Date: Tuesday, July 15th 2008 8:22pm CDT
Categories: People News,
Interviews
Posted by: First Gen |
Credit(s): Jeffrey Brown
Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 29,001
This is First Gen here with a Seibertron.com exclusive interview with
"Incredible Change-bots" creator, Jeffrey Brown. Mr. Brown thanks for taking the time to talk with us.
Jeffrey Brown - Of course, happy to do it.
FG - First off, I have to ask: would you call yourself a Transformers fan or a Gobots fan? The book itself covers both facets so well it’s hard to determine.
J.B- I would fall more on the Transformers side, definitely. I had a few GoBots, but they never seemed as available at stores, and the Transformers cartoon cemented my loyalty on their side. Still, the GoBots song was just as catchy as the Transformers song. With the book I was interested in parodying the whole idea of robots changing into vehicles and didn't want to make it too Transformers-specific, so the story would still stand on its own if you weren't as familiar with the Transformers mythology.
FG - Indeed it does. Along the lines of comedy, it fits in well with the rest of your work like
Clumsy and
I am going to be small, but you went from people and what seemed like everyday life to form changing robots. What inspired you to pursue this kind of book?
J.B. - Well, I grew up reading comics, and my dream was to draw for Marvel, who of course put out the original Transformers comics. I've always been a science fiction and fantasy fan, and even though I drifted away from that at times, it's also always stayed with me. There's just something more fun sometimes about indulging in that sort of geeky side, and it's still possible to throw in some parts that reference real life at the same time. It also balances out what most people think of as the more 'serious' work, and keeps me from getting too self involved with the autobiographical projects.
FG - One of the most standout differences from your previous works to the
Incredible Change-bots is the fact that it's a full color comic. You established your writing capabilities and humor in your previous black and white books, what made you want to do this book in full color?
J.B. - I'd started experimenting with color around the time I was getting ready to finally do the book, and it just made sense. If there was ever good place to do my first full color book, it was with a bunch of shape changing robot vehicles. I still prefer drawing in black and white, and I tend to feel like adding color isn't necessary unless it really adds something to the work. I think this book really benefits from the color.
FG - One thing I noticed right away was the similarities and differences you did with the colors of the ‘Bots’. In some instances you can see the direct homage for a particular Transformers or Gobots character and in others you see a big difference, like
Big Rig for example. Did you find yourself trying to stay away from what's already been done by doing that or was it just how you envisioned the characters?
J.B - With
Big Rig I just thought it'd be funny to have him be a funny, gaudy orange rather than the kind of noble red, and
Rusty being orange had to do with my theory that every extra or minor character with red hair in a film is named 'Rusty' in the credits. After that, I just tried to balance it out, have a bunch of different colors, and it just kind of depended on whatever felt right.
FG - Another thing I noticed is that
James 'Monkeywrench' Hawking bears a striking resemblance to the lead character in
Clumsy. Was this a way of getting yourself in the comic or just a coincidence in drawing habits?
J.B. - It has to do with how I draw - my basic style reduces the human figure to such a point where it's harder to make characters into caricatures with more subtly identifiable faces, so everyone is kind of built on this same template. At the same time, I wrote the book just as my own son was born and over the first few months after his birth, so there's definitely also a bit of thinking about myself as a father and making parallels there sometimes. I guess the
Change-Bots themselves are my most identifiable characters!
FG - Speaking of identifiable characters, how did you feel when you found out
Devil’s Due Publishing was making the
Balls and
Microwave action figures?
J.B. - I had met so many of the guys at Devil's Due at various points - artist Tim Seeley lives right around the corner from me, even, and we shop at the same comic shop, and had been invited to stop by and visit them here in Chicago several times before I finally made it over there. That first time I visited them was when they brought up the idea of doing the
Change-Bots toys. At first I thought they were just thinking out loud, like, 'It'd be cool if there were toys of these guys, huh?' and when I realized they were serious, I got really excited about the idea. I've always wanted to have my own toys or toys of something I've created, but to have it actually happen is great.
FG - Did you ever think that the
Incredible Change-bots would get to this level of popularity?
J.B. - I thought it had the potential, but I'm always surprised and flattered when something I've made has an impact on the world of any sort - I feel very lucky about the extent to which people have responded to my work. With the
Change-Bots, it's probably the most developed narrative of any of my books, and the characters really started to take on lives of their own by the end of the book, and I started to think that the book could do really well on its own, even aside from piggybacking on the Transformers or something, even though I figured people who grew up with the old Transformers cartoons like I did would get a kick out of this kind of tribute/parody.
FG - So it's over a year later and the ‘Bots’ figures will be hitting the shelves in September 2008. Are there any other plans for the
Incredible Change-bots?
J.B. - Yeah, I'll be working on some new
Change-Bots stories for an issue of my
"Sulk" comic book series with
Top Shelf for sometime probably late next year. That issue will also probably print some of the drawings I did for the
Change-Bots fan club - before the offer expired, I did around a hundred drawings for the club, each of which was like a stand-alone panel, so I'd like to print the best of those. And if the first vinyl figures of
Balls and
Microwave do well,
Devil's Due may do some of the other characters.
FG - Would you mind letting the Seibertron.com community know what you're doing now?
J.B. - Right now I'm working on
"Funny Misshapen Body", a collection of autobiographical comics that will all together tell how I ended up becoming a cartoonist rather than a painter, following my time in high school through art school. I'm behind schedule on finishing it, so right now it's where the majority of my focus and energy is.
FG - Well, we know about
Top Shelf Comix, is there any other site or place that fans can get to see what’s going on in you're world?
J.B. - I've got a website in the works – http://www.jeffreybrowncomics.com - but I haven't even put up a placeholder page yet, because despite my love of Transformers, I'm still kind of technophobic in a way. You can also see some of my work up on
theholyconsumption.com, which also features the work of three other Chicago cartoonists. Coming up this month I'll be at
San Diego Comicon, and then signing at the
Book Cellar here in Chicago on July 30. Other appearances are updated on the Holy Consumption blog:
theholybulletin.blogspot.com. Coming out in October will be the first issue of my
Sulk series, with the second issue coming out in December. Volume One is all new Bighead stories and Volume Two is a mixed martial arts (ultimate fighting) story.
FG -Again, thank you so much for your time Mr. Brown. If your past works say anything,
Funny Misshapen Body is sure to be a success and I'm sure a lot of
Change-bot fans, like myself, can't wait for the
Sulk comic book to come out.
J.B. - Thanks for talking to me - one thing I worried about before
Change-Bots came out would be whether other Transformers fans would love it or hate, so I'm happy for the positive feedback.
For any of you Seibertronians who may be learning about the
Incredible Change-bots for the first time, click
here ti get a preview of the great spoof of our beloved
Robots in Disguise.
Date: Tuesday, July 15th 2008 4:22pm CDT
Categories: Movie Related News,
People News,
Interviews
Posted by: Hotrod |
Credit(s): Fox News
Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 15,814
Recently in an interview with
Fox News Megan Fox reveals that she had to put on 10 pounds in three weeks for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. This following her dramatic weight loss for the film, Jennifer's Body. Here is what she said:
"I should have toned up for 'Transformers' but I'm really lazy. I had to put on weight," she told Pop Tarts. "I'd lost a lot of weight and got really scrawny, but I was told I had to put on size for 'Transformers' because Michael [Bay, the director] doesn't like skinny girls."
Fox also talked a little about Sam and Mikaela's relationship in Revenge of the Fallen. She said:
"There are no big love scenes," Fox said. "At this point Shia and I have been dating for two years so we're at the bickering stage, like an old married couple."
Read the entire interview at
Fox News.
Date: Wednesday, July 9th 2008 1:40pm CDT
Categories: Event News,
People News,
Interviews
Posted by: Hotrod |
Credit(s): First Gen and BigPete of the Nordic Transfans Association
Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 13,474
BigPete of the
Nordic Transfans Association got a chance to chat with Auto Assembly co-creator Simon Plumbe, via email, recently and spoke with him about the conception of Auto Assembly and all the work that he and his partner, Sven Harvey, have put into creating one of the UK's biggest Transformers conventions.
An excerpt from the interview:
Is there a lot of money involved in a convention of this size, and did any of it come out of your own pockets?
We've been pretty lucky with Auto Assembly and every year - with the exception of Auto Assembly 2004 - has broken even and left us with some money left over which has either been reinvested back into future years or gone to our nominated charities.
In terms of home much they have cost, earlier conventions were on a fairly small budget, but this year at a rough guess it is going to cost us around £7,500 which has to come from attendees, fanzine sales, and dealer table bookings which is why we we're asking for as many people to pre-register as possible!
In the interview, Mr. Plumbe went on to speak about attendance and other issues regarding AA that has happened over the years along with one thing that was very suprising: HASBRO UK doesn't seem to want any affiliation with the convention despite numerous attempts by Sven and Simon to get them to Auto Assembly.
To view the complete article, click
here.
Date: Monday, July 7th 2008 7:44am CDT
Categories: People News,
Interviews
Posted by: Stormrider |
Credit(s): Stormrider
Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 25,424
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with the hardworking and legendary voice actor, Corey Burton, who is renowned for his countless voices throughout the years. Burton is no stranger to Disney animations and Saturday morning cartoons, but Transformers fans remember him best in the original G1 series as Shockwave, Brawn, and Spike (to name a few). After 20 years, Burton is back with Transformers and he has teamed up with the Transformers Animated series. This time, he's doing the voices for Megatron, Ratchet, Shockwave, and Spike. You can view a list of Burton’s other roles
here.
Stormrider: Lets begin where most Transformers fans are familiar with your voice - Transformers Animated (TFA). So tell us about the characters that you are doing for TFA? What are they like?
Burton: There's Megatron: Uber-Villain of the series.
Ratchet: Crusty, battle-worn Doc-Bot.
And Shockwave: Calm & collected Covert Operative/Mercenary Agent, working undercover as "Longarm".…along with assorted bit-parts, including popup "cameos" as Spike...
(Click below to read the rest of the interview.)
Interview
![[Valid RSS]](/images/rss/valid-rss.png "Validate Seibertron.com's RSS feed"){kind=small}
