So tomorrow, the collected edition (what some call a trade paperback) of TRANSFORMERS: THE REIGN OF STARSCREAM will be released. I'm very happy with how it turned out and I was very glad to have been able to include a lot of the extra material. From Alex's detailed sketches, to the 33 character bios (written by myself, Josh Van Reyk, Shaun Knowler, and Andrew Griffith), to my commentary, it all came together pretty well. Seriously, it's $19.99, too. Cheaper if you get it online, but there you have it. So that story was in the past... now the future.
Next month will see the debut issue of the first of two prequel miniseries for TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, ALLIANCE. While the first cover has been online for a while now, here's the first peek at the wonderful cover for Issue #2. This cover was done by none other than Josh Nizzi.
Street date for Issue #1 is scheduled for December 17th. Story by me, artwork by Alex Milne, colors by Josh Perez. The issue is at the printer now and we should be posting a 5-page preview soon. The Alliance storyline takes place after the first film, during the Reign of Starscream story arc, and concludes right where the next film begins.
Keep watching the usual channels for info on the second miniseries, DEFIANCE. That info will be coming very soon, with an exclusive first look at another Josh Nizzi cover.
Thanks,
Chris
1 comment:
Hi there Chris!
I just read Alliance #1 a few days ago and really liked it (I also quite enjoyed Reign of Starscream, but Alliance #1 went up a notch).
There, now I've said it, I'll start with the negative: I'm not too hot on Alex Milne's art (although he is definitely improving!), and the writing still came across a little forced. Oh, and in some instances I would have preferred a few more speech ballons, since multiple mood or topic swings within a single speech ballon result in a lot of impact getting lost. (Example: On page 15, a new speech ballon starting after "I want you both.")
Now on to the good stuff:
Characterization and dialogue. Mostly bits and pieces, but I really liked how you tried to nail down each character's distinctive personality and speech mannerisms. Interaction between Ironhide and Lennox was brill, as was anything involving Ratchet, Sam, Lennox, Simmons... you get the point. Likewise, Optimus Prime's constant Large Ham dialogue.
I also liked the little easter eggs (which Alex said were mostly your idea), I just hope you won't go overboard with them. Too many easter eggs for easter eggs' sake can distract from a good story.
Here's hoping that issue 2 will pick up a little pace, but thus far, your plotting is better than what Shane McCarthy is currently doing in All Hail Megatron, and your dialogue feels more natural than anything Simon Furman has ever given us in the past 25 years.
Looking forward to seeing more Transformers comic stories from you!
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