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http://comicnewsi.com/article.php?catid=208&itemid=9670
Simon Furman Talks Transformers
posted by Jay at 13:54:18 on 04/19/07
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We had a chance to catch up with Transformers writer extraordinaire, Mr. Simon Furman, to discuss some of his current projects.
CNI: I just finished reading issue #5 of Transformers Escalation and have to say that the action is picking up quite a bit with Prime and Megatron duking it out there in the arctic. I noticed during the dialogue between the two, Megatron talks about how he and Prime have a long history with one another and that he even used to respect Prime as a tactician. Will you be touching on this past between the two in more detail in the foreseeable future?
Furman: I’m actually more keen to keep the ongoing/present day story flowing, so while I’ll certainly reference other (past) encounters between Prime and Megatron (like the flashbacks in Stormbringer), I have no current plans to delve into the past in too much detail. There’s so much going on anyway in the Infiltration/Escalation/Devastation storyline, it feels like it would just slow things down. It’s great that we have series like Megatron: Origin to flesh out the characters further, but largely my aim is all about building this epic (present day) saga, which (while it has roots in the past, such as were shown in the Shockwave/Soundwave Spotlights, and soon in the Galvatron Spotlight) is reaching critical mass in the here and now.
CNI: It was announced during Wondercon that "Devastation" would be the next G1 mini-series after Escalation. Any hints you can drop for us about this one? Like why was Shockwave buried in the ground at the end of issue 5 of Escalation, or where is Soundwave who is still MIA?
Furman: Slowly but surely, all the Spotlights and sub-plots will come to fruition in the main series. So characters like Shockwave and Soundwave will definitely come into their own in the main series. But not yet. Neither features (other than as ticking sub-plots) in Devastation, which focuses on two main story strands: Sixshot and the Reapers (from the Sixshot Spotlight) and the ongoing Machination/Sunstreaker/Hunter storyline. Also, as a kind of third story thread (though it’s more of a sub-plot in Devastation), the Galvatron/First Ark storyline gathers pace. There are two key bridging issues between Escalation and Devastation. The first is Spotlight Galvatron and the second is Spotlight Optimus Prime. Both feed back into Devastation and then, more critically, Revelation (the fourth ‘ongoing’ mini-series).
CNI: You've got a Transformers Spotlight coming up about Galvatron. Can you tell us a little bit about this version of him in the IDW universe? Will he be from an alternate universe or a future version of Megatron?
Furman: This time out Galvatron is not the future version of Megatron. In fact, in a complete reversion of chronology (from classic G1), he kind of pre-dates Megatron. This all ties into the mysterious fate of the first Ark spacecraft and Prime’s strange encounter in Escalation #6 (which in turn loops into Spotlight Prime). As for the IDW Galvatron, he’s still got elements of the original. He still has a strong sense of his own destiny and balks at having to take orders. Oh, and there’s a Stormbringer tie-in in the Galvatron Spotlight. Don’t you just love how everything’s inter-related?
CNI: You also are working on the Transformers Movie prequel which will lead readers straight into this summer's blockbuster movie. Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to work on such a project? Did you and Chris Ryall, who you are co-writing the story with, develop the plot or was it given to you by the folks at Paramount/Dreamworks?
Furman: Chris worked closely with Paramount/Dreamworks to nail down the storyline, at which point I came onboard as co-scripter. I did suggest a few ways to make the story more complete in and of itself (the trouble with a Prequel is that often all it does is set up what’s to come, and I do like to make sure everything’s a complete, satisfactory entity in its own right, whether or not it feeds into a bigger or connected storyline). After that, we just alternated on script chores, with the non-scripter playing devil’s advocate on the first draft. Worked really well, I think.
CNI: If all of you at IDW developed the story yourselves, can you tell us the steps you went through to do it? How difficult is it to create a story that ties directly into something like a movie?
Furman: Though Paramount/Dreamworks had clear ideas of what we could and couldn’t do, largely Chris and I sought to exploit anything in the movie that was either mentioned in passing or simply assumed to have happened. So you have stuff like the battle at Tyger Pax, how Bumblebee lost his voice, the extraction of Megatron from the ice and the history of Sector 7. We really wanted to join all the dots, even looping in the teaser trailer on Mars. But we also tried to bring in new elements of our own, so in issue #4 we get to see a first (explosive!) encounter between Sector 7 and the Transformers, one that’s never mentioned in the movie.
CNI: Having written so many stories with the G1 characters and now working with the movie versions, can you touch upon some of the similarities and differences the characters have from one another?
Furman: In many ways, I view the core characters as archetypes, so whether it’s in Infiltration/Escalation et al or the movie, I approach them in such as way as to incorporate the key character elements. It’s more straightforward in Infiltration/Escalation et al, as these are just updated versions of the same characters (with a few new twists and tweaks), but even with the movie I found myself writing the characters with their namesakes in mind. Starscream (movie-version) speaks much like classic G1 Starscream. I just didn’t see the point in messing with a character dynamic that works so well as is. Movie Bumblebee is a lot tougher and more resilient than his G1 namesake, and as you get further down the supporting cast (like Ratchet, Ironhide and Devastator... who feature in the upcoming UK Transformers comic from Titan) the differences become more noticeable. But, at heart, they’re the same.
CNI: Can you tell us when we will next see a new Beast Wars series from IDW come out?
Furman: I believe Beast Wars The Ascending is scheduled to ship in August or September, with the BW Profiles series around the same time. Devastation kicks off around then too, so it’s a really big, strong autumn offensive in the TF front.
CNI: You have worked on Transformers with 3 different comic book companies over the years (Marvel, Dreamwave & IDW). Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to work with each company? What were some advantages and disadvantages as far as how it affected Transformers for each company?
Furman: With Marvel UK, it was an amazing rush. We were working on a wing and prayer most of the time, trying to get stuff out on a weekly basis and trying to weave it into what the US Transformers comic creators were doing. It was an breathless, exhilarating time, and by and large it turned out okay (with some great little stories and story arcs). By the time I started working for Marvel US (on the US comic), I felt a little bit more in control, like I knew what I was doing and where I was going with it all. I had the best editors (Don Daley and then Rob Tokar) who just trusted me and let me do my thing. It was a great time, but all too brief as it turned out. Dreamwave was a strange experience. On the one hand, it was hugely exciting to working with those guys (they had such enthusiasm), but looking back I realise I had reservations and concerns almost from the start. It was all wild creativity and no one in proper control, and what control there was had a strange negative aspect to it (a kind of ‘these are my toys, naff off’ vibe that just wasn’t constructive). So far IDW is the most professional, controlled experience I’ve ever had with Transformers. They know what they’re doing and they’re giving me just enough latitude to do what I do best without letting me run wild. Though I’m biased and there’s always a tendency to view your current work in this light, I honestly think the end product is some of the best Transformers stuff to see print. And we’re just getting started!
CNI: Between G1, Beast Wars and now the Movie, which is your favorite Transformers Universe to work on and why?
Furman: The Infiltration/Escalation/Devastation universe I’m building right now is the most satisfying to me, simply because it’s us who are building it (rather than continuing someone else’s vision of Transformers). That said, I love Beast Wars, I was a big fan of the show and what Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio created there. It’s such a blast to be able to continue that. And the movie stuff is really growing on me. The more I have to do with it (and the more I see of the movie itself), the more I see the potential. Infiltration/Escalation/Devastation is ‘my’ vision of Transformers, so I’m most inspired by that, I guess, but right now I’m just having the best time writing Transformers (in any incarnation), ever. So it’s hard to say I’m enjoying one more than another.
CNI: Who is your favorite Transformers character and why?
Furman: I hate this question, because the answer is always Grimlock and everyone always groans. I just love borderline, conflicted characters. You (and the reader) never know what they’re going to do next! But, I’ve taken pains to sideline Grimlock (so far) in the Infiltration/Escalation/Devastation-verse, so I am coming to appreciate other characters. I’m having a lot of fun writing Sideswipe at the moment. He’s a character I never really explored overmuch, and he’s definitely got lots of potential. Expect big, confrontational things there.
CNI: Any other projects with IDW or otherwise you would like to take some time to tell us about?
Furman: The two ‘other’ things I’m very excited about right now are the Transformers UK strips (it’s so great to write for/talk about a TFUK title again and actually think it might have legs) and a Terminator 2: Infinity mini-series, which I’m writing for Dynamite. Terminator is something I know and love, and the chance to continue the saga of John Connor beyond the movies is just amazing. Oh, and I’m having great fun (more than I expected maybe) with my blog. Should’ve done one ages ago, really, but I just thought it’d be a chore (and one more thing to fit into an already busy working week). Actually, though, it’s quite the opposite. You can check it out at: http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/
So there you have it Transfans. Thanks again to Mr. Furman for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk with us.
[ Last edited by tianfengru on 2007-4-22 at 07:10 ] |
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