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

[Dominic]

The book also tackles the timeline a little, placing the events of AHM even further back from these than we thought (another year's worth), but since Barber himself said that this story doesn't take place in 2014 but ahead by a few years, that's fine... if only the book itself had said that, then people wouldn't be seeing this as a floating timeline as the wiki thinks it is, but instead it leaves it for the audience to figure out with just a question we asked at Botcon as the answer - looks like we caught the early train on this matter by bringing it to him before the issue hit stands!

With all of the sliding back and forth of events, it arguably is a floating timeline.

Still kind of annoyed by that.....

The flashback tease has Alpha Trion younger and talking with Galvatron after seeing his brutality, it's the only thing that is really a question-mark in the story worth pursuing right now.

Obviously, it setting up for Trion showing up later.

I'm not interested in them having a double-bluff there though, that would not be a false flag on the Earthlings at that point, Prowl's stated goals were still achieved either way and didn't play either faction up or down, so if they pull a cheat later and go back on that to make it a false flag, it'll be lame.

As depicted in issue 30, Prowl is now an idiot. This may be the point. Barber can reveal whatever he wants to about it until issue 34 (effectively the end of the compilation). Next issue, (calling back to Jazz killing the cop during Costa's run) might make or break this run for me.

The more "Transformers" reads like a big 2 book, the less interested I am. (It is effectively a downgrade and I can get the big 2 from the big 2.)

Soundwave is playing Galvatron? How do you figure? I am still a little annoyed at the stupid that is the humans playing the New 'Cons, that was such a dumb thing because it's what I said earlier: nonsensical to lure your enemy into a trap when you could have eliminated them at their weakest at the outset. But I'm not seeing Soundwave playing Galvatron, or I forgot something.

Soundwave's standing with the Decepticons was low going in to "Dark Cybertron". He needs the political cache that Galvatron brings. If Galvatron is nominally leading the team, it makes the other Decepticons happy. And, in theory, it makes the Decepticons more marketable to the humans.

The humans are likely playing (or trying to play) the Decepticons for the purposes of getting technology or information.

You do realize he IS an editor, he's been an editor since before he was at IDW even. Also you have a nested parenthesis without a closing parenthesis and no need for either.

Is Barber an editor at IDW though?

And, I am not paid to edit.

[BWprowl]

Is Barber an editor at IDW though?

Yes? His name's at least on all the TF books as the main editor of the whole line. Frankly, I'm a little amazed you weren't aware of this, given I know you look at the credits page more than any of the rest of us.

[Onslaught Six]

Yeah, Barber edits all the TF stuff except RID, because IDW doesn't allow writers to edit their own books. (With good reason!)

[JediTricks]

The book also tackles the timeline a little, placing the events of AHM even further back from these than we thought (another year's worth), but since Barber himself said that this story doesn't take place in 2014 but ahead by a few years, that's fine... if only the book itself had said that, then people wouldn't be seeing this as a floating timeline as the wiki thinks it is, but instead it leaves it for the audience to figure out with just a question we asked at Botcon as the answer - looks like we caught the early train on this matter by bringing it to him before the issue hit stands!

With all of the sliding back and forth of events, it arguably is a floating timeline.

Examples of others?

The flashback tease has Alpha Trion younger and talking with Galvatron after seeing his brutality, it's the only thing that is really a question-mark in the story worth pursuing right now.

Obviously, it setting up for Trion showing up later.

Do you think that is already not obvious? Do you think I somehow missed that this whole trip to Earth was about Alpha Trion? I meant the part between Alpha Trion and Galvatron, specifically, that Galvatron is looking for Alpha Trion as well and there's a mystery about their first meeting which ties into that.

As depicted in issue 30, Prowl is now an idiot. This may be the point. Barber can reveal whatever he wants to about it until issue 34 (effectively the end of the compilation). Next issue, (calling back to Jazz killing the cop during Costa's run) might make or break this run for me.

How is Prowl an idiot? He's gone through existential changes after recent events, he's changed and his goals have changed, he's lost respect for the chain of command and Optimus, but I haven't seen him be actively stupid - his moves have panned out properly IIRC.

Soundwave's standing with the Decepticons was low going in to "Dark Cybertron". He needs the political cache that Galvatron brings. If Galvatron is nominally leading the team, it makes the other Decepticons happy. And, in theory, it makes the Decepticons more marketable to the humans.

Soundwave was the leader of the last of the Decepticons before Galvatron and after Megatron, I believe, so he's not politically low. Also, the word is "cachet". Soundwave playing second-fiddle seems to be what he does best, he has usually been portrayed as a follower of the philosophy.

If the humans are so stupid in this story as to believe the INSANE YELLING MADMAN MURDERBOT WITH A FUCKING CANNON STRAPPED TO HIS ARM is somehow a better choice than Megatron, and the rest of the Decepticon troops have clean hands, then they are written so stupidly that I would be rooting for Galvatron to exterminate them all and go home.

The humans are likely playing (or trying to play) the Decepticons for the purposes of getting technology or information.

They clearly already have the former, and if they are in need of intel, this issue should have been the reveal, it's not going to play well as a surprise later, just clumsy backwriting to make the humans look less stupid (it may be the truth, but it'll still look like a backwrite).

Is Barber an editor at IDW though?

And, I am not paid to edit.

Barber isn't just an edtior, he's Senior Editor for Transformers at IDW right now, he's the editor on MTMTE and Windblade and ReG1 and Primacy, when he writes like in RID and Punishment, Carlos Guzman is his editor (Guzman was his assistant editor when Barber was editor on GI Joe in 2012 for sure). How do you of all people not know this? I guess I had to remind you he was an editor at Marvel before this as well, so you just have a blind spot for him as an editor.

You're not paid to not edit too.

[JediTricks]

I just opened the TFwiki for Costa's The Transformers and it says it opens 3 years after AHM despite being published 5 months later in 2009 (4 months in between are the coda). So that's already 3 years ahead in the timeline, that would make the events of "... For All Mankind" take place in 2012, the solicitation reading "It's been three years since the devastating events of All Hail Megatron. The Earth has been rebuilt, the AUTOBOTS are in hiding, and the next great era in the Transformers saga is about to begin!". That was 5 years ago, so if the timeline were continuing at an even pace, that would make RID's "now" be 2017, but the "8 years ago" bit makes AHM still take place in 2009 which means the Transformers universe had its Occupy movement 2 years prior. But, that said, Barber says there is even more time-stretch before Costa's run, so AHM didn't take place in 2008/09's "now" either which would accommodate the discrepancy - and I can buy that since this book hasn't been in our "now" and we haven't thought about this until the current RID issues.

[JediTricks]

RID #31 - Full Fathom Five - This book wastes a little too much time getting us up to speed on Jazz's recent past, it feels like filler and it doesn't even come into play during the issue itself for the most part. It has a flashback to how the New Decepticons formed (hi Scoop!) and this series is working overtime to repaint Galvatron and Soundwave's personalities. Our heroes go on the mission and we experience actual story movement. The humans' big plans go to shit because NO FUCKING DUH!!! The humans working with Galvatron really isn't operating properly yet as a story element, but this issue deftly moves us through that without too much snagging, getting us on track with mysterious things happening with stuff... how do I explain any of this without spoilers? I don't...

Spoiler

So it turns out they're not on some random quest, they immediately find Alpha Trion, that was a nice choice. But then there's no explanation of how the humans have him trapped and being manipulated. And then our buddy Prowl does another wacky out-there thing, and we once again are left wondering who he's working for, which is kinda cheap having this whole thing feel like it's going backwards. Oh yeah, and it turns out Soundwave's vision for the New Decepticons is space-commies!

That said, this book actually moved the story along pretty well considering the content, I'd say this issue despite its flaws managed to make this trek back to Earth feel worthwhile, a first in this new season.

Grade: B-

[Dominic]

The solicit for the issue promised a focus on Jazz. The pages that did focus on Jazz were superficial (with nothing that a reader could not get from even a basic summary of the relevant parts from Costa's run) and felt perfunctory (as if Barber decided he had to reference those issues, despite having no real reason to).

Trion will be addressed next issue. It is not a real problem to have to wait.

But, overall, this book is losing me fast. Barber might be having some trouble getting his footing back after "Dark Cybertron". But, for the last month or so, I have been noticing that the best books I am reading are not on my pull-file. Starting to think that the problem is the books on my pull-file.

[JediTricks]

The solicit for the issue promised a focus on Jazz. The pages that did focus on Jazz were superficial (with nothing that a reader could not get from even a basic summary of the relevant parts from Costa's run) and felt perfunctory (as if Barber decided he had to reference those issues, despite having no real reason to).

Trion will be addressed next issue. It is not a real problem to have to wait.

These 2 paragraphs stand in contrast to each other. Which is it: the Jazz pages are pointless and a waste, or the book can wait to address other matters?

[Dominic]

I made two points in the post.


-The solicit specifies that issue 31 was going to focus on Jazz and the events of "Revenge of the Decepticons" (Costa volume 3). But, the Jazz scenes in issue 31 were perfunctory at best, making only shallow reference to Costa volume 3. This annoyed me because the solicit over-sold a minor part of the comic.


As for Trion, I am fine waiting a few issues for a plot-point to be resolved.

[Dominic]

Random thought about issue 32....

The reveal at the end of the issue (

Spoiler

humans mass producing mecha based on Ramjet and Thrust)

both draws on old plotlines to establish changes to the setting *and* might be opening to door to the book stumbling backwards (

Spoiler

effectively setting Thundercracker back to "traditional Decepticon" spec

).

If it is the latter.....I will be annoyed.

I forgave Sunstreaker coming back as a non-Headmaster because I was pretty sure that Costa's over-all plan was cut short. It made too much sense to have Ironhide and Sunstreaker paired off for Costa to not have had some plan for the character who had a lifetime of learning undone and the character who had arguably been changed more than any other. (Costa's run was about change.....)


But, as it is now, "Robots in Disguise" is basically "Transformers: Autobots v/s Decepticons". Admittedly, this is a function of dove-tailing with "Bayformers: Age of Extinction". I have to wonder how far backwards this book is going to run after the movie tie-in ends.