IDW’s sensational line of Transformers comic books will rule the summer… so proclaims King Grimlock! Debuting in August, two new miniseries, Transformers: King Grimlock and Transformers: Shattered Glass, will thrill lifelong Transformers fans and newcomers to the franchise. Additionally, new story arcs will appear in IDW’s monthly series Transformers and Transformers: Beast Wars.
Transformers: King Grimlock
Written by Steve Orlando (Wonder Woman, Justice League of America) with art by Agustin Padilla (Dungeons & Dragons, Suicide Squad) and colors by Jeremy Colwell, King Grimlock is a five-issue miniseries that casts one of the most iconic Transformers characters into a world of fantastical beasts and magical powers!
In a savage world where the strong rule with sword and iron, the Dinobot Grimlock finds a new opportunity to prove he’s the strongest there is… but as Grimlock and the human barbarian Arko will learn, sometimes brute strength isn’t enough.
“King Grimlock is a sky-high dream come to life, a story so big and wild, I wasn’t sure if the Transformers universe could contain it,” says Orlando. “This is a first-of-its-kind, science/fantasy epic for fans new and old, whether you follow the animation of the ‘80s, the modern shows of the ‘00s, the big screen blockbusters, the decades of incredible comics, or if you’ve been intrigued by Grimlock action figures on the shelf. Everyone’s welcome!”
“Right from the start, I knew that King Grimlock had all the ingredients to be an incredible project, and I’m really proud and excited to bring it to life with this great team,” says Padilla.
Cary Nord, the Eisner Award-winning artist of Conan the Barbarian, provides the perfect cover artwork to fit Transformers: King Grimlock’s high fantasy theme, illustrating issue #1’s Cover A. Additional cover variants will be available for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover B by series artist Agustin Padilla, and a Retailer Incentive Edition featuring art by Mateus Santolouco (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder in Hell).
“By spotlighting a beloved character like Grimlock in an epic barbarian fantasy, Steve, Agustin, and Jeremy are crafting an iconic story that expands the understanding of who Grimlock is and what a Transformers story can be,” says editor David Mariotte. “Plus, a two-story tall robotic T-rex battles dragons, magicians, and monsters, which is awesome.”
Transformers: Shattered Glass
Everything you thought you knew about Cybertronian lore will be turned inside out with Transformers: Shattered Glass, an all-new five-issue miniseries written by Danny Lore (James Bond, King in Black: Captain America), illustrated by fan-favorite Transformers artists Guido Guidi and Dan Khanna, and colored by John-Paul Bove.
In a parallel universe, a war raged across the cosmos from Cybertron to Earth… a war between Decepticon laborers-turned-freedom fighters and the power-hungry Autobot autocrats. Many kilocycles after the blue planet was devastated and the Decepticons were brought to heel, the evil Autobot bodyscrapper named Blurr hunts a new bounty… one who holds a piece of information that could reignite the war!
“To this day, I’m the nerd whose heart swells when they hear Optimus Prime and Starscream’s voices,” says Lore. “As a writer, I love exploring characterization, what the core elements are that make someone who and what they are. Creating these Shattered Glass versions of childhood favorites is like building the perfect Combiner for me: what are the nuts and bolts that we can swap out while still making them recognizable?”
Guidi, who will be illustrating issues #1, #3, and #5, says, “It’s absolutely a blast to be part of the Shattered Glass team! The best part as an artist is to convey the new twisted personalities in familiar faces, and Danny’s script allows a lot of fun with that aspect. It’s great to discover how a classic good guy can work well as an evil character, and vice-versa!”
Khanna, who will be illustrating issues #2 and #4, says, “It’s a thrill to be able to draw a completely fresh take on the classic cast with IDW’s all-new Shattered Glass universe and timeline! It’s a lot of fun to realize an evil Optimus Prime and noble version of Megatron.”
Three cover variants will be available from comic shops for Transformers: Shattered Glass #1: Cover A by Alex Milne (Transformers vs. The Terminator), Cover B by series artist Dan Khanna, and a Retailer Incentive Edition by Sara Pitre-Durocher (Transformers: Till All Are One).
“Our wonderful partners at Hasbro made a huge splash with their recent announcement of new Megatron and Blurr action figures packaged with our Shattered Glass comics, and we’re proud to bring that story content — and specifically three cover variants exclusively available to the comics retail channels — to the wide audience of monthly comics readers,” says assistant editor Riley Farmer.
