Maximum Dinobots #4

[grahamthomson]

www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0903/26/idwfirsts.htm

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[Grand Moff Muffin]

Got #4 today, and I'm still managing to keep up my unbroken run of Nick covers.

The weakest issue so far, I fear, as the artwork alternates between the styles of two different artists, which makes it feel a bit unprofessional. Not nearly as unprofessional as several issues of Marvel's G2 series, mind you, where it lurched back and forth between (in my opinion) a good artist and a bad artist. Maximum Dinobots #4 lurches between two good artists, which is much less distracting... but distracting nonetheless.

Very little plot development given the page count, the Sunstreaker strand being the exception - and even that twist wasn't exactly unpredictable.

Pleased that Nick got to draw all the Sunstreaker scenes, as they have been my favourite bits artistically in the series so far.

Next issue promises to be one big fight with everyone taking it in turns to pile in, in usual Furman style.

Edit: Can anyone tell me what's happening to Grimlock on page 7 panel 2?

Martin

[charlesrocketboy]

The change in art style is very noticeably and to its detriment, though I'm glad they kept Nick on the Sunstreaker pages.

It is plot-lite and mainly serves as a breather/move-from-A-to-B, but there's quite a few nice character bits and the bit with Sunstreaker actually surprised me (especially as it appears to clash with AHM!). The sudden escalation at the end was nice too.

[Deleted]

As I said to Charles on his doorstep the other day, the Raiz art reminded me of the Marvel early days - there was something Man of Iron like about Ravage + Laserbeak arriving outside that kid's bedroom - so I started the issue in a good frame of mind.

Granted there's not the big battle of last issue but once again some great interdynamics between the teams, ie the Dinos still at odds with Grimlock, his dealing with the Monsterbots (whose status as the team everyone despises intrigues me) plus Soundwave returning. I found the issue very rewarding (perhaps the best so far) largely because it tied up loose ends like Soundwave's situation, and paved the way for more resolutions such as the Sunstreaker/Hunter headmasters plot and Magnus/Scorponok.

Some of the art wasn't so clear such as a couple of jumbled battle scenes and the opening page with Ravage looked more like the Terrorcon Blott IMO. But wholeheartedly agree with the comments above regarding Nick's Sunstreaker scenes. One thing bugged me in the scene with Hot Rod sending a distress signal... and that is what the moonbuggy thing was.

[Deleted]

Yeah, much as Raiz's art was nice, his abundance of lines didn't flow smoothly with Nick's crispness, and some of the close-ups of Grimlock's face were indecipherable.

[Mark_Stevenson]

got this and Spotty: Jazzy today (Steve, ya coulda saved yourself an envelope, I wouldn't have minded!). Gotta say, even though I'm a paid-up member of the Nick-Roche-Let-Me-Have-Your-Babies society, I liked seeing James Raiz doing TFs again. I was always a fan of his work on the early Armada comics.

Nick still owns all over this one though.

Not an issue with a great deal happening in it (apart from the Sunstreaker thing) but sets things up well for a suitably massive Furmanator conclusion. Although, unfortunately, from a continuity point of view, we then have to stumble into I Hate Megatron.

Mx

[grahamthomson]

It was nice to see so many plot threads tightening back up this issue ready for, hopefully, the coup de kickass next issue!

As for AHM, slide Spotlight Mirage before it and then ignore it.

[Andy Turnbull]

A bit disappointed that it wasn't All Nick Goodness, but to get James Raiz as a pinch hitter pleased me no end. I'd love to see him do more Transformers stuff, my favourite artist of the Dreamwave era.

Andy