with Brown in an interview for his blog, [19] Pirooz Kalayeh wrote music to the lyrics. [20] With Brown's blessing, [5] animator Oren Mashkovski created a "trailer" for the comics, which was uploaded to the official Top Shelf Productions YouTube Channel. [21] Brown claimed that there had been some interest from TV and film studios over a full adaptation but that it had come to nothing. [5]

Fan club

Brown set up an official fan club for Incredible Change-Bots. The first iteration, advertised in the back of the graphic novel, cost $20, for which members would receive a mini-comic, a full-colour drawing and a membership card. [2] It had around a hundred members. [16] The second version charged $5 in exchange for a newsletter, a black-and-white sketch of a requested Change-Bot and a membership card. Animator Pendleton Ward was named as the organisation's vice-president, a post that - in Brown's words - had "zero actual responsibilities". [5]

Merchandise

In 2008 Devil's Due Publishing reached a deal to produce 6-inch vinyl figures based on Incredible Change-Bots characters, beginning with Balls and Microwave (with Soupy and Popper). [22] Each could Incredible Change via substituting parts, included a 6-page exclusive comic strip and had packaging designed by & Thank You For Flying. [23] However, despite prototypes being made and the products being solicited in the Diamond Previews Catalogue [5] the release fell through. [16] The mini-comics were eventually published in Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something. [5]

In 2016 Brown revisited the Change-Bots with a trading card set featuring all-new art, aiming to raise funds through crowdfunding website Kickstarter [24]

Other appearances

Due to the association with Devil's Due the characters of Balls and Microwave briefly appeared in Hack/Slash #18 in a character's nightmare, and a poster for the first graphic novel is glimpsed in the film version of Kick-Ass . [5]

Reception

All three volumes have received largely positive reviews.

Doug Glassman gave the first book a positive review for Collected Editions, but noted the humour might be lost on those not familiar with the conventions of the Transformers cartoon. [25] Writing for ComicBookBin, Leroy Douressaux gave the graphic novel a B rating but noted similar reservations about the niche humour. [26] Reviewing the book for Panel Patter, Rob McMonigal noted "Good parodies can survive on their own as a story. Incredible Change-Bots does this perfectly." [27] Writing for the MTV Adapt This! column in 2010, Rick Marshall suggested Incredible Change-Bots would make a good animated TV series, noting the books' "perfect balance between nostalgia and self-aware fun", but noted such an adaptation could attract legal attention due to the inspiration it took from the Transformers and GoBots franchises. [28]

James Hunt of Comic Book Resources praised Incredible Change-Bots Two, noting that it "builds on the original without being a complete retread", [29] while Michael May positively compared it to the Transformers film series, [30] a sentiment that was shared by McMonigal in Panel Patter's review. [31] Sean Edgar scored the book at 8.2 out of 10 for Paste , noting "Brown's art resembles the margins of a ridiculously talented high-schooler's geometry notebook, but this informal, goofy take perfectly complements a story that revels in incompetent characters and sly non sequiturs." [32] Jonathan H. Liu was equally positive for Wired , noting the story "takes a lot of the tropes of our beloved Saturday morning cartoons and mashes them up into a hilarious take on giant (and not-so-giant) robots battling it out for no really good reason." [33] On his personal blog, The Comics Journal critic Rob Clough noted that the book had "either a comedic bit, a fight or an explosion on every page.", [34] while R. Fiore noted that "No fair observer would deny that it takes more than one book to fully explore the absurdity of the Transformers concept." [35]

Reviewing Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something for ComicBookBin, Douressaux praised the book, noting it "is not a collection of throw-away stuff and odds-and-ends. These are fully functional short stories and vignettes..." [36]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megatron</span> Transformers character

Megatron is the main antagonist of the Transformers media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. He is the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a villainous faction of alien robots that seeks to conquer their home planet of Cybertron and the rest of the known universe, and serves as the archenemy of Optimus Prime, the leader of the rival Autobot faction. As with all Cybertronians, Megatron can disguise himself by transforming into vehicles or weapons. His alternate modes have included a Walther P38 handgun, a particle-beam weapon, a telescopic laser cannon, a Cybertronian jet, and various tanks, depending on which continuity he is depicted in. His original name is D-16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unicron</span> Transformers character

Unicron is a fictional villain from the Transformers media franchise. Designed by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie and has since reappeared in Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon, Transformers: Cybertron, Transformers: Prime, Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising, Transformers: The Last Knight, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and Atari's 2004 Transformers video game. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also able to transform into a giant planet. Unicron's origin has expanded over the years from simply being a large robot to being a god of chaos who devours realities. He often employs the help of Decepticons in his work, and in some stories is considered part of the origin of the Decepticon forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grimlock</span> Transformers character

Grimlock is the name of several fictional robot characters in the Transformers robot franchise. He is usually portrayed as the leader of the Dinobots, which are a subfaction of Autobots who can transform into metal dinosaurs. Grimlock is known for his dialogue being spoken in the third person. He appeared on screen along with other Dinobots in the fourth installment of the Transformers film series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autobot</span> Faction of sentient robots from the Transformers universe

The Autobots are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the Transformers multimedia franchise. The Autobots are living robots from the planet Cybertron who, like most Transformers, are each imbued with a unique "life force" known as a "spark." Led by Optimus Prime in most stories, the Autobots believe "freedom is the right of all sentient life" and are often engaged in a civil war with the Decepticons, a faction of transformers dedicated to military conquest and usually headed by Megatron. In a mirror universe portrayed in Transformers: Shattered Glass, the Autobots are villains opposed by the heroic Decepticons.

Transformers, is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals. The franchise encompasses toys, animation, comic books, video games and films. As of 2011, it generated more than ¥2 trillion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Ultra Magnus is a character from the Transformers franchise.

Jazz (<i>Transformers</i>) Transformers character

Jazz is a fictional robot character from the Transformers franchise. He is usually portrayed as a music-loving Autobot who speaks Black Vernacular English. In certain continuities he is shown as Optimus Prime's good friend and right-hand man.

<i>Karmatron</i> Comics character

Karmatrón y los Transformables is a Mexican science fiction and fantasy comic book created by Oscar González Loyo, and published in 1986 by CEPSA. The weekly series was published only in Mexico, non-stop and during 5 years, from 1986 to 1991 (#298).

GoBots is a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Hasbro's Transformers.

There have been four main publishers of the comic book series bearing the name Transformers based on the toy lines of the same name. The first series was produced by Marvel Comics from 1984 to 1991, which ran for 80 issues and produced four spin-off miniseries. This was followed by a second volume titled Transformers: Generation 2, which ran for 12 issues starting in 1993. The second major series was produced by Dreamwave Productions from 2002 to 2004 with multiple limited series as well, and within multiple story continuities, until the company became bankrupt in 2005. The third and fourth series have been published by IDW Publishing with the third series starting with an issue #0 in October 2005 and a regular series starting in January 2006 to November 2018. The fourth series started in March 2019 with issue #1 and concluded in June 2022. There are also several limited series being produced by IDW as well. Skybound Entertainment began publishing Transformers comics starting in June 2023, kicking off the Energon Universe. In addition to these four main publishers, there have also been several other smaller publishers with varying degrees of success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Top Shelf Productions</span> American comic publishing company

Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sideswipe (Transformers)</span> Transformers character

Sideswipe is a fictional robot character in the Transformers series.

<i>Transformers: Generation 2</i> TV series or program

The Transformers: Generation 2 was a Transformers toy line that ran from 1992–1994, in conjunction with a corresponding comic book series and edited reruns of the original cartoon beginning in 1993. The prior Transformer television series, comic books and toys became known as 'Generation 1' or G1 retroactively, and are now officially referred to as such by toymaker Hasbro. Generation 2 was discontinued as the first Beast Wars: Transformers toys began hitting the shelves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Brown (cartoonist)</span> American cartoonist

Jeffrey Brown is an American cartoonist born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optimus Prime</span> Transformers character

Optimus Prime, also known in Japan as Convoy, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Transformers franchise. Generally depicted as a brave and noble leader, Optimus Prime is the supreme commander of the Autobots in their fight against the Decepticons. The Transformers characters were developed for the American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were modified and the coloring was changed; notably, Optimus Prime was colored red, chrome, and dark blue. The popularity of the Transformers toys resulted in comics, movies, and a TV series. His original name is Orion Pax

Transformers: Generation 1 is a toy line from 1984 to 1990, produced by Hasbro and Takara Tomy. It was a line of toy robots that could change into an alternate form by moving parts into other places, and it was the first line of toys produced for the successful Transformers toy and entertainment franchise. The line was originally called The Transformers, with "Generation 1" originating as a term coined by fans of the toys when the Transformers: Generation 2 toy line was released in 1992. Hasbro eventually adopted the term "Generation 1" to refer to any toy produced in that era.

Transformers: Prime is an American animated television series based on the Transformers toy franchise by Hasbro that aired on the Hub Network from November 29, 2010, to July 26, 2013. The series focuses on the Autobots of "Team Prime", consisting of Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead, and their human allies as they attempt to protect the Earth from the villainous Decepticons and their leader Megatron.

Windblade is a name of a character in several Transformers continuities in the Transformers robot superhero franchise. She is always depicted as a female Autobot that can turn into a VTOL jet.

<i>Transformers: King Grimlock</i> American comic book limited series

Transformers: King Grimlock is an American comic book limited series written by Steve Orlando, drawn by Agustin Padilla, colored by Jeremy Colwell and Heather Breckel, and published by IDW Publishing. Based on the Transformers franchise by Hasbro and Takara-Tomy, the series features Grimlock as the main character.

References

  1. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots One". Top Shelf Productions.
  2. 1 2 "Jeffrey Brown Puts Spin on Transformers with Incredible Change-Bots". Alarm. 15 November 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Brown, Jeffrey (11 September 2007). Incredible Change-Bots. Top Shelf Productions. ISBN   9781891830914.
  4. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots Two". Top Shelf Productions.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Brown, Jeffrey (9 December 2014). Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something. Top Shelf Productions. ISBN   9781603093484.
  6. ↑ "Special Limited Quantities Offer". Jeffrey Brown Comics. 11 May 2009.
  7. ↑ "Jeffrey Brown's Incredible Change-Bots". Comics Alliance. 18 June 2007.
  8. ↑ Brown, Jeffrey (August 2007). "At the Awesomebase...". Wizard #190. Wizard Entertainment.
  9. ↑ "Seasons Greetings From "The Incredible Change-Bots"". CBR.com. 31 December 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Brown, Jeffrey (13 April 2011). Incredible Change-Bots Two. Top Shelf Productions. ISBN   9781603090674.
  11. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots take aim at C2E2". CBR.com. 18 March 2011.
  12. ↑ Brown, Jeffrey (March 2011). "The Test". Wizard #235. Wizard Entertainment.
  13. ↑ "The Incredible Change-Bots Ponder the Joy of Shooting Things with Lasers (Exclusive Comic)". ComicsAlliance. 20 January 2011.
  14. ↑ "Jeffrey Brown's CHANGE-BOTS invade New York next weekend!". Top Shelf Productions.
  15. ↑ "Original artwork by Jeffrey Brown". Scott Eder Gallery.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Brown's Incredible Change-Bots Return". CBR.com. 26 January 2011.
  17. ↑ "Top Shelf unveils new 'Incredible Change-Bots' collection". CBR.com. 25 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "Jeffrey Brown's Incredible Change-Bots Returns (Kind Of) in September". ComicBook.
  19. ↑ "Interview with Jeffrey Brown: May 21st - June 7th". Shikow.
  20. ↑ "Incredible Change Bots Theme Song". Internet Archive.
  21. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots Trailer". YouTube.
  22. ↑ "Balls: Incredible Change-bots Vinyl Figure". Toy News International.
  23. ↑ "Incredible Change Bots". & Thank You For Flying.
  24. ↑ "Cartoonist Jeffrey Brown launches Change-Bots Trading Card Kickstarter". CBR.com. 16 June 2016.
  25. ↑ "Review: Incredible Change-Bots graphic novel (Top Shelf Comics)". Collected Editions. 5 November 2007.
  26. ↑ "Jeffrey Brown: Incredible Change-Bots". ComicBookBin.
  27. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots". Panel Patter.
  28. ↑ "ADAPT THIS: 'Incredible Change-Bots' By Jeffrey Brown". MTV. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots #2". CBR.com. 18 April 2011.
  30. ↑ "Robot Review : Incredible Change-Bots Two". CBR.com. 30 March 2011.
  31. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots Two". Panel Patter.
  32. ↑ "Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-Up (5/4/11)". Paste. 4 May 2011.
  33. ↑ Liu, Jonathan H. "Incredible Change-Bots 2: The Vengeful Return of the Broken!". Wired.
  34. ↑ "Piling On: Incredible Change-Bots Two". High-Low. 12 March 2012.
  35. ↑ "Art Comics and No Fooling". The Comics Journal. 7 July 2011.
  36. ↑ "Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something review". Comic Book Bin.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.