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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jun 20, 2008 21:43:03 GMT
Preview over at Ryall's blog and it's bloody splendid looking as well. Andy |
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 21, 2008 10:19:54 GMT
Lovely!
-Ralph
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Rich
Protoform
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Post by Rich on Jun 21, 2008 10:32:02 GMT
Wow, that looks a million miles from the norm; the colouring is the spiritual successor to the best colouring in the uk comic. It's also kind of fitting considering that this issue brings down the curtain on Furman an Su's current run - I suspect the colouring will give the issue a heroic, almost mythical tone.
Looking forward to this.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2008 11:22:14 GMT
That looks like the best looking art I've seen for a long while.
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Post by legios on Jun 21, 2008 14:56:00 GMT
It certainly looks very pretty indeed.
Karl
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Jun 21, 2008 17:09:43 GMT
Nice looking and good to see something seems to being done with Hound's crew and they aren't just throw away characters confined to Spotlight: Cyclonus for this arc.
And (gasp) I see Fort Max!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2008 23:01:25 GMT
And Straxus!! Gasp gasp
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 8, 2008 15:42:04 GMT
So much cosmic bollocks in 22 pages! Great! I got whiplash reading this. Very much enjoyed the Revelation 4-parter, they have felt very close to the Marvel TF run with regards to pacing and density.
This is the antithesis of AHM in terms of content and value for money. I also now like IDW Sideswipe when previously I hated him with a passion. And call me thick, but I did not see the reveal on the top of page 22 coming. Very good. More of that please.
The bottom of page 21 is both funny and deeply sinister. Nice to see Furman can still pull out a few new tricks.
Oh, and the issue looks gorgeous: online scans don't do it justice.
DEAR IDW: When you've finished running the line into the ground with AHM, please give the direction of the line back to The Fur-Man (and keep him limited to 4-issue storylines). And hire EJ Su to do pencils + colours again. That is all.
Roll on Maximum Dinobots!
-Ralph
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Post by karla on Oct 8, 2008 22:07:14 GMT
ah, yes! I can't wait to read sideswipes spotlight  there are alot of girls on deviantart who fancy him and starscream...why starscream though???....random thought. I saw a book by E.J SU about drawing robots, heh funny book anyway can't wait to get it |
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 8, 2008 22:30:14 GMT
People fancy Sideswipe? My mind just shattered into a milion pieces.
Be warned though, this is more of a 'part 4 of 4' instalment of a series that happens to have Sideswipe in it rather than a full-on character focus on Sideswipe. He's in it enough to keep me happy but mileage may vary.
-Ralph
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Post by karla on Oct 8, 2008 22:34:57 GMT
oh yes, they fancy alot more than sideswipe, and do alot of...lets say imaginative things with the transformer characters. Just the girls though they enjoy doing that.
Oh, so we know less of his thoughts then and more of what is going on around him?? if you understand that lol
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 8, 2008 22:38:22 GMT
You get a few of his thoughts, but he isn't in it much. There are six million characters in this thing. I swear it folds time by having so many folk running around in it.
The less said about people fancying giant transforming robots the better!
-Ralph
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Post by karla on Oct 8, 2008 22:52:43 GMT
ok I won't say anymore oh, yep there are loads, just saw it on simos blog wow, well excited now!!! |
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 8, 2008 23:00:30 GMT
I can reassure the unfortunate Joey on that particular thread on The Fur-Man's blog that there is no robot-loving-another robot action in this comic.
-Ralph
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2008 8:24:26 GMT
A box of copies should be turning up from Diamond Comics today! I was concerned it could self destruct with too many competing scenes but if Ralph says its a gooden then I'll expect trousers to be shattered. Anyone wants a copy posted to their door, go here - www.oneshallstand.com/shop/revelation/revelation4.htmlThe more astute among you may notice that OneShallStand.com looks a bit different. I've been off work this week and decided it was time to redesign the site. It's the first major new look its had since 2003! www.oneshallstand.com |
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 9, 2008 10:41:06 GMT
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Post by karla on Oct 9, 2008 11:05:13 GMT
heh heh heh poor bloke, sounds like he is in tears. it would work with other robots, but not those two...no but if you say theres no lovin', theres no lovin'! I feel reassured even if furmans blog led people to believe that, maybe sunstreaker is his imaginary friend |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 9, 2008 11:07:19 GMT
Dear lord some people need to go and take a long hard look at themselves.
Andy
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Post by grahamthomson on Oct 9, 2008 11:56:19 GMT
But in IDW Optimus Prime and Iguanus are lovers!
But really, honestly, how on Earth could Sideswipe and Sunstreaker be "lovers"? Has it at all been hinted at in the preceding issues? I mean, at all?
And bless little "Joey", what with the pink avatar next to his comment, and the "y" on the end of his name. He has some imagination there to even think up Sideswipe and Sunstreakers as being lovers. Did anyone else on the planet have that thought cross their minds? I certainly didn't. I'd always assumed Sunstreaker had racked up gambling debts that Sideswipe wanted back. Or perhaps Manly Joe wanted either Sideswipe or Sunstreaker to be lovers with someone else?
But by all accounts. This robophobia should not be encouraged.
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Post by skillex on Oct 12, 2008 8:33:53 GMT
I know I post on here relatively rarely these days but just read Spotlight: Sideswipe yesterday and feel compelled to comment on it!
I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I had to re-read Revelation 1-3 first to remind myself of all of the plot points tightly packed into this superb 4-part series. Some SPOILER thoughts...
Artwork - superb! I really know nothing about how comics are drawn. Was this "painted" rather than, eh, however it's normally done?
Arcee - many of you will know I am a big fan of the lady and found her finally getting Jhiaxus to be creepy, funny and very in-character for the IDW version. As much as I'd like to see her again I suspect it makes more sense for her, story-wise, to be killing Jhiaxus beneath Gorlam Prime forever. And Micromasters being "bite-sized" indeed!
Gorlam Prime - hmmm, now calling itself Cybertron? Did anyone else think the Gorlam Transformers looked remarkable like the 07 movie Transformers? Is this a subtle way to imply both could be in the same continuity? (Nah, wouldn't really work though, would it?)
The Dead Universe - I still felt that we didn't really get a hold on what it was. I suppose it may have been an unstated equivalent to Unicron, but instead of being a planet-eating robot "Unicron" just embodies the opposite state to our reality. This wlould make the Darkness very clearly the equivalent to the Matrix.
Galvatron - wonder who he is? I assume it's still him alive at the end and I wonder if we might see more of his origins in Furman's upcoming The Thirteen?
Straxus and Grindcore - surprised at how "easily" they were beaten but I suppose being in the living universe for so long will have weakened them. Speaking of Straxus, since we've seen him and Jhiaxus I would love it if we could see the likes of Emirate Xaaron, Impactor and Rack n' Ruin in some form again too.
Sideswipe - never been wild about him but dealt with well here. That link to the poster on Furman's blog is hilarious, especially him saying "it's been over used", as if Simon is littering his storylines with shagging Transformers.
The future - after all this I am immensely looking forward to Maximum Dinobots, The Thirteen and Jetfire's comments on the return of Shockwave. I know I'm echoing what others are saying but why-oh-why-oh-why are IDW doing All Hail Megatron? Furman's relaunch of Transformers in his entire series from Inflitration 0 to Revelation 4 has not been flawless but I think it has been the best Transformers storyline ever published. I'm not against other writers being used for the ongoing plot but not if they come up with the storyline-free, sub-Sunbow, sub-Dreamwave All Hail Megatron that we've seen so far. I want the main raneg of IDW to be like Infiltration-Revelation! Different factions of Decepticons (Megatron, Shockwave, Scorponok, Bludgeon, Banzai-Tron), original use of so many different concepts like gestalts, Micromasters, Pretenders and so on. Grrrr!
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Post by KnightBeat on Oct 12, 2008 12:37:41 GMT
Gorlam Prime - hmmm, now calling itself Cybertron? Did anyone else think the Gorlam Transformers looked remarkable like the 07 movie Transformers? Is this a subtle way to imply both could be in the same continuity? (Nah, wouldn't really work though, would it?) I wonder if IDW will take a leaf from TMUK by using Gorlam Prime as the basis for the Beast Wars storyline. It would tie the majority of IDW -originated output into a single semi-coherent universe (the obvious exception being Hearts of Steel). The micromasters are approximately the same size as the Beast-era Maximals and Predacons. I really, really hope that the paperback for this provides a few more pages of story. |
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Post by legios on Oct 12, 2008 19:20:26 GMT
So, "Spotlight:Sideswipe", my head is still reeling from the amount of story content that Furman managed to get in there. I am favourably impressed with the density of the issue - an awful lot happens and it does so at a wonderfully breakneck pace. It really does feel like the endgame to a lot of these subplots that have been laced through previous stories, and it all unfolds remarkably well. The things that have been set-up go off one by one like a line of well-drilled dominoes, but at the same time there are still some surprises in store (the top of page 22 caught me unawares as well).
The battles with the various guardians of the Spacebridges are actually surprisingly effective, considering we see very little of the actual action. Instead we see enough snatched that our brains fill in a much broader and more intense conflict that would have fit into twenty-two pages.
With all this going on it is perhaps surprising how deft the characterisation of Sideswipe is in this issue. I have come away with a much clearer view of how IDW Sideswipe is as a being, and his motivations - and actually quite like him as a stereotype (he still doesn't warrant the description of character mind you...). I like the way that it forces you to reevaluate what you thought you knew about what he did in previous experience - that was a deft but of writing. I wasn't sure how this issue would manage to balance the overarching plot with spotlighting a given character, but it manages to walk that line rather nicely. Not only that but it gives a good rousing finish to a lot of Furman's running sub-plots ( the pulpish "or is it..." final panel notwithstanding). Faills as a single issue stand-alone story, but the Spotlight series abandoned that long ago, becoming an irregular miniseries in all but name. Very good stuff, and a comic that was well worth the money that I spent on it.
Karl
(Also, if I started out just disliking and dismissing Arcee as a character I can now see that I was unfair and should have waited for the pay-off on her. There is something very twisted indeed about the last half of page 21 - a dose of both bleak humor and something rather unnerving.)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2008 9:53:59 GMT
Good lord, this is easily the best-looking IDW issue to date (excepting those drawn by the incomparable Nick, obviously).
I was afraid Sideswipe would be a little short-changed with all the plot threads getting wrapped up around him, and I wasn't entirely satisfied that he wasn't, but he did ok.
All told, very enjoyable - just left with a very bitter taste regarding AHM's usurption of the core title.
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 13, 2008 9:55:49 GMT
I really, really hope that the paperback for this provides a few more pages of story. I would say that is highly unlikely. Single issue buyers don't like to feel like beta-testers for trades. Considering the high volume of complaints IDW had when 3 extra pages were included in the animated movie adaptation traded, I don't see them doing it again. -Ralph |
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 13, 2008 9:57:29 GMT
All told, very enjoyable - just left with a very bitter taste regarding AHM's usurption of the core title. Comics tend to run in cycles (ask any x-men reader, for instance) so if IDW have the licence long enough AHM will be over-written in time with another 'new direction' anyway. -Ralph |
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Post by charlesrocketboy on Oct 13, 2008 13:40:48 GMT
That wasn't a plot you read, that's a plot that's shot into your face out of a fusion cannon! The density is incredible, as is that glorious painted art.How much do I love thee, Spotlight?
* Nice twist and resolution for Sideswipe's obsession with finding Sunstreaker.
* I like the Autobot Pretenders here - instead of hideous goopy new skins, we get simple armour clearly designed for a job; a nice little difference between Bludgeon/Thunderwing and the Technobots.
* I like Jetfire VS Jhiaxus - everyone else goes for fighting, Jetfire talks his enemy into defeat. Nice.
* Everything happening at once! Yay stuff!
* Arcee's perpetual killing of Jhiaxus is a great wrap-up and terrifying.
* Prime's resolution to the Darkness dilemma is piss-your-pants funny. Stuff like that is what makes IDW Prime great.
* The new Cybertron at the end - excellent.
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Post by grahamthomson on Oct 17, 2008 11:42:40 GMT
I posted the following on IDW's forum;
I was almost too nervous to open this issue. It's been an amazing nigh three years in terms of where "Transformers" has been taken by Simon Furman's storyline and it really felt as though everything had been leading up to this point, to this issue.
The "Dead Universe" storyline has been put through the editorial car crusher and come out the other side a tiny, compressed cube like version of what could have been. And with that in mind, I was prepared to be very forgiving with any potential problems I might have expected with Spotlight Sideswipe.
I needn't have worried.
It would have been easy to languish over the whynots and whodunnits of the reasons behind squeezing a potential 12 issue arc into these four Revelation issues, but if Furman and Su were prepared to put such thoughts to one side, pull out all the stops and deliver this comic, then I was prepared to do the same. This issue deserves to be judged on what it is, not what it isn't.
So what is it?
Spotlight Sideswipe is a dizzying, mind-prodding, gasp-invoking and ultimately satisfying conclusion to the Revelation saga. If not for the torment of pausing to take in the phenomenal breath-taking artwork I would have pounced on the story, throttling each page until I reached the end.
If this is the end of the Dead Universe, then it ends on a genuine high. Characters we've grown to love/hate over the last couple of years get closure. Every page has someone to cheer for or someone to mourn.
It's just a shame it all comes to an end so soon. It's a fleeting encounter. Not rushed as such. And less a spotlight and more a snapshot.
But it can't be all that bad. Think of the potential, the promise and purpose this truncated ending gives to future storylines. If I could, I would implore the Powers That Be at IDW to come back to this tale. If you want to see a grown man beg, I'll happily email pictures.
Simon Furman may not be everyone's favourite writer, but I think that this issue proves, without doubt, that even when the odds are stacked against him he can still write a powerful drama, an absolute page turner, still give us characters to care about and still leave us hungry for more. _That_ is the true revelation to come out of all this.
And, as far as the artwork is concerned: The work and sheer artistic talent that EJ has put into each and every panel is palpable. I would love to see (and pay for again) this issue without the lettering.
I am on pins now, waiting for Maximum Dinobots.
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,057
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Post by primenova on Oct 17, 2008 11:53:57 GMT
That guy ight have got mixed up with the words broth-ers & lov-ers
But seem that this 4 parter is better than the 12 maxiseries.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 17, 2008 12:07:38 GMT
Absolutely the best looking single issue of transformers ever produced.
Andy
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Rich
Protoform
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Post by Rich on Oct 17, 2008 18:04:01 GMT
I'm a bit at odds with the general mood on this one. While I thought it was a good issue, I don't think it was as good as some of what's gone before. As for the art - well, some panels were excellent; the one with the Pretenders springs to mind, but in general I wasn't that keen on it, and, while I'm all for artistic variety in TF, I thought it a bit odd to go for such a radical shift in a final issue. I'm kind of looking forward to my second read though, as I read it in a bit of a rush.
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