IDW MTMTE #45 - THAT Scavengers Photo

We've come to expect the unexpected of IDW and James Roberts since ongoing Transformers comic series More Than Meets The Eye (MTMTE) began, and now well into its second 'season', the surprises and unexpected twists have not slowed down. From the set of Friends to charisma vampires, the creators of MTMTE have taken this Transformers title to completely new levels while arguably never losing touch with what makes it so popular and essential at its core. If you're not averse to the risk of possible spoilers, you can see the freshly revealed preview of MTMTE #45's first page above, featuring a photograph of actual G1 Transformers toys in the bottom panel. That photo, like all the other panels on the page, depicts Spinister, Crankcase, Krok and Misfire - the beloved Scavengers (absent since issue 8 - kinda) - in all sorts of bizarre situations that have occurred off-panel throughout most of season 1 and 2 while we've been concentrating elsewhere. But where did that photo come from, and how did it come about?

Straight Outta Rodion!

Some of the best Transformers fiction...scratch that...THE best Transformers fiction I have ever encountered can be found in the pages of IDW's More Than Meets The Eye monthly comic, written by the oft-mentioned James Roberts. Of those amazing tales, the stories that take place in Cybertron's pre-war past have captured my imagination and allowed my mind to race with possibilities and side-stories not yet told. I was especially in love with the general feel, atmosphere and Roberts's construction of the social picture of Shadowplay-era Rodion where Chromedome and Prowl plied their "scrupulous" trade. Shadowplay, Chaos Theory and the recent Elegant Chaos storyline have inspired me to dig out TFCC Chromedome once more, as he is blatantly IDW-inspired, and pose him with Prowl...just not the Prowl you might have imagined, but at least he's nailing that MTMTE #10 cover A look! Those in the know will know what I'm going for here...

Generations Drift

Here's the dedicated Generations Drift post I promised. Drift as a character was first introduced by Shane McCarthy in IDW's All Hail Megatron #6 in 2008, drawn by celebrated TF artist Guido Guidi, and as you would expect of anything 'new' in the Transformers universe among the sea of established characters and relationships, it was met with mixed reactions. McCarthy makes no secret of the fact that Drift was modeled after ancient Samurai warriors and uses a "cool" Japanese drift car. His inception was due to McCarthy feeling that there was a gap in the Autobot lineup for rehabilitated Decepticons or bad guys who had seen the error of their ways, or simply switched sides. He felt that the IDW approach to Transformers meant that more grey areas existed between good and evil, and the creation of Drift was that perspective on Autobots vs Decepticons personified.

IDW MTMTE #33 - Personal reaction

I'm warning you right now, if you haven't read IDW's Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #33, don't read this post as there are going to be spoilers of the kind that you will never forgive yourself for reading. Your curiosity simply cannot be allowed to triumph on this occasion. Plus they are just my own uneducated thoughts and feelings on the issue and the title in general of late, so you can find much more insightful analysis and theorising on the TFW or IDW forums. Last chance, leave now or be spoilt/bored.

IDW MTMTE #2 Original Cover Artwork by Alex Milne

You're looking at the original Alex Milne cover artwork used on IDW's Transformers More Than Meets The Eye issue #2 Cover A and Cover RI. This spectacular piece of artwork depicting Rodimus on the cover of just the second issue of the massively popular series has also been signed by the original artist Alex Milne himself and series writer James Roberts with one of my favourite Rodimus quotes from issue 17, "Result". I spent a number of months paying this one off and during that time I regularly questioned the sanity of the purchase considering it was in the significant hundreds. However, every time I re-read these issues from season 1 and seeing this art in the flesh, well those doubts went up in smoke like Hyperion and Polaris.

ROTF Lockdown

Just yesterday I posted about acquiring the 2010 Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown from a friend, and here's a quick post dedicated to this outstanding figure. Released in the Western world first as a TF Animated character, the bounty hunter received multiple decos in that line including "Blazing Lockdown", "Stealth Lockdown" and an Activators release plus repaint called "Bandit Lockdown". This excellent original creation found his way into the ROTF toy line as a quite extraordinary deluxe as well, one that is starting to demand interesting money. An appearance as a Bot Shots character aside, his biggest role is now in the 2014 summer blockbuster Transformers 4: Age of Extinction as the main villain. It is the Age of Lockdown. In the spirit of Lockdown, if you have the Age of Extinction soundtrack, stick on "Your Creators Want You Back" and (hopefully) enjoy this short non-article.

IDW Drift #4 C4 Exclusive with Alex Milne Sketch

Since I already split up my planned "IDW Comic Treasures" post by sharing the Dark Cybertron #1 sketch cover by Andrew Griffith, I may as well dedicate a very short post to this treasure as well. This is the Central Canada Comic Con (C4) Pop Culture Expo exclusive cover for IDW's Drift #4 (of 4) mini series from October 2010. What makes it extra special, apart from being a very tricky exclusive cover, is that it contains a personalised sketch from Drift and More Than Meets The Eye artist Alex Milne.