Hasbro Comic Book Universe
American comic book franchise
"Hasbro Comic Book Universe " Publisher IDW Publishing Publication date October 2005 – December 2020 Genre Various Main character(s)
The Hasbro Comic Book Universe (HCBU ) is an American comic book franchise and shared universe created and published by IDW Publishing , based on various properties of the toy company Hasbro .
Publication history
Following the bankruptcy of Dreamwave Productions in 2005, IDW picked up the Transformers comic book license and hired veteran writer Simon Furman to craft a rebooted continuity based on the Generation 1 toy line, similar to what Marvel Comics did through Ultimate Marvel .[ 1]
In May 2008, IDW obtained the G.I. Joe comic book license from Devil's Due Publishing .[ 2]
Over the years, both comics participated in several crossover events, like Infestation and Infestation 2 .
In 2016, IDW gained the rights of Rom , Micronauts , Action Man and M.A.S.K. from other publishers. That same year, IDW announced the Hasbro Reconstruction campaign, in order to converge those brands in the same continuity, starting with the crossover event Revolution .[ 3]
In 2017, IDW gained the rights of Visionaries , with most of its characters debuting after the crossover event First Strike .
In April 2018, IDW announced the HCBU would conclude with the limited series Transformers: Unicron in November 2018.
In-continuity canon
IDW has never established a shared continuity between its own Transformers and G.I. Joe comics, even during the crossover event Infestation , when they both exist in separate universes, with other licensed franchises. While The Transformers has only participated in Infestation , the miniseries The Transformers: Hearts of Steel , also set in its own alternate timeline, has participated in Infestation 2 . On the other side, G.I. Joe participated in both events.
While other brands exist within the HCBU (e.g. Jem and Clue ), they did not appear in Revolution , First Strike or Transformers: Unicron for tonal reasons. IDW's versions of My Little Pony , Dungeons & Dragons , Magic: The Gathering , Stretch Armstrong and Go-Bots exist "outside" of this universe entirely.
List of works
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
G.I. Joe: Origins
1–23
February 2009
January 2011
G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 1)
1–21
March 2009
June 2009
G.I. Joe: Cobra Special
1–2
September 2009
September 2010
Tie-in to G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 1).
The Transformers
1–31
November 18, 2009
December 7, 2011
Sequel to The Transformers: All Hail Megatron .
The Transformers: Bumblebee
1–4
December 16, 2009
March 10, 2010
2010
2011
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
The Transformers: Infestation
1–2
February 2, 2011
February 16, 2011
Part of the crossover event Infestation .
G.I. Joe: Infestation
March 2, 2011
March 16, 2011
Part of the crossover event Infestation .
The Transformers: Heart of Darkness
1–4
March 23, 2011
June 29, 2011
G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War
One-shot
April 1, 2011
Prelude to Cobra Civil War .
G.I. Joe (vol. 2)
1–21
May 2011
January 2013
G.I. Joe: Cobra (vol. 3)
December 2012
G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes
May 18, 2011
February 6, 2013
Separated inside three storylines.
The Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime
One-shot
December 21, 2011
2012
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye
1–57 (plus 1 annual)
January 11, 2012
September 28, 2016
Issues #23-27 tied to Dark Cybertron ; issues #56-57 tied to Titans Return .
The Transformers: Autocracy
1–12
January 18, 2012
June 20, 2012
The Transformers: Robots in Disguise
1–57 (plus 1 annual)
January 25, 2012
September 28, 2016
Issues #23-27 tied to Dark Cybertron ; retitled as The Transformers (vol. 2) in issue #35; retitled as Transformers in issue #39; issues #56-57 tied to Titans Return .
The Transformers: Infestation 2
1–2
February 1, 2012
February 15, 2012
Part of the crossover event Infestation 2 ; related to The Transformers: Hearts of Steel .
G.I. Joe: Infestation 2
March 14, 2012
March 28, 2012
Part of the crossover event Infestation 2 .
2013
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
G.I. Joe (vol. 3)
1–15
February 2013
April 2014
G.I. Joe: Special Missions
1–13
March 2013
April 2014
The Transformers: Monstrosity
1–12
March 1, 2013
July 31, 2013
Sequel to The Transformers: Autocracy .
G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files
1–9
April 2013
December 2013
The Transformers: Dark Cybertron
One-shot
November 6, 2013
Tied to Dark Cybertron .
2014
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
The Transformers: Dark Cybertron Finale
One-shot
March 26, 2014
Tied to Dark Cybertron .
The Transformers: Windblade (vol. 1)
1–4
April 16, 2014
July 23, 2014
The Transformers: Punishment
1–5
June 2014 (printed on January 21, 2015)
Digital comic.
The Transformers: Primacy
1–4
August 13, 2014
November 19, 2014
Sequel to The Transformers: Monstrocity .
G.I. Joe (vol. 4)
1–8
September 2014
April 2015
Retitled as The Fall of G.I. Joe .
The Transformers: Drift — Empire of Stone
1–4
November 26, 2014
February 25, 2015
Sequel to The Transformers: Drift .
2015
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes — Agent of Cobra
1–5
January 2015
May 2015
The Transformers: Windblade (vol. 2)
1–7
March 25, 2015
September 23, 2015
Sequel to The Transformers: Windblade (vol. 1); issues #1-5 tied to Combiner Wars .
Transformers: Combiner Hunters
One-shot
July 29, 2015
Tied to Combiner Wars .
Transformers: Redemption
October 28, 2015
Sequel to The Transformers: Punishment .
Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers
1–5
October 2015
June 2016
Sequel to The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers .
2016
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
Jem and the Holograms
1–26 (plus 1 annual and 2 specials)
March 25, 2016
June 14, 2017
Micronauts
1–11 (plus 1 annual)
April 27, 2016
April 12, 2017
Transformers: Till All are One
1–12 (plus 1 annual)
June 15, 2016
December 13, 2017
Sequel to The Transformers: Windblade ; issues #5-8 tied to Titans Return .
Revolution
0–5
June 21, 2016
November 30, 2016
[ 3]
Action Man
1–4
June 22, 2016
September 21, 2016
Rom
0–14 (plus 1 annual)
July 27, 2016
November 1, 2017
Transformers: Titans Return
One-shot
July 27, 2016
Tied to Titans Return .
Transformers: Revolution
October 26, 2016
Part of the crossover event Revolution .
[ 3]
Transformers: Till All are One: Revolution
November 2, 2016
G.I. Joe: Revolution
November 16, 2016
Rom: Revolution
September 21, 2016
Micronauts: Revolution
September 28, 2016
M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand: Revolution
September 29, 2016
Action Man: Revolution
October 26, 2016
M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand
1–10 (plus 1 annual)
November 30, 2016
October 11, 2017
Transformers: More than Meets the Eye: Revolution
One-shot
December 7, 2016
Part of the crossover event Revolution .
[ 3]
Optimus Prime
1–25 (plus 1 annual)
December 14, 2016
November 21, 2018
Sequel to The Transformers: Robots in Disguise .
Transformers: Lost Light
1–25
November 7, 2018
Sequel to The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye .
Jem: The Misfits
1–5
December 21, 2016
July 6, 2017
Spin-off of Jem and the Holograms .
G.I. Joe (vol. 5)
1–9
December 28, 2016
October 11, 2017
2017
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
Revolutionaries
1–8
January 18, 2017
September 27, 2017
Team-up between various Hasbro characters.
Transformers Annual 2017
One-shot
March 9, 2017
Micronauts: Wrath of Karza
1–5
April 26, 2017
September 20, 2017
Sequel to Micronauts .
Transformers: Salvation
One-shot
June 14, 2017
Sequel to Transformers: Redemption .
Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook
1–3
July 14, 2017
October 25, 2017
Featuring various background stories.
First Strike
0–6
Sequel to Revolution .
Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
1–5
July 19, 2017
November 27, 2017
Jem: Infinite
1–6
June 29, 2017
October 19, 2017
Crossover event between Jem and the Holograms and Jem: The Misfits .
Clue
November 23, 2017
G.I Joe: First Strike
One-shot
September 20, 2017
Part of the crossover event First Strike .
Micronauts: First Strike
September 27, 2017
Optimus Prime: First Strike
October 18, 2017
Rom: First Strike
M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand: First Strike
November 1, 2017
Transformers: First Strike
November 8, 2017
Jem: Dimensions
1–4
December 6, 2017
March 7, 2018
Rom & the Micronauts
1–5
December 20, 2017
May 9, 2018
Scarlett's Strike Force
1–3
December 27, 2017
February 28, 2018
2018
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
Transformers vs. Visionaries
1–5
January 3, 2018
May 2, 2018
Rom: Tales of the Solstar Order
One-shot
April 4, 2018
Back-up strips published in Rom #11–14.
Transformers: Unicron
0–6
May 5, 2018
November 14, 2018
Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers
One-shot
May 30, 2018
Sequel to Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers .
2019
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
Synergy: A Hasbro Creators Showcase
One-shot
March 27, 2019
Contains stories for G.I. Joe , Transformers , and Jem and the Holograms .
2020
Title
Issue(s)
Premiere date
Finale date
Note(s)
Ref.
Rom: Dire Wraiths
1–3
January 15, 2020
December 30, 2020
Prequel and spin-off to Rom , uses characters from Inhumanoids .
Major storylines
Tie-in books
The Transformers: Continuum (November 11, 2009) – First guidebook of the HCBU-related Transformers comics.
G.I. Joe: Tales from the Cobra Wars (April 19, 2011) – Anthology of prose stories based on several HCBU-related G.I. Joe comics.
Transformers: Historia (January 9, 2019) – Second guidebook of the HCBU-related Transformers comics.[ 4]
Unproduced works
Transformers: Legacy of Rust [ 5]
Transformers: Spy Games [ 6]
Transformers: Collision Course [ 7]
See also
References
^ "DYNAMIC FORCES® - Marvel, DC, Dynamite, Signed Comics, Sketch Covers, CGC Graded, Variants, Collectibles and more!" . www.dynamicforces.com . Retrieved 2020-12-30 .
^ "IDW Lands G.I. Joe License" . CBR . 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2020-12-30 .
^ a b c d "IDW Is Merging G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Its Other Hasbro Comics Into One Giant Universe" . io9 . June 2016. Retrieved 2020-12-30 .
^ "TRANSFORMERS HISTORIA: Chris McFeely Writes History Of IDW Transformers Universe, Due In December" . TFormers.com. September 19, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018 .
^ "Legacy of Rust - Transformers Wiki" . tfwiki.net . Retrieved 2022-11-03 .
^ "Spy Games - Transformers Wiki" . tfwiki.net . Retrieved 2022-11-03 .
^ "Transformers: Collision Course - Transformers Wiki" . tfwiki.net . Retrieved 2022-11-03 .
Hasbro Comic Book Universe
Intellectual properties currently managed by Hasbro
Distributed worldwide by Hasbro Subsidiaries and brands Other media Conventions See also
1 (U.S. and Canada)
2 (except Japan and parts of Asia)
Toy lines Video games TV series Films Comics Other
Owner Creators Comics
Characters See also
Marvel Dreamwave Fun IDW
Titan Skybound