AA (DETOUR)

Just a quick reminder that Auto Assembly, the UK’s premier (in fact, only) dedicated Transformers convention is just over a week away now. This year’s AA is a full weekend, Saturday and Sunday (15th & 16th of August), with two US voice actor guests (Gregg Berger and Ian Corlett so far confirmed) and a host of comics professionals including Nick Roche, Jon Davis-Hunt, Andrew Wildman and Lee Sullivan. Sadly, due to personal commitments, I can’t be there this year, but I’ll be there in spirit as I’ve supplied the script for AA’s live voice actor drama on the Saturday night and I’m one half of the convention-exclusive edition of All Hail Megatron #13 (keep hold of those for next year’s AA and I’ll scrawl all over the cover then!). So what can I tease about the voice actor drama? Well, it’s set in the Beast Wars era for a start, though expect it to be somewhat cross-continuity in nature (as there might still, I believe, be a third voice actor guest). Gregg has two roles. Don’t expect anything too dramatic from the drama, it’s played more for laughs than anything (anyone who caught my two previous Botcon voice actor dramas will know what to expect). There are four roles to be filled by convention attendees (maybe a comics pro getting a look-in there) and artist Simon Williams is narrating in the style of WWE. So, anyway, sad to miss out myself, but I’ll be back for AA 2010. Enjoy! For more details on AA09, check out their website here

NEXT UP — TRANSFORMERS: NEFARIOUS

LIVE FROM SAN DIEGO: the news is out, my next series for IDW will be Transformers: Nefarious, a six-issue movie continuity mini-series that picks up from the end of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and introduces an all-new adversary for the Transformers (Autobot and Decepticon) in the shape of a mysterious, far-reaching and very powerful group of humans with access to enhanced Transformer-tech and maybe even the odd actual Transformer! Seeds for the new series will be sown in the final Tales of the Fallen issue, Ravage, and he (along with Soundwave) play key roles in the unfolding drama. Expect lots more character depth and exploration for both. Actually, make that all characters. We’re going to be highlighting some Autobots and Decepticons that did and didn’t make it into the second movie and maybe, just maybe, throwing in the odd new character too! Plus, we’ll be exploring the post-movie NEST/Autobot human alliance in more detail too! For more info check out the IGN interview I did recently (see link in update below). Transformers: Nefarious kicks in shortly after Tales of the Fallen #6: Ravage. Don’t miss either!

A ROUND-UP OF RECENT INTERVIEWS

That’s the trouble with interviews. Nothing for ages then three come at once. Various people have asked various things of me and here’s the result(s). Check out IGN for the inside story on Transformers: Nefarious (see blog update above) here, and Transformers Hispanos (original English-language version) here, and, last but not least, The Mindless Ones here.

OUT NOW – AHM #13

The Earth-shaking, 12-issue All Hail Megatron maxi-series spills over into a thirteenth issue this week, which was certainly lucky for me, as I got to tell a decidedly different Transformers tale in which Ironhide and Optimus Prime regroup/reassess in the light of the tumultuous events of Megatron’s all-conquering spree. I also lucked out in the shape of fan-favourite artist Don Figueroa, who returned to the fold to draw this special 11-page story (each of these ‘Coda’ issue features two stories per issue). Can’t tell you too much about the story itself, but rest assured that as well as providing something of a retrospective on the intertwined life and times of Prime and Ironhide it sets the scene for more momentous twists and turns to come. All Hail Megatron #13 hits stores this week, July 22nd in the US (nicely in time for my appearance at the San Diego Comicon) and July 23rd in the UK.

SDCC-09 (2)

Plans for my three days at this year’s San Diego Comicon have advanced further, so here’s my new (mostly confirmed) schedule for the event:
Friday 24th: may or may not make it along to the IDW panel at noon. News of my new TF series should already have broken by then, so I’ll be around (though maybe on the sidelines) to answer any (well, within reason) questions.
Sat 25th: 3-4PM at the DC/Wildstorm stand, then 4-5PM at the DK booth (2913-G in the Lucasfilm Pavilion). I may have to run to be there on time!!
Sun 26th: 10-11AM at the IDW stand, where I’ll be available to sign copies of All Hail Megatron #13 (and whatever else), then 2-3PM at the DK booth (Transformers: The Movie Universe, TF Ultimate Guide et al).
That’s it for the moment. Keep an eye out for more updates, right here, over the next week!

SDCC-09 (1)

Next stop on the 09 signing/convention trail is the annual San Diego comicon. I’ll be attending this year, Friday through Sunday (July 24th to 26th), and apart from hanging around the Hyatt bar I’ll be popping up here and there for official events/signings throughout the weekend. So far, what’s been locked in are two DK (Dorling Kindersley) signing events, one on the Saturday (4-5PM at the DK booth) and one on the Sunday (2-3PM, also at the DK booth), where I’ll be signing copies of Transformers: The Movie Universe, plus, of course, Transformers: The Ultimate Guide and You Can Draw Transformers (and other stuff too!). Soon as I have details of other locked-in events/signings, I’ll update this post accordingly. Look forward to seeing you there!

TURNING JAPANESE

After years of writing Transformers stories for the UK and US, I’m proud to announce I’ll be notching up my first all-Japanese writing credit, courtesy of Million Publishing, who produce the amazing Transformers: Generations 2009 magazine series. Volume 3 of said publication features an all-new 2-page comic strip story written by me with art by fan favourite Guido Guidi. Interestingly, and with a kind of uncanny synergy, the story idea I initially submitted to Million Publishing employed elements from the two previous manga strips (in Transformers: Generations 2009 #1 & 2), to such an extent we were able to fuse everything together in a way that continues and wraps up that storyline. I hadn’t even seen those strips, let alone understood them, when I first pitched the idea to Million, so it all fitted together oh so very neatly. Transformers: Generations 2009 vol 3 is out later this year. For more information check out the Million Publishing site here. Once it’s out, I’ll provide a file featuring my original script version of the dialogue, thereby negating the need for a reverse translation from the Japanese (translated) text. I’ve a feeling, otherwise, it could get messy!

OUT NOW — STARCRAFT 2

That’s StarCraft issue #2, as opposed to the much-anticipated StarCraft 2 game, due out later this year. The second issue of Wildstorm’s comic book spin off series, written by me with art by Federico Dallochio, hits stores this week (June 24th in the US, 25th in the UK), with our recently reformed, hard bitten team of ex-cons, The War Pigs, running up against serious opposition in the shape of space-going cutthroat mercs. Will their quest to find and ‘retire’ ex-marshal and StarCraft mainstay Jim Raynor collapse before it’s even started? Probably not, as this is issue #2 of an ongoing series, but there’s still 22 packed pages of searing story action waiting for you, with a twist or two thrown in for good measure. Things are really starting to hot up, and whether you’re a fan of the game or not, you’d do well to jump onboard now!

RAD ROBOTS — OUT NOW!

Blatant plug for Rad Robots, my coffee-table style book featuring the long, short, big and tall of the robot world, which officially hits UK stores today, June 22nd (no details yet on a full US release, but I’m sure it’s available via th’internet). Spanning everything automaton from the ancient Greeks to ASIMO, via the wondrous worlds of film, TV, book, comic and toy, Rad Robots takes an none too po-faced trawl through (almost) every robot to whir, clank and buzz across big and small screen, printed page and more, featuring such chapters as ‘When Robots go Bad,’ ‘Robots with Dangerous Curves’ and ‘Asimov’s Robots.’ Published by Kyle Cathie, the book is in stores, virtual or otherwise, now! BTW, I’ll be signing copies of Rad Robots (among other things) this coming Saturday (June 27th) at Orbital Comics in London (see previous blog entry) and handing out freebies (signed Transformers comics, StarCraft posters) for anyone who comes clutching a copy!

IT BEGINS AGAIN…

With the official UK release date of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen now looming, Titan have unveiled the first issue of its all-new Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen comic (issue #1 on sale today, June 18th). Re-starting from issue #1 the premiere issue comes with a fresh new look and an all-new (UK exclusive) comic strip, which ties into the movie and spotlights the Twins, Skids and Mudflap (along with a whole host of other new characters, including Soundwave, Ransack, Ravage, Sideways, Grindor, Sideswipe and more). The strip is written by me with art by Jon Davis-Hunt, who’s undertaking ongoing art duties on the title! And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s more comic strip (in the shape of All Hail Megatron), free dog tags, free sticker album (and stickers), character profiles and competitions.