All Hail Megatron Discussion thread

[Gomess]

I thought I was a good thread hijacker, but this did turn into The Dom & Sparky Show *spectacularly* quickly. =p I'm kinda done, though, unless anyone has anymore comments on my little rant.

I am curious to know if you all think I'd still enjoy Last Stand of the Wreckers, considering my criticisms of AHM. Is it by the same guys? Is it as.... melodramatic?

'Cos, really, I've also had enough of that "there's a traitor in our midst let's be suspicious and mean" schtick.

[Shockwave]

I have LSoTW and could probably send it fairly cheaply. I barely remember it though. I do remember that we get to see UK only guys like Impactor show up and if I'm not mistaken, don't we finally get to see his alt mode?

And as for AHM, I also do want to go back and address another point in Gomess' review, specifically the initial dialogue between Starscream and Megatron. That was something I particularly enjoyed, especially in the beginning where Starscream asks "Now what?". I think it raised some valid points about the ultimate goal of the Decepticons. I mean, why bother conquering the universe if you're not gonna do anything with it afterwards?

[Sparky Prime]

I thought I was a good thread hijacker, but this did turn into The Dom & Sparky Show *spectacularly* quickly.

With just two replies on the subject? That's nothing. We've had discussions that took up entire pages.

I am curious to know if you all think I'd still enjoy Last Stand of the Wreckers, considering my criticisms of AHM. Is it by the same guys? Is it as.... melodramatic?

Last Stand of the Wreckers was written by Nick Roche and James Roberts, with art by Roche. I'd say it's a much better story than AHM, and certainly not as melodramatic.

[Gomess]

I think it raised some valid points about the ultimate goal of the Decepticons. I mean, why bother conquering the universe if you're not gonna do anything with it afterwards?

Sure, the ideas were very sound, but the character voices themselves came off as very forced and unnatural to me. Just one of my pet peeves. Maybe the writer in question doesn't write dialogue the way I like it, but that's hardly something I'd vilify him for.

[Dominic]

Merged this thread with the old discussion thread.

For a split second, I thought that Gomess' thread *really* took off.

Since the relaunch, many of DC's books have been consistently selling extremely well,

That is not what I was talking about. And, even if it was, how many of those books are likely to be around in a year, or even selling as well at that point?

Liefeld sells books too ya know.

You're probably thinking of GL Rebirth as a fix fic, which it is in a way. I thought it did as good a job as could be done in getting Hal Jordan from being the Spectre and a universe-destroying extremist to being Green Lantern again.

That, and the return of Barry Allen. And, the rest of his GL run read like fanfic. (And, I would say that even if I did not prefer Hal crazy and/or dead.

Look, Sparky, I don't care who started it, I will turn this car the hell around.

I have to go to the bathroom.

With just two replies on the subject? That's nothing. We've had discussions that took up entire pages.

Quoted for understatement.

I am curious to know if you all think I'd still enjoy Last Stand of the Wreckers, considering my criticisms of AHM. Is it by the same guys? Is it as.... melodramatic?

Different guys, (Roche, Roberts on writing, Roche on art and I am not sure of the inkers and letterer). It has some parts that are *much* worse in terms of melodrama. But, they are largely intentional, meant partly to show how stupid those parts of stories can be. (Pyro, Ironfist and Rototstorm are more obnoxious than Wheelie or the RotF twins, and they get the messy deaths that they and their fans richly deserve.)

Death to fan identification characters!

Maybe the writer in question doesn't write dialogue the way I like it, but that's hardly something I'd vilify him for.

How else woudl you talk about it though? "Yeah, uh, so, Megatron, what the hell is the plan now anyway?" I would have a hard time making that sound good, either in real-life or in fiction, myself.


Dom
-totally counting "Spotlight: Cliffjumper" against McCarthy though.

[Gomess]

Maybe the writer in question doesn't write dialogue the way I like it, but that's hardly something I'd vilify him for.

How else woudl you talk about it though? "Yeah, uh, so, Megatron, what the hell is the plan now anyway?" I would have a hard time making that sound good, either in real-life or in fiction, myself.

I can't explain it, but it's not really that opening line. It's the middle, where Megatron and Starscream are actually supposed to be reacting to what each other's saying; really didn't hold my attention. The rest was solid.

Can't say I'm with you on "death to identification characters", because that sounds like the kind of self-indulgent "post-modern" nihilism that should be confined to badfic (which I do love), but I'm willing to give LSotW a go sometime. AHM didn't put me off IDW's stuff altogether, for sure.

[Dominic]

Think "characters designed to appeal to neck-bearded fans". And, no, I do not mean us slobs. Pyro is is an obnoxious twit who thinks he is Prime. Rotorstorm sounds like a nineties wise guy. Ironfist is a drooling fanboy. They are suppposed to be fan identification characters, and they are the sorts of characters that you would want to see die even more if they were real people.

[Gomess]

See, that's where we differ, because I never "want" to see a character die. Ever. But, hey, let's wait and see, yours is only one interpretation. I might quite like these jackasses, I often like unlikeable characters.

Anyway, glad I didn't totally disappoint everyone by not being blown away by AHM, but hey, when have you known me to be overly enthusiastic about *any* TF fiction? =B

Also: I am not a slob, thank you. *shaves neck*

[Dominic]

I am not saying that characters have to be likeable, especially in the sense that a reader would want to know them in real life. I like reprehensible characters as much as anyone else. (I like the heels in wrestling dammit.)

But, in the case of the above mentioned characters, it is a question of "the characters are designed to be obnoxious, and seeing them die is a nice little reward". it really is better, and classier, than I am painting it to be.


Dom
-"Well, at least you have a sense of" *BLAM*

[138 Scourge]

Also, the artwork and coloring on Last Stand is just amazing. The series uses so many of the later G1/G1.5 dudes that a fairly dark story ends up being very brightly colored. It's really pretty to look at, and is a pretty decent read.