Transformers Archives | Otaku No Culture

Free Comic Book Day is Almost Here! Top Picks of the 2025 Season.

When Free Comic Book Days offers to folks, the best in what pop culture represents, it’s safe to say which franchises have lasting power as long as those IPs stay consistent.

Free Comic Book Day is almost here! And in 2025, the selection has only gotten more diverse to include anime style offerings. That is, Tamashii Nations and Gunpla have teamed up to put together an exclusive Mobile Suit Gundam Wing bonus comic. Not every retailer will offer this, so it’s best to hunt around in your local city to locate who has this or not.

Besides this title, the other works I’m excited about are the following. I will include notes where possible as I received previews of Mad Cave Studios release to whet my appetite for picking up the print edition. Instead of Gatchaman, this time they’re expanding their selection of nostalgia classics to include Speed Racer! There’s another title, but please read on to find out.

Boom Studios 20th Anniversary Special

BOOM STUDIOS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPEC In this collection, readers can discover the vast range of titles this publisher offers. This collection offers the best from the worlds of BRZRKR with “Something is Killing the Children,” Mouse Guard with “Irredeemable,” and an EXCLUSIVE all-new Hello Darkness story. Here, what’ll be offered is the best of from the worlds of BRZRKR with “Something is Killing the Children,” Mouse Guard with “Irredeemable,” and an EXCLUSIVE all-new Hello Darkness story.

Continue reading “Free Comic Book Day is Almost Here! Top Picks of the 2025 Season.”

Transformers One Failure to Rewrite The Past

Only newcomers need apply to become Transformers One. It’s tough to accept a new origin story and retelling of Optimus and Megatron’s relationship when it’s been well established in other fronts.

Transformers One Movie Poster Long time fans of Transformers can forget about Michael Bay changing everything that’s beloved from the original cartoon series. Instead, it’s Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari who can take the blame on everything that is wrong in Transformers One, rather than director Josh Cooley. When he can write and win an award for Inside Out, he can craft imaginative worlds. But as for getting actors and talent pools to give their all, that part of the film is at least done right. Since he’s not responsible for the story, that’s when things go wrong.

It seems the writers room knows nothing about what makes past takes of this IP, namely Generation One and Prime, great. Bearing in mind this animated take is supposed to be a loose prequel to the live-action movies–and said to eventually morph the voices we hear now to the infamous duo of Peter Cullen and Frank Welker–I suppose some liberties can be allowed. This origin story takes place before the Autobots and Decepticons became a faction. Their war hasn’t even started.

Technically, that history was presented in an excellent trilogy by Alex Irvine and I’ll reiterate this fact time and time again! He improved upon what was established instead of changing a lot of things around. Sadly, this film retcons everything that I believe is sacred. Orion Pax is no longer a clerk/librarian. D-16 (Megatron) never fought in the gladiatorial pits. They are now miners (with Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry as the ‘new’ voices) who get bored with their role, want to figure out where they came from, and understand who the Primes are. Their interest in the Matrix of Leadership sort of drives the story, as only one can possess it, and I feel that’s the reason for their rift.

Continue reading “Transformers One Failure to Rewrite The Past”

Transformers One Confusing Retcon Long Time Fans Will Reject

This animated prequel shows why Transformers One shouldn’t retcon what’s previously known as long time fans can find problems.

Transformers One Movie Poster Back when Transformers had a singular continuity, (known as G1), it easy to keep track of what went on. But as it gained in popularity, Hasbro crafted a series bible that future iterations of the franchise had to recognize, despite regular reboots. And all of that is forgotten in Transformers One.

What it doesn’t acknowledge concern how Cybertronians came to exist and why they were used as mostly slave labour by the Quintessons. This alien force conquered this planet and created/mutated the native species to what they are now. And as for how this latest entry to the cinematic universe can transition to The Great War between the Autobots and Decepticons, I’m already scratching my head.

This origin story delves into an era that’s been fully explored in the Prime universe (Amazon Link), featured in IDW’s comic books and detailed in full in Alex Irvine’s novel, Transformers: Exodus. I even reviewed the first two books of the trilogy since I loved it that much. But when considering none of that material matters, I’m rather disappointed the film can’t even acknowledge even an ounce of that past.

Instead, the best moment is seeing the Vehicons rule an untamed land that includes bio-type mechanoids. Everything else is unimportant, like seeing how Bumblebee gets named and that he’s always been there. As for the technology in how to transform, it’s attributed to some lost science Alpha Trion summons up and doesn’t even name. Aside from being like some wise old master and using an age-old Ninjago trope of “accessing your full potential,” I rolled my eyes.

Continue reading “Transformers One Confusing Retcon Long Time Fans Will Reject”

When Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Get Splashy for Its Steelbook Release

The best part of collecting Transformers is that with Rise of the Beasts, we have a gorgeous package to distinguish how IP has changed over time.

Transformers Rise of the Beasts Art 4K Steelbook Case Paramount sent me the 4K steelbook release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for evaluation, and I must report that although the design is different from the prior collectable megaset (Youtube video), the difference is only noticable when displaying the front. If displayed on its side, nobody would notice. The former has a gungier design, whereas in Rise of the Beasts, it’s cleaner–perhaps more punk rock with a splash of Andy Warhol on top.

The design change is most likely intentional and I’m glad they help distinguish between the different eras the past films are set in.

Continue reading “When Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Get Splashy for Its Steelbook Release”

Transformers. When The Rise of the Beasts Must Help and More Than Meets the Unicron!

Just how much of a threat are The Rise of the Beasts, or should that be Maximals vs Unicron? #transformers #moviereview #hasbro

Transformers Rise of the Beasts Movie Poster Paramount Pictures

Ever since I saw Transformers The Movie back in 1986, my love for Unicron only grew! To learn that he’s the big threat in Rise of the Beasts only got me excited, and since I knew this ancient threat is tough to take down, some new warriors must be borne!

In the original, various Cybertronian factions worked together to sever this giant’s link to his robotic self. As a result, his spirit would always linger. His head looms over Cybertron as a reminder of how he simply lays sleeping. To bring some of that omnipresence in Rise of the Beasts is a highlight and Steven Caple Jr. certainly delivers what we both adored from the animated film!

However, to show just how nasty this intergalactic level threat truly is can be tough. Short of using artificial intelligence to bring Orson Welles’ voice back, Colman Domingo has big shoes to fill! What’s presented is very satisfactory. But to show why he matters to the Maximals, the new robot guardians of the peace, is part-way explained, even though it breaks the original canon.

Continue reading “Transformers. When The Rise of the Beasts Must Help and More Than Meets the Unicron!”

Listing All The Significant Events in the Transformers Timeline is Needed to Make Sense of the Big Picture

Here, we present a chart of everything you need to know in the Transformers timeline to know where this franchise is headed!

The order of which live-action Transformers movies to watch first is easy to figure out, but to understand where all the events fall into place in this Transformers timeline is haphazard. It requires rewatching the films again or looking at a good movie information page to review what’s significant. After catching the early access release of the latest film yesterday, I realised I had to make this chart in order to identify the master plan.

Transformers Rise of the Beasts Movie Poster

After Rise of the Beasts, the Optimus Prime we meet isn’t the same as the one from those early films. He’s a lot more rough at the edges, and to explain if he left Earth at some later point in time only to return again in Michael Bay’s film may well have long time viewers confused. That’s assuming this filmmaker’s movies are still important to the longer narrative. It’s possible that Hasbro and all the producers will have to decide to return to the present to address the story as it’s still left untold.

Even though Bumblebee is considered a soft reboot by ignoring the future by giving us tales set in the past, at some point the narrative has to return to the now to explain a huge plot hole.

Thus, we have the following points to consider from the Transformers timeline (spoiler alert):

17,000 B.C. (Transformers 2) – The First Cybertronians discover a method to harness the power of the Sun, and when one of them selects Earth’s solar system to burn out, he gets banished. His evil decision went against their prime directive.

Continue reading “Listing All The Significant Events in the Transformers Timeline is Needed to Make Sense of the Big Picture”