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Verno · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:35 pm Post subject: A Return to the Past?

The month of May will see the release of Regeneration One, a continuation of Marvel's TF storyline that came to an end in 1991.

Here we are 21 years and many franchises later, we're returning to where it all started for TF.

Regeneration will give us 20 issues, leading to a no doubt climactic end come issue #100, with a few twists and turns along the way for good measure.

But is this returning to its origins merely a flash in the pan? Or will it continue on? Is a return to the beginning a good thing after so much time and so many variations on the franchise in the last 2 decades? Are these sorts of stories the kind of thing fans want to read? Or do they want new stories with new characters? Will the popularity of Regeneration be the litmus paper for other plans to return to story-telling within established canon and continuities of the past?

I was chatting with a dude who used to do some work for IDW, not necessarily involved with TF, but he was of the opinion that IDW are perhaps more inclined to be continually looking forward, rather than back. If that is so, even if Regeneration is highly successful, will that be the end regardless?

Lots of question. I'm keen to hear people's opinions.
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HdE · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:47 pm Post subject:

Well, it's been stated emphatically several times that issue #100 of Regeneration One will absolutely be The End.

But the notion of revisiting older continuities to tell stories is certainly intriguing. I could certainly stand to read new material set in the Dreamwave continuity, for example, or continuations of the Armada / Cybertron comics.
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The Rev · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:15 am Post subject:

Hear, Hear Mr. HdE!
Very Happy

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Kingoji · Transforumer Joined: 05 Aug 2011 Posts: 1031

My personal opinion as follows.

It was the Marvel comics which hooked me as a fan. I was probably aware of the cartoon and toys first, as it all began when I was probably a little young to be reading (and understanding) the comics.
As I got older, I came to understand that the man writing the comics all but invented the characters in terms of personalities, motivations, goals, and even some powersets, as specified on the toy tech-specs and elaborated on in the TF Universe profiles.
His successor on the comics expanded the universe in unexpected and original ways, reassigning certain gimmicks and tropes to flesh out the culture and history, even the very origins of the race.
By and large, these two gentlemen in that one universe established everything which matters about TransFormers, and every version which came later has either referenced or flat out used these historical points and touchstones.

The TransFormers (and I am loath to even add "Generation One") is where it all started, the focal point which every later incarnation springs, refers to, and inevitably is compared to. Just because it is old, does not mean we should "forget", "let go" or "move on". It's a point of view I cannot understand. It's also why I'm so excited for the continuation.

I look at it this way; Back in the 1960's, both The Incredible Hulk and Uncanny X-Men were cancelled. What would the world be like now if they weren't given a second chance? Or Amazing Spider-Man,that is the original version which everyone goes back to, yet in the following years we still got the offshoots like 2099, Mangaverse, Noir, Spider-Ham, Unlimited, India, Fairy Tales, Ultimate, etc etc. Does getting these later takes make the original less valid? No.

So that's my opinion of TransFormers. We can have all these later versions, that's all well and good. But it doesn't mean the original should not recieve the love and respect that it does, and in my opinion the comic should have been able to run for as long as there were stories to tell. And if all the later incarnations tell us anything, it's that this frachise has an infinite number of stories to tell.

It's a tragedy that Hasbro seem to be disinterested in The TransFormers as it originated. And I simply cannot get excited about their proposed aligned continuity, because they feel like they are aligning everything to the wrong place.
TransMasters UK have a long history of producing fan fiction which did a far better job of alignment. They began during Generation 2 and continued on, and every new series to come out from then on was cleverly fit into the continuity they had continued from that original Marvel source. That is what an aligned continuity should be, in my opinion, as the original IS the beginning of it all and should be respected and treated as such.
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Verno · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:53 am Post subject:

As a Beast Wars fan, I have similar concerns or share a similar disappointment about the Aligned universe.

It raises another question though - with Hasbro's focus on drawing everything together into one, when will they start to lean on IDW to start producing aligned comics?

It was the links to G1 that made BW all the more incredible. But what is something of an aligned universe between G1 and BW already, we'll never see more links made between them it seems. Or not for a very long time.
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hook line and sinker · Transforumer Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Posts: 3263

WOW!

Just read from the Regeneration one 80.5 that has been sent out to certain people and it is AWESOME.

Can't wait for everyone else to see it, as it is way more than a flashback issue and a certain Decepticon gets the time in the spotlight he deserves.

This series is going to make a lot of folks on these boards very happy

Can't wait to see issue 81!
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ultramagnus1 · Transforumer Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Posts: 8226

Im excited as anyone about the continuation of this story. Its where it all began. Marvel UK reprinted the first US stories as was the norm.

Im loving the fact that many people felt the original run was rushed to a conclusion largely because sales were dropping and they wanted to wrap it up. Now they are getting a chance to properly end it. To fully flesh out this part of the TF universe.

I still prefer where we are with the franchise with the three titles we have but Regeneration has it place and is finally getting the respect it deserves.

I hope its a runaway success for all concerned. Most especially for the fans who pushed to get it going again.
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martin-m · I'm kind of a big deal Joined: 27 Mar 2010 Posts: 135

Superior or inferior, the Marvel comics are the definitive print-medium Transformers canon. Later re-boots are variations on the theme, and should really all have the line "Based on characters and concepts created by Bob Budiansky and Simon Furman" in the credits of every issue.

In general, re-boots sadden me since it seems to me that the creative teams aren't fully utilising their talents because they aren't being allowed to create something wholly original, but rather are being paid to ride on the back of the popularity of something someone else already did. And that's partly the fans' fault, for demanding more stuff from the same franchise, with the same recycled characters, rather than buying something completely new. You can't blame publishing companies for churning out variation after variation of what they know is a sure sell.

Although I'm a Transformers fan, my preference is that when you have no more Transformers story to tell in the original Transformers universe, stop writing Transformers stories and write something else until you do. Which is why I'm interested in seeing what Simon Furman has come up with twenty years on to add to the classic universe, but am not interested in re-boot universes. The stories in them are either unoriginal variations on stuff seen before, or else original material that either could have been worked into the Marvel universe or, if not, would be doing the creators more justice by setting it in a brand new franchise. A re-boot is a half-measure in creativity.

But that's just how I feel about it. If others are happy to follow multiple variations of the same franchise, then the stuff should be produced and bought by the fans who want it.

Personally, I was quite happy with how the Marvel comic ended, with the Autobots finally getting to go home to a restored Cybertron. The final exchange between Prowl and Prime nicely mirrored their exchange in issue #1 when they decided to crash the Ark to end the Decepticon menace. It all began with them sacrificing themselves, and 80 (332) issues later, they finally get their reward. 'Another Time and Place' was also excellent. I'm open to something even better being added. I just hope it doesn't end with everyone dying and the universe imploding... again. Hopefully Simon has gone past that phase...

Martin

hook line and sinker · Transforumer Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Posts: 3263

Soundwave · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:17 am Post subject:

Will 80.5 be a digital release?! Anybody know?
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Sprite · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:28 am Post subject:

...a FREE digital release? Cool

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Soundwave · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:58 am Post subject:

Soundwave · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:59 am Post subject:

ultramagnus1 · Transforumer Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Posts: 8226

Great review.

Love that quintesson figure in the pic by the way Laughing

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Verno · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:01 pm Post subject:

It's almost as if TF writers and creators are scared to produce a universe without a Megatron and an Optimus.

Personally I think the franchise is in the perfect time to move forward. IDW are doing this to a degree with their ongoing stuff as it's telling a story post-war. But I'm talking future future. It's time TransTech was relooked at. Make it in a new universe and make it in the future. You're not stepping on anyone's toes at first, and if it turns out to be popular, then begin to link it back to a selected continuity. If it bombs, then we can forget it ever happened, like BM.
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