The new Transformers continuity will be built on one ironclad rule, according to a Hasbro executive. With Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson lending his pen to Skybound Entertainment’s new Transformers series, excitement is high, but fans are also understandably nervous about what changes the reboot will bring. Hasbro exec Michael Kelly recently reassured readers that Johnson’s series will stick to the franchise’s core tenets.
In an interview with Popverse, Hasbro’s Vice President for Global Publishing Michael Kelly explained what every iteration of the Transformers needs to be successful, stating that things that connect Transformers to humanity must always be prioritized.
“They think, feel, and emote the same way that we as humans do,” Kelly said, defining the critical guideline that shapes the new Energon Universe Transformers.
The Transformers Have To Be Treated As Sentient Beings
As Kelly explained to Popverse:
“I think for Transformers what’s really vital is recognizing the fact that these are sentient beings. They might be from another planet, they might be 30-foot transforming robots, but the bottom line is that they think, feel, and emote the same way that we as humans do. We don’t want to ever give the idea that they were programmed or that they have sort of central processing units. They have hearts and minds. They might not look like ours, but the emotional intensity and the relationships that they have between them and other species.”
It makes absolute sense that Hasbro would want to keep the titular Robots in Disguise the emotional core of any given story. Just because they are cool-looking, transforming robots doesn’t mean that they can’t have their own struggles and dilemmas to drive the narrative forward. Consider the early solicits for Transformers #1, which describe Optimus Prime dealing with some failure on Cybertron. This is the type of character dilemma that is the heart of great storytelling, and just because the chief subject involved happens to be twenty-five feet tall and transforms into a semi-truck shouldn’t affect the dramatic stakes for the character.
Daniel Warren Johnson Is The Perfect Creator For Transformers
It seems like infusing the Robots in Disguise with emotion and humanity won’t be a problem for Daniel Warren Johnson, who has built his career off of wringing emotion and heartache out of completely ridiculous premises. Whether it’s the deeply personal catharsis of Murder Falcon, or the family dynamic of Do A Powebomb!, Johnson routinely captures the humanity of the characters amidst all the genre excesses of his work. This is why he is the perfect creator to reboot the Transformers franchise in the new Energon Universe, as the writer/artist has shown a consistent knack for kinetic action scenes, as well as the emotional undercurrents running just underneath the surface.
The Energon debut of the Transformers is imminent, and the excitement among fans of the franchise is palpable. It is natural for anticipation of this nature to come tinged with at least a bit of anxiety, concern that expectations will not be met, hype not lived up to. Michael Kelly, Hasbro VP, cited the underlying principal that will keep Transformers stories engaging and rewarding to readers, regardless of the series’ continuity or creative direction. As long as the Robots in Disguise, as alien as they may be, remain a representation of humanity at their core, the franchise will remain relevant. Readers should expect Daniel Warren Johnson’s new Transformers series to prove this maxim.
Source: Popverse
Transformers #1 is available October 4, 2023 from Skybound Entertainment.