More than Meets the Eye (IDW ongoing comic)

[Sparky Prime]

I get what Anderson is saying. I never really felt like they needed to be connected in any way and to do so does feel a bit "fanficky". I mean, I don't see why that aesthetic needed any explanaition beyond "Because Transformers". It makes me wonder if they're now going to try to explain why all the characters with a mouthplate have the mouthplate vs just a regular mouth. Or why everyone with a single visor has that or... I mean if we're going to start drawing connections based on appearance, where is it going to end? And why start in the first place?

I recall at some point in one of the comics someone said something about getting a mouth installed because they were 'all the rage' or something to that effect. But anyway, the major difference here is that things like mouthplates and visors are more of an aesthetic thing that's common place among Transformers which is why there's really no need to explain something like. But why do so few Transformers have just an optic for their face? Again, there were only two characters like that in all of G1. It's an oddity when compared to the other characters. Why not explain that particular and rather unique appearance?

Exactly. And it's kind of an... odd... punishment to begin with, isn't it? "We're going to take your face and make you a cyclops! That'll teach you!"

The idea is to create a social stigma against those that have undergone empurata, not just make them a cyclops. Simply looking at their face tells you they did something to cross the government.

[Shockwave]

Why not explain that particular and rather unique appearance?

Exactly. And it's kind of an... odd... punishment to begin with, isn't it? "We're going to take your face and make you a cyclops! That'll teach you!"

The idea is to create a social stigma against those that have undergone empurata, not just make them a cyclops. Simply looking at their face tells you they did something to cross the government.

Because it doesn't need explaining. "Because Transformers" is literally all the explaination that needs.

So, Shockwave and Whirl are the only two to have crossed the government? I find that hard to believe. I mean, if it was a punishment, then why hasn't IDW shown us way more characters with that design?

[Sparky Prime]

Because it doesn't need explaining. "Because Transformers" is literally all the explaination that needs.

If it was a more common thing among the characters, like mouthplates or visors are, I could see chalking it up to "because Transformers", but it's not. Only a couple characters have it. I've always thought it was strange Shockwave and Whirl didn't have a head like any other Transformer does, and as such, I think it's a nice worldbuilding touch to the story to give it an actual explanation.

So, Shockwave and Whirl are the only two to have crossed the government? I find that hard to believe. I mean, if it was a punishment, then why hasn't IDW shown us way more characters with that design?

No, they're just the only two main characters that have undergone empurata, being the only two G1 characters that had cyclops heads. There have been a couple other characters shown that were also victims of the process in the comic.

[Shockwave]

Tomato/tomotto. I don't hate the explanation, but I just don't think it was necessary. I certainly never felt like anything was missing by not having that explanation. Especially in a franchise with such diverse designs. We got things like Straxus and Roadbuster, or Scrounge who just had two eyes on a pyramid... there was already so much diversity, especially back in G1 when you also consider the look of the toys, it just seemed like one more interesting design in a franchise full of interesting designs. At least to me anyway.

As for empurata, it doesn't make sense that out of all the billions on Cybertron there's only two that have ever had that punishment? Not buying it.

Although I'll admit I do have to go back read it again, maybe it showed more and it's somehow implied somewhere that those two were the only ones to survive that long?

[Sparky Prime]

Tomato/tomotto. I don't hate the explanation, but I just don't think it was necessary. I certainly never felt like anything was missing by not having that explanation. Especially in a franchise with such diverse designs. We got things like Straxus and Roadbuster, or Scrounge who just had two eyes on a pyramid... there was already so much diversity, especially back in G1 when you also consider the look of the toys, it just seemed like one more interesting design in a franchise full of interesting designs. At least to me anyway.

I wouldn't say it's the same thing. And I wouldn't say I felt like anything was missing without the explanation either. But, as I said, I do think it adds something to the story, really gives some world-building elements to it. Sure there is a diverse amount of designs to the Transformers already, but the cyclops heads I'd still say is more unique among them.

As for empurata, it doesn't make sense that out of all the billions on Cybertron there's only two that have ever had that punishment? Not buying it.

Although I'll admit I do have to go back read it again, maybe it showed more and it's somehow implied somewhere that those two were the only ones to survive that long?

As I said:

No, they're just the only two main characters that have undergone empurata, being the only two G1 characters that had cyclops heads. There have been a couple other characters shown that were also victims of the process in the comic.

There's Damus aka Glitch who was one of the Outliers that helped Orion Pax steal the fake Matrix from the corpse of Nominus Prime during the "Shadowplay" storyline. During that same storyline we saw a victim on a screen denouncing the government who would mutilate its citizens with empurata, and it's implied there are many more out there. More recently, in the current "Elegant Chaos" story, Glitch appears once again, helping Orion Pax protect the hot spot from the Senate's forces. And in the alternate timeline we saw Dominus Ambus had become a victim of the process, but because the Functionalists had overused the cyclops eyes in that timeline, instead turned him into a 'flathead' who had to video screen for a face instead.

[Shockwave]

What's not the same as what now? I think I missed something. Of course it adds something, the point Anderson and I are making is that it did so unnecessarily. Nothing was missing, there was no reason that connection needed to be made. You like it, Anderson doesn't like it and I'm actually indifferent.

I figured there were more that I couldn't remember, but my comics are a mess right now and I knew you'd remember far better than I would. And, I also haven't read the latest issue either so...

I do remember that screen thing though.

[Sparky Prime]

What's not the same as what now? I think I missed something.

You'd said "Tomato/tomotto". I don't think that really applies here...

Of course it adds something, the point Anderson and I are making is that it did so unnecessarily. Nothing was missing, there was no reason that connection needed to be made. You like it, Anderson doesn't like it and I'm actually indifferent.

I'm just explaining why I liked it. To me, it's not unnecessary because it adds something to the story in a way that I think works. Maybe it wasn't something that was missing, but that doesn't mean there was no reason to make the connection, again because it adds something to the story by explaining a rather unique element even among the diverse designs of the Transformers characters.

[Shockwave]

I'm just explaining why I liked it.

I know and I get that, I'm just indifferent to it. That's why I said "Tomato/Tomotto", it refers to a song where two people pronounce Tomato differently but are still friends despite their differences. You say "tomato" ("I like it ") and I say Tomotto ("It's tolerably acceptable ").

[Sparky Prime]

I know and I get that, I'm just indifferent to it. That's why I said "Tomato/Tomotto", it refers to a song where two people pronounce Tomato differently but are still friends despite their differences. You say "tomato" ("I like it ") and I say Tomotto ("It's tolerably acceptable ").

I know the song, though the phrase "tomato/tomotto" generally refers to the two things that are actually one in the same, hence why I thought you were saying it was the same thing... "Let's call the whole thing off".

[JediTricks]

Ok, I read/skimmed all the blah-blah that's passed since the last time I was in this thread, and I must say that I feel like either someone is trolling us, or really is standing in his own way of seeing what's going on, and either way I'm done with it, I'm not responding to it at all anymore.


So, onto issue #37. This was an awesome issue, this was both a lot of fun and really went the extra mile to deliver on a lot of character and story elements. This feels so fun and such a good use of these characters, such a rich world coming together in so many ways.

Now is Brainstorm now a triple-agent, or is he still a double-agent and just figuring out a way to undermine the Autobots by shifting the tide of the history of the Decepticons? My guess is the latter, and I wonder if they're going to reinstate history by

Spoiler

undoing Brainstorm's attack via sacrificing another point-one-percenter's spark into Megatron's body (and my guess would definitely be Rung, since he's the only other .1-percenter on the team and it would blow fans' minds and cause major uproar. I'd love it though, it'd be crazy in the right way). It'd explain why Megatron was shown with the wrong-colored spark in this issue.

As for Rewind, IDGAF, he's fine here, it's better a character-raise than just rebuilding him or using the Dead Universe the way TF usually does.