TF Views

Onslaught Six wrote:The stories aren't objectively bad because they're not to your taste. Yes, you like overarching storylines with Big Fat Meaning in them. MTMTE wasn't really advertised as that. It was advertised as "Rodimus and co get in crazy adventures while looking for a Thirteen* equivalent." Maybe Roberts is going to go for something larger but we're literally not even six issues in--not even into a second arc. Roberts is clearly playing the long game and expecting about two years' worth of stuff before IDW "shakes up" the book due to Movie Hype or a standard need to rekerfuffle the books for no reason. Besiding that, each issue so far has been fairly episodic in nature and dealing with some cool new threats. We haven't really seen too many TF "infections" in the past (Cosmic Rust and the Hate Plague from Return of OP are the only ones I can really think of right now) and seeing how these guys deal with it is great. (I'm glad First Aid is back, too!) The larger story, we're still not sure of, but I'm sure it will all depend on where the ending goes and the ultimate goal of finding the Knights of Cybertron.

Well, very few things are objectively bad, stuff like this is always reflected in an opinion (and even when something is actually objectively bad it might still be to someone’s taste, helloooooo Energon!). Just because it’s only Dom’s opinion that the comic isn’t good shouldn’t mean he can’t gripe about why he doesn’t like it in the thread about it (and, objectively, no one’s more objective than Dom ).

For the record, I disliked the series (initially) less because of its wholly character-focused content and more just because it wasn’t *doing* anything with those characters. Issue 1 was just everyone walking by and saying hello. Issue 2 was everyone sitting around complaining. And all the way through it was Roberts jamming in an overabundance of trivia references and world-building minutiae with no bearing on the details of the actual story. I get that Roberts likes Transformers, I like Transformers too, that’s why I’m reading his comic book. Now he needs to give me a reason to stick around and read an actual comic book, rather than feeling like I just skimmed an obscure corner of the TFwiki. Fortunately the last couple issues have been better. I’m genuinely interested in where they’re going with this medical outpost thing. And especially in what Roberts ends up doing with Cyclonus and Tailgate.

I think you guys just aren't looking deep enough. Of course it seems like "Transformers doing stuff" because that's what's happening in the larger scope. Rodimus basically just accepted every reject from Cybertron and they're all there trying to figure out how their lives are going to be post war and to try to find their place in the crew and on the mission. This isn't the Enterprise, they weren't assigned to the Lost Light by some larger military organization, they all just jumped on with stars in their eyes. Which means that it's Rodimus' job as leader to find jobs and places for all of them. So far this series is showing him failing at that and basically just putting out fires. It's a little like the difference between DS9 and TNG. Sure, everything worked like a on oiled bearing on TNG because they were all assigned there by Starfleet. DS9? not so much. You have characters there that are there just trying to make their way in the galaxy and just trying to find how they fit in. So yeah, of course the first few issues are going to be characters doing stuff because they're trying to figure out how they fit in the larger picture. I particularly like that Swerve is now basically the Quark of the Lost Light.

Shockwave wrote:I think you guys just aren't looking deep enough. Of course it seems like "Transformers doing stuff" because that's what's happening in the larger scope. Rodimus basically just accepted every reject from Cybertron and they're all there trying to figure out how their lives are going to be post war and to try to find their place in the crew and on the mission. This isn't the Enterprise, they weren't assigned to the Lost Light by some larger military organization, they all just jumped on with stars in their eyes. Which means that it's Rodimus' job as leader to find jobs and places for all of them. So far this series is showing him failing at that and basically just putting out fires. It's a little like the difference between DS9 and TNG. Sure, everything worked like a on oiled bearing on TNG because they were all assigned there by Starfleet. DS9? not so much. You have characters there that are there just trying to make their way in the galaxy and just trying to find how they fit in. So yeah, of course the first few issues are going to be characters doing stuff because they're trying to figure out how they fit in the larger picture. I particularly like that Swerve is now basically the Quark of the Lost Light.

I'd noticed the thing about Rodimus's (lack of) leadership skill, yeah. It was one of the more interesting highlights of the third issue. Part of me wonders if they're going to have him go along like this until something *really* horrible happens, and that'll be the catalyst to see him forced to become a better, 'true' leader.

They're also tackling the 'where do we fit in' thing head-on with Tailgate and Cyclonus. The book is hardly bad at this point, I just feel it's a little slow and aimless at times, especially in the beginning, and I wish Roberts would dial down the needless references and world-building a notch.

It's good to see Rodimus trying to be a leader and failing while looking for adventure. It gives him plenty of room to grow organically, rather than suddenly being incredibly competent. It's also true to the original character ("He's a typical adolescent who dreams of being heroic and important. He tends to not follow rules too closely. Although he means well, Hot Rod's impulsive actions often get him into trouble.")

Keeps things interesting when the leader is almost as much of a loose cannon as most of his crew.

Shockwave, bro, you might be on to something.

Rodimus is shown (maybe in issue 2) brooding about how nobody is going to die on his watch "this time". And, his crew (particularly the more visible members) consists largely of screw ups, burn outs and misfits (not unlike the main Autobot cast of TFA). From what I can recall about the background characters, the only one of them who would be considered an actual adult is Hound.

If Shockwave's theory proves to be right, then the aimless feel of the early issues is probably intentional.

Not sure if I agree that Swerve is Quark though. Swerve is a twit, but generally honest and will follow the rules more often than not.


Dom
-might have a whole new appreciation for this book.

Stories are rarely really truly just "characters doing stuff". There has to be a reason "Why" the characters are doing what they're doing or the story wouldn't be worth reading. And even if the aimlessness isn't intentional I would at least argue that it is realistic. Right now they're doing things because they're trying to find their niche. In some cases, like Tailgate, this is blatantly obvious commentary on that point while in other cases, like Swerve, it's a little more subdued. And if you look at what the characters are doing and why there really do seem to be some ideas present on the ideas of free will "I can do anything I want now, so... what should I do now?" and having a purpose (like Ratchet's anger at losing the use of his hands). The ideas are there, you just have to know how to look for them.

And Swerve is the snarky bartender. He's like Quark without the underhandedness.

When did this become a "Shattered Glass" thread?

Shockwave just called me out on *completely missing the point* of a story written by a guy who I should know better than to dismiss. Shockwave, a guy who normally does not care enough to even bother looking for the point, is calling *me* out on this.

I will disagree on one part though.

Stories are rarely really truly just "characters doing stuff". There has to be a reason "Why" the characters are doing what they're doing or the story wouldn't be worth reading.

There are plenty of "just doing stuff" stories that are just depictions of characters doing stuff without illustrating any larger point or concept. Comics and television are loaded with examples.

I would agree that it would be nice if there was a better reason for the writers to have the characters doing stuff and that the reasons can make a story more worth reading. But, such a reason is not inherently necessary to a story. (Look at the AvX "fight book". The only stated point there is "lets make these guys fight".)


Dom
-comes back for threads like this.

A month ago when I grew my evil "Mirror Universe" Goatee. (Seriously, I actually did grow a goatee where as I didn't have one before). But I will agree that it's funny that I'm the guy that points out the larger ideas in this book.

Yeah, I know there are stories written with characters "just doing stuff". It's called terrible writing.

Issue 5:
Even taking in to account the fact that the book is deliberately aimless, this issue kind of drags. Most of it is taken up with the plage outbreak at the medical center. Roberts spends a bit more time world-building than is probably necessary, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt at least for a few more issues. Tailgate's arc gets all of one page this issue, mostly focused on a stupid "Magnus is an anal retentive fucktard" joke. And, if the preview for next issue is anything to go by, Rung will be getting that "meaningful death" I predicted a while back. I really hope that Roberts is planning to bring this book together in some brilliant way. But, I am still a bit doubtful.
Grade: C

Dom
-still picking this book up on rote...

Issue 6:

Roberts picks up a few loose threads from "Last Stand of the Wreckers", and even a few ideas from that series.

Spoiler

Prowl is going to be in for it.

Rodimus is shown to have grown as a leader, if only slightly,

Spoiler

(no longer cribbing speeches from Drift)

. The art is still more than a little bothersome though.

Spoiler

Given the importance of the physical appearance of the characters Maximus attacked, the art really should have made it more clear than them being just blobs on a table.

And,

Spoiler

Rung gets the "meaningful" death that I predicted back around issue 2 or 3.

All in all, the more I read this series, the more that I think that Roberts was going for a slow-burn to compliment the thematic aimlessness that Shockwave mentioned a few posts back.

Grade: B


Dom
-kinda glad to have invested in that Minibot "Encore" pack a couple of years ago...