Transformers (2019 comic book)


Transformers is an ongoing American comic book series that is mostly written by Brian Ruckley and was initially published twice-monthly by IDW Publishing that started on March 13, 2019. Based upon the Transformers franchise by Hasbro and Takara-Tomy, this series is a reboot of the previous comic book series that started with ' in 2005 and concluded with ' in 2018, taking place in a new continuity that is separate from the Hasbro Comic Book Universe.

Production history

Background

Following the bankruptcy and closure of Dreamwave Productions in January 2005, IDW Publishing acquired the Transformers comic book license in May and hired veteran writer Simon Furman to craft a rebooted continuity based on the toyline. IDW's first Transformers title, set in its own continuity, was ', which was previewed with a #0 in October and formally launched with #1 in January 2006. After having acquired the comic book licence of various other Hasbro properties throughout the years—such as G.I. Joe, Action Man, Rom, M.A.S.K., and Micronauts—IDW announced the Hasbro Reconstruction campaign in January 2016; a launch meant to converge these franchises in the same continuity, starting with the crossover event Revolution. In April 2018, it was announced that this shared continuity, the Hasbro Comic Book Universe, would end with ' in November.

Development

Transformers was first announced by IDW Publishing on December 18, 2018. The title is written by Brian Ruckley, and was initially illustrated by Angel Hernandez and Cachét Whitman, and started publishing issues twice-monthly in March 2019. Ruckley described the writing opportunity as a "privilege", and stated that the title would be a great opportunity for new readers to familiarize themselves with the universe and characters of the Transformers franchise, which he describes as of the "biggest best that science fiction has to offer".
A special one-shot issue for Valentine's Day was written and drawn by Patrick Ehlers, Jack Lawrence and Sara Pitre-Durocher.
After issue #19, the series remained in hiatus until June 10, 2020 due the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on comic book industry.

Premise

The story is set a long time ago, when Cybertron was a commerce hub across the galaxy during its age of peace. But everything gets turned upside down when a series of murders sets a chain of events that brings the inevitable war between the Autobots and Decepticons.

Plot

Main story

"The World in Your Eyes" (#1–5)

A long time ago, when Cybertron was a commerce hub across the galaxy, there was an age of peace. Orion Pax, Senator of the Autobots, tries to have a talk with Megatron, Senator of the Ascenticons, about the tensions between factions around the planet, to no avail. A newly-forged Cybertronian named Rubble is joined by his mentors Bumblebee and Windblade to meet another Cybertronian named Brainstorm, but they found him dead outside his house.
As Prowl and Chromia continue to investigate Brainstorm's death, Bumblebee convinces Wheeljack to get Rubble a job in the Tether as engineer. In the city of Tarn, Megatron and the Ascenticons are giving a speech when they are ambushed by snipers.
Tensions increase in Cybertron as Windblade takes Rubble to the Senate to be interrogated by Chromia and Geomotus before they planted a tracking device. Orion searches for Codexa to get an advice.
Windblade and Chromia attempt to interrogate Cyclonus, as they suspect him to be a potential witness in Brainstorm's murder. After watching a ceremony, Bumblebee prevents a fight between two Cybertronians, only for Prowl to show up.
Bumblebee secretly reunites with Soundwave, head of Security Operations. When Rubble tries to return home, he follows a Voin Scavenger he previously recognised. He cannot communicate with Bumblebee because Soundwave blocked their communication. Therefore, Rubble communicates with Prowl about the Voin he found, and is ambushed by Quake, leaving his fate unknown.

"Orion Pax: Free Fall" (#6)

By the time Orion visited Codexa for counsel, she remembers how Orion and Megatron met in the past, but also warns Orion that an unexpected betrayal will lead to Cybertron's fall.

"The Cracks Beneath Your Feet" (#7–11)

Following the news of Rubble's murder being confirmed, a grief-driven Bumblebee renounces his job and decides to join the Ascenticon Guard, where he is received by Elita-1. Quake's absence makes Bumblebee to suspect. Ratchet grieves Rubble's death too and is determined to bring his killer to justice. Upon returning to Iacon's Memorial Crater, Cyclonus is confronted by Flamewar in a fight.
During the fight, Shadow Striker intervenes to help Flamewar, causing Cyclonus to get badly injured and escape. Searching for advice, Megatron consults Termagax, the original leader of the Ascenticons, but she is still not interested in returning, causing Megatron to push his own agenda. Elita-1 teaches Bumblebee about his newfound position. After Cyclonus told Chromia about his encounter, she decides to find Flamewar and Shadow Striker on her own terms, even without Orion's permission.
Chromia, Sideswipe, and Windblade approach the Iacon Memorial Crater, searching for potential members of the Rise, an even more extremist faction. Prowl interrogates Headlock about the Voin that Rubble found prior his murder. Being aware of their presence, Sixshot enlists Flamewar and Shadow Striker to destroy the building. Bumblebee gets surprised when Barricade left Security Operations for the Ascenticons. After a brief fight, Sixshot's team escapes before blowing out the building, leaving Windblade badly injured.
During a meeting with the Senate, Orion insists Megatron to dissolve the Ascenticons before the Rise's threat worsens. Bumblebee and Elita-1 are forced to fight back against protestants of a riot. Megatron warns Shockwave, leader of the Rise, about how their actions affected the Ascenticons' public image. Prowl asks Soundwave to interrogate Barricade, but his permission is denied. In the middle of these events, Sentinel Prime appears to intervene.
Sentinel questions Orion about the Ascenticons' actions while Chromia checks a list of possible suspects in the murders. Megatron is furious about Barricade passing information directly to Shockwave, regarding the location of the Voin witness when Rubble was murdered. Orion asks Bumblebee not to return to the Ascenticons' headquarters, following what happened to Windblade, but Bumblebee refuses, insisting he needs to honor Rubble's memory. Megatron and Shockwave organize a false attack during a meeting between the Ascenticon Guard and Security Operations, where the Risers retrieve Barricade. Megatron takes advantage to deliver a new speech, blaming the Autobots for the current disasters and announcing the Ascenticons' new campaign.

"Nautica: Home" (#12)

Nautica is the head of the Xeno-Relations division, being obsessed with knowing other organic species; but she never returned to Cybertron, even after several factions still threaten peace. Then Starscream, the head of Intelligence, warns her about possible disturbs from Thraal's embassy on the planet Na'conda. Together with her bodyguard Road Rage, Nautica infiltrates the embassy and deduces several Thraal extremists plan to exterminate the last refugees of A'ovan. Nautica and Road Rage are then attacked by one of those terrorists with a suicide bomb to blow up the Cybertronian ship. With Lightbright's help, Nautica and Road Rage managed to send the bomb away before exploding, as well as saving the A'ovan refugees. While departing from the embassy on their way back to Cybertron, Sentinel asks Nautica to keep these news in the dark.

"The Change in Your Nature" (#13–17)

During the Ascenticons' new campaign, Bumblebee has an altercation with Skytread. He later sneaks inside Soundwave's encrypted files, attempting to confirm his suspicions related to Brainstorm and Rubble's deaths, discovering that Soundwave deleted the files related to Sixshot and Quake. While Ratchet and Chromia continue to check on the list of suspects for the murders, Sentinel Prime is under pressure for an election demanded by the Cybertronians, while dealing with Risers who searching for an Energon facility located in an Immersant Titan. When Sideswipe and Springer arrive, Ruckus' Risers attack them. Back on Iacon, Ratchet suspects of Frenzy, a former Riser who used to be a miner and Intelligence operative.
Chromia's team attempts to interrogate Ruckus' Risers, but it turns into a shooting, until Soundwave's Ascenticons arrive. Nautica tells Ratchet that the murdered Voin had previously traded information, and its death will bring consequences. When Soundwave offers himself to negotiate with Ruckus, Bumblebee secretly follows him. Refraktor is revealed to be a mole sent by Starscream to spy on both the Ascenticons and the Rise. Under Megatron's orders, Soundwave causes an explosion around the Titan to extract Ruckus' team.
In the past, Megatron was a simple miner who found fame as a gladiator before the War of the Threefold Spark. Afterward, the Nominus Edict was established, which caused many workplaces to close down and many liberties to be strictly forbidden. Some time later, Megatron would find his place after joining Termagax and the Ascenticons, but when she left society after failing to accomplish her mission, Megatron realized only he could impose a better future for Cybertron. Back in the present, Sentinel wants to capture and interrogate Soundwave while Megatron forcibly announces Shockwave the official dissolution of the Rise.
Megatron receives the warning from Heretech, leader of the Reversionists, about Soundwave's incoming arrest, while Starscream warns Megatron about Bumblebee being Orion's double agent. Nautica receives a Voin Asserter as "compensatory justice" in response for the murdered Voin. Elita-1 warns Megatron about Soundwave's actions in the Mountains. Slipstream's team infiltrates within a Titan net subsidiary hub, killing the guards in the process. By using a specially-engineered data-bomb developed by Shockwave's inner scientists, the Cityspeaker Skystalker awakens the Titan Vigilem.
After finishing their work, Slipstream's team abandon the Titan net subsidiary hub. Cyclonus considers his options to deal with the Rise after the events in the Memorial Crater. In the Winged Moon, Wheeljack finds out about a Riser installing an Energon siphon and transmitter. Iacon's Titan net subsidiary hub detects all Titans being deactivated except for Vigilem, who approaches the Winged Moon. Aboard the Titan Lodestar, Lightbright fights against Vigilem while Wheeljack and the other workers evacuate the Winged Moon, but Vigilem succeeds on destroying the Tether.

"Arcee/Greenlight: Run" (#18)

Gauge is newly forged Cybertronian who has been trying to find a profession available to her, under the care of both Arcee and Greenlight. When Gauge is trying the job of architectural design, Greenlight suggests to leave Cybetron through a Reversionist starship, but Arcee refuses. However, as the Tether falls down, they all began to evacuate. At the same time, Gauge is shot by looters who are invading Energon reserves. After Arcee retaliates against two of them, she changes her mind about leaving the planet. Upon arriving on the Exodus, Security guards are blocking the entrance, but Arcee fights them in order for Greenlight and Gauge to get inside. When the Exodus is leaving, Arcee manages to get inside too.

"Rise of the Decepticons" (#19–)

"All Fall Down" (#19)
Following the Tether's fall that caused several casualties, Megatron gets shocked and disappointed about how his plan did not go as he planned. Soundwave receives protection from The Rise and demotes Elita from her rank, placing Skytread in her place. Bumblebee deals with several memories, but then confronts Catgut and Treadshot, Risers who were sent to kill him. However, Bumblebee is saved by Chromia. Meanwhile, Sentinel is obsessed with exposing the lies from both the Ascenticons and the Rise, demoting Orion from his duty. Windblade recruits Novastar and other security veterans to form a counter-strike team. Shockwave gets bad news from Sixshot about several Risers joining the Ascenticon Guard, alongside even more horrible news about Mindwipe looking for one of Shockwave's researches.
"Swindle's" (#20)
Since the Tether's fall, Sentinel Prime has publicly denounced both the Ascenticons and the Rise's members, now branding them as "Decepticons". Security Operations interrogates Singe, who was arrested for stealing energon during the Tether's collapse, and the latter reveals they should search on Swindle's bar, where most of the criminals gather. Inside Swindle's, Bumper locates Mindwipe, another Riser suspect, but Mindwipe hypnotizes him to attack Prowl. After Mindwipe escapes, Sideswipe captures Swindle, who cut a deal with the Risers. At Rise headquarters, Sixshot unlocks a secure room, and prepares Frenzy and Quake to scuttle their current base.
"Tremors" (#21)
While investigating some unusual seismic activity out in the Cybertronian hinterlands, Geomutus' geological team plans to extract the Titan Leviathan, who refuses to transform from her alternate mode, until a Riser team that carries Frenzy and Quake are attacking them. Luckily for them, they are protected by members of Novastar's new counter-terrorism team, but Geomutus convinces Leviathan to help. Back on Iacon, Bumblebee quits the Ascenticon Guard after seeing the faction lost their way on their cause, and agrees to testify against them. Optimus fears the worst about Megatron searching an endgame.

Subplot

''Valentine's Day Special''

Glyph is a data analyst who always wanted to join Xeno-Relations, and gets her chance when Nautica offered her a place to study the native civilization on the remote world of SDS-359. For security purposes, Glyph is joined by her friend Tap-Out, a former gladiator with a decreasing career. After arriving on SDS-359, Tap-Out deals with the natives who want to see fights instead of being diplomats. After defeating a reptilian creature, he receives respect from the natives, but causes Glyph to become an outcast. After a brief talk, they confess their feelings to one another as she convinces him to speak with the natives and learn their language. After a misunderstanding causes a fight with a even giant guardian, Glyph saves Tap-Out by defeating it. After finishing her report, Glyph returns with Tap-Out to Cybertron.
Cosmos has become the new Chief of Space Security, but his job of defending Cybertron's inner moon leads him most to isolation. After receiving a transmission from Blast Off, they talk each other but never met personally. Over the cycles, they become romantically involved to the point of finally meeting face-to-face.

Characters

Characters in bold are new to the series.

Collected editions

Spin-off series

In June 2019, IDW announced its first spin-off series titled to be released on September 2019. The series is being featured as anthology starring several characters being affected by the events on Cybertron, like the Constructicons, Cliffjumper, Arcee, Greenlight and Ultra Magnus, among others.