The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

The modern comics universe has had such a different take on G1, one that's significantly represented by the Generations toys, so they share a forum. A modern take on a Real Cybertronian Hero. Currently starring Generations toys, IDW "The Transformers" comics, MTMTE, TF vs GI Joe, and Windblade. Oh wait, and now Skybound, wheee!
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Sparky Prime
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by Sparky Prime »

Dominic wrote:The tone of the two books is getting more consistent (feelsie-wheelsie and whimsical), and focusing more on smaller stuff than big picture stuff.
I wouldn't say the tone is getting more consistent. Certainly 'teh feels' is a strong element in the stories, particularly in MTMTE, but the tone has been all over the place.

MTMTE I'd also say has always put the focus on the smaller stuff, but it also maintains an over-arching story as the crew is continuing to look for the Knights of Cybertron. And because of the way Roberts structures the story, with the small stuff building up to the big stuff, it makes the pay off all the more satisfying when he puts it all together. I can't really say the same for the title formerly known as RiD because when it focuses on the smaller stuff, it doesn't really seem to tie into any bigger plot. And then there's Windblade soon to be Till All Are One, which just seems to be introducing us to the colony worlds at the moment.
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Shockwave
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by Shockwave »

I'm still enjoying the comics myself. MTMTE gives me some comic relief while the main title gives me the serious story lines and continues the plot. Yeah, MTMTE has the "Quest for the Knights" plot but I never really expect that to go anywhere, essentially relegating it to "Star Trek with robits". I also like the fact that the post war dynamic has stuck and that they haven't gone back to any sort of status quo. and that characters aren't coming back from the dead. Scrapper is still dead (Scoop did not get renamed, nor did he "acquire" Scrapper's memories from Devastator). Shockwave and Bumblebee are still dead (which sucks for me since they are my two favorite TFs), Megatron is still an Autobot, Starscream is still ruler of Cybertron... and all of this has lead to stories that are new and different and things we haven't seen in TF before. So overall, I really have to give IDW credit for having the results of their events and their character deaths stick. It's nice to know they aren't just following the big two in terms of the yearly "Etcha-sketch".
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Dominic
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by Dominic »

With the delays in "Secret Wars", I am playing catch-up with other comics (if only to be able to sort out my pull-file as much as possible before "Secret Wars" ends).

Transformers #43:
There is no question that Barber is trying to duplicate Roberts' style from "More than Meets the Eye". The banter between Buzzsaw and Lazerbeak is the most obvious, but not the only, sign of this.

There are flashes of this being a good book. Cosmos is clearly uncomfortable with Jetfire and the other Autobots being casually dismissive of DOC. (And, the implication is that Cosmos might be factually right.) This nicely compliments the main plot of Soundwave building a commune. (Nice touch with Soundwave implying that Cosmos might be better off as a Decepticon.)

Similarly, there is good blurring of the lines between factions, particularly with Soundwave pointing out which side Megatron happens to be on at this point.

But, Barber still forces in whimsy and feelz, making this series less distinctive from "More than Meets the Eye" than it needs to be. This is on top of the idiotic McGuffins and back-writes that Barber has indulged in since "Dark Cybertron", effectively debasing this series even more.

I have not missed TF over-much since "Secret Wars" started, and this issue has not exactly made me want to come back.

Grade: C


Dom
-going to binge read the last few issues of "More than Meets the Eye" next.
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andersonh1
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by andersonh1 »

Transformers #45
Finally... action instead of witty banter. Danger. Treachery. Jazz, Kup, Jetfire and Sky Lynx actually do something instead of being background ornaments for Arcee. In other words, it was a good issue.

Jetfire can't figure out what's going on with the Cybertronian code, so he, Kup, Jazz and Sky Lynx track the source of the signal, only to be attacked by giant Combiners that look like Thrust. The team is soundly defeated, and two of them pursue Sky Lynx back to the Autobot spacecraft, only for the ship to be taken over. And it all ties back to GB Blackrock, who spends the issue in a cell talking with Spike, laying out a lot of his plans and why he's doing what he's doing. Galvatron and Soundwave are planning to head to Cybertron for recruits, with ominous hints about what Galvatron has in mind. A lot of action and a lot of plot threads starting to finally pay off add up to one of the better issues in quite awhile. If the book can maintain this level of quality, I'd be happy.
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by andersonh1 »

Transformers #46
Conquerors, part 1
I'm still buying this book, and amazingly enough, we get two good issues in a row. I may be getting my wish for some back to basics Autobots vs. Decepticons, as Galvatron gathers followers on board Soundwave's commune, telling them "tonight, we take back the universe." Please, Galvatron, gather an army and go on a rampage. Make this book interesting again!

Ahem. There are actually two main plotlines running through the issue. One has Optimus Prime debating the nature of what it means to be a Prime with the Mistress of Flame. The other follows both the Decepticons gathering with Soundwave and Galvatron, and the Autobot crew on Earth, who are divided and in deep trouble, thanks to Blackrock and his grasp of Cybertronian technology. Prime's plotline is more of a cerebral "what is my role in society" type of thing, while the Autobots on Earth fight to stay alive. I have to wonder if things are going to come to a head between Soundwave and Galvatron, since they're clearly talking two different goals here. I'm really liking this issue, so maybe my reluctance to drop the last Transformers book I'm buying has paid off.
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by andersonh1 »

Transformers #47
I gave last month a positive review, but I'm back to negative this month, and I think I'm just about to drop the book. I had tried to forget the whole "Needlenose/Tracks are siblings" story, but it's back. So is the "Needlenose and Horribull were in love" plotline, and the "Cosmos is stupid enough to trust Soundwave" storyline. I feel like this book is turning into General Hospital with robots or something, and I'm not paying $4 a month for a robot soap opera. Decepticons finally attack Autobots en masse for the first time in ages, and I just don't care. Bots on Caminus debate the nature of the Matrix and what Optimus Prime is, and it's painfully dull. Transformers has been run into the ground, and I think I'm just wishing for a reboot and a back to basics approach. There are so many barnacles to scrape off the franchise at this point that I'm not sure anyone can salvage the IDW continuity.

So, will probably drop this book from my pull list, leaving me reading no Transformers fiction. It's up or down month to month, and I'm done with it.
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by Dominic »

I flipped through the Barber/Ramondelli one shot that came out a few weeks ago. It looks okay. (Planning to read it over the weekend.)

I think that Barber is trying (or being forced) to do too much in terms of style and direction on the main series. But, he seems to do well enough with the one shots.

"Sins of the Wreckers" also shipped this week. I left it in my pull file (opting to catch up on "Secret Wars"). Might grab it next week though.


It is best to read TF as a generic comic property now. Some runs will be better than others. I am done with the two ongoing series until there is a change of direction (or preferably an editorial change). Of course, DC and Marvel have deeper talent pools than IDW, which is going to give than an advantage unless TF becomes truly distinctive again.
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by Dominic »

Man, I am flipping through this book, and am apparently still more interested in it than everybody else here.

(Still ain't adding it back on to my pull-list.)


The Blackrock thing substantively resolves in this week's issue. No real surprises.
Spoiler
Blackrock is not human, but is some kind of old Cybertronian tech. This is close enough to the fan theories about him being a construct, but with more idiotic back-writing.
I hate to be the guy who says "I like how the character was in the old series". But, in this case, I have to be. Modern Blackrock just sucks. The series as a whole sucks. I should not be looking at comics from 25+ years ago and saying they are better than stuff coming out now.
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by Shockwave »

Well I'm still actually getting all IDW TF books each month and regularly enjoying them. But apparently I'm the only left here that's still actually getting them every month.
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Re: The Transformers (IDW, formerly "Robots in Disguise")

Post by Onslaught Six »

Shockwave wrote:Well I'm still actually getting all IDW TF books each month and regularly enjoying them. But apparently I'm the only left here that's still actually getting them every month.
My night shift job and erratic days (along with my girlfriend often working 2-to-8s; we share a vehicle) makes it difficult to get to my most local comic shop even the same week something I would want comes out. I really badly wanted to grab Superman: American Alien the day it came out, and then the day after and then later that week, but an opportunity never manifested itself. This is especially frustrating because A) this shop is literally a 2 minute drive from my job, but the hours are so incompatible (I get off work at 7am and the store doesn't open until at least 10am on some days; there is NOTHING to do in this town for three hours straight) and B) the shop seems like it only really orders enough books for the amount of people who usually come in to buy comics, which is a fine business model if you aim to serve only the specific amount of people in your area who buy general comics every month, and makes it harder for a walk-inner with more specific tastes (which is what I consider myself) to get exactly what I want. Which is fine, on some level--it probably is what's keeping the store afloat in this economy and area--but it's still shitty, right?

Like, I have a pretty specific amount of Things I like, in terms of comics. They tend to be more offbeat, typically licensed properties (TF, TMNT) or non-"capes" books. If I am buying a "cape" book, it's typically because the concept interests me (Scarlet Spider), I have heard great things for a long time (Flash Thompson Venom), or because it's an "outside" writer who I've enjoyed before (Max Landis on American Alien; the upcoming GI Joe vs. Street Fighter by Aubrey Sitterson) and want to support. I'm not buying Secret Wars because I could not give a shit less. I loved the Daredevil Netflix series (and old Daredevil comics), and saw a brand new Daredevil series with its first issue on the stands today, and had absolutely zero inkling to even flip through it. Maybe I'm too quick to judge or maybe I've been burnt too many times, but the major point I'm making is that I have more specific tastes.

Now, let's say I'm the same way with, as an example, general books. If I am looking for a relatively obscure, non-mainstream book, there is a pretty good chance that I can find it in any given Barnes & Noble, and if I can't, it's likely in the one the next town over--because there is one in the next town over. Except for the apparent Comics Mecca that is the Boston area, where Dom can afford to just up and take his business to a different comic shop, the nearest comic shop other than the one in my town is over an hour away in any direction. (And, his shops do pull files! I actually asked if I could start one at the shop today, and the cashier girl had no fucking idea what I was talking about. I explained, I tell you the books I want, you order them for me, you set them aside for me, I come in later and buy them. She looked at me like I was a crazy person, and by all rights, I fucking am. Imagine walking into a Target and asking them to order you a case of Combiner Wars, and to set it aside for you to come grab later. I know video games and movies have preorder periods, but this is beyond that.)

Back to my point, there are no other comics shops. If I walk in to the store and I'm looking for a comic, and they don't have it, I guess I'm just not going to buy that comic. I wanted to buy an issue of TF today--any TF; formerly RID, MTMTE, even fucking Windblade or that weird Dinobots...thing that I'm not interested in and costs $7. I might have even bought Sins of the Wreckers, despite saying in the other thread I was specifically waiting for the trade! But they didn't have any of it! And I know it's not because they didn't have any to begin with--they have back issues, some MTMTEs in the low teens and stuff, a few RIDs and a bunch of Ongoing stuff I don't care about, plus all of IDW's other stuff like TMNT and Godzilla. But no TF! On a Thursday, the day after New Book Day! What a crock of shit. But that's what my store is. That's my only option. All this because I don't want to buy Green fucking Lantern every month.
BWprowl wrote:The internet having this many different words to describe nerdy folks is akin to the whole eskimos/ice situation, I would presume.
People spend so much time worrying about whether a figure is "mint" or not that they never stop to consider other flavours.
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