It may be time to start backing up your Comixology issues, because an era ends soon.
In an exclusive report that settles the rumors that have been swirling since late last year, The Hollywood Reporter confirms that IDW is set to lose the Transformers and G.I. Joe licenses at the end of 2022.
In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, The company noted: “At the end of 2022, IDW will bid a fond farewell to the publication of G.I. Joe and Transformers comic books and graphic novels. […] We’re exceedingly proud of our stewardship of these titles – 17 years with the Robots in Disguise and 14 years with A Real American Hero – and thank the legion of fans for their unwavering support, month in and month out. We’re also eternally grateful to every one of the talented creators who helped bring these characters to four-color life through our comics.”
The company still has a healthy dose of storytelling planned to end the period on a high note. The main Transformers series and the Beast Wars comics will wrap at the end of the summer, and special one-shot projects “spotlighting heroes and villains from across the Transformers continuity” are also planned. G.I. Joe, on the other hand, also has a milestone issue coming up (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #300), and that alongside various special projects like a new spring miniseries (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero — Saturday Morning Adventures) are set to celebrate the wrap-up and the 3.75″ line’s 40th anniversary year.
IDW took up the Transformers license in 2005. This led to a decade-plus first continuity for Transformers sparked by the work of Simon Furman and continued by the work of writers like James Roberts, John Barber, Mairghread Scott, Nick Roche, Magdalene Visaggio, and more, and a second continuity kicking off in 2019 featuring the writing of Brian Ruckley and David Marriotte. Comics for the live-action movies, crossovers like the memorable Tom Scioli/John Barber creation Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, and even a new comic featuring Beast Wars, also enriched Transformers fiction over the course of the run. A powerful roster of artists, from E.J. Su to Don Figueroa t0 Alex Milne to Saren Stone to Josh Perez to Hayato Sakamoto to Anna Malkova to Johh Burcham to Joana Lafuente to Andrew Wildman to Kei Zama to Sara Pitre-Durocher and (pause to breathe) so, so many more, brought the characters and stories to life on the page.
The company did well with the G.I. Joe license as well since acquiring it in 2008, bringing new life to the brand’s rich comic history with innovative and gritty series from writers like Mike Costa and even a return to the classic A Real American Hero continuity with Larry Hama. This contributed to the franchise meshing with the IDW Transformers continuity as the “Hasbroverse”, featuring properties like Action Man, M.A.S.K, ROM, and Micronauts, came into its own.
IDW will continue to hold the comic publishing licenses for Dungeons and Dragons and My Little Pony.
As ever, we look back fondly on a long and memorable run, and remain optimistic for what comes next — whether it’s the rumored acquisition of the Transformers license by Robert Kirkman’s Skybound company, or anything else. Because, if we’re lucky, it never ends.
Raise a glass for 17 strong years, and share your favorite IDW Transformers and G.I. Joe moments with us at the Allspark Facebook page, on our partnered Discord at discord.gg/allspark, and on the Allspark Forums !
Source: The AllSpark
