MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Thundercats have all been relaunched to astounding commercial success in the last several months. The key difference this time has been the selection of A-List creators. Here are the other toys we’d relaunch with our dream creators:
Centurions
Premise: Three peacekeepers wearing high-tech exoskeletons battle evil cyborgs. Conceptualized and designed by comic book legends Jack Kirby and Gil Kane, the suits could be outfitted with weapons and armor to make them look like sleek vehicles.
Dream Creators – Writer: Scott Snyder. Artist: Jim Lee.
Why them? As seen in his Batman run, Scott uses pseudo-science really well in his suspense-driven scripts, and Jim makes high-tech look visually appealing.
Micronauts
Premise: High-tech warriors from the Microverse use Earth as their secret battleground. They had great character designs and innovative gimmicks.
Dream Creators – Writer: Jonathan Hickman. Artist: Leinil Francis Yu.
Why them? Leinil is well-known for giving classic characters a modern sheen, and Jonathan has a gift for intricate world-building and storytelling that is needed for this Microverse.
M.A.S.K.
Premise: An anti-terrorist force operates inconspicuous vehicles with hidden advanced weaponry. The fun in the vehicles was how they concealed their weaponry and made it look cool.
Dream Creators – Writer: Kelly Thompson. Artist: Leonardo Romero.
Why them? Kelly excels at writing teams and their stealth missions, as seen in her Birds of Prey. So it makes sense to get her BoP partner Leonardo involved because he knows how to make panels with a sense of velocity.
Inhumanoids
Premise: Armored scientists fight giant underground Kaiju. With stories about corporate espionage and corrupt politicians, the 80’s cartoon was more complex than Pacific Rim.
Dream Creators – Writer: Matt Fraction. Artist: Greg Capullo.
Why them? Matt is familiar with corporate subterfuge stories thanks to his time on Iron Man and Monarch Legacy of Monster. As for Greg, he draws monsters like nobody’s business.
ROM Spaceknight
Premise: A cyborg comes down from space to hunt aliens disguised as Earthlings. This gave the original series creative mileage, but at its heart, it was Rom’s yearning to become human again.
Dream Creators – Writer: Rick Remender. Artist: Sean Murphy.
Why them? Rick is a master at crafting grand, fantastical stories with a lot of heart, and Sean is known for making such stories come to life with both humanity and horror mixed in.
