In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Transformers: Beast Wars animated series that premiered in 1996, IDW will publish a new comic based on the series.
Transformers: Beast Wars will be written by Erik Burnham (Transformers/Ghostbusters) with art by longtime Transformers artist Josh Burcham. The new series will begin in February 2021 with a 30-page issue that includes the story and bonus content.
The comic series will take place in the future Cybertron that is home to the scientific Maximals and action-oriented Predacons. When the successor to the Megatron name steals a disk and ship that can travel through time, Optimus Primal and other Maximals must stop them.
“Beast Wars was a wonderful and weird pivot from the Transformers setup to which I was first introduced. Big personalities, unexpected twists, and actual stakes all popped up regularly on the show, and those are tools that I enjoy using to build new stories,” Burnham said. “Best of all, the enthusiasm from everyone involved in this project has been so high that I’m feeling constantly inspired!”
“I’m so thrilled to be a part of this team,” Burcham said. “I was a ‘90s kid and even though I knew about Generation 1, Beast Wars was really my G1. It’s still my favorite iteration, and I consider it such a privilege to be able to bring the characters to life in this brand new series. Let the Beast Wars rage on!”
“Beast Wars is a beloved part of the Transformers legacy,” editor David Mariotte said. “That’s why we couldn’t pass up launching a new series in tandem with the 25th anniversary! Erik and Josh are going to take everything that’s beloved about Beast Wars – the characterization, the drama, the jokes – and start fresh with a series that will feel at home for fans of 25 years and first-timers alike.”
Transformers: Beast Wars #1 will have multiple cover variants including cover A by series artist Burcham, cover B by Fico Ossio (Optimus Prime), and two retailer incentive editions featuring art by Dan Schoening (Transformers/Ghostbusters) and Nick Brokenshire (Star Wars Adventures).