The Transformers (IDW Publishing)

Last updated
The Transformers
Stormbringer.jpg
Composite of Stormbringer covers drawn by Don Figueroa
Publication information
Publisher IDW Publishing
Genre Science fiction, superhero
Publication dateOctober 2005 – November 2018
No. of issues427
Creative team
Created by Hasbro

The Transformers (later retitled as Transformers) is a comic book line by IDW Publishing based upon Hasbro's Transformers characters and toy line, featuring many writers and artists across multiple series. It is notable for being the longest continuously running Transformers continuity to date, beginning in October 2005 with The Transformers: Infiltration and ending in November 2018, after the six-issue Unicron event comic. The following year, it would be rebooted and succeeded by a new comic book series on 2019.

Contents

IDW lost the license rights by the end of 2022 and the license was passed to Skybound Entertainment in 2023. [1] [2]

Publication history

First era

Dreamwave Productions shut down on January 4, 2005, and announced they would cease publication of all their comics, leaving Transformers: Generation One and its prequel series, Transformers: The War Within incomplete. [3] Chris Ryall, editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing, leaped at the chance to bid on the property. [4] On May 19, 2005, Hasbro announced they had awarded the licensing rights to IDW Publishing, with plans for an issue #0 in October 2005 and an ongoing title entitled The Transformers: Infiltration to begin in January 2006. [5] Beforehand, Ryall met up with long-time writer Simon Furman. [6] Furman aimed for a contemporary version of the Generation 1 incarnation to appeal to new and old fans alike. They both cited a focus on the "Robots in Disguise" element of the characters, aiming to bring back their "myth and majesty". [7] Overall, Furman described it as, "This was, at last (after 20-plus years) MY take on Transformers." [8] Furman also aimed for a real time approach, [9] using maps to help guide his stories. [10] Infiltration's issue #0 sold 100,000 copies in pre-orders, a record for the company. [11] Furman focused the story on Autobot medic Ratchet and broke new ground for G1-based storylines by excluding the Ark crash storyline and having them only just recently arrived deliberately, to give proper intent to the Transformers being on Earth, [7] thus separating the fictional universe from the Beast Wars one. [8] E. J. Su was hired as the artist, and was given free rein to re-design characters slightly. [12]

Infiltration received mixed reviews. Furman's decision to put leaders Optimus Prime and Megatron on the sidelines divided fans, [9] as did the slow pace [8] and the use of human characters. Furman and Ryall responded positively, promising to make both fans and critics happy after reading various message board comments. [13] The Transformers: Stormbringer followed in July, set around the same time frame as Infiltration, and had art by Don Figueroa. [14] The four issue tale was intended to be a weekly event, but Diamond Comic Distributors' resistance meant it became monthly. [15] Furman had planned to visit Cybertron later on, but the fans demanded a human-less story, and Stormbringer was written. Most importantly, the story revealed Cybertron to be dead, giving the saga a darker feel and explaining the status quo of Autobots and Decepticons spread out and fighting pocket wars. [16] Furman intentionally wanted a larger scale and "took Cybertron out of the equation" to shape the overall arc. [8] The story also allowed him to reinvent Thunderwing and the Pretenders, which he felt was one of the sillier concepts. [16]

In September, the companion series, The Transformers: Spotlight was launched, set to last for five issues. [17] Furman drew upon classic stories for Shockwave, [9] re-created the personalities of Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus, and wrote Sixshot for the first time. [8] Nightbeat's story laid a vital seed for future stories, [18] as well as allowing him to re-invent the Micromasters. [8] In November The Transformers: Escalation began, a direct sequel to Infiltration. It put Optimus and Megatron center stage, and brought in characters from the Spotlights. [9] The Spotlights expanded as IDW accepted Furman's willingness to write for any character. This has even included Wheelie, [15] a character he has personally voiced criticism of in the past.

Furman took a break from the main storyline in June to allow Eric Holmes to write the prequel, The Transformers: Megatron Origin over four months. Holmes conceived the tale for his favorite character, Megatron, and to explore the beginnings of the Autobot-Decepticon war, [19] collaborating with Furman to further tie-in the story into the existing continuity and taking historical inspiration from the decline of the Roman Empire. [20] In addition, Furman allowed Nick Roche to write and draw a Spotlight for Kup, and Roche also wishes to create another one for Rumble. [21] Furman returned for The Transformers: Devastation , which will be affected by Galvatron's Spotlight (itself spinning out of Nightbeat's), before leading into The Transformers: Revelation . [18] Galvatron was re-invented as a separate character from Megatron, and Optimus Prime himself received a Spotlight, with both one-shots including major revelations that will affect storylines beyond Revelation. [21] Devastation had a faster pace and explored rebellion in the Decepticon ranks, similar to the early Marvel stories. [22] With the conclusion of Devastation, Revelation began in June. However, this series had a different format to that seen previously, and consisted of four interrelated Spotlight issues that brought several of the elements of the storyline thus far, most notably the Dead Universe storyline, to a conclusion. [23] [24] The arc following Revelation was a twelve-issue limited series, later expanded to sixteen issues, titled All Hail Megatron which began in July 2008, taking place a year after the end of Devastation and focusing on an Earth conquered by the Decepticons without the Autobots around to stop them, this time written by Shane McCarthy. [25] A planned storyline, Expansion, has now been canceled, although some of the themes the series would have dealt with may still appear. [23] A new mini-series by Furman, Maximum Dinobots, spun out of Spotlight: Grimlock and featured the Dinobots, Sunstreaker, and the Machination, beginning in December after the conclusion of Revelation, [26] with art by Spotlight artist Nick Roche. [27]

Starting in November 2009, an ongoing series of the Transformers was launched and ended in December 2011. Concurrently, during this time, other mini-series were also published: Last Stand of the Wreckers , Bumblebee, Ironhide , Drift , Infestation and Heart of Darkness, the latter of which led into the story arc Chaos.

Second era

Following a one-shot titled The Death of Optimus Prime, two new ongoing series started in January 2012, Robots in Disguise and More than Meets the Eye . A digital Transformers comic also became available titled Autocracy, consisting of 12 eight-page issues. [28] [29] Two sequels to Autocracy titled Monstrosity and Primacy started publishing in March 2013 and August 2014, respectively. [30] [31] In April and November 2014, the Windblade and Drift – Empire of Stone mini-series were also published. In addition, in November 2014, The Transformers: Robots in Disguise changed its title to just The Transformers. A second ongoing series of Windblade started in March 2015, and its sequel Till All Are One followed in June 2016.

Hasbro Universe

Starting in 2016, the Transformers comics became part of the Hasbro Comic Book Universe, playing a role during the crossover events Revolution and First Strike . After Revolution ended in November 2016, Transformers and More than Meets the Eye re-titled themselves to Optimus Prime and Lost Light , respectively.

The miniseries titled Transformers: Unicron (which is the finale of this continuity) started being published on May 5, 2018. [32]

List of titles

TitleIssue(s)Start dateEnd dateNote(s)
The Transformers: Infiltration 0–6October 19, 2005July 12, 2006
The Transformers: Evolutions: Hearts of Steel 1–4July 5, 2006September 27, 2006Set in an alternate timeline.
The Transformers: Stormbringer July 19, 2006October 18, 2006
The Transformers: Spotlight 31 (unnumbered)September 13, 2006May 1, 2013
The Transformers: Escalation 1–6November 29, 2006May 2, 2007Sequel to The Transformers: Infiltration.
The Transformers: Megatron Origin 1–4June 20, 2007October 24, 2007
The New Avengers/The Transformers July 2007October 2007Crossover with The New Avengers (Marvel Comics).
The Transformers: Devastation 1–6October 3, 2007February 27, 2008Sequel to The Transformers: Escalation.
The Transformers: All Hail Megatron 1–16July 10, 2008October 14, 2009
The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots 1–5December 10, 2008April 15, 2009
The Transformers: ContinuumOne-shotNovember 11, 2009First guidebook of The Transformers.
The Transformers1–31November 18, 2009December 7, 2011Sequel to The Transformers: All Hail Megatron.
The Transformers: Bumblebee1–4December 16, 2009March 10, 2010
The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers 1–5January 27, 2010May 19, 2010
The Transformers: Ironhide 1–4May 12, 2010August 4, 2010
The Transformers: Drift September 2010October 20, 2010
The Transformers: Infestation1–2February 2, 2011February 16, 2011Part of the crossover event Infestation.
The Transformers: Heart of Darkness1–4March 23, 2011June 29, 2011
The Transformers: The Death of Optimus PrimeOne-shotDecember 21, 2011
The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye 1–57 (plus 1 annual)January 11, 2012September 28, 2016Issues #23-27 tied to Dark Cybertron; issues #56-57 tied to Titans Return
The Transformers: Autocracy1–12January 18, 2012June 20, 2012
The Transformers: Robots in Disguise1–57 (plus 1 annual)January 25, 2012September 28, 2016Issues #23-27 tied to Dark Cybertron; retitled as The Transformers (vol. 2) in issue #35; retitled as Transformers in issue #39; issues #56-57 tied to Titans Return.
The Transformers: Infestation 21–2February 1, 2012February 15, 2012Part of the crossover event Infestation 2; related to The Transformers: Hearts of Steel.
The Transformers: Monstrosity1–12March 1, 2013July 31, 2013Sequel to The Transformers: Autocracy.
The Transformers: Dark Cybertron #1One-shotNovember 6, 2013Tied to Dark Cybertron.
The Transformers: Dark Cybertron FinaleMarch 26, 2014
The Transformers: Windblade (vol. 1)1–4April 16, 2014July 23, 2014
The Transformers: Punishment1–5June 2014 (printed on January 21, 2015)Digital comic.
The Transformers: Primacy1–4August 13, 2014November 19, 2014Sequel to The Transformers: Monstrocity.
The Transformers: Drift: Empire of StoneNovember 26, 2014February 25, 2015Sequel to The Transformers: Drift.
The Transformers: Windblade (vol. 2)1–7March 25, 2015September 23, 2015Sequel to The Transformers: Windblade (vol. 1); issues #1-5 tied to Combiner Wars.
Transformers: Combiner HuntersOne-shotJuly 29, 2015Tied to Combiner Wars.
Transformers: RedemptionOctober 28, 2015Sequel to The Transformers: Punishment.
Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers1–5October 2015June 2016Sequel to The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers.
Transformers: Till All are One1–12 (plus 1 annual)June 15, 2016December 13, 2017Sequel to The Transformers: Windblade; issues #5-8 tied to Titans Return.
Revolution 0–5June 21, 2016November 30, 2016
Transformers: Titans ReturnOne-shotJuly 27, 2016Tied to Titans Return.
Transformers: RevolutionOctober 26, 2016Part of the crossover event Revolution.
Transformers: Till All are One: RevolutionNovember 2, 2016
Transformers: More than Meets the Eye: RevolutionDecember 7, 2016
Transformers: Optimus Prime 1–25 (plus 1 annual)December 14, 2016November 21, 2018Sequel to The Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
Transformers: Lost Light 1–25November 7, 2018Sequel to The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye.
Revolutionaries1–8January 18, 2017September 27, 2017Team-up between various Hasbro characters.
Transformers Annual 2017One-shotMarch 9, 2017
Transformers: SalvationOne-shotJune 14, 2017Sequel to Transformers: Redemption.
Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook1–3July 14, 2017October 25, 2017Featuring various background stories.
First Strike 0–6Sequel to Revolution.
Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor1–5July 19, 2017November 27, 2017Crossover with Rom the Spaceknight.
Optimus Prime: First StrikeOne-shotOctober 18, 2017Part of the crossover event First Strike.
Transformers: First StrikeNovember 8, 2017
Transformers vs. Visionaries1–5January 3, 2018May 2, 2018Crossover with Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light .
Transformers: Unicron 0–6May 5, 2018November 14, 2018
Transformers: Requiem of the WreckersOne-shotMay 30, 2018Sequel to Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers.
Transformers: HistoriaOne-shotJanuary 9, 2019Second guidebook of Transformers. [33]

Collected editions

The Transformers has been collected in twenty volumes roughly in chronological order. The first eight volumes, under the title Transformers: IDW Collection, collect most of the series in between Infiltration and Heart of Darkness, including Spotlights. [34] Starting with the issue Death of Optimus Prime, the Transformers are collected under the title Transformers: IDW Collection Phase Two, of which twelve volumes were published. [35] From the Revolution mini-series and the establishment of the Hasbro Comic Book Universe, the Transformers are going to be collected under the title Transformers: IDW Collection Phase Three. [36]

Hardcover editions

TitleVolumeMaterial collectedPagesPublication DateISBN
The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase One1Megatron Origin #1–4, Spotlight: Blurr, Cliffjumper, Shockwave, Nightbeat, Hot Rod, Soundwave and Infiltration #0–6392May 26, 2010 978-1600106675
2Stormbringer #1–4, Escalation #1–6, Spotlight: Sixshot, Ramjet, Ultra Magnus, Kup, Mirage and Optimus Prime374October 6, 2010 978-1600107511
3Spotlight: Galvatron, Blaster and Arcee, New Avengers/Transformers #1–4, Devastation #1–6, Spotlight: Grimlock and Wheelie350March 2, 2011 978-1600108563
4Spotlight: Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer and Sideswipe, Maximum Dinobots #1–5, Drift #1–4, Spotlight: Drift, Metroplex and Jazz374May 25, 2011 978-1600109386
5All Hail Megatron #1–16352December 14, 2011 978-1613770528
6The Transformers #1–6, Bumblebee #1–4, Last Stand of the Wreckers #1–5 and Spotlight: Prowl364May 9, 2012 978-1613771839
7Infestation #1–2, The Transformers #7–18 and Ironhide #1–4358October 17, 2012 978-1613774069
8Heart of Darkness #1–4 and The Transformers #19–31384May 29, 2013 978-1613776278
Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two1Death of Optimus Prime, More Than Meets The Eye #1–5 and Robots in Disguise #1–6272September 16, 2014 978-1631400407
2Autocracy #1–12, Spotlight: Trailcutter and Hoist, More Than Meets the Eye #6–8, Robots In Disguise #7–9 and Spotlight: Orion Pax332August 25, 2015 978-1631403644
3More Than Meets The Eye #9–13 and 2012 Annual, Robots in Disguise #10–11 and 2012 Annual, Spotlight: Thundercracker, Bumblebee and Megatron332March 8, 2016 978-1631405402
4Monstrosity #1–4, Robots in Disguise #12–18 and More Than Meets the Eye #14–16356October 25, 2016 978-1631407154
5Primacy #1–4, Robots in Disguise #19–22 and More Than Meets the Eye #17–22344March 7, 2017 978-1631408441
6Dark Cybertron #1, More Than Meets The Eye #23–27, Robots In Disguise #23–27, Dark Cybertron Finale and Windblade #1–4388October 17, 2017 978-1684050857
7More Than Meets The Eye #28–34 and Robots In Disguise #28–34340March 27, 2018 978-1684051496
8More Than Meets The Eye #35–40, Robots In Disguise #35–38, Punishment and Drift – Empire of Stone #1–4400December 18, 2018 978-1684053728
9Transformers #39–43, More Than Meets The Eye #41–44 and Windblade Vol. 2 #1–5312June 18, 2019 978-1684054848
10Transformers #44–45. More Than Meets The Eye #45–49, Windblade Vol. 2 #6–7, Sins of the Wreckers #1–5, Combiner Hunters #1 and material from the Holiday Special #1360December 3, 2019 978-1684055845
11Transformers issues #46–50, More Than Meets the Eye issues #50–55, the one-shot Redemption and further material from the Holiday Special #1336May 26, 2020 978-1684056408
12Transformers issues #51–57, More Than Meets the Eye issues #56–57, the one-shot Titans Return and Til All Are One #1–4336January 5, 2021 978-1684057467
Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Three1Revolution #0-5; Transformers: Till All Are One: Revolution, Transformers: Revolution, Action Man: Revolution, and Transformers: More than Meets the Eye: Revolution, Transformers: Till All Are One #5-8; and Revolutionaries #1-4.392November 9, 2021 978-1684058426
2Transformers: Till All Are One #9–12, Transformers: Optimus Prime #1–6 and Transformers: Lost Light #1–7.384March 29, 2022 978-1684058778
3Revolutionaries #5-8, Transformers: Lost Light #8–12, Transformers: Optimus Prime #7-10, Transformers Annual 2017 and Transformers: Salvation400September 27, 2022 978-1413304541

Chronological comic order

This is a chronological listing of the comics in which the timeline of events developed. [37] [34] [35] [36]

1–4. Megatron Origin #1–4

5. Spotlight – Orion Pax
6. Spotlight – Blurr
7–18. Autocracy #1–12
19–22. Monstrosity #1–4
23–26. Primacy #1–4
27. Spotlight – Thundercracker
28. Spotlight – Shockwave
29. Spotlight – Wheelie
30. Spotlight – Cliffjumper
31. Spotlight – Hot Rod
32. Spotlight – Sixshot
33–37. ROM vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #1–5
38–41. Hearts of Steel #1–4
42–43. Transformers: Infestation 2 #1–2
44. Spotlight – Soundwave
45. Spotlight – Ultra Magnus
46–49. Infiltration #0–3
50–52. Stormbringer #1–3
53–54. Infiltration #4–5
55. Stormbringer #4
56. Infiltration #6
57. Spotlight – Kup
58–61. New Avengers/Transformers #1–4
62–63. Escalation #1–2
64. Spotlight – Nightbeat
65–68. Escalation #3–6
69. Spotlight – Ramjet
70. Spotlight – Optimus Prime
71. Spotlight – Galvatron
72–75. Devastation #1–4
76. Spotlight – Blaster
77. Spotlight – Arcee
78–79. Devastation #5–6
80. Spotlight – Mirage
81. Spotlight – Grimlock
82–85. Revelation (contains Spotlights on Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer & Sideswipe)
86–90. Maximum Dinobots #1–5
91.Spotlight – Drift
92. All Hail Megatron #15
93. Spotlight – Metroplex
94. Spotlight – Jazz
95–109. All Hail Megatron #1–14 & #16
110. Continuum
111. Spotlight - Prowl
112. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1
113. Transformers Vol 1 #1
114–115. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2–3
116. Transformers Vol 1 #2
117. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4
118–119. Transformers Vol 1 #3–4
120–123. Bumblebee #1–4
124–125. Transformers Vol 1 #5–6
126. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5
127–130. Ironhide #1–4
131–134. Drift #1–4
135–136. Heart of Darkness #1–2
137–138. Transformers: Infestation #1–2
139–145. Transformers Vol 1 #7–13
146. Spotlight – Megatron
147–153. Transformers Vol 1 #14–20
154–155. Heart of Darkness #3–4
156–164. Transformers Vol 1 #21–29
165. Spotlight – Bumblebee
166–167. Transformers Vol 1 #30–31
168. The Death of Optimus Prime
169–171. More Than Meets the Eye #1–3
172–176. Robots in Disguise #1–5
177–178. More Than Meets the Eye #4–5
179. Spotlight – Trailcutter
180. Spotlight – Hoist
181–183. More Than Meets the Eye #6–8
184–187. Robots in Disguise #6–9
188–191. More Than Meets the Eye Annual, #9–11
192–199. Robots in Disguise #10, Annual, #11–16
200–210. More Than Meets the Eye #12–22
211–216. Robots in Disguise #17–22
217–228. Dark Cybertron (contains Dark Cybertron #1, More Than Meets the Eye #23–27, Robots in Disguise #23–27 & Dark Cybertron Finale)
229–234. More Than Meets the Eye #28–33
235–239. Robots in Disguise #28–32
240–243. Windblade Vol 1 #1–4
244–248. More Than Meets the Eye #34–38
249–250. Robots in Disguise #33–34
251–254. Transformers Vol 2 #35–38
255–256. More Than Meets the Eye #39–40
257–260. Drift – Empire of Stone #1–4
261. Punishment
262–265. More Than Meets the Eye #41–44
266–271. Combiner Wars (contains Transformers Vol 2 #39–41 & Windblade Vol 2 #1–3)
272–273. Transformers Vol 2 #42–43
274. Combiner Hunters
275. Transformers Vol 2 #44
276–279. Windblade Vol 2 #4–7
280–284. Sins of the Wreckers #1–5
285–289. More Than Meets the Eye #45–49
290. Transformers Vol 2 #45
291. Holiday Special
292. Redemption
293–302. Transformers Vol 2 #46–55
303–308. More Than Meets the Eye #50–55
309–312. Till All Are One #1–4
313–317. Titans Return (contains Titans Return #1, Transformers Vol 2 #56–57 & More Than Meets the Eye #56–57)
318–331. Revolution (contains Prelude, M.A.S.K., ROM, Till All Are One, #1–2, Micronauts, #3, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Action Man, #4, More Than Meets the Eye & #5)
332–335. Till All Are One #5–8
336–341. Optimus Prime #1–6
342–347. Lost Light #1–6
348–351. Revolutionaries #1–4
352–353. Optimus Prime #7–8
354. Transformers Annual
355–356. Optimus Prime #9–10
357. Salvation
358–361. Till All Are One #9–12
362–367. Lost Light #7–12
368–371. Revolutionaries #5–8
372–384. First Strike (contains #0–1, Optimus Prime, #2–6, Transformers, Micronauts, ROM, G.I. Joe & M.A.S.K.)
385–388. Optimus Prime #11–14
389. Till All Are One Annual
390. Optimus Prime Annual
391–395. Transformers vs. Visionaries #1–5
396. Requiem of the Wreckers
397–399. Lost Light #13–15
400–406. Optimus Prime #15–21
407–415. Lost Light #16–24
416. Optimus Prime #22
417–421. Unicron #0–4
422–423. Optimus Prime #23–24
424–425. Unicron #5–6
426. Optimus Prime #25

427. Lost Light #25

Related Research Articles

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

Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Transformers media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a faction of sentient, war-mongering robotic lifeforms that seeks to conquer their home planet of Cybertron and the rest of the known universe. He serves as the archenemy of Optimus Prime, the leader of the rival Autobot faction. As with all Cybertronians, Megatron has the ability to transform between his robot form and various vehicles or weapons. His alternate modes have ranged from a Walther P38 handgun, a particle-beam weapon, a telescopic laser cannon, and a Cybertronian jet, depending on which continuity he is depicted in.

<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: 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">Starscream</span> Transformers character

Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers media franchise. He is one of the most frequently occurring characters in the franchise, appearing in almost all of its different continuities. Starscream is generally depicted as the second-in-command of the Decepticon leader Megatron who transforms into a jet fighter and leads the Seekers, a group of Decepticons who share his body type. Across most continuities, Starscream's defining trait is his desire to overthrow Megatron and assume command of the Decepticons. This is usually out of greed and selfishness, though in some continuities, Starscream has been shown to genuinely care about the Decepticon cause and wish to bring it back on the right path, perceiving Megatron as a corrupt leader who led the Decepticons astray. Alternatively, other incarnations of Starscream have been portrayed as unquestionably loyal to Megatron or as an antihero who has tried to make peace with the Decepticons' arch-enemies, the Autobots.

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

The Autobots are usually featured as the main protagonists in the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. 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 fictional character from the various Transformers storylines in the Transformers franchise, generally appearing as a chief lieutenant of Optimus Prime.

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

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<i>Transformers: Energon</i> Television series

Transformers: Energon, known in Japan as Transformer: Superlink, is a Japanese anime series which debuted on January 9, 2004. It is a direct sequel to Transformers: Armada. It is also the first Japanese Transformers show where the Transformers are computer-generated (CG), in a cel-shaded technique similar to the Zoids anime, which was a trend that would continue into the next series, Transformers: Cybertron. In the United States, KidsClick started airing reruns of the show from August 27, 2018 until November 3, 2018. Along with Transformers: Armada and Transformers: Cybertron, Transformers: Energon is a part of a saga in the Transformers series known as the "Unicron Trilogy". In this series, the Transformers' primary gimmicks are the Autobots' ability to combine with partners of the same size, the Decepticons' ability to use powered up forms, and the addition of Energon weapons and stars that can be placed on any Transformer. Mini-Cons, from the previous line, are still present, but all Mini-Con pegs are "dummy" pegs as they do not activate a function on the toy.

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

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There have been three 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 is currently still being produced. There are also several limited series being produced by IDW as well. In addition to these three main publishers, there have also been several other smaller publishers with varying degrees of success.

Transformers: The War Within is a series of comic book mini-series written by Simon Furman and published by Dreamwave Productions featuring Generation One characters with brand new pre-Earth designs.

<i>The Transformers: Infiltration</i> Comic book

The Transformers: Infiltration is a six-issue comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Transformers. The series was previewed with a #0 in October, 2005, formally launched with #1 in January 2006 and ended with #6 in July.

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

Optimus Prime, known in Japan as Convoy, is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an 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, white, and blue. The popularity of the Transformers toys resulted in comics, movies, and a TV series.

<i>The Transformers: Stormbringer</i>

The Transformers: Stormbringer is a comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing.

<i>The Transformers: Spotlight</i>

The Transformers: Spotlight is a comic book series of one-shot issues, published by IDW Publishing.

The Transformers: Megatron Origin is a comic book limited series by IDW Publishing exploring the origin of Megatron in its rebooted G1 universe. Written by Eric Holmes, the story explored the beginnings of the Decepticons and the Great War, and serves as a prequel to the various IDW G1 Transformers stories such as The Transformers: Infiltration, Stormbringer, Spotlight and Escalation. Alex Milne is the artist with alternative covers by Marcelo Matere. The series is available in The Transformers: Volume 1.

Transformers: Beast Wars is the name of several comic book series by IDW Publishing, based upon Hasbro's toy line and the original television series.

The Transformers: Revelation is a comic book miniseries, published by IDW Publishing, based on the Generation One Transformers and following on from The Transformers: Devastation. Unlike previous IDW G1 titles, which were 6 issues each, Revelation consists of four interrelated The Transformers: Spotlight issues focused on Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer, and Sideswipe respectively.

Transformers is a comic book series by IDW Publishing, spun off from the Transformers film series.

References

  1. ↑ Kit, Borys (2022-01-21). "IDW to Lose 'G.I. Joe,' 'Transformers' License at End of 2022 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  2. ↑ First Comics News (2023-06-14). "SURPRISE! TRANSFORMERS AND G.I. JOE LAUNCH A NEW SHARED COMIC BOOK UNIVERSE TODAY!" . Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  3. ↑ "Immediate Press Release – Dreamwave will be ceasing operations!". Seibertron. 2005-01-04. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  4. ↑ "New Opportunities in Disguise". Comic Book Resources. 2005-05-26. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  5. ↑ Matt Brady (2005-05-19). "IDW LANDS TRANSFORMERS LICENSE". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  6. ↑ Burnside, Iain (8 April 2006). "New Opportunities in Disguise". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  7. 1 2 Matt Brady (2005-05-27). "SIMON FURMAN: GUARDIAN of the TRANSFORMERS". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Iain Burnside (2006-08-04). "Caught in the Nexus: Simon Furman". Comics Nexus. Archived from the original on 2006-08-11. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Arune Singh (2006-10-19). "SIMON FURMAN KEEPS ROLLIN OUT WITH "TRANSFORMERS" AT IDW". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  10. ↑ "Simon Furman creating history Q&A". TFormers. 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  11. ↑ Matt Brady (2005-10-05). "TRANSFORMERS #0 SEES 100K COPIES". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  12. ↑ "EJ Su". Transfans. June 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
  13. ↑ "BotCon 2006 – Transformers Comics: Past, Present & Future". TFormers. 2006-09-30. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  14. ↑ Tobias May (2006-06-22). "Simon Furman Talks Stormbringer". Comic News International. Archived from the original on 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  15. 1 2 "Simon Furman Panel #2 Notes". The Allspark. 2006-10-01. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  16. 1 2 Benjamin Ong Pang Kean (2006-05-03). "SIMON FURMAN ON TRANSFORMERS: STORMBRINGER". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2007-04-25. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  17. ↑ Jay (2006-07-26). "IDW's Plans For Transformers Revealed At The 2006 San Diego Comic Con". Comic News International. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  18. 1 2 Arune Singh (2007-03-18). "WWLA: SIMON FURMAN TALKS "TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: GALVATRON"". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  19. ↑ Arune Singh (2007-04-07). "ERIC HOLMES TURNS TO THE DARK SIDE IN "MEGATRON ORIGIN"". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  20. ↑ "Eric Holmes". TransFans.net. 2007-02-20. Archived from the original on 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  21. 1 2 Steve Bax (2007-06-09). "London welcomes IDW's leading lights". One Shall Stand. Archived from the original on 2007-08-19. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  22. ↑ "Transformers Writer Simon Furman Interview". ENI. 2007-07-31. Archived from the original on 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  23. 1 2 Simon Furman (2008-03-13). "Revelations!". Simon Furman . Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  24. ↑ Chris Ryall (2008-03-10). "Revelations revealed". IDW Publishing . Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  25. ↑ Jay (2008-03-19). "All Hail Megatron!!!". Comic News International. Archived from the original on 2008-03-23. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  26. ↑ Simon Furman (2008-04-25). "Maximum...?". Simon Furman . Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  27. ↑ IDW Publishing (2008-05-30). "Interview with Denton J. Tipton: Roche for Maximum Dinobots". IDW Publishing. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  28. ↑ SDCC 2011 – IDW 2012 Transformations Panel – Furman, Wildman Return for Transformers #81; 2 Books w/ Roberts, Roche, Barber
  29. ↑ Chris Metzen Writer of … The Transformers: Autocracy
  30. ↑ IDW Announces New Digital ‘Transformers’ Series!
  31. ↑ Transformers Primacy From IDW In August 2014, GI Joe: A Real American Hero Will Continue... And So Will Normal GI Joe!
  32. ↑ "TRANSFORMERS: UNICRON Event is a 'Grand Finale' to 12 Years at IDW". Newsarama. March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  33. ↑ "TRANSFORMERS HISTORIA: Chris McFeely Writes History Of IDW Transformers Universe, Due In December". TFormers.com. September 19, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  34. 1 2 Transformers IDW Collection Vol. 01-08 HC(May 2010 – June 2013). IDW Publishing .
  35. 1 2 Transformers IDW Collection Phase Two Vol. 01-12 HC(September 2014 – February 2021). IDW Publishing .
  36. 1 2 Transformers IDW Collection Phase Two Vol. 01-02 HC(September 2021 – March 2022). IDW Publishing .
  37. ↑ The Transformers: Continuum(November 2009). IDW Publishing .
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