Skybound’s Transformers Comic is Currently Outselling Every DC Comic Book

Prime with Megatron's arm cannot be stopped lol

That's very impressive.

So this series took a little time to reach that performance level? A bit more like IDW's launch, and less like Dreamwave, where the first miniseries kept selling out faster than they could do reprints?

Just trying to gauge whether this Energon Universe is going to have decade-long staying power or be done in by embezzlement in 2 years. Sorry for the pessimism about great sales, it'll just be a while before I can afford to get the trades and see for myself.

Bumblevivisector wrote:So this series took a little time to reach that performance level? A bit more like IDW's launch, and less like Dreamwave, where the first miniseries kept selling out faster than they could do reprints?

Just trying to gauge whether this Energon Universe is going to have decade-long staying power or be done in by embezzlement in 2 years. Sorry for the pessimism about great sales, it'll just be a while before I can afford to get the trades and see for myself.

It's a really damn good series. I say this as someone who loved late IDW2005 and was generally uninterested in IDW2019, this series is up there with the MTMTE time travel arc in terms of quality, and is really damn good.

In particular, I think this series is absolutely nailing Optimus, something in my opinion IDW did not do. They have also really captured a great version of pretty much every decepticon, and for that matter the Autobots too. And even the humans. I can't really say there is a character they haven't gotten into yet that I haven't greatly enjoyed.

They are making me come to love Beachcomber, a nobody for me, and I am enjoying his arc with Astrotrain and Spike, it's great!

For years, DC and Marvel have been spiraling into bad quality. Forcing current day politics, bad art, bad stories, and reboots bonanzas.

No wonder independent comics are picking up the slack. And seeing a Transformers comic to be so popular and good, beating DC, feels great.

I'll have to buy the graphic novels when the series is complete.

Bumblevivisector wrote:So this series took a little time to reach that performance level? A bit more like IDW's launch, and less like Dreamwave, where the first miniseries kept selling out faster than they could do reprints?

Just trying to gauge whether this Energon Universe is going to have decade-long staying power or be done in by embezzlement in 2 years. Sorry for the pessimism about great sales, it'll just be a while before I can afford to get the trades and see for myself.

The first issue sold more than marvel and dc, it was the number 1 book the month it came out. With multiple further prints selling out. I just didnt write an article then.

https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/ ... tober-2023

I find this more significant though. New titles start selling well, its cool to see its maintained it to the point of still outdoing DC almost a year later

Skybound’s Transformers comic is officially the best comic on the shelves now, outselling all or most other comics every month. Basically, everyone loves it, which is why this news may come as a blow to some. The writer (and artist for earlier issues), Daniel Warren Johnson, has told fans that he will be ending his run after 24 issues. This was said though an AMA on Reddit. That still gives us a whole year of DWJ goodness.

I’m having a blast writing it now and Jorge [Corona] and Mike [Spicer] are absolutely slaying the art. I am going to be writing for a total of 24 issues.

We’re keeping it strictly g1.

Mike [Spicer] is a wonderful, stand up guy. He’s incredible to work with and I haven’t even touched on his coloring abilities!!!!

I’ve said it before but it still holds true today! The 1986 animated movie is the thing that still captivates me EVERY TIME I SEE IT. AGHHHH MY FOOT

While sad to see as I have been enjoying the current run, it is not surprising as 24 issues will be the longest run on anything DWJ has done on anything as usually he only does 5 or 6 issues minis. I just wonder who will take over after him.

Does this mean the series is over at 24, or is there the possibility of it continuing under a different writer? I would hate to see the Energon Universe be done so soon

Stormshot_Prime wrote:Does this mean the series is over at 24, or is there the possibility of it continuing under a different writer? I would hate to see the Energon Universe be done so soon

New writer after

Good.

Well, hopefully good. They could manage to find someone worse, somehow.

Both relieved and sad that 24 is the magic number. Relieved because there is a definitive beginning and end to the current story, but sad because it is so very good.

Outside of the MTMTE time arc and the Wreckers saga, this is probably the best comic I have read

ScottyP wrote:Good.

Well, hopefully good. They could manage to find someone worse, somehow.

May I ask why you despise this run so much? It is genuinely so good, I'm curious.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:

ScottyP wrote:Good.

Well, hopefully good. They could manage to find someone worse, somehow.

May I ask why you despise this run so much? It is genuinely so good, I'm curious.

The simplest explanation I can give without writing an essay is that, to me, it's just plain old not very good. The art is not to my taste. The pro wrestling action is a joke. The constant attempts to homage other mecha franchises shows a lack of creativity, though tbf those have ebbed almost entirely as it has gone on. The characters, outside of Optimus and probably Beachcomber, have very little going on, or are inconsistent. The plot barely exists, there is no long term plan and for something that's meant to be the linchpin of a wider universe it barely feels connected.

It feels like reading a book that keeps trying to tell me it is important and good by punching me in the face. Some (apparently a lot of) folks are into that, I am not.

Anyway gonna duck out of this thread again for several months, y'all should keep your party going and not listen to negative Nancy P over here

Have to agree, I bounced off the series after the first half dozen or so issues as it just wasn't working for me on the art/story level and a few technical aspects - particularly the lettering and a couple of "that word doesn't work that way" bits of phrasing - kept pulling me out of the experience.

When I read that it won an Eisner and outsells Batman, I just have to shake my head bemusedly and reflect that it's a funny old world and, well, to each their own I guess.

It seemed like many fans were unaware of how high Skybound’s Transformers comic ranked in the sales charts. So we’ll report its monthly ranking when we can and now we have June’s numbers. It slipped from 4th to 5th place that month BUT still outsold every DC comic. The whole list is below. And the chart’s ranking is based on units ordered.

June 2024 (ComicHub, via ICv2)

1 Ultimates #1
Marvel Comics
$5.99

2 Ultimate Spider-Man #6
Marvel Comics
$4.99

3 Amazing Spider-Man #51
Marvel Comics
$4.99

4 X-Men #35 (Fall of the House of X)
Marvel Comics
$9.99

5 Transformers #9
Image Comics
$3.99

6 Amazing Spider-Man #52
Marvel Comics
$4.99

7 Ultimate X-Men #4
Marvel Comics
$4.99

8 Batman #148
DC Comics
$4.99

9 Scarlett #1 (Of 5)
Image Comics
$4.99

10 Batman #149
DC Comics
$4.99

Imagine that. Make a good product, and people will buy it. A lesson learned too late for IDW.

5th best selling comic period, but not good enough for the Seibertron Podcast crew. They must be waiting for Hemingway or Dickens version.

Sales for July #10 at place 5 too. Don't know sales for #11

Wow... so people mostly read Spider-Man, X-Men & Batman before TF comes along? Didn't realize the industry is so niche now...

Notice no marvel mcu stuff in top 10. Avengers deadpool

Glad to see it is doing so well. I love IDW2005, didn't like IDW2019, and this has reignited that comic reading fun.

Also, this is the only comic outside of Last Bot Standing that I have bought individual releases for as they come out. That is how much fun it is.

It is just a good run

Well, issue 12 is out. It turns out that Shockwave's technology not only teleported Cybertron but also held the planets in place. If the Decepticons had that much power, why didn't they annihilate the Autobots already? Perhaps they are simply enjoying a prolonged conflict and inflicting misery upon anyone within reach.

A large slice of Cybertron fell into the ocean. That would've caused an apocalypse on Earth: towering tsunamis, earthquakes, firestorms, etc.

snavej wrote:Well, issue 12 is out. It turns out that Shockwave's technology not only teleported Cybertron but also held the planets in place. If the Decepticons had that much power, why didn't they annihilate the Autobots already? Perhaps they are simply enjoying a prolonged conflict and inflicting misery upon anyone within reach.

A large slice of Cybertron fell into the ocean. That would've caused an apocalypse on Earth: towering tsunamis, earthquakes, firestorms, etc.

This needs a MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT and added nothing to the conversation!

cloudballoon wrote:

snavej wrote:Well, issue 12 is out. It turns out that Shockwave's technology not only teleported Cybertron but also held the planets in place. If the Decepticons had that much power, why didn't they annihilate the Autobots already? Perhaps they are simply enjoying a prolonged conflict and inflicting misery upon anyone within reach.

A large slice of Cybertron fell into the ocean. That would've caused an apocalypse on Earth: towering tsunamis, earthquakes, firestorms, etc.

This needs a MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT and added nothing to the conversation!

Release date was 11 Sept. 2024 and I'm being relevant to the thread.

It's funny how some people complain of going off-thread while others complain of being on-thread. This is a coercive tactic, an attempt to suppress free speech and keep people 'in line'.

Oh come on. That's a pretty big revelation posted only a couple of days after release. No problem with discussing it, but you can refer to it obliquely for people who already know or just use the tags to hide the new information. Or start a "Skybound Transformers #12 discussion - SPOILER THREAD" if you want, so people who haven't read it yet can avoid it.

Not everyone gets to buy/read stuff immediately - spoiler tags are just common courtesy.

"attempt to suppress free speech" ... seriously, touch some grass.

Glyph wrote:Oh come on. That's a pretty big revelation posted only a couple of days after release. No problem with discussing it, but you can refer to it obliquely for people who already know or just use the tags to hide the new information. Or start a "Skybound Transformers #12 discussion - SPOILER THREAD" if you want, so people who haven't read it yet can avoid it.

Not everyone gets to buy/read stuff immediately - spoiler tags are just common courtesy.

"attempt to suppress free speech" ... seriously, touch some grass.

What do you think of my point (above)?

...

Well, I've waited and there's no response. If you're not interested in the comics, why are you here?

The point itself, I thought, was entirely reasonable and is part of the issue I've been having with the series' style. When The Ultimate Doom is more believable than your comic series...

(Perhaps you and cloudballoon could go back and put spoiler tags in your posts/quotes?)

snavej wrote:Well, I've waited and there's no response. If you're not interested in the comics, why are you here?

Dude, what are you talking about?

Your edit to say I hadn't responded: 16:15
My response to your post: 16:03 (that's 12 minutes earlier, for avoidance of doubt)


That's beside the point that this is a forum, not a real-time chat, and I can be interested in the comics even if I don't particularly like the current run.

Right, moving on. Having now read up to #12... It's getting better. The second set of 6 were better than the first for me, more concerned with telling an actual story and less LOOKIT US SMASHING THESE TOYS TOGETHER!!

Still not a fan of the tryhard ultraviolence and eyerolling at the sound effects etc in the action scenes - the comic seems to be much more impressed with itself than I am with it, and really likes to pat itself on the back IMO. The art's still doing its thing and could really benefit from better layout & lines of motion in the pencilling stage (can anyone tell me what the heck Optimus' left leg is supposed to be connected to when he kicks Soundwave in #9?? I genuinely thought he'd hit him with a beam at first glance), and I'll never be a fan of the lettering. But the story is getting more focussed and the characters who are getting some actual personality are largely solid, even when they're quite different from the portrayals we're used to (except Shockwave - other characters describe him as "cold and calculating" while the actual guy on-screen is an emotive, cackling B-movie villain; sorry, that just comes off as inconsistent).

For the specifics of #12: there absolutely should have been major effects from Cybertron being transported to Earth - as I said before, that's the entire plot of The Ultimate Doom, and I think the comic is very much expecting us to be familiar with the cartoon so it can't just hope we don't think of that - but I suppose we can assume they're happening while Shockwave is siphoning "all life" from the oceans . The big chunk of Cybertron falling into the ocean was right at the end of the issue so hopefully there'll be consequences of that in the next, on both sides. But I agree: without some magic solution, that should be devastating for both planets; probably an extinction-level event for Earth. It somehow won't be, of course.

Damning with faint praise? eh, maybe. Let's see what the next 6 bring.

snavej wrote:Release date was 11 Sept. 2024 and I'm being relevant to the thread.

It's funny how some people complain of going off-thread while others complain of being on-thread. This is a coercive tactic, an attempt to suppress free speech and keep people 'in line'.

LOL. ??? WTF? LOL.

I had been noticing that Shockwave, who is normally portrayed as cold and emotionless, has been acting pretty emotional and irrational in this iteration. I wonder if this little head injury might lead to him becoming the Shockwave we know.