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Interview - Devil's Due Talks G.I.Joe/TF Comic

Transformers and G.I.Joe fans must be blessed to be lucky enough to have not one, but two completely different G.I.Joe / Transformers crossovers. The company behind the G.I.Joe comic, Devil's Due, is handling the crossover comic with the Joes leading the way. TFormers.com's staff member Richard Mistron had a chance to talk with Devil's Due President Josh Blaylock who is heading up and writing the new crossover comic. Josh gives us the skinny on the Transformers we'll be seeing, background on the story and time line, exclusive pictures and more info about the series.

TFormers: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you wind up pushing a pencil for some of the most popular comics going today?

Josh: Boy, that's a long story. It all started a LONG time ago when I began self publishing books right out of high school. Then, after college, I became the art director for a major licensing/T-shirt design company - which is where I helped start the 80's retro craze with shirts, stickers, and all that stuff. THAT led to snagging the license to G.I.Joe for comics, bringing everything back full circle. Of course, I just shortened about seven years into a couple of sentences :)

TFormers: What is the premise behind the upcoming "G.I.Joe Vs. the Transformers" comic book series?

Josh: It's a lot like Rocky 4 where Joe is Rocky and the Transformers are Dolph Lundgren. Just kidding :) Actually, the whole premise is based on the fact that there IS no G.I.Joe yet. But there is a COBRA, and THEY find the Ark before the Transformers wake up from their multi-million year sleep. Cut to months later, and Cobra makes themselves known to the world when they attack DC with giant transforming robots that no one's seen before... but of course the fans HAVE. G.I.Joe is formed to stop them, and with the help of two Autobots not found by Cobra, they just might have a chance... if they don't destroy those Autobots by mistake.

It's a lot more layered than that when we get into the story, obviously. Destro's relationship with Cobra is still new in this, and we find out what he has to do with the discovery of the alien machines. We also see what the Government thinks about these, what they consider, "Alien Invaders."

This is a total "WHAT IF" scenario, and something I think both G.I.Joe and Transformers fans are going to dig. It's just fun fun time.

TFormers: How were you both approached for this series and how long can we expect this tale to last?

Josh: It was actually the other way around. WE approached Hasbro. I brought the idea up to Adam Fortier when he worked for Dreamwave, and it slowly developed from there. The entire thing is a SIX issue monthly mini series.

TFormers: Did either of you research the previous crossovers for this project?

Josh: I know I made an effort not to. I haven't read that in YEARS, and I wanted this to be as fresh as possible, and not influenced by it. I DID, however, make sure to give one wink and nod to the old book, but you'll see that when it happens :)

TFormers: Is the G.I.Joe team handled similarly to the current comic book series, the cartoon, or something altogether different?

Josh: From the G.I.Joe standpoint, this is a really cool opportunity to see the team in its infancy. I mean, it's a huge cast, so you don't have time to delve into many characters depths, so we focus on a few, but I'm really having fun with it. Hawk is still a field Commander, just like when G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero started in the 80's, Quick Kick, Doc, Breaker, and all those guys who were killed long ago are still around... but it's all with a modern twist. It's as if they were being formed today.

TFormers: I've read that the Transformers will be handled differently in this series than in previous comic books. Could you elaborate on that?

Josh: Well, in our book, we've redesigned the Transformers , and our story arc is a loose remake of the Olivia Newton John film, Xanadu. But, you know, more "extreme".

Okay, I'll quit playing with people's emotions like that :) Seriously, what's different about them is that the majority have been altered to transform into Cobra vehicles. Hence, we have an Optimus Prime HISS tank, Ratchet and Iron Hide HISS tanks, Starscream as a Cobra Night Raven, SkyWarp and ThunderCracker Rattlers, and on and on. Mike Miller's designs for them are BAD ASS. He really racks his brain to make sure their transformation is as believable as possible.

TFormers: Will we get to see any classic team-ups or fights, such as Snake Eyes vs. Storm Shadow or Prime Vs. Megatron?

Josh: TOTALLY, but also some really cool conflicts such as the clashing of Megatron and Cobra Commander's egos, and their constant attempts to gain the upper hand on the other. Megatron is kind of at Cobra Commander's mercy in the beginning, and he's NOT happy about it. Cobra Commander's kind of like the combination of Starscream and Megatron - or if Starscream was just a LITTLE more competent, and took over the Decepticons for good. So you can imagine Megs' isn't happy about someone like this controlling him. But he's NOT controlling him the same way you saw in Dreamwave's G1 series.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Snake-Eyes try to take on a full size Decept.' He might not be able to take 'em, but seeing as how a Decepticon is responsible for his disfigured face in this series, he has good motivation!

TFormers: Will there be any characters that are getting the axe in this series?

Josh: Oh yeah, if I have my say so. My lips are sealed for now.

TFormers: If the series does well, is there a chance for a second?

Josh: Never say never.

TFormers: So, whose idea was it to have the Joes and the Transformers team up this time around?

Josh: I think we covered that pretty well.

TFormers: How much involvement did Hasbro play in this project? Did they ask to make the character designs doable in terms of making them into toys or was there minimal involvement with them?

Josh: Pretty minimal - they just approved the concepts we delivered, and the designs. I think they have a great opportunity to capitalize on this, though, by making a special offshoot/limited toy set to accompany this series.

TFormers: Are you collaborating at all with Dreamwave's cross over series or is that completely separate from Devil's Due?

Josh: Totally separate. We're both giving each other a lot of freedom to run wild.

TFormers: How soon can we expect the first issue to be released and will this run monthly?

Josh: The first issue is due June 25th and the next five issues will run monthly.

TFormers: In regards to the back-story of both licenses, was any of that a concern? Was there and research involved or did you already have everything planned from the get-go?

Josh: That's pretty much why I opted for the "clean slate" approach.

TFormers: Are either of you fans of G.I.Joe or the Transformers? Do you have favorite characters?

Josh: I'm so engrossed in G.I.Joe 24/7, and I got into that inherently because I'm a fan that understands the brand inside and out. With Transformers, I've been able to sit back and enjoy it SIMPLY as a fan, so getting to play with them now is a lot of fun. I don't have any one favorite, but the staple guys like Prime, Megatron and Shockwave are up there, but I always enjoyed the cocky little buggers like Frenzy and Rumble, and always had a soft spot for Bumblebee. I think one of my favorite stories from the old cartoon, though was the origin of Optimus Prime as Orion Pax (I'm not sure if I spelled that right), and Alita 1 and Alpha Trion. I really dig the grand scope of TF mythology as a whole - the origin from the Quintesons as worker robots, and the various spiritual ideas brought in over the years. It's all great stuff.

The challenge with Transformers is that there are so many contradicting continuities.

With G.I.Joe, I love so many of the characters for various reasons that it's hard to pinpoint even a few.

TFormers: What is the most enjoyable aspect of working on this project for you?

Josh: I think what I stated before about just being able to enjoy the Transformers resurgence for the past year. While G.I.Joe has become a big part of the business aspect of my life, but with TF, it's like I'm a kid again and a friends coming over saying "Hey, wanna play with these?" It's very refreshing.

TFormers: What was it like to work with each other? Were there any conflicts in artistic license or story or was it a match made in Heaven?

Josh: Honestly, we have less communication between studios than people probably think. They're crossover looks pretty cool, though. I think we definitely keep each other on our toes.

TFormers: Were there any characters you would have liked to have drawn or written into the series but weren't able to?

Josh: I wanted to have the Dreadnoks riding around on the Junkions, but since this revolves around characters from G1, I couldn't do it. That would be so cool to see, though. What a perfect match :)

TFormers: Is there anyone in the industry that either of you would like to work with that you haven't yet?

Josh: Oh man, I'm just getting started. I've gotten to work with so many already. Uhm... Brian Bendis, Brian Azarello, Mark Millar, Brian Hitch, Alex Ross, Humberto Ramos, Frank Miller, Joe Mad - the list goes on.

TFormers: How does Dreamwave's Transformers/GI Joe comic impact what you are doing?

Josh: Again, it makes for that much better of an experience for fans, because it's a friendly competition of sorts. Obviously, how well one book does helps the other. If our series rocks the charts in June, then DW will probably be that much more successful in August because retailers will want to ride it. If ours bombed, it would hurt theirs. On the flip side, once ours is done, if theirs is still doing well, it can only help G.I.Joe.

Make no bones about it, though. This crossover is going to rock!

Thanks for this interview. It was a blast. I'll see everyone at the comic shops in JUNE! Stay tuned to our web site too, as we'll probably be offering presale orders soon!

Josh out.

TFormers: Thanks Josh and all the people at Devil's Due for the great interview and pictures. You rock!

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Surf on over to the Devil's Due web site for more information on their G.I.Joe comics, Micronauts comics, Voltron comics and much more HERE.
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