In 2021, IDW Publishing will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Transformers: Beast Wars with an all-new comic series featuring the mighty Maximals once more in battle with the fearsome Predacons. Naturally, the new series will be released alongside a brand new wave of Beast Wars toys from Hasbro that will also tie in to Netflix’s upcoming third act of War for Cybertron, titled Kingdom, meaning that fans of the Beast Wars era will be catered for into the foreseeable future.
Beast Wars was created back in 1996, and served as brand new direction for the Transformers franchise. The centerpiece was the Beast Wars television show, which used groundbreaking 3D computer graphics to wow all ages (which even earned it an Emmy). The Maximals were a small group of robots aboard a scientific research vessel, led by the brave Optimus Primal, who transformed into a large gorilla. The Predacons were led by a new iteration of Megatron, who took on the disguise of an indomitable T-Rex. While some fans of the toys and shows initially had their doubts about their beloved robots turning into animals rather than the cars, trucks, and planes they’d come to adore, the show’s story and action eventually won fans over and Beast Wars has now been lauded as one of the most successful eras of the franchise.
The new series announced by IDW will commemorate the show’s 25th anniversary with Transformers: Beast Wars #1, written by Erik Burnham, who also wrote IDW’s Transformers/Ghostbusters crossover event, and drawn by Josh Burchham. In the announcement from IDW, Burchham shared his love for the Beast Wars era:
I’m so thrilled to be a part of this team. … 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!
Transformers and Beast Wars fans should be really excited to see this enthusiasm from the creators, who will be introducing an all-new narrative featuring Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rhinox, Rattrap, and newcomer Nyx. Here’s the cover artwork for Transformers: Beast Wars #1 along with their variant covers from series artist Josh Burchham, as well as artists Fico Ossio, Dan Schoening, and Nick Brokenshire:
According to the IDW press release, fans will be introduced to a future version of Cybertron, featuring the “scientific-minded Maximals” and their conflict with the “action-oriented Predacons”. Apparently, the successor to the Megatron name will get his hands on a golden disk and time-traveling ship, and only Optimus Primal’s Maximals will be able to stop him and his forces. It seems likely that this will be the ship that sends both groups to the prehistoric days of Earth, motivating the robots to take on their animalistic disguises.
As the old saying goes: Beast Wars is the best wars. It seems highly unlikely that the majority of Transformers fans will be displeased with the news that the popular era is making a comeback, both in toy and comic form. Many would love to see a Transformers: Beast Wars reboot revival series (which Kingdom will somewhat be) or even a live-action offering. One can certainly dream. While there is not yet an official release date for the new comic series, IDW has confirmed that it will be published sometime next year.
