There can never be too much Transformers talk, right? Well I was lucky enough to talk with two of the guys over at IDW (the company making all the Transformers comics) about the upcoming Transformers comic movie sequel, Reign of Starscream. The guys even gave us some EXCLUSIVE images to drool over! Writer Chris Mowry and EIC Chris Ryall sat down to talk about Godzilla, the GI Joe movie, and a mutual appreciation of My Little Pony.
ToyCyte: First and foremost, the question that I’m sure every fan of the series/toys/movie have been asking themselves: Will we get to see more Shia Labeouf?
Chris Mowry: Absolutely not. Or should I say, “No no no no no no no no no no no,” since that’s all he seems to say in the film.
Chris Ryall: You totally will, later this month when INDIANA JONES AND THE… oh, that’s not what you meant, is it? You won’t see him in this first series, anyway.
TC: Where does The Reign of Starscream come into the second movie that’s in the works? Does it fill the gap between them? Is it in the same continuity?
CM: Same continuity, yes. Filling gaps? I think it does for the first film, but we’re flying blind at the moment. Our hope is that it all winds up nice and tidy in the end, and that’s what we’re aiming for.
CR: Also, it’s likely going to lead to major reshoots when they see how good this comic is.
TC: Who is going to be in the upcoming comics?
CM: Ahh, I still can’t say some people, but here’s a few that we can talk about so far. Starscream (duh), Landmine, Cliffjumper. Oh, and Thundercracker. And that’s just a few.
TC: We got a peak at Arcee in the prequel. Is she going to make it into back into the movie comics?
CM: Yes, she will. She was in the prequel book written by Chris Ryall and Simon Furman, but she’ll be back in Issue #3 of RoS.
CR: She might get her own Movie Spotlight issue later this year, too.
TC: Does Starscream have the chops to lead an army as vicious as the Decepticons?
CM: Does he have the chops? Definitely. Can he lead a group of cutthroats? Totally.
CR: That’s one great thing about this comic, the chance to delve deeper into ‘Scream’s personality, since he was one character I really wanted to see more of in the first movie.
TC: Do you see the movie universe being it’s own continuity with an ongoing series after this?
CM: I’d love for the movie-verse to continue. But as far as G1-styled stories go, there’s some big things coming in the future. Looks like 2009 will be a huge year for the franchise. Personally though, I’d like to see some smaller stories out of continuity. Maybe some more “Evolutions” stories, for example.
CR: We likely won’t do an ongoing Movie continuity book, but more miniseries and one-shots, definitely. It’s too good and undeveloped a universe not to do more.
TC: Of all the Megatrons out there, which one is the toughest or the most brutal?
CM: Good question. I like him in the animated movie. The whole “it’s over, Prime” line was too cool. Plus, he defied Unicron. Well, tried to at first.
TC: Mowry, I know you’re a big fan of the old Marvel comics, but was there a continuity that you DIDN’T like, or subscribe to?
CM: I remember as a kid, hating the one with Robot Master in it.
CR: I never quite saw the need for G2…it was done relatively well, I just thought it didn’t need to happen at all.
TC: Any chance we can have a GI Joe/Transformers movie comic book crossover (man thats a mouthful)?
CR: I hear the same rumors you do, but that’s all they are right now.
TC: Who’s your favorite Decepticon? Autobot? Favorite Transformers toy?
CM: My favorite Decepticon would have to be Shockwave. He’s so cool to look at. For Autobots, it’s a toss-up between Slag and Cosmos. Favorite toy? Currently, it’s my Animated Series Prowl. Those new toys are phenomenal.
TC: What action figures did you collect growing up? Any chance we’ll see them come to life at IDW? Perhaps a MASK or Tiger Sharks comic…?
CM: Pretty much everything that our generation had. Star Wars, Joe, Transformers, M.A.S.K., all of them. For new series, I’d kill for us to do Godzilla or any of the Go Nagai stuff.
CR: Yeah, I was big into Star Wars, Shogun Warriors, My Little Po–er, never mind on that last one.
TC: Any toy designers or artists that you’re a big fan of right now?
CR: [Transformers designer] Aaron Archer, of course. He’s dreamy.
TC: Mowry, you’re a HUGE Godzilla fan. Who’s your favorite character?
CM: I’d have to say Anguirus.
TC: What would it take to make it a fair fight between Godzilla, and the Decepticons?
CM: Godzilla vs. Trypticon, all of the combiners (Devastator, Menasor, etc.), and a huge helping from Megatron and the others. It just wouldn’t be fair.
TC: Anything you can add about the upcoming All Hail Megatron?
CM: It’s going to blow people away. It’s a solid story and I think it’ll appeal to everyone. Lots and lots of action, too.
CR: It’s a story I’ve always wanted to see, and I think a lot of people will feel the same way in July.
TC: Any last thoughts or comments?
CM: Just want to say thanks to everyone for reading the books. And thanks a lot to you, Nic, for asking me to do this. I hope everyone enjoys it when it comes out on May 7th!
CR: I’d just like to say that any praise for RoS belong squarely on Mowry’s shoulders. Our names are printed the same size in the book but he’s definitely the guy carrying this one. He’s really a great addition to the TF universe.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Reign of Starscream!! i’m excited. i thought the movie was okay, but i really wanted to see more of the Decepticons. i thought Starscream did not get enough screentime so i’m stoked that the sequel will take care of that.
great interview and great pictures!
May 6th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Yeah it was really fun! Ryall and Mowry were awesome to talk to. Diehard Transformer fans are those guys. They’ve even slipped in tons of Easter Eggs into the comics that old school fans will appreciate.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Wow! That preview art looks so freakin amazing! Alex Milne became one of my favorite TF artists, and the movieverse bots look like they fit his style perfectly!
Bring it on!