Re: BotCon/Fan Club toy discussion 2015
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 12:24 pm
Read last year's comic.
A Prime Problem (Timelines 2015):
Whacky misadventures in the Axiom Nexus. Better than some of Fun Publications earlier comics, not as good as others. Not a very good comic.
Reading this issue so soon after "Secret Wars" made it apparent just how bad Fun Publications' TF comics are. Some of this is to be expected. Most of their talent are second stringers and neophytes. (Wittenrich has grown as a writer over the years, but is not quite ready for prime time.)
These problems are compounded by the general tone and direction Fun Publications' "Transformers" comic.
For whatever reason, they have bought in on the idea of a multiverse, going so far as having a setting where the lines between universes break down (the Axiom Nexus). The writers and artists seem to feel compelled to force as many Easter Eggs and jokes in to every panel as they can. The result is a contrived plot joined with a visually jumbled mess. (Pro tip: Crowd scenes need to be cleanly illustrated and characters need to be drawn to a recognizable style.) The writers try to force the disparate comics (set across multiple timelines) into a cohesive whole by framing them as part of a pan-multiversal epic that has no ideas beyond "the guys who made this comic have read many comics over the years".
This is less pronounced in Fun Publications' Joe comics.
In that scenario, the writers and artists are less likely to attempt anything truly epic. But, they manage to carry off a done in one story that uses the relevant characters. Are they great comics? No. They are actually written to the bronze age standard that many Joe fans recall (and likely never read past).
But, they are generally competent. The comics are set relative to something that vaguely resembles the original series. There is no attempt to link them together as a faux epic. Fun Publications' Joe comics are not great. (I would not likely pick them up as a regular series.) But, they are generally most disciplined than the TF comics.
In any case, last year's issue of "Transformers" Timelines" was what a reasonable person would expect....sub-par.
Grade: D
A Prime Problem (Timelines 2015):
Whacky misadventures in the Axiom Nexus. Better than some of Fun Publications earlier comics, not as good as others. Not a very good comic.
Reading this issue so soon after "Secret Wars" made it apparent just how bad Fun Publications' TF comics are. Some of this is to be expected. Most of their talent are second stringers and neophytes. (Wittenrich has grown as a writer over the years, but is not quite ready for prime time.)
These problems are compounded by the general tone and direction Fun Publications' "Transformers" comic.
For whatever reason, they have bought in on the idea of a multiverse, going so far as having a setting where the lines between universes break down (the Axiom Nexus). The writers and artists seem to feel compelled to force as many Easter Eggs and jokes in to every panel as they can. The result is a contrived plot joined with a visually jumbled mess. (Pro tip: Crowd scenes need to be cleanly illustrated and characters need to be drawn to a recognizable style.) The writers try to force the disparate comics (set across multiple timelines) into a cohesive whole by framing them as part of a pan-multiversal epic that has no ideas beyond "the guys who made this comic have read many comics over the years".
This is less pronounced in Fun Publications' Joe comics.
In that scenario, the writers and artists are less likely to attempt anything truly epic. But, they manage to carry off a done in one story that uses the relevant characters. Are they great comics? No. They are actually written to the bronze age standard that many Joe fans recall (and likely never read past).
But, they are generally competent. The comics are set relative to something that vaguely resembles the original series. There is no attempt to link them together as a faux epic. Fun Publications' Joe comics are not great. (I would not likely pick them up as a regular series.) But, they are generally most disciplined than the TF comics.
In any case, last year's issue of "Transformers" Timelines" was what a reasonable person would expect....sub-par.
Grade: D