BotCon Storylines

[Verno]

For those of you who aren't aware, I've finally been fleshing out my Transformers Fan-Fiction to tie together G1 with BW (it can be found HERE! for those interested)

With no real hope of it going any furhter, I sent copies of some of my work to both IDW and to the organisers of BotCon. IDW pointed out that Hasbro weren't interested in producing another BW comic at this time, but BotCon's response was very interesting, in regards to outside offers of a storyline...

The story is developed after we know what toys we want to use. We have a general theme when we start picking toys but not an exact story. Because our tool selection is limited, we don't really have a way to work the other direction.

Thanks for the offer though. And I'll copy your email to our editor in case he ever has need of another writer.

Brian

What an interesting way to operate! "We can get this toy, and this toy, and this toy.... Hmmm.... How can we make that work..."

No wonder BotCon stories are bollocks, they're given no prior thought it seems.

[GoktimusPrime]

This comes as no surprise. Of course the BotCon comics revolve around their exclusive toys... that's the whole point! Exclusive comic sold to market the exclusive toys that are sold at the same convention. Happens every year. And I think for the most part they're pretty well written considering.

Also... this is Transformers. It is principally a toy franchise... the bulk of canon ever written for Transformers was done so to promote the toys. Besides... if you don't like their stories, don't get their comics (which you can only do so by either attending the convention or obtaining them from an attendee). A lot of the more "awkward" moments in TF canon occur because of Hasbro's push to promote their toys. It's only when Hasbro's not pushing product that gives writers more creative freedom -- so I personally have greater admiration for writers who can produce decent to good stories under the constraints of having to promote products (e.g. Simon Furman, Larry DiTillio, Bob Forward etc.) as opposed to people who produce mediocre stories without that level of constraint (*cough*MichaelBay*cough*)

No wonder BotCon stories are bollocks, they're given no prior thought it seems.

I quite like most BotCon stories actually.

[Verno]

But they don't just revolve around the toys, the story is dictated by them! For me, that's putting the cart before the horse.

[LordCyrusOmega]

So what you're saying Verno is that while a lot of the media surrounding Transformers could be viewed as an extended commercial with a story line, the BotCon comics are nothing more then a commercial. I think.
That actually made more sense in my head.
I've only read 1 BotCon comic and that was the Animated one from this (last?) year and I didn't mind it.
Most of the shows are based around what Toys they want to promote and a story written from there. The only instanse (that I know of) where this didn't happen was the Bay movies. And look how well that worked.

[Verno]

So what you're saying Verno is that while a lot of the media surrounding Transformers could be viewed as an extended commercial with a story line, the BotCon comics are nothing more then a commercial. I think.

I don't know what I'm saying I was just suprised how much of an influence the selection of toy, not a character, but a toy, had over the storyline.

[LordCyrusOmega]

It happens with all the shows. I did think that the comics weren't as influenced but I'm not surprised that the BotCon stuff is.

[Verno]

Shows, sure. But they're promoting a larger line of 30-40 figures. The storyline isn't influenced by wanting to sell only 4-5 of those 40-odd figures.

The creative process in writing the BotCon stories just seems a little backwards to me.

Why not write a great story, and then make do with what they can get? That's what Bob and Larry did with BW. Evidence of this? Wolfang. He was originally slated to be in the show, but due to constraints, not from Hasbro, but from Mainframe, the character had to be rethought and eventually it was filled by Tigatron instead.

[Hursticon]

I don't have so much of a problem with Funpub's choice in how they write their comics, but I have a massive issue with some of the choices of figures they utilise for characters... Botcon '06 Dinobot anyone?
Generally, I think they do an ok job with their comics but it is just a pity that some of the figures they choose to represent the character's in said stories don't reflect the same level of quality and/or thought.

I wouldn't worry about Funpub or Botcon too much Verno, they know how to run a convention but handling a franchise's narrative is a different matter.
(Again though, it's nice that they at least gave you a response )

[LordCyrusOmega]

The Botcon comics are done exclusively for the toys. As far as they know there is no other purpose. Granted I've only read 1 so don't have enough information to stand either side of the line.

[Paulbot]

I wouldn't worry about Funpub or Botcon too much Verno, they know how to run make a lot of money from a convention but handling a franchise's narrative is a different matter.

Fixed?