o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Some cartoon with big chins and a little girl that got beloved by fans and taken off TV to make way for a different show on another network. Yeah, that's fair.
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Dominic
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by Dominic »

I am likely to skip the set, given other things I have found out about it. But, I did read the comic.



Rise of Safeguard
Writers: Marty Isenberg and Eric Seibenaler

Isenberg's first outing on "Transformers" was on the "Beast Machines" series. Despite that ending in disaster, Isenberg has returned to the franchise several times, most recently as an editor for the "animated" series. The basic plot of the comic, as the title implies, consists of the origin for Jetfire and Jetstorm, the yellow and blue jets who combine to form Safeguard.

Gonna split this up by pages.
Page 1-2: Context and set-up. It looks like this story is set at some point before the first episode. Starscream is a prisoner, but Ultra Magnus is antsy about Decepticon agression. He is proposing what one Autobot (Jazz) later calls "off the deep end", a flying Autobot project. (Apparently, in "Animated", the Autobots have exiled the Decepticons from Cybertron ala Stalin's forced relocations of Ukranians.)

Page 3-4: Explication about the project. Apparently, only Decepticons are programmed to be able to fly. (DvD's review notes that this seems to contradict an episode of the cartoon where Prowl gets a flight upgrade, and offers a couple of reasonable theories to reconcile this. Given that both this comic and the series are written by the same guy, I assume the real reason is something along the lines DvD offers.) As the project carries a number of dangers, (described by an "animated" style G1 Perceptor), Ultra Magnus orders that the test subjects be expendable. (Man, the Autobots are nasty in this new context.)

Page 5-6: Intro of Jetstorm (blue) and Jetfire (yellow). Their dialogue reads like a combination of Tomax and Xamot from "GI Joe and Bert and Ernie from "Sesame Street". The explication notes that the added programming may change their size and other physical attributes.

7-8: The process is described. The two emerge. Obligatory banter. They are assigned to Sentinal Prime. Cameo by a female Red Alert.

9-14: Training sequence and banter. Ultra Magnus chews out Sentinel Prime for procedural infractions. The dialogue indicates that this is set long before the first episode, or at least long before Sentinel's first appearance on the cartoon.

15: Magnus and co ruminate on how the Safeguard team is doing too well in training. Perceptor, (whose character model is irksome, even by "Animated" standard") suggests using the captured Decepticon programming (used to make the Safeguard team) for the next test.

16-23: Standard "training excercise goes awry" meets "totally unexpected, for making no logical sense, manifestation of powers" sequence.

24: Fall out from the excercise. Sentinel Prime's line about Waspinator seems to indicate the comic is set during second season of hte cartoon. Or, maybe more time elapsed on pages 7 and 8 than I thought. I dunno. Either way, the last panel's "to be continued" line indicates these guys will be showing up in season 3 of the cartoon.

Final thoughts:
Better than an average pack-in, if only for being consistent with the cartoon. But, there are a couple of rough spots, largely relating to the timing of certain events. The whole "programming=physical constitution" bit is consistent with the franchise of late, but still annoying.
Grade: B/C
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by onslaught86 »

Despite that ending in disaster
Well, that's debatable..
It looks like this story is set at some point before the first episode.
It's specifically set after the Elite Guard return to Cybertron partway through the animated series. Watch the show, Dom, watch the show.
The dialogue indicates that this is set long before the first episode, or at least long before Sentinel's first appearance on the cartoon.
No it doesn't.. it indicates Sentinel is long past training recruits, which he has done in flashback episodes in the show.
The whole "programming=physical constitution" bit is consistent with the franchise of late, but still annoying.
Eh, that's Beast Wars' fault.
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by Dominic »

Remember, I am only part way through season 1 of the show, as I am reading comic adaptations. Mea Culpa.

But, I will say that "Beast Machines" ended in disaster. When the fans are threatening to kill the story editors, that can fairly be called a disaster, or at least a fiasco.

There is nothing wrong with prank calling the convention guests. And, I once tried to encourage a fellow fan to pants Scott McNeill. (I think that was in 2000.) I personally regret never having mooned any of the "Beast Wars" cast.

But, when people's lives are being threatened, that is just going too far.

Dom
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by Misanthrope Prime »

When the Elite Guard show up on Earth, starscream gets captured at the end of the episode. The lead-in for a subsequent episode shows him escaping from their ship, during the time the guard had him, they must've analyzed his code.
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by BWprowl »

Dominic wrote:Remember, I am only part way through season 1 of the show, as I am reading comic adaptations. Mea Culpa.
Just noting that you aren't even getting close to the full experience by reading the cel comics. I don't think they plan on giving the treatment to all the episodes, and from what I can tell, they're being published out of order even. Bleh.
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by Dominic »

Oh for the love of Primus......out of order?!?!?!?

Screw this. Bah. I hate "Animated"! Hate it!

Dom
-is fighting the temptation to eat a donut this morning and wants some slack.
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by onslaught86 »

You can have the slack, I want the donut.

Dom, just watch the damned episodes on YouTube. They're good, and easy to plow through, unlike the past three shows. The comic adaptations are a waste of time for, well, everyone that isn't you, so I doubt they'll adapt the entire series. At the very least, I heartily applaud Marty for insisting there be only one Animated continuity. And I shudder to think what'll happen if Takara ever touch it.
But, I will say that "Beast Machines" ended in disaster. When the fans are threatening to kill the story editors, that can fairly be called a disaster, or at least a fiasco.
The same applies to the movie, mind you. RAPED MY CHILDHOOD.
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by Dominic »

Well, most of us will just ignore Takara as we tend to. Hasbro may be clumsy, but they try to build staying power into the franchise. Takara/Tomy seems to want to end things every couple of years. (Gah, who thought "Kiss Play" was a good idea? Who?) Remember when they said Primus was the last TF? Remember the grudging start-up during the Beast years?

And yes, kudos to Isenberg for limiting things to one continuity. That sort of rule can be more a burden over time, but given the mis-use of alternate time-lines (both in TF and other properties), it may be the best move. Here is hoping he can pull it off well.
The same applies to the movie, mind you. RAPED MY CHILDHOOD.
Beast Machines went over far worse than the movie. Some of it was owing to the lack-luster toys. (For every good non-show toy, there was a terrible show-toy that could have been improved with a bit more work at the early-design stages.)

And, I am pretty sure Hasbro thought it was pretty dreadful when members of the fandom started to threaten the lives of people involved with "Transformers". This was not the case with the movie.

Dom
-wants to see Skir and Isenberg, or even Bay, do "Kiss Play: the Movie".
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by andersonh1 »

onslaught86 wrote:You can have the slack, I want the donut.

Dom, just watch the damned episodes on YouTube.
Or go buy the DVDs, like I did. The first and second seasons are $20 each, though paying the extra $12 for the first three episodes, which are not on the season 1 disk, is a bit of a rip-off. Even if you don't like the aesthetic, and I don't, the show is good enough to be enjoyable despite the way the characters look.
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Re: o86's thoughts on Jetfire, Jetstorm, and pack-in comic

Post by Mirage »

andersonh1 wrote:
onslaught86 wrote:You can have the slack, I want the donut.

Dom, just watch the damned episodes on YouTube.
Or go buy the DVDs, like I did. The first and second seasons are $20 each, though paying the extra $12 for the first three episodes, which are not on the season 1 disk, is a bit of a rip-off.
Not anymore-- get the new value pack, which has the Transform and Roll Out pilot, packed together with Season 1, for (I believe) $20. Too late for some of us, but not for you!
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