SHANE MCCARTHY ON ALL HAIL MEGATRON

**MattBrady** · 04-09-2008, 03:06 PM

As announced late last month, IDW is looking to step things up a little with the Transformers starting in July with Transformers: All Hail Megatron, a 12 issue series by Shane McCarthy and Guido Guidi in which…well, the bad robots win.

In a first of a series of looks at the series, we spoke with writer Shane McCarthy about All Hail Megatron.

Newsarama: Shane - lay the groundwork here. When does this story happen in the larger Transformers picture? Is this movie continuity, or comic book continuity?

Shane McCarthy: All Hail Megatron takes place firmly within the IDW comic book continuity. With that in mind it's also set a little ahead within that continuity and takes place one year after the end of the 'Revelations' arc. While this isn't a complete reset it's certainly a new direction for the universe IDW has established and we're taking giant steps forward in establishing a new tone, new outlook and new approach to the license.

NRAMA: That said, do you need to know Transformers continuity chapter and verse to get into this series?

SM: Definitely not. In fact I want to make that absolutely clear, you don't need to have read the previous IDW books or, for that matter, be a complete Transformers expert. All Hail Megatron is designed to appeal to all Transformers fans; whether you've been along for the ride since the start, or you've only been reading the IDW books or if you've never picked up a Transformers comic in your life.

For long time readers there will definitely be rewards in there; moments or elements that they'll get a real kick out of. For the new readers though they'll have no trouble understanding what's going on; yes this is set within the established continuity but I'm a firm believer in revealing elements of story and history through character interaction and a character's decision making. When reading All Hail Megatron you should get a clear understanding of who's who, what's what and where it all fits in together. If you can't reveal it in that way then, from where I sit, it's really not important.

NRAMA: So, in broad strokes...what happens? This is Megatron and the Decipticons "winning" right? Where are the Autobots and Optimus Prime?

SM: Well you're dead on there, this is the Decepticons winning; in fact, it's the Decepticons having won. Where are the Autobots and Prime? In no place or position to help us in any way, that's for sure. What we're looking at here is a civil war that has raged for millions of years finally coming to an end. It's over. The good guys lost. After millions of years of struggle, heartache and death it's all come down to this. We're the spoils of war.

Are the Autobots dead? Is Optimus Prime completely out of the picture? Will they never be in a position to come to our rescue? How did it all come to this? Well, that's what All Hail Megatron is all about...

NRAMA: This mix, what - just leaves the humans and the Decipticons to duke it out? Sounds like a short fight...the movie taught us that much, that humans vs. Decepticons = human pieces and gloating evil robots.

SM: It does, but don't sell us short just yet. The Decepticons are infinitely more sophisticated and powerful than we are, yes; they're massive machines of war and we're, well, not all that much to look at. However we're also an incredibly tenacious race and the true shining light of our potential is never fully revealed until times of immense struggle.

There's much more going on in all of this than just a big old fight.

NRAMA: So why do the Decepticons want earth, anyway? Noting against their wishes, but it seems like they could really rock out on a gas giant like Jupiter - more space, more raw materials, bigger...

SM: If they were only after raw materials, sure. However this is less about the immediacy of conquest or the acquisition of resources and more about the psychology that underpins the reason for the Decepticons' very existence. Why do they want Earth? Why do they do anything they do to begin with? I'll be answering these questions as we go along. Like I said earlier, this is very, very far from just being a story about a big old fight.

NRAMA: What timespan are you looking at here inside the story? A year? Longer? What are some of the larger changes to the socio-political structure of the planet with Decepticons in control?

SM: I'm glad you asked about what changes are in store for our planet with the Decepticons in control (or at least aiming to be). The impact of all of this is a big feature in the book and starts with the inevitable downfall of the US. How will the rest of the world react to the fall of America? What does this mean for us as a species and what chance do we have of fighting back?

The days of Transformers being about Megatron getting all excited over an oil refinery are over. We're playing for keeps here.

NRAMA: Sounds like this has some major changeups coming for the Transformers…so how did you land on this project? Sounds like a pretty plum story to get to tell...

SM: Well, first of all I've been a big fan of the Transformers for, well, since they came out. I didn't follow every single thing that happened with Transformers but I've kept my ear to the ground over the years. As it turned out that worked in my favor when Chris and I started talking about possible projects. I'd done my work on Batman, moved to Zombies with IDW and was looking for where to go next. Chris and I started talking and the subject of Transformers came up. He knew I had a multitude of ideas for the license and was looking for somewhere new to take the series. The question was asked, "What would you do?" And here we are.

NRAMA: You’ve said that this is the kind of story you've always wanted to do...how so?

SM: Well I guess, for a writer, it's all about seeing potential in ideas and characters. Everything I read or see I'm contemplating what other angles could be exposed or where else a character could go. Having been a fan of Transformers for so long I frequently found myself thinking of ways the concept could be expanded on, explored. I saw this as a chance to add some weight to the central idea and expand on the concept to deliver a solid, political and spiritual approach to something that started out as a more simplified entity.

NRAMA: Fair enough. Okay Shane, bottom line - what should people know to pick up issue #1?

SM: Giant, transforming, alien robots are fighting a war and we're in the middle. Everything else will be answered as we go along. Seriously, this is the kind of thing comics were made for. If you've ever been a fan of Transformers you'll want to pick this up.

Newsarama Note: look for more art to go with this article shortly

Moe Hailstone · 04-09-2008, 03:18 PM

I might give this one a chance. Don't buy too many Transformers books (unless they are with G.I. Joe), but I've been enjoying bad guy titles lately.

The Phazer · 04-09-2008, 03:19 PM

Meh... taking the series in a "new direction" doesn't sound particularily positive, and losing the best thing about the IDW series (returning Transformers to it's Robots in Disguise in the real world roots) doesn't seem like a good idea either.

Phazer

Crump's Brother · 04-09-2008, 03:27 PM

Sounds great! Will pick up a copy for a buddy of mine.

Omega Flyer · 04-09-2008, 03:39 PM

Zechs is screaming with joy right now.

John Berger · 04-09-2008, 03:56 PM

This sounds awesome! IDW's relaunch of Transfomers has been hit or miss with me up til now. I loved stuff like Stormbringer and their Beast Wars series, but the ongoing G1 book has been too drawn out, not enough action. Hopefully this series will rectify things with the new direction. It certainly looks like a step in the right direction.

As for IDW, what is going on with their site? I checked it out a week ago to get all these TF series straight and it seems like it hasn't been updated in months.

PS: Guido Guidi is awesome, so it will be eye candy at the least.

geekgoggles · 04-09-2008, 04:57 PM

IDW's TF has been very slow. I'm all for a series that speeds it up a little, but 12 issues doesnt usually translate to "speeding it up."

Is this what we have to look forward to for GI Joe? For me, this approach is okay with TF, but for GI Joe......I guess I'm taking a crusty approach to the Joe reboot, but I am not crazy about the prospects.

ZacWilliam1 · 04-09-2008, 04:58 PM

A preview of this shipped today in the Focus on Decepticons book from IDW (in fact that's pretty much all that book is). It looks good.

Guido's art is great and expressive and a lot more in the style of the G1 cartoon than IDW has been. A change, but a good refreshing one. (And I didn't mind Su). The characters seem very "On Note", voices are right, even someone like Thundercracker who has zero lines in the preview really expresses his personality (unsure of the Decepticon cause/methods) in the art you can really see that in his face and pose. Should be a fun ride.

ZacWilliam1 · 04-09-2008, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Berger

As for IDW, what is going on with their site? I checked it out a week ago to get all these TF series straight and it seems like it hasn't been updated in months.

I don't know what's up with their site but I assume you're trying to get a handle on their TF series? What in particular?

In general it goes like this:

Odds and Ends -
The Movie material, Beast Wars stuff, and "Evolutions" books are their own thing. They've also published reprints of Marvel and Marvel UK material. None of that is part of their Main Continuity.

The Main IDW TF Continuity goes something like:

Infiltration mini
Stormbringer mini
1st wave of TF Spotlights
Escalation mini
2nd wave of TF Spotlights
Megatron Origin mini
3rd wave of TF Spotlights
Devastation mini
Revalation (which is composed of 4 TF Spotlights)
All Hail Megatron mini

This is a simplification (the spotlights are set all throughout the continuity at different points) but all are a part of their main universe. That help any?

-ZacWilliam, who liked the way IDW's slower burn really gave characters, concepts, and mysteries room to evolve and grow, but likes the idea of turning the heat up a bit now as well.

-edit -- [forgot Megatron: Origin]

dorknerdgeek · 04-09-2008, 05:19 PM

So - not to be a dick here - does this mean that Furman is done with this for the forseeable future?

ZeeD · 04-09-2008, 05:22 PM

I'm a bit PO'd with this whole thing. I spent far too much money on the slow-ass Furman books and suddenly there's no payoff? new readers can jump right in? that's bloody annoying!

ejulp · 04-09-2008, 05:25 PM

looks like someone loves dmz very directly

ZacWilliam1 · 04-09-2008, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeeD

I'm a bit PO'd with this whole thing. I spent far too much money on the slow-ass Furman books and suddenly there's no payoff? new readers can jump right in? that's bloody annoying!

If you didn't like them you shouldn't have bought them. I really enjoyed Furman's getting to take the time and build up the universe myself.

That said, (1) of course they're not dumping those storylines. The current storylines all come to a conclusion in the books that come out before AHM, namely Spotlights Grimlock, Cyclonus, Hardhead, Sideswipe, and Doubledealer. Five issues should be plently of time to wrap most things up in a fitting fasion

and (2) continuity should not EVER exist to make something an "exclusive club". New readers should ALWAYS be able to jump right in. It's anything else that would be a bad move worth getting upset over. That doesn't mean that previous continuity is gonna be ignored, just that a new story building on it is open and fresh enough for new readers to join in on the fun.

coolmvm · 04-09-2008, 05:33 PM

I have always wonder of a mini-series showing the bad guys winning.

So I might look into this when it comes out.

Dalarsco2 · 04-09-2008, 06:24 PM

Oh, man, I am so pumped for this!

skl183 · 04-09-2008, 06:38 PM

M&M's to IDW for getting on the ball and finally doing this. We desparately needed a series that shows G1 Megatron as a dominant force after enduring 23 years of Transformers comics showing him as a bumbling idot. And for the majority of the Marvel series he dropped off the face of the earth being fused with Ratchet. Whatever the hell the point of the story was I'll never be sure

Simon Furman was always making Galvatron look like the most powerful of the two. Its like a character fetish that you can't remove with certain creators. See fellow Brit Christopher Claremont for even more examples. .

HNutz · 04-09-2008, 07:05 PM

Hmmmmmm... it's definately different. Will have to at least flip through it!

KACH · 04-09-2008, 07:20 PM

I've been following IDWs TF series closely & was really enjoying it, up until Devastation. It seemed like a plot point was she-horned in in order to get Prime & crew to leave Earth & let Megatron dominate. That did not seem like that's what was being built-up to from Day 1, but whatever. I am looking forward to this series, though.

Questions:

What Spotlight issues comprise "Revelation"?
Can someone list the order that the Spotlight issues should be read in?

Thanks much!

--J.

John Berger · 04-09-2008, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZacWilliam1

I don't know what's up with their site but I assume you're trying to get a handle on their TF series? What in particular?

In general it goes like this:

Odds and Ends -
The Movie material, Beast Wars stuff, and "Evolutions" books are their own thing. They've also published reprints of Marvel and Marvel UK material. None of that is part of their Main Continuity.

The Main IDW TF Continuity goes something like:

Infiltration mini
Stormbringer mini
1st wave of TF Spotlights
Escalation mini
2nd wave of TF Spotlights
Devastation mini
3rd wave of TF Spotlights
Revalation (which is composed of 4 TF Spotlights)
All Hail Megatron mini

This is a simplification (the spotlights are set all throughout the continuity at different points) but all are a part of their main universe. That help any?

-ZacWilliam, who liked the way IDW's slower burn really gave characters, concepts, and mysteries room to evolve and grow, but likes the idea of turning the heat up a bit now as well.

Thanks, that is helpful. I've read Infiltration, Escalation, and Stormbringer, but I think I'll try to patch up what's missing before All Hail Megatron starts.

Yay, being excited for Transformers again!

KACH · 04-09-2008, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Berger

As for IDW, what is going on with their site? I checked it out a week ago to get all these TF series straight and it seems like it hasn't been updated in months.

HA! I dare you to try to join their message boards. I registered on Jan 30th & am still awaiting authorization . . . .

--J.

Steve Magnum · 04-09-2008, 08:11 PM

This sounded kind of interesting at first, but after reading this interview, I think I'll just skip it. I really miss the awesome McDonough/Patyk TF stories from Dreamwave. And IDW just hasn't delivered any entertaining TF-related material since they took over the license (in my opinion).

John Berger · 04-09-2008, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Magnum

This sounded kind of interesting at first, but after reading this interview, I think I'll just skip it. I really miss the awesome McDonough/Patyk TF stories from Dreamwave. And IDW just hasn't delivered any entertaining TF-related material since they took over the license (in my opinion).

Yeah man, when Dreamwave's TF series went ongoing, those stories were so cool. The Insecticon infestation was awesome! Also, they really had good characterization of characters.

Still, I think this new series is a good move on IDW's part. Looking forward to it.

Zechs · 04-09-2008, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega Flyer

Zechs is screaming with joy right now.

Only if it was titled: Beast Wars: All Hail Megatron. I care little for G1 version

geekgoggles · 04-09-2008, 08:43 PM

I just read the Focus on Decepticons and it has an interview about what they are trying to do here. Also an eight page intro to the new series and some mini bios. Probably not worth the $3, but previous didnt have any bios IIRC so I found it to be a refreshing turn of events in terms of story telling.

infinitron · 04-09-2008, 08:43 PM

All hail Shane McCarthy!

I'm greatly looking forward to a new direction for the Transformers in comics.

I'm about as big a Transformers collector/ fan that you could fine, but after giving several of IDW's series a shot, I just could not get into any with enthusiasm, and have not bought ANY since early '07.

All due respect to Simon Furman, the IDW TF books have been dry, boring, boring and dry. In most of the series the attitude has seemed to be "lets focus on the B and C- list characters doing absolutely nothing of consequence."

Like ANY "super-hero" comic, you have to give the fans what they want in TF comics- big, brash sci-fi adventure focused on Optimus Prime and his crew Vs Megatron and his crew. Not umpteen issues of Rachet agonizing over new human teen freinds or some such garbage.

Good luck to IDW, I hope they are on to something with the changes.