Transformers - ongoing series

[Dominic]

I get the feeling that Costa wanted to avoid retreading the whole "faction lost its leader" angle. We got enough hints about that happening. But, we know that many in the fandom just cannot handle seeing it. Still, it would have been an interesting angle to follow.


Dom
-still loving this book.

[andersonh1]

Also, I don't like Megatron being back so relatively-soon when comparatively little has been done in his absence. Of course, that might be me really, really disliking his design (Why so much black?! Megatron isn't black!) but hey.

In story terms, he's been out of action and undergoing repair for over three years. So it's been a decent amount of time.

Of course, this is me being all "This is G1 and G1 should be G1." If this were Alternate New Continuity, hey, Megs can be as black as Mr. T. But...I dunno, that's me.

I don't want to see the characters departing too far from the traditional designs, but on the other hand, I've always been glad to see IDW update the look of characters like Hot Rod. They're not slavishly adhering to past designs. They're pushing the characters forward, and I can't help but see that as healthy, even if I do prefer Megatron's original look. At least the new designs are still recognizable as the same characters, even if many details are different.

[Sparky Prime]

The Matrix was a nice trophy, that is all. Even if it has "amazing cosmicy OMFG power", Megatron saw it as a trophy. (He demonstrated no interest in it as a power source.)

No. Again, all indications in AHM was that Megatron saw it as more than a simple trophy. Especially given what Kup said about it being Megatron's motivation to start the war itself. And keep in mind things didn't end up going according to Megatron's plan, as such, just because he didn't demonstrate an interest in using it as a power source at the time doesn't mean he didn't have something in mind for it.

[BWprowl]

The Matrix was a nice trophy, that is all. Even if it has "amazing cosmicy OMFG power", Megatron saw it as a trophy. (He demonstrated no interest in it as a power source.)

No. Again, all indications in AHM was that Megatron saw it as more than a simple trophy. Especially given what Kup said about it being Megatron's motivation to start the war itself. And keep in mind things didn't end up going according to Megatron's plan, as such, just because he didn't demonstrate an interest in using it as a power source at the time doesn't mean he didn't have something in mind for it.

Hey, I've got an awesome idea! Let's forget I ever said anything and not start this argument again! I'm sorry.

Of course, this is me being all "This is G1 and G1 should be G1." If this were Alternate New Continuity, hey, Megs can be as black as Mr. T. But...I dunno, that's me.

G1 was G1 in the Eighties. There're DVDs out if you want. I'll happily take Megatron's awesome new look and IDW actually *doing something* with the characters for the first time in decades.

[Dominic]

Step aside Prowl...

At most, if I remember correctly, Megatron was only studying the Matrix. But, that just makes it a curiosity (in addition to its obvious trophy value). And, its value, (as a curiosity, trophy or talisman), is not universally recognized. Starscream almost threw it out the window in "Coda" without a second though.

Anderson is right about Megatron being out of commission for a few years in story-time. I am not in love with the new character model. But, there is nothing objectively wrong with it.

[Sparky Prime]

At most, if I remember correctly, Megatron was only studying the Matrix. But, that just makes it a curiosity (in addition to its obvious trophy value). And, its value, (as a curiosity, trophy or talisman), is not universally recognized. Starscream almost threw it out the window in "Coda" without a second though.

Starscream mentions that Megatron had studied it for "several cycles" but again, that says nothing as to what Megatron himself had in mind for it, let alone how Megatron (had) viewed the Matrix. You keep ignoring some key factors from the story here. First and foremost, why would Kup say the Matrix was the motivating factor for Megatron to start the war if Megatron saw it as nothing more than a mere trophy and/or curiosity? If anything, that actually suggests Megatron had some purpose to go after it, a reason to believe it was worth going to war over. Second, why would Megatron keep it a secret he had it in his possession from all but Soundwave and Starscream? If it was nothing more than a curious trophy, why all the secrecy? Again, it suggests Megatron had some larger goal to achieve with the Matrix.

As for Starscream almost throwing it out the window... You're forgetting how he was lamenting over how he saw it as a symbol for their recent defeat, and that he wasn't sure if it even had any power as legend says given Megatron apparently failed to unlock it. So as far as he was concerned, it was useless. But then, this is Starscream we're talking about. He has a tendency to underestimate the value of things.

[BWprowl]

Aw hell...

You keep ignoring some key factors from the story here. First and foremost, why would Kup say the Matrix was the motivating factor for Megatron to start the war if Megatron saw it as nothing more than a mere trophy and/or curiosity? If anything, that actually suggests Megatron had some purpose to go after it, a reason to believe it was worth going to war over. Second, why would Megatron keep it a secret he had it in his possession from all but Soundwave and Starscream? If it was nothing more than a curious trophy, why all the secrecy? Again, it suggests Megatron had some larger goal to achieve with the Matrix.

Kup's the most unreliable narrator this story's got. We're talking about a guy who has to constantly inhale archaic stimulants into his brain just to keep a somewhat stable grip on reality. You can't take his word for anything, and he was probably just guessing anyway. Read Megatron Origin. That's why the war started.

Megatron kept the Matrix a secret for the same reason Starscream felt like shit right after he showed it off. Megatron didn't yet know if the Matrix *did* anything, and he didn't want to look like an idiot if it turned out to be useless.

It's worth noting that this is the most interesting/intriguing the Matrix has ever been in fiction. Chalk up another success along those lines for IDW.

[Sparky Prime]

Kup's the most unreliable narrator this story's got. We're talking about a guy who has to constantly inhale archaic stimulants into his brain just to keep a somewhat stable grip on reality. You can't take his word for anything, and he was probably just guessing anyway. Read Megatron Origin. That's why the war started.

Kup may have become addicted to those crystals' radiation, but he hasn't shown any evidence of a lapse in his mental state since he was fixed up by Perceptor. As such, there is no reason to believe he isn't a reliable narrator here (aside from being totally in contradiction to "Megatron: Origin", but this is the result of McCarthy not following the established continuity rather than Kup's mental state). And it's clear he isn't guessing given how matter-of-factly he talks about it. Not to mention, Prowl should have corrected him if he was so far off on how the war began and Megatron's motivations for taking the Matrix.

Megatron kept the Matrix a secret for the same reason Starscream felt like shit right after he showed it off. Megatron didn't yet know if the Matrix *did* anything, and he didn't want to look like an idiot if it turned out to be useless.

Even if that's true, that would still mean Megatron thought the Matrix *did* something in the first place, being worth it to capture and study. To try and unlock its fabled power. Which, again, means he didn't see it simply as a curious trophy at all. He saw it as something much more, something potentially powerful.

It's worth noting that this is the most interesting/intriguing the Matrix has ever been in fiction. Chalk up another success along those lines for IDW.

It's certainly caused more of a debate than it ever has before.

[andersonh1]

I think the whole confusion/debate over the Matrix stems mainly from the fact that McCarthy had one plan in mind, and Costa has another, and the two are at odds. I don't know that for certain, and it seems like something than an editorial staff ought to keep consistent, but it really does make no sense for Megatron to steal the Matrix from Prime, and then for him to just throw it away. Unless he stole it, with the intent to use it for something and then, unable to make it work, decided it was better to just destroy it. Particularly since it conferred some degree of legitimacy on Starscream in the eyes of many Decepticons.

[Onslaught Six]

McCarthy wrote the Matrix's involvement the way he did because Megatron Origin sucked. How long before people wise up and realize this?

A writer's allowed to retcon a past story if he doesn't like that story and the editors okay it. That's the way comics have *always* gone. When Frank Miller rewrote portions of Batman's origin with Year One, did people decry him as pissing on Bob Kane's work? I'm guessing they didn't, since Year One is kind of universally hailed as awesome.

I'm guessing, from Continuum, that Megatron Origin is basically being glossed over--the details aren't important anymore. I think that's how IDW's going with *all* its past stuff. Major events happened, yeah, but the specifics might be changed around to fit whoever's writing it at the time. Not unlike the artwork--Hot Rod is still Hot Rod, despite who's drawing him.

But there will always be those who preferred the past interpretation. So goes it.