Wondercon Report: IDW Hasbro Comics

[Shockwave]

Yes! Filecard is a brilliant name for a Joe themed Spotlight. It's perfect.

[BWprowl]

TF:
I am intrigured by the "Beast Hunters" book. I plan to get the first "Rage of the Dinobots" compilation. Depending on how I like that, I may well start picking up "Prime" books.

That first issue of ‘Rage of the Dinobots’ was so generic and blah (like pretty much anything associated with TFPrime) that it totally put me off the whole series. The opening narration honestly reads like every other Dinobots story ever written, ever. The ass-tacular art didn’t help things.

Am I the only one who was not really impressed by the Shockwave reveal in "More than Meets the Eye"?

I thought it was a’ight. I guess it’s kind of cute that they explained the design of guys like Shockwave and Whirl, since Roberts has a major hard-on for explaining that sort of stuff (I’d never really thought about it, personally). I guess it opens up a fair amount of story possibilities, but I really didn’t expect them to do anything significant with it. We’ll see, I guess.

Anyway, I am not a fan of the reveal of the reveal about Luna being posessed by "My LIttle Parallax" in the second arc.

People have actually been speculating that Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon was the result of possession since the first episode ever aired. It makes sense when you think about it, given the 180 her personality apparently did and how Twilight and the others were able to just ‘purify’ away the evil personality elements, and why Celestia was so quick to take her back afterwards. Plus I think Luna herself confirmed that an outside influence was instrumental in her transformation in one of the other episodes she’s in, I may have to go back and check. At any rate, I’m not bothered by it, and I’m interested in where this arc goes.

GI Joe:
"Cobra" is a damned good book. Everyone should be reading it.

I think I already missed the first issue, did it come out last month?

"Dark Cybertron" worries me. This is the kind of talk that makes me dislike the big two.

Ditto.

I didn't say it was THE big reveal, just A big reveal. I was stopped in my tracks in part 2 when they changed Senatorwave's colors so significantly, I couldn't figure out who this character was and how he fit into the story, it utterly shut me down for a long time as I went back and tried to do research to figure it out - his form wasn't specific enough to sell the character in entirely new colors from part 1. So once it became clear this was Orion's senator pal, the color-change attracted me to the fact that they were trying to be coy with the character and that meant that character meant something special to the author.

I wasn’t too fazed by it. I saw this generic, non-toy ‘bot bossing the characters around, and just ran with the assumption that he was Pax’s mysteriously-unnamed Senator friend. I guess I was helped by the fact that I couldn’t remember what he looked like in part 1 anyway, I didn’t exactly make an effort to commit the guy’s design to memory. I just knew that Pax Has A Friend Who Is A Senator and this guy must be him, so. Still got to be ‘surprised’ by the Shockwave reveal later, since they at least spell that one out.

[Shockwave]

That first issue of ‘Rage of the Dinobots’ was so generic and blah (like pretty much anything associated with TFPrime) that it totally put me off the whole series. The opening narration honestly reads like every other Dinobots story ever written, ever. The ass-tacular art didn’t help things.

It's even worse with the Fall of Cybertron Comic. Even I fell asleep like eight times while reading it and the whole time, I could see prowl's post running through my head about this feeling like literally the exact same Dinobot/Shockwave story we've always seen. And for me to feel like that about a story that features Shockwave so heavily really takes some work. Barber takes sucktitude to a new level with this one.

Actually, I shouldn't say that. It's not that it's necessarily, a "bad" story, but there's just no reason for it. It would be like putting out a comic book showing Superman's origin... just for the sake of showing his origin again.

[Dominic]

People have actually been speculating that Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon was the result of possession since the first episode ever aired. It makes sense when you think about it, given the 180 her personality apparently did and how Twilight and the others were able to just ‘purify’ away the evil personality elements, and why Celestia was so quick to take her back afterwards. Plus I think Luna herself confirmed that an outside influence was instrumental in her transformation in one of the other episodes she’s in, I may have to go back and check. At any rate, I’m not bothered by it, and I’m interested in where this arc goes.

I have not seen the episodes for some time, and was using them as "background noise" while studying.

I thought that the idea was that Luna was corrupted by jealousy and such, and that part of her redemption was being forgiven by her sister. This book is on my "flip through" list either way...

I think I already missed the first issue, did it come out last month?

The book is being re-launched as "Cobra Files" in a few weeks.


Dom
-also found out that Costa is on a "World of Warcraft" comic as well.

[Tigermegatron]

Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters launches in May. The Dinobots from the first Prime series will push forward and in line with the TV series.

Their are no Dinobots in the TFP/BH cartoon series & I highly doubt their will be. As Hasbro isn't going to pay for Five CGI models due to their being no TFP/BH 5 Dinobots toys. Hasbro uses the cartoons as a 22 minute commericial to advertise the toys.

It's possible the IDW BH comics writers are using outdated info for the TFP/BH cartoon series or they got CONFUSED WITH THE FOC VIDEO GAME.

It seems like the Dinobots,Thundertron,Ironhide,Rumble,Terrorcons & those Takara TF GO Trio combiners were suspose to play a huge role in TFP Season 3 ----> This probably all got canceled in favor of the Beast Hunters Predacons CGI models/toys.

[Sparky Prime]

Their are no Dinobots in the TFP/BH cartoon series & I highly doubt their will be. As Hasbro isn't going to pay for Five CGI models due to their being no TFP/BH 5 Dinobots toys. Hasbro uses the cartoons as a 22 minute commericial to advertise the toys.

I believe andershonh1 was actually referring to the first Prime comic book IDW did, the "Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots" mini-series, that came out a few months ago. The upcoming Beast Hunters comic will continue the story from that comic, as well as tie into events from the cartoon.

It's possible the IDW BH comics writers are using outdated info for the TFP/BH cartoon series or they got CONFUSED WITH THE FOC VIDEO GAME.

Worth pointing out here that Hasbro considers the WFC/FOC video games and the Prime cartoon to be part of the same "Aligned continuity"... Despite some pretty big discrepancies between the games and the cartoon.

It seems like the Dinobots,Thundertron,Ironhide,Rumble,Terrorcons & those Takara TF GO Trio combiners were suspose to play a huge role in TFP Season 3 ----> This probably all got canceled in favor of the Beast Hunters Predacons CGI models/toys.

Or simply a case that not every toy makes it into the shows.

[andersonh1]

I believe andershonh1 was actually referring to the first Prime comic book IDW did, the "Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots" mini-series, that came out a few months ago. The upcoming Beast Hunters comic will continue the story from that comic, as well as tie into events from the cartoon.

Yep. Tigermegatron, the copy I posted is all about IDW comics, so that should have told you that it wasn't talking about the television series. It's a comic set in the Prime tv series continuity, but featuring different characters in a different location.

[JediTricks]

No, it hurt because DDP (and Dreamwave on their project) did a yeoman's job on every level.

DDP started off with a competent, if formulaic, origin that quickly degenerated in to a bad episode of both cartoons with the good guys getting really good "dumb luck" rolls of the proverbial dice and the bad guys getting the bad rolls. It falls apart hard in issue 5 and issue 6 has little to offer by the faint hope of a better sequel....which the second volume fails at even worse.

A book liks this *could* be carried by art. But, it was not. The art failed on basics such as perspective and scale. (I sent this to you, right JT?)

I don't think I understand what you mean by saying they did a yeoman's job on every level, that's a GOOD thing: they did all the gruntwork well. Not seeing how that applies to your argument.

Anyway, the origin work on the DDP run was grating and full of paper-thin characters with threadbare plots.

I've never enjoyed a series carried by its art, NEVER.

I do think you sent that to me, but it's hard to remember since at the time I had a few buddies trying to send me comics all the time.

A series like this would warrant an origin arc. DDP had the right idea on this. The TFs were discovered by Cobra and the Joe regiment was raised to fight the new threat. (We know the characters because we are familiar with both properties. But, something like this would at least need to start open to people who only knew one or the other.)

Bah! Origin elements are just a fucking albatross around the first issues' necks on a project like this. You are so obsessed with trying to grab new readers or at least readers new to one brand or the other that you don't recognize how few readers those likely are, and how little catering to fanboys of only ONE of those brands will pay off vs. how much it'll drag the story down. Nobody wants hardcore GI Joe fanboys who will bitch and moan that their precious military brand has been poisoned by toy robots; and nobody wants TF toyhacks who gripe endlessly that something doesn't match G1 close enough. Anybody who is willing to pick up the book already is going to be familiar enough with the ideas that only a quick blurb explaining the factions will bring them up to speed on the overall, and the actions of the characters will define them while it's going.

Plus, an origin story will only create a set of circumstances that will bring the series to a quick, easy resolution. By not setting up an easy endgame the way the GI Joe vs Transformers did, you have wider, more open goals and far more room for growth and character development.

Yes! Filecard is a brilliant name for a Joe themed Spotlight. It's perfect.

And then have Larry Hama write them all!!! Oh wait, that's asking too much.

That first issue of ‘Rage of the Dinobots’ was so generic and blah (like pretty much anything associated with TFPrime) that it totally put me off the whole series. The opening narration honestly reads like every other Dinobots story ever written, ever. The ass-tacular art didn’t help things.

That's how it looked when I flipped through it at the store last week.

I thought it was a’ight. I guess it’s kind of cute that they explained the design of guys like Shockwave and Whirl, since Roberts has a major hard-on for explaining that sort of stuff (I’d never really thought about it, personally). I guess it opens up a fair amount of story possibilities, but I really didn’t expect them to do anything significant with it. We’ll see, I guess.

When I was a kid, I liked the diversity of the Transformers designs, but Hasbro drove away that kind of diversity after TFTM and it's become an oddity. I don't love Roberts' take on why they're like that, but it's a thing I can live with. Senatorwave's conversion didn't even really fit the idea IMO.

I wasn’t too fazed by it. I saw this generic, non-toy ‘bot bossing the characters around, and just ran with the assumption that he was Pax’s mysteriously-unnamed Senator friend. I guess I was helped by the fact that I couldn’t remember what he looked like in part 1 anyway, I didn’t exactly make an effort to commit the guy’s design to memory. I just knew that Pax Has A Friend Who Is A Senator and this guy must be him, so. Still got to be ‘surprised’ by the Shockwave reveal later, since they at least spell that one out.

In pt 2 he doesn't even boss anybody around, just shows up like a new member of the team and they keep talking to him like he matters yet weren't saying his name. Since shadowplay pt 1 had a lot of Senators here and there it was difficult to keep track of who I was supposed to care about, especially without a name. Is it possible you were more invested because of Chaos Theory?

It's even worse with the Fall of Cybertron Comic. Even I fell asleep like eight times while reading it and the whole time, I could see prowl's post running through my head about this feeling like literally the exact same Dinobot/Shockwave story we've always seen. And for me to feel like that about a story that features Shockwave so heavily really takes some work. Barber takes sucktitude to a new level with this one.

Actually, I shouldn't say that. It's not that it's necessarily, a "bad" story, but there's just no reason for it. It would be like putting out a comic book showing Superman's origin... just for the sake of showing his origin again.

It's probably there to capture the gamers who were being introduced to the brand by playing FOC, they have toys and comics to buy now which can flesh out the game. Basically it's "not for existing fans" material.

[Dominic]

I don't think I understand what you mean by saying they did a yeoman's job on every level, that's a GOOD thing: they did all the gruntwork well. Not seeing how that applies to your argument.

I always understood "yeoman's job" to mean "adequate at best".

I've never enjoyed a series carried by its art, NEVER.

I can understand that. But, plenty of other people will enjoy that series.

There were pages, even mere panels, that should have been enough to sell this book to somebody flipping through it casually. Instead, those pages may well have deterred sales for looking so sloppy. (Seriously. They screwed up scale and perspective in ways you would expect a child to.)

And then have Larry Hama write them all!!! Oh wait, that's asking too much.

Have you seen his stuff from the last 10 years?

At this point, his name will keep me away, retroactively in some cases. (I am avoiding stuff I used to like because his name is on it.)


Dom
-seriously, the art in the DDP book was terrible.

[Onslaught Six]

Funfact: The first comic book I ever bought myself, (and may have even read), was part of the "Venom On Trial" arc, which was written by...Larry Hama. (I recently found my copy, and it holds up alright for being a comic from 1997.)

Hama's vintage Joe ranges from good to middling at best, but he has largely been enjoying coasting for a long time, and has said multiple times that he has no great love for the property. Still, I have read summaries of his revived ARAH book (Regen One for GI Joe, essentially) and it seems like it's bringing some at least semi-interesting things to the table. (There is apparently a 'Blue Ninjas' faction of cyborgs now.)