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Post by Pinwig on Feb 3, 2020 21:19:07 GMT
The annoying thing is that Dreadwind's response implies they were already thinking about doing that, as if it was actually going to happen. An old school Eagle style cutaway would be awesome.
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 3, 2020 21:23:54 GMT
So this week's story is only marginally better than last week's. It's hard to even see these as being Furman.
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 3, 2020 22:21:26 GMT
The annoying thing is that Dreadwind's response implies they were already thinking about doing that, as if it was actually going to happen. An old school Eagle style cutaway would be awesome. I vaguely recall a cutaway being proposed for a TMUK project but I don't remember if it got past a few chats. -Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 3, 2020 22:22:13 GMT
So this week's story is only marginally better than last week's. It's hard to even see these as being Furman. Yup. It's much poorer than Aspects of Evil and sadly the rot is really setting in for the UK strip by now. -Ralph
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tomwe
Protoform
Tom reads comics
Posts: 989
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Post by tomwe on Feb 4, 2020 9:28:17 GMT
So this week's story is only marginally better than last week's. It's hard to even see these as being Furman. Yup. It's much poorer than Aspects of Evil and sadly the rot is really setting in for the UK strip by now. -Ralph I've just finished going through the very last strips in Hachette book 20 and I have barely any memory of them. It feels so strange and out of place. You'll get to them here eventually I guess.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Feb 4, 2020 18:00:54 GMT
Earthforce isn't all bad. It's internally coherent in terms of continuity, which makes a change from all the jumping around in the UK strips prior to 'Perchance to Dream'. It has a likeable cast. And it has some amazing artwork.
It's just that too many of the plots feel like bored space-fillers.
There are some good ones, ranging from the serious ('Cry Wolf', etc.) to the funny ('The House That Wheeljack Built' and 'The 4,000,000 Year Itch' are absolute corkers if read as comedy strips).
But there plenty of others, like 'Desert Island Risks' and 'Mystery' that just leave me scratching my head and wondering how they could possibly think they were worthy to fill five precious pages of a TFUK issue.
Martin
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 4, 2020 18:51:03 GMT
I think the done in one format for most of them really hurt the black and whites. While I agree there was continuity, it didn't feel like an ongoing narrative, but like a generic kids cartoon episode of the week. Which Transformers in UK comic terms never was, it was always forward facing.
Some nice art, some nice touches and there was scope to do something more...but it just went nowhere.
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 14, 2020 18:47:11 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #257 Worlds Apart: Reprinted from issue 131 Perchance to Dream: Sunstreaker The bug finds Brawn has a 0.98 suitability factor and is ordered by a figure who looks like Galvatron to move on. It settles on Sunstreaker, who is dreaming about a time he and Jazz were on a covert mission to find Megatron's base. Thundercracker and Skywarp appear. Jazz is hurt in their attack but rather than go back to help him, Sunstreaker vainly runs away, not wanting to get his bodywork damaged. Having isolated himself he realises his mistake and comes under attack too, only to be saved by the American military. Sunstreaker blindly surmises that his plan all along was to lead the Decepticons to the army base, believing himself to be so clever he even amazes himself. Elsewhere, Transformation tells readers to be on the lookout for the 1990 Micromaster line, including new 'Combi-Micros'; Colin returns to Earth to find fake news announcing his intention to quit the planet and is promptly duffed up by his replacement, Combat Kate; and on the letters' page, Dreadwind confirms that Catilla is indeed dead.
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 14, 2020 20:02:47 GMT
Oh my god... Remembering Perchance to Dream in the cold light of day is breaking my heart....
It's pants.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Feb 14, 2020 20:09:36 GMT
At the time, all I cared about was that it heralded the release of the Classic Hero toyline, which revived my love for TF toys. I had coveted Prowl, Wheeljack and others for years, wishing they were still available instead of stupid Thingmasters and Pretenders, and then suddenly my dream came true! The return of those characters to the comic was so bound up with the return of the toys that I just didn't care about the story quality, for a couple of months anyway.
Martin
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 14, 2020 20:12:26 GMT
Yes... Yes! Yes that's it. Thank you, Martin. That realisation makes the pain easier to bare. The toys of some of the GREATEST Transformers ever... WERE BACK!
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 15, 2020 13:44:32 GMT
Oh my god... Remembering Perchance to Dream in the cold light of day is breaking my heart.... It's pants. Yup. It's pish. At least ASPECTS OF EVIL holds up! -Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 15, 2020 13:46:48 GMT
At the time, all I cared about was that it heralded the release of the Classic Hero toyline, which revived my love for TF toys. I had coveted Prowl, Wheeljack and others for years, wishing they were still available instead of stupid Thingmasters and Pretenders, and then suddenly my dream came true! The return of those characters to the comic was so bound up with the return of the toys that I just didn't care about the story quality, for a couple of months anyway. Martin At the time, I thought Classics were shite! What was the point of bring back ancient toys (some of which were still on shelves from their original release). It seemed so pointless to young Ralph. New toys was where it was at! -Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 15, 2020 13:47:14 GMT
COMBI-MICROS.
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 15, 2020 15:26:21 GMT
At the time, all I cared about was that it heralded the release of the Classic Hero toyline, which revived my love for TF toys. I had coveted Prowl, Wheeljack and others for years, wishing they were still available instead of stupid Thingmasters and Pretenders, and then suddenly my dream came true! The return of those characters to the comic was so bound up with the return of the toys that I just didn't care about the story quality, for a couple of months anyway. Martin At the time, I thought Classics were shite! What was the point of bring back ancient toys (some of which were still on shelves from their original release). It seemed so pointless to young Ralph. New toys was where it was at! -Ralph WHAAAT?!?! What an absolute load of utter GUFF! The Classic Heroes weren't on shelves still by the time they were re-released?! ARE YOU INSANE?!?! Seeing them again was like a breath of fresh air after the ridiculous Head Masters, Pretenders, and HATED 'Movie' toys!!!!
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 15, 2020 15:34:49 GMT
They were still on shelves (especially the local Co-Op) where I lived. Toys had much longer shelf lives then. For example I got Starscream from the Co-Op circa 1988/1989.
I remember seeing G2 Optimus Primes on shelves next to PM Prime.
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 15, 2020 15:47:03 GMT
They were still on shelves (especially the local Co-Op) where I lived. Toys had much longer shelf lives then. For example I got Starscream from the Co-Op circa 1988/1989. I remember seeing G2 Optimus Primes on shelves next to PM Prime. -Ralph WHAT THE ACTUAL FRAKK?!?!?!Really?!?! REALLY?!?!?! WHAT WHAT WHAT MAGICAL PLACE DID YOU LIVE IN?!?! MY GODFATHERS!!!! I'M AGHAST!!! AGHAST!!!!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 15, 2020 16:09:23 GMT
I don't remember any of the really early stuff sitting like that but it's possible it may have happened in some places.
PM Op did have a longer availability window than most toys. I can recall seeing Woolworth 1990 Constructicons on the shelves alongside Euro yellow Constructicons and Gold boxed Classics Ops alongside G2 Ops.
I'm with Martin: the return of the original Autobot cars was one of the greatest things to happen to the line. Those were the toys I wanted.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 15, 2020 16:20:04 GMT
They were still on shelves (especially the local Co-Op) where I lived. Toys had much longer shelf lives then. For example I got Starscream from the Co-Op circa 1988/1989. I remember seeing G2 Optimus Primes on shelves next to PM Prime. -Ralph WHAT THE ACTUAL FRAKK?!?!?!Really?!?! REALLY?!?!?! WHAT WHAT WHAT MAGICAL PLACE DID YOU LIVE IN?!?! MY GODFATHERS!!!! I'M AGHAST!!! AGHAST!!!!The best place - SCOTLAND!
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 15, 2020 16:38:19 GMT
I...
I....
I....
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!!!
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 15, 2020 16:43:18 GMT
English people of The Hub!
HAVE YOU HEARD THIS?!?!?!
Whu whu whu WHAT was so special about Scotland to make it such Transformers toy NIVARNA?!?!
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 15, 2020 16:54:14 GMT
If it helps I wish I had had the foresight (and cash) to clean places out! But yes, G1 toys were available for years. G2 bombed locally as many of the original G1 toys were still knocking about. Contrast with today when some toys I only see once and they're gone!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 15, 2020 17:06:45 GMT
The problem was more gold box classics killing G2 where I was, in particular Op, the Cars and Dinobots.
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 15, 2020 22:39:23 GMT
The thing about all these stories is that they have an idea in them that could be good, but the execution is rushed, which is a pity because the art is pretty strong in these.
You could do meaningful stories in five pages, but to do that you'd really need to pull on the legacy of the comic and play to the older readers. The problem with Sunstreaker is that he doesn't really have a personality in the UK comic, he's never really featured. There's no hook here. The idea of his vanity causing a problem is fine, as is him lying to himself, but the way that's developed doesn't sit right.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Feb 16, 2020 8:26:34 GMT
My problem with this one is that Sunstreaker is supposedly "a very calm, competent and ruthless war machine" (tech-specs). He voluntarily fought as a gladiator in the State Games, he was one of the 'Magnificent Six', and in TFUS #3 he coolly shot down Skywarp with a shoulder-mounted rocket.
So who's this other guy?
Maybe it's just a dream and not a memory, the person Sunstreaker is determined not to be?
Martin
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 16, 2020 11:45:10 GMT
I think what you've exposed there is the incongruity in his full bio, the fact it talks as much about him being an egotist and contemptuous of the other car robots as it does his position as a deadly but sociopathic fighter. Someone that concerned about their paintwork doesn't feel like a natural candidate for someone who also has an overriding lust for battle. The Sunstreaker in this story is more like the cartoon one taken to an extreme.
You're right, running away from Thundercracker doesn't match the ruthless warrior image, the bio suggests his egotistical tendencies are more about causing him to become distracted by admirers than causing him crippling anxiety while fighting.
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 18, 2020 8:22:41 GMT
30 Years Ago This Week: Issue #258 Worlds Apart: Reprinted from issue 131 Perchance to Dream: Wheeljack Wheeljack infiltrates Blackrock Aerospace Assembly Plant One sometime after the departure of Shockwave and the Decepticons ( Prime Time, issues 39/40) and after Autobots have been felled in the Dinobot Hunt. Ravage pounces on him from the shadows and guesses that he is looking for the technology that Shockwave used to build Jetfire so he can repair his fallen comrades. Wheeljack admits that this is true and Ravage strikes a deal with him: return the renegade Jetfire to the Decepticons and he will give Wheeljack the information he wants. Back at the Ark, Wheeljack arranges for Jetfire to undergo a 'corrosion check' during which he will fit him with a neuro control helmet. He thinks about how he doesn't trust Jetfire, but ponders the morality of what he's doing. Sometime later, Wheeljack stands outside the aerospace plant, which is now in smoking ruins. Wheeljack realises Ravage had no intention of going through with the deal, and although he chose not to betray Jetfire, he will live with the shame that he nearly did. Elsewhere, Transformation alerts readers to the fact that next week's issue will feature a fantastic free gift; Steve discovers that Combat Kate isn't quite who she claims to be; and on the letters' page, Neil McClean of Brixham suggests that the comic could go back to being full colour if it used the quality of paper found in titles such as The Punisher - a proposition shot down straight away by Dreadwind.
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 18, 2020 8:29:19 GMT
NO 'FULL COLOUR' FOR YOU, LITTLE BOY!
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 18, 2020 14:58:17 GMT
This story felt better fitted into the continuity than the previous ones. I like the way the long shot of the aerospace plant in flames in this story is copied from the original long shot of the plant in Prime Time. But there's still a question as to whether Wheeljack would even consider betraying Jetfire, even if he didn't go through with it in the end.
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 18, 2020 22:35:08 GMT
The entire concept of Perchance to Dream seems forced.
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