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Press release:

IDW Publishing Unleashes the DECEPTICONS on Earth!

Maxi-Series ALL HAIL MEGATRON Depicts a World Without AUTOBOTS

San Diego, CA (March 19, 2008) - It’s often said that the true measure of a hero is based on the quality of the villain—and TRANSFORMERS has some of the greatest villains in pop culture. But the heroic AUTOBOTS have kept the evil DECEPTICONS in check—until now.

Starting in July, IDW Publishing will unveil a turning point in the TRANSFORMERS saga. TRANSFORMERS: ALL HAIL MEGATRON, under license from HPG, the licensing division of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS). Set one year after the events of TRANSFORMERS: Devastation, TRANSFORMERS: ALL HAIL MEGATRON launches a new storyline that shows what happens when great heroes aren’t around to defend against their powerful villains. The DECEPTICONS, led by the ruthless MEGATRON, have somehow succeeded in dispatching the AUTOBOTS and their leader, OPTIMUS PRIME, leaving Earth ripe for the plucking.

The 12-part maxi-series takes TRANSFORMERS in an epic new direction courtesy of writer Shane McCarthy (Detective Comics, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight) and fan-favorite artist Guido Guidi (TRANSFORMERS Spotlight: Galvatron, TRANSFORMERS Beast Wars: The Ascending). Together, they tell the tale of an Earth decimated by the DECEPTICONS. Where are the AUTOBOTS, and how did they come to be exiled from Earth? Who has changed sides, who will live, and who will die? These questions, as well as the introduction of an all-new Transformers character, will be answered in the pages of the series.

“This thing is going to knock the fans’ socks off,” McCarthy says. “This is exactly the kind of story I’ve always wanted to see done, and I think the fans will be right there with me.”

IDW’s Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall added, “ALL HAIL MEGATRON is what the AUTOBOTS fought so hard to prevent, the ultimate culmination of MEGATRON’s plans. It’s destruction on a grand scale; it’s a story of sacrifice, lost heroism, betrayal, and hopefully at the end, renewal.

“But this series, more than any other we’ve done, shows that hopes don’t amount to much in the face of unrelenting evil. Shane’s story hearkens back to the greatest stories in TRANSFORMERS history, while still feeling vibrant and excitingly new. And the best part is the accessibility of the tale makes this a perfect jumping-on spot for new fans of good comics, along with long-time followers of TRANSFORMERS.”

TRANSFORMERS: ALL HAIL MEGATRON #1 is being solicited for July ’08 release. It will feature a victorious MEGATRON cover by Klaus Scherwinski, as well as a distinctive variant cover by Trevor Hutchison.

[edit] Tidied this top post. [/edit]



(Wallpaper-ready image crops by Necrothug2005. Art by Nick Roche.)

Coming soon to the avatars of a thousand emo fanboys...

Did I make that joke in the first thread about this? I forget...

Megatron looks like he has a bad case of jaundice there...

I dunno, I think the style gels nicely with Transformers, much as it did for TF/GIJoe's promo material. Sadly, I can't see IDW going with the same level of innovation for the comic itself - Jae Lee's style has to be one of the most radical applied to TFs since, well, ever. Shame the script was so lacking.

I actually think that looks fairly sharp. If it's an "Elseworlds" comic, at least it'll be difficult to be as bad as the last 3 issues of Hearts of Steel (I liked the first issue for some bizarre reason).

Cliffjumper wrote:Coming soon to the avatars of a thousand emo fanboys...

Did I make that joke in the first thread about this? I forget...

You've already got a rocking chair/shotgun picked out for when you retire, don't you?

Bruce Campbell would be proud of that chin

I love the idea of using the 'Soviet propaganda' style for a Decepticons poster. I'm actually a little surprised it hadn't been done by a fan-artist yet.

I like the way it looks, but I wish Nick Roche had reigned in the cartoony-ness just a bit on Megatron. It doesn't ruin the image, but it deflates the impact somewhat.

Though now I'm imagining a series of Decepticon posters in this manner, and it makes me very happy.

It is interesting. However I always thought of the original conception of the Autobots to sound very much the soviet communist ideal and the Decepticons to have come across as Nazis. Megatron's helmet head being a near spitting image of a Nazi solider helmet of course helping that along.

Its going to be interesting to hear what story is behind this picture. It has a propaganda feel too it.

The chin surprised me a bit, but it is not the first time that megatron is shown having a rather large chin, as this picture from TF:TM shows http://www.tfarchive.com/cartoons/info/ ... tm0164.php

One thing I'll never understand is why people day that Megatrons head looks like a german steelhelmet. With those parts on the side it looks more like something that I would call roman or from the dark ages, it looks like a face protection. Megatrons "helmet" goes way to far down to be a WW2 era helmet, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Helmet here we have a few pictures of a steelhelmet, and it doesn't have that face protecting parts. For some reason do "Badguy" helmets always end up being called German steelhelmets by people.

Edit: Sorry about the somewhat agressive history lesseon, but I'm just a little tired of hearing that a helmet looks like a nazi helmet when there are some clear differences.

That gives me an idea; Megatron with a Pickelhaube would be pretty badass.

I love the nazi propaganda poster-style, but I sure hope the comics aren't adapting the Animated look...

Tetsuro wrote:I love the nazi propaganda poster-style

Wrong dictatorship.

Nice piece of art there. Looking forward to seeing more of Nick's work.

Off-topic: Denyer's "You Make Bunny Cry!" avatar is really ****ing cute. There. I said it.

Civ wrote: Off-topic: Denyer's "You Make Bunny Cry!" avatar is really ****ing cute. There. I said it.

Further off-topic: I was so used to Denyer's 'dying ice-cube machine or whatever it is' avatar that now I keep getting confused when I see the new one. Definitely cute, though.

Rossum wrote:'dying ice-cube machine or whatever it is'

http://mimi-na.deviantart.com/art/Docto ... s-58481472

RUNAMOK wrote:One thing I'll never understand is why people day that Megatrons head looks like a german steelhelmet.

I know its not accurate. Its actually closer to the images of Nazi soldier steelhemlets as represented in American and British propaganda rather than being close to the real thing. Look especially at cartoons and comics from the 40s. My roommate has a reproduction poster of WWII propoganda poster that shows a WWII german soldier in steel helmet peering over a wall or into a window and a long black line next to him. The caption is "HE'S WATCHING YOU." This was to play on the fears that there were Nazis inside the US, possibly living next door, plotting and scheming against freedom. A big fear after some of the difficulties that happened with German immigrants in WWI, with many people supporting the Axis, and the number of people who had returned during both wars to Germany. This image probably predates Transformers by a good 40 years yet most of our friends go "Watch out, its Megatron!" when they see it.

So even if the imagery wasn't the original intention, its an easy link to make for an American. Besides which, Megatron was originally a Walther P38. The association with WWII Germany is clearly established for Megatron.

If this: http://www.propagandaposters.us/poster11.html is the poster you're talking about, I can definitely see the resemblance.

Though for some reason, cartoon Megatron's helmet makes me think of a powdered wig.

Denyer wrote:http://mimi-na.deviantart.com/art/Docto ... s-58481472

That image is for Dr. Who, I'm guessing, which I know nothing about, so I'm standing by my previous description.

That poster explains a lot, it even has a nose that looks like Megatrons, seen from the front, and not seeing the bottom part of his helmet, I can see the recemblence, but from any other angel I still doubt it a little.

A little note on the gunmode, I have heard that the atatchments that we always see on the gunmode is from something called "the man from U.N.C.L.E" or something like that.

TURBO CHARGER wrote:Bruce Campbell would be proud of that chin

Ash Vs. Megatron! That would rule!

"Ok, you robotic screwheads, listen up! This is my BOOMSTICK!"

Not sure how literally we're supposed to be taking these...

http://ryalltime.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-hail.html

Denyer wrote:Not sure how literally we're supposed to be taking these...

They're advanced promotional images for a forthcoming comic - why would these have any contents or styles that weren't carried over to the main book itself? Such a thing has never, ever, ever, ever happened, and the publishers are bound to give away the whole plot on a few eye-grabbing bits of promo art.