Beast Machine Hunters> The First Season Guide part 1

Last time we finished off Marv Wolfman’s rather confusing story treatment. However, I have THREE bibles to work with here. Given that I wanted to do another of these story bible/writer’s guide reviews ever since I finished the Star Trek: The Next Generation guide and it’s been a long time since I had the opportunity I’m more than happy to continue.

The first season guide is over 40 pages and for some reason the cover page is the last page in the available PDF file. Since the pages are numbered this time I should have an easier time about it. Also, this file will allow me to copy/paste rather than having to transcribe from the original transcript, with some minor formatting fixes on my end. That means I can speed up things on my end and you’ll be sure any typos are theirs and not mine. Mine should be easy to spot as it will be in the regular text. I should also note that it’s the third draft, dated May 12, 1999. The final show aired in September, 1999. I don’t know if that’s a long enough turnover but if not it would explain some other flaws. Now you may want to get a copy for yourself and read along. I can currently help you there.

Depending on what nonsense TwitterX does by the time you read this, there you go. With that let’s get on to the actual story bible for the first season of Transformers: Beast Machines, this time written by the show’s head writers, Marty Isenberg and Bob Skir. I mention in the past that a lot of the anger and disappointment against this show was pointed at Skir since at the time he was doing Q&A articles on a Transformers fan site while Beast Wars head writers Bob Forward and Larry DiTillo did a mostly loved show and talked to fans directly on the newsgroup alt.toys.transformers, even hiring ATT member Ben Yee of Ben’s World Of Transformers as a consultant. Beast Machines however fell into the hands of Dan DiDio, who in DiDio fashion wanted something darker and displaced from previous continuity despite being a direct continuation with many of the same characters. Between this and Alex Kurtzman on Transformers projects you get an idea of how someone will approach another franchise by what they do to Transformers. That’s how we ended up with DiDio’s Darker DC and Secret Hideout’s Star Trek. So how does this new guide start out?

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“Yesterday’s” Comic> Star Power #12

Shi Lalis needs to go on a diet.

Star Power #12

(November, 2015)

“The Mystery Of The Zel Gux Dynasty” part 2

WRITER: Michael Terracciano

ARTIST: Garth Graham

[Read along with me here]

If you do so, note that as of this writing page 14 is down. It goes from 13 to 15 and if you try to get there manually you get a link down message with a confused Star Power.

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BW’s Daily Video> You Can’t Change The Brand

Catch more from Comics By Perch on YouTube

2 years later and this video is still timely. By the way, I have so many Perch videos backed up that I think (unless you talk me out of it) I’m going to just make all of next week’s daily quickposts all Perch just to cut my box down a bit.

The NEW Star Wars: Rey Vs Ahsoka

First, when I was double-checking the spelling I found out “Ashoka” is the name of a Mauryan emperor who brought Buddhism to his part of India. The things you learn when you get a spelling wrong.

When The Mandalorian came out, traditional Star Wars fans were sure that the people behind that show were going to “save Star Wars”. One of the people behind the Disney + shows set in the Star Wars galaxy, Dave Filoni, was going to be the big pushback against Kathleen “The Force Is Female” Kennedy. She may ruin the movies, Indiana Jones, and the Willow series but Filoni made the Clone Wars and Rebels shows, so clearly he knows and cares about the series. He’ll keep Rey from taking over the franchise.

Sure he will.

Because he wants his own creation, Ahsoka Tano, to be the new Luke Skywalker instead.

The schism between LucasFilm Star Wars and DisneyFilm Star Wars has been debatable to begin with, despite some of the more accurate pundits in the fandom declaring it was totally going on. They’re the same sources that insist Kathleen Kennedy is going to either be fired or have her power reduced every other month, only for it to not happen. I think it’s mostly wishful thinking by classic Star Wars fans who hate everything Kennedy has done to the franchise enough to forgive George Lucas for the prequels, even Jar Jar, because outside of The Mandalorian and the barely-watched series based on the Andor character from Rouge One: A Star Wars Story (which I reviewed–the movie, not the Andor series) nothing under the Disney banner outside of the video games have gotten much in the way of positive reviews by fans. I do think there is a division, though. However it’s not based on Luke Skywalker but who has the right to replace him. In fans’ hearts, nobody, and certainly not the two that are tapped by DisneyFilm.

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“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Shadow #1 (Dynamite)

“This may look cool but I always end up with scarf fuzz up my nose.”

The Shadow #1

Dynamite Publishing (2012)

“The Fire Of Creation” part 1

CREATOR: Walter B. Gibson

WRITER: Warren Ellis

ARTIST: Aaron Campbell

COLORIST: Carlos Lopez

LETTERER: Rob Steen

The ComiXology post contains all the variant covers at the time. I think this one, the first in the list, is one of Alex Ross’ contributions. It doesn’t look like Howard Chaykin’s or Jae Lee that I can tell but I don’t really know John Cassady’s covers by looking.

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BW’s Daily Video> Did Batman’s “No Man’s Land” Go Too Far?

Catch more from Salazar Knight on YouTube

Making Money In Comics: Rippa Talks Pricing

There’s going to be people upset with me for using Eric “Youngrippa59” July’s video series on making money on your comics. I know this because his critics, who already don’t like his worldviews and takes on modern media or that his first two graphic novels have have millions of dollars by going outside the system and off the reservation, recently weaponized a supposed Christian ministry against him and the Isom characters, then responded to the report that characters were named on grandparents found their graves and one guy took a selfie in a Casey Jones mask like he was one of the Paul brothers. Somehow these are supposed to be the good guys who want black people to succeed…so long as the “good white people” approve apparently.

Well, I really don’t care. He has been successful, has been a success in the past with his podcast and band, and has studied the comic industry back when the Rippaverse was just a “this is something I want to do” thought in his head. Also he’s the only one I’ve seen actually willing to drop the numbers of what it costs to make a comic and distribute it in the internet age so at the very least it’s worth examining as someone who wants to make their own comics. I don’t see myself making a huge company because I don’t have a pile of money from previous money making ventures (even the ad revenue on this site only goes to the host) but is there something from his journey that I can learn since he’s actually talking about the business side and not just the creative side? That’s why I’m responding to this and if that makes you uncomfortable for whatever reason there’s plenty of other articles here for you to read and I’m open to anyone else giving the same information. I’ll make an article series about that as well. For now, we are here.

For part two of Eric’s “Making Money In Comics Series” (you can see the overview in this quickpost) the subject is pricing. Remember, he’s starting a full on production company and at this point I want to get something out and see how it does. In this video, he goes over what factors go into what to charge for your comic. That means what you need to know if you want this to be profitable without gouging your audience. In the past I looked at some idea of what it might have cost him to produce and publish a comic but now I’m thinking we’ll get more into what July was thinking when setting his prices. Should be informative one way or another.

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