Infestation discussion
Re: Infestation discussion
I rarely do plot point reviews as those tend to get tedious to write. The plot is what you would expect. Zombies show up, cause havok, and get shunted to other dimensions...soiling good comics in the process.
Re: Infestation discussion
...It's an X-Men crossover too?? Or are you just trying to be xtreeeme?Dominic wrote:havok
COME TO TFVIEWS oh you already did
Re: Infestation discussion
I was tired. 3xt33m3ly tired.
Dom
Dom
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andersonh1
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Re: Infestation discussion
I looked for the book last time I was at the comic shop, but there was no sign of it. I'll have to have a look this week. I'm just not a fan of the zombie genre though. It's going to be a tough sell, but I might give the Transformers or Star Trek portion of the crossover a chance.
Re: Infestation discussion
The 'Trek book might actually be the best of the 4, owing to it having the regular writing team, rather than the stringers and ringers the other books have.
Dom
-of course, "best" is a low bar in this case.
Dom
-of course, "best" is a low bar in this case.
Re: Infestation discussion
Transformers Infestation #1:
Transformers, more than meets the eye! More like, "more terrible than meets the eye". Comics like this make me glad that I read "Countdown", which is possible the only other time I can think of a book with so much talent behind it be so terrible.
Abnett and Lanning lend their names to a script that embodies the worst kind of writing one can see in a crossover. And, some of the plot points imply "help" from IDW, which arguable implicate Roche (who is listed as the artist). The "Infestation" event is a pretty transparent attempt by IDW to use their viable licensed books, (along with "GI Joe", zing!), to encourage readers to pick up their in-house book, "Zombies v/s Robots". And, if "Transformers Infestation" is anything to go by, they are going to use this event to encourage readers to pick up the licnesed books as well.
There are several clear references to IDW's ongoing "Transformers" series, placing "Infestation" in context with that book. Of course, those references are more likely than not to simply confuse/annoy the very new readers they are meant to e draw in. New readers, (with only a passing and likely dated familiarity with "Transformers"), will likely not appreciate references to Bumblebee having command of the Autobots or Kup's flash-backs to the events of "Spotlight: Kup". (The whole point of a cross-over like this should be nobody should have to have any pre-existing knowledge or interest in any of the properties involved.)
To make matters worse, IDW is apparently going to use "Infestation" to move plot-points from the main book forward. Not only does Kup have a flashback to the events of "Spotlight: Kup". Kup also gets back memories that were supposed to be suppressed. In other words, a critical development in an arc that most readers are interested in is being thrown away in a half-assed plot in a cross-over that is a case study of everything the industry did wrong 15-20 years ago. Readers of the main TF series are effectively being *forced* to buy, or at least count, "Infestation".
The really sad thing is not only that Abnett and Lanning are A-list writers, nor even that "Infestation" is the first "Transforemrs" comic to boast this kind of creative team. The worst thing is that IDW is expending the resources necessary for this on a cross-over built on the same model crassmess and intrusiveness that harmed the industry so much in the 90s.
Grade: F
Dom
-this might be worse than "Countdown". No foolin'.
Transformers, more than meets the eye! More like, "more terrible than meets the eye". Comics like this make me glad that I read "Countdown", which is possible the only other time I can think of a book with so much talent behind it be so terrible.
Abnett and Lanning lend their names to a script that embodies the worst kind of writing one can see in a crossover. And, some of the plot points imply "help" from IDW, which arguable implicate Roche (who is listed as the artist). The "Infestation" event is a pretty transparent attempt by IDW to use their viable licensed books, (along with "GI Joe", zing!), to encourage readers to pick up their in-house book, "Zombies v/s Robots". And, if "Transformers Infestation" is anything to go by, they are going to use this event to encourage readers to pick up the licnesed books as well.
There are several clear references to IDW's ongoing "Transformers" series, placing "Infestation" in context with that book. Of course, those references are more likely than not to simply confuse/annoy the very new readers they are meant to e draw in. New readers, (with only a passing and likely dated familiarity with "Transformers"), will likely not appreciate references to Bumblebee having command of the Autobots or Kup's flash-backs to the events of "Spotlight: Kup". (The whole point of a cross-over like this should be nobody should have to have any pre-existing knowledge or interest in any of the properties involved.)
To make matters worse, IDW is apparently going to use "Infestation" to move plot-points from the main book forward. Not only does Kup have a flashback to the events of "Spotlight: Kup". Kup also gets back memories that were supposed to be suppressed. In other words, a critical development in an arc that most readers are interested in is being thrown away in a half-assed plot in a cross-over that is a case study of everything the industry did wrong 15-20 years ago. Readers of the main TF series are effectively being *forced* to buy, or at least count, "Infestation".
The really sad thing is not only that Abnett and Lanning are A-list writers, nor even that "Infestation" is the first "Transforemrs" comic to boast this kind of creative team. The worst thing is that IDW is expending the resources necessary for this on a cross-over built on the same model crassmess and intrusiveness that harmed the industry so much in the 90s.
Grade: F
Dom
-this might be worse than "Countdown". No foolin'.
Re: Infestation discussion
Y'know, I wonder if they might not be doing this the other way around. I mean we've all just sort of assumed the idea was to bring new readers into the IDW verse, and I'm sure to some point it is, but what if the main goal is for IDW to get readers of there licensed properties to start reading Robots vs. Zombies. Maybe the reason they're pushing the plot forward is because the intent isn't necessarily for "new" readers to jump on to Transformer, but for readers of Transformers to jump on to the robot zombie thing.
Shockwave
-Is not necessarily condoning such an action, just stating that the intent might not necessarily be what we thought.
Shockwave
-Is not necessarily condoning such an action, just stating that the intent might not necessarily be what we thought.
Re: Infestation discussion
I see what you are saying. And, it is actually well supported by the fact that each cross-over is effectively "one-way", with zombies invading one of the licensed books, but the licenses staying apart.
Of course, your idea and our original impressions are hardly exclusive of each other.
I am just really annoyed that a main plot point from TF is being used in the cross-over.
The thing is that there will be little incentive to follow the ZvR book after this is over. The *only* part of "Infestation" as a whole that is being handled by the regular creative team is "Star Trek". The rest, as a I noted before, have stringers and ringers. Even if I *love* the first and last issues of this mess, what incentive do I have to pick up "Zombies v/s Robots" when Abnett is not going to be writing that book? At most, "Transformers: Heart of Darkness" might benefit from Abnett fans...who would have followed him there anyway, even without "Infestation".
So far, reviews at AllSpark are mixed, incredibly postive at IDW's boards (likely with some selection bias), and full of anemic praise ("so much awesome") at CBR.
This whole thing makes me like and trust IDW a hell of a lot less. (As it is, "Infestation" has played a real role in my deciding *not* to add "GI Joe" Cobra" to my pull-list, as interesting as the upcoming arc looks to be. The last thing I want to do is bind myself to another IDW book right now.)
Dom
-will start dropping books if IDW makes a habit of this kind of stunt.
Of course, your idea and our original impressions are hardly exclusive of each other.
I am just really annoyed that a main plot point from TF is being used in the cross-over.
The thing is that there will be little incentive to follow the ZvR book after this is over. The *only* part of "Infestation" as a whole that is being handled by the regular creative team is "Star Trek". The rest, as a I noted before, have stringers and ringers. Even if I *love* the first and last issues of this mess, what incentive do I have to pick up "Zombies v/s Robots" when Abnett is not going to be writing that book? At most, "Transformers: Heart of Darkness" might benefit from Abnett fans...who would have followed him there anyway, even without "Infestation".
So far, reviews at AllSpark are mixed, incredibly postive at IDW's boards (likely with some selection bias), and full of anemic praise ("so much awesome") at CBR.
This whole thing makes me like and trust IDW a hell of a lot less. (As it is, "Infestation" has played a real role in my deciding *not* to add "GI Joe" Cobra" to my pull-list, as interesting as the upcoming arc looks to be. The last thing I want to do is bind myself to another IDW book right now.)
Dom
-will start dropping books if IDW makes a habit of this kind of stunt.
Re: Infestation discussion
So just to clarify, "Transformers: Infestation" #1 isn't "Transformers #16 (or whatever number we're on)? Cause I was under the impression that it would be. And that being the case, I would be more annoyed if they didn't keep the story going. If Infestation isn't the next issue of the ongoing, then this could just be a further part of the stunt of trying to get the license readers to cross over to RvZ.
Shockwave
-Generally hates crossovers regardless of which way they go.
Shockwave
-Generally hates crossovers regardless of which way they go.
Re: Infestation discussion
I do not know about how "Infestation" fits in with any kind of legacy numbering system, (where volume 2 issue 4 would be legacy 10). But, it is not numbered as part of the on-going. And, as far as I know, (and unless Diamond is lying to me), the on-going is coming out on schedule.
The only book that I know of that is being delayed is the regular 'Trek series. Trekkies are getting screwed on this, unless they want to save money.
For all of the money that IDW presumably invested in this, the fact that they are running the crassest type of cross-over, (using a model that was comprehensively discredited 15+ years ago), is amazing.
I have no doubt that this will produce a short-term bump in sales, especially for TF. But, in the long run, this sort of stunting always back-fires. As I said above, "Infestation" was enough to keep me from adding "GI Joe" to my pull-list, despite a promising arc beginning this month.
At 10 parts costing $4 and issue, "Infestation" is $40. That is 2 hours of a good, though not great, paying job. For a transfan, it is an Ultra and change. For a comic fan, it is at least a day's admission to a larger comic convention or 2 lower priced compilations. $40 is a good chunk of a full-bundle phonebill, or the entirety of a lower-tier phone bill.
Morbid curiosity be damned, I am wondering if I want to ride this train to the end of the line.
Dom
-Did they really need to make it part of continuity for each license?
The only book that I know of that is being delayed is the regular 'Trek series. Trekkies are getting screwed on this, unless they want to save money.
For all of the money that IDW presumably invested in this, the fact that they are running the crassest type of cross-over, (using a model that was comprehensively discredited 15+ years ago), is amazing.
I have no doubt that this will produce a short-term bump in sales, especially for TF. But, in the long run, this sort of stunting always back-fires. As I said above, "Infestation" was enough to keep me from adding "GI Joe" to my pull-list, despite a promising arc beginning this month.
At 10 parts costing $4 and issue, "Infestation" is $40. That is 2 hours of a good, though not great, paying job. For a transfan, it is an Ultra and change. For a comic fan, it is at least a day's admission to a larger comic convention or 2 lower priced compilations. $40 is a good chunk of a full-bundle phonebill, or the entirety of a lower-tier phone bill.
Morbid curiosity be damned, I am wondering if I want to ride this train to the end of the line.
Dom
-Did they really need to make it part of continuity for each license?