On Thursday, Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed that IDW will lose its publishing license for the G.I. Joe and Transformers at the end of 2022. This tracks with news back in December that Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment was negotiating with Hasbro to acquire both properties.
IDW confirmed the news in a message to the Hollywood Reporter, stating:
“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.”
For folks who are fans of IDW’s work with both franchises, Kit’s report states the the company will still be publishing new stories the rest of the year. In fact, they plan to go out with a bang.
On the Transformers side of things, IDW will release of series of one-shots featuring characters throughout the franchise’s history. As far as G.I. Joe is concerned, the company will celebrate the 300th issue of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero with comic series creator Larry Hama at the helm. They will also produce a four issue miniseries entitled G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Saturday Morning Adventures that pays homage to the beloved cartoon from the 1980s.
As if that weren’t enough, there are also plans for a big project to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the franchise’s modern iteration.
As exciting as all that is, it’s hard not to wonder how IDW will fair after losing two of its biggest properties. Hopefully they have more licensing deals in the works to help make up for the inevitable hit in readers and revenue that 2023 will bring.
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