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Post by Kingoji on Mar 2, 2010 16:30:43 GMT
I recieved my copy today, had a quick thumb through. I'll be settling down to read it much later on, however, I have so much to do at the moment.
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 2, 2010 19:50:27 GMT
I spotted the joke in the indicia!
I look forward to a proper read of the mag at the weekend. The extra colour pages look good.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 2, 2010 21:47:17 GMT
Yay I'm subscribing to a fanzine again. Only been 13 years or so. A good read and puts the Collectors club magazine to shame.
On a mostly unrelated note, I think Blot needs his own column.. and TV show, in fact he should be the Jeremy Clarkson of TF's.
Andy
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Post by Dave on Mar 3, 2010 19:09:14 GMT
I agree with Andy Bog. We need more Blot!
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 3, 2010 21:02:09 GMT
Highlight of the mag is the mind-blisteringly good story "Mind-R/W". Right up to the end it had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Great stuff, and going right to the heart of the TFs as sentient computer programs too. Great to see the A-Zs of Scorponok and Sinnertwin too. I'm not sure, but I have a feeling Graham may have done A-Zs now for all the missing members of the teams that only got partial treatment in the US comic's TF Universe feature. Oh no - I think Hubcap and Swerve may still need doing. And of course there are teams that Budiansky never went beyond tech-specs with, such as Roadbuster, Whirl and the Deluxe Insecticons... [Edit: Ah! Forgot about the Pretenders. Marvel only gave Landmine and Skullgrin Universe entries, as I recall.] "Gestalt Generation" also gets full marks from me. That's Prowl 100%. Love it. Same reservations as before about the characterisation in "The Guard", but at least there's continuity of characterisation throughout the tale. Not sure though why all three Autobots couldn't have escaped, e.g. with Blaster in cassette deck mode, or with one Autobot just taking the heads of the other two. Oh, and... BOREBIT! Now that's obscure.  Nice all-round package as always! Many thanks! Martin |
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Post by grahamthomson on Mar 4, 2010 9:27:36 GMT
Thanks for your comments, guys!
Martin, pleased you liked the stories Mind-R/W and Gestalt Generation. I've really been ODing on Prowl recently! In fact, I think he shows up next issue in Grounded Theory as well!
Yeah, there's still a lot of "missing" AtoZs to get through. The entries appearing in issues 14 and 15 will be changing the focus somewhat. I'll say no more.
Perhaps if Blot could come forward and reveal himself, we can find out more about him!
Oh, Ralph, well spotted! I think there was a joke hidden in issue 12 as well!
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Post by blueshift on Mar 4, 2010 9:42:45 GMT
Got 13 and 12 in the post yesterday, they both look amazing, I shall have a good reading session tonight!
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Post by grahamthomson on Mar 4, 2010 9:57:42 GMT
I hope you enjoy them!
And you'll also see how your colouring influenced a minor re-write of "Mind-R/W"!
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Post by jameso on Mar 7, 2010 0:41:33 GMT
Got my issue today, I mainly wanted to say, Graham, good job sending out a 'your subscription has lapsed' message because I couldn't remember whether mine had or not. I thought you'd like to know it worked and led to at least one sale. Haven't read much of the text but I thought Gestalt Generation was fantastic. Remarkable how much you can say in two pages. I also found Scorponok's profile really interesting. He's not really anything like that in the comics in the end. Be nice to see some stories where he's more in tune with that profile. |
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Post by grahamthomson on Mar 8, 2010 9:47:53 GMT
Thanks for your feedback, James.
Glad you enjoyed "Gestalt Generation". The 2-page format has been a great challenge in terms of scripting.
As much as I loved reading Scorponok/Zarak's character arc in the Marvel comics, I often wonder what the likes of the Headmasters et al were really like pre-binary bonding. Maybe we will see the "original" Scorponok in a forthcoming tale.
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Post by Mark_Stevenson on Mar 9, 2010 19:27:07 GMT
Fantastic issue. Hubris is the flagship of UK TF fandom, and it keeps getting better and better.
Mx
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 10, 2010 20:07:14 GMT
This issue continues to amaze me in depth and quality. How the heck does he do it? It's on a par with Marvel UK if you ask me. It makes me feel like it 1986! And so much Prowl action! The letter from Blot was brilliant!
Future story ideas: I've always wanted to see/read Prowl and Shockwave going head to head. I'd love to see Tomo getting himself wrapped around that one!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2010 23:02:10 GMT
Future story ideas: I've always wanted to see/read Prowl and Shockwave going head to head. I'd love to see Tomo getting himself wrapped around that one! You'd love a story like that wouldn't you? Are there are other TF characters you'd rather prefer to see immortalized in Hubris fiction? No? Didn't think so! |
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Post by grahamthomson on Mar 12, 2010 8:59:36 GMT
This issue continues to amaze me in depth and quality. How the heck does he do it? It's on a par with Marvel UK if you ask me. It makes me feel like it 1986! And so much Prowl action! The letter from Blot was brilliant! Future story ideas: I've always wanted to see/read Prowl and Shockwave going head to head. I'd love to see Tomo getting himself wrapped around that one! Well gosh bless you for your kind words! I don't see a Prowl/Shockwave story in Hubris's future, I'm afraid. But the Turnbull-illustrated 5-page comic strip "Fall With Me" in #15 is Ratchet/Shockwave! |
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Post by legios on Apr 11, 2010 21:09:51 GMT
A little belatedly, I thought I would offer my thoughts on #13 of Hubris. Now 13 is often thought to be in some quarters an unlucky number - some hotels have floor 12A instead of 13 for example - fortunately nothing could be further from the truth in the case of Hubris. This is another cracking issue.
On the production front it maintain the high standard set by previous issues, from the atmospheric Mark Stevenson/Matt Marshall cover to the excellent layout.
The content is up to snuff as well. The mix of reviews, regular columns and fiction pieces gives a nice variety of material. The toy reviews are succint and interesting. I found the ROTF toy reviews quite illuminating as they cover toys I am unlikely to gain any first hand experience with. The comic reviews make for similarly interesting reading, it is always interesting to read a well presented opinion - and also make me aware of how little I remember of even that part of Dreamwaves output that I actuall read.
The A-Z Commentaries remain excellent potted biographical updates for the characters covered. Likewise the A-Z entires themselves are once again solidly-written. The Skorpornok entry especially is intriquing for its glimpse of the character as we never really got the opportunity to know him.
The parts of the issue that I am fondest of remain the fiction pieces however. Gestalt Generation is a nice little two-hander that crafts an interesting story from the dual realities of the Matrix and the pragmatism of two of the less sentimental amongst the Autobot ranks.
The Guard reaches its eagerly awaited conclusion, and it does not dissappoint. There is a wonderful sense of pace to the story, with everything falling apart at the seams. (I have said in previous issue reviews that your characterisation of Prowl and Jazz wasn't entirely where I would go with them, but now that I can see the whole picture of the story I have a clearer appreciation with where you were going with it - I think it is rather deft that the sense of them "meeting in the middle" to some extent is an actual story point with consequences.). I quite like the downbeat tone of the ending. It remains unclear what the Guard's larger plan is, but the sense that the Autobots have done exactly what they were supposed to do to move the plan along is quite palpable - it gives a nasty edge to Silverbolts death, with the suggestion that his demise may not only be fairly ignominous but may have actually helped the enemies plans along. The Guard has been a well plotted story with some good characterisation all along, and the final installment very much maintains that high standard.
The highlight of the issue though has to be Mind R/W. A somewhat disturbing story that trades on ideas of brainwashing and infiltration. It is alway a pleasure to encounter a story that does something with the idea that Transformers are as much machines as they are big metal men, something that this story does very well. It has the same sort of unnerving edge that is present in things like the Manchurian Candidate or Ghost in the Shell's cyberbrain hacking. It is also a story that is very good to Hound as a character, taking someone who a lot of the time was "also there" and giving not only more of a sense of him as an individual but also giving a real sense of him having a dignity and courage. And then it sucker-punches us with the fact that the Hound who was walking around in most of those stories will never quite be this person, because he has never been tested like this. An absorbing, and unnerving, story that is the highlight f this issue for me.
All told, this is another superb issue - solid articles and fiction pieces, good variety in content and absolutely superb production values. Issue 13 certainly doesn't seem to have been unlucky for Hubris.
Karl
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Post by grahamthomson on Apr 12, 2010 7:59:50 GMT
My thanks for your comprehensive appraisal, Karl! As you know it's very much appreciated!
I am glad you stuck with The Guard until the end, and appreciated its conclusion.
And I am especially pleased you enjoyed Mind-R/W. In the past, I've always shied away from the original Transformers characters as they're already so well established in fan's minds. Even though some of them may not have had much in the way of character in the original comics or cartoons, after 25 years a fan will have built up their own character in their minds. As with Jazz and Prowl (in The Guard) I just try to stay true to what I've read and interpreted in the Marvel comics and take it from there.
We may even see more of Hound in a future issue. Who knows!
Thanks again for your comments!
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