Posted in: Comics, IDW | Tagged: idw, transformers

Exarchon to Return in New Transformers: War's End Mini in February

Published Wed, 17 Nov 2021 13:32:10 -0600

This February, IDW will launch a new Transformers mini-series that the publisher says will serve as a perfect companion to the Transformers ongoing. Botbronies (the colloquial term for hardcore fans of Transformers) will be pleased to learn that Transformers: War's End features the return of ancient Cybertronian warlord Exarchon (basically the robot version of Donald Trump, whose return was originally predicted by the prophet Q-tron). Transformers ongoing writer Brian Ruckley and artist Jack Lawrence will be the creative team for the new mini.

From the press release:

In February, IDW will redefine the meaning of villainy with the first issue of Transformers: War's End, a must-read four-part miniseries written by Brian Ruckley, the architect of IDW's monthly Transformers continuity, and illustrated by Jack Lawrence (Transformers: Lost Light).

In War's End, the infamous warlord Exarchon, who single-handedly plunged Cybertron into darkness long ago, has returned and reunited with his former generals, Shockwave and Skywarp. Cyclonus, a warrior haunted by the horrors of that ancient conflict, seeks a glimmer of hope by testing the allegiance of Decepticon leader Megatron, whose own evil machinations have so recently fractured civilization into warring factions!

Ruckley had the following to say about the series:

War's End is about unfinished business: for both the characters and for Cybertron as a whole. It's the return of Cybertron's traumatic past to upend its present… and answers the question: If your planet has at its core the collective Spark of your entire civilization, just how vulnerable might that make you? I love the fact that we will get to act this out with some of my favorite characters: Cyclonus, Team Stream, Pyra Magna, Geomotus, and Exarchon. They all get to take center stage, play for the highest of high stakes, and discover their fates and their futures.

Lawrence added:

Up to now, my Transformers work has been post- or pre-war, so with War's End, I'm excited to contribute to the Cybertronian war itself. This story is, understandably, darker and grittier than what I've worked on before, so I'm looking forward to going shadowy and ominous with it. Plus, I get to draw characters I haven't worked with in a big way – characters I've loved for more than 35 years. There aren't really words for how incredibly exciting that is!

An IDW editor also had a quote in the press release, but our official policy at Bleeding Cool is that no one cares about editors (otherwise, someone would edit our articles and fix all the typos), so we're not going to print it. What people do care about is variant covers, so here's some info on that from the press release:

Transformers: War's End #1 will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, each illustrated by fan-favorite artists long associated with IDW Transformers comics: Cover A by Angel Hernandez, Cover B by interior artist Jack Lawrence, and a Retailer Incentive edition by E.J. Su.