Hasbro have released the following press release covering the induction of Chris Latta and Simon Furman into the Transformers Hall of Fame

LEGENDARY VOICE ACTOR TO RECEIVE FIRST POSTHUMOUS INDUCTION INTO HASBRO’S TRANSFORMERS HALL OF FAME
Chris Latta, the Voice of Starscream, to Be Honored, Along With Prolific TRANSFORMERS Comic Writer Simon Furman and a New Crop of Robots, at Ceremony in Dallas, Texas on April 28

Pawtucket, R.I. (MARCH 9, 2012) - Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is proud to announce the induction of two legendary figures in the evolution of the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise-comic book writer Simon Furman, and legendary voice actor Chris Latta-into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Furman has written TRANSFORMERS comics on and off for almost 30 years, and has written more TRANHSFORMERS comic books than anyone else. Chris Latta voiced ten Transformers characters in the early animated series, including STARSCREAM and WHEELJACK. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1994, however his posthumous award will be accepted by his family at the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame ceremony, April 28, 2012, during BOTCON, the Official TRANSFORMERS Convention, in Dallas, Texas.

Founded in 2010 to honor those influential in creating and building the iconic TRANSFORMERS franchise, as well as actual "ROBOTS IN DISGUISE," the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame has previously honored writer Bob Budiansky, voice of Optimus Prime Peter Cullen, original TRANSFORMERS designers Yoke Hideaki and Kojin Ohno and the Director and Executive Producer of the live-action film trilogy, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.

Simon Furman: Simon Furman is one of the most recognized and respected names in the world of TRANSFORMERS comic books. Furman began his run on TRANSFORMERS comics writing the first UK version of the TRANSFORMERS imprint. Later on, Furman took over the role of writer on the U.S. comic adaptation beginning with issue 56 and ending with issue 80, the final comic to be published in the series. In 1993 with the reintroduction of the TRANSFORMERS brand under the "Generation 2" banner, Furman was once again tapped to pen the 12 issue comic series. Nearly ten years later, Furman returned to the world of mainstream TRANSFORMERS comics as part of the "Dreamwave" writing staff. Simon Furman now writes for IDW comics, where in 2012 and by popular demand, he was asked to continue the story of the original TRANSFORMERS comics right where he had left off beginning with issue 81 of TRANSFORMERS ReGeneration One.

Chris Latta: The first TRANSFORMERS animated television series began to air in 1984, and as part of the original cast, voice actor Chris Latta helped breathe life into these animated robotic characters.
Chris Latta began his voice over career in the late 1970s. In 1983, Latta joined the cast of the G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO animated series as COBRA COMMANDER, the leader of the evil mega maniacal organization COBRA. Later, on the TRANSFORMERS series, Latta pioneered the role of STARSCREAM, a back handed and conniving character that constantly plotted to usurp his leader MEGATRON for control over the DECEPTICONS. Latta’s portrayal of both STARSCREAM and COBRA COMMANDER have made these characters two of the most iconic and widely recognized in their respective brands. Unfortunately, Chris Latta passed away in 1994; however his family will be on hand at the Hall of Fame event to accept the award on his behalf.


Hasbro will also induct four more iconic robot characters into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Heroic AUTOBOT JAZZ, fan-favorite DINOBOT GRIMLOCK and evil DECEPTICON SHOCKWAVE will all be honored. In addition, TRANSFORMERS fans around the world are able to vote on TRANSFORMERS.com for a fourth robot to receive the 2012 "Fans’ Choice" honor. Fan-chosen nominees include ARCEE, MEGATRON (BEAST WARS), WHEELJACK, RODIMUS and SKY-BYTE. The winner will be revealed for the first time at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at "BOTCON" on April 28, 2012. Voting is open from now until March 21st on TRANSFORMERS.COM

First introduced in 1984 by Hasbro and Takara as a toy line, the TRANSFORMERS brand
has provided kids with hours of MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE fun with their action figures that convert from robot to vehicles and back again. Legions of boys around the world grew up creating fantastic adventures and battles set on both the planet CYBERTRON and Earth that featured the "good-guy" AUTOBOTS and the "bad-guy" DECEPTICONS. Since then, more than 7500 robots have been introduced in countless animated TV series, comic books and three live-action feature films. For further information visit the official TRANSFORMERS Facebook page at Facebook.com/Transformers.

# # #

About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Hub, Hasbro’s multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2012 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Simon Furman has posted the following on his blog looking for some missing artwork

I need your help. At some point between last year’s Roll Out, Roll Call and this year’s, two pieces of original Transformers comic art I supplied for display ‘went missing’. The items in question are the final page of Transformers UK #78 (Target: 2006 prologue), by Jeff Anderson, and page 2 (the title page) of 1985 Annual story, ‘And There Shall Come A Leader’, by John Stokes.

(Click the link for images) but bear in mind the missing pages are the black & white line originals on artboard (at larger than printed scale).

These pages were kindly given me by the artists in question, and are quite simply irreplaceable. So, could I ask all transfans to be vigilant. If you see or have seen these items for sale, or know who has them, please contact me via the Wildfur website (& the contact email thereon).

All information will be treated in strict confidence and I’m offering a reward of rare/signed Transformers goodies to anyone with information leading directly to their recovery.

Thank you.

BotCon have tweeted that both Simon Furman and Chris Latta will be inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame

Simon Furman is best known for writing various Transformers comics, starting with Marvel UK, he went on to Marvel US  looking after both comics.  Then with the revival of Transformers Comics with Dreamwave Simon once again started to write Transformers comics, as well as working with Titan Books to republish some of the original Marvel UK stories.  He even wrote a few stories for Titan Magazine's UK Transformers comic as well as joining IDW (meaning he has been the only writer to write for every publisher of Transformers comics).

Chris Latta is most famour for voicing Starscream in the original Transformers cartoon, as well as Cobra Commander in GI-Joe.  Chris proved to be a fan favorite, featuring in the top 3 most popular voice actors for Transformers fans, along with Frank Welker and Peter Cullan.

Newsarama posted some preview pages for the upcoming IDW Transformers: Regeneration One issue #80.5 over on their website yesterday.  The series, which continues the Marvel Generation One universe, is due to be released on the Free Comic Book Day later in the year.  You can view the images below.

In case you had forgotten, we are just 5 days away from Roll Out Roll Call 2012 (the third installment of the GI-Joe / Transformers Convention, and Simon Furman has updated his blog regarding the event.

Barely have I gathered my thoughts and gear after London Super Comic Con than I’m off again. A week from now I’ll be heading to Southampton for Roll Out, Roll Call 3, the all-singing, all-dancing Transformers/G.I. Joe/Action Force event, which runs across the weekend of 10th & 11th March.

I’ll be there along with the likes of fellow Regeneration One creatives Andrew Wildman and Jean-Paul Bove, the god of G.I. Joe Larry Hama, Jim Sorenson & Bill Foster (the Allspark Almanac gurus) and many more. It promises to be a simply amazing weekend.

As well as signing/selling original scripts (largely unpublished), comics and more, all weekend, I’ll be taking part in a dedicated Q&A session (where more dirt on Regeneration One is bound to get dished) and presenting a special Transformers script-to-page presentation, featuring the art of fan favourite Nick Roche. The presentation is capped by a special gallery section featuring rare (again, often unpublished) art from the likes of EJ Su, Don Figueroa, Alex Milne and more. And in addition, there’ll be a permanent display of Transformers (and Action Force) original art from my own personal collection to enjoy.

If you can, get yourself along. It’s sure to be blast. For more details and how to order tickets, check out the All the Cool Stuff website here.

Timey2Wimey has posted the latest video promoting the upcoming Transformers, G.I-Joe and Action Force convention here within the UK called Roll Out Roll Call.  The video focuses on the profile of Transformers legend, Simon Furman.  You can watch the video below.

The main guest line up has now been confirmed and announced:

Meet Transformers ReGeneration One Team:
Simon Furman - Transformers ReGeneration One writer
Andrew Wildman - Transformers ReGeneration One artist
John-Paul Bove - Transformers ReGeneration One colourist

Meet The Legendary GI-Joe writer at his first ever UK show:
Larry Hama - GI-Joe writer - 1st ever UK show

Meet the IDW Team that helped create the new look Cobra Commander:

Robert Atkins - IDW GI-Joe artist - 1st ever UK show
Simon Gough - IDW GI-Joe colourist - 1st ever UK show

Bill Forster - Transformers Ark & The AllSpark Almanac Author & Artist
Jim Sorenson - Transformers Ark & The AllSpark Almanac Author
James Eatock - Cereal:Geek Animation of the 80's Magazine Editor

Simon Furman has updated his blog with information on his 2012 appearances

Yep, hardly has my passport been stowed from the last (and final) convention appearance of 2011 (at Auto Assembly Europe earlier this month), than the 2012 convention calendar starts to fill up! Already, three personal appearances are confirmed, with more to come!

Already locked in are:

10th-11th March: Roll Out, Roll Call 2012 – a feast of all things Transformers and G.I. Joe in Southampton (UK), with guests including myself, Larry Hama and Andrew Wildman. For more info, check out their website here.

19th-20th May: Kapow 2 – Mark Millar’s extraordinary celebration of all things comic book returns for 2012, with a phenomenal guest list already, with a host of special guests still to be announced! For details, check out the Kapow website here.

3rd-5th August: Auto Assembly – the UK’s premier Transformers event, now in posh new digs for 2012. For details, check out the AA website here.

Newsarama is reporting that rather than directly start on Transformers Issue 81, Simon Furman will be starting with Transformers Issue 80.5 as a way for old fans to remember details long forgotten and for new fans to catch up.

Transformers 81 is due for release in 2012.

The true legendary scribe of Transformers, Simon Furman, have updated his blog with a small entry regarding the SDCC announcement by IDW that Transformers #81 will indeed be published with a special 20 part run (issue 80.5 through 100) with the original Generation One crew of Simon Furman and Andrew Wildman back on board.  Here is Simon's post

"Announced live yesterday at San Diego Comicon — the original Marvel Transformers comic series (cancelled back in 1991 at issue #80) is being continued by IDW Publishing, thanks in large part to an online fan petition (big shouts for Luke and Ron of the IDW forums) and the tireless efforts of IDW EiC Chris Ryall. Transformers (‘classic’) will (re-) launch in Spring 2012 with issue 80 and a half, and reunites the previous writer/artist team of myself and Andrew Wildman. The reinvigorated run will build to a monumental 100th issue conclusion, pulling together and tying up every dangling plotline you can think of and a whole lot you can’t! What else can I tell you about the series? Nada. Niente. Zilch. So don’t ask. For the time being anyway we’re keeping this tightly under wraps. But it is going to shatter your trousers! Guaranteed! "

Do not forget that Simon Furman and Andrew Wildman will both be in attendance at Auto Assembly next month in Birmingham where you can give them your reactions in person

­ Artist, Guido Guidi, has updated his ­deviantART page with a preview image that is from the comic story that will be included in Million Publishing's Transformers Generations 2011 Volume 2 book.  The image features Headmasters Chromedome and Highbrow along with Transformers United Stepper and Kup.  You can view the image by clicking the link above.

Here is how Guido described the piece:

"Courtesy of Million Publishing, here's a sneak peek preview of the comic that will be included in the Vol.2 of Transformers Generations 2011!

In this panel: United Stepper (the new exclusive targetmaster toy), United Sergeant Kup and... Headmasters Chromedome & Highbrow "old marvel" style...
Looks like the United continuity in Japan recovered old paths
Stay tuned for more!

Story by Simon Furman
Art by Guido Guidi
Published by Million Publishing"

We have added a new image gallery into the Books section of the resources area of the website containing 40 images from the Transformers: Generations 2011 Vol 1book that was released by Million Publishing.

The book covers figures from the Transformers: Revenge, Transformers: DarkSide Moon, Transformers Animated and Transformers United as well as some new images of the Generation One Rodimus Prime hardcopy that was shown of a few months ago within the page of Hyper Hobby magazine.  The book also includes two interviews, one with TakaraTomy the other with Kabaya, a small section on the Japanese toy leaflets, the final part of the Unite for the Universe comic and a look at the character designs for Transformers Animated.

The book is still for sale and we advise anyone who is interested to pick up a copy from a re-seller or direct from Amazon Japan.

­I thought I would take a few minutes to remind you all about two comic related things that are happening at the moment. First up on Thursday 24th March 2011 Death's Head will return in the pages of Marvel Heroes issue 33 that will be available from all good stockists, and plenty of bad ones.  So make sure to pick it up and show Marvel that not only do you want to see Death's Head return in comic format, but also to support the work put in by the two Simon's, Simon Furman and Simon Williams for making his return possible.

Secondly do not forget to drop by HomelandSecuityTheater.com for more web comic hilarity from the one and only Bill "he really does look like Monkeywrench" Forster.  If you have been lucky enough to sit down and talk to Bill then you know that he has seen a lot in his life so far, and now he is sharing part of his life as the basis of his own web comic which is updated three times a week.­

Our thanks go out to Simon Furman for submitting the following news story regarding Roll Out / Roll Call 2

"Next Sunday (March 6th), Simon Furman, Andrew Wildman, Geoff Senior and John Higgins will be in Fordingbridge, in Hampshire, for All the Cool Stuff’s combined Transformers/Action Force mini-con(vention), Roll Out/Roll Call 2 . The event kicks off at 10AM in Fordingbridge Town Hall and runs through until 5PM. "

We will also be in attendance, having already purchased our tickets and are looking forward to what should be a fun day out.