Dark Cybertron

The modern comics universe has had such a different take on G1, one that's significantly represented by the Generations toys, so they share a forum. A modern take on a Real Cybertronian Hero. Currently starring Generations toys, IDW "The Transformers" comics, MTMTE, TF vs GI Joe, and Windblade. Oh wait, and now Skybound, wheee!
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andersonh1
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Dark Cybertron

Post by andersonh1 »

Might as well start a thread on the story, since it looks to be fairly major. CBR has an interview with Barber and Roberts about the storyline, found here. I'll post it in the news section this evening.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=48782

This particular quote stood out:
Dark Cybertron" isn't just an interruption to the status quo -- 12 issues of mayhem before everything is reset. No, what happens at the climax of the story changes the direction of travel for both books. And that's good -- that keeps things fresh and different. There is definitely a pre-"Dark Cybertron" Transformers Universe and a post-"Dark Cybertron" Transformers Universe.

As John says, I have many future issues of "More than Meets the Eye" mapped out, with some slow-burning storylines potentially taking years to unfold.

What's special about these books -- and about IDW's Transformers Universe -- is that they keep moving forward. I'm sure that two years ago, when we announced that the Autobot/Decepticon war was coming to an end, people thought that within a few months hostilities would resume. And it would have been easy to do that. But here we are, heading into 2014, and we've not slipped back into that old pattern. We haven't reached for the re-set button. For that reason, when we do an 'event' book, readers can have confidence that there will be meaningful and lasting 'in universe' repercussions.
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Dominic
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by Dominic »

The above quote, and the interview as a whole, comfort me. I was dreading a reset.

I also like this quote.
Finally, will Megatron rear his head at all during the course of "Dark Cybertron?"

Barber: Mega-who?

On a more practical note, I am thinking it might be best for us to informally suspend the threads for "Robots in Disguise" and "More than Meets the Eye", as both books are going to be part of "Dark Cybertron" for the rest of the year. And, more fundamentally, Roberts and Barber will be co-writing both books for the duration of "Dark Cybertron", effectively making them the same book.
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Tigermegatron
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by Tigermegatron »

This comic saga sounds like epic awesomeness.

Hopefully another writer doesn't sign on board in the middle of the arc & ruin/rewrite everthing like what happened in the Chaos saga comic.
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andersonh1
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by andersonh1 »

Dark Cybertron #1

SPOILERS if you haven't read this yet.






I enjoyed this book, and enjoyed seeing the scattered groups of characters coming back together, but if there's one thing Dark Cybertron makes clear it's that the dead serious tone of RID and the comic banter of MTMTE just don't mix. I don't pay that much attention to the dichotomy since the two books have been separate for two years, but now that they're going to be mixing it up, it's an issue. I can't see the RID cast yukking it up, so here's hoping things get a little more serious in MTMTE, or it's just going to be annoying.

So Galvatron and Nova Prime are still alive, or at the very least, undead. Given how linked they are with the Dead Universe, this isn't much of a stretch, so it doesn't really bother me. How will Cyclonus react, I wonder? I need to go back and re-read the last appearance of both and decide if this is plausible or not. I think Galvatron disappeared during Chaos, and I seem to remember Optimus Prime defeating Nova at the end of Revelation, though I can't remember exactly how that fight went down. Has Nova turned up since then? Still, it looks like there's still some mileage to be had from the Dead Universe plotlines. I still enjoy the fact that all of this goes back to Spotlight Shockwave and his plan to seed energon on various planets in preparation for the future. Though I seem to remember Galvatron alone deciding to plunge the ship into the Dead Universe and feeling some regret about that decision, not Nova Prime ordering it, so there's a bit of a retcon here.
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by Sparky Prime »

andersonh1 wrote:So Galvatron and Nova Prime are still alive. How will Cyclonus react, I wonder? I need to go back and re-read the last appearance of both and decide if this is plausible or not. I think Galvatron disappeared during Chaos, and I seem to remember Optimus Prime defeating Nova at the end of Revelation, though I can't remember exactly how that fight went down. Has Nova turned up since then?
Galvatron killed Nova while he was fighting with Optimus in Revelation. But apparently Nova was resurrected by D-Void in the "Heart of Darkness" mini-series, where Galvatron managed to send him through a portal to the Dead Zone and trapped him there.
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andersonh1
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by andersonh1 »

Sparky Prime wrote:Galvatron killed Nova while he was fighting with Optimus in Revelation. But apparently Nova was resurrected by D-Void in the "Heart of Darkness" mini-series, where Galvatron managed to send him through a portal to the Dead Zone and trapped him there.
I read Heart of Darkness, but it didn't make much of an impression apparently, since I don't remember that at all. :lol:
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by Dominic »

It was kinda disappointing. Most people (rightly) expected more from Abnett.

It had a few nice touches, but it was nothing worth going back to read.


On a related note, apparently "Dark Cybertron" is going to be the return of Kup. Not sure how I feel about this. It has been 3 years. Do we really need to bring Kup back for an abandoned story angle? (And, there is no other reason to bring him back beyond "we have to bring back Kup because he is an old character".)
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by Sparky Prime »

Dominic wrote:(And, there is no other reason to bring him back beyond "we have to bring back Kup because he is an old character".)
There is another, and better, reason for bringing him back actually. They killed him off in a lame zombie cross-over event that had no other lasting effect. Better off forgotten.
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by Tigermegatron »

Dominic wrote: (And, there is no other reason to bring him back beyond "we have to bring back Kup because he is an old character".)
I agree with this. Kup was always a lack luster dull character. Any older bot could fill his void better.
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Re: Dark Cybertron

Post by Dominic »

I promised myself that I would not have this conversation until after I had read at least some of "Dark Cybertron", if only to avoid calling out IDW for something that they have not done too much as of yet. But, screw that. It came up.


Kup needs to stay dead/gone. I am not going to argue that "Infestation" was good. I am not even going to argue that it was okay. Honestly, the only thing we should be arguing about "Infestation" is how bad it was. (And, I guarantee that I can come up with more invective on that subject than you can.)

But, that is not the point. The point is that Kup is dead/gone and needs to stay that way.

Way the hell back in 1984, "Transformers" established the idea of flexible death (in issue 3). Even with that, TF still had a linear story where things changed and damned well stayed changed, at least until they changed to something else. Even with flexible death (for lack of a better term), some characters still managed to damned well stay dead.

For the most part, the only real resets to spec fior TF have been when the property changed license holders. And, even then, there are multiple exceptions to that exception (with "Re-Generation One" being the most high profile example among a suprisingly high number).

Yeah, "Infestation" was terrible (to put it in the most basic way possible). It failed as a cross-over. It failed to deliver on the explicit hype and the implicit promise of having an a-list writer like Abnett. The "Transformers" chapters of "Infestation" were the worst offenders, breaking rules for cross-overs that the industry knew and adhered to in the 90s (when poor creative decisions were seemingly obligatory). Yeah, it was lousy seeing Kup (and the angles related to him) flushed down the toilet in to the dead universe. But, them is the breaks.

We got some bad comics. Then, we got some good comics. We had to move on. In story, I would be happy to assume that Kup was sent in to another universe and back in time (as stated on page) and that he just simply died or was otherwise lost. Even if a portal from the Dead Universe opens, IDW can still leave Kup dead/gone. (Even if he is alive, why the hell would he have to be near where the portal manifested?)

I do not want to see IDW's TF turn in to what most every other comic is, with big damn deal events happening and the most important results of those events being the undoing of the results of other events.

As it is, IDW un-killed 2 characters.

Sunstreaker: He was fucking dead. They said as much on page. But, I was okay when Costa brought him back because....well, Costa seemed to have a plan in teaming up Sunstreaker with Ironhide. It made sense, especially given Costa's over-all "TFs only change with great duress" theme to have two of the most damaged/changed characters teaming up. I always attributed the lack of real pay-off to editorial meddling. On a similar note, Sunstreaker just being welcomed back by the Autobots still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I swallowed my bile and moved on. (I do not count Ironhide's death because that was clearly set-up for the mini-series and him being raised in that story. Deaths with planned returns do not count.)

Thundercracker: He was also fucking dead. Costa's back-write (as much as I ended up liking the issue it happened in) does nothing to change what was on page in "All Hail Megatron". Costa delivered the good with "Seasons in Flight" (which was a big part of me sticking with Costa's run despite me planning for it to be the reason I dropped the book). This was also a million to one shot.


If Kup comes back, I will not be happy. But, I will accept it because he was never actually DEAD. And, it might, just maybe tie in with the pay-off that I am guessing we will see on the Prowl angle.

But, the more of the following I see, the more I will need to be impressed with the execution and pay-off:

-Ramjet being raised.
-Thrust being raised.
-Scrapper being raised.
-any other character being raised.

-a return to Earth.
-Earth being reset to pre-AHM spec (with or without throw-away explication for "why").

-Thundercracker rejoining the Decepticons.
-Dirge rejoining the Decepticons.
-Swindle rejoining....(actually, this one could work).

You get the idea.


Maybe IDW will do all of the above and managed to floor me. But, that is *very* unlikely. It assumes that the writers and editors not only have exceptionally good ideas that require the above to happen, but that they carry it off well. (I am a fan of Gillen's "Iron Man". But, I am not going to pretend that the space arc did not end with the same cliche twice in a row, specifically "counting down to a last minute save".)

Now, IDW has not done any of this yet. And, they may well not. But, if they do, that will make TF just another comic. It will undermine the linear aspect to the story that has always made TF, even at its worst (mid-Budiansky run), unique and worth-while.


Dom
-really as pessimistic as this post implies.
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