Published: March 15, 2007 07:08 pm            

‘Transformers’ prequel co-writer electric about robotic villains, heroes

I think I was seven years old when I got my first Transformers action figure.

I remember tearing open the plastic container, eager to transform Megatron from gun to robot, back to gun, then back to robot.

There wasn’t a whole lot of complexity to Transformers back then. They were “robots in disguise,” and the Autobots fought the Decepticons. No one questioned how the hand-sized (and realistically painted) Megatron gun transformed into a giant robot. I think they even wrote around him transforming into the pistol in the cartoon, but I honestly can’t remember.

But gone are the days when Megatron sounded like Cobra Commander and threatened his minions with a steely gaze and shaking fist.

The children of the ’80s have grown up, and Transformers finally have grown up, too. They have a new live-action film coming out this summer, directed by blockbuster machine Michael Bay, with some of the most startling computer animation ever seen.

And IDW Comics, the home for Transformers titles, started its prequel series in February. Issue 2 hit the stands Wednesday.

The series starts on Cybertron, where Megatron has started his own revolution to take control over the life-giving “all-spark” in an effort to rule the planet.

The Autobots, led, of course, by Optimus Prime, are thwarting his efforts, protecting the all-spark at all costs.

“I’m trying to think how much I can tell you,” series co-writer Chris Ryall said. “The all-spark is the source of all life on Cybertron. You don’t get to really know the origin of it in the series, but it’s basically what gave all the robots life and the Autobots just want to keep it out of Megatron’s hands.”

The upcoming film’s plot has been seriously under wraps, with everyone involved being pretty secretive about the whole thing. What will the Transformers look like? Which main characters will be in it? A plethora of questions have been mulled over on the Internet, but the best place to find information on the film is the prequel comics.

“I think it really leads nicely into the movie,” Ryall said. “We touch on what’s going on in the beginning of the movie, and by Issue 2 it becomes its own unique storyline. We’re going to make you embrace these designs. It’s a lot of fun and I’m excited to be a part of this thing.”

The first issue concentrates on an unknown narrator, who is the leader of a group of elite Autobots who are the last line of defense between Megatron and the all-spark.

The narrator, as Ryall pointed out, is actually the Autobot who will later be known as “Bumblebee.”

“He’s not Bumblebee on Cybertron, though, because he’s not known as that name,” Ryall said.

Some major movie scoop came up in the interview with Ryall. Bumblebee loses his ability to speak in a run-in with Megatron toward the end of the first issue, and while he’s one of the main focuses of the film, he’s had to learn to communicate in different ways.

“It was really a fun deal, knowing that Bumblebee could no longer speak,” Ryall said. “So we went with it and built the backstory around that. He basically learns to communicate through car radios, playing different songs to transmit his ideas and get his point across. He doesn’t communicate in a speak and spell way or like a news ticker or anything like that.”

Creating Megatron and Cybertron for the comics was especially difficult. How much could IDW show? How accurate could they be to the look in the films while the robots’ movie personas are still under wraps?

“Hasbro really wanted us to make sure everyone looked the same on Cybertron,” Ryall said.

But not everyone looks the same. Megatron has a big part in this story, and he’s shown in robot and spaceship form. And he’s not a whiny bad guy like he was in the ’80s. Like I said earlier, he’s grown up. Now he’s a half-crazy genocidal maniac.

Meanwhile we get to see Bumblebee’s Autobot companions, and some pretty wicked-looking Decepticons, none of which were even main characters. However, it’s pretty tough to keep track of them all on Cybertron. Like Ryall said, they had to be made to look similar.

“Yeah, we really just wanted to confuse as many people as possible,” Ryall joked. “Those Decepticons were just drones, so you can imagine what the real Decepticons are going to look like.”

The series is certainly a great primer for the film, and it takes me back to that first Megatron toy two decades ago.

And, just like other Transformers fans, Ryall can’t wait for the big-screen version to come out this summer, either.

“It’s a Transformers movie,” Ryall said. “I mean, it’s going to be this huge thing. It’s a lot like seeing Jurassic Park when it first came out.”

Next week: Nazis? Zombies? Evil scientists? How about evil Nazi zombie scientists? We’ll take a look at the campy “War of the Undead.” Oh, and there’s a mummy, too! And Hitler!

        

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