Hello readers,
If you typed in sledgehammerproductions.wordpress.com and find yourself redirected to toddmatthy.com, don’t worry. I’m in the process of renaming the page. Same great content. Easier address to remember.
While your here, be sure to “Like” the Facebook page for my upcoming comic book, Wicked Game.
Keep living dangerously my friends.
By Todd Matthy
2012 has come and gone and what a year it has been. We saw two comic book movies achieve critical acclaim while grossing over a billion dollars. We saw the Rock return to the wrestling ring. We saw the Avengers and the X-Men square off with one another and Disney buy Star Wars. So what were the best moments of 2012. Click below to find out. (more…)
By Todd Matthy
Before you read this review please take your time to support S.L.I.F.E.R. Needs You. Lobo co-creator and Story Editor of the Transformers cartoon, Roger Slifer was the victim of a hit and run on June 23rd. No arrests have been made. This group is dedicated to giving Roger financial support and working together to supply the Police with information that will lead to the perpetrators arrest. Thank you.
Does the original generation of Transformers still have the same magic as it did twenty years ago? Read on. (more…)
By Todd Matthy
The first season of “Voltron Force” has wrapped and what a ride it was. From betrayals, trainees, secrets, and new pilots, the series not only resurrected the beloved property, but pushed it into new areas of excitement.
Jeremy Corray is one of the architects behind Voltron’s revival and was kind enough to take the time to talk to me about the development of the series, the origins of some of the twists, and a little “fishing” for tidbits on Season Two. (more…)
By Todd Matthy
The major spoke in the wheel that is Voltron’s revival is the brand new series “Voltron Force” currently airing on Nicktoons. Like many animated series “Voltron Force” has a comic book tie-in thanks to Viz Publishing. Written by former Marvel Editor/Stuff of Legend writer Brian Smith with art work by Jacob Chabot, the first in a series of graphic novels has hit comic book stores this week. So what can we expect from this series. I talked to Brian Smth, Jacob Chabot, and editor Traci Todd at New York Comic Con to find out. (more…)
By Todd Matthy
With Voltron # 3 (see above) on sale at comic stores everywhere, I thought I’d share with you my interview with Nick Barrucci, the President of Dynamite Entertainment, the publisher of the “Voltron” comic book. We discuss the book’s direction and the prospects of the giant robot crossover we ALL want to see. (more…)
By Todd Matthy
You may not know Bob Koplar, but as Vice-President of World Events Productions, he is one of the most important figures behind the revival of “Voltron” and the creation of “Voltron Force.”
With new “Voltron Force” episodes beginning February 29th at 8:00 pm on Nicktoons, I present to you this interview with Bob Koplar from New York Comic Con. (more…)
Todd Matthy.com 
He Killed Optimus Prime: An Interview with Ron Friedman, writer of Transformers: The Movie
Posted: December 31, 2013 in Animation, Anime, Cartoons, Comics, Commentary, Interviews, Marvel Comics, Movies, Science Fiction, Transformers, TVTags: cobra commander, destro, Fantastic Four, Game of Thrones, gi joe, iron man, Marvel Action Hour, Megatron, Optimus Prime, Orson Welles, Ron Friedman, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Stan Lee, Starscream, The Death of Optimus Prime, Transformers, Transformers: The Movie, Ultra Magnus
By Todd Matthy
In the summer of 1986, children were traumatized when Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to stop his archrival, Megatron. But it wasn’t Megatron who pulled the trigger, it was a writer named Ron Friedman.
Ron Friedman wrote Transformers: The Movie. He wrote the five-part miniseries that launched GI Joe. He is close friends with Stan Lee and helped Stan develop The Marvel Action Hour, featuring Iron Man and Fantastic Four. He has written episodes of All in the Family, Happy Days, and Fantasy Island. In addition to his writing credentials, Ron is an architect and a teacher at Chapman University.
In 2014, Ron plans to chronicle his experiences as a writer in the memoir, I Killed Optimus Prime. The book promises a fascinating look behind the scenes of the shows that defined our childhood.
I had the privilege of speaking with Ron about his career, his friendship with Stan Lee, what he thought when he first saw the Transformers, how Orson Welles became Unicron, and why he didn’t want to kill Optimus Prime.
So, to kick off the 30th Anniversary of the Transformers, Ron Friedman, the man who killed Optimus Prime.
WARNING: Some language.
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