SCRIPT (W)RAP – UK

This time around it’s the turn of ‘Aftermath’ parts 1 & 2, the story that follows on directly from the epic ‘Twilight’s Last Gleaming’ arc. The fallout (literally!) from the Decepticon occupation of North America sets in motion multiple chains of events that will play out over the coming year, all of which will have massive repercussions for both humankind and the Autobots. As spoiler-free as possible, but beware, there are teases galore. If you simply don’t want to know, stop reading now!! Okay, even with the Autobots and their human allies having broken the Decepticon stranglehold on the planet, the Decepticon threat is far from over. And there’s something else for the Autobots deal with: the wider human backlash! As Optimus Prime puts it: “We brought this war here in the first place. Autobot, Decepticon — do you honestly believe the battered, bloodied inhabitants of Earth will make that distinction?”. And it’s not just Earth’s populace who are experiencing post-occupation traumas, the planet itself is not in good shape at all. Megatron’s best efforts (via the All Spark) to transform the planet into ‘new’ Cybertron may have been truncated but for planet Earth it may all be too little, too late! And if you’re even wondering if the Decepticons will take advantage of all this chaotic flux… then you must be a total newcomer to Transformers. Of course they do, but not perhaps as you might suspect. ‘Aftermath’ features in issues #14 and 15 of Titan’s Transformers comic/magazine, out in July/August 08 respectively. Don’t miss it. The TF-UK alternate movie universe is building and building!

OUT NOW!

Late in the day, but a quick note nonetheless to look out for two new releases from Titan: Transformers (UK) #12 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13, both of which feature new strips written by me. The first of these, Transformers #12, contains (as well as other TF strips, features and FREE TF pinball game!) part 4 of the epic and far-reaching Twilight’s Last Gleaming, as the battle to unshackle mankind (and Optimus Prime) from the yoke of Decepticon domination reaches a critical stage on multiple fronts. Look for a particularly crowd-pleasing moment on page 10 of the strip! Art is by Paul Ridgon. Turtles #13 (sadly, the last issue… sniff!) features part 2 of the time-spanning Turtles saga Rewind, in which the ‘Fast Forward’ Turtles (Fast Forward/Rewind – geddit?) meet their present day counterparts with the life of Master Splinter hanging in the balance. Art is by Diego Jourdan. Both should be on sale now! And don’t forget to check in on Titan’s Transformers MySpace page here for more news, art and updates!

EXPO EXCLUSIVE

Just a quick addendum to my last post to let people know that, as well as scripts and stuff, I’ll have 50 advance copies of issue #12 of Titan’s Transformers comic/magazine for sale/signature (ahead of its official 29th May release date) at the London MCM expo. So, if you just can’t wait for part four of the post-apocalyptic Twilight’s Last Gleaming story (plus a whole bunch of other nifty stuff, not to a mention a FREE TF pinball game), make sure you track me down this Saturday (24th). I’ll be wherever the comics people are. Thanks to Titan for making this possible!

EXPO-SING MYSELF (AGAIN)

Squeezing its way into a packed few months of signings, conventions and personal appearances (post Bristol Comic Expo and pre-Derry con) is the London MCM expo (at the Exel Centre, Royal Victoria Dock). I’ll be there this Saturday (May 24th), along with a clutch of other comics writers and artists, and I’ll be bringing with me a whole heap of Transformers stuff to sign and sell, including scripts, books and comics. For more information on MCM go here.

SCRIPT (W)RAP

Here we go with a somewhat cautious and circumspect (ie. as spoiler free as possible) post-script analysis of Transformers Spotlight: Sideswipe, the last of the ‘Revelation’ quartet/story arc (which plays out across Spotlights Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer and Sideswipe). So what’s going on with the Dead Universe saga? A lot, is the short answer! Story threads that have been building and developing almost since the IDW-verse was brought screaming into this world come to a head (and a conclusion) herein. Optimus Prime faces Nemesis Prime! Arcee (finally) catches up with Jhiaxus! Galvatron seeks (actively) his destiny! Jetfire faces Bludgeon (okay, that is a capital letters SPOILER!)! Ultra Magnus calls the shots in a last, desperate attempt to stave off the imminent Expansion! A trio of Autobots actually set foot in the Dead Universe… and live to tell the tale! How? Let’s just say it plays into yet another evolving story thread! And in amongst all this — Sideswipe, trying hard not to get squeezed out of his own Spotlight! Yes, he finally gets to Earth! Yes, we learn the true relationship between him and Sunstreaker… and why he’s been so darned keen to find him! Yes, he gets to hit lots of things, in the course of which we find out a little about what makes him tick. Who lives? Who dies? Who’s already dead by this stage of the story? All will be, er, revealed. Spotlight Sideswipe hits stores in September. Script by me, art by EJ Su. Excuse me, I think I need to lie down now…

THE CONVENTION SEASON CONTINUES…

With Botcon done and dusted, I’m off to the UK’s premier comic event this weekend. I’ll be at Bristol’s Comic Expo on Saturday May 10th, which is held at the British Commonwealth & Empire Exhibition Hall and Ramada Plaza Hotel. My two confirmed slots on the day will be from 2PM-3PM, when I’ll be signing at the Titan table in the main dealer/exhibitor hall, along with the likes of Steve White, Gary Erskine (currently hard at work on interior art duties for Aftermath pt1, see previous item) and (all being well) Geoff Senior. Then, right afterwards, from 3PM-4PM, I’m over at the Ramada’s Park Suite for my ‘Crossing the Ts’ panel, where I’ll be talking about Transformers, Terminator, Torchwood and Turtles (and maybe Starcraft as well, even though it’s not a ‘T’). Expect special guests! I’m just there on the Saturday this year, so if you’ve stuff you want signed or just want to chat, make sure you track me down at one of the above. For more details, check out the Comic Expo website here. Then, on June 7th, I’m off to Derry for the 2D Northern Ireland Comics Festival, an event I attended last year and thoroughly recommend. More details on this and other upcoming events/appearances soon!

SCRIPT (W)RAP — UK

Right, here we go with Transformers UK #13, the final part of Twilight’s Last Gleaming, our epic five-part movie-verse tale, which spins out from an alternate (less than happy) ending in which Megatron and the Decepticons, far from defeated, emerge triumphant and very much in the driving seat. Minor spoilers, major teases! So far, we’ve seen a spirited and determined, but realistically doomed fightback from the Autobots and humans, one which has been manipulated to an extent by Starscream, who has his own unique designs on planet Earth (that don’t involve Megatron!). But now, at last, the tide begins to turn, as the recently thawed Optimus Prime faces Megatron anew, for perhaps the last time! Big, crowd-pleasing battle action guaranteed! But that’s not the only major-league throwdown in progress. At the All Spark power distribution hub, Ironhide and Ratchet are up against their own ‘big bad,’ not to mention a whole battalion of Decepticon drones! It ain’t looking good… on either front. Things do come to a suitably fiery conclusion in the eleven (yes, eleven!) story pages, but this is NOT the end. The big news is, Transformers UK is staying firmly in its alternate movie-verse, and issue #14 will feature the first part of the portentously titled ‘Aftermath,’ which deals with the fallout (in some cases literally) from Twilight’s Last Gleaming. From there, the sky really is the limit, as we explode into far-flung realms of the movie-verse, bringing in a threat so monumental that ‘epic’ plainly doesn’t cover it, plus new characters, a return or two and some big, big changes for planet Earth. The fun’s just starting… don’t dare miss a single panel!