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Post by dinogrrl on Jan 20, 2010 3:48:34 GMT
Here are the latest solicits in IDW-land: idwpublishing.com/news/article/979/?utm_source=idw&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=april%2Bsolicits&utm_campaign=jan%2B19%202010Note: "Transformers Spotlight: Prowl Mike Costa (w) • E.J. Su (a) • Nick Roche, Su (c) The end of the war between Autobots and Decepticons had profound changes throughout the ranks, even for the coldly logical PROWL. Learn of his change of heart and its impact on his actions in the ongoing series." I swear to God if they undo Roche's bit of magnificent work in AHM #15 and insist on turning him all good two shoes because Autobots have to be huggable at all times, I will...be very mad. Also - Perceptor totally bites it in a heroic sacrifice in LSoTW 4. Totally.
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Post by Kingoji on Jan 20, 2010 6:19:16 GMT
Even if they give Prowl a change of Spark, the damage is done. Don't forget, Kup is still out there, he's still altered, and he's still being written by Nick. Things could be worse. Plus, if they DO waste Perceptor (and this version of him, please do), then it's only a matter of time before Kup loses his suppressants, gets the horrific flashbacks and goes kill-crazy again. And then, goody-two-shoes or not, Prowl is going to have to answer some difficult questions.
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Post by dinogrrl on Jan 21, 2010 3:56:26 GMT
Even if they give Prowl a change of Spark, the damage is done. Don't forget, Kup is still out there, he's still altered, and he's still being written by Nick. Things could be worse. Yes, they may well ask Nick not to touch on that thread within LSoTW, plus I also suspect that Kup is next in line for croaking. In which case, the whole thing disappears like it never was. Plus, if they DO waste Perceptor (and this version of him, please do), then it's only a matter of time before Kup loses his suppressants, gets the horrific flashbacks and goes kill-crazy again. And then, goody-two-shoes or not, Prowl is going to have to answer some difficult questions. I'm with you on the Perceptor thing - he's quite tedious now and won't be much missed. But again, I really don't think they're going to put Prowl on the spot in that fashion. I suspect this spotlight will put it all away in a neat box and shove it to the side. I will certainly and happily eat my words if it turns out not to be the case. I just plain don't trust the direction and the decisions at the helm of IDW, and sadly have not for some time. God, I'm such a downer!
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Post by Kingoji on Jan 21, 2010 6:25:17 GMT
Nah, you just go by what they give you. But even if IDW has decreed the Prowl/Kup angle should finish (and if they have they're fools; it's easily been the most-praised aspect of the series since before AHM began the decline), at least we can trust Nick to do it well.
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Post by grahamthomson on Jan 21, 2010 8:23:09 GMT
Is there any word on any more Spotlights aside from Prowl?
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Post by Kingoji on Jan 21, 2010 15:49:56 GMT
Nothing official. The IDW boards are clamouring for a Beachcomber one to explain how he got from the end of SL: Blaster to his cannon fodder status in ongoing 3. And since it was similar clamouring that caused Spotlight: Prowl to happen, who knows?
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Post by dinogrrl on Jan 22, 2010 3:14:40 GMT
Yeah, this Spotlight is being pushed up-schedule due to the complaints of Prowl seeming OOC in Issue 1 of the Ongoing. I'll assume then that it may be a little while before we see any others being announced.
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 25, 2010 12:59:02 GMT
;D At last!!! Out in April I beleive. Hope it wont require too much knowledge of the 'Ongoing' story line, as I haven't been getting it!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2010 23:20:08 GMT
Gosh! How did I guess that if a thread such as this were to ever crop up you would be the one to create it?
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Post by dinogrrl on Feb 26, 2010 5:38:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2010 18:48:01 GMT
That blog is amusing. On one side we've got Chris Ryall accusing the fans of stirring up trouble (while the notorious Daniel W sides with IDW - again) and on the other side we have the fans trying to point out to IDW the errors of their ways only for IDW to once again insult them.
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 27, 2010 10:01:43 GMT
Bit of a train wreck there.
-Ralph
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2010 11:12:06 GMT
I'm siding with the fans in that blog. They are just trying to point out what is so wrong with the current crop of IDW's TF comics and what was so good about their earlier material but Ryall - as Schmidt did earlier - just doesn't understand what they're saying and ends up accusing them.
One fan in that blog mentions what I have mentioned before here - the fact that Bumble and Blurr look and transform differently between the Ongoing and Bumblebee comics despite both comics supposedly taking place concurrently in the same timeline. The problem is that the individual artists are working from different character model sheets but Ryall accuses the fan of complaining about different art styles. As the fan pointed out it has got nothing to do with different art styles. Each individual artists has their own art style and the fans have no problems with it but if the artists work from different character model sheets you get characters that look totally different despite being set in the same continuity. Ryall just can't see that though which is worrying because both him and Schmidt are at the head of IDW's TF output and neither of them can understand what the fans are trying to tell them.
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Post by Bogatan on Feb 27, 2010 11:46:56 GMT
I can see his point that there is nothing wrong with starting a story with characters behaving differently to how they have before and explaining that change as the story progresses.
It's probably true in Prowls case. It's just a shame they used that excuse with AHM when it convinced no one.
Andy
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Post by blueshift on Feb 27, 2010 12:14:51 GMT
Yes, it is the model sheets that annoys me. Even back in the Marvel Uk days, where one week a strip might be drawn by Geoff Senior, all abstract-like, and then the next week by Dan Reed where everyone looked like monsters, it still had that consistancy.
I am a bit big fan of artistic freedom, house styles are a horrid direction comics are moving in, but there needs to be a basis of internal consistancy in the models.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2010 14:48:21 GMT
It just annoys me that whenever fans are trying to tell people like Ryall and Schmidt what they hate about the current IDW comics all they do is just write the fans opinions off as insults. They claim to be listening to their fans but they clearly aren't. Scmidt even went as far as accusing the fans of taking personal pot-shots at him after they derided Continuum.
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Feb 27, 2010 19:50:41 GMT
Not sure about all the arguing, but the art looks quite nice.
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Post by jameso on Mar 1, 2010 2:25:28 GMT
Another proud moment for IDW's online presence.
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Post by grahamthomson on Mar 4, 2010 11:27:47 GMT
My word, someone get some tea and biscuits to that blog!!
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Post by grahamthomson on Mar 4, 2010 11:29:54 GMT
By the way, dear Shockington, a comic can only be "in my pants" if Nick Roche has had a hand in.
The comic I mean, not my pants. Though I would love that.
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Post by Kingoji on Mar 4, 2010 16:59:02 GMT
I always wondered about that. I just though we had some proper Harvey Birdman fans on here.
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 4, 2010 19:09:58 GMT
I wish Mr Roche was writing Spotlight Prowl. After his incredible telling of the character previously. Hope this holds up to his 'In My Pants' standards.
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Post by charlesrocketboy on Apr 30, 2010 16:05:45 GMT
There is a big problem here.
Prowl growing to feel connected to the little people and less clinical? Okay, that works, it's believable he'd feel affected by all that time with humans.
But Optimus Prime is a destructive bastard here. Prime is deliberately ignoring the fact there's still a Decepticon army out there, and is deliberately damaging the Autobot's standing as an organised army. Prime is deliberately putting Autobots in harms way and knowingly keeping the humans in fear. Prowl points out it would be a negative impact if the Autobots tried helping the humans, who simply see giant robots, and he's right. (The ongoing proves that) Prime's failings are presented as noble morality, but a few seconds thought show he's wrong. A few more seconds thought show people are dying across the galaxy because Optimus is trashing the Autobot's ability to save them from Decepticons.
And yet, Prowl is unbothered by this. Eight months of being with humans would have this sort of effect, yeah, but would Prowl really spend those eight months doing that? Especially not Roche's Prowl, who would be actively trying to retrive the situation behind Prime's back and in fact seemed to do just that in LSOTW #2.
There's some good bits, but they're drowning in massive flaws.
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Post by blueshift on Apr 30, 2010 16:18:05 GMT
I wasn't too impressed with this one either I'm afraid, despite hearing good things about it from people whose opinion I trust.
It just seemed so... trite and predicatable. It wasn't bad by any means, but everything happens exactly as you'd expect it to happen.
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 30, 2010 16:20:03 GMT
My thoughts as well. The comic itself tells a good story and I guess you could suggest that Prime was trying some sort of democratic 'experiment' out with Autobots resting up on Earth as it were.
But in the wider scheme this doesn't fit in with the Prowl we see in the Ongoing. Nor does it explain any of his (in)actions there. Indeed, Prowl's personality development in the Spotlight isn't complete until events that look post-Ongoing.
This issue could have served as a far better Ongoing #1 than the actual #1 did with only a few tweaks.
Good story, interesting art style but doesn't really explain anything that it was meant to.
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Post by Shockprowl on May 4, 2010 18:43:30 GMT
Erm, Maybe it's 'cos I haven't been reading the Ongoing, maybe it's 'cos I, as a Prowl fan, was totally spoilt by Roche's awesome Prowl story before, or maybe it's 'cos I'm just about the looks and I'm not all that bright, but I just didn't get it. Am I missing something? I've read it twice, and I just don't see at all the Prowl that featured to such dramatic effect in that wonderfull Roche story, let alone anything convincing to make be believe he's changed into this new (Hippy) Prowl. I'm sure he would lay his life down to protect an inocent life-form, we all saw his concern when Prime ordered the Autobots away from Earth back in Devastation, but he's gone through such a huge and puzzeling change here that it's left me thinking, firstly, that it's improbable he'd just give up all he's worked for (the 'arrangement' with Kup- have we seen anything more of that in Ongoing?), and, secondly, that if this is what the Ongoing is like, than I don't think I'll bother picking up the trade. The art wasn't bad, but not as good at usual Su. I also agree with Rocketboy in that Prime's actions/words don't make much sense either, the War seems far from won. Weird city. Missing Roche's Prowl here.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2010 20:16:46 GMT
I haven't read the Spotlight yet but I have been keeping up with the Ongoing and I'll tell you that Prowl has seldom featured in it. I'm guessing that his Spotlight issue is the start of a more bigger story that will feature him in later issues of the Ongoing.
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Post by dinogrrl on May 5, 2010 3:14:34 GMT
Yeah, so far Prowl's role in the Ongoing hasn't been huge. I'm guessing zudobug is right, this Spotlight was probably originally planned to come out after Prowl gains a more prominent role. As it is, it sits out on its own, floating in the ether and rather pointless. Trite is a good word for it. Costa doesn't write terribly, but he does write very predictable stock storylines.
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Post by legios on May 9, 2010 19:23:38 GMT
Having read someone elses copy of this I am very glad I did not spend money purchasing it.
E J su's artwork is quite nice, but unfortunately it is deployed in the service of a story which is dull, meandering and painfully cliched. It doesn't really work as a stand-alone Prowl story, but that is unsurprising given that it was originally intended as a future issue of the ongoing. Unfortunately it doesn't feel like it does Optimus Prime any favours either - depicting him with judgement even more flawed than the opening issue of the ongoing did.
A fairly mediocre comic by my estimation, and certainly didn't go very far in convincing me that I would want to give IDW's Transformers output another go.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on May 10, 2010 6:50:59 GMT
Very nice art (though why are all the Autobots permanently covered in mud?), but the story did nothing for me.
-Ralph
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