Sewn To The Sky

Transformers: Generation Mechs, my 500-page all-new work detailing the rise and fall of G1 and, more importantly, the evolution of the TF fanbase, is now shipping worldwide.

This deluxe limited edition hardback - the debut release from Empurata Books - is available for a short time only: once it’s sold out, that’s it.

I was one of those now-ancient “first fans”. I witnessed what we all assumed at the time was Transformers’ permanent demise and, like other likeminded souls, resolved to keep it alive. That meant fanfic, fanart and, of course, fanzines.

I’ve interviewed over 50 people - Hasbro executives, comic pros, zine editors and more - to bring you the definite history of 80s and 90s fandom, analogue and digital. More than that, I’ve exhaustively documented the genesis of the brand, its incredible mid-80s high point, and its gradual commercial (if not creative) decline.

The book covers everything: the rise of media fandom, the deregulated 1980s entertainment industry, gender studies, contested brand synergy, fan civil war, Trukk Not Munky and much more besides.

If you’ve ever emailed me about my TF books you should by now have received an email telling you how to order Gen Mechs. (If you can’t find it, check your spam.) Everyone else should email [email protected] for ordering and pricing info.

Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy the book. Oh yeah - please share this far and wide x

This is how old I am. 25 years ago I published a Transformers novel called Eugenesis, and a couple of years later - somehow - it ended up being reviewed by the Harvard Crimson.

At the time, Eugenesis was intended to be my fandom swansong. I’d be writing fanfic since 1987, and this was to be the grand finale. Also, I was by 2001, a husband and a new Dad, so real life was making very understandable demands on my time. My fandom journey at that point hadn’t been particularly unique: as Generation Mechs proves, it’s a journey that many fans who grew up with Transformers went on in the 80s and 90s.

Sorry it’s been a while. I’m really eager to get Generation Mechs to everyone who wants a copy, but my plans have been delayed thanks to the imposition of new US tariffs.

If you head to my Insta (j.roberts332) you’ll find a more detailed explanation of Where We’re At. Look for the Update post.

496 pages, hardback, embossed cover, spot-varnished dust jacket, and 3 x 12-page glossy inserts featuring hi-res photos of over 60 staggeringly rare Transformers fanzines and curios. PLUS a Postscript by Jack Lawrence and an Afterword by Nick Roche.

Copies will be available at @tfnationltd on 9th and 10th August, and again later in the year via mail order. It’s a limited edition, so keep an eye out for derails of how to order.

Bonus: in the last pics you’ll see the finished version of the “Liars…” book.

Thanks to Adam Roberts and Bunker Creative for art direction and design, and to the 50+ people who agreed to be interviewed (and in some cases let me borrow their fanzines)

I’ll post on here again with info on how to order later in the year

Sorry for being AWOL for a while:

Gen Mechs, my new book about the earliest days of Transformers fan culture, is going to print in a few weeks. It’s all new content. Part critique, part reference guide, part oral history

I’ve interviewed over 50 creators, industry execs and fans (especially fanzine editors) and dug up very rare new info about the early days (83 to 99). I’m really happy with how it’s turned out.

I’ll be selling and signing copies at @tfnationltd, and then later in the year I’m going to make it available to order, as I’ve done with the MTMTE notebooks

Normally, I do a small run of notebooks for the cons then wait until I’ve taken people’s orders before doing a second print run. That way, I know exactly what the global demand is and I don’t over-order

I’m doing things differently with Gen Mechs. It’s a large format, 500 page hardback book with glossy inserts, a dust jacket and an embossed spine. It’ll be expensive to produce. The cost-per-book is greater the smaller the print run, to a more pronounced extent than the notebooks

For this reason, I’m only going to do a single print run. Gen Mechs will therefore be a limited edition (I *may* do a softback second printing in a few years, depending on demand). Thing is… I’ve no idea how many copies to get printed. And this is where you come in

I’m not inviting pre-orders/payment, but I’d appreciate it if those of you who intend to buy a copy would let me know by liking this post. I say “intend to buy”, but there’s no obligation. If you change your mind, fine. I just need a rough idea of demand

I’m still waiting on final costs (which will of course be determined in large part by the size of the print run), but I think I’ll be selling each copy for around £40 (plus shipping). I’ll be signing them and sending them out in bespoke packaging

So if you think you’ll be ordering a copy or picking one up at TFNation, please like the first post. “RTs” (or tumblr equivalent) to maximise the sample size are also appreciated.

And what an unmitigated *pleasure* it has been to explore the #mtmte and #lostlight tags and discover an absolute treasure trove of funny, heartbreaking, thought-provoking and staggeringly creative content riffing on Roddy, Megs and Co.

May I direct your attention to this lovely archive of your MTMTE tweets?

(It’s James Roberts — just realised that my username gives nothing away)

There may be some MTMTE fans on here who (wisely) avoid Twitter etc and so may not know about the MTMTE Notebooks and Scriptbooks that I make available once a year

These exclusive behind-the-scenes books are essentially creator journals chronicling the evolution of the series, containing pitches, concepts, character thumbnails etc that I worked on ahead of and during the comic’s run

If you’d like to find out more, email [email protected] and I’ll send you the details

Oh, and I have zero reach on here, so I’d be grateful if anyone who finds this and is a MTMTE fan could repost, or whatever the Tumblr term is

Thank you!