TF Views

I have to admit that I was initially excited by the fact that RID and MTMTE would be exploring life after the war. We'd have political turmoil on Cybertron and Star Trek with Transformers with the Lost Light Crew.

But I'm disappointed. I enjoyed both books at first, but I find that I'm buying them more out of habit lately than enjoyment. I haven't even read the latest issue of RID yet. I think a post-war setting had all sorts of possibilities for political alliances, leftover grudges from the war, backstabbing, rebuilding lives, characters studies... on and on. Bits of stories that resemble those things show up from time to time, but so little.

So why am I disappointed and tired of the current storylines?

1 - no direction to the books any more. RID has abandoned Cybertron's society and politics, and MTMTE is just aimlessly wandering from one series of wacky conversations to the next.
2 - As much as I enjoyed the faction blurring for awhile, very little is being done with it. These guys were shooting at each other for millenia... surely the writers can wring some more drama out of that than they have up until now.
3 - too much inane banter - it was funny at first but now it's long since worn out its welcome
4 - honestly, both books are just dull right now

Anyone really happy with the books right now? Anyone just sort of "meh" about them? I don't hate them, and I'm not thrilled. I'm just sort of ambivalent.

As someone who grew up with Beast Wars and then Best Machines, a "peaceful" cybertron is pretty much de rigeur for me. It's not that special.

I can see where you're coming from, on a point-by-point breakdown there are a lot of things I agree with, yet on the whole I don't come to the same conclusion that you do.

1 - no direction to the books any more. RID has abandoned Cybertron's society and politics, and MTMTE is just aimlessly wandering from one series of wacky conversations to the next.

RID has changed its focus, but with the most recent issue I'd say it hasn't taken its eye off the ball re Cybertron (the New Decepticons focus specifically in a flashback on Cybertron's changing face, which is the driving element for the current RID storyline). Windblade picked up RID's focus on Cybertron, and it looks like it's not going to let it go anytime soon as issue 4 opened up Cybertron to a new mission. MTMTE was always wandering, but never aimless, this season is just getting started.

2 - As much as I enjoyed the faction blurring for awhile, very little is being done with it. These guys were shooting at each other for millenia... surely the writers can wring some more drama out of that than they have up until now.

They are slow-playing this, but RID #31 picks that back up in a few ways

Spoiler

Scoop is with the New Decepticons, who feel as if the Autobots won and the other Decepticons abandoned them

; Windblade has done plenty with it; and MTMTE has been the place where I feel like they aren't bringing the heat most with this complaint, but they're still in the middle of an opening gambit so I'm not feeling pushed out yet.

3 - too much inane banter - it was funny at first but now it's long since worn out its welcome

I see it, but to me it informs on the characters and the motivations while keeping it fun. Having Megatron try his hand at inane banter is interesting too, shows the personality of the man when he's not at war.

4 - honestly, both books are just dull right now

RID #31 pulls out of that nosedive some. Windblade may be a train wreck, but it wasn't dull, and it really is an extension of RID season 1. MTMTE is a bit dull, but the current story is about to shift again, and it's earned my patience.

Anyone really happy with the books right now? Anyone just sort of "meh" about them? I don't hate them, and I'm not thrilled. I'm just sort of ambivalent.

I'm several steps above "meh" but I do know what you mean, recent issues of both books weren't delivering as well. RID 31 kinda kicked it in the pants juuuuust enough to keep my feeling off of "meh". Also, Windblade did keep the Cybertron stuff going, which I believe you stepped away from that book, so it makes it easier.

andersonh1 wrote:1 - no direction to the books any more. RID has abandoned Cybertron's society and politics, and MTMTE is just aimlessly wandering from one series of wacky conversations to the next.

I really wouldn't say that either book has no direction. MTMTE is still on the same direction as it always was: looking for the Knights of Cybertron while having adventures along the way. Although now they need to find Thunder Clash since they lost the Matrix half with the map. RID, I would have to say I'm disappointed is no longer focused on Cybertron but with the Decepticons on Earth as well, I'd argue it hasn't completely abandoned Cybertronian society and politics.

We're only 4 issues into the post-Dark Cybertron storylines. With RID particularly, having gotten a completely new status quo, I have to say I was anticipating the story to be a bit slow as it establishes that. Although, again, I'm also not really that interested in events on Earth, I would rather be seeing them rebuilding Cybertron and their society. MTMTE I think is still going strong though, although the last issue was really dull, but I'd attribute that more to being so text heavy without really covering much.

Maybe that's one reason I'm still buying the books. They've been very good in the past, and certainly deserve a chance to get back into the groove. I just miss the early days of RID and MTMTE when I was really looking forward to the books every month.

I think the post-war setting perhaps requires more creativity from the writers than they are currently displaying. With the war, there's an automatic source of conflict that leads to drama. Without the war, they have to come up with other conflicts to drive the plot. And so far, it's very much it and miss.

2 - As much as I enjoyed the faction blurring for awhile, very little is being done with it. These guys were shooting at each other for millenia... surely the writers can wring some more drama out of that than they have up until now.

The problem is not the factions blurring. The problem is that the writers either have no plan or have nothing to say.

RiD got derailed by "Dark Cybertron" Nothing to be done about that as it was likely a Hasbro mandate. But, that does not really change the fact that the book is not very good at the moment. (Teenage girl Thundercracker is a downgrade that was funny initially. But, I am not sure it is a good idea for the long run. Barber is apparently trying to write like Roberts, and this is the result.)

"More than Meets the Eye" seems to have returned to pre-DC spec. I am willing to give it a few more issues. But, I agree that the banter gets tiresome.


As I have said in another post, TF is no longer topping my reading list.

"Transformers" is topping my pull-file, against the weak competition offered by "Earth 2". But, that book has more potential to improve (or at least be a morbid spectacle) than either TF book right now.

Almighty Unicron wrote:As someone who grew up with Beast Wars and then Best Machines, a "peaceful" cybertron is pretty much de rigeur for me. It's not that special.

On the other hand, "Beast Wars" was set "away from home", which functionally let the Maximals and Predacons shoot at each other.