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KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:58 am

Dunno really where I should put this thread, hope this is allright.

Further to the Prof's info on front page, I thought there might be some interest in me posting the notes I made during the comic panel at AA. This has all probably popped up elsewhere, but maybe someone hasn't read it yet. So here goes:

GENERAL STUFF
Q)Hardest thing in professional career?

AW: Getting started in comics, learning to work with editors and use criticism constructively to improve skills.
SW: Drawing minicons, getting dynamism out of those designs.
SF: Adapting to the differences between writing for comics and TV animation, getting used to losing control over the script as it gets passed on to the next stages in the process and tweaked etc.
JC: Motivation, meeting deadlines.
GS: In advertising, having to work on 'Top Secret' projects like doing a car advert without being allowed to see what the car looks like. In comics, drawing Ultra Magnus.

Q)Best thing about coming to a convention like AA2005?

AW: Meeting fans, nice to meet people who are enthusiastic about his work.
SF: Same.
GS: Liked meeting people who said he influenced them as kids, said it's always nice to be thanked.
SW: Likes meeting the other pros.
JC: Enjoyed meeting a little kid who showed him his portfolio; the chap had drawn and coloured loads and loads of TFs, G1 and Armada, and was about 8. He liked that the kid was excited about the old and new stuff and reckoned he was talented.

Q)Favourite character(s)?

SF: G1 Grimlock, BW Rattrap, A-Starscream. He likes characters who have to struggle to be 'good' and have questions about themselves. He's not keen on characters who seem to wake up and get out of bed and spend the whole day being effortlessly 'good'.
GS: G1 Megatron.
AW: G1 Galvatron.
SW: G1 Prime, BW Megs
JC: G1 Springer. He likes all the Wreckers but Springer is his favourite and he considers him to be a generally cool guy. He also has a thing about green cars, due to him crashing 3 in the past.

Q) What other comics do you guys read?

JC: 80's license titles, Battle of the Planets, Norsca, Battle Angel.
SW: 70's, 80's Marvel. Len Wein's Hulk, Claremont + Byrne's X-Men. Prefers back issues.
SF: JMS's Spiderman, Planetary and other Warren Ellis books. Classic Marvel, picks up the Essential Collections.
GS: Old Brit stuff like Countdown and Dr.Who

Q) Fave non-toy character?

SF: Death's Head
AW: Arcee
SW: Death's Head

-There was a question about cool characters that I don't appear to have noted properly, but I have got that the majority of the panel thought bad guys were the coolest.
Andy liked Megs, but thought the gun alt was stupid; so he prefers Galvatron in the cool stakes.
Geoff thought Megatron was the coolest. He likes Megatron.
Furman disagreed with all this and said he thought Prime was cooler.

ANDY WILDMAN

-Andy likes G1 the best.
-He wouldn't do a 'how to draw' book, but does teach classes and hold workshops in some aspects of comic art, paticularly storytelling and layouts.

SIMON WILLIAMS

-Si Williams liked RiD okay, particularly Scourge and the Decepticons. He's not keen on the start, the first few episodes really.
-He saw BM before BW, and thought it was good. He liked the Noble Savage character, but thought the end with all the organic stuff was a bit dodgy. Then he saw BW and liked that better.
-He has his own site here: http://soulmaninc.freewebspace.com/
-He's trying to convince his editor to let him do a Spiderman/Death's Head team-up in his Pannini Spidey comic. He's not recieved a definite 'no', so will continue to try.

JASON CARDY

-I've just got here that Jason Cardy liked some dubbing work on Megatron, which I think is to do with RiD. Sometimes my notes suck. He also really liked a Chewbacca bag someone in the crowd had.

SIMON FURMAN

-Furman really liked the Beast Within minicomic, both the idea and execution. He liked the combined Dinobots a lot, although was initially sceptical about the idea.
-Alignment is pretty much to be considered the end of G2, Simon's happy with that being the wrap-up.
-He wasn't wowed by Beast Machines, felt it lost the humour and fun of BW.
-He reads some of the TF boards, and does listen to the comments, ie overuse of Grimlock.

FILM STUFF
-Furman doesn't know anything more than we do. Release date is projected Thanksgiving 2006, there's supposed to be trial footage for Comicon, there's no finished script yet. He'd be surprised if there was a notable amount of footage ready for Comicon.
-Clooney was a silly rumour, they still want Welker and Cullen.

IDW STUFF
-No Wildman on a title yet, tho he has spoke with them. IDW want to try a different style to start with, and see how it goes. If things go well, it's possible Andy could get a book from them; they want to have more product than just the one title.
In an ideal world, if he had a choice, he'd want the G1 book tho.

-Ideally, War Within: Age of Wrath would be continued by IDW. Furman said that Ryall was keen to conclude the story if possible; however all the unfinished DW stuff is tied up in the bankruptcy case.

-IDW would like to put out a BW comic for the 10 year anniversary, and Hasbro want to celebrate it also and are behind it. So Simon reckons it's likely there will be at least a BW special released by IDW for it.

-The G1 book is gonna be modelled after the mood of the Marvel Ultimate books and also the MARVELS limited series. A modern sensibility, and modernised settings and trappings. It will have ground-level human action, and moments like the reporter looking up at Giant-Man in MARVELS; the "whoa" moment type of deal.
-It's a new start; the characters and at least 1 situation will be the same, but other things will be different. He wants to take it in routes that it didn't go originally. Why tell the same story each time?
-There will be a twist beginning.
-No Soundwave; they can't decide what his alt mode is, so he's got the kibosh for now. Not keen on the whole Ipod idea. NOTE: I don't recall him saying or have written down that the cassettes will def feature as cassettes, which I've seen reported elsewhere. I don't recall them being mentioned at all in connection to this comic, tbh. The 'No Soundwave' thing is definite, I'm assuming I either noddded off for a sec or people are inferring that they'll be there and unchanged because he didn't say they wouldn't.
-There should be an idea that the TFs are a covert force, and have a mystique to them.
-It needs human interaction; the TFs are on Earth after all. Humans ground it and add grandeur to the TFs.
-No Spike or Sparkplug. No 'oh there's a mechanic and his young son, how convienient' storytelling.
-Cybertron will not show up straight away. 2nd arc at the very earliest.
-No big epics, less cosmic stuff. Small stories.
-He wants to strike a balance between old stuff and things that appeal to a new, younger audience. Combine the classic stuff with modern comics tropes.
-Updating alt-modes, make them modern versions of the same things. So cars will stay same make, but become a modern model. Robot modes should change very little; EJ Su is also talented at 'working' robot transforms.
-Big change to Seekers - will NOT be F-15 Eagles, but a more up-to-date fighter.
-Looking to alts as inspiration, but will NOT be an Alternator comic. If an alt design is popular and works for the character, they may adopt it.
-Not certain about licensing details; that's Hasbro's bag.
-Plans for Megatron; his alt-mode likely to change, but "won't be far from the classics".
-Hasbro are really behind IDW's ideas for the comic, updating it and making it 'ground level' as well as modernising the alt-modes.

DW STUFF
-Furman wasn't privvy to the details of how DW went kablooey. He said that it was beyond him how they managed to screw it up, especially to the point of it going to court cases.
He reckoned they were very big on the fan side of things, keen and enthusiastic, but had no real heads for business. He reckons IDW are much better at the business side of things.

-Furman thought Pat was very nice and enthusiastic, and up to a point a great guy. However, he let people down financially and professionally, which made Simon "upset". However, he's been able to take it on the chin and move on. Them's the breaks etc.

-Didn't find War Within constraining, the opposite. DW let him run with it. He only got some constraints later on when McDonough wanted some things off-limits so he could use them in the G1 book.

-His best relationship in DW (other than Andy) was with Don F. Great collaboration on WW1, lots of back-and-forth, really enjoyed working with him.

-Joe Ng's later work in AoW is particularly good.

TITAN STUFF
-It's possible that the very early stuff that he's said he's not keen on being reprinted might very well be, eventually. If the digest B+W series does well enough to justify colourising the stories and repackaging them as full-size GN's, they will need back-up/additional material, and it's possible this stuff would be used. However, this is all maybes and is based on the digests doing well. If it does happen it'd be the end of 2006.

{phew} think that's it.
Apols if that is hard to read, I'm just copying my notes over.

Dead Head · Post by **Dead Head** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 1:27 am

Good notes KingMob. Thanks.

KingMob wrote: GENERAL STUFF
Q)Hardest thing in professional career?

GeoffS: In advertising, having to work on 'Top Secret' projects like doing a car advert without being allowed to see what the car looks like. In comics, drawing Ultra Magnus.

Senior has said this before about drawing UM. I'm surprized, considering that the best character I think Geoff draws IS Ultra Magnus. He gets him absolutely spot-on. Maybe it's because he HAS to spend the extra effort to get the model right.

I'm a non-artist. What is it about Magnus's robot form that makes him difficult to draw well? The helmet design? The shouldertowers?

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:56 am

Cheers for that.

Planetary and other Warren Ellis books

Sweeeet...

What is it about Magnus's robot form that makes him difficult to draw well?

I'd guess lots of inset lines and detail, coupled with blockiness that necessitates use of perspective lines.

It would be so cool to get GS back on a TF title...

Ozz · Post by **Ozz** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 7:25 am

It made me chuckle that Geoff's still pissed about UM.

No big epics, less cosmic stuff. Small stories.

Cool.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:36 am

KingMob wrote:I thought there might be some interest in me posting the notes I made during the comic panel at AA.

Fantastic mate, cheers.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:12 am

Brilliant - thanks.

Agree GS draws UM perfectly.

Post by **Kaylee** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:01 am

very interesting

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:14 am

Ace, cheers KM!

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:35 pm

Am I the only one who doesn't like that they're changing the alt-modes? Seriously? And the fact that when Soundwave may finnally get a writer that will give him some fricken lines, he can't be in it??

And a few of the storyline ideas don't run all that good with me. That said, I feel more positive about the 'human angle' now that we have some more details about it.

Seemed like pretty good fun at this years AA, and there was some good questions and notes there.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 1:20 pm

Predabot wrote:Am I the only one who doesn't like that they're changing the alt-modes? Seriously?

yes?

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 1:23 pm

Best First wrote:Brilliant - thanks.

Agree GS draws UM perfectly.

damm right - I love GS

GS+SF=SEX

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 1:55 pm

It was great that Geoff Senior was there, but he didn't speak much, tho he was entertaining....the missus said he made her think of Bill Murray a bit, personality-wise, and I could see that.

Anyways, it looks like Furman's popped up on 2005 to clarify a few things:
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthrea ... ge=3&pp=30

Hi everyone-- some quick responses and clarifications to the AA-feedback.

1) First of all, when I mentioned 'younger age bracket,' what I meant was we're aiming to appeal to an age group under 30! While we definitely want the long-time fans to read and enjoy the book, we also want to make it accessible and resonant with teenagers too.

2) There'll be a range of ages for the human characters, but the youngest will be maybe fifteen/sixteen. We're not going 'junior' here.

3) Character (alt-mode) updates will be by necessity only. If we can get away with using a 'classic' car in the 2005/2006 setting, we will. I have no burning urge to reinvent the wheel here, I just want to make stuff fresh and believable in a modern setting. These guys want to blend in, so they're hardly going to pick a make of car or whatever from 1984.

4) BUT, and I stress this, we are taking pains to update, not reimagine. All of us (me, EJ, Hasbro, Chris and Dan at IDW) are looking for the most natural fits, those that won't require major tweaks to the robot modes. We want you to look at any given vehicle on a page and know right off it's Wheelie (just kidding!).

5) Megatron. Honestly, I always thought the gun was a bad idea. You've got the most powerful, feared being in the known galaxy and he turns into a handgun (and mostly he needs someone else to hold and point him!). Gimme a break. No, when Megatron transforms, it should be epic, grandiose. Hardened battle veterans should feel their exhaust ports loosen.

6) And finally, trust me that I won't take everything you know and love throw it out the window. I won't. Why? Because I know and love it too. It just don't want to tell exactly the same story. Again.

Cheers-- Simon Furman (honest!)

edit: Megs a tank then?

Señior's Covenant · Post by **Señior's Covenant** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:13 pm

Yay Mob! Furman, not to sound like a Furmanite, really gets on my good side when I read his comments. Nice dude, understands the fandom.

-Alignment is pretty much to be considered the end of G2, Simon's happy with that being the wrap-up.

Yuck. Sorry, but yuck. Alignment was less than satisfying. Still glad it's non-canon.

-Ideally, War Within: Age of Wrath would be continued by IDW. Furman said that Ryall was keen to conclude the story if possible; however all the unfinished DW stuff is tied up in the bankruptcy case.

I don't like the word "conclude". I, being the developing War Within fan I was semi-becoming, for one would like to see the story properly continued rather than concluded. It's one of the better TF story concepts in my opinion and if Furman was left on to do it, once bankruptcy of the Lee was dealt with (y'prick) of course, without constraints of having to tie it into whatever "G1" storyline was continuing it would be phenomenal I have no doubt.

Urm, on a sidenote, what's "Beast Within"?

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:24 pm

Señior's Covenant wrote:Urm, on a sidenote, what's "Beast Within"?

A fan-comic that was included in the Metrodome G1 DVD sets. Basically runs like this:

- The Decepticons kill a lot
- The Dinobots combine
- The Dinobots cannot control their combined form
- The combined form kills a lot
- With DWesque art

It's apparantly as rubbish as it sounds.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:50 pm

I cant understand why Simon liked Beast Within, the art is good but the story.... like some bad anime, everyone dies. And Predaking gets cut in half. Again.

(1. was in Zone,..)

Furman,well great news and again good to see the comic is in someone's hands who has been working on TFs for some twenty years now.

I do hope though Soundwave will be in there, and the casettes.And please tell me I'm not the only one who says that Ravage should talk! After BW even the cartoon fans would accept it!

I'm getting more and more used to the idea of Megs not being a gun. I must confess it felt like sacrilege at first...

I hope Simon will stick to the first cast, IE we will finally see him writing for folks he hardly used except for Earthforce (IE: Brawn, Blue Streak, Sideswipe-Sunstreaker, Ironhide). I also hope Grimbo and Shockwave will be left for the second story arc.

Stormwolf · Post by **Stormwolf** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:50 pm

Brendocon wrote:
Señior's Covenant wrote:Urm, on a sidenote, what's "Beast Within"?
A fan-comic that was included in the Metrodome G1 DVD sets. Basically runs like this:

- The Decepticons kill a lot
- The Dinobots combine
- The Dinobots cannot control their combined form
- The combined form kills a lot
- With DWesque art

It's apparantly as rubbish as it sounds.

The even shorter version:

- Lots of carnage without any real story

Señior's Covenant · Post by **Señior's Covenant** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:53 pm

BB Shockwave wrote:And please tell me I'm not the only one who says that Ravage should talk!

*begin electronic voiceover*

Hello...

You are currently located at TransFans.net.

Have a nice day and make sure to observe all posted signs.

Bye.

*end electronic voiceover*

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:01 pm

some of the art is quite nice...

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:03 pm

Geez I knew that...

It 's the reason I'm here! (and not on Seibertron)

I'm just saying it's weird that Simon used him in TWW and in Energon (well it was Battle Ravage), and he only growled every time...

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:06 pm

The notion they are not going to use Soundwave cos he's a bit difficult is gutting - he is one of the best characters in TF history.

Ravage should def saya word or two. Growling Ravage is lame.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:10 pm

Best First wrote:The notion they are not going to use Soundwave cos he's a bit difficult is gutting - he is one of the best characters in TF history.

Lest we forget, Winner of the Favourite Decepticon Character Transfans Awards 2005.

At least, thats what I've just dubbed them.

Señior's Covenant · Post by **Señior's Covenant** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:13 pm

BB Shockwave wrote:Geez I knew that... It 's the reason I'm here! (and not on Seibertron)

I'm just saying it's weird that Simon used him in TWW and in Energon (well it was Battle Ravage), and he only growled every time...

I know, I know, tranquilo. I just think it goes without saying that we'd all prefer a talking Ravage. It's part of his character and has been since the very first issue of the Transformers. And like BF said, "Growling Ravage is lame." Indeed.

Señior's Covenant · Post by **Señior's Covenant** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 4:44 pm

Brendocon wrote:- The Dinobots combine

*Tries to keep forgetting

the fact that's exactly what he expected the Dinobots to do in the

cartoon when he was a wee lad*

Okay, now that I've actually let that marinate in the noggin' for a bit, how exactly? Was it some specially introduced combiner technology, or just one of those, "Hey, we need more power! Let's suddenly combine into a gestalt entity like this was always possible and just ignore the fact it's never been used/mentioned before! It'll be cool!!!", sort of things?

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:03 pm

Some new random kinda techno-organic ish way of combining - looks kinda icky, although I do like the art on the whole.
The combining thing...the idea is that the D-bots don't combine as they can't control the gestalt and become a slavering psychotic battlemonster. Hhrrmm.
Incidentally, the comic is on the CD that was part of the goodie-pack.

Anyway, pics! Thought I wouldn't be able to get these up due to USB ports not working, but Boots the chemist stepped in.

These are crappy res as I had to switch to low quality pics - I was borrowing someone else's camera due to mine going missing and they'd already stuffed it full of crap and memory was tight. The git.

I won't bother with the pics of the toy display as they're rubbish quality an you can get better ones elsewhere. There was some nice original comic art on display tho, including this beaut:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/ ... 071_71.jpg

Panel:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/ ... 078_78.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/ ... 077_77.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/ ... 076_76.jpg
Jasoc Cardy, Simon Williams, Andy Wildman, Simon Furman, Geoff Senior, Sven the really lovely organiser.

And most of the stuff I got, including a nice piece of original comic art from WW:tDA, if which there is a close-up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/ ... 079_79.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/ ... 080_80.jpg

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:11 pm

I think Furman is purposefully underplaying Soundwave to spring something of a surprise on readers when he does show up.

I cannot imagine for one moment that one of the most loved characters in Transformer history will be left out.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:49 pm

Still though, considering the plethora of characters, I don't think it's absolutely ESSENTIAL to have Soundwave, especially this early in the series. I mean, he didn't do much in most of DW, aside from the assistance to Megatron towards regaining leadership.

I don't understand what the big deal is with Megatron. I mean, we're all used to him not being a gun, right? But now, just because he's not a gun in a book that's called "G1", it's horrible he's not a gun? I don't get it. I made my peace with Tank Megatron a long time ago.

Even though I LOVES me some epic cosmic stories, I definetly think the "Marvels" viewpoint is great, as long as they do it right. Hear that, Michael Bay????? "MARVELS!!!"

And in this link from KM, who's that anorexic guy in the back right with the Jetfiresque fuselage?

Señior's Covenant · Post by **Señior's Covenant** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:58 pm

Shanti418 wrote:And in this link from KM, who's that anorexic guy in the back right with the Jetfiresque fuselage?

If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, I believe his name is Whirl. I don't know much about him other than he's an Autobot that turns into a helicopter.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:59 pm

one looks like swoop

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:10 pm

Yeah, the skinny blueish toy is G1 Whirl. He's a Deluxe Vehicle and a Wrecker and has always been a fave of mine, so I was chuft to get the toy and in really excellent nick as well.

The best buy out of the lot has turned out to probably be TM2 Dinobot tho, he's tops.

I think it'll take a while for everyone to grasp the the new IDW book is called 'Transformers' not 'Transformers Generation One' and is a new property built on the blocks of G1 and that the story begins now, not 21 years ago.
Then the 'it it isn't G1 it is crap' shouting will properly begin. Joy.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:26 pm

magnus seems hard to draw I think because of the chest plate, the rest of him is quite square but that chest plate area has lots of complex angles and shapes all extruded at different angles.

saying that WW megatron seems an eve bigger confusion... also i think magnus is tricky to get any kind of style into because his main body is so square, you can bend him to well, and so he probably doesnt look very dynamic.

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