Interview for TRANFORMERS: MICROMASTERS

Right around the corner is MICROMASTERS, the latest TRANSFORMERS series to be launched by DREAMWAVE PRODUCTIONS. Along the way, the series' creators were kind enough to let TNI's Damien Wood catch up with them for an interview...

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Damien (TNI): Tell us a bit about MICROMASTERS and where the concept comes from...

JAMES (DWP): Born from an empty bottle of Heineken! Just kidding. Actually the idea for Micromasters began to germinate during the production of the More Than Meets The Eye bio series. Adam was developing some really original bios for a lot of these characters that really got me thinking about them more as real characters. I was already anxious to do a series that sort of serves as a proper prequel to what I was trying to do in Generation One Volume 2, and it seemed like a perfect fit. I mean, if energy and fuel consumption became such an issue during the Great Shutdown, wouldn’t smaller, more fuel-efficient modes be an optimum solution? From there, things just started to snowball.

ADAM (DWP): Exactly. The whole process grew organically out of our frequent late-night discussions about the MTMTE project and the plans we had for expanding the TF universe. James and I did a ton of development work to fill in the blanks on these characters and their world, and the Micromasters series just kind of spiraled out of that. We got really excited about it and started coming up with the story, long before we were even sure that Dreamwave would give us the go-ahead to do the series! Essentially, the Micromasters are the younger, smaller generation of Transformers—one of the main concepts behind the series was to explore different character types and situations. TF is about more than just Optimus and Megatron, and we wanted to show that G1 is rich with characters beyond just the core cast that everyone already knows.”



Damien (TNI): What can we expect from the series?

ADAM (DWP): It’s going to provide characters that are a bit more relatable than the standard Transformer, since they’re going through situations and circumstances that most people have to deal with in the course of their lives. It’s still an epic story about robots from another planet, but we are definitely working to include real-life themes about personal growth, the role of rebellion in growing up and finding yourself, and making your own way in the world—for better or worse.

JAMES (DWP): The goal here is to add even more to the Generation One universe that Adam and I are trying to develop over at Dreamwave. Having said that, expect the usual twists, turns, and surprises that we try to apply to all of our projects. Similar to what we’re trying to do in G1, it’s a very character-focused story. It’s not just a plot that we shoehorn the characters into—instead, we let the characters themselves dictate the type of story they end up in. However, we did really want to try something thematically different with Micromasters that made it stand apart from its sister titles.



Damien (TNI): With the TRANSFORMERS universe ever-expanding, what will make MICROMASTERS stand out?

JAMES (DWP): It’s about punk rock—pure and simple. We really wanted to explore that sense of frustration that we all go through during different periods of our lives. You know, that whole “fuck conformity” attitude—it’s not that you want to be a rebel, you just don’t want to be a cog. Think about it: how would you feel if forced into a war that you knew nothing about…forced to risk your life for a cause that you haven’t even been given enough time to prescribe to, simply because somebody higher up on the totem pole has told you that’s the way it’s going to be…hmmmm…kind of reminds me of certain current events…

ADAM (DWP): There’s never been a Transformers series that’s been wholly about the reactions of the youth to the Autobot/Decepticon conflict, done in a natural way that’s actually topical and relevant to the world situation right now. It’s much more about the characters than their allegiances. Somebody commented on it by saying they liked the story, but had a hard time differentiating the good Micromasters from the bad ones…and that’s the whole point here. Instead of a black-and-white scenario where these people are evil and these people aren’t, we’re seeing how people are forced into certain situations and roles by circumstances. Some of the Autobot and Decepticon Micromasters were—and are—friends, who have just been separated by this conflict they didn’t create or ask to be involved in. By having a pretty much all-new cast, it allows for a level of growth and change that’s difficult for well-established characters.



Damien (TNI): How accessible will MICROMASTERS be? Is it something that casual readers will be able to get into easily?

JAMES (DWP): That’s the goal, and I really think that what we’re trying to do here thematically will draw in readers who may not necessarily be hardcore TF fans. I really think that this series is hitting at a very critical time, when a lot of young people are beginning to question the ideals and system that they’ve been locked into for the past few years.

ADAM (DWP): …Which is exactly the situation the characters in the series find themselves in. Since most of them are appearing in a story for the first time here, everyone should hopefully get in on the ground floor without too much trouble and watch the characters grow. Although it definitely helps to know a little bit about what’s been going on in our TF universe, it’s the new characters we’re introducing that drive the story, so someone who picks it up will be seeing them for the first time and learning about them as they go.

Damien (TNI): And the opposite side of that coin - for long-term readers, what lasting effects (if any) will the series have on other TRANSFORMERS titles?


JAMES (DWP): I think the hardcore fans will really appreciate us proving that Transformers can tell yet another type of story. They’ve been very cool with what we’ve been trying to do in G1, and this is just another chance for us to try and push the envelope while continuing to develop the new Generation One continuity and universe.

ADAM (DWP): And speaking of that continuity, it’ll have a direct and far-reaching tie-in to Generation One, since it sets up the background for the whole ‘Great Shutdown’ time period first introduced in the ‘War and Peace’ mini-series. Plus, we’ve already shown in Generation One #5 the tie-in between the Micromasters and Jetfire/Omega Supreme, so there’s also that connection that we’ll be building upon. Not to mention that there’s a certain alien artifact that will be playing a large role in the future of all the G1-related TF titles, including any potential Beast Wars stories. You never know when—or where—these characters might show up again…



Damien (TNI): Speaking of long-term readers, this isn't the first go-round for either of you in the TRANSFORMERS universe. Are you old-school fans yourselves?

ADAM (DWP): For sure—everyone loves Transformers. I think part of why we’ve been getting such a good response to our take on the series is that we know and love the property, but we’re also bringing a lot of contemporary, real-life experiences into the mix to add a level of realism and emotion that’s been missing for a while.

JAMES (DWP): Yeah, we’re definitely fans of the old school. I remember going nuts the first time I saw that animated commercial for the Marvel comics. Whoo! Those were the days!

Damien (TNI): Have there been added pressures working within a universe of characters and concepts loved by so many? Or is that all part of the fun?

JAMES (DWP): I never really let the pressure get to me. I think if you worry too much about what people think, you won’t tell the stories that come from your heart. You miss out on that, and then what’s the point? Still, I can’t deny how cool it is to have the fans come up to you at a con or whatever and let you know how much they’re digging things. It’s a total trip and makes any of the hardships that you endure during the creative process more than worthwhile, in my opinion.

ADAM (DWP): And we definitely know about the hardships, right? Luckily, the fun of working on Transformers outweighs anything that we have to deal with along the way. Since day one of our TF involvement, the mandate we gave ourselves was to stay true to the core concepts, characters and ideas of the series while still exploring new ground in terms of storytelling. So, while it’s a concern, it’s not one that we have to think about constantly—it’s just the way we do it. That leaves a lot more freedom for us to have fun with it and take it in our own direction without alienating what made Transformers great in the first place.

Damien (TNI): Thanks for taking the time out for this. So, where do you go from here?

ADAM (DWP): Definitely more Transformers stuff…we’re looking forward to getting the results of the Beast Wars vs. Robots in Disguise poll, so we can start work on whichever series wins. Plus, we’re also working on a few projects beyond TF, including a Custom Robo comic adaptation for Nintendo, which are a lot of fun.