It’s always a good day when you find out what Tom Scioli is up to next. IDW Publishing announced in San Diego that the creator of Transformers vs. G.I. Joe is working on a new comic starring the Go-Bots.
“This is a dream project – I’m writing, drawing, coloring, and hand-lettering this book. It’s a labor of love,” Scioli said in the press release. “When these characters were conceived of in the ’80s, the idea of robots with human personalities was science fiction. Now, it’s history. The world of living machines is here – we’re living it. The time is right for Go-Bots!”
The Go-Bots were a line of toy robots that could transform into vehicles — which, yes, does sound a lot like the Transformers. Because they were, although I believe they came out a year before the more sophisticated (i.e. harder to transform) Transformers. Originally they were made by Tonka and competed with Optimus Prime and his bunch, but eventually Hasbro bought the property and they all became one big, happy robot vehicle family. They had their own animated series, Challenge of the Go-Bots, and I don’t think they ever appeared in comics before this. Interestingly, though, the late Steve Ditko did artwork for a Go-Bots Golden Book.
Keep on eye on Scioli’s Twitter feed, as he seems to be posting artwork from the series now that it has been announced.
“Avant-garde creator Tom Scioli has been pushing the comic book storytelling medium for nearly two decades now and his work on Go-Bots is yet another watershed moment in his career,” said IDW Associate Publisher David Hedgecock. “It is a testament to the strong collaboration between IDW Publishing and Hasbro, that projects like this can exist on licensed properties.”
The five-issue series launches in October.
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