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Interview - Simon Furman Talks Stormbringer
The Transformers comics are back BIG TIME! If you've been out of the loop on what's going on with Transformers comics - it is time to get back in. Fans of the Generation 1 series both old and new will be excited to know what's brewing inside Simon Furman's head. He is taking the G1 Universe to an all new high with the Stormbringer series. Tobias May of Comic News International recently interviewed Mr Furman about the series and what's coming our way.
CNI: You've written Transformers comics for Marvel UK, Marvel US, Dreamwave, and now IDW. How is it that you keep coming up with new stories and avoid repeating previous tales? What type of writing process do you go through?
Simon: The last thing I want to do is tell the same stories over again. So I'm always looking for new angles, new possibilities. I was therefore delighted when Chris Ryall and Dan Taylor (at IDW) expressed an interest in pretty much starting from scratch in a contemporary setting. This was, strangely, something I'd never done with Transformers. I'd always come in partway through the saga, piggybacking my stories onto established continuity. Sure, I took it in a few different directions over the years, most notably with the 'future' stories I did in TFUK and 'War Within' for Dreamwave, but I'd never actually got to do 'my' version of Transformers. So Infiltration/Escalation (plus Stormbringer and the 'spotlight' one-shots, all of which tie in to the same, cohesive TF Universe we're creating here) have got me excited like never before. The stories are just kind of pouring out of me at the moment. I'm even using the one-shots to lay the seeds of stories that will impact on the core series much later on.
CNI: Does Stormbringer take place within the same continuity established by Infiltration? If yes, at what point in time does the story take place in relation to Infiltration (some years before, directly afterwards, etc...)
Simon: Stormbringer runs more or less parallel with Infiltration (and then feeds into Escalation). You'll see the odd direct mirror scene or cause and effect. One example: when Megatron (in Infiltration #4) says "Yes. Especially Cybertron," you get to see who he's saying it to (and what it implies) in Stormbringer #3. By the end of Infiltration #6, Stormbringer is done and dusted, as the appearance of a certain key character underlines. But Stormbringer also flashes back to a much earlier confrontation on Cybertron, so you get that too. It also sets up more stuff for the future. Really, it's got a bit of everything.
CNI: Which Autobots and Decepticons can we expect to see as the key players in this story? Grimlock or Ultra Magnus by any chance?
Simon: No Grimlock. No Ultra Magnus. But... I wouldn't rule out either appearing (either as lead or supporting characters) in the one-shots. Stormbringer's main protagonist is Thunderwing, and pitted against him we have the likes of Optimus Prime, Jetfire, Springer (and the Wreckers), the Technobots, the Predacons and more besides.
CNI: Will you tackle some of these characters in a different manner than you have in the past? For example, Ratchet's character in Infiltration was very different from what we're used to. Will any other Transformers, such as Jetfire, go through similar character overhauls?
Simon: Definitely. Though I'm always working from the established character profiles, I'm looking to surprise and tinker wherever possible. I don't want these to be exactly the characters you've seen before. For example, Hot Rod. I've taken key elements of the character (brash, hot-headed, cocky) and gone in a whole new direction with what makes him tick, and what kind of hothead he is. I really want to defy long-time fans' expectations, and give new readers a sense that they're getting a 'whole' character, from scratch.
CNI: Will we see more Cybertronian vehicle/robot modes reminiscent of War Within?
Simon: Absolutely. No one will have an Earth-style mode until there's a good reason for them to have one (which, basically, is... they're on Earth, so in local disguise). When Megatron first shows up on Earth, he's still in his Cybertronian form, and because (at first) he has no intention of staying, doesn't bother to refit himself. By Escalation #2, he's decided to hang around, and at that point goes with a local alt. mode configuration. But I should make it clear: these are not War Within versions. Not exactly. Don, EJ, Nick (and others who are currently working on the series) are redesigning everyone. Sure, you'll see elements of War Within designs, but these are purely Cybertronian forms.
CNI: How will this Cybertron be different from the one we know?
Simon: It's in a lot worse shape. For the Autobots (and Decepticons) in Stormbringer, it's far from a happy homecoming.
CNI: How will the history and origins of the Transformers themselves differ from what we've seen in previous incarnations of the cartoon and comic?
Simon: For the time being, I'm staying away from origins, etc. Certainly, we're not in any hurry to get into planet devouring demigods and the like. That's not to say I haven't thought about the very beginning, but we may never actually get there. Certainly, there are mysteries and questions from and about the dim distant past, but I'm of the opinion it's not as important as where we are now, and all that's going to happen. But, assuming we delve into a definitive origin, it will not be what's gone before. Or not exactly. I don't want to rehash/retread anything, big or small.
CNI: Are they a slave race of the Quintessons, the children of Primus, or something else entirely?
Simon: No comment.
CNI: Without giving away too much, what kind of revelations do you have in store for the readers?
Simon: Heaps of revelations (or at least, teases of revelations). The machinations of Shockwave, the mystery of the 'first' Ark, the 'other' Transformers, the quest for the Magnificence, the Reapers. And that's the big stuff, on Earth, we're about to learn just how far-reaching the Decepticons' influence really is, what the Machination really want and what reinforcements both Prime and Megatron are going to throw at the escalating crisis/conflict. Phew!
CNI: I've seen images of Thunderwing floating around the internet, will he be involved in this storyline?
Simon: He's Stormbringer's big bad. But I have a sneaking suspicion his story (after the four issues are done) isn't over. Certainly, the legacy of what he's done (to himself and to Cybertron and a certain other planet) will continue to have consequences and repercussions.
CNI: Will he once again be obsessed with possessing the Autobot Matrix?
Simon: No.
CNI: As I'm writing this, Beast Wars is now complete, and Infiltration is almost there as well. What other TF projects do you have on the way besides Stormbringer?
Simon: Up and coming, we have the Spotlight one-shots (Shockwave gets us up and running in September, followed by Nightbeat, then Hot Rod and... well, you'll have to wait and see). Then there's the Beast Wars Profiles series (which I'm co-writing with Ben Yee, who was the consultant on the TV show), and soon after that a second Beast Wars miniseries (which draws on elements from the Profiles book). Ben and I worked hard to make one big (cohesive) BW Universe (from the somewhat disparate US and Japanese TV shows), and that process of uniting/defining the entire span of BW continues in the second miniseries. And of course there's Escalation, and then Devastation. Oops, did I say too much?
CNI: Will we see a second Beast Wars mini-series? I'd love to see more of Beast Wars Grimlock.
Simon: More BW... ye-es! More Grimlock... ye-es!
CNI: Is there any chance that War Within: Age of Wrath will be completed, or Primeval Dawn even? If not, would you consider telling us where those stories were going, along with Transformers: Energon?
Simon: I'd love to finish up the storylines we left dangling in Age of Wrath and Energon, but until all the dust has settled on Dreamwave (as was), we just can't go there. In the meantime, I'm going to keep the stuff that was upcoming under my hat.
CNI: Death's Head 3.0 has made his debut in the pages of Amazing Fantasy over at Marvel, will we see more of this character over at the House of Ideas?
Simon: I hope so. But there are no plans (I know of) currently to revisit the character. I'll certainly be pushing for more, more, more.
CNI: Would you ever consider writing a comic based on the Transformers: Robots in Disguise cartoon series? I'd be curious to see how you'd handle the Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus of that series.
Simon: I have to say, a RiD comic would be fairly low down in my list of TF series I'd love to write. I only have so much time, and there's so much else I want to do in terms of Transformers. But, as they say, never say never.
CNI: Anymore little secrets you wanna give away in regards to your upcoming works to keep us on the edge of our seats?
Simon: LOTS happening TF-wise, stuff that isn't comics. 2007 is going to be BIG.
CNI: What sets Stormbringer apart from any other Transformer story out there, penned by you or otherwise?
Simon: Don Figueroa. He's just blowing me away with every page. No, every panel.
CNI: Who is the Stormbringer?
Simon: It's kind of a catchall. By their very (warring) nature, all Transformers are 'stormbringers.' But specifically, it refers to Thunderwing.
CNI: Which superhero comic (Marvel, DC, or otherwise) would you love to tackle and just go nuts on?
Simon: Love to do Iron Man. But I'd want it be ongoing, and not just a mini-series or a story arc. I'd want to do three or four years on the book, minimum, really make it count.
ComicNewsI.com would like to thank Simon Furman for taking the time to talk to us. Also many thanks go out to Chris and Dan at IDW for all their continued help and support. Read more about IDW Publishing's Transformers comics and all the other great comics they produce at http://www.idwpublishing.com/.
