Transformers: Movie Adaptation
Encyclopedia
Transformers: Movie Adaptation, published by IDW Publishing
, is a 2007 comic book
limited series
that serves as an adaptation
of the 2007 film Transformers.
After the close of the prequel comic series, IDW also published a 4-issue adaptation of the film itself to tie-in
with the film's release, written by Kris Oprisko and drawn by Alex Milne. It was released weekly in June 2007; on the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th. It also featured concept art
and interviews.
(another 1980s Hasbro line which has crossed over with Transformers on numerous occasions.) A box decorated with a G.I. Joe logo is seen in a pawn shop. A small Kremzeek model appears in Sam's bedroom. Sam bikes past an "IDW Comics" shop. Among the cars who appeared in the background were ones identical in make and color to Generation 1 Optimus Prime
, Ironhide
, Sideswipe, Trailbreaker
, Wheeljack
and Brawn
, as well as Skids
from the Transformers: Alternators
toy line. Barricade stands in front of a car whose license plate is ALXMLN, a reference to artist Alex Milne
.
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, is a 2007 comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
that serves as an adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
of the 2007 film Transformers.
After the close of the prequel comic series, IDW also published a 4-issue adaptation of the film itself to tie-in
Tie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
with the film's release, written by Kris Oprisko and drawn by Alex Milne. It was released weekly in June 2007; on the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th. It also featured concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
and interviews.
Differences with the film
Although telling the same basic story, there are some differences with the plot of the comic and film. Besides removing many minor scenes, some complete changes were made.- At the beginning of issue #1, Captain Witwicky, instead of accidentally activating Megatron's navigation system by touching one of Megatron's digit gears, uses a pick axe to break off the ice covering the frozen Megatron's face, thus suggesting Megatron intentionally imprinted a map to the All Spark on Witwicky's glasses, anticipating one of the Decepticons would find it soon enough.
- In issue #1 BumblebeeBumblebee (Transformers)Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
doesn't trash the other cars at the used car lot. - Also in Issue 1, Sam is never seen going to school to give his family genealogy report on his great-great grandfather.
- In issue #2 Sam's parents have a greatly reduced role. Mojo only appears barking in one panel. Sam's username is "HodStud217" as opposed to "LadiesMan217". Mikaela cuts off FrenzyFrenzy (Transformers)Frenzy is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
's head with a circular saw, not a reciprocating saw. Frenzy reformats himself as Mikela's PDAPDAA PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...
, not a cell phone. Bumblebee reformats himself into a newer Camaro by scanning files for its design over the internet, not by scanning another car. - Issue #2 includes the scene deleted from the film where Sam and Ron are leaving the Police Station and Sam discusses his great-great grandfather's insanity with Ron and wonders if it may have passed down to him [Sam].
- In issue #3 Mikaela comes up with the name "Autobot". JazzJazz (Transformers)Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
runs into the power lines by Sam's house, not Ratchet. There are no jokes about masturbation or urination. There is no mention of Mikaela's criminal recordCriminal recordA criminal record is a record of a person's criminal history, generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to assess his or her trustworthiness. The information included in a criminal record varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country...
. Simmons isn't forced to strip. Maggie only appears in the helicopter ride to Hoover DamHoover DamHoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
and speaks once, then is not seen after arriving at the Sector 7Sector 7Sector 7 is a wordless picture book created and illustrated by David Wiesner. Published in 1999 by Clarion Books, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Honor for illustration in 2000.- Summary :...
headquarters. The character of Glenn does not appear, even though he can be seen in cover of the Issue #1.
- In issue #4 Maggie's cell phone is brought to life, not Glenn's [as he did not appear in the comic]. Frenzy's body is not regenerated by the Allspark Cube; he asks the Decepticons to bring the body so he can re-attach it. He never gets it back and does not appear afterwards.
- With the exception of Optimus Prime, and only a few short lines from Jazz and Ratchet, none of the Autobots spoke.
- The animated cell phone is destroyed by a sabot round from a pistol, not an electrical blast. Optimus PrimeOptimus PrimeOptimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
kills BonecrusherBonecrusher (Transformers)Bonecrusher is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Bonecrusher is a member of the Constructicons. He is a brawler by nature and specialises in demolitions work...
with a shot to the chest from a retractable gun in his hand, not a retractable blade. He then kills Barricade by throwing him into an overpass column. - Other than the cell phone in Hoover Dam, no other objects are brought to life with the Allspark energy, unlike the film in which a Steering Wheel, Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and a Mountain DewMountain DewMountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
dispenser come alive. Megatron rips Jazz's spark out, not ripping him in two to kill him. Megatron's right arm turns into a cannon on the roof top, not a flailFlail (weapon)The flail is a hand weapon derived from the agricultural tool.The handle is attached to the striking part of a weapon by a flexible chain or cord...
. Optimus Prime urges Sam to kill Megatron with the Allspark, mainly because the opportunity to push the cube into Prime's spark was not open as it was blocked by Megatron's claw, contrary to the film, which Optimus urges Sam to not kill him. After the Decepticon remains are dumped in the Laurentian AbyssLaurentian AbyssThe Laurentian Abyss is an underwater depression off the eastern coast of Canada in the Atlantic Ocean. Not a trench, but more of an "underwater valley", it is estimated to be at most ~6,000 meters in depth...
, a nuclear device is used to destroy them. - Starscream was not seen escaping into space.
- Megatron was unfrozen due to the Decepticons' attack, not because of Frenzy.
Easter eggs
The movie adaptation featured several intentional Easter eggs. These include the posters on Sam's bedroom wall - one of which reads TFW2005 (a reference to the Transformers collectors web page http://www.tfw2005.com) and another for G.I. JoeG.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
(another 1980s Hasbro line which has crossed over with Transformers on numerous occasions.) A box decorated with a G.I. Joe logo is seen in a pawn shop. A small Kremzeek model appears in Sam's bedroom. Sam bikes past an "IDW Comics" shop. Among the cars who appeared in the background were ones identical in make and color to Generation 1 Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
, Ironhide
Ironhide
Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Sideswipe, Trailbreaker
Trailbreaker
Trailbreaker is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers toy line and animated television series. Due to trademark issues, newer toys of the character are named Trailcutter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Wheeljack
Wheeljack
Wheeljack is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Wheeljack is the mechanical engineer and scientist of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro. His...
and Brawn
Brawn (Transformers)
Brawn is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. All are tough Autobots who turn into offroad vehicles.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, as well as Skids
Skids (Transformers)
Skids is the name used for four characters in the Transformers Universes. Due to trademark reasons, the name was modified to "Skid-Z" for it to be used on new characters and an "Autobot" prefix was added when the original Skids toy was reissued and when he became an Alternator.-Transformers:...
from the Transformers: Alternators
Transformers: Alternators
is a toyline of the Transformers series produced by Hasbro in North America, Europe and Takara in Japan, the primary selling point of which is the use of 1:24 scale, accurate real-world vehicle modes officially licensed from car manufacturers...
toy line. Barricade stands in front of a car whose license plate is ALXMLN, a reference to artist Alex Milne
Alex Milne
Alex Milne is a Canadian comic book artist, best known for his work on various Transformers comic books.-Career:Graduating from Sheridan College, Milne debuted on the comics scene after being hired by Dreamwave Productions to pencil their Transformers: Energon series...
.