Transformers (Ongoing) #4

[grahamthomson]

Quite an unusual interlude-type tale this issue.

It all felt very "Superman Returns" though, particularly the last page.

[Deleted]

I'm still awaiting the inevitable conclusion in Bumblebee issue 4 where Prime returns to lead the Autobots which will also be reflected in the Ongoing.

[Benn]

Quite happy with this ish, from a stoytelling point of view. Do I need to spoiler in this thread? Well, just in case:

SPOILER: Click to show

About as close to Spotlight: Thundercracker as we're going to get and I thought the mood of the piece was well suited to him. Props to remembering Ultra Magnus and Swindles previous form too.

Continuity in IDW? Surely not!

[Fortmax2020]

I know it shocked me as well!!

I still can't decide quite what to make of this series. There still just seems to be this utter discontinuity between Magnus and the rest of the series which this issue bought to a head. I had thought Prowl was off with Hot Rod's team to keep an eye on him until Magnus arrived to straighten everything out, but no Prowl is genuinely is siding with Hot Rod for little apparent reason other than the writers wanting it that way as they have given Prowl a personality transplant.

And he forgot to mention to Hot Rod that they could be expecting a visit from Autobot law enforcement who would be bound to be ticked off with what they are doing?? It makes no sense!

I did like the Thundercracker stuff. Bit confused as to why he hid out in a building for ages but liked that it gave him time to revise his opinion on Earth and it's culture.

[Kingoji]

Issue four is a definite improvement over the previous issues, which seemed to suffer from a degree of detatchment from everything else IDW had put out.
I think it's rising in my estimation since the arrival of Magnus. he seems to almost embody the long-term readers, or at least their desires for the series, who prefer the pre-AHM stuff to everything else; everything is different now but he's here telling everyone how it should be, what they can and can't do, and basically being the ONE strongest link to everything that happened before AHM. He's adhering to a set of rules which are supposed to no longer matter, and he's making an attempt to tie up loose ends in an on-screen manner with no rewrite involved.

But I think that Magnus is also the ongoing's main hint of what Wreckers also seems to strongly indicate, that events on the Earth are a very small scale, minor concern to over-all events of the war. It's where the majority of the characters we've learned over the years to be the most important to TF fiction are located. They're marooned on Earth, and seemingly have no way of contacting anyone in the other parts of the galaxy. The Decepticons on Earth all believe that they lost, but Bumblebee also seems to believe that the Autobots have lost. This could just be indicative of their not being able to contact any allies (Although, we know that Prowl has been able to contact off-worlders... so why won't anyone else? Maybe it's a part of some bigger scheme?). Either way, both parties state with all certainty that the war is over.

And yet, here is Ultra Magnus. Duly appointed enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, basically an agreed-upon set of rules of conduct for everyone in the war, Autobot and Decepticon. In the ongoing it seems like it could be passed off as Magnus simply not knowing anything else and clinging to his former purpose. But take it beside Wreckers...
Ultra Magnus is delivering the Wreckers to a hotspot before carrying on to Earth. Magnus must have been told about the situation on Garrus 9, and he must have been ordered to send in the Wreckers. Who's giving these orders if the Autobot command structure had been eradicated during AHM? How are the Wreckers able to hold recruitments, let alone find time to give the recruits a psych-eval? It feels like the massacres did indeed happen in AHM, but they didn't have the far-reaching effect Megatron claimed they did. The Autobot numbers are dwindled, but there is still a command structure, and there is still a war being fought.
The Autobots and Decepticons on Earth just don't seem to know about it.

Also, in talking with my bro, Ben, he hit upon another dastardly notion that probably isn't going to happen.
Prowl. Everyone seems to be a little bit worried that Prowl has changed a great deal from his depiction in Coda. My brother's thoughts are; what if he hasn't?
What if Prowl is still trying to operate his same agenda, as outlined in Coda? Bots like Kup, Grimlock, Ironhide, Hot Rod, Springer... they're the ones the troops listen to because of their extreme and "Wicked Cool" methods. We know that one stage of trying to use this to his advantage was to use a level of subliminal brain-washing on Kup.
Since AHM, events have spiralled out of any possible level of control, and maybe Prowl is trying to take it all back. He's lost the vast resources of the Autobot army, so now he's had to set his mind to what he can do about things for the greater long term good just as himself.

Well, Kup is dealt with. Grimlock is incarcerated. Springer is on a suicide mission. Who's left?
Ironhide and Hot Rod.
Okay, lets see how these humans operate... Holy crap, they took down a Stunticon in under twenty five seconds. Their MO so far indicates that they have no interest in executing Cybertronians, so this here may be a ploy to lure out any other local TransFormers. Okay, I'll bite, and when I'm inevitably captured, I'm 100% certain that either Ironhide or Hot Rod will come for me. One possibility is that the humans will capture one or the other of them as well.
Well, balls, that didn't work out. I didn't mean for Ironhide to get killed. But, logically, this presents another opportunity...
Hot Rod led the assault that got Ironhide killed, and procedure dictates that the death should be investigated. No-one will think it odd if I call Magnus to do so. And when he gets here, he'll apprehend Hot Rod and all the main loose cannons will have been dealt with. Wait, Hot Rod's going AWOL? Perfect! This guarantees that Magnus will try to take him into custody, and if I pretend to have Hot Rod's back no one will have the slightest suspicion of exactly what I've done here...


Copy and pasted my post from IDW.

[blueshift]

Mar 5, 2010 7:09:18 GMT Kingoji said:

But I think that Magnus is also the ongoing's main hint of what Wreckers also seems to strongly indicate, that events on the Earth are a very small scale, minor concern to over-all events of the war. It's where the majority of the characters we've learned over the years to be the most important to TF fiction are located. They're marooned on Earth, and seemingly have no way of contacting anyone in the other parts of the galaxy. The Decepticons on Earth all believe that they lost, but Bumblebee also seems to believe that the Autobots have lost. This could just be indicative of their not being able to contact any allies (Although, we know that Prowl has been able to contact off-worlders... so why won't anyone else? Maybe it's a part of some bigger scheme?). Either way, both parties state with all certainty that the war is over.

This, here. I really really hope this gets properly sorted out. It is like IDW have two seperate continuities happening at the same time, one where the war is over and the only Autobots about are on Earth, scattered, and one where the Autobots are still a solid army with a command structure, nipping about on space missions.

Personally, the second is by far my preferred choice, but it is just jarring to have the two try to coexist.

[dinogrrl]

I didn't buy this but did have a browse while in the shop. The Thundercracker bit was nicely done, and definitely lifted my opinion of the writing quite a bit. But once again I was put off by the garishness of the designs on many of the bots, especially Rodimus who is an even bigger eyesore than he's ever been.

I also think Prowl is on Hot Rod's side for his own ulterior motive type reasons. He was the one who called Magnus back to Earth, and I dare say he was the one who set up the Garrus 9 mission as well. Plus he knows who/what this Aequitas is. I'm still not confident about the upcoming Spotlight on him, but maybe, just maybe, they aren't buggering up his character after all.

[The Doctor]

I gave #4 a try having skipped the last 2 issues due to the rather nice Andy Wildman cover. Mmmm. The comic has certainly improved in that it's moved from dull to mediocre. There's more reading in it, and I can see what it's trying to do but it's all a bit one-note. The Hot Rod re-name bit doesn't work at all: substitute his new name for 'Bob' and it has as much dramatic impact and sense. I'll tune back in for #6 for that Wildman Prime cover and see how the series is then.

-Ralph

[legios]

I'd agree that the comic has improved. #4 is definitely better than the first issue but I wouldn't say that it has yet managed to reach the dizzy heights of good. It is painfully average stuff I felt.

I've not that impressed with the visuals on this arc either. A lot of the redesigns don't really work for me - they feel like a misjudged collision between the aesthetics of the movie designs and of the classics toys. (Magnus' GBP-Armour style missile batteries also managed to look the wrong kind of absurd for what they are going for).

The Andrew Wildman cover is very nice, and it is picking up, but it isn't sufficiently strong for me to want to spend the money on it on a monthly basis.

Karl

[KnightBeat]

I wonder if the final panel of Bumblebee #4 will have an impact on the Ongoing comic (he says mysteriously).

[Deleted]

Mar 14, 2010 0:51:58 GMT KnightBeat said:

I wonder if the final panel of Bumblebee #4 will have an impact on the Ongoing comic (he says mysteriously).

I suspected that ever since issue 1 of Bumblebee came out. As I already mentioned I'm guessing that Prime will regain the Autobot leadership from Bumblebee and this event will spill over into the pages of the Ongoing. I'm hoping however that I'm wrong on this assumption but most of IDW's comics of recent are treading the boards of bad fanfiction and as such I expect Prime to return at the end of the Bumblebee mini. I can't honestly imagine Bumblebee being the Autobot leader long term anyway.

[Fortmax2020]

'Spoiler Alert'....

The final panel is not Prime returning... but what it was was fan wanky enough to make me put the issue down and not buy it and I've stuck with the rest of the series so far.

[blueshift]

Oh go on, put it in spoiler tags

[The Doctor]

I don't remember the final panel being wanky, in all honesty.

-Ralph

[Deleted]

Mar 16, 2010 17:02:14 GMT Fortmax2020 said:

'Spoiler Alert'....

The final panel is not Prime returning... but what it was was fan wanky enough to make me put the issue down and not buy it and I've stuck with the rest of the series so far.

It will be Bumblebee #4 where Prime will return which will inevitably be The Ongoing #5.

[Fortmax2020]

I meant the final panel from BB #4 not being Prime returning.

And it is crap. And pointless crap as well.