Verno
25th March 2013, 06:59 PM
All the way back in 2006, a little 4-Issue Comic Book series came out that changed my relationship with the Transformers franchise forever more. The series was IDW's Beast Wars: The Gathering.
Up until that point, Beast Wars had only ever existed on the screen, so to be able to pick up a 22-page Comic that held a story that ran alongside one I knew so well, it altered my perception of how a Beast Wars story -- or any story for that matter -- could be told.
I'd never had any exposure to Comic Books growing up (there is one Comic book store in Tasmania of any note and it was 4 hours away) so the medium was brand new to me. Reading Furman's story and taking in the sublime artwork provided by Don Figueroa for the 4 Issues, I found my own imagination for new Beast Wars stories cracked open. Upon the culmination of the Gathering story, I embarked on continuing it.
My take on its sequel was ultimately rendered void by the arrival of The Ascending, but instead of dissuading me, I carried on, and reading back through those tentative first notes I made in an old exercise book in 2007, I find the crux of what would become my TransWarp saga.
So here we are, some 6 years, 13 exercise books and 3 sketch books later, I find that I am at the end of my Transformers writing journey; or at least at a definitive point of hiatus.
In those 6 years, I've created The Transversal Continuity (The TVC for short), but some here know it as the Vernoverse. It was my attempt to bring order to a cluttered and confusing Transformers universe and expand the rich backstory of the Beast Wars universe, as well as give it a proper sequel, negating the events of (ironically the IDW Beast Wars Comics which inspired me in the first place, but most importantly) Beast Machines, which has never sat squarely as a fitting conclusion to the Beast saga -- and in my own mind, I have succeeded, creating a vast personal canon, stretching from the creation of Unicron and Primus by The One to the beginning of the TransTech era on Cybertron.
Most recently, I've been working on a new story called Rise of the Maximals, which, as the name suggests, gives an account of what events led to the arrival of this new faction before the end of the Great War. This was the last piece in the TVC puzzle yet to be properly addressed. The 4 Issue story is now planned and the 1st Issue's workable draft is complete. Its completion however put everything in perspective.
With this piece in place, the puzzle in complete and I can see the finished picture in my mind; and it is that sense of completion that has given pause to my drive to continue. I don't need to write the scripts for Issues 2, 3 and 4 of Rise of the Maximals, nor those for Honour or Dark Designs, because ultimately, it serves little purpose beyond entertaining no more than a handful of people. I know that may sound selfish to those who enjoy reading my stories when they pop up (and to Hursty I apologise directly, and thank you for the time you've put in reading every word I've scratched out), but its the brutal truth.
My love of Transformers, and Beast Wars in particular, has never wavered and remains as strong today as ever.
What does 6 years of writing look like? Here's a list of the stories I've created, and a little about each one.
TransWarp: Set in the final stages of the Great War.
Csirac - A 4-Issue series following the fate of Csirac, a Maximal Scientist, kidnapped by the Predacons. Can he help bring an end to the War from behind enemy lines?
Ravage - A 2-Issue story trailing everyone's favourite spy cassette. As the Great War comes to a climax, which side will Ravage choose?
Primal - A young Maximal pilot must defend an experimental TransWarp ship from attacking Predacon fighters. Can this gutsy future leader hold on?
Maxim - Maxim finds himself thrust into destiny's path as he comes to the aid of a heavily injured Optimus Prime. As the final battle of the Great War rages around them, why is Optimus Prime offering the Matrix to him?
Transformers: A series of unconnected stories detailing events both pre and post Beast Wars.
X - Depth Charge and Protoform X duke it out as the walls of Colony Omicron fall around them.
Honour - A young Predacon is taken under the tutelage of a wise old warrior - a survivor of the Great War. He teaches him of Honour and of Purpose, two skills any Warrior must possess in order to shape the Universe.
Tales from Earth:
The Rise of the Maximals - Grimlock find himself in command of Autobot forces on Earth, but dissident Predacons are defying a ceasefire and raiding Autobot ships traveling to Cybertron. Does that sound like the kind of thing Grimlock would let slide?
Golden Disks - Let's just say, there were never only two.
Con - Megatron inscribed the hidden message on the Golden Disk? Think again.
One-Shot Series:
Darkness Trilogy - Who were the Tripredacus Council? And what shadows in their past are they trying to outrun?
Gathering Darkness
Entering Darkness
Burgeoning Darkness
Dark Designs - The Quintesson occupation of Cybertron, and the reformation of the Cybertronian species to serve their ends. It ended in great loss.
Wisdom
War
Wrath
Death
Judgement
The Lost Tetralogy - The story of the original 13 Cybertronians as never heard before.
Lost Creation
Lost Brothers
Lost Children
Lost Alignment
Several of these works are currently being created into their intended Comic format:
TransWarp: Csirac
TransWarp: Ravage
TransWarp: Maxim
The Darkness Trilogy
Transformers: X
I'm confident more will become a reality in time, but stay tuned for updates on the Comic side of things. But as for writing, that's it for now.
It's been fun, it's been frustrating and it's been fascinating. Thank you to those who have taken the time to cast an eye over my stuff, even if you didn't leave a comment - it's greatly appreciated nonetheless.
Until I give in and start writing TransTech stuff, that's all from me for now.
Verno.
Up until that point, Beast Wars had only ever existed on the screen, so to be able to pick up a 22-page Comic that held a story that ran alongside one I knew so well, it altered my perception of how a Beast Wars story -- or any story for that matter -- could be told.
I'd never had any exposure to Comic Books growing up (there is one Comic book store in Tasmania of any note and it was 4 hours away) so the medium was brand new to me. Reading Furman's story and taking in the sublime artwork provided by Don Figueroa for the 4 Issues, I found my own imagination for new Beast Wars stories cracked open. Upon the culmination of the Gathering story, I embarked on continuing it.
My take on its sequel was ultimately rendered void by the arrival of The Ascending, but instead of dissuading me, I carried on, and reading back through those tentative first notes I made in an old exercise book in 2007, I find the crux of what would become my TransWarp saga.
So here we are, some 6 years, 13 exercise books and 3 sketch books later, I find that I am at the end of my Transformers writing journey; or at least at a definitive point of hiatus.
In those 6 years, I've created The Transversal Continuity (The TVC for short), but some here know it as the Vernoverse. It was my attempt to bring order to a cluttered and confusing Transformers universe and expand the rich backstory of the Beast Wars universe, as well as give it a proper sequel, negating the events of (ironically the IDW Beast Wars Comics which inspired me in the first place, but most importantly) Beast Machines, which has never sat squarely as a fitting conclusion to the Beast saga -- and in my own mind, I have succeeded, creating a vast personal canon, stretching from the creation of Unicron and Primus by The One to the beginning of the TransTech era on Cybertron.
Most recently, I've been working on a new story called Rise of the Maximals, which, as the name suggests, gives an account of what events led to the arrival of this new faction before the end of the Great War. This was the last piece in the TVC puzzle yet to be properly addressed. The 4 Issue story is now planned and the 1st Issue's workable draft is complete. Its completion however put everything in perspective.
With this piece in place, the puzzle in complete and I can see the finished picture in my mind; and it is that sense of completion that has given pause to my drive to continue. I don't need to write the scripts for Issues 2, 3 and 4 of Rise of the Maximals, nor those for Honour or Dark Designs, because ultimately, it serves little purpose beyond entertaining no more than a handful of people. I know that may sound selfish to those who enjoy reading my stories when they pop up (and to Hursty I apologise directly, and thank you for the time you've put in reading every word I've scratched out), but its the brutal truth.
My love of Transformers, and Beast Wars in particular, has never wavered and remains as strong today as ever.
What does 6 years of writing look like? Here's a list of the stories I've created, and a little about each one.
TransWarp: Set in the final stages of the Great War.
Csirac - A 4-Issue series following the fate of Csirac, a Maximal Scientist, kidnapped by the Predacons. Can he help bring an end to the War from behind enemy lines?
Ravage - A 2-Issue story trailing everyone's favourite spy cassette. As the Great War comes to a climax, which side will Ravage choose?
Primal - A young Maximal pilot must defend an experimental TransWarp ship from attacking Predacon fighters. Can this gutsy future leader hold on?
Maxim - Maxim finds himself thrust into destiny's path as he comes to the aid of a heavily injured Optimus Prime. As the final battle of the Great War rages around them, why is Optimus Prime offering the Matrix to him?
Transformers: A series of unconnected stories detailing events both pre and post Beast Wars.
X - Depth Charge and Protoform X duke it out as the walls of Colony Omicron fall around them.
Honour - A young Predacon is taken under the tutelage of a wise old warrior - a survivor of the Great War. He teaches him of Honour and of Purpose, two skills any Warrior must possess in order to shape the Universe.
Tales from Earth:
The Rise of the Maximals - Grimlock find himself in command of Autobot forces on Earth, but dissident Predacons are defying a ceasefire and raiding Autobot ships traveling to Cybertron. Does that sound like the kind of thing Grimlock would let slide?
Golden Disks - Let's just say, there were never only two.
Con - Megatron inscribed the hidden message on the Golden Disk? Think again.
One-Shot Series:
Darkness Trilogy - Who were the Tripredacus Council? And what shadows in their past are they trying to outrun?
Gathering Darkness
Entering Darkness
Burgeoning Darkness
Dark Designs - The Quintesson occupation of Cybertron, and the reformation of the Cybertronian species to serve their ends. It ended in great loss.
Wisdom
War
Wrath
Death
Judgement
The Lost Tetralogy - The story of the original 13 Cybertronians as never heard before.
Lost Creation
Lost Brothers
Lost Children
Lost Alignment
Several of these works are currently being created into their intended Comic format:
TransWarp: Csirac
TransWarp: Ravage
TransWarp: Maxim
The Darkness Trilogy
Transformers: X
I'm confident more will become a reality in time, but stay tuned for updates on the Comic side of things. But as for writing, that's it for now.
It's been fun, it's been frustrating and it's been fascinating. Thank you to those who have taken the time to cast an eye over my stuff, even if you didn't leave a comment - it's greatly appreciated nonetheless.
Until I give in and start writing TransTech stuff, that's all from me for now.
Verno.