Transformers Beast Machines: The Complete Series
Voice Cast: Gary Chalk, Ian James Corlett, Scott McNeil, Venus Terzo
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Retail: $29.93
ASIN: B00KTFJ79Q
Running Time: 690 minutes
Rating: TV-Y7
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

With Transformers: Age of Extinction taking in over a billion dollars worldwide at the box-office over the summer, it is no surprise that Shout! Factory would release more Transformers cartoon series to DVD for a new generation of fans. Arriving on DVD on September 2nd is Transformers Beast Machines: The Complete Series, featuring all 26 episodes. Bonus features include audio commentaries and interviews with voice director Susan Blu, voice actor David Kaye, story editor Robert N. Skir and series developer Marv Wolfman.

Picking up where Transformers Beast Wars (1996-1999) ended, Beast Machines debuted in 1999 and aired for two seasons. Using computer animation, the series centered on the Maximals (Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rattrap and Blackarachnia), whom suddenly arrived on Cybertron with no memory of how they got there. They are stuck in their beast modes and are unable to transform when they are attacked by mindless Vehicon drones. To make matters even worse, the Maximals learn that they all have a deadly virus. Their only hope lies in a supercomputer, Oracle, who reformats them into technorganic Transformers.

The Maximals quickly learn that Megatron is alive and is now in complete control of Cybertron. In order to defeat Megatron and find out what happened to the other Maximals, they must learn how to balance their technological sides with their organic sides.

Transformers: Cybertron: The Complete Series
Voice Cast: Garry Chalk, Matt Hill
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: August 5th, 2014
Retail: $44.99
ASIN: B00JHH1ZYW
Running Time: 1180 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving today on DVD is Transformers: Cybertron: The Complete Series, the third and final chapter in the UNICRON Trilogy, featuring all 52 episodes on 7 discs.


The series first aired in Japan in 2005 as a reboot, but when the English-dubbed version aired in the United States, new dialogue was added to connect to Transformers: Armada and Transformers: Energon; making this a trilogy. Unlike the previous series, Cybertron blends computer-animation with traditional 2D animation.

After a black hole threatens their home-world, Cybertron, the Autobots, lead by Optimus Prime, take refuge on Earth by transforming into vehicles. Before long, they are confronted by an ancient Autobot, Vector Prime, who informs them about the Cyber Planet Keys that can help stop the black hole from destroying their planet. The keys are scattered across the universe on four planets and the only map is in the hands of the Decepticons.

Along with their three human friends, Coby, Bud and Lori, the Autobots are in a race against time to find the keys and save their planet.

The 52 episodes on the 7-disc set are:

Transformers Animated: The Complete Series
Voice Cast: David Kaye, Corey Burton, Bumper Robinson, Bill Fagerbakke, Jeff Bennett, Tara Strong, Tom Kenny, Susan Blu
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: June 10, 2014
Retail: $37.97
ASIN: B00ITAQ2MS
Running Time: 930 minutes
Rating: TV-Y7
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Shout! Factory is taking advantage of the upcoming release of Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction by re-releasing previous animated series to DVD. Transformers Animated: The Complete Series was released this week, featuring all 42 episodes on a six-disc set.

Right on the heels of the first Michael Bay's Transformers blockbusters, Transformers Animated debuted on the Cartoon Network in late December 2007 and ended in May 2003. Unlike several of the previous animated series, Transformer Animated isn't cannon with the original 80s series, but instead it was reboot with a more kid friendly designs.

The series blasts away with the three-part pilot, Transform and Roll Out!, featuring the Autobots as repair bots lead by Optimus Prime (voiced by David Kaye). His team consists of Ratchet, Bulkhead, Prowl and Bumblebee. Their destinies forever change when they discover the Allspark on an asteroid. Before long, Megatron and his Decepticons (Blitzwing, Lugnut, Blackarachnia and Starscream) arrive to take possession of the Allspark at all costs. A battle wages and the Autobots' ship is damaged and crash lands on Earth.

While the Autobots go into stasis, the remains of Megatron is found by a scientist, Isaac Sumdac. The pilot jumps fifty years into the future, where Sumdac is now a professor in the futuristic version of Detroit. Optimus Prime and the Autobots awake from their stasis and defends the people of Detroit from a monster, resulting in the Autobots becoming heroes. Their biggest fan is young daughter, Sari.

Transformers: Energon: The Complete Series
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Retail: $44.99
ASIN: B00HRUQAKU
Running Time: 1167 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

The Transformers franchise is expanding this year with the fourth Michael Bay feature film, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and the untitled, brand-new animated series. Until then fans will have to settle on the Shout! Factory's seven-disc DVD set of Transformers: Energon: The Complete Series, featuring all 51 episodes.

Transformers: Energon is a Japanese computer-generated animated that aired during the 2004-2005 season and is set ten years after Transformers: Armada. There has been peace between the Autobots and Decepticons ever since the deaths of Megatron and Unicron, but a new evil is about to the unleashed upon Cybertron.

The mysterious Alpha Q releases the Terrorcons on the Autobots' Cybertron cities, which the little terror bots are collecting Energons. Alpha Q creates a new robot called Scorponok, who will gather all the remaining Decepticons on Earth and lead a new army against the Autobots. Of course Megatron is resurrected (again) and has his own agenda against the Autobots.

To battle this new threat, Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots must once again use the help from the humans to defeat this new threat.

The episodes on the seven-disc set are:

Transformers Armada: The Complete Series
Voice Cast: Michael Dobson, Terry Klassen, Ward Perry
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Retail: $44.99
ASIN: B00GSTHDCU
Running Time: 1140 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Its almost hard to believe the Transformers' franchise is thirty-years-old. Yes, there are probably a few people who think Michael Bay created the franchise with his over-bloated CGI/live-action films, but it was actually created by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese Takara Tomy toy company. Takara already had two transforming toylines, which were later re-branded as Transformers. Of course most adults in their 30s' remember the popular Hasbro animated series (aka - Generation 1), followed by an animated movie and countless spinoff animated series.

From 2002 to 2006, Japan aired a "Unicorn Trilogy"Transformers animated series (Armada, Energon and Cyberton), featuring a '90s design to the characters. When the trilogy was brought over to the United States, the series was dubbed with American voices. Despite getting a mixed-reaction from die hard fans upon its debut (especially with the trilogy ignoring the previous series), over time the series has been accept as part of the Transformers' lore.

This Tuesday, March 11, 2014, Shout! Factory will be releasing Transformers Armada: The Complete Series on an eight-disc DVD set, featuring all 52 episodes (three seasons) from the first installment of the "Unicorn Trilogy." Transformers Energon will be released in May, followed by Transformers Cyberton later in the year.

Typically, I would list the episodes on a DVD set, but that's a little time consuming with 52 episodes on this set. There's between six to eight episodes on each disc; so it isn't as crammed as one might expect it to be.

Transformers Prime: Ultimate Bumblebee
Voice Cast: Frank Welker, Josh Keaton, Jeffery Combs, Kevin Michael Richardson, Will Friedle, Sumalee Montano, Ernie Hudson, Markie Post and Steve Blum.
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Retail: $9.99
ASIN: B00GJ7CU1A
Running Time: 88 minutes
Rating: TV-Y7

Review:

The idea of giant robots transforming into vehicles may have seen a little silly in the early '80s to some, but Hasbro's Transformers toy line has become unstoppable thanks to several popular animated series and blockbuster Michael Bay films (with a fourth out this summer). The Emmy Award-winning Transformers Prime (later renamed Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters) may have came to a startling end last year, but Hasbro Studios and Shout! Factory is releasing a 4-episode single-disc DVD titled Transformers Prime: Ultimate Bumblebee on February 25, 2014 in Walmart stores everywhere.

Transformers Prime may be targeted for children, but the series has won over many adults, especially the ones who were fans of the original cartoon from the '80s. The series is executive produced by Duane Capizzi, Jeff Kline, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci. It aired for three seasons, one mini-series and one movie on The HUB TV Network in U.S. and on Teletoon in Canada.


The episodes featured on this release are:

G.I. Joe Vs. The Transformers
Publisher: IDW Publishing
ISBN: 9781613773529 
Pub Date: September 11, 2012
Written by: Michael Higgins
Artist: Chris Batista, Herb Trimpe, Jesse d'Orozco, Larry Hama, Steve Lieber, William Rosado

IDW Publishing is about to release the classic issues that combined G.I. Joe and The Transformers containing nine issues. I was able to read a free review copy from NetGalley this month. As a kid, I never got into comics, but I do remember watching both cartoon series and I think I had a few of the toys too. 

The original four crossover issues were released back in 1986 when I was a five-year-old. The issues are Blood on Tracks, Power Struggle, Ashes, Ashes..., and ...All Fall Down! The plot surrounds the government launching the Power Station Alpha, which is a nuclear power plant that can shoot a beam across the entire world, and of course both Decepticons and Cobra want it. They briefly make an alliance, but then Cobra learn that the Decepticons plan on destroying the planet. Spoilers: Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and Megatron are destroyed.

Transformers: Autocracy
Written by: Chris Metzen and Flint Dille
Artist: Livio Ramondelli 
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Pub Date: August 7, 2012
ISBN: 9781613772904

Transformers: Autocracy was originally released as a digital-only twelve part series. IDW will be releasing the entire series in one collection on August 7, 2012. Courtesy of NetGalley an IDW, I was able to review the first six issues of the series, consisting of Law & Disorder, Parasites, The Hunt for Soundwave, Cause & Effect, Ruins, and Purge.

Set after the events of Megatron: Origin, during the beginning of the Great War, the Decepticons are trying to take over Cyberton through terrorist actions. Going by Zeta Prime’s orders, Orion Pax leads a team of Autobots, which includes Hound, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Prowl, and Silverbolt, as they hunt down Swindle and Laserbeak. The Autobots barely survive the battle with them.