All Hail Megatron Discussion thread

[BWprowl]

It helps that I don't consider Megatron: Origin canon (because, after all, it started as a DW story.)

Thank you! I've been saying that forever!

Or maybe it doesn't count because no one there could tell what was going on.

[Onslaught Six]

Or maybe it doesn't count because it sucked. AHM is actually pretty much everything I wanted out of Megs's characterisation in that book, and it does it tenfold.

[Sparky Prime]

It helps that I don't consider Megatron: Origin canon (because, after all, it started as a DW story.)

IDW considers it canon with the rest of this continuity. It doesn't matter that the concept of it started out as a DW story, it was re-formatted to be part of IDW's story.

I hate how everyone compares the individual issues of AHM to Devastation. Give it six months, and compare the trades--I will guarantee that AHM will sell more trades, because it is that good.

TPB Volume 1 AHM: 1,488, TPB Transformers Devastation: 1,548

Looks like Devastation still did better than AHM to me... And I doubt Volume 2 of AHM will be any different.

Success is not quantative in comics, and as far as IDW has said, these books are selling well.

Which is odd considering they've shown no proof of this and sales figures from Diamond suggests the exact opposite to be true.

Get the Matrix.

I win.

So how does taking the Matrix accomplish anything? What is its usefulness to Megatron? It's doubtful he is using it to show he won when only a handful even knows he has it and he has kept it hidden away. Not to mention the Autobots showing up and kicking them off Earth disproves he had actually won. Megatron simply having Matrix doesn't mean anything here or accomplish anything with out some indication of what he actually plans to do with it. And simply having it is not a post-war plan either.

[Onslaught Six]

TPB Volume 1 AHM: 1,488, TPB Transformers Devastation: 1,548

Looks like Devastation still did better than AHM to me... And I doubt Volume 2 of AHM will be any different.

Except the part where Devastation's TPB has been out for something like a year longer than AHM's, which has been out since February or so. Which means AHM is selling faster and better than Devastation in that department. It will not surprise me if AHM's sales overtake Devastation's.

Also, Devastation sucked because it was called Devastation and did not involve Devastator devastating things.

[Sparky Prime]

Except the part where Devastation's TPB has been out for something like a year longer than AHM's, which has been out since February or so. Which means AHM is selling faster and better than Devastation in that department. It will not surprise me if AHM's sales overtake Devastation's.

Except that's not at all what those sales figures indicate. Those figures are how well those books did at the time of their original publishing. Meaning the month or so when they originally came out. So no, Devastation did better than volume 1 of AHM.

Also, Devastation sucked because it was called Devastation and did not involve Devastator devastating things.

Didn't you say you didn't read any of the stories that came before AHM? So then, what would you know about it? But it certainly didn't need Devastator to be in it. It had plenty of Devastation with out him and was a pretty good story at that.

[Dominic]

He knows humanity is not a significant enough threat to actually keep the Decepticons busy, and besides that, it serves no purpose.

It is a not a question of humaity being a threat. But, humanity is a politically saleable "other". Why is it so hard to buy that Megatron had a flawed plan? What is more interesting, a god-moded tactician, or a guy who (despite his virtues) does not win every time. Which character is easier to actually write a story that actually says something with?

In Spotlight: Wheelie, he's mentioned as a candidate for the mission, despite being dead by that point. He doesn't actually show up. A minor glitch. It helps that I don't consider Megatron: Origin canon (because, after all, it started as a DW story.)

I suppose there could be more than one guy named "Bumper". Of course the real reason is sloppy writing.

IDW considers it canon with the rest of this continuity. It doesn't matter that the concept of it started out as a DW story, it was re-formatted to be part of IDW's story.

Gah, why did ya have to use the term "re=formatted"? Just use "edited" or "included". Why use TF techno-jibber when talking about the stories?

Anyway, language aside, I agree with Sparky's point. "Megatron: Origins" is official. The guys in charge of making that decision say it is.

TPB Volume 1 AHM: 1,488, TPB Transformers Devastation: 1,548

Looks like Devastation still did better than AHM to me... And I doubt Volume 2 of AHM will be any different.

It looks like the TPB numbers are consistent with the single-issue sales numbers, trending downward. It might be interesting to check back on AHM volume 1 and "Devastation" in 6 months, to see what their total sales are. And, it might be worth watching the sales for single issues 6 months from now, as well as any "TF:other books" sales trends. (Is TF losing more or less ground than other books?)

Which is odd considering they've shown no proof of this and sales figures from Diamond suggests the exact opposite to be true.

It is all in how one defines "selling well". TF is one of IDW's biggest properties, and likely sells well by in-house standards. Still, Sparky is right on this. Diamond's numbers are more trust-worthy. (As happy as I was to see "Defiance" and "Alliance" on the NYTimes best-seller list, we cannot expect that to be a regular thing.)

Sparky, are your numbers based soley on Diamond, or do they include Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders sales?


Dom

[andersonh1]

I'm late to the party on this one, but my comic-collecting dried up some time ago. Despite that, I read through AHM volume 1, and while the pacing is a bit slow, there are a lot of good character moments spread throughout the story which makes it more than worth my time. I particularly like the conversation between Starscream and Megatron near the end of the volume where Starscream discusses the consequences of a Decepticon victory and Megatron just doesn't want to hear it. It's a great idea and great treatment of both characters.

I may need to go back and pick up the rest of the story. I'm intrigued by what I've seen, with both sides in the war turning on each other since the status quo of the ongoing war has been disrupted.

[Sparky Prime]

It is a not a question of humaity being a threat. But, humanity is a politically saleable "other". Why is it so hard to buy that Megatron had a flawed plan? What is more interesting, a god-moded tactician, or a guy who (despite his virtues) does not win every time. Which character is easier to actually write a story that actually says something with?

Why is everything from one extreme to another with you? I'm not saying Megatron is a "god-moded tactician", but this "plan" is not a plan at all. It doesn't accomplish anything, and Megatron isn't so incompetent to have a plan that doesn't go anywhere.

Gah, why did ya have to use the term "re=formatted"? Just use "edited" or "included". Why use TF techno-jibber when talking about the stories?

Re-formatted is an appropriate term for this situation.

Sparky, are your numbers based soley on Diamond, or do they include Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders sales?

According to the site I got them from "Estimated Comics Sold to North American Comics Shops as Reported by Diamond Comic Distributors".

[Dominic]

Well, clearly Megatron is not as great a planner as you thought he was. And, the story is more interesting for it.


As for the sales numbers, it might be interesting to have information on what sold better in legitimate book stores.

Dom

[Sparky Prime]

Well, clearly Megatron is not as great a planner as you thought he was. And, the story is more interesting for it.

Rather, as McCarthy portrays him as. There is no way Megatron would attack a target like this unless he had something to gain from it, but he doesn't here. This story doesn't have any reasons. It's all hype but no follow up and therefore is not any interest at all.

As for the sales numbers, it might be interesting to have information on what sold better in legitimate book stores.

"Legitimate"? What makes a "legitimate" book store any more "legitimate" than a comic book store?