IDW Losing the Rights to TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE Comics by End of 2022
It has been announced that this is the last year that IDW will own the rights to the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises. The company has published Transformers comics since 2005, and G.I. Joe comics since 2008. IDW has laid out their plans for the two titles for the rest of the year that they own them:
The monthly Transformers series will wrap up by mid-summer, while the Transformers: Beast Wars series will come to its conclusion this summer, too. That will lead to two new miniseries events. The company will also publish a variety of special one-shot projects spotlighting heroes and villains from across Transformers history.
On the Joe front, the company is planning a blowout celebration later with milestone issue G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero no. 300 with Larry Hama, the veteran comics writer who launched the Joe brand with Marvel Comics in 1982, at the helm.
In the spring, G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures will offer a four-issue send-up of the beloved ’80s cartoon. And it being the 40th anniversary of the modern iteration of the military toy brand, several special projects are also in the works. Creators and release details will be released by IDW at a later date.
THR previously reported that Skybound, the imprint run by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, was in talks to pick up the license from Hasbro, but nothing has been set in stone as of yet.
IDW gave the following statement regarding the end of the ownership:
“At the end of 2022, IDW will bid a fond farewell to the publication of G.I. Joe and Transformers comic books and graphic novels. We’re exceedingly proud of our stewardship of these titles — 17 years with the Robots in Disguise and 14 years with A Real American Hero — and thank the legion of fans for their unwavering support, month in and month out. We’re also eternally grateful to every one of the talented creators who helped bring these characters to four-color life through our comics.”
My Little Pony and Dungeons & Dragons comics, based on the Hasbro brands, will still be published by IDW. Where would you like to see Transformers and G.I. Joe land when all is said and done?