It started with a sighting of a random Decepticon t-shirt. Soon, I'd see a dozen during a walk through New York City's Union Square Park. Something was growing. Something that was more than met the eye.

The time was about two years ago. The "something" was the '80s resurgence that has now exploded upon cartoons, action figures, licensed products and comic books. And standing in the midst of the initial burst was a small publishing company called Dreamwave, previously known only for an anime-tinged fantasy comic titled Warlands.

Many people were surprised when Dreamwave snagged the highly sought after Transformers license. Then again, some weren't. After all, months earlier when Wizard magazine did a "fantasy football" style article, matching the day's hot artists with the top '80s properties, they asked Pat Lee to draw a Transformers pin-up... yep, the same Pat Lee that founded Dreamwave.

But if some people were surprised when Dreamwave got the gig, then even more were shocked when the comic rocketed to the top of the charts upon its debut... and stayed there. Then again, some weren't. Especially all those guys wearing Autobot t-shirts in Union Square Park.

So what's the deal on Dreamwave? Are they a West Side outfit like Top Cow? Or are they just three artists locked away in the bowels of Cybertron, toiling under the searing gaze of Starscream?

That's right, it's time to talk to the source. So let's go Behind The Curtain and rap with Adam Fortier, CEO of Dreamwave!

BTC: Let's start with the Dreamwave office itself. Where is it located, how big is it and how many people work there?

Adam: Our offices are around 7,500 square feet. It's right off highway 7 in Markham, Ontario (in Canada). We have around 40 people working here at most, with around 35 separate offices.

BTC: Canada, huh? For some reason I had you guys pegged for a cool California crew. Okay, so what's a typical day at the Dreamwave office?

Adam: We haven't been at this long enough to have a "typical" day. I think the most frightening thing is that we went from 0 to 60 in no time flat. We've had to spend a great deal of time figuring things out that might be easy to other companies. Our administration staff gets in early enough, and tries to keep everything on schedule, and plan for future projects. Our creative staff often comes in later, and stays until the early hours. We more or less keep our offices open 24 hours, and there's always someone there.

BTC: What attracted you to Dreamwave, and what keeps you interested?

Adam: The attraction to Dreamwave was:
1) the fact they were in comics (reason enough for me);
2) everyone there was of a like age, making it more of a team effort; and
3) they are one of the only comic book companies in Canada.

As for what keeps me here, we're constantly getting new licenses and trying new things. Having moved from job to job in the past, I need something that keeps me on my toes all the time.

BTC: Speaking of moving from job to job, how did you end up CEO of Dreamwave? Since no one can major in "comic book" in college, many people are wondering how one lands a job with a publisher. So tell me, what's your history with comics, what did you study in school, and how did you hook up with Dreamwave?

Adam: As far as my love for comic books go, my Grandparents taught me to read with them, having loved comics themselves. My Grandfather read all the original DC's, as well as Captain Marvel, and he wanted to share those things with me. By the time I had any money of my own, I was spending everything on comics, and collecting all my favorites. I got a job at a comic store at a young age, with the store giving me a job when they figured out I'd just stand in the store until they did something. In the '90s, I was able to read every comic book that came out (which was not always a good thing...), and was able to build up my collection even more. Once I was out of high school, I went to the University for Mathematics--knowing that I had no writing skills, or art skills, and couldn't make comic books my full time job (the joke, of course, was on me). I studied Mathematics in school, and got into comics more by accident than anything. I was working at an animation studio, and talked to Dreamwave about doing some work with them. At the same time as the animation deal went south, we talked about potentially doing a Transformers comic book. Having already talked to Hasbro before, I offered to help... everything else is history!

Take a look at The Dreamwave Fan Club Kit...

BTC: In a recent interview, an industry exec stated that his company was trying to develop an identity for each of their imprints. What would you say the Dreamwave brand stands for? When readers spot that logo on the cover, what should they expect to find inside?

Adam: Dreamwave represents a new way of looking at comics. While there's still a great deal of growing up to do as a company--and we have many different things that we want to try -- I think we can speak to a young generation. Our influences are the same as any 20-30 year old, and they help dictate the way we do things in comics. Our hope is to give our audience an "experience", as opposed to just a group of pictures and some text on a page.

BTC: Looking at the Dreamwave line-up, I don't see any superhero books. Since the company began with the publication of Warlands, have you intentionally focused on sci-fi and fantasy... and will that continue?

Adam: We've purposely kept our company out of the superhero world, because we never thought we could do it better than the big boys. If someone else has told all the good stories already, why are you doing it? If we do move into superheroes, we will attempt to do it in a different way, and let it speak to our generation.

BTC: The popularity of the Transformers books, which kicked off the mega '80s mania, is amazing. When you guys first thought about doing the books, what was the goal?

Adam: Our goal with Transformers was to attempt to convey our love of the property in a comic book format. We grew up with these toys, and played with them on a constant basis. Also, this gives us an opportunity to tell stories that we've always wanted to tell.

BTC: About a year before the comic hit, I began to see a ton of Autobot and Decepticon t-shirts being worn by New York City hipsters. Some industry insiders dismissed it as a passing fad... so were you surprised by your success, and how have you kept the excitement going?

Adam: We were, of course, surprised at how well received our comics were. Still, as we're all the same age, we were excited, so we figured that others our age would want to see these comics, too. In order to keep people coming back, we've tried to get the best people for the job -- like Simon Furman and Pat Lee -- and we'll try and keep on telling interesting stories.

BTC: Several of the larger companies were also after the Transformer license. So how did an upstart publisher like Dreamwave win the opportunity to bring Optimus Prime back?

Adam: I think we wanted it more than anyone else.

BTC: Talking about "wanting," I know there are alot of readers out there who want to know what's up next for the battling 'bots. So what can you tell us about future issues of Transformers: The War Within and Transformers: Armada?

Adam: Transformers : The War Within is ending in March. Then, in April, Pat Lee comes back to do his series again, with a new writer. I think it's going to be the best Transformers story ever! As for Armada, we've got Simon Furman now writing it, and as any fan can tell you, there's no better Transformers scribe around. Guido Guidi is penciling the series, and he's doing an awesome job!

Check out The Transformers: Hardcover Collected Edition here...

BTC: The Transformers: Hardcover Collected Edition is impressive. How did that -- a co-production with dear ol' Dynamic Forces -- come about? Adam: This is something that we've always wanted to do, and when we mentioned it in front of Nick Barrucci, he expressed an interest in helping out. We decided to collaborate, and now we have a nice hardcover! BTC: Anything else cool coming our way in 2003 from Dreamwave? Adam: We've got Transformers vs. G.I. Joe -- as well as many new properties -- planned, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Keep your eyes peeled, 2003 is our big year!

BTC: Finally, if the casts of Transformers, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, He-Man, Battle of the Planets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Smurfs were trapped on a desert island, who would survive?

Adam: No question -- the Transformers! They've been fighting for millions of years, they've gotta be pretty good at it by now!

I don't know, Adam. Who could withstand the power of Smurfette?

Okay, friends, see ya next week when we once again go Behind The Curtain!

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During a 10 year run as "Your Man @ Marvel," Bill Rosemann met many of the industry's most talented and cool personalities... including several that decorated their desks with Transformers. Now living in Miami -- and keeping his eyes peeled for Megatron -- Bill can be reached at: WilliamRosemann@aol.com.