Simon Furman's...Astrobots?

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
Well, this is something to fill the Transformers-shaped hole in your comic collecting. I'll admit, I'm intrigued.


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Cover by Philip Knott, known for his work on IDW's Transformers: Last Bot Standing.
Simon Furman, writer of the original Transformers comic series and creator of Marvel's Death's Head,
has teamed up with Heavy Metal artist Hector Trunnec to create an all-new Mecha-Masterwork based
on the toyline designed by Aaron Thomas.
Pathfinders, Pioneers…breaking new ground in the furthest reaches of the galaxy…they are –
ASTROBOTS.
The clock is ticking for planet Earth and the race is on to find a new world capable of sustaining human
life. New, sophisticated machine lifeforms called Astrobots are dispatched to scout far-flung worlds in
the hope of crafting a new home. With food and raw materials running out and climate disasters
escalating, the evacuation of the entire human population is the only slender hope remaining.
On Colony World 1, a catastrophic power struggle forges a new – all-Astrobot – society, and presiding
over this nascent civilization is Atlas, an evolved mech with a futureproof plan. A plan that does not
include humankind.
In Shops: Mar 22, 2023
 
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Andrusi

Lun!
Citizen
Not especially interested in Furman Transformers But Without The Part Where It's Transformers, but what's this about a toyline?
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
Yeah, I'm literally finding out about all this now.


Hopefully, it does better than Don Figueroa's Armarauders.
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Also,, Trunnec's Tumblr has some preview art for the series up. Spoilers in the link:
hectortrunnec.tumblr.com/post/674001085920346113/atlas-from-astrobots-comicbook-comicbooks

The artwork's looking pretty good.
 
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Robogeek1973

An oldie but a goodie!
Citizen
They got Furman to write the comic?

Huh...neat.

As for Toys, here's some pre-orders at BBTS, but the one called Apollo has had many repaints or remolds these past few years.
 

Rhinox

too old for this
Citizen
I cannot say enough good things about the toys. I've been in love with the Astrobots since I got my Argus. I am very much looking forward to this and the upcoming toys. They all look amazing to me.
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
So, I figure I should follow up on this.

The first issue of Astrobots is out. So...how is it?

Personally, I think it's solid. They've got a good team here. The artwork is better than than you might expect for a smaller indie comic like this. It's detailed and has good coloring, with a nice sense of depth. I'm actually very impressed by the art overall. These designs are MADE to be turned into toys. The writer is Furman, so while I don't think this will change anyone's mind on him, this is solid work.

I like the high concept. Terraforming robots are waiting for new human colonists to come and live with them on the planet they've spent years building for them. Meanwhile there seems to be building discontent with some of the lower-class robots. And a lone older robot comes out of the desert to try to warn the leaders of the city about a looming threat. There's a few mysteries at play and...curious wording. So they're clearly setting up explaining more about the world as the book goes on.

Mech design-wise....it's okay. Only a few of the designs really stand out to me. Atlas and Apollo are probably the two best designs. There's one robot with a drill that I kind of like (Vulkan, I guess, going off the toys). The rest kind of blend into each other a little. But, they're background characters right now, so they're forgiven a little. And they do seem to have a interesting "evolution" going on. There's older robots that are more skeletal-looking. The workers who are all practical bulky types. The human-caretakers which are all feminine and smaller. And the newer robots, like Atlas, look a little sleeker and newer. The designs themselves might be a little too "real robot" for me, but there's some thought put into the world building.

So, basically, this is a pre-war Cybertron book. Or, given the differences, maybe a pre-war Gobots book? There are clearly some...let's be generous and say "parallels" with some Transformers characters. Atlas, the robot in charge of the city, reminds me more of when Starscream was in charge during IDW than Megatron. There's a Ironhide-type. And a "Arcee" There's a legislative council reminiscent of the Senate. And our main character, Apollo, seems to be a "Kup" more or less, maybe.

But, they are doing some new stuff, too. The human involvement feels more organic here than in Transformers. And I think they're setting up a interesting conflict, here. Some of these robots...might not WANT all their hard work to end up in the hands of the humans.

There's enough going on here that I think I recommend it. It's coming out at the JUST right time, honestly. After MONTHS waiting for news on the Transformer comics, this kind of helps fill the void. I say give it a try, if you can get your comic shop to order it for you. It's only a five-issue miniseries to start out with.

 
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Dvandom

Well-known member
Citizen
I picked it up on FCBD, but I don't think I'm going to be adding it to my pull. I'll keep an eye on this thread, in case it gets better reactions, but I don't really care for the directions the plot seems to be going. (Tired shock cliches seem imminent.)

---Dave
 

Rhinox

too old for this
Citizen
I prefer to buy digital at this point, but I may see if I can get a copy of this.
Still waiting on online stores to get Athena in stock.
 

Gizmoboy

Administrator
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I see he's going to be at BotCon this year discussing this. Should be interesting to hear his take on it.
 

Rhinox

too old for this
Citizen
Athena in stock at TFSource! Shipped my loot and I have the comic coming as well. Yay.
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
Well, the final issue of this 5-part miniseries dropped today. And it promises a continuation...sometime in 2024.

Hopefully, that happens, because I think there's potential in this comic. It does have a few interesting ideas.

The real draw is the GORGEOUS artwork, though. Seriously, I really like this art.

Story wise...this isn't the most satisfying or exciting conclusion. It kind of just...stops. Stuff does happen this issue, though. But...it does kind of feel like we're stopping almost mid-sentence, here.

Personally, I'd say this book might be worth checking out just for the artwork. The story isn't the most amazing thing in the world, but it's not terrible. And I wouldn't mind there being a competitor with Transformers in the comic book space.

As far as I can tell, there isn't a trade collection solicited yet. So, you'd have to pick up the individual issues right now. But, I imagine they'll release a trade eventually. I guess this is a smaller publisher though, so...maybe that's not a 100% guarantee. Still, something to keep a eye out for, maybe.
 
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