IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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Dominic wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 6:11 pm (To use a real life example, I would prefer that executions be carried out by starvation. It is passive, and can be done out of sight.)
You'll applaud Megatron's treatment of the Senate in this month's Transformers #38 then, because that's exactly what he's doing to them.

I decided to order Phase 3 volume 1, so once I finish reading and reviewing Phase 2, volume 12, I'll have at least one more volume to go through. I'm went back and forth over whether I wanted to keep buying the books, but if IDW is losing the license soon, seems like if I'm ever going to buy these books, now's the time. Who knows if they'll be available and affordable down the line?
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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IDW made sure that nearly everything (barring licensing issues) was printed at least once under their banner. But, I have no idea how Skybound (likely to get the license) is going to address this.
You'll applaud Megatron's treatment of the Senate in this month's Transformers #38 then, because that's exactly what he's doing to them.
The reason for the execution also matter.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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Reading Phase 3, volume 1, and it barely feels like a Transformers series. There are some interesting outside perspectives on the Transformers from the many human characters, but so far I've been thrown headlong into a crossover that introduces tons of new characters and concepts with very little explanation about who they are. I'm passingly familiar with G.I. Joe and Mask (and tying Mask's transforming vehicles to the Transformers is reasonable), but Rom the space knight? Micronauts? Action Man? Suddenly there are lots of characters I don't have much interest in sharing page time with the Transformers. The story is not without some merit, and it's nice to revisit Ore-13 as a plot device, but I'll be glad to get through Revolution.

Still have Phase 2 volume 12 to review, and I'll get back to that soon.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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You are now well past where I gave up.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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Same here, and even if I had stuck with either MTMTE or Transformers longer, I think Revolution would have been enough for me. Too many characters that I'm not invested in taking too much page time. I think the fact that this is a dead continuity with a definite endpoint is part of the reason why I'm curious to keep reading this time around.

Transformers: the IDW Collection Phase 2 book 12

The Transformers #51–55
Written by John Barber
Art by Andrew Griffith, Livio Ramondelli, Priscilla Tramontano

"All Hail Optimus"

The story opens with the Autobots under Optimus's command helping out around the world, while Optimus himself is having a nightmare about the future while recharging. The President and Marissa Faireborn discuss the situation. Aileron of Caminus is angry that the humans killed her friend Sterling and goes to the White House to talk, forcing Optimus and others to rescue her. Optimus talks to the Council of Worlds, and both Starscream and Galvatron scheme. Perhaps the best part early in the story is the way Optimus blackmails Soundwave into joining him by revealing that he knows Soundwave killed Horribull (all the way back in issue 1), not Bumblebee as is commonly believed.

Optimus's goal is to end Galvatron's threat and expose his treachery to the people of Earth, hence his gathering of allies and strengthening of his forces. Starscream sends reporters to Earth to capture and publicly broadcast everything that happens when the combined human and Decepticon forces attack in an attempt to discredit Optimus. There's a lot that goes on with the Enigma of Combination (and more continuity points when the fact that Superion wasn't created by the Enigma becomes part of the plot), and the only thing that saves Optimus and his allies when the humans attack is that a Titan was underground at Monument Valley where they're based, and it rises at Optimus's command for all of Earth and all of Cybertron to see, cementing Optimus as a "true Prime".

When Galvatron runs for it, Optimus, Arcee and Soundwave pursue and engage, and in a very un-Optimus Prime-like move, Optimus executes a disarmed and surrendering Galvatron, tossing his decapitated head in front of the White House.

So I'm not quite sure how I feel about this storyline. A lot of what Optimus Prime does here feels off... imposing himself on Earth and murdering Galvatron to remove him and his influence from the picture don't seem like things Optimus Prime would do. The Titan he raised is unexplained as of yet, making it feel like a deus ex machina plot device, though a good reason for it being on Earth can solve that. "All Hail Optimus" is definitely a status quo altering plot in a number of ways, which I suppose was the intention. Maybe forming a combiner with Prowl has given Optimus some darker tendencies as their minds blended? Might it work both ways? That might well be a satisfying explanation and one I could accept.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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Much of what you describe sounds like a diminished follow-up to what the early part of Barber's run promised, but never delivered.

So I'm not quite sure how I feel about this storyline. A lot of what Optimus Prime does here feels off... imposing himself on Earth and murdering Galvatron to remove him and his influence from the picture don't seem like things Optimus Prime would do. The Titan he raised is unexplained as of yet, making it feel like a deus ex machina plot device, though a good reason for it being on Earth can solve that. "All Hail Optimus" is definitely a status quo altering plot in a number of ways, which I suppose was the intention. Maybe forming a combiner with Prowl has given Optimus some darker tendencies as their minds blended? Might it work both ways? That might well be a satisfying explanation and one I could accept.
Optimus has never been above killing. Even without Furman's idiotic back-writes, Prime was willing to sacrifice the Ark (without premeditation) in the original Marvel series. And, in the 1986 movie, Optimus was going to kill Megatron after their fight. IDW Galvatron (like any Galvatron) was a monster worth killing.

Prime taking over Earth was benign imperialism. Some people might be squeamish with that idea in modern times, but it has moral roots of a sort. (Prime's goal was to protect Earth.)

The other stuff could be explained by Prowl's influence (which may well have been part of original plan for the series).

"Revolution" was terrible. It was the realization of an idea that I (and most 80s kids) wanted to see since we first realized that many of our favorite cartoons were made by the same company. And, it was in a mainline book. But, IDW botched it on every level.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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IDW Optimus killed a Machination agent way back in Escalation by letting the guy run into his leg with his car, and he abandoned Earth to the Decepticons, so he started out in this continuity more ruthless than is typical for the character. But he was supposed to have grown and changed since then, so it seems he's regressing by this point in the storyline.

We'll get to Revolution not too far down the line. I'm not sure "terrible" is how I would describe it, but it's often a nearly impenetrable mess of unexplained characters and events, so I might come down on your side before all is said and done.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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When did Optimus abandon Earth? (The Autobots were routed in "All Hail Megatron".)
Last edited by Dominic on Fri Dec 31, 2021 9:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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Dominic wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:14 am When did Optimus abandon Earth? (In "All Hail Megatron"), the Autobots were routed.)
In issue 5 of Devastation, Optimus ordered all Autobots off of Earth to head to Garrus-9, leaving the Decepticons unopposed on Earth. AHM would indicate that they came back of course, but that was one of the complaints about how the two series did not quite line up as well as they could have.

Prowl: We're what?
Optimus: The secure facility on Garrus 9 has been breached. We face catastrophic fallout if certain recent inmates end up in enemy hands. We're the nearest available.
Prowl: But...
Optimus: Recall Hot Rod and Wheeljack. Prep the ship for immediate orbital disengagement. I'm sorry, but for the time being, Earth will have to fend for itself.
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Re: IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

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Till All Are One #1–4
Written by Mairghread Scott
Art by Sara Pitre-Durocher

I reviewed these in detail here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1969&start=10 so I won't go quite so in-depth again. The art is good, and if you find the Cybertronian colonies storyline more to your liking than the Earth-based storyline, and I do, this is a nice change of pace from the opening of this volume. It's nice to revisit the Combaticons and to explain why Swindle ends up as part of Bruticus with them in this continuity, since he's always been a strong enough character to stand on his own and hasn't been associated with them. If a combiner can be formed with a dead Transformer, as we saw with the Constructicons back in Chaos, there's no reason one can't be formed with a brain-dead, on life support Transformer like Swindle, and I love how Onslaught is able to access his memories this way. Some of the political debate is a bit slow, but I guess it's necessary to set up the situation between Cybertron and the colonies. This series really is a continuation of Windblade volume 1 and 2, and continues with Windblade as a major character, while at the same time also giving us other characters as protagonists, including Ironhide. For a latter half of IDW1 continuity series, I like these first four issues quite a bit.
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