Transformers: Optimus Prime #19
John Barber (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a)
“The Falling,” Part 4. Onyx Prime’s motivations are clear, and his scheme seems unstoppable. Heroes have fallen, and hope dwindles for the survivors. Cybertron’s last chance of salvation is in the hands of… well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Back to the Future: Tales from the Time Train #5
Bob Gale & John Barber (w) • Megan Levens (a & cover a) • Philip Murphy (cover b)
With Jules and Verne held hostage by German spies, Doc and Clara must pull out all the stops to rescue their sons! Guest-starring Einstein! (Not that one… the other one!)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
IDW Publishing has announced that John Barber has been named the company’s new Editor-in-Chief, and Anita Frazier joins as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Barber, previously group editor at IDW, had spent the last two years bolstering his talents as a writer in comics, films, and other media.
Barber started as a small-press creator in the late 1990s, entering into the arena of web comics before joining Marvel Comics’ editorial team. At Marvel, Barber worked on the Ultimate line of comics, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, Marvel Zombies, and many other projects including the Eisner Award nominated Old Man Logan. Barber edited the first Marvel comics work by many of today’s top creators.
After coming onboard as one of the writers of IDW’s relaunch of their main Transformers line, Barber was also hired as a Senior Editor, working closely with Hasbro on the Transformers and G.I. Joe lines of comics. Along the way, Barber fulfilled a life-long dream by editing the reimagined Jem and the Holograms.
Barber left editorial to write full-time, working on many IDW/Hasbro titles, as well as Back to the Future (co-written with BTTF co-creator Bob Gale). Barber also worked on screenplays for a few as-yet-unproduced films (live action and animated), wrote the Transformers: Autobots Alliance interactive experience (currently running in Chongqing, China), and wrote Doctor Strange and Spider-Man comics for Marvel.
Anita Frazier comes to IDW with an extensive background in sales, marketing, market research, and business development. Between 1994 and 2004, Frazier served as Director of Marketing for DC Comics Licensed Properties, Vice President of Sales for Sony Pictures Consumer Products, and Vice President of Sales for Vivendi Universal Games.
In 2004, she joined The NPD Group as an industry analyst and assumed the role of Executive Director of Client Development and New Business Development in 2011. Since 2016, she has operated as an independent consultant to companies in entertainment, video games, licensing, toy, and market research industries. Frazier has an MBA in Business Administration from The Anderson School at UCLA.
Star Wars Adventures #9
John Barber, Nickolas Brokenshire (w) • Chad Thomas, Nickolas Brokenshire (a) • Chad Thomas (c)
Droids take center stage in both stories of this comical and exciting adventure! C-3PO might be in over his head as he takes on a new job, and IG-88 is determined to capture his crafty bounty!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Transformers: Optimus Prime #18
John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli & Kei Zama (a) • Kei Zama (c)
“The Falling,” Interlude. All hope seems lost as Onyx Prime confronts Optimus—but why has Onyx returned? What’s his ultimate goal? Millions of years worth of mysteries are solved as the secret history of Onyx Prime is finally revealed!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Transformers: Optimus Prime #17
John Barber (w) • Kei Zama (a & c)
“The Falling,” Part 3: Onyx Prime sows the seeds of chaos and panic on Cybertron as he reveals dark secrets… but nothing will prepare Optimus Prime and his allies for Onyx’s darkest revelation!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Back to the Future: Tales from the Time Train #4
Story: Bob Gale, John Barber
Script: John Barber
Art: Megan Levens
Color: Charlie Kirchoff
Cover A: Megan Levens, Charlie Kirchoff
Cover B: Philip Murphy
Incentive Cover: Alan Robinson, Charlie Kirchoff
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: Denton J. Tipton
Editorial Assistant: Chase Marotz
Doc and the Brown family venture ever deeper into the 1939 World’s Fair as a case of mistaken identity puts Jules and Verne in the crosshairs of German spies!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
The fate of all worlds are at stake, as the world-eating menace Unicron has set his sights on Cybertron, home of the Transformers robots, and next in line… EARTH! In what’s being descried as a “grand finale to the past 12 years of Transformers comics,” IDW Publishing has announced Transformers: Unicron. The event series arrives this July and will bring about the end of the Transformers universe as we know it. As Optimus Prime gathers his defense against this monstrous threat, it might be too little too late.
Veteran TRANSFORMERS creators John Barber and Alex Milne are joined by colorist Sebastian Cheng to tell the epic conclusion to the current Transformers comic book universe.
In the announcement Barber said:
Transformers: Unicron is a culmination of the years of Transformers comics I’ve been a part of… and the conclusion of one of the longest continued narrative in Transformers history. This is a story of heroism in the face of impossible odds; of a reckoning for an entire universe. I couldn’t be luckier than to have Alex [Milne] right here with me on this—if you know Alex, you know nobody puts more into the Transformers than he does, and nowhere before has he drawn drama, action, and pathos at this scale. Tying it all together is the incredible palette of Sebastian Cheng. We’ve never held back before on our Transformers comics, but this time we’re pushing ourselves—and each other—harder than ever.
Transformers mainstays from the past 12 years will be providing variant covers for the series, including Andrew Griffith, Nick Roche, and many more. Additionally, legendary comic artist Bill Sienkiewicz will be reinterpreting his classic cover to Transformers #1 as a special variant, along with a new cover by Francesco Francavilla.
The action kicks off on Free Comic Book Day, May 5th, with the #0 issue by the series creative; available for free at comic shops across the country. Don’t miss the world-ending first chapter of the summer’s cataclysmic event!
Marvel Entertainment and comiXology have announced the next exclusive comiXology Originals digital comic series with the debut of Spidey: School’s Out, a 6-issue bi-weekly series written by John Barber, with art by Todd Nauck, with colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, and covers by David Nakayama.
Spidey: School’s Out arrives June 6, 2018 for $2.99 on comiXology and Kindle as part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content and will be available to current subscribers of the popular comiXology Unlimited service. New subscribers to comiXology Unlimited can also enjoy it for free as part of their 30-day free trial. Spidey: School’s Out joins Avengers: Back to Basics, Black Panther: Long Live The King, The Immortal Iron Fists and Thor Vs. Hulk: Champions of the Universe, with more exclusive Marvel series to be announced.
Peter Parker just survived his first year as the Amazing Spider-Man AND a year of high school! What is he going to do next? He’s going to Stark science camp! A week indoors with the coolest technology in the world is a dream come true for Peter–and a bonanza for one Spider-foe who’s seriously upgraded his arsenal. Can Spider-Man keep the camp safe, and keep his identity secret from his first dormmate, while Peter Parker makes new friends and finishes his project on time?
Last Spring, Marvel Comics joined comiXology Unlimited, giving fans the ability to read over 10,000 titles including thousands of Marvel Comics single issues and collections as part of their comiXology Unlimited membership, featuring Super Heroes like The Avengers, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Black Panther, Iron Fist, Guardians of the Galaxy and more.
Back to the Future: Tales from the Time Train #3
Story: Bob Gale, John Barber Art: Megan Levens
Color: Charlie Kirchoff Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: Denton J. Tipton Editorial Assistant: Chase Marotz
Doc and family venture deeper into the 1939 World’s Fair as a case of mistaken identity leads one member of the Brown clan to unexpected luxury. Meanwhile, a pair of German spies have their sights set on Doc—but will he realize the danger in time?!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
