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10-01-2007, 02:29 PM
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#1 |
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LOOKING CLOSELY AT TRANSFORMERS: MOSAIC
 by Benjamin Ong Pang KeanThe Universe of the Transformers is vast, and populated by many characters. Their universe is a large tapestry, made up of the stories and points of view of countless experiences that serve the larger whole. These are some of those stories. This is: Transformers: Mosaic. There’ve been many incarnations of the Transformers over the nearly two and a half decades since Optimus Prime and his Autobots and Megatron and his Decepticons captured the imagination of children and the young at heart worldwide. From Generation One to Beast Wars to the Unicron Trilogy to this year’s record-shattering blockbuster film, the franchise continues to show that there is “more than meets the eye” with the Hasbro-owned brand. When two individuals, Josh van Reyk and Shaun Knowler, started the Transformers: Mosaic strip on IDW Publishing’s Transformers boards and other TF-related forums in June, it got today’s web-savvy community sit up and take notice. And effective this month, IDW, the current holder of the Transformers comic book license, will be re-printing a Transformers: Mosaic strip in Transformers: Devastation #2 and other Transformers comics originally scheduled to hit stores in October. With the 15th Transformers: Mosaic webstrip debuting today, Newsarama.com got in touch with the co-founders for a chat about the origin of Mosaic, IDW’s interest in the project, and how veteran Transformers writer Simon Furman, Transformers: Megatron – Origin writer Eric Holmes and artist Alex Milne, and Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus and Transformers Spotlight: Ramjet artist Robby Musso came into contributing their own Mosaic pieces. Upcoming strips will also include a special Death’s Head piece by writer Carlos Oliveros and artist Ivan Mas.  Newsarama: How did the idea for Transformers: Mosaic come about? Who're the people behind Mosaic? Josh van Reyk: The project started on the IDW forums. Transformers fans all have their own favorite characters, and this project was started to give people the chance to give these characters a "voice." Many different people have all helped to make Transformers: Mosaic what it is today, but the core team has always been Shaun and myself, with Kris Carter, Matthew C. Adams and Mary Canada providing invaluable support. Shaun Knowler: Josh and I are both moderators on the IDW boards, and we've met a lot of really friendly and creative folks there. I usually can't stand reading more than a page of internet forum comments without running away in despair for humanity's future, but the people there are supportive, personable and very talented. It's been a blast watching passionate Transformers fans put their energy into creation. NRAMA: What is this project about, anyway? Is it fan fic? JVR: Transformers: Mosaic is a way for Transformers fans from all over the world to work with fellow Transformers fans, to produce one page stories which give characterization to characters who may have not gotten as much as some people would like. Transformers: Mosaic is most definitely "fan fic", these pieces are all produced just for the love of Transformers, no-one has gotten paid for anything.  SK: Basically we set up the project with a set of parameters (one comic page) and let the contributors turn their imaginations loose. Some of the pieces take place in IDW continuity, some in the movie-verse, a few from the Beast Era and so on. Some are completely unique to themselves in relation to all other TF fiction. Truly a "mosaic". NRAMA: Did you have to clear any issues with Hasbro prior to doing the stories? JVR: As with everything Transformers related, Hasbro had the final say on Transformers: Mosaic being printed by IDW. Chris Ryall had been trying for a while to include some "fan" material in their Transformers comics, but it wasn't until he showed them a few of our pieces, that they gave him the go ahead. SK: Hasbro's involvement only came into play once Chris Ryall brought the project to their attention. Most of their influence affects the print end of operations. Obviously, what they say, goes! NRAMA: When did the first installment hit? JVR: June 18th, "Destiny" (written by myself and art by Kris Carter) was the first piece to be "released" to the web. SK: Since then the project's been picking up a lot of interest and notoriety at places like Seibertron, Deviant Art, and Comic Space. We put a new one out every Monday, which gives the various audiences a week to digest and discuss. NRAMA: How many have there been so far? JVR: The [15th] installment will be released October 1st.  SK: Beyond that, we're reaching the neighborhood of 100 scripts that have been selected for production by artists. NRAMA: How does one get to contribute to Transformers: Mosaic? JVR: Transformers: Mosaic is open to anyone, to any Transformers fan, all one needs to do is contact us at Transformers.Mosaic@gmail.com SK: There are certain guidelines in play for writers regarding content and such, but every one's welcome to get involved. Although we've got a lot more scripts than artists, you never know which script is going to inspire an artist to pick it up and turn it into a piece. It's always a thrill to us to have new talent come on board and show us what they've got. NRAMA: Who're some of the creators who'd done stories? JVR: Both Shaun and myself have contributed to the project, as have Kris Carter and Matthew C. Adams (who actually came up with the great Mosaic title). Robby Musso (who did the Ultra Magnus and Ramjet Spotlight issues for IDW) was also kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to provide art for a piece, "Feeling Yellow". Shane Anderson and Melissa DeHaan (Wayward Insecticon), who are both well known for their own web-comics, have also provided work for the project.  SK: Eric Holmes (who wrote IDW's Megatron: Origin) is also contributing a script which will tie into his Megatron series. We've gotten a lot of interest from the various places we post the completed pieces. Really talented people who've worked on Transformers as a hobby are getting a chance to share their work with a larger audience, and even people who might not have thought they had something like this in them have really stepped up to the plate. We've also been very blessed with contributions from "the pros" like the aforementioned Eric and Robby. And we can now also announce that Simon Furman himself has contributed a script to the project! He's lined up Steve Buccellato and Don Hudson for artwork, so we're certainly looking forward to that! There may be a few more "pros" joining the project down the line, so keep both eyes open. NRAMA: In your opinion, what contributed to the popularity of Transformers: Mosaic? JVR: I think it's the diversity of these pieces. With so many different script and art styles being used, everyone is sure to find something they can enjoy. SK: It's been quite amazing to watch people from spread out corners of the fandom come together to take part in this. It's also a good chance for all the fans out there who're constantly moaning about not seeing so and so both from some random episode of the old cartoon or the 1988 series of the toys (or whatever) to either create a story for themselves, or maybe just drop by to read one. As Josh said, the diversity of this project lends itself to never knowing who will turn up next, and usually being delighted when you find out who!  NRAMA: How did IDW get the publishing plans going? JVR: It was all Chris Ryall, he approached Hasbro about the idea and did all the hard yards, he's been really great to deal with and continues to provide great support and advice. SK: Yeah, Chris has been great. As anyone who visits the IDW boards knows, he and his staff are interactive on an unprecedented level with an infamously fussy fanbase. IDW and Hasbro have graciously agreed to print some of the pieces as a way to reward the efforts and enthusiasm demonstrated in the project. NRAMA: When is the first installment due out from IDW? JVR: The first piece will be published inside Transformers: Devastation #2, due late October. Only one piece will be published per month, each being printed inside IDW's Transformers titles. SK: The first piece we're running is a strip originally from a previous project from the Allspark forums, and features Hound. We thought it would be a good choice to go first because it really embodies the ideal and inspiration of the Transformers: Mosaic project. We're pretty sure everyone will enjoy it. NRAMA: What could fans and readers look forward to with this latest partnership with IDW? JVR: This is a great opportunity to showcase the many talented people in the Transformers fan community. IDW have always been great when dealing with the fans, and this further proves their commitment to us. SK: We're also pretty proud to be part of something that provides a medium for fans to share their love for this franchise, and we're glad that it's been so well-received by the fandom in general. The fact that IDW and Hasbro have shown so much support is a fantastic bonus for something we were doing for fun anyway. NRAMA: Okay, let’s switch mode to a more fanboy feel now. You mentioned that you're both moderators on the IDW boards so I would assume that you're both Transformers fans as well. Which generation of Transformers did you grow up with? JVR: I'm very much a child of the original cartoon show. I still remember running home from school and planting myself in front of the television, hoping to see my latest toy in action. SK: I've loved Transformers since season 1 of the G1 cartoon. But my own history with Transformers is tied far more to the old Marvel comics.  NRAMA: Favorite series, and why? JVR: As I said earlier, the original cartoon is still my favorite series with Beast Wars a close second. I remember when I first saw Beast Wars, it was so interesting to see Transformers that weren't Transformers, but really were. When the show started tying in with the original TV show, I was blown away. I'm really looking forward to re-discovering both of them with my kids when they're old enough. SK: I'm most fond of the original show, mostly because it's the only series that has my favorite characters in it. I am also very much looking forward to Transformers: Animated [in 2008]. Like every new thing in Transformers, it's received ridiculous criticism, but I think they've got something really cool on their hands there. NRAMA: What're some of your favorite stories? JVR: As far as the printed medium goes, Dreamwave's first G1 series will always be special to me, until then, I had never read a single Transformers comic. For all the negativity towards Dreamwave, they are still a big part of Transformers history and are responsible for getting me into comics. I'm really impressed with what IDW are doing too, this new universe they are building from the ground up has such an 'epic' feel to it. SK: I would honestly not be into Transformers anywhere near as much today if not for Simon Furman's run on Marvel US. I'm also totally in love with his G2 series. As for the modern era, I think the Spotlight issues for Shockwave and Kup are the (bumble)bee's knees. NRAMA: Characters that most resemble you, your personality? JVR: Since starting the Mosaic project, I sometimes feel most like a Quintesson, five different faces each with their own personality. I like to think than in my more sane moments I'm most like Jazz, level headed and very easy going. SK: I suppose I'm expected to say Beachcomber, seeing as that's my user name at IDW. Well, as much as I'd like to say someone like Skywarp or Sideswipe, I'm afraid the little blue laid back beach crusin' nature lover is the bot I identify with most. It's not my fault, I'm Canadian! NRAMA: Back to Mosaic now. What's the top three most popular strips to date? JVR: It's really hard to pick which pieces have been the most popular; each piece seems to connect with the fans in very different ways. "Feeling Yellow" was a pretty popular piece, not just because of Robby's art, though that played a big part, but the script was more light-hearted then the previous releases and showed just how diverse the stories were. Both of the pieces that Ivan Mas has provided art for have also been widely praised due to their distinctive art styles.  SK: They've all gotten a surprisingly good response, especially considering the stigma attached to fan projects. Some of the quality of work being produced has been breath-taking. NRAMA: Since you're encouraging submissions from the public at large, what stories do you hope to see from the existing crop of creators and the new ones in the coming months? Shaun mentioned about certain guidelines when it comes to submissions. Care to explain what there are in greater detail? JVR: I'm looking forward to some more "original" stories, ones that don't tie-in to a specific continuity. The main guideline we have for submitting scripts is write something that's going to give an artist a reason to draw it. There are some great scripts that don't offer the artist a chance to shine, so it's unlikely they will ever be chosen. SK: We want to keep the content appropriate to the property as well. Obviously, anything excessively graphic or offensive won't make the cut. NRAMA: Are there characters that are off-limits? Characters that are currently used by IDW in the various comic book series? The movie characters? The upcoming animated series? Or is it a free-for-all situation for the creators, contributors to use and create? JVR: Nothing is off-limits, writers are given pretty much free reign to tell any story they like and use any character they choose. SK: That being said, there are some restrictions as to what goes to print. We're pretty much bound to Hasbro-owned Transformers characters in that arena. But there are no restrictions as to which era of Transformers can be explored. NRAMA: Since the partnership with IDW, have you guys discussed about possibly doing tie-ins to upcoming plans such as Devastation or Revelation or others? There was a mention a few seconds ago that there’s one planned to tie-in to the Megatron – Origin limited series… JVR: Outside of the guidelines for the pieces that will be printed by IDW, we haven't spoken at any great lengths about the future of Mosaic with IDW. SK: Simon Furman's piece will actually tie directly in to Devastation. [And yes] both Eric Holmes and Alex Milne are each working on pieces that will tie into Megatron: Origin as well. NRAMA: Is there a plan to spin-off some of these Mosaic pages into, say, a one-shot or limited series? JVR: There are a few other fan projects that have spun-out of Mosaic, some pieces that were planned to be Mosaics outgrew the project somewhat, some creators are applying the Mosaic formula to other licenses and there are plans to produce a full 22-page web comic, but I can't reveal too much about that, yet… SK: I've seen a lot of response demanding longer stories from some of the concepts presented, but I think that the fact they can only be one page is part of this project's charm. It also keeps the audience around enough to stay interested but not bored. NRAMA: Will there be an eventual trade collection of Transformers: Mosaic? JVR: That is the dream. The hardest part about the Mosaics being printed by IDW is deciding which ones are in and which ones are out. SK: That'd certainly be fantastic, but how marketable this would be to the general comic-buying public as its own collection is a bit iffy to say the least. But, if Newsarama and Transformers readers want to see it happen, head over to the IDW forums and make your demands heard! |
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10-01-2007, 03:04 PM
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#2 |
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Yes, first post baby !!! Been a very good year for Transfans this, with the movie ,and IDW's superb work n the property. One question I have to ask though. Isn't Death's Head a Marvel owned property? Even though the bounty hunter was created by Furman for the UK Transformers series Marvel owns the character so how can IDW publish anything with Death's-Head without paying Marvel ?
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10-01-2007, 03:10 PM
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#3 |
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Man, I love it when companies do stuff like this. It's just so awesome and it really brings out the best creative stuff in people. I really wish the Big Three (Marvel, DC and Image) would do something like this, but I know it wouldn't be feasable.
And hey, as long as there's Beast Wars stuff, I'm there! |
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10-01-2007, 03:16 PM
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#4 | |
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Quote:
The IDW-printing-them came after the project originated (and they can print less than a quarter of them, since they're doing one a month, when they're being released on the web @ one a week), and as the article says, IDW can only print the ones that feature only Hasbro-owned characters. But otherwise, they're fanfic. |
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10-01-2007, 03:23 PM
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#5 | |
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Quote:
Shhhh. Don't ask, don't tell. |
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10-01-2007, 03:32 PM
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#6 |
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I was actually contacted out of the blue with a recommendation to get involved in this project, which I did, soon as I heard the project had IDW's attention.
I've got a script from Nerroth set-up and I'll begin drawing it soon as I figure out the layout, which will be a while since I AM LAZY. It's just a cute series of scenes from Robots In Disguise. ('cause G1 gets enough attention!) In the meantime, if you wanna see some of my other Transformers art.... http://zodberg.deviantart.com/ pluggy pluggy |
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10-01-2007, 04:49 PM
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#7 |
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I definitely like the idea that fans can have their stories published. It makes sense from a creative and marketing point of view; they don't have to pay the fans and the fans are just happy because they get their stories in print. Some of the sample stories are allright, but you can definitely tell which ones are ameteurish. The one about the kid questioning God and then the funny little quip about not having a license was a bit much. But, all in all I think its a great idea for IDW.
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10-01-2007, 05:48 PM
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#8 |
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Wait a sec, isn't Death's Head a Marvel owned property?
edit: Whoops! Should've read all the posts! Sorry!!!! |
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10-01-2007, 06:35 PM
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#9 |
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I have one mosiac under my belt and working on another one... if any artists wanna give it a shot, pm me through here and we can get one done.... I am also looking for colorists!
other than the shameless plug above... i love seeing this get attention.... everyone involved has been really great! |
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10-01-2007, 06:54 PM
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#10 |
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Great to see the Mosaics getting attention, there's a real variety in there and something for everyone. Even better to see that "Feeling Yellow" which I coloured and "The Oath" which I wrote and coloured as 2 of the pics attached to the article! Bigger versions can be found at: http://wordmongerer.deviantart.com/
j-p |
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10-01-2007, 07:36 PM
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#11 |
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heyyy i know this is a long shot, but is there any chance of a trade reprint of the Marvel Transformers series? Specifically G1 (the last...30 or so issues were amazing)
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10-01-2007, 08:39 PM
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#12 | |
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Quote:
Last edited by Somebody : 10-01-2007 at 08:45 PM. |
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10-01-2007, 08:43 PM
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#13 | |
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I think they had already done that... not IDW, but Titan books did. |
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10-01-2007, 09:33 PM
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#14 |
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i love what IDW is doin with the Transformers lisense. good books and not over saturating us with tons of books. lookin forward to devestation this week. great job guys
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10-01-2007, 09:40 PM
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#15 |
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I just *had* to use Takara characters for mine.
Oh well, a Mosaic is a Mosaic. |
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10-02-2007, 01:24 AM
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#16 |
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Very cool. Would love to see some of the Japanese characters not really used in the West. Especially the Beast Wars guys...
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10-02-2007, 01:40 AM
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#17 |
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^I think we're getting our wish on that front with the previous mini, The Gathering and the next one, The Ascending.
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10-02-2007, 07:35 AM
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#18 |
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Anyone know what the Writer guidelines are?
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10-02-2007, 10:23 AM
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#19 | |
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Quote:
1) Death's Head wasn't created for Transformers UK. 2) Death's Head is a Marvel character, period. His history is muddy because he only appeared in standalone strips before he appeared in Transformers UK, and on his way back to the regular ol' Marvel Universe he encountered The Doctor (from Doctor Who) which makes his background really difficult to reprint or even discuss in the Official Handbooks (where they aren't allowed to use the names of characters owned by Hasbro or the BBC). But afterwards he becomes entwined in the histories of the Fantastic Four and Iron Man, as well as plenty of Marvel UK characters. He's been pictured as an Avenger (in Avengers: Forever). He's a Marvel character flat out. 3) This might be the best comics news I have gotten in a long time. I will be buying any issue of anything that Death's Head appears in. 4) As much as I appreciate the art- oh, do I appreciate the art- there's not enough specifics about when and where I can get this story! |
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10-02-2007, 04:07 PM
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#20 | |
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Quote:
And would that be the same quality work that gave us Hunter Onion, a complete first volume with no Optimus Prime and a series of one-shots, wach more derivative than the last? Oh wait, that's just Simon Furman. I mean the projects he has not had anything to do with, including Kup Spotlight and the under rated Megatron Origins have been great. Hey IDW, Chris, et al...maybe it's time to put Simfur out to pasture? I mean it's never easy to part with a loved one, but really Transfans, the man has hit senility and hit it bad. |
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10-02-2007, 06:39 PM
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#21 |
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some experimental thing. I thought this would be the official tie-in to Transformers-Animated in 2008. Kind of a relief actually but the entire franchise has gone down a notch or two in my book within the last year thanks to this ______ movie.
And the Spotlights seemed to have been rushed as of late, having little to do with character that the issue is supposed to showcase and acting more like a bridge between bits of the main "-TION" storylines (Infiltration/Escalation/Devastation/Revelation/Masturbation...). Megatron:Origin also started promisingly but is slowing down pretty badly in the end now. It needs at least 2 more issues. I thought Stormbringer is probably the strongest series IDW has published TF related other than the Kup and Galvatron Spotlights. Last edited by skl183 : 10-02-2007 at 06:43 PM. |
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10-03-2007, 11:01 AM
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#22 | |
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Quote:
To each their own. I feel that SF works best when given a sweeping canvas and its only with all the issues coming in that the shape of everything is revealing itself and you realise just how big the story is. I too didn't warm to the first arc and I also didn't see the point of Hunter's bizarre surname (although Witwicky is fairly strange too). Although the first trade is a bit lacklusture taken in context its a reasonable first arc. I haven't had a sense of anticipation until the arc that just passed however, it's been a slow boil and now it's beginning to build towards something very interesting indeed. The exclusion of Prime was for the same reason DW tried to write him out for a year and that was over exposure. Over the last 20 years Prime has been explored so much that why shouldn't other characters be given a chance to establish rather than just continually filling up the cast list until no-one gets more than one line of dialogue! Are you reading this James McDonagh? |
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10-04-2007, 09:42 AM
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#23 | |
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Personally, I didn't mind. I'm a total Ratchet fan, so Infiltration worked for me. I also enjoy Hunter as a character and the mess he's in right now with the Machination is a good part of why I'm still buying and reading IDW's core run. Don't get me wrong... I like Prime. But my top three favorites are, you know, NOT Prime.  Not every Transfan wants to see Prime over and over again, absolutely every waking moment in TF related media. |
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10-09-2007, 02:38 PM
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#24 |
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Blasphemy.
If I had to go top three...Prime, Ironhide and Soudwave. Don't get me wrong, I loved Rachet finally getting the spotlight. Harkened back to the Marvel days when he was more than just a bit player and outside of the stupid name Hunter was actually less annoying that Buster. But I stand by my senility claims. "Infiltration leads to escalation leads to devestation!" sounds like a pitch for a TF related Shortpacked strip and not a real comic. Hell, I'd be happy if he would just tone down the psuedo-scientific tech explanations he forces into his scripts. This is Transformers, not hard Sci-Fi. |
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