Broken Frontier

Some things are worth the wait. A long time in coming, IDW Publishing has revamped their Web site and taken it live with an abundance of new features and images, along with a celebratory contest to kick things off in style. The new site, which is officially launching this week but had a soft launch two weeks ago, not only offers a great deal more information, but also vastly increased ease-of-use for consumers. The site’s design displays the handiwork of View Askew’s Ming Chen, designer of ViewAskew.com, MoviePoopShoot.com, and many other sites.

“This re-launching of our website will give both fans and the curious alike a much easier way to take in everything IDW has to offer,” said IDW’s Assistant Editor/Webmaster Aaron Myers. The site will now have constant updates, as changes are made daily with news, exclusive art updates, creator interviews and downloads. Helping kick off the official launch is the first official news of IDW’s new THE TRANSFOMERS: EVOLUTIONS line, “Hearts of Steel.” This news, which includes a new artist on the debut miniseries, will be accompanied by new artwork every day this week. Fans who sign up at the site this week will also be entered in a random drawing to win a complete set of all the covers of THE TRANSFORMERS: INFILTRATION #1, including all the rare, hard-to-find covers.

In addition, among the site’s new regular features are some often-requested additions such as:
• Weekly New Releases: On the top right sidebar, so you'll know exactly what's in stores on a given week, without having to search for it.

• Daily News and Art Updates: When we have word on a new title, you'll find it in our News section. When we get in some great Transformers pages or an Ash Wood cover or anything else that we can't wait for you to see, you'll see it here. We'll involve regular visitors in the production process more than we ever did before, showing you pencils, inks, and colored pages, so you can see how books are developing.

• 5-Page Previews: We’re offering looks at many of our exciting new titles, with new previews up every week. Up now are multi-page looks at February’s SUPERMARKET #1, SPIKE VS. DRACULA #1, and THE TRANSFORMERS #2; March’s CLIVE BARKER'S THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW #1; April’s WILL EISNER'S JOHN LAW: ANGELS AND ASHES, DEVILS AND DUST#1, DOOMED, and WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE, and May’s COBB: OFF THE LEASH. This way, people can get a look at upcoming titles while they're still filling out their advance orders and deciding whether or not to try a new book.

• Wallpaper: We'll be offering some of the more picturesque art and covers in sizes that fit nicely on your computer desktop. We've started with a few TRANSFORMERS pieces, and will be constantly updating this.

• Advance Solicitations and Covers: It'll be like IDW’s section of Previews, only viewable on any computer. June 2006 solicitations are available now at the site. These solicitations, which have not been circulated anywhere else, include the word on a brand-new Transformers title, and some advance artwork for the book, too.

• Interviews with IDW Creators: Along with the digital version of our IDWords found in all our comics, we'll also feature exclusive interviews with our creators, and even have them take questions from you, the readers.

And that's just the beginning of things, as we make the site into a must-visit for any fan of IDW's books. “Things are considerably different around here now. And we plan to keep it that way,” said IDW’s Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall. “The only constant on a Web site should be change, and we have detailed plans to give people exactly that on a regular basis.”
To celebrate its new site, IDW is offering readers a chance to win a copy of every variant of Transformers #1. Simply go to www.idwpublishing.com for more details.

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From IDW's revamped website:

Ever wondered what form your favorite Transformers would take if they existed in different eras? Wonder no more, as IDW’s new Evolutions line will look at some special out-of-continuity tales involving the Robots in Disguise. The line makes its debut in June with the four-part Hearts of Steel. In this standalone miniseries, writer Chuck Dixon and Transformers artist supreme Guido Guidi transplant the ‘bots to the Industrial Revolution, where a charismatic hammer-man named John Henry discovers that a steam drill is really an alien robot named Bumblebee. Before he can process this information, the pair are attacked by Decepticons disguised as tanks, trains and walking engines. Is this all part of a larger scheme by Starscream? And if so, will the other Autobots arrive in time to stop his nefarious plans?

Guidi has taken over for the series' original artist, Ted McKeever. Keep in mind that the below sketches are just that, and not final art, but enjoy the characters' initial reimagining, Guidi-style. The first issue makes its debut in June and runs monthly from there.

For more Transformers: Hearts of Steel design artwork, visit http://www.idwpublishing.com/titles/transformers/hos.shtml.