Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

G.I. Joe, Transformers gaining attention

The world of the Transformers, robotic aliens who can shape-shift into cars and planes, will expand this summer with a third Michael Bay-directed film. IDW Publishing plans to give fans additional tie-ins in comics to further explore the characters and storylines based on the Hasbro toys.

IDW also holds the rights to the G.I. Joe license from Hasbro, and the anti-terrorist team of military specialists will receive a revamp this year as Cobra Commander, the leader of the Cobra terrorist organization, has been killed.

The most lethal Cobra operatives must now compete to become the next leader of the organization. The battle begins in April with “G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War” No. 0.

The issue will be written by Chuck Dixon and Mike Costa, with three separate 10-page stories. Artists Javier Saltares, Antonio Fuso and Agustin Padilla each illustrate one story.

In May, three new ongoing series begin: “Cobra,” “G.I. Joe” and “Snake Eyes.”

“With ‘G.I. Joe: Cobra Civil War' No. 0, we're giving readers a taste of what each of the three series will be,” IDW's “G.I. Joe” editor Andy Schmidt said. “Each series will be self-contained enough to enjoy on its own, but I don't think any reader or fan will be content with just one series. The books are getting more tightly interwoven because an event like this must impact all corners of the universe in a profound way.”

---