IDW’s Original Transformers May Soon Be Forgotten

Skold and Nyx, two original Transformers from IDW’s Beast Wars, may quickly be thrown into obscurity with the book’s likely pending completion.

Just when IDW’s Beast Wars comic book reboot seemed to be heating up, fate — and licensing deals — are pulling the rug out from under them. With the news about IDW losing the rights to publish the Hasbro property, it’s evident that long-term plans for these characters are highly unlikely.

The looming end could be especially detrimental to the two newest Beast Warriors, Skold and Nyx. Obscurity seems a good bet, endangering their place in the Transformers legacy.

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Who are Beast Wars’ Nyx and Skold?

Though the characters themselves are original, the designs for both Nyx and Skold are not. Nyx borrows from the original bat beast mode toy for Optimus Primal, while Skold is essentially a retooling of the toyline-exclusive character Snapper. They’re a Maximal and Predacon, respectively, and these two factions are the least of their differences.

Nyx is a lithe, flighty, and energetic young Maximal who revels in her new wings and role in the Maximal force. Skold, on the other hand, is typically mistreated by even her fellow Predacons, with her insecurities not helping matters. However, belying this is incredible physical strength and resilience. Despite her more diminutive stature, her might and bulky frame make her more than a physical match for even a Maximal as tough as Rhinox.

So far, out of a year’s worth of new Beast Wars comics, nary a toy has been produced. Given that and the likely end of the comic, an ignominious end seems inevitable. This could be these Cybertronian ladies’ last chance to shine.

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Could Nyx and Skold Show Up Beyond the IDW Beast Wars Comics?

However, there have been other situations in which IDW original Transformers have made it out of their comic book source material. For example, both Drift and Windblade, two Autobots invented in the IDW comics, have since gone on to inspire numerous toys. Additionally, they’ve made appearances in various cartoons, movies, and video games. In fact, Windblade is arguably as much of the leading lady for the franchise as the venerable Arcee. Nyx and Skold may also experience this level of multimedia success, but there is a significant barrier. Drift and Windblade both fit into the general aesthetic of the franchise, which hewed close to Generation 1 if not outright duplicated it. On the other hand, the biomechanical Beast Wars aesthetic has not been widely used since the late ’90s/early 2000s, making it harder to implement these new girls into a toyline.

The newly revealed Transformers: Legacy toyline may be the last and best way to extend their legacy. Given the line’s history of pulling characters from various continuities like Transformers: Universe and Transformers: Generations, Legacy could easily incorporate characters from the IDW books.

There’s also the chance that Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment, likely new home of Transformers comics, will publish their own Beast Wars comic. If they do, it might even be a continuation of IDW’s. If not, the current book and its last issues may be the only time we see the newest female Transformers.

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