Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

"What? Transformers made from animals instead of vehicles and stuff? Doesn't sound so great, throw it to Kenner division, maybe they can make a quick buck or something."
Beast Wars, Machine Wars, Beast Machines... seeing a pattern? Coming soon: "Wars Wars"
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

Post by Sparky Prime »

Dominic wrote: Wed Feb 10, 2021 4:30 pm I always assumed that the copies on the Ark and the Nemesis were the equivalent of Guttenberg Bibles, and there more common editions.
Rhinox said only two existed in the cartoon.
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Shockwave
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

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Just read the first issue. The art isn't great, but I don't hate it. Certainly not a deal breaker for me. So far I think it's pretty much beat for beat just like the cartoon, with a few minor obvious differences. I am intrigued to see how these differences play out. I was a little disappointed about the stasis pods, I REALLY don't want this to turn into a "chase the pod of the week" comic to introduce new characters. But, since it's not animated, I expect that more characters can be included. Honestly I'm optimistic.
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

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I saw a comment from the artist, Josh Burcham, that the first issue is just to establish the Beast Wars setting. And that the second issue is where we will really start to see differences from the cartoon.
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

Post by andersonh1 »

David Kaye reads the last few pages of issue 1. His impression of Tarantulus is pretty good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdha-wY ... =emb_title
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Ursus mellifera
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

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So, after reading the 2nd issue I can say that I think the writing has improved a lot from the 1st issue.

On a personal note, I still deeply dislike the art.

On further personal notes, I don't like that Nyx is a flier. Something I enjoyed about the show was how the Predacons had almost complete control of the air since Primal was the only Maximal flier, and only in robot mode, which meant it was severely limited. The Maximals were fighting an uphill battle, not an even one.

- I do like that Terrorsaur doesn't seem to be able to fly in robot mode.
- I don't like the appearance of Megatron's rubber duck. It bodes poorly for the future. This, and the art, and the letters page, and the fan art, all come together to tell me that this is likely planned as a kid's/YA comic, rather than anything I'm likely to truly enjoy. I'm still going to read it until it proves me right while continuing to hope that it proves me wrong.

High hopes, low expectations. That's the Honey Bear way.
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

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I get the feeling they're setting up Rhinox for his Tankor personality. He comes off a little cold in these first two issues, and here even berates Rattrap for eating organic fruit rather than energon. Granted, Cheetor also said they only refuel on energon in Beast Machines as well... But it comes off a little odd in this situation. Rhinox didn't have any qualms eating wild bean vines to keep himself alive in the cartoon when he had the energon discharge virus. And here, it's Rattrap explaining to Rhinox that their new forms can process organic food as fuel, despite Rhinox being the science guy of the Axalon crew in the cartoon who would already know all of that.

It's interesting to see the Vok already appear, albeit (mostly) unbeknownst to the Cybertronians, apparently having a more active role in observing their experiment rather than leaving it to their devices to alert them to outside influence. Their presence just happened to be detected by Skold and Tarantulas by accident. I have to say, I don't really care for the term "unspace". I mean, it makes as much sense as "subspace" or "hyperspace" or whatever other sci-fi term a writer comes up with for the concept, but I dunno, "unspace" just leaves me a different connotation than what they're going for.

Scorponok is a top codebreaker in Iacon? Is he trying to make himself seem more impressive to Megatron? Or is he actually a competent programmer in this continuity?

The youth and inexperience of this version of Optimus Primal really shows, as he's the one that encourages Nyx to run off to scout the planet, which is more an excuse to allow her to try out her new wings, rather than help with repairs. I can't help but remember the times he yelled at Cheetor not to run off on his own in the cartoon... And so unsurprisingly, Nyx is ambushed by Terrorsaur. I find it odd she's unaware the unstable energon interferes with the comm signal.

I kinda like Terrorsaur can't seem to fly in robot mode as well. Puts an interesting limitation on the character. And I'd prefer Nyx wasn't a bat. Flight gave the Predacons a clear advantage in the cartoon, with two fliers to only Optimus being able to fly in robot mode at the start. It made for some nice tension in those early episodes, like the race to reach Tigatron's stasis pod.

Megatron is ignoring everything and only working on trying to decode the Golden Disk. Apparently it isn't going well. How was it he was able to decode a location from it, conveniently exactly when he needed it, if decoding any other information is proving this difficult? I still really do not like how the theft of the Golden Disk is presented in this comic. Without already knowing, or having a general idea at least, what was on the Disk before they left, it relies too heavily on plot contrivances.
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

Post by Dominic »

Flipped through issue 2. Both the writing and art are bad enough to need the other to carry them. I probably would not have bothered with this 20 years ago, before TF comics were consistently available and I was reading fewer comics over-all. Now, when there is a competently written main series, usually a secondary series, and I am reading more comics over-all.... No chance I am buying in for this.

But it comes off a little odd in this situation. Rhinox didn't have any qualms eating wild bean vines to keep himself alive in the cartoon when he had the energon discharge virus.
There is a difference between revolting necessity and acceptable norm.

(translated to Klingon, as it is *really* disgusting)
https://tradukka.com/translate/en/tlh

*ignore that. The translator is bollux. Trust me, it was a story about disgusting necessity in a K-Mart bathroom.

'ach Data'rup jIH. "verghta' vorcha' veSDuj QImerogh 'ej tugh mejbeHqa'. qaStaHvIS poH nuS.

Qorwagh vIja'nIS. 'ach yavDaq qab luleghlaHbe' yaghmey lutu'lu' 'ej jachlaHbe' yay'. HoSghajbej ghu'vam. vIweghqu'bej. chom ra': romuluS HIq vItlhutlh vIneH. 'ach vIghajbe', qaStaHvIS wanI'vam vIleghbogh vItuQmoHlu'be'.

D: Qo'noSDaq yapbe' tlhIH. 'ach chay' ngaghHa'chugh neH, vaj jIyIttaHvIS. pagh, loDnI'wI' HeghwI' je.

DaH ghu' vIchID 'e' vIHar. jIchol vIneH. 'ach qeylIS, qar'a'? joHwI', batlh gho'vam. ngemHomDaq jIchoHlu'be' 'e' vI'Iprup. vItna' 'oH. loDnallI' 'ach romuluS.


Or, maybe the comic is ignoring "the Low Road".

I mean, it makes as much sense as "subspace" or "hyperspace" or whatever other sci-fi term a writer comes up with for the concept, but I dunno, "unspace" just leaves me a different connotation than what they're going for.

I think that the writer is trying to accent the idea of it being "outside of" or "beyond" normal space. But, yes, it is clumsy.

Megatron is ignoring everything and only working on trying to decode the Golden Disk. Apparently it isn't going well. How was it he was able to decode a location from it, conveniently exactly when he needed it, if decoding any other information is proving this difficult? I still really do not like how the theft of the Golden Disk is presented in this comic. Without already knowing, or having a general idea at least, what was on the Disk before they left, it relies too heavily on plot contrivances.
In the cartoon, the Predacons assumed they were on the wrong planet for season 1. The comic seems to be forgetting/ignoring that. Megatron's problem was keeping the disk's contents (or at least the details) secret, while finding a way to use them.

Maybe the writer is setting up to reveal that the Vok lured Megatron et al with a "teaser"?
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

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They explained the Golden Disk thing by stating that the Science Ministry decoded part of it. They never said that Megatron did it. And it would be reasonable to assume he might have trouble without access to the same resources as the Science Ministry. As for the Unspace thing, it was never explained what dimension or whatever the Vok came from, so unspace is as good an explanation as any. I dunno, there's enough different from the cartoon here that I'm interested to see where this goes. And the art doesn't bother me. Not my favorite style, but not bad. I've certainly seen worse (G.I.Joe VS. Transformers comes to mind. That was so bad I immediately returned it).
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

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Shockwave wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:51 pm And the art doesn't bother me. Not my favorite style, but not bad. I've certainly seen worse (G.I.Joe VS. Transformers comes to mind. That was so bad I immediately returned it).
That had some God-awful art (and writing, and layout, and...)

I think the art would bother me less if its simple 2D shapes didn't give my 40 year old eyes so much trouble. It's hard for me to tell what's going on with all the flat abstract shapes.
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Re: Beast Wars (2021) ongoing series

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Dominic wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 10:48 amThere is a difference between revolting necessity and acceptable norm.
There's also a difference between a character expressing ""We don't consume organics. We consume energon!" and a character who never expresses any revolt about it, even when out of necessity. Rhiniox was literally a character who'd stop to smell the flowers in the cartoon, where as this version of Rhinox doesn't leave me with the impression he has much tolerance for organics.
I think that the writer is trying to accent the idea of it being "outside of" or "beyond" normal space. But, yes, it is clumsy.
As I said, makes as much sense as "subspace" or "hyperspace" or whatever other sci-fi term a writer comes up with for the concept. I just don't like the term "unspace". I have to wonder if Hasbro is coming up with their own terminology for things, since they also used the term in the Cyberverse cartoon.
In the cartoon, the Predacons assumed they were on the wrong planet for season 1. The comic seems to be forgetting/ignoring that. Megatron's problem was keeping the disk's contents (or at least the details) secret, while finding a way to use them.
In the cartoon, the planet didn't match what they expected it to be. Two moons, geographical marking not matching, way more energon than expected... In this comic, they have no idea what planet they're supposed to be on. They only got a set of coordinates from the Golden Disk.
Shockwave wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:51 pm They explained the Golden Disk thing by stating that the Science Ministry decoded part of it. They never said that Megatron did it.
So they did. That makes this plan worst... If Megatron can't decode the Disk when all they had was the coordinates to a planet decoded by the Science Ministry, that's a horrible plan.
Last edited by Sparky Prime on Tue Mar 16, 2021 12:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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