More than Meets the Eye (IDW ongoing comic)

[JediTricks]

The Legislators are also in Spotlight: Hoist, which I haven't finished yet, and they were in a few flashbacks, so the series clearly isn't done with them. Plus Tailgate mentions them in issue 6 when Magnus is teaching him the full code of the Tyrest Accord and comes to clause 19 (80) 5a, which reminds Tailgate of them saying "1984", to which he asks what 19 (80) 4 was and Magnus says that was an unused clause for a type of warfare that never happened, "thought warfare".

Spoiler

Considering both RID and MTMTE are clearly driving at levels of thought warfare, I would say the legislators are being driven by its use. Skids having part of his mind wiped suggests even more thought warfare, so I think we're about to get that tied together, unless they've got a long game.

I either missed that or completely forgot about it. Clearly I need to go back and re-read every issue from the start and see what I can pick up on that wasn't evident at the time.

The fun of comics. But also, the fun of sharing ideas between different readers here on the forums, each one of us picks up on a different nuance.

[andersonh1]

No one's discussed the latest issue? Maybe that's because it's just chapter 2 of 5. We've got some more revelations and teasers, but still no real answers. So, just a few high points:
- obviously the big one is Ultra Magnus being the moustached guy in the cell, talking to Rodimus. Yeah, it's a reference to the little white "Optimus" from the G1 figure, with the blue and red guy being the power armor. I'm still not quite sure what the implications are with this. Is the Magnus we've known all this time just a remote controlled body or something? Who knows? It certainly seems that way, but I'm sure there will be a further plot twist along the way.
- Pharma came back. We never saw the dead body, so I can't say I'm shocked. Although things still may not be as they seem. And could Ratchet really not tell that his body was missing until he saw it? He didn't try flexing his hands or whatever and notice that they were not there?
- I think Tailgate's short time to live is being lost among all the other goings-on. We did get one reminder, but there is so much plot and so many characters that the emphasis is generally elsewhere.
- Swerve and Skids both get some great moments to shine as they trash some Legislators. Now who is that guy who appears behind them, stabs Skids, and smashes Swerve? I don't recognize him. And yeah, "My first blaster" is amusing. I guess Swerve won't be shooting his face off this time!

[BWprowl]

- obviously the big one is Ultra Magnus being the moustached guy in the cell, talking to Rodimus. Yeah, it's a reference to the little white "Optimus" from the G1 figure, with the blue and red guy being the power armor. I'm still not quite sure what the implications are with this. Is the Magnus we've known all this time just a remote controlled body or something? Who knows? It certainly seems that way, but I'm sure there will be a further plot twist along the way.

I was under the impression it was less 'remote control body' or something, and more just a case of the 'Big' Magnus being armor, as he's usually portrayed. The reveal was pretty well-done, at least.

- I think Tailgate's short time to live is being lost among all the other goings-on. We did get one reminder, but there is so much plot and so many characters that the emphasis is generally elsewhere.

I agree on this, of course it's something I've criticized about Roberts's writing style before, his habit of throwing out a whole bunch of things for him to play with, only to end up losing a few in the shuffle. It does provide an interesting juxtaposition, in that TFs are normally absurdly long-lived, which is why Rodimus isn't too perturbed by having to take their time, with Tailgate actually being in the opposite situation.

Now who is that guy who appears behind them, stabs Skids, and smashes Swerve? I don't recognize him.

What, are you joking? Dude, it's Star Saber!

[andersonh1]

Now who is that guy who appears behind them, stabs Skids, and smashes Swerve? I don't recognize him.

What, are you joking? Dude, it's Star Saber!

Ah, I wondered. I haven't seen Victory, so I'm only vaguely familiar with Star Saber.

[Onslaught Six]

No one's discussed the latest issue?

I've fallen off the wagon. I need to catch up.

[Mako Crab]

Do they offer them in TPBs yet?

[Sparky Prime]

Do they offer them in TPBs yet?

Yes, there are a few already out actually and I believe volume 4 is due out by the end of next month.

[JediTricks]

I have the new issue but haven't read it yet, just coming by to drop thoughts re Spotlight: Hoist.

Spotlight: Hoist, or "the book about everybody but the titular character". This was a very MTMTE story, set in MTMTE continuity, claiming to be taking place between issues 5 and 6 but I could detect no connective tissue to them. Hoist is in the story, but he's barely featured, Swerve is at his Swerviest and Sunstreaker is there to be a dick, Bob is there as a plot device, Perceptor is melted but has as much input as Hoist. Why have a spotlight story with Hoist where he's actually doing and saying things, but then minimize what he's doing and saying? When it finally gets to the point where it feels like it's getting somewhere, it ends - granted, it ends on a specific point that means something to Hoist, but still. No flashback to the stuff he's talking about, no showing him building weapons, he's just wallpaper with a name. Not too bad, but could have been more on-topic and could have been longer. Art is ok, a little off-kilter from MTMTE but clearly in that same vein, Sunstreaker's head is damned odd-looking though.

[Shockwave]

No one's discussed the latest issue? Maybe that's because it's just chapter 2 of 5. We've got some more revelations and teasers, but still no real answers. So, just a few high points:
- obviously the big one is Ultra Magnus being the moustached guy in the cell, talking to Rodimus. Yeah, it's a reference to the little white "Optimus" from the G1 figure, with the blue and red guy being the power armor. I'm still not quite sure what the implications are with this. Is the Magnus we've known all this time just a remote controlled body or something? Who knows? It certainly seems that way, but I'm sure there will be a further plot twist along the way.
- Pharma came back. We never saw the dead body, so I can't say I'm shocked. Although things still may not be as they seem. And could Ratchet really not tell that his body was missing until he saw it? He didn't try flexing his hands or whatever and notice that they were not there?
- I think Tailgate's short time to live is being lost among all the other goings-on. We did get one reminder, but there is so much plot and so many characters that the emphasis is generally elsewhere.
- Swerve and Skids both get some great moments to shine as they trash some Legislators. Now who is that guy who appears behind them, stabs Skids, and smashes Swerve? I don't recognize him. And yeah, "My first blaster" is amusing. I guess Swerve won't be shooting his face off this time!

The thing with Ratchet not noticing his body missing: There are amputees who have reported that sometimes they don't realize the limb is missing until they looked at it and even after they often still report "phantom pains" where they experience sensations as if the limb was still there.

Granted, I'm sure someone would notice their whole entire body missing but this could also be one of those "this is how Cybertronians are different" things.

Anyway, I have to agree with most of what else you've said here, we'll probably get more info as the story progresses.

[JediTricks]

Question: has the IDW G1 continuity broken enough with the traditional G1 continuity to warrant separation of IDW continuity from "G1"?

No one's discussed the latest issue? Maybe that's because it's just chapter 2 of 5. We've got some more revelations and teasers, but still no real answers. So, just a few high points:
- obviously the big one is Ultra Magnus being the moustached guy in the cell, talking to Rodimus. Yeah, it's a reference to the little white "Optimus" from the G1 figure, with the blue and red guy being the power armor. I'm still not quite sure what the implications are with this. Is the Magnus we've known all this time just a remote controlled body or something? Who knows? It certainly seems that way, but I'm sure there will be a further plot twist along the way.
- Pharma came back. We never saw the dead body, so I can't say I'm shocked. Although things still may not be as they seem. And could Ratchet really not tell that his body was missing until he saw it? He didn't try flexing his hands or whatever and notice that they were not there?
- I think Tailgate's short time to live is being lost among all the other goings-on. We did get one reminder, but there is so much plot and so many characters that the emphasis is generally elsewhere.
- Swerve and Skids both get some great moments to shine as they trash some Legislators. Now who is that guy who appears behind them, stabs Skids, and smashes Swerve? I don't recognize him. And yeah, "My first blaster" is amusing. I guess Swerve won't be shooting his face off this time!

I hadn't discussed it because I hadn't read it until last night.

I hadn't picked up on the little white guy inside the armor reference from Minimus Ambus to G1 UM, that's a good catch. Magnus' eyes are black empty in his single panel, but they've shown that before without having something inside him being physically gone. Why they'd cart around UM's original body though, that makes no sense unless this really is more esoteric - as the solicitations for the run had suggested. But with Pharma being for-reals alive and Ambus not being Rewind's old partner, it's looking less and less ethereal.

I didn't have an issue with Ratchet not recognizing his chassis was missing, he had just woken up on a medical table.

Tailgate's ticking clock actually gets 2 references, but the first is utterly wordless, just a random clock bubble over a panel. Still, I think they did an ok job keeping up his concern when it came up, and he's still trying to hide it from the rest of them.

Swerve and Skids were almost too cutesy, but still came off enjoyable. The My First Blaster really tested my credulity though, that gag was way over-extended.

Cyclonus and Whirl are still on the loose and working together, that should prove interesting. Drift is still drifting, perhaps that'll come into play too.

The Legislators are way smaller in this issue, I didn't dig that.

Is Minimus' tale of smuggling enriched nucleon, that material that turns a hand gun into a banned gun.

Dominus Ambus and Rewind went to find Luna 1 looking for the cure to Cybercrosis, spark failure. Guess who happens to be on Luna 1, has spark failure, and is hanging out with an Ambus brother. But yeah, this won't come into play at all.

Vehicons, Deluxe Insecticons, Star Saber, and Prime Insecticons show up in this ish. Um, this is the IDW G1 series, right?

Letters to the editor, that was... weird.

Overall, pretty good.

I was under the impression it was less 'remote control body' or something, and more just a case of the 'Big' Magnus being armor, as he's usually portrayed. The reveal was pretty well-done, at least.

I thought that as well, but when I went back to the previous issues, Overlord runs UM through quite significantly and Ratchet gets in there for repairs, one would think the issue would have come up at some point during that. But that's still what I'm going for, none the less.

What, are you joking? Dude, it's Star Saber!

Um, what country do you think this is, man? "Well duuuuh, it's some guy you've probably heard of at most barely once back during Energon - GOSH!"
I didn't recognize Star Saber either.

Do they offer them in TPBs yet?

They do, but they're a few months behind the floppies. The late July TPB vol 4 collects to issue 16, where we just got issue 18 in floppies last week.