Transformers - ongoing series

[138 Scourge]

Whirl is still a bad character, but there's time for him to reform, given that his portion of the story is set in the distant past.

Is he even still around? I haven't been following the ongoing that closely, but there was a conspicuous lack of cyclops helicopter dudes in "Last Stand of the Wreckers".

[Dominic]

Dom, do you just sit around looking for reasons to hate things? Seriously man.

I just find them. I really do not look for reasons.

To put it bluntly: We agree with you!

Then why are you not complaing?

If the book is going to be a 'little' insular by actually referencing its continuity and using characters who are, frankly, more interesting to see than the same damn '84 cast all over again, then so be it! I enjoy obscure characters showing up and Doing Things. That's interesting, to me. That's the level I'm at.

My complaint is that people are giving points for the obscure wankery, and not for the fact that Roberts can write. (And, because Roberts is not getting proper credit, I want to burn him at the stake. Yeah, that is rational.)

only have one real qualm, and maybe this was explained last issue and I've forgotten it already. What exactly was the point of Megatron surrendering? Why give himself up after going to all the trouble of building his spiffy new body. The reason has escaped me. Yes, that's what the debate was all about last issue, but I missed the answer.

Megatron needed to get closer to Prime. And, it is not like he is in any real danger. (His new body will likely get him out of any real danger he finds himself in.)

Dom
-wonders if Roberts knows of this thread.

[Sparky Prime]

I only have one real qualm, and maybe this was explained last issue and I've forgotten it already. What exactly was the point of Megatron surrendering? Why give himself up after going to all the trouble of building his spiffy new body. The reason has escaped me. Yes, that's what the debate was all about last issue, but I missed the answer.

I wouldn't say they gave us a direct answer since Megatron never actually answered the question. I got the impression from the last issue that Megatron was trying to see if Optimus, despite all the virtues he stands for, would lash out and harm a defenseless opponent. To make Optimus sink to his level.

[andersonh1]

Whirl is still a bad character, but there's time for him to reform, given that his portion of the story is set in the distant past.

Is he even still around? I haven't been following the ongoing that closely, but there was a conspicuous lack of cyclops helicopter dudes in "Last Stand of the Wreckers".

I'm not sure, now that you mention it. I was thinking I'd see Whirl in the present day Transformers comics somewhere, but I can't say where. Could just be wishful thinking on my part since I like Whirl.

[Onslaught Six]

To put it bluntly: We agree with you!

Then why are you not complaing?

Because I was having a bad day at work and was bitchy.

My complaint is that people are giving points for the obscure wankery, and not for the fact that Roberts can write. (And, because Roberts is not getting proper credit, I want to burn him at the stake. Yeah, that is rational.)

Are they, though? Nobody here is. (Hell, I'm not even reading it.)

And that's not rational at all; that's stupid. If anything, you should want to burn those fans at the stake.

[Shockwave]

And that's not rational at all; that's stupid. If anything, you should want to burn those fans at the stake.

I could get behind that and I'm not generally a fan of burning at the stake.

[Mako Crab]

Quoting me is fine. But, it might due to format them so it is more clear who is talking and responding. (I know my own words. But, if I did not, those quote boxes would have confused me a bit.)

I just didn't want it to appear that I was throwing you under the bus, that's all.

Not having big robots blowing shit up every issue does not count as "decompression". The plot moved along, and Costa covered ideas at a reasonable pace. (That needed to be pointed out.)

You're making the assumption that I require robots beating the shit out of each other every issue. That's pretty much what we got with Bay's last couple of movies, and I'm not the biggest fan of those. I'm told that the pace of the series did pick up after issue 13, but by that point I had already stopped getting it.

And, my complaint is that Roberts, (and likely Barber, depending on how the labor is split), are doing much the same things that Costa did. But, fans are praising them because they are working in obscure references.

Those same fans that appreciate the references also say that little easter eggs aren't enough to carry the story. Let my post up a quote from that discussion on TFW.

Greyley:
He's (Dom's) making the mistake of thinking that the fanwank is the only reason that this issue is getting so much praise. Even without the references, it's still a solid story, great dialogue, and wonderful characterization. James isn't just some guy who bullshits his way through a comic by tossing in easter eggs to appease the fans, he's a skilled writer who can craft an amazing story. The writing is the meat and potatoes, the callbacks to older stuff is just the cherry on top.

And I think the fanwank in this issue is a lot like what they did in LSOTW. The references are fun if you get them, but they're done in a way that doesn't confuse anyone who has never read the source material. I'm not familiar with most of the old comics, but I didn't feel at all put out by the many references in LSOTW because the story didn't require previous knowledge to make sense. That's how issue #22 seems to be as well. Fanwank is really only a problem if it's confusing and off-putting to some of the readers, which I don't think is a problem here.

[Dominic]

I just didn't want it to appear that I was throwing you under the bus, that's all.

It just looked like the quote boxes were not fully separated. (Editing my name is fine.)

You're making the assumption that I require robots beating the shit out of each other every issue. That's pretty much what we got with Bay's last couple of movies, and I'm not the biggest fan of those. I'm told that the pace of the series did pick up after issue 13, but by that point I had already stopped getting it.

Yeah, but Costa had "stuff happening" every issue. It was not necessarily big or flashy, but it was important to the arc as a whole.

Those same fans that appreciate the references also say that little easter eggs aren't enough to carry the story. Let my post up a quote from that discussion on TFW.

I saw plenty of posts, (at AllSpark), where the praise consisted largely of "wow, obscure G1 references, this is awesome".


Dom
-the fact that fans need to be "appeased" is a problem unto itself.

[138 Scourge]

I saw plenty of posts, (at AllSpark), where the praise consisted largely of "wow, obscure G1 references, this is awesome".

Okay, Dom, look over this sentence and tell me where your mistake was.

[Onslaught Six]

Dom, you can look at my test if you're stuck.