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Interview - Sinclair Talks Newest Club Comic

TFormers.com had the pleasure to sit down with Transformers Collectors' Club's Pete Sinclair, the managing editor of all the club's fictional endeavors. The interview specifically talks about the club's most recent comic, Withered Hope.

TFormers.com: Most fans are familiar with the Transtech series that never was. However, for the record, can you tell us what you know it to be and explain how the Club is presenting it in the Transcendent and subsequent comics?

Pete Sinclair: As far as I know, Transtech (TT) was a proposed extension of the Beast Wars era line/mythos. For whatever reason it was not used but, as many know, some of the details and images have been floating around online for years now.

TFormers.com: Why did you decide to use the Transtech line rather than creating a completely new universe?

Pete Sinclair: Well, we actually did create a whole new Universe; we just used the existing designs for TT as the base. And that was part of the thought process; these designs were so cool it was just way to tempting to not use them in fiction.

TFormers.com: When Transtech was initially designed by Hasbro, it was to follow the Beast Wars/Machines-era. How closely, if at all, will this continuity follow the Beast Wars/Beast Machines era series?

Pete Sinclair: It actually has nothing to do with the BW/BM continuity. While that may have initially been part of the proposal, we decided to go in a new direction for two reasons. One, a Post-Beast Machines story has already been told since the Transtech line was first proposed and two, this was an opportunity to create some brand new characterizations and go in a whole new direction with characters such as Cheetor, Shockwave and Megatron.

TFormers.com: It had to be no small task, giving this series a story. Did Hasbro have anything for you to work off?

Pete Sinclair: Forest Lee has crafted an amazing world using these characters. This world is like no other Cybertron ever seen before. He has really done an amazing job with this Universe.

TFormers.com: What was the hardest part of working with the Transtech concept?

Pete Sinclair: You would have to ask Alex Milne that one. I mean, for those behind the story, it is no harder than any other world you try to bring to life. It is easier in ways when you don’t have to know the whole back-story. The designs, though, are very different, and I know Alex was excited at the idea of drawing TF’s in a new and different way…

TFormers.com: How heavily were the designs in this comic influenced by concept sketches that we have seen from the Draxhall Jump concept designs?

Pete Sinclair: They are almost completely based on those designs. Ken Lashley, who heads up Draxhall Jump (the company [that] originally proposed Transtech), was originally on board to do the comic. He had to leave the project early on and Alex jumped in and took over. Alex has done an amazing job and has really brought the TT designs to life.

TFormers.com: At least three different time-lines have been referenced so far (the visitors', Alpha Trion's, and Axiom Nexus). How many are there?

Pete Sinclair: How many total will we see referenced? Not sure yet. Probably not too many specifically, but the thing about Axiom Nexus is that there are thousands of Autobots and Decepticons from numerous different timelines hanging around the city. The Transtechs refer to them as outworlders. But that is what is so cool about TT. You have this world where you can literally run in to just about any character from the Transformers Universe. The G1 Bluestreak you see or Cybertron Scattershot may not be from the cartoon or a pre-existing comic, they may just be one of the numerous doppelgangers that exist throughout the multiverse. This allows us all kinds of story and character freedom.

TFormers.com: Will this be a multi-universe adventure? Or will this story stay on the Axiom Nexus?

Pete Sinclair: That is what I touched on in my previous answer. Axiom Nexus brings the multiverse to you. Year 4 of the comic stays primarily in Axiom Nexus, though part of the adventure for the Gobots from Withered Hope does take place outside of Axiom.

TFormers.com: Alpha Trion says that in his time-line, the Decepticons were defeated. However, in this time-line it seems they're still alive and still up to no good, but are called the Transtech instead. Will they be reveled as the Decepticons? Or are these guys a completely different thing?

Pete Sinclair: Yeah, I don’t think we have specifically called them Autobots and Decepticons yet, but there are separate factions. Megatron and Shockwave are Decepticons. However, that is what is so different about the Transtech Universe. All Transtech Transformers are Transtechs first and are their individual factions second. That is why they have advanced to this level; they realized that the advancement of their race, to transcend to something more advanced, that this is paramount. They never were at war, and thus they never had to use their time and resources on war. This has allowed them to work towards a Transformers full potential. The Decepticons are still about power; they just see the power being realized through their race as a whole.

Now, are their differences between factions? Yes. The Autobots and Decepticons still have their differences, but they resolve them politically. There is a Senate that oversees the worlds affairs and both sides attempt to do what they see is best for their race. The main difference is, the Decepticons are far more “relaxed” when to come to morals. That is where all the outworlders come in to play. The Decepticons have no problems experimenting on these Transformers, to learn about other Cybertrons, as it is all done for the greater good.


TFormers.com: The visitors mistook Alpha Trion as Vector Prime when he was first introduced in the comic. Will we continue to see this trend?

Pete Sinclair: No, not necessarily. All we know right now is that Alpha Trion looks similar to Vector Prime due to them both being extremely old.

TFormers.com: Does this mean that similar characters co-exist but within different universes?

Pete Sinclair: One thing I will say is that A3 and Vector Prime are not from the same universe per se. However, since Vector Prime has been known to visit many different continuities I am not sure if they ever ran in to each other or not.

TFormers.com: What other familiar characters are planned to be introduced? An Optimus Prime perhaps?

Pete Sinclair: Perhaps… Senator Ratbat did show up in the current issue. That is actually an all-new design by Alex.

TFormers.com: What other Transtech designs should we expect to grace upcoming pages of this series' run?

Pete Sinclair: Well, without giving too much away, Starscream will make an appearance, as will Prowl and a few others.

TFormers.com: How does “Withered Hope” tie into the “Gone Too Far” comic?

Pete Sinclair: It does not tie directly in to Gone Too Far. There are connecting characters thoughout the Prose srories though, such as Cheetor. Basically, in each issue of the TCC magazine there in a one-page comic “bonus page” which shows some other event happening in Axiom Nexus at the same time as each TT installment ends for that issue. These prologues lead into the Prose fiction stories you can read online on the Transformers Collectors’ Club member’s page. In Part 1 of Transcendent we get a mis-adventure starring Jackpot and Hubcap (Gone Too Far). Part 2 ends with an adventure starring the e-hobby gobots (Withered Hope). Part 3’s bonus page is included in the issue shipping now and is called I, Lowtech. This is the third and final TT Prose story we are doing. It is written by Greg Sepelak and S. Trent Troop with art by Nick Roche

TFormers.com: Is there something special this team is going to learn about Axiom Nexus?

Pete Sinclair: Each Prose story gives us a better look at Axiom Nexus. With the Comic and the Prose stories you see this city, this world, through the eyes of both the Transtechs and the outworlders. There are still some thing’s that have not been revealed about the characters on this world, but all in due time…

TFormers.com: Is that Bugbite from the G1 Mini-bots? Who are the others on the team?

Pete Sinclair: At the beginning of Withered Hope we see Bugbite, Path Finder, Bad Boy, Treads, Road Ranger and Small Foot. Also, the WH completely explains why we see Bugbite in Axiom Nexus as well as in issue 2 of Transformers Timelines.

TFormers.com: Great to see a female bot in charge. Can you tell us a little about what kind of leader Path Finder is?

Pete Sinclair: She is a noble and trustworthy character. She cares about her team, even a jerk like Bugbite!

TFormers.com: Will we be seeing any other unique characters just to this universe that we should be anticipating?

Pete Sinclair: Yes. And a HUGE fight scene. I mean c’mon, these Transtechs have all kinds of power; we are definitely going to show off what they can do!

TFormers.com: Are there any plans to do a figure based on the Transtech series for BotCon or the Club?

Pete Sinclair: A new mold? No. A redeco/remold of an existing toy? You never know…

TFormers.com: Thank you for your time. Be sure to check out www.TransformersClub.com for more information and details on how you can get this comic and much more by becoming a member today!

Data Center

Member Comments

Last 10 comments - ( Read All Posts )
deceptikhan 2008-05-28 @ 11:49 pm

Thats pretty cool. Can someone telll me if your a member, can you get back issues as well?

I imagine its not as easy as ordering it from the club, more like shows & conventions.

Any one speak on that some more?

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