Mr Transformers, Simon Furman, has updated his blog with a entry on issue 13 of the UK exclusive Transformers Comic from Titan Magazines.  The entry talks about how issue 13 contains the final part of Twilight’s Last Gleaming, that is part 5, and how from issue 13 onwards there will be an additional page of an original UK strip per issue.  As Simon posts, issue 5 "sees not one but two epic showdowns: Prime versus Megatron (the rematch!) and Ratchet/Ironhide versus a whole platoon of Decepticon drones (under the command of Bonecrusher)".  The comic is officially released tomorrow, here within the UK, so you can expect a review and some images in the next 72 hours right here at Transformers At The Moon.

Transformers writer Simon Furman have posted a new blog entry regarding the upcomign IDW release Transformers Spotlight: Cyclonus which is released this Wednesday (18th) in the US and Thursday (19th) in the UK.

But, as well as being part 1 of 4, it’s also a Spotlight, and the character focus falls, first and foremost, on Cyclonus. But who is IDW/TF-verse Cyclonus? Given the recent IDW reinvention of Galvatron (in Spotlight Galvatron) it can’t be the animated movie version (as there’s no Unicron). This Cyclonus is, nevertheless, associated to Galvatron, inasmuch as both are/were part of the crew of the (long missing) first Ark. But who is Cyclonus and why’s he back on Cybertron (now a ruined, largely uninhabited husk)? And why exactly is he taking out his considerable frustrations on Hound’s unit (comprising Sideswipe, himself the subject of a latter Spotlight in this quartet, Warpath, Road Rocket and Skram)? And how does Ultra Magnus get drawn into the action? And what’s that stirring inside a cave on Corata-Vaz? Something BIG, something terribly familiar (especially if you’ve been following the various IDW/TF arcs of late). The Expansion (whatever THAT is) is upon us, and the storm is well and truly raging!

Simon Furman has updated his blog with inforamtion on the various Comic conventions he'll be attending.

1. I’ll be at Bristol’s Comic Expo on Saturday May 10th, which is held at the British Commonwealth & Empire Exhibition Hall and Ramada Plaza Hotel. My two confirmed slots on the day will be from 2PM-3PM, when I’ll be signing at the Titan table in the main dealer/exhibitor hall, along with the likes of Steve White, Gary Erskine (currently hard at work on interior art duties for Aftermath pt1, see previous item) and (all being well) Geoff Senior.
2. Then, right afterwards, from 3PM-4PM, I’m over at the Ramada’s Park Suite for my ‘Crossing the Ts’ panel, where I’ll be talking about Transformers, Terminator, Torchwood and Turtles (and maybe Starcraft as well, even though it’s not a ‘T’). Expect special guests! I’m just there on the Saturday this year, so if you’ve stuff you want signed or just want to chat, make sure you track me down at one of the above.
3. Then, on June 7th, I’m off to Derry for the 2D Northern Ireland Comics Festival, an event I attended last year and thoroughly recommend.

We have added a review and gallery of the latest issue of the UK exclusive Transformers comic from Titan Magazines. Released on the 1st May 2008, issue 11 of the comic came with three sheets of stickers and is available right now at all good stockist.

The issue saw the debut of the new Artobot section, 10 pages of UK exclusive comic, 5 pages of the IDW Prequal, 5 pages of the Beast Wars The Gathering, 4 pages of letters, 2 pages of art, 2 pages of competitions, a double sided poster and more.

Simon Furman has updated his blog with information on Transformers UK Comic issue 11.

Also out this week, but only in the UK, on Thursday 24th, is issue #11 of Titan’s Transformers comic/magazine, featuring (in amongst more comic strip, features and competitions) the third part of the apocalyptic Twilight’s Last Gleaming. If you remember, TLG takes an alternate look at post live-action movie events, exploring a near-future in the which Decepticons are the victors and Autobots are an endangered species. Starscream continues his machinations this episode, throwing a spanner in the Autobots’ carefully laid plans to further his own diabolical agenda.

Forced into desperate action the moon-based Autobots head for Earth and their respective dates with destiny. And Bumblebee takes on Megatron (no prizes for guessing how that one turns out) and Mikaela takes on Frenzy (not as one-sided as you might think) and Ironhide and Ratchet come up against… well, that’d be telling!

Transformers writer Simon Furman has updated his blog with an entry regarding the upcoming Transformers Spotlight : Grimlock.

Always a favourite of Simon's the Gimlock spotlight can be summed up by the following quote.

"... something of a sequel to Spotlight: Shockwave, it's also something of a prequel (not saying yet to what, but maybe I'll get to spill the beans at Botcon), and it even ties into the ongoing Escalation/Devastation storyline, featuring, as it does, a certain Scorponok! Oh, and rest assured that despite this after- and fore- shadowing, it's pretty much a standalone story in its own right too. Reawakened by government alien-spotters Skywatch, Grimlock is not in the best of moods, especially as he soon realises his actions may have doomed his fellow Dinobots... even if they survived their molten end in Spotlight: Shockwave. Enter Scorponok, with an offer that Grimlock may just not be able to refuse..."

"Well let’s just say that who he is and what he does within the framework of the IDW/TF-verse makes him the perfect foil for Nightbeat as he investigates his missing memories. Hardhead is, for want of a better expression, a “problem solver.” How that plays into Nightbeat’s predicament provides one of the TF/IDW-verse’s most gobsmacking, heartstopping payoffs to date! Plus, a whole host of Micromasters (how many? Ask Nick Roche. He had to draw all the little beggars)"

Simon Furman has updated his blog with information on the latest issue of the UK Transformers comic which comes out later this week.

Falling a bit behind on my Script (W)raps, so here’s a potted digression on/tease for Transformers (UK) #11 & 12, the third and fourth parts respectively of (the 5-part) Twilight’s Last Gleaming. For those who either haven’t yet read issue #9 (shame on you), which is already out, or immersed themselves in previous TLG blog entries (double-shame on you), here’s the basic premise: post-live action movie, but an alternate take on the way things pan out.

Instead of happy endings all round, the final victory belongs to the Decepticons. Earth (or a decent chunk of it anyway) is controlled by Megatron and the Decepticons and those Autobots still active are fighting a desperate rearguard action to prevent a planet-wide transformation into new Cybertron! In parts 3 & 4, Starscream does what Starscreams have been doing since time immemorial, making his own power play for control of the new empire. And if that means provoking a reaction from the Autobot reinforcements (including the likes of Arcee, Armorhide and Skyblast) on the moon, so be it.

More familiar faces start to emerge as the story cranks up to fever pitch, including Frenzy (Mikaela’s got him), Bonecrusher (Ironhide and Ratchet have got him) and Tom Banacek (who’s kind of once removed from the main action). And Bumblebee? He’s got by the far the worst deal: one on one with Megatron. That’s gonna hurt! And you know what? Anything can happen from this point on!

Now firmly in its own distinct movie continuity, things are gonna get a whole lot worse for the Autobots (and Earth) before they get any better. This… is just the beginning! Issues #11 & 12 hit (UK) stores 24th April and 22nd May respectively.

For more information and art go visit TF-UK’s MySpace page here.

Simon Furman has updated his blog with another script (w)rap, this time regarding the forthcoming Wheelie spotlight. In the post, Simon talks about how he reverted to an old Marvel-style plot writing process which he describes as "wherein you describe whole scenes, broken down in clutches of pages, and then hand it over to the artist. Then, once the art comes along, you add in the dialog. Of course, a lot of that dialog is already there, based on our back-and-to discussions and Klaus’s own breakdown-stage notes. It’s been a fun and refreshing change of pace, and I’m looking forward to stage 2, which is pulling all the dialog together as finished pages roll in.".

What can you expect from the Wheelie spotlight, well Simon's description is probably the best thing to go by. Its is a "character-led story for a start. For a large part, it’s just Wheelie, doing his level best to survive against all the odds. Then there’s a certain trio of Decepticons making their debut, plus a last-but-one page shocker that’ll just floor you! And ties into stuff that’s in the works for 09 and beyond! Oh, and we even get into why (by the end of the issue at least) Wheelie talks in rhyming couplets."

Simon Furman has updated his blog with the following article covering Transformers Revelation

The news is out: the next main arc in the IDW/TF-verse series will indeed (as previously reported) be Revelation, but instead of the usual 6-issue format it’ll play out over four interconnected Spotlights (Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer and Sideswipe). Expect major plotlines to be resolved as the last of the -ions (for the foreseeable) brings the Dead Universe storyline (that’s been bubbling under ever since Spotlight: Nightbeat) to a suitably shattering conclusion.

I’ll be doling out the usual Script (W)raps in due course, so I’ll be drip-feeding my own revelations over the coming weeks/months, but for now let’s just say that the Spotlight format remains intact, with a solid character arc in each of the four issues, plus… fallout from Stormbringer, Spotlight Hot Rod, Spotlight Nightbeat, Spotlight Galvatron, Spotlight Arcee and more. And when I say fallout, I mean it. The lives and destinies of numerous main characters are altered forever as two universes clash explosively. Oh, and don’t think this is the end. There’s another series (no, not The 13 or All Hail Megatron) to come, one set firmly in the ‘-ion’ continuity. More on this soon! 08 is SO going to blow you away!

Simon Furman has updated his blog with a post regarding the upcoming IDW Transformers Spotlight on Arcee. Here's a quote

"...And I figured I’d attempt to apply a rationale to the whole issue! So, I expect Arcee to be divisive. Though I hope also, regardless of the whole he-she-it thing going on, people will enjoy it for the rattling good actioner I believe it to be. And boy, does a lot happen this issue. Guest-stars abound… Ultra Magnus, Fortress Maximus (taking his full IDW bow), Banzaitron, the Combaticons (also debutees), Jetfire, the Technobots and more! And it all revolves around a certain character whose name has been uttered more and more frequently in various Spotlights (and even the ‘ongoing’ by now… I think), and will play a big part in what’s to come this year. So, while self-contained, this is without hyperbole a KEY issue. And then there’s the breathtaking art of Alex Milne. I can honestly say I’ve never seen Alex so up for a job, and the results will simply knock your socks off (or “shatter your trousers”, whichever is applicable)."

Visit Simon's Blog to read the full posting as well as an image from the issue.

Simon Furman has updated his blog with a post regarding the 10th issue of the UK Transformers comic. Artwork by Jeremy Tiongson, colours by Jason Cardy. Here's a quote

"As bleak as things were looking for the Autobots (and pretty much the whole of humankind) in part 1, in part 2 things get that much worse. The Autobot counter-offensive against the ruling Decepticons looks to be derailed before it’s even started, with Bumblebee and Mikaela both hunted (by Megatron and Frenzy respectively) inside the former Sector 7/Hoover dam base and the moon-based Autobot reinforcements compromised, and Earth’s military response targeted (by Starscream and Dreadwing). Only Ratchet and Ironhide’s side of the main strike seems still to be proceeding on course, but (realistically) how long can that last? Chaos, carnage, all-out action, things haven’t been this epic since the days of Marvel UK. Whatever you do, don’t miss it."

You can read the post in full as well as see a preview image, if its been re-uploaded by then, over at Simon's blog.

Titan Magazines have updated their MySpace site with some pencil artwork, and the colour cover, from Issue 9 of the UK exclusive Transformers Comic. Issue 9 will be released on the 29th Feb 2008.