TF Views

Mako Crab wrote:

Sparky Prime wrote:

Surely there were other Transformers in the universe besides the stasis pods on Earth, right?

With a programmable loyalty to Magmatron? Yeah, not so much. Remember, it wasn't just an army Magmatron was after, but they needed to be loyal for his coup against the Tripredacus Council.

Really? Magmatron with his rank as emperor in the BW Neo cartoon has no one loyal to him? Magmatron in the IDW comics with his seat in the government has no one loyal to him? I don't buy it. Hack writing + cash grabbing + riding on the coat-tails of the BW toon is why he went to prehistoric Earth. I mean, come ON! How would he even KNOW about the stasis pods or their condition from the Axalon?? He's going to travel through time and space on the hope that a bunch of stasis pods went unclaimed FROM A MAXIMAL SHIP!!
{/quote]

Yeah, it would actually make more sense to just steal proto-troops from a factory rather than travelling through time to do it. (Seriously, if you are planning a coup, why not buy local? Ah wait, this is bad sci-fi we are talking about.)

Man, dude, you gotta kick this stigma sooner or later. Don't be embarassed about your hobby. Embrace it. A Spychanger Prime stands proudly on my work desk. Hell, in your case I'd be a little more worried that they'd see your signature.

Yeah, that wacky stigma attached to reading a TF forum while at work. Oh, yeah. He should totally take a stand in the unemployment line.

And, why are you risking that Prime being stolen? What the hell is wrong with you? (Is it a double? Then it is okay.)


Dom
-is going to crunch some numbers soon.

Gomess wrote:

Mako Crab wrote:Hack writing + cash grabbing + riding on the coat-tails of the BW toon is why he went to prehistoric Earth.

This point seems to keep coming up whenever we discuss uh... wait... what was it called? The Gathering? Is that it? Something one-word and pretentious. Well, it keeps coming up, and I'm *almost* starting to believe it. =3

...And bear in mind I'm the guy that disliked The Gathering so much that he rewrote the thing.

LOL! It's only one panel, but I love it already.

Dominic wrote:Yeah, that wacky stigma attached to reading a TF forum while at work. Oh, yeah. He should totally take a stand in the unemployment line.

Hey, not all of us can enjoy the benefits of a socially liberal environment. Some of us live and work in Fresno. Keep in mind, these are the people who were shocked and appalled when I didn't recognize the SportsCenter theme, or that I didn't know who Lil' John was.

Mako Crab wrote:

Gomess wrote:...And bear in mind I'm the guy that disliked The Gathering so much that he rewrote the thing.

LOL! It's only one panel, but I love it already.

Cheers! One day I'll publish the whole thing, when I'm SURE no one will try to get it taken down. I reckon it's covered by Fair Use.

You need to move to Sacramento. There's a thriving geek culture up here. Even the jock types try to fit in with geeks. it's pretty awesome. But don't feel bad, I wouldn't know Sportscenter theme either and didn't know who Lil' John was until Dave Chappelle parodied him.

That said, I couldn't hide my geekiness if I tried. I have the TF calendar here at work and for the better part of the last few years I've had my Botcon sets locked in my overhead cabinet.

BWprowl wrote:Keep in mind, these are the people who were shocked and appalled when I didn't recognize the SportsCenter theme.

I recognize the Sport's Night theme. Is that close enough?

Dominic wrote:And, why are you risking that Prime being stolen? What the hell is wrong with you? (Is it a double? Then it is okay.)

It's not; it's the Spychanger Scourge repaint. In any case, however, it's pretty common knowledge that the head boss and 'founder of the company' is my aunt (I am a horrible victim of nepotism and I don't care) so if anyone were to steal 'anything' of mine that I left at work, they would probably find they didn't have a job anymore. People don't fuck with me here. It's pretty awesome.

BWprowl wrote:Keep in mind, these are the people who were shocked and appalled when I didn't recognize the SportsCenter theme, or that I didn't know who Lil' John was.

Even I know those things, and I'm me! (Seriously, did you just completely not watch Chapelle's Show?) I'll admit to my recognition of the Sportscenter theme is just from brotherly osmosis. (Seriously, my brother would watch it every night. We used to share a TV cable connection, meaning we both had to watch the same thing. One day I decided I'd had enough and started watching Adult Swim instead.)

Mako Crab wrote:Really? Magmatron with his rank as emperor in the BW Neo cartoon has no one loyal to him?

Clearly things don't work the same way between the Japanese and North American continuities.

Magmatron in the IDW comics with his seat in the government has no one loyal to him?

I didn't say no one was loyal to Magmatron, as he is clearly is shown to have some followers in the comic. But part of his plan is to overthrow the Tripredacus Council, the leaders of the Predacon government. What do you want to bet they have a few more loyal followers than Magmatron does?

How would he even KNOW about the stasis pods or their condition from the Axalon?? He's going to travel through time and space on the hope that a bunch of stasis pods went unclaimed FROM A MAXIMAL SHIP!!

Why do so many people miss this from the comic? It is covered on page 9 of the first issue. Ravage contacts Magmatron after he survey's the planet and transmits "tactical planetary scans". Presumably that data contained the condition and locations of the stasis pods. Having information provided to him by Ravage pretty much takes take of the next few points you bring up save for...

* No one like Tarantulus around with the skill and equipment to perform the delicate procedure of reprogramming a stasis pod? No problem. Just plug in the microwave and send out those insta-Pred signals. Works every time! This was so completely weak compared to the reprogramming process shown in the toon. I loved the episode where Rhinox had to stay with AirRazor's pod and work on it all ep just to keep her alive. It was really cool and made the whole process personal. The insta-Pred wave lacks all that.

The Maximals were able to activate Tigatron's stasis pod using a laser pulse transmission that they bounced off one of the moons in the cartoon. And the only reason they said they couldn't use just a regular comm channel was because of the energon fields. With those fields pretty much gone by the 3rd season, there was no reason why Magmatron's team with the right equipment and their own programming specialist couldn't activate them and turn them into Predacons all at once.

But surely this is a more cost-effective plan than recruiting already existing Predacons that need no reprogramming to be loyal. The premise alone was broken from the start. The only reason they went to prehistoric Earth was to cash in on the popularity of the toon, when what they should've been doing was telling their own story.

How is the premise broken from the start? Recruiting an army of already existing Predacons would take a great deal of time, especially with how secretive Magmatron would have to be planning a coup with how close he is to the Tripredacus Council. He indicates they already don't really trust him and all it would take is one not loyal to him to ruin the plan (as Razorbeast goes to show). Finding a bunch of abandoned stasis pods is the most cost-effective plan they could have hoped for. Had all gone according to plan, Magmatron would have had a small personal army in just a few hours as apposed to potentially years to slowly recruit as many Predacons in secret on Cybertron.

And while I'd agree part of the reason the story was set up as it was is because they wanted to tie into the popularity of the cartoon, that wasn't the only reason. The comic does tell its own story, following its own characters.

Onslaught Six wrote:Even I know those things, and I'm me! (Seriously, did you just completely not watch Chapelle's Show?)

No. I didn't. That utter disbelief at my lack of knowledge in this crucial area is the exact reaction my co-workers give me over this stuff, thanks. Nice to know that even here, I haven't been keeping up with the right things...

Lil' John? He's that dude that hung out with Robin Hood. Played by a big bear, if I recall right.