Post by skillex on Apr 7, 2010 21:50:45 GMT
Having a break between novels and non-fiction books over the last few days, I opted to do a big "re-read" of IDW's series, from Megatron: Origin right up to the end of the All Hail Megatron Coda issues (not got to the Ongoing, Bumblebee and the sainted LSotW yet) in a roughly chronological order. There were a few exceptions (I missed Spotlight Ultra Magnus and never been able to find a copy while some early issues of AHM I just didn't bother buying at the time and I gave up on the Avengers x-over after #1).
Anyway, just thought I'd post a few thoughts on the storyline here to see to what extent others may agree/disagree with it...
The Good
- Overall, the IDW series is fantastic. Until it dropped the ball with AHM, I believe it soared above every other iteration of TF ever: Marvel, G2 and Beast Wars included. Even with AHM and the fallout from it, I have to say I think it's still the best version of TF we've ever had.
- Most of the praise for this must squarely lie on Simon Furman's shoulders. Given the chance to do an "Ultimates" Transformers not beholden to toy release schedules he gradually reintroduced a whole range of characters and scenarios from the human POV up. Starting with the "fan favourite" 84/85 characters in Infiltration he was then able to widen the net with characters who would logically fit, ie - Nightbeat, Bludgeon, Thunderwing, etc plus interesting new characters like Nemesis Prime.
- Furman clearly had an extremely well laid out plan. I'm amazed, reading it over again as one big story, how many tiny throwaway references which were made which would later prove to be very important.
- Furman gave us a logical set up to the new TF universe, with a clearly established galactic background to the war. The different phases of Decepticon assault on a planet are particulasrly good, giving us a whole set of new rules of engagement and really reinforcing the notion that TFs are "robots in disguise" and are beasts of change.
- This "new interpretation" of old concepts has given us a few rug-from-feet moments. I'm thinking of Pretender-induced insanity, Arcee's homicidal mania, Galvatron-not-Megatron-on-Ark-1, Nova Prime's corrupted plans and best of all, Optimus Prime's "Earth will have to fend for itself" at the end of Devastation.
- All the benefits of a shared universe are most obviously laid out with TMUK's own Roche and Roberts picking up the baton and forging their own new ideas. I think we're all in agreement about how good their work is so far for IDW so I'll say no more here (except "please IDW, give them the Ongoing!")
Not as bad as you would think
- The continuity. This has been one of online TF fandom's biggest bugbears of the IDW-verse AHM onwards, mine included. Reading through it all in chronological order, it does make more sense than I thought it would, though. So the AHM assault came about because Megatron got Bombshell to adapt Jhiaxus' spacebridge tech, which he acquired from Sixshot. Prowl is happy to let Kup take over and also take a back seat to Jazz precisely because Prowl has installed personality subroutines into Kup to make him think more like him. The Decepticons launch their AHM Earth assault because they have abandoned the traditional Phase structure.
- Megatron: Origin is still hard to follow and doesn't sit brilliantly with the rest of the series but it has its good points. I read recently it was written for the Dreamwave storyline and that makes much more sense in context.
- The Bumblebee mini wasn't particularly mind-blowing but not offensive either.
- I don't understand IDW's hard-on for Drift but I don't really like or dislike the guy any more than ... say ... Ironhide, or Tracks, or Drench. I'm pretty sure they could've used an existing character, but then I suppose I never made that complaint about Nemesis Prime or Grindcore. Perhaps I'm biased.
- As I said in my Ongoing #5 thread, there is a good story in there about what happens when the war is over. Of course, the big flaw is the war evidently isn't over. Which brings me to...
The not so good
- The continuity. Not just for the sake of it (more on that in a minute), but it's very clear that with Furman as the main writer, continuity and background had been clearly thought out. That all went out the window with the installation of McCarthy. For instance, "Scourge" as a throwaway reference would be followed up by Furman, instead the details were changed so it was a mistake.
- Nonetheless it's the broad sweep of the continuity that's the issue. I don't think it matters too much if female TFs cameo'd in Megatron Origin, or if Bombshell was in Spotlight Blaster. Where it does matter is the elements which are fundamental to the current plots and characters. The whole "war is over, factions are over!" in the Ongoing is a case in point. It really gives the impression that the editorial team aren't paying nearly enough attention. "The war was over the Matrix" Really?
- Plot arcs over-hurriedly wrapped up and massive tonal shifts. This is, I think, AHM's biggest problem. It was clear at the time and it's clear with all the inserted retcon issues inserted that the Furman era stuff was wrapped up quickly to allow AHM to happen. Now, I may not like the AHM story but fair enough, IDW wanted a "relaunch". As much as I love the -tion series, I agree it was complex and a streamlined "jumping on" point is a natural desire to have. However, there must have been a less drastic way to do it, and satisfy the "new readers" (I think IDW are still waiting for them) and the big fanbase that the company had built up through Furman's work.
- The continuity. Back to this again. I mentioned earlier that some of it fits together OK on a big chronological re-read. But that's only because so much had to be done retrospectively, or very clearly dropped into AHM halfway through the run. I love the AHM#1_ with Prowl and Kup, but that's the kind of thing that could and should be planned by editorial, or perhaps hinted at in early AHM flashbacks or... something. Anyway, like I say, virtually everything that fits AHM into continuity seems to have been hurriedly done during it or after the event.
The future
As overly negative as this overlong post has been, I am genuinely looking forward to more from IDW. Not just the sublime LSotW but hopefully more from Furman too. I think the Ongoing has huge flaws but it's still entertaining and we can always hope for more retconning! I'm even interested to read the Ironhide mini and Drift's mini which will hopefully look at this "third faction" his Spotlight spoke about. I may love the works of Furman, R & R but I accept others may like the more Sunbow-based McCarthy exploits - I just think editorial has to blend these things slightly more smoothly together so that we can see that they all happen clearly in the same, shared universe.
Anyway, apologies for the long, rambling post. In on my own with a cold and fed up!
Anyway, just thought I'd post a few thoughts on the storyline here to see to what extent others may agree/disagree with it...
The Good
- Overall, the IDW series is fantastic. Until it dropped the ball with AHM, I believe it soared above every other iteration of TF ever: Marvel, G2 and Beast Wars included. Even with AHM and the fallout from it, I have to say I think it's still the best version of TF we've ever had.
- Most of the praise for this must squarely lie on Simon Furman's shoulders. Given the chance to do an "Ultimates" Transformers not beholden to toy release schedules he gradually reintroduced a whole range of characters and scenarios from the human POV up. Starting with the "fan favourite" 84/85 characters in Infiltration he was then able to widen the net with characters who would logically fit, ie - Nightbeat, Bludgeon, Thunderwing, etc plus interesting new characters like Nemesis Prime.
- Furman clearly had an extremely well laid out plan. I'm amazed, reading it over again as one big story, how many tiny throwaway references which were made which would later prove to be very important.
- Furman gave us a logical set up to the new TF universe, with a clearly established galactic background to the war. The different phases of Decepticon assault on a planet are particulasrly good, giving us a whole set of new rules of engagement and really reinforcing the notion that TFs are "robots in disguise" and are beasts of change.
- This "new interpretation" of old concepts has given us a few rug-from-feet moments. I'm thinking of Pretender-induced insanity, Arcee's homicidal mania, Galvatron-not-Megatron-on-Ark-1, Nova Prime's corrupted plans and best of all, Optimus Prime's "Earth will have to fend for itself" at the end of Devastation.
- All the benefits of a shared universe are most obviously laid out with TMUK's own Roche and Roberts picking up the baton and forging their own new ideas. I think we're all in agreement about how good their work is so far for IDW so I'll say no more here (except "please IDW, give them the Ongoing!")
Not as bad as you would think
- The continuity. This has been one of online TF fandom's biggest bugbears of the IDW-verse AHM onwards, mine included. Reading through it all in chronological order, it does make more sense than I thought it would, though. So the AHM assault came about because Megatron got Bombshell to adapt Jhiaxus' spacebridge tech, which he acquired from Sixshot. Prowl is happy to let Kup take over and also take a back seat to Jazz precisely because Prowl has installed personality subroutines into Kup to make him think more like him. The Decepticons launch their AHM Earth assault because they have abandoned the traditional Phase structure.
- Megatron: Origin is still hard to follow and doesn't sit brilliantly with the rest of the series but it has its good points. I read recently it was written for the Dreamwave storyline and that makes much more sense in context.
- The Bumblebee mini wasn't particularly mind-blowing but not offensive either.
- I don't understand IDW's hard-on for Drift but I don't really like or dislike the guy any more than ... say ... Ironhide, or Tracks, or Drench. I'm pretty sure they could've used an existing character, but then I suppose I never made that complaint about Nemesis Prime or Grindcore. Perhaps I'm biased.
- As I said in my Ongoing #5 thread, there is a good story in there about what happens when the war is over. Of course, the big flaw is the war evidently isn't over. Which brings me to...
The not so good
- The continuity. Not just for the sake of it (more on that in a minute), but it's very clear that with Furman as the main writer, continuity and background had been clearly thought out. That all went out the window with the installation of McCarthy. For instance, "Scourge" as a throwaway reference would be followed up by Furman, instead the details were changed so it was a mistake.
- Nonetheless it's the broad sweep of the continuity that's the issue. I don't think it matters too much if female TFs cameo'd in Megatron Origin, or if Bombshell was in Spotlight Blaster. Where it does matter is the elements which are fundamental to the current plots and characters. The whole "war is over, factions are over!" in the Ongoing is a case in point. It really gives the impression that the editorial team aren't paying nearly enough attention. "The war was over the Matrix" Really?
- Plot arcs over-hurriedly wrapped up and massive tonal shifts. This is, I think, AHM's biggest problem. It was clear at the time and it's clear with all the inserted retcon issues inserted that the Furman era stuff was wrapped up quickly to allow AHM to happen. Now, I may not like the AHM story but fair enough, IDW wanted a "relaunch". As much as I love the -tion series, I agree it was complex and a streamlined "jumping on" point is a natural desire to have. However, there must have been a less drastic way to do it, and satisfy the "new readers" (I think IDW are still waiting for them) and the big fanbase that the company had built up through Furman's work.
- The continuity. Back to this again. I mentioned earlier that some of it fits together OK on a big chronological re-read. But that's only because so much had to be done retrospectively, or very clearly dropped into AHM halfway through the run. I love the AHM#1_ with Prowl and Kup, but that's the kind of thing that could and should be planned by editorial, or perhaps hinted at in early AHM flashbacks or... something. Anyway, like I say, virtually everything that fits AHM into continuity seems to have been hurriedly done during it or after the event.
The future
As overly negative as this overlong post has been, I am genuinely looking forward to more from IDW. Not just the sublime LSotW but hopefully more from Furman too. I think the Ongoing has huge flaws but it's still entertaining and we can always hope for more retconning! I'm even interested to read the Ironhide mini and Drift's mini which will hopefully look at this "third faction" his Spotlight spoke about. I may love the works of Furman, R & R but I accept others may like the more Sunbow-based McCarthy exploits - I just think editorial has to blend these things slightly more smoothly together so that we can see that they all happen clearly in the same, shared universe.
Anyway, apologies for the long, rambling post. In on my own with a cold and fed up!
