Movie II tie-in comics and novels

[Dominic]

"Alliance" issue 4:
Ugh. This issue does not even flow smoothly from the last one. (I actually double-checked old reviews to make sure I *had* read issue 3.) It is pretty apparent that "Alliance" was intended to be "minimal back-story that the movie could not be troubled with" and nothing more. Much of the painfully bad writing could have been avoided. The easiest way would have been to simply condense this into a short pack-in for the first wave of toys. The movie itself is unlikely to mention this series beyond a simple line like "glad those other guys have shown up since last time", and most of the audience is unlikely to care beyond that, even if they know about this comic.

Grade: F This book was more a waste of creator talent and other resources than the original movie itself was.

[Sparky Prime]

And yet, still better than AHM.

The last couple issues while wrapping up a few loose ends from the first movie, this one appears to switch gears to focus on setting up for RotF. We find out the Decepticons that arrived last time aren't the 'regular' troop type but more like scouts looking for 'it'. New Autobots that we'll see in the movie finally arrive. Really I think the central theme of this mini-series has been the establishing of the human/Autobot alliance (hence the title). The majority of these books have been showing their working relationship grow and evolve. Should be interesting to see this carried over into the new movie.

[Dominic]

All of that could have been done in a single pack-in comic. And how exactly is this better than AHM? Is it the lack of ideas, the lack of focus? How does this story warrant the points?

Mind you, Mowry himself said he deserved the "honest feedback" on this series.

Dom
-well, it is better than what Geoff Johns did *not* say.

[Sparky Prime]

All of that could have been done in a single pack-in comic.

I disagree. I think it's nice to see the relationship grow between the Autobots and humans over these 4 issues as loose ends are tied up and things are set up for the movie.

And how exactly is this better than AHM?

Pacing. Stuff actually happens. Art (given #9 of AHM). So... pretty much in every way.

[Dominic]

I will give you the art in AHM 9 being uneven. It did not bug me as much as it bothered others, such as Prowl, but it was a problem.

But, in terms of "stuff happening", what really happens in "Alliance"? A bunch of guys show up and about half of them die. Wowzers. Maybe, decompressing things a bit, this story was good for one issue. What loose ends were tied up? About the only thing in "Alliance" that was solved in any way likely to impact the movie was Jazz being dropped in the ocean.

The first issue of "Alliance" was strong. The premise was good. But, the execution was terrible. The relationship between the 'bots and 'mans (ah, it kinda works) did not really grow over four issues. They were all good buddies when they started the series, (good enough for Optimums to just hand off the last chunk of the Allspark to them, because Prime is an absolute moron), and they are good buddies at the end. A few scenes in issue 3 seem set up to *undo* "stuff the happened" in the first two issue.

AHM is definitely "written for the trade", a sin so common I barely complain about it any more, bit at least it has ideas behind it, with plenty happening around them.

Dom

[Sparky Prime]

Jazz being 'buried' in the sea. Killing off the machines brought to life at the end of the first movie. Seeing the Allspark shard revealed as still powerful enough to bring things to life and then being sent to a new secured location (probably setting up for RotF). "Scout" Decepticons arrive searching for "it". They are taken care of thanks to the newly formed and growing relationship between humans and Autobots. Starscream returns and goes off to join Soundwave. There is a ton of stuff that happens in only these 4 issues.

AHM on the other hand has taken 9 issues and so far hardly anything has happened.

[Dominic]

The entire story could have been told as a montage, similar to the Decepticon pogrom sequence at the end of issue 4, and nothing would have been lost.

Dom
-and the book could have had wider distribution as well.

[Sparky Prime]

The entire story could have been told as a montage, similar to the Decepticon pogrom sequence at the end of issue 4, and nothing would have been lost.

I disagree. AHM I think could be condensed down to 2-3 issues though.

[onslaught86]

Alliance had a few neat ideas, but I almost agree with Dom that a pack-in could have accomplished the same thing. To be fair, it could have accomplished it without nifty parts like the use of non-movie characters, and the big focus on Wreckage (I am a shameless Wreckage fanboy). But nothing that happened was important, which I suppose is the downside of making a filler story to cover the gaps between movies. Reign of Starscream certainly told a more impressive gap story than this, although the previous movie prequels are probably more equivalent peers for Alliance.

Eh, I wasn't offended by the material here, yet it felt like a waste when we know the movie won't spend any more time introducing Sideswipe and friends than we got here. "Hey look, new guys, now we're off to do stuff." These issues may have been better spent working in a backstory for them.

Anyone else pick up on the renaming of Jolt?

AHM on the other hand has taken 9 issues and so far hardly anything has happened.

That's like saying nothing happened in Beast Wars because it took them three seasons to get off the planet.

Man, I can understand people not liking AHM because of the established continuity being ignored, because I recognise my respective indifference to and dislike of the [x]ation and underlying Spotlight storylines are just my opinion. But this is one of the most focused character studies we've had for some time, I view its being somewhat distanced from continuity as a plus.

[Sparky Prime]

That's like saying nothing happened in Beast Wars because it took them three seasons to get off the planet.

That makes absolutely no sense to me. Beast Wars had character development while still managing to tell a story and sub plots. AHM is hardly a story. The majority of it has been a bunch of 'bots standing around with nothing to do.

But this is one of the most focused character studies we've had for some time, I view its being somewhat distanced from continuity as a plus.

Character development is good, but when it flies in the face of what has been established and sacrifices the story line to primarily focus on characters who are frustrated being stuck with nothing to do... To me, it comes off as a lame story, especially for a 12 issue mini-series.

If they really wanted to do highly focused character studies, that's what the Spotlight issues should be for. But the large story arcs need to have both character and story. Something IDW seems to have difficultly finding a balance with.