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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jun 24, 2009 15:29:52 GMT
It has arrived!!!
Andy
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jun 24, 2009 16:47:45 GMT
Hubris is here!
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 24, 2009 16:49:33 GMT
Not here, and we had post today.  -Ralph |
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Post by legios on Jun 24, 2009 20:43:14 GMT
I too have received my copy of Hubris #9. Review to come in due course once it has been readed.
Karl
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Post by grahamthomson on Jun 25, 2009 7:00:24 GMT
I am sooooooo very relieved issues have started to turn up. Whew!
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 25, 2009 18:11:11 GMT
It's here! Panic over!
-Ralph
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Rich
Protoform
Posts: 880
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Post by Rich on Jun 25, 2009 18:24:30 GMT
!5! issues of hubris today! My biggest fanzine day ever, I think. Cheers.
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Post by grahamthomson on Jun 26, 2009 6:49:31 GMT
I know! You had so many, they had to go in two packages!
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jun 27, 2009 8:44:45 GMT
Another fine, shiny, professional dollop of Transformerdom. I really love the cover (Jazz, is it?) - one of my all-time favourite Hubris covers, actually. A really effective close-up. Black and white, except for a mysterious bit of blue and red in the visor. I looked to see whose work it is, expecting it to be one of our established TMUK artists, but no - it's Graham! You've been holding out on us all these years... The Stephen Baskerville Q&A, I can take or leave, as he hasn't really got anything to say that's of interest to me. It may be of more interest to Hubris readers who are interested in comics as an artform. The A-Z's were a welcome counterpart to those of Leadfoot and Powerdive from the previous issue, giving us a nice full set for the Rotor Force, and the A-Z Commentary with its more ambitious scope is still going strong, half-way through the letter 'B'. Keep it up! They are excellent summaries that give the characters actual biographies to go with the static information in their A-Z/Universe/tech-spec entries, and I'd love to see you get to the end and then publish the whole lot in a Hubris special. Oh, and after looking up a list of Micromasters I can see what you're doing with the tech-specs on the back page now. Roller Force and Tracer next issue, please, to complete the Military and Race Track Patrols! (Still some silly number ratings for strength, speed and the like, but I guess we can take them as being on an independent scale internally consistent for these land-based Micros.) I enjoyed both the text stories, though I felt 'Murder on the Dashboard' was by far the better of the two, 'The Guard' being marred by some characterisation that didn't feel quite right. (I don't buy for an instant that Prowl has dips in self-confidence or is concerned about what other Autobots think of him - he's far too coldly stable to be plagued by the kind of angst and paranoia described here - and for those few paragraphs it felt more like you were writing about another character. Also, I'd have felt it more appropriate for the Warpath/Cosmos/Powerglide imposters to target Blaster, since those were his comrades of old from Polyhex, and for Bumblebee to target Prowl, since their comradeship goes from their tech-specs and the text story of the first UK annual, right through from #1 to Earthforce. My mind only links Blaster with Goldbug - though I know you have given Blaster and Bumblebee some prior history also.) Some great manipulation stuff on the side of the Imperials though, and a nice mystery twist at the end about the true nature of the planet, that I look forward to seeing resolved. 'Murder on the Dashboard' I have no reservations about. The characterisation of both Prowl and Motormaster is spot-on here, and we're back to robots in disguise, which is the central TF concept in my mind. Plus, extra story development within Bob Budiansky's continuity. You can't beat it. The IDW comic, toy and Sunbow reviews round out the magazine to make it span the eras, but the era that is the focus of 'Murder on the Dashboard' is the one that holds my interest. Cheers, Graham! Martin |
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Post by grahamthomson on Jun 29, 2009 7:20:28 GMT
Thanks for your comments, Martin! Much appreciated.
I certainly see what you're saying about Prowl. My intent was to show that he always wanted to make sure he didn't let the Autobots down, and that's why he was concerned with what they thought of him. And I also wanted to obliquely link to his story in Eugenesis where, well, you know...
Oh, and I am really pleased you liked the cover! (Yes, it is Jazz.) I might to do some in the future, it's just they take me a very, very, very long time to do!
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jun 29, 2009 19:09:13 GMT
Ah yes, I'd forgotten about Eugenesis. Can't say I entirely agreed with that either, so you're in good company as a writer there. I forgave James as he portrayed Prowl so much like Prowl in all the preceding parts, and made Kup drive him convincingly to the end of his tether. As you are portraying Prowl so much like Prowl in 'Murder on the Dashboard' I'll forgive you too.  Martin |
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Post by grahamthomson on Jun 30, 2009 8:18:56 GMT
Whew! I redeemed myself by the skin of my teeth.  |
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Hero
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
King of RULES!
Everything Rules
Posts: 7,487
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Post by Hero on Jun 30, 2009 12:10:48 GMT
Hubris 9 RULES. It came today  |
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Post by grahamthomson on Jun 30, 2009 14:09:25 GMT
That was quick to arrive!
Royal Mail seem to be doing their job. For the moment!
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Post by jameso on Jul 7, 2009 14:28:38 GMT
Got my copy today, many thanks. And I only ordered it yesterday, how's that for service!
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Post by grahamthomson on Jul 16, 2009 7:02:17 GMT
Glad to hear it arrived. The posties seem to be behaving...
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Post by legios on Jul 20, 2009 17:34:43 GMT
I must apologise Graham. I thought that I had posted my comments regarding #9 a while back, but clearly I hadn't. My apologies for my tardiness:-
The first thing to say about Issue Nine of Hubris is that the production values are very much up to your usual high standards Graham. The quality of the 'zine is quite exceptional both in terms of general production values and the crisp layout.
This issues cover is also very striking. I have rather a weakness for black-and-white art and as a result this one works very well for me. It is a lovely piece of artwork and I'd love to see more in this style.
Once again this issue gives us a good spread of features – very welcome AtoZ entries for a rotorbot and a Rotorcon which extrapolate nicely from G2 to round them off as characters rather well. Likewise the Profiles and Tech Specs for the Micromasters actually make them distinct characters in my mind now. No longer will they just be part of the undifferentiated mass of nameless Micromasters for me.
The IDW and Sunbow reviews made for entertaining reading as well. You have fairly well summed up my own feelings about “Roll for it”, but far more entertainingly than I could have managed. Of the non-fiction features the highlight has to be the Steven Baskerville interview. It is always good to hear pro's talk about the industry and their outlook on their work. Baskerville is not someone I have seen interviewed previously so it made for very interesting reading. A good interview, and well worth the effort in negotiating it.
“Murder on the Dashboard” I have commented on previously, but it remains a very well thought-out story with a deft hand in establishing characterisation. A small cast very well deployed. It also has an absolutely fantastic cliffhanger at the end of part one, and as someone who likes a well-done cliffhanger this raises it further in my estimation.
Likewise, “The Guard” continues to intrigue me. The psychological games that Jacknife's team are playing on the Autobot team make for a pleasant change to the guns-blazing action that normally comes fitted as standard in stories dealing with the Cybertronian Empire. And once again this installment manages to answer questions and somehow leave us with less certainty than we started with. Can we trust the discoveries that Prowl and Jazz have made about the planet, given that Jacknife's team have arranged for the Autobots to be where they are? And if their discoveries are valid then what role do the organics play in the Empire's plans here – protective camoflage, hostages, or something more esoteric? I like a good mystery and so far “The Guard” continues to deliver that in spades. The only thing that doesn't really sit quite right for me (and I would observe that it is more a result of a personal foible of mine that anything else) is the characterisation of Prowl. But, as has been observed by yourself and Martin you were aiming for the version of Prowl that was depicted in Eugenesis and you have got that pretty much note perfect. It is a very good piece of characterisation, just not how I personally conceive of Prowl – hence my cognitive dissonance. Regardless of that, the characterisation, both of established and new characters, is very accomplished. All in all, “The Guard” is very much the highlight of the issue for me, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes next.
All-in-all, Hubris #9 is an exceptional package delivering a great range of fiction and non-fiction material. Fantastic stuff Graham.
Karl
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Post by grahamthomson on Jul 21, 2009 11:11:26 GMT
Thanks for the feedback, Karl! Very much appreciated so it is.
Between you, Martin and two people who've emailed, that's a whopping 3% of readers who have given feedback for this issue!
Thanks for taking the time to note down your thoughts, and don't be apologising for delays in response!
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 21, 2009 17:51:37 GMT
I had been planning on the usual youtube review of the issue, but as my laptop is currently fried (for at least another week) I have been unable to do so as I am using someone else's computer.
-Ralph
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