Unreleased Dreamwave issues

From Transformers Wiki

When Dreamwave Productions declared bankruptcy in 2005, several of their series were left hanging without any strong sense of closure. However, various sources have revealed small portions of what might have been, including solicitations sent to retailers before the bankruptcy. At New York Comic Con 2009 IDW Publishing revealed that while they do have the artwork from the unfinished/unpublished issues, they will not complete and print the issues as there is significant doubt that the artists and writers were paid for their work during the tail end of Dreamwave's run on the brand.

Energon

Despite issue #30 completing its current storyline, Energon still had many unresolved plot points. Hasbro copywriter Forest Lee has suggested that the Cybertron cartoon can be considered a follow-up, though it does require some stretching.

In November 2010, Simon Furman started to reveal the plot of the unreleased issues on his blog.^[1] TFWiki has created articles for each of these unreleased issues based on these summaries; links, and the original solicitations for the issues, follow below.

Issue 31 — "Doomsday Redux!"

"REVELATIONS! Just who is (or rather, was) Alpha Quintesson, and what are his true plans for Cybertron, Earth and Unicron? While seeming to serve the Chaos Bringer, the multi-faceted alien has been developing a world-shattering agenda of his own, one that bridges worlds and dimensions. Now, at last, Alpha Quintesson begins his ‘endgame’, and first in his sights is the Mini-Con Over-Run!"

Issue 32 — "Armageddon Part 1"

"Demolished! The next — and final — Energon story arc gets underway in earnest! It's the beginning of the end as Alpha Quintesson and Councillor Avalon's quest for the mysterious Conduit centers once more on the Autobots' human ally, Kicker. The all-new, upgraded Demolishor is on the case, and he’ll stop at nothing — literally — to get the job done. Get ready for Armageddon!"

Issue 33 — "Armageddon Part 2"

"INFERNO! What happens when four living Energon powerhouses tackle a being of pure Energon? It's the fighting-mad Omnicons —Arcee, Signal Flare, Strongarm and Skyblast — versus the plainly mad Starscream, and the result is an Energon inferno that threatens to consume Cybertron! Plus... the return of Unicron's Four Horsemen and the shocking secret of the planet Nervissa!"

Issue 34 — "Armageddon Part 3"

No solicitation.

Issue 35 — "Armageddon Part 4"

No solicitation.

Issue 36 — "Armageddon Part 5"

No solicitation.

Energon: More Than Meets The Eye

Cover for issue #1 by Guido Guidi

In keeping with Armada, a three-part More Than Meets The Eye series of Energon characters was also planned. Much of the artwork and profiles were completed. Alex Milne produced artwork for several character's profiles, which he ended up displaying and selling at conventions. These included Alpha Quintesson,^[2] Alpha Trion,^[3] Arcee,^[4] Avalon,^[5] Galvatron,^[6] Levitacus,^[7] and Mirage.^[8]

Also tasked with doing art for the books was Guido Guidi who did the full three-part cover piece,^[9] as well as character art for Barricade, ^[10] Blackout, ^[11] Blight, ^[12] Cyclonus, ^[13] Doomlock, ^[14] and Command Ravage. ^[15] Given the overlap between the Armada package art and the Armada More Than Meets The Eye series, it's probable that Guidi's package artwork for Bruticus Maximus^[16] would've also made an appearance.

Issue 1

"It's Energon's turn to get the MTMTE treatment! Dreamwave's mega-successful series of official Transformers guidebooks returns with enough Energon facts, figures and profiles to put a smile on the face of any Trans-fananatic. You'll learn the secrets of Alpha Quintesson, discover the truth behind Kicker, and get even more info on Hot Shot, Jetfire, and dozens more! Brought to you by Transformers Energon series writer Simon Furman and a plethora of your favorite TF artists."

Issue 2

"Optimus Prime! Megatron! Omega Supreme! The heavy hitters are out in full force in book 2 of Dreamwave's official guide to Transformers: Energon. You'll also get the goods on the powerful Energon Saber, the origin of the Omnicons, Unicron's Four Horsemen, and more. Look for the third and final installment next month!"

War Within: The Age of Wrath

War Within: The Age of Wrath would presumably have concluded with the defeat of the Aerospace Extermination Squad, based on the events of later stories. Many of the major characters — including Grimlock, seemingly killed in issue #1 — appear in later stories as well and therefore must have survived.

Additionally, several pages of art work were published in the TransformersCon 2005 Program (which had several ex-Dreamwave employees as special guests). The covers to the issues were also seen in solicitations to comic retailers.

Furman would later sell signed copies of the completed issue 4 script at some 2010 conventions, and TFWiki has created an article based on it, and subsequently sold the completed issue 5 script and an outline of issue 6 in similar fashion at 2011 conventions, which TFWiki has also created articles for.

Issue 4

Main article: The Age of Wrath Pt.4

"ALONE! Stranded on a strange alien world, far, far from Cybertron, Turbomaster Flash is about to realize there really is no place like home... even when home is ruled by arch tyrant Megatron and his legions of clone warriors. The terrible truth behind the invasion and conquest of Cybertron is finally revealed. Now all Flash has to do is stay alive long enough to tell someone!"

Cover: Flash stranded on an alien planet.
Pages 1,2,3: Flash on an alien planet being attacked by Sharkticons. Meanwhile, on Cybertron, Perceptor talks with the other Turbomasters.
Page 4: Perceptor prepares to examine a captured clone warrior from the Aerospace Extermination Squadron.

Issue 5

Main article: The Age of Wrath Pt.5

"HE'S BACK! Optimus Prime, right? Well... maybe. But then again... maybe not! Blaster's desperate bid to free the enslaved Autobots lies in ruins, his and his entire team's lives are Megatron's to take at his will. But in their darkest hour, a hero returns to the fray, a force too powerful to be contained even by death's dark dominion. Prepare to be shocked senseless all over again!"

Cover: Blaster held at gunpoint by Megatron.
Page 1: Shockwave's lab, with a studied Clone Trooper over a deactivated Shockwave.
Page 2: Two deactivated clone troopers lying in a heavily damaged lab. Also, small, dead Piranacons litter the floor amidst the shattered remains of the tank Megatron used to torture Starscream in. Starscream himself is lying there alive but in a great deal of pain, curled into a fetal position.
Page 5: Blaster fights against Clone Troopers and Megatron, using sound attacks and his electro-scrambler.

Issue 6

Main article: The Age of Wrath Pt.6

"Last Stand! Finally... the battle you've been waiting for! Optimus Prime returns to take on his archenemy Megatron. But is Prime the 'bot he was? Scarred mentally and physically by his nightmarish exile, Prime plainly may not be up to the job! But if he can't beat Megatron and stop the rise of his second-generation clone army ... who can?"

Cover: Optimus Prime battling Megatron, as Ultra Magnus watches in the background.

Issue 4 cover
Issue 5 cover
Issue 6 cover

Generation One

Several covers of Generation One were distributed to comic retailers in solicitations. Pages from the unreleased issue 11 were published in the fourth issue of The Comic Book Digest from Lamp Post Publications.^[17] Additional pages leaked onto the internet revealed a great number of Exosuits. In all likelihood, these are connected to Project Centurion mentioned in "The Route of All Evil".

Chris Sarracini and Guido Guidi were to take over from #12.^[18]

Issue 11

"Because YOU demanded it: The return of the Dinobots! The hot-tempered cavalier Hot Rod finds himself in over his head when a mysterious group of Transformers-like warriors interferes with a standard transfer mission. What are these mysterious agents truly after, and what hope do Hot Rod and his team have of stopping them? Featuring the return of the fan-favorite Dinobots, the first-ever comic book debut of some of Generation One's most desirable characters, and much, much more!"^[19]

Cover: Several female robots, lookin' deadly as Hot Rod's hand reaches up to them.
Page 1: Hot Rod looking up at a deactivated Optimus Prime being held in a repair chamber.
Page 2: Hot Rod passing by Wheelie and Gnaw and looking out of a window.
Page 3: Arcee looks out a window towards Cybertron shrinking in the distance, as she, Kup, Springer, and the Dinobots travel on their way to Cybertron's moon. They see a Quintesson ship in orbit.
Page 4: Hot Rod, Wheelie, and Gnaw see a female robot, Elita One, teleport into the facility.
Page 5: Hot Rod tries to shoot at her, but Elita throws a dagger that knocks the guns out of his hands. She challenges him to hand-to-hand combat. (At a Transformerscon 2005 guest panel, it was mentioned by the writers that the female robots were to be skilled martial artists.)
Page 6: Hot Rod accepts the challenge, but Elita is more than a match for him. Gnaw urges Wheelie to stay back.
Page 7: Elita One ducks a punch from Hot Rod and deactivates him before he can sound the alarm. She sends a communication back to Quintessa, where three other female robots are waiting.
Page 8: The other three female robots teleport into the facility. Gnaw transforms to fight them off, but Moonracer and Elita One take him out with ease. Elita orders Chromia to take Hot Rod back through the portal.
Page 9: Elita One, Moonracer, and Firestar proceed further into the facility until they discover Optimus Prime in his repair chamber.
Page 10: Chromia brings Hot Rod through. Meanwhile, Wheelie leaps down from a hiding place in the ceiling, delivering a kick to the female robots and punching Moonracer while she's down. However, Elita knocks him to the floor with a kick of her own.^[20]
Page 11: Elita looms over Wheelie, ready to deliver the killing blow with her blade. But rescue is on its way: the Dinobots, disembarked from the shuttle, charging into action!^[21]
Page 12: As Grimlock's shadow rounds the corner, Elita orders a retreat.^[22]

Issue 12

"This is it: the return of the most popular Transformer of all time! Yes, the indomitable Optimus Prime is finally back, ready to chew Energon and kick bumper-and he's all outta Energon! But the question is: where is he? Find out in this thrill-packed anniversary issue, as the greatest Autobots leader ever faces off against the ravenous Sharkticons and their cruel masters, the Quintessons! Don't miss this special birthday issue, a perfect jumping-on point featuring Optimus Prime himself ushering in an all-new era of Transformers greatness. The countdown to 2005 begins now!"

Cover: Optimus Prime holding the body of Elita One in a manner reminiscent of The Uncanny X-Men #136^[23] and Crisis On Infinite Earths #7.^[24] There was also going to be a variant cover featuring a drawing of Optimus Prime by Pat Lee. Ideally, the issue would have been released during December, which Dreamwave was calling their "Optimus Prime Month".

Issue 13

"2005 is here - and the battle for the universe begins! Created by the sinister Unicron, the lone Cyclonus has been dispatched to search the galaxy for the missing Alpha herald, Scourge. But when his mission leads him to a top-secret storage facility on Earth, will Cyclonus find the end of his quest or the business end of several high-caliber EDC-issued blasters? This initial arc - "Detection" kicks off the biggest, baddest Generation One storyline ever! Get in on the ground floor for a front-row seat to the beginning - of the apocalypse!"

Cover: Cyclonus holding the head of Scourge

Issue 14 - "The Enemy Within"

Although originally advertised with this solicitation...

"The humans fight back as the "Contact" arc continues! Recovering from Cyclonus’ violent assault on their facilities, the EDC tries to equalize the odds by activating its top secret defense plan—Project Centurion! Suspecting something sinister, Marissa begins to explore the real motives behind the EDC's newest operation. Fearing the worst, the recently revived Autobot leader Optimus Prime rallies his troops on both Earth and Cybertron for the dark future looming on the horizon."

...this plot was then bumped with intention of being replaced with a one-shot fill-in penned by Simon Furman centering on Jetfire and The Fallen. TFWiki has created an article for Furman's story based on a summary posted to his blog in late 2010.

We blame Dreamwave's fall on YOU!
If Optimus had tears he'd be crying.
Scourge, I knew him, Galvatron...

Generation One 2004 Datatracks Annual

This low-priced one-shot was to be written by James McDonough and Adam Patyk, with art by Joe Ng and Don Figueroa.

"As Generation One's 20th anniversary celebration comes to a close, Dreamwave pulls out all the stops to reveal the all-new 2004 Datatracks, which boasts an original short story featuring the one and only Optimus Prime fighting alongside his brother, Ultra Magnus! Not only that, but fans can also expect brand-new expanded MTMTE entries for the female Autobots, Sunstorm, and a few more surprises! This exciting one-shot annual is the perfect way to cap off "Optimus Prime Month," while kicking 2005 into overdrive! This comic is priced to move at only $1.95 — so don't miss out!"

Cover: Optimus Prime and an unarmored Ultra Magnus stand back to back, with images of Autobots, Decepticons, Quintessons and humans displayed behind them.

Rules of Extinction

Referenced in a footnote in issue #8 of the Generation 1 ongoing, this story would have centered on the Dinobots, apparently revealing how they came to Earth, were buried, and were then uncovered in the present day by Optimus Prime's Autobots. Exactly how it was supposed to be published is unknown, but it's speculated it was to be one of the stories included in the Datatracks Annual covered above.

Beast Wars

Main article: Shell Game issue 1

Although heavily advertised, no issues of Beast Wars: Shell Game ever saw print. Scans found on the internet show it would have had strong similarities to the Beast Wars: The Gathering by the same creative team, and Simon Furman's original #1 script^[25] confirms that much of mini-series was recycled into Gathering. A key difference was that the TV cast were to be involved. In addition, this Beast Wars would have tied in with the Ongoing G1 series.

The solicitation for #2 reveals there would be a flashback to "just after the end of the Great War on Cybertron... and witness the trial of Megatron! The verdict and judgment that follow set in motion a truly terrifying chain of events...".^[26] The cover showed Beast Wars Megatron on trial, so that's probably the Megatron they meant.

At Transformerscon 2004, Pat Lee also expressed an interest in possibly doing a complete series of More Than Meets The Eye profile books for Beast Wars, including all non-show characters. As you can imagine, this never happened, but again, was an idea eventually implemented by IDW.

Issue 1a cover
Issue 1b cover
Issue 1c cover
Issue 1 incentive cover
Issue 2 cover

Transformers/G.I. Joe: Divided Front

Dreamwave's second crossover, Transformers/G.I. Joe: Divided Front managed to have one issue released before the company folded. Adam Patyk and James McDonough were scheduled to write issues 2–5, while Chris Sarracini was slated to write issue 6. Pat Lee was to draw all of the remaining issues.