Transformers: Stormbringer (2005 IDW G1 Comics Retrospective: Phase One, Part Three)

[@KirkWilliamsIsBroken]

I love this entire story...especially using Bludgeon & his "Pretender Gang" as a Doomsday Cult & Thunderwing as a "Kaiju-like" Big Bad.

[@Moonbase3]

100% agree! I love everything Furman did with Pretenders (the characters and the concept) during his run.

[@albernardi8]

God the ART. Don Figueroa’s designs are just universally good. So good that I went in on the Stormbringer version of the Mastermind Creations Orion Pax-even though I own the first one-just because I love how he looks in Stormbringer so much.

[@Moonbase3]

Yes! Figueroa is one of the all-time greats, for sure. I also have those two versions of MMC's Optus mold. I told myself I'd sell the regular one if they ever did a Stormbringer variant, but I haven't been able to bring myself to part with either one.

[@hadilatif6372]

The transformers designs from this early run of phase 1 is some of the best designs I’ve ever seen. Every single bots design is gorgeous. Man I miss this period in idw so much

[@Moonbase3]

It was such a great time - and I agree, the designs are excellent. Between Figueroa and Su, this early portion of IDW produced some designs that I really love. Bludgeon's design (before the Pretender shell) is perfection.

[@robrice7246]

43:18 Although Megatron: Origin was meant for Dreamwave (and IDW was originally going to continue its storyline like they later did with Marvel's).

[@spencergellsworth]

I waaaaaaant a Commander Class Thunderwing like this

[@Moonbase3]

Same! From your lips to Hasbro's ears...

[@coreymcgivney5897]

I also wanted to say. I LOVE the tone that the Furman / Figueroa books bring. They have this classic / gritty Sci-Fi feel, like a late night anime from the early 90’s that you feel like you shouldn’t be watching. But also has a clear fantastical flair and keeps some of the camp and pulp of classic transformers. In my opinion it’s the perfect mood for a transformers story and if I wish any Transformers comic style were adapted as a animated movie (maybe Roberts / Milne) it would be Furman / Figueroa Maybe this is just me as a Brit but I can feel a British sci-fi feel, in tandem with the 90’s anime feel

[@Moonbase3]

Definitely agree about the tone here. You raise some interesting points about the camp/pulp factor as well - both factor heavily into the identity of a ton of Transformers fiction, so I think you're spot on with that. And I would absolutely love to see Transformers animation that matched the tone and feel of something like Stormbringer. Or Milne's art as you also mention. Man, that would be cool!

[@mr.end-game711]

I hope that Skybound gets Don Figueroa on board for a project, I miss his art his art and E.J. Su' and Andrew Wildman's art are top favorites artists. I feel there is a pinch of the Armada in Optimus's design with the arm cannons. the real testament is how stealthy Megatron is, neither Autobot or Decepdicon knew for certain when he came on planet, Megs just walks in under everyones nose and wreaks Skyward, BlitzWing and Starescream's in short order.

[@Moonbase3]

You're definitely right about Megatron, and those are some great picks for top artists. I would also like to see Figueroa return to Transformers comics in the future - guess we'll have to wait and see what happens, but fingers crossed...

[@oriongranville3659]

I was so incredibly fortunate to recently inherit a cache of Phase 1+2 collected volumes, Stormbringer among them. I'm looking forward to each of your future deep dives, they're gonna help me appreciate this treasure even more!

[@Moonbase3]

That's cool, sounds like you got a pretty decent-sized amount of books to go through! I hope you enjoy them. Glad to have you here, thanks for the support!

[@RunAmucck]

I really liked how they featured all those late g1 characters. I'm a bit disappointed that a lot of them really only showed up in this story before becoming gun fodder in later ones, but it's nice seeing characters like the Technobots have a big role in the story.

[@Moonbase3]

Yeah, it would have been nice to get more after this. I love the Technobots, so I was very happy to see them here. Same with Searchlight - glad to see him, but definitely wish he and the other Throttlebots got more page time!

[@Thechaosprime]

I think my favorite parts of these videos is the deep dive into the artistry on display in these comics. The talk about the line quality and brushwork are things I absolutely love to hear of and am glad to find a channel that thinks likewise

[@Moonbase3]

I really like getting into that stuff, so it makes me happy to see comments like yours. Thanks!

[@paperrain]

I remember really loving stormbringer when I first read it, tho it usually slips my mind when I think of IDW1 as a whole but still a good read. Excited to see you cover escalation

[@Moonbase3]

Thanks for the comment! I'm really looking forward to covering Escalation.

[@orionpax7424]

More please!!! You have a nice linear narrative style that really makes it easy to follow along with what you're saying. The research is great, and the clarity of your speaking is great too. I can never have enough Transformers retrospectives. Keep doing great!!

[@Moonbase3]

Thank you! I'm grateful for the kind words!

[@robrice7246]

40:44 Apparently that's Action Master: Kick Off.

[@rhill4232]

Sir I hopped aboard this train from the outset and I have to say that I think your videos are on par with the basics. I love the IDW series and wish it got more coverage. And you are single handedly fulfilling that want. I’ve got channel notifications on so I can be sure to sit and dedicate time to watching the new uploads at the soonest I can

[@Moonbase3]

Wow, I'm a fan of McFeely's work on The Basics, so that's high praise indeed! Many thanks for the kind words and support, good sir!

[@coreymcgivney5897]

Again, I don’t want to sound like a broken record. But I truly love IDW prime so very much. I feel like Simon bringing marvel Optimus’s self doubt and weight on his shoulders. But then expanding to the, will do what he feels Like is the greater good, and despite best intentions can go arry. I like that none of Optimus’s philosophies are 100% correct. You can sympathise and totally understand him, and you, or at least I, never see him as a monster or a bad person, but not a perfect one. I like treating Optimus like a person, he is more flawed than his image may portray, but he’s not as awful that his failures in life may show him. He feels like a living, breathing person, he has a very distinct voice in my head. Also, I just wanted to say you have a really relaxing voice. It makes these vids really easy to watch~

[@Moonbase3]

I totally agree with your assessment on Optimus. I really like the way he was handled throughout IDW - felt very true to the character, but with a lot of complicated layers. He was definitely imperfect, and that's definitely what gave him a lot of depth and made him interesting to me. I think you're right on the money. And thank you for the compliment!

[@robrice7246]

25:19 That was later established to be a separate character related to Blaster (this was because of the latter's Spotlight issue).

[@Moonbase3]

Right, the "Bluster" thing. I'll touch on it when I get to Blaster's Spotlight issue. :)

[@readinghurts1454]

Amazing video! I can’t wait to rewatch it in the future.

[@Moonbase3]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@isaacborthwick4788]

Really loving the retrospective series and the background research done for it

[@Moonbase3]

Thank you! Glad to hear you're enjoying it. I like making them, too!

[@isaacborthwick4788]

@@Moonbase3 seems like a win win. Can’t wait to see more

[@darkroom0716]

Really like this channel and loving this series. I read all of the IDW comics I think up to Megatron going to the death planet- and maybe a little after, but I lost track. I didn't know a lot of the background and surrounding circumstances of the comics and their place in the industry and pop culture,. I also really like the attention you pay to the artists and writers, thats cool. Great channel, keep it up

[@Moonbase3]

Thank you, I appreciate the comment! Happy to have you here!

[@725prime]

So glad I stumbled unto your channel! Great to see people appreciating the comics :- D

[@Moonbase3]

Thank you! Glad to have you here with us!

[@fishpop]

Personally i consider a Megacycle the equivalent to an hour. A Klik is a second and Cycle is a minute. Solar cycle being a day since that's what a solar cycle is.

[@Moonbase3]

I think that makes the most sense and that's usually how I think about it as well. The fight with Thunderwing lasting roughly an hour is much more likely than 93 hours. 😂

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

That makes more sense, Furman's explanation just feels like he wanted to hammer the fact the transformers are aliens

[@Moonbase3]

I think you're right. And it's understandable that he'd want to do that, but Furman just swung too hard in this instance. 🤣

[@MrJynx]

Im diving on IDW Transformers comics and your channel is da GOAT helping me to understand better and get directions. Keep the great work, pal.

[@Moonbase3]

Thanks! Glad the channel is helping!

[@robrice7246]

21:43 I feel like (mostly for Skullgrin's case), they should have optional robot heads, so their Pretender shell noggins can work as battle masks.

[@Moonbase3]

That would be awesome!

[@webtely]

I recently started out with the IDW transformers universe and this was an amazing video with a lot of interesting facts and info, this was really well researched. I would love to see more retrospectives like this.

[@Moonbase3]

Thank you, that means a lot to me and I'm glad you enjoyed it! There's more on the way - soon, hopefully.

[@BrotherRobbie]

The early IDW work is so amazing and the stories rich with lore and history. Thank you for sharing these videos, and I look forward to see a lot more in the future!

[@Moonbase3]

I agree, early IDW has a lot going for it. Thanks for watching! Much appreciated!

[@Enzo_Matrix92]

Keep pumping these out. Not a lot of people talk in this length about the IDW comics.

[@Moonbase3]

Thank you for the support and encouragement! Really glad people are digging this retrospective. I'm definitely planning on sticking with it!

[@robrice7246]

22:38 Now I believe it's based on an abandoned toy concept that Figeroua made for the Unicron Trilogy.

[@Moonbase3]

That's cool! I missed that when putting this together, but just found it on Figueroa's Twitter. Thanks for pointing it out!

[@robrice7246]

19:51/19:55 I know that some of the Takara manga would explain more about him and his creations in greater detail.

[@Moonbase3]

Interesting. I know of the manga and how it fleshes out things from the G1 continuity, but I've never read it.

[@robrice7246]

23:22 I know that Vroom's inner robot was later repurposed as a separate character named Fireball in IDW's Punishment story (so then I thought, what if the other Mega Pretenders had the same treatment? Shell represents the main character, inner robot represents someone else. But what would their names be?).

[@Moonbase3]

That would be cool. I like that approach to handling the Mega Pretenders!

[@AU79PLUS1]

I like your videos. Please do a retrospective on Beast Wars: The Gathering and its sequel.

[@Moonbase3]

Thanks, I appreciate that! I'd definitely like to get to those Beast Wars series someday.

[@robrice7246]

27:28 - 28:03/28:06 What about his fellow Double Targetmasters: Quickmix & Landfill? Going by their bios: - The former makes sense regarding chemical warfare (especially if it comes from the Kimia facility). - The latter fits the Wreckers motto of tackling the dirtiest & most dangerous missions.

[@Moonbase3]

I think Scoop makes the most sense out of the three, but I could see Quickmix and Landfill being potential candidates as well, for the reasons you listed. Though I wonder if Landfill's poor hygiene would prevent him from being recruited to the team? 😁 Wrecker or not, I definitely wish Quickmix was given more to do in this continuity - I think he could've been a potentially interesting character given what's listed in his bio/Universe entry.

[@robrice7246]

@@Moonbase3 I know he's responsible for developing Megatron's "Fool's Energon".

[@Moonbase3]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that detail. Good memory!

[@robrice7246]

15:00 I had the exact same thought. 15:08/15:09 The Dinobots (in their Cybertronian forms) however are not.

[@Moonbase3]

Definitely! I touch on that a little later with a side-by-side comparison. :)

[@thexdatabase]

cant wait for you to reach revolution

[@Moonbase3]

I'm really looking forward to getting into quite a few of those later stories. It'll take some time, but I'll get there!

[@theexecutorz5413]

Another good video wanted to ask are you ever gonna make a discord server

[@Moonbase3]

Thanks! I'm definitely still contemplating the discord server, time is just in short supply this month. So I still have a lot to look into and I would need to get some stuff set up and some mods first, but it's definitely on the table.

[@MarKreationsStudios]

They planned for Regenesis THIS LONG ago??

[@Moonbase3]

Yeah, it's pretty wild! Barber explored Regenesis further and put his own spin on it during phase 2, but it was part of Furman's plan from the beginning.

[@robrice7246]

26:01 Except for the four 87 Autobot headmasters (despite prominently appearing on the cover), why was that?

[@Moonbase3]

Good question. In terms of the plot, it makes sense why Hardhead isn't present, as Furman will be using him for something else shortly. As for the covers, I'm guessing Figueroa just wanted to create this big, expansive image with a huge roster, many of whom wouldn't even make cameo appearances in the book. Can't judge a book by its cover, I suppose. :)

[@bjscorpio4041]

I tried to get into the IDW continuity but thought most of it sucked and gave up. The one highlight I found was Stormbringer.

[@Moonbase3]

Well, I'm glad you at least found one story in the continuity you enjoyed! Stormbringer is definitely a good one.

[@ashleywimmers6481]

When are you going to phase two?

[@Moonbase3]

It'll take me a bit to get through Phase One first, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting to Phase Two eventually!

[@ashleywimmers6481]

@@Moonbase3 oh okay I’m just wondering keep up the good work

[@Moonbase3]

@@ashleywimmers6481 Thank you! I appreciate the support. :)

[@demolishingtank8853]

First

[@Moonbase3]

🤣

[@anthonycourt7977]

It was okay not last stand of the wreckers good. What you get from Simon furman average writer with no heart.

[@Moonbase3]

We'll have to agree to disagree on that last part. :) If you prefer the way Wreckers is executed, though, I could see Stormbringer potentially not working for you. Personally, I'm a big fan of both.

[@xtroguyver]

still one of my favourite stories from IDW with Dons art at his best and much preferred over what he tried with the IDW ongoing which has not aged well those faces just do not work. Great to see so many background characters being actual characters from the toy line rather then the generic nobodies that the japanese g1 shows were especially known for. Reminds me that we need hasbro to give us a commander class g1 Thunderwing figure since ebayed off there last effort as he is just too small at delux size for such a character

[@Moonbase3]

Agreed about Don's art here vs. the ongoing. Although I've developed a general appreciation for what he was doing in the ongoing, the faces still don't work for me. It just doesn't hold a candle to his work on Stormbringer. And I'm right there with you on the Commander class Thunderwing. I might even be up for a Haslab on that one if it meant more bells and whistles.

[@xtroguyver]

@@Moonbase3 same on the thunderwing he would be a good choice for a haslab, The same with the ongoing art was the robot designs were great it was just the faces, I still want hasbro to give us a voyager version of stealth bomber Megatron

[@Moonbase3]

Yes! I still have the deluxe stealth bomber Megs, because I really like the design, but it would be awesome to get a bigger one!