Transformers Ongoing #1 Preview - Extreme Spoilers

[dinogrrl]

www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23587

These three pages apparently come from the END of the first issue, so keep that in mind. Also - super spoilers for character death.

My thoughts:

Nope, can't deal with those faces. I need relatable, likeable faces in order to gel with the good guy characters, and when these aren't looking downright evil, they look like confusing jumbles of parts that I have trouble visually distinguishing from one another.

SPOILER: Click to show

As for the Ironhide death, not all that shocking to me. Not at all actually, as I'd been expecting him to bite it in AHM itself. He does the classic Ironhide thing and let's face it - he's not an essential character, role-wise. I'm somewhat interested in why the Autobots are actively attacking humans (I guess it's all about those 'kill switch' things), but this, combined with the other solicits I've read, point toward a continuing downward spiral of Autobot conduct. I guess we're supposed to sympathise with them over the humans.

[grahamthomson]

Cheap.

It's a cheap narrative tactic for a First Issue and an even cheaper marketing tactic.

[blueshift]

Given they all have goatees, maybe it is set in a parallel evil universe?

[Benn]

Oh dear God no...

Why?

Those faces... They hurt my eyes.

[blueshift]

Wow, going by the dialogue, that preview is supposed to be set at night. Hahaha.

[The Doctor]

Not looking at the preview. I question the marketing idea of blowing the ending to your issue before it's even out. Makes not the slightest bit of sense to me.

-Ralph

[charlesrocketboy]

The faces are still putting me off.

Nov 5, 2009 8:07:07 GMT @grahamthomson said:

It's a cheap narrative tactic for a First Issue and an even cheaper marketing tactic.

And if that's the end of the issue, they've just blown the damn cliffhanger, the silly sausages.

[jameso]

Not a particulary convincing 'preview' there. Not terribly excited by the prospect of the ongoing to be honest, didn't think much of the Costa stories of Coda, never liked Don F in any of his varied styles, and I'm not sold on the defualt idea of 'wow, first ongoing in 5 years!' - I mean, what does that mean exactly. Five years since the last time we tried an going because it killed the book last time!
I admittedly having been paying much attention but IDW haven't told me what they are going to be doing different.

[charlesrocketboy]

Why should we believe that character is dead anyway? Being blown up in a previous issue didn't do him any harm, and IDW 'formers have gone through worse.

[blueshift]

I still can't get over those faces D:

[primenova]

It's that last panel - Optimus head - but the shoudlers don't match, it can't be Prowl or Ratchet.

Also Don was the artist on the last TF ongoing series which got to #10 - good art poor story.

[jameso]

Nov 5, 2009 12:38:58 GMT charlesrocketboy said:

Why should we believe that character is dead anyway? Being blown up in a previous issue didn't do him any harm, and IDW 'formers have gone through worse.

Yeah, I was thinking that. Robots don't 'die' that way.

[Deleted]

Nov 5, 2009 8:19:06 GMT blueshift said:

Given they all have goatees, maybe it is set in a parallel evil universe?

I thought that was AHM?

[Shockprowl]

I'd just like to join my cyber chumbs in amazement at 'them' showing the ending!!! It's utter utter utter utter stupidity! The story looks dull, and the art, er, different anyway. Looks like he's gone all 'Movie' on us. Unless it is revealed that Prowl is a major player in this story, me no get it!

[Kingoji]

Three pages of dialogue ripped from the middle of a story gives us no way to really honestly judge how well the book is actually written, as we have no basis for context. The art however... is plain awful. I must have sat for a good two minutes looking at the panel of Hot Rod with his jaw hanging open trying to work out how the hell it worked. And this is supposed to be more convincing than the "liquid metal" faces of the past?

Bollocks to this. Help us, Rochey Wan Kenobi, You're our only hope.

[chrisl]

Horrid horrid horrid shite. I think I will be avoiding this. Everything about that preview stinks. The art is horrid - maybe it's a Fu-Manchu crossover? The colouring is washed out and the plot looks baaaad.

I'll be sticking with Last Stand of The Wreckers.

[Andy Turnbull]

I'm not as death on the faces as everyone else is but you get the feeling someone has shown Don the movie designs and SMS's version of the ABC Warriors and he has learned the exact wrong lessons from both.

Shameless bit of marketing blowing the "shock" ending but to be honest it's such a generic death it doesn't hold any real impact for me.

Andy

[charlesrocketboy]

And here's ANOTHER shocking

S
P
O
I
L
E
R
!

[jameso]

And that is meant to be Hot Rod/Rodimus/Rodimus Prime isn't it? What version is it, because its looks balls ugly.

[charlesrocketboy]

Apparently just says "Rodimus" on the #2 cover.

[dinogrrl]

Here's the thing, I believe he's been referred to as both Rodimus and Hot Rod by IDW, so even they aren't straight on it. I think after the initial confusion they're sticking with Hot Rod, but still, get it right the first time guys.

Also, the interview with Andy Schmidt is now up:

www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23606

Some amusing excerpts:

Most of the Decepticons have left Earth, Megatron is believed dead, and onetime Autobot ally, Spike Witwicky, is hunting all Transformers, good and evil alike, for the government.

Uh, since when was he an ally of the Autobots? Dude basically told them to GTFO in AHM #12.

Regarding the decision to announce Ironhide's death in advance of the issue's ship date, Schmidt said that IDW had considered not discussing the death at all in promoting the new series, but saw compelling reasons to tip their hat. "We realized that we need to let people know why this book is important. And no, it's not that a major character dies (although that is a big deal in and of itself) but even more so, what effect Ironhide's demise has on the rest of the Transformers cast and universe," Schmidt said.

Translation: We needed some spectacle to hype the sales, because people were having a largely negative reaction to the art.

I appreciate their attempt at getting into a proper elucidation of what death means to a giant alien robot that can suffer ridiculous amounts of damage and be perpetually repaired and live for eons, but once again I keep thinking, these things are supposed to have been at war and lost buddies for millenia. Why would the death of one old fart be a trigger for psychological breakdown?

*shrug* Then again, why wouldn't it be, I guess. I smell more emo in our future.

Though the film and newer animated series occasionally mentioned the Allspark, which may be a sort of nirvana or heaven, Schmidt clarified that this would not play into the Autobots' spiritual quests. "We haven't really addressed the AllSpark in the IDW comics continuity. Here, the Transformers all have a Spark which is somewhat like the notion of a soul. Once you lose it, can you get it back?"

They reanimate Ironhide...AS A ZOMBIE! Seriously, that is one thing this comic could do with more of. Zombies.

While Hotrod's brash actions could be seen to contribute to Ironhide's death, Schmidt tells CBR that the Autobot's teammates would not place undue blame on him. "As it turns out, these are Autobots and it would be contrary to most of their core characters for them to go stark-raving mad because the field leader at the time was on duty," the editor said. "Remember, they've been fighting a war for thousands of years. They understand how death happens. And now that that war is over, they're going to be doing new things - trying new adventures and asking different questions."

That Hot Rod guy, always getting people killed, the bastard. As for not going stark raving mad, they all looked pretty pissed and happy to kill humans in the preview pages there. Also, war is over nao? Buh?

Tsh, I still won't be ordering this myself, but I will watch reaction threads to see whether it turns into anything worth reading. Mind you, I do hope they swap out artists after the first arc, as I'm not the least bit enamored of Don's work.

[primenova]

It's Wolverine [3 spike on his hands]

[grahamthomson]

If Spike was the Autobots' one-time ally, maybe IDW are now pretending that their new comic is "three years" after the Sunbow cartoon?

Ooh! I call "Spotlight: B.O.T."!

[jameso]

It's the IDW universe, Spike is not an Autobot ally, why have these later editors come into IDW whose only TF knowledge seems to be the 80s cartoon - fuck the cartoon! Worst interview ever.

[charlesrocketboy]

Though the film and newer animated series occasionally mentioned the Allspark, which may be a sort of nirvana or heaven


In the film and cartoon, the All Spark is a PHYSICAL OBJECT.


And now that that war is over

So why are the Wreckers off shooting people then?

[The Doctor]

I gave into temptation and read the preview. Then I read the interview.

Well done, IDW! You have saved me $3.99! I don't care for the premise and the art is fucking atrocious. Ugly and horrible to look at. And fuck off with the overly glowing yes. Don't like the lettering either.

Like Dinogrrl, I shall watch the reaction threads and see if it's worth picking up later. In the meantime, I shall stick with the Marvel reprints and am really looking forward to the Wreckers series. The Bumblebee series will get an issue try-out as I like the artist.

-Ralph

[Deleted]

I was looking forward to this series but it seems they've shot their load in the first issue. I don't know why they didn't call it All Hail Megatron v2.

Another thing that I've noticed about IDW's artists is that they can't decide on Bumblebee's robot form. In Infiltration, Escalation and Devastation (and also a few others) when Bumblebee transformed the bonnet of his VW bug became his chest plate. In recent stories however Bumblebee is looking more like his Marvel / Sunbow version with the roof of the VW bug as his chest plate. What gives? Did I miss something?

[primenova]

That's the one thing [re Bumblebee] that make sme think that ahm#16 story happens quite a way from the other stories.

[blueshift]

To be fair, the 'once Autobot ally' bit looks like something the CBR reporter wrote rather than IDW

[The Doctor]

Whatever. The Spike of AHM #16 was a grinning moron who was meant to be 'cool' and a 'badass'. I have no interest in reading comics with him as a main character. I can get my Mary Sue stories elsewhere.

-Ralph