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Post by The Doctor on Apr 19, 2012 11:05:26 GMT
I know I shouldn't be pissy about it, but I may have found my Hooks On Both Hands.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 19, 2012 23:28:45 GMT
I've had mine with the Action Master Prime colour bit.
Join the club.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 20, 2012 7:10:30 GMT
Hold me!
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 20, 2012 16:23:28 GMT
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 24, 2012 11:52:14 GMT
NON SPOILER REVIEW
80.5 is pretty darned good.
Flashback scenes to bring folks up to speed interweaving between the here and now and setting up where things are going. It does manage to feel like it could have followed on from 80.
Andy
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 26, 2012 19:47:17 GMT
80.5 is pretty darned good. Yes indeed. I got a copy in the post today from www.oneshallstand.com/ . I may also have acquired a second copy from a nameless source.
I have identified the following Decepticons appearing with Soundwave in #80.5:
Battletrap
Ruckus
Crankcase
Spinister
Cindersaur
Guy I thought was Quake but am now doubting
Guy who looks familiar but I just can't place him
Wingspan or Pounce
Vanquish (Micromaster Battle Squad)
Half-Track (Micromaster Battle Squad)
Powerpunch (Micromaster Battle Squad)
Meltdown (Micromaster Battle Squad)
Fireshot (Micromaster Battle Squad)
Flywheels
Martin |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 27, 2012 6:42:33 GMT
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Apr 27, 2012 8:48:34 GMT
Good to hear the issue is going down well. I look forward to my copy arriving.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 27, 2012 8:57:53 GMT
Soundwave is blue. Should be purple. Yes, I had a moment.
-Ralph
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Post by glaug on Apr 27, 2012 9:19:54 GMT
How did one pick up a copy of 80.5, exactly?
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 27, 2012 13:05:09 GMT
I read Andu's. I hear Steve Bax is the go to man if you want it early.
-Ralph
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Post by glaug on Apr 27, 2012 15:25:11 GMT
Popped into Orbital to get Jaymz to start setting aside Regen one and anything by Mr Roberts. Will also be at the signing for anyone who wants to work out who I am exactly  |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 29, 2012 13:37:09 GMT
As one who grew up with the original Transformers comics, I would say that on a scale of 1 to 10 (1/10 being 'The Big Broadcast of 2006' (Macchio, US #43), 'The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship' (Budiansky, US #55) and 'The Human Factor' (Furman, US #68), and 10/10 being 'Warrior School'/'Repeat Performance' (Budiansky, US #7-8), 'Brainstorm'/'Prime Time' (Budiansky, US #11-12) and 'The Icarus Theory'/'Dinobot Hunt' (Furman, UK #45-50)), I give 'Counterpoint' (Furman, US #80.5) a solid 7/10, on a par with 'The Flames of Boltax' (Budiansky, US #48), 'Space Pirates' (Furman, UK #182-187) and 'End of the Road' (Furman, US #80). This is in terms of perceived quality, of course, not length - 'Counterpoint' is a 16-page recap/teaser and must be judged on that basis. As far as recap goes, it plays to the reader who is familiar with the original series, but is of limited help to new readers. They will be catered for by the full reprints of the last few US issues from 1991, which we expect to precede #81. What issue #80.5's recap sections do is remind old readers of what went before through familiar images, admirably selected from the whole US run, not just Furman's issues. Optimus Prime's severed head as Shockwave's captive reminds us (I hope) that in the original stories, there was no 'spark' in a Transformer's chest. All that mattered was the programming in the tiny brain module - heads could operate without bodies, brains without heads (remember the Throttlebots' brains in those toy cars) and software without brain modules (Optimus's mind being saved on a floppy disk and then rehomed in a new body built on Nebulos). The Ark is correctly depicted as silver, not gold, we are treated to rare shots of Buzzsaw, Huffer and Cliffjumper (the latter being blasted by Starscream), and there are some other nice signs of attention to colouring detail - in the US flashback, Soundwave is purple and Action-Master Optimus Prime's forearms are blue - though both have changed in the new, present-day scenes. Plus, we have what I believe is the first ever shot of Autobots hanging from the ceiling of the Ark where they all have essentially the correct colour schemes - something even the partially corrected IDW reprint of the classic issues failed to give us. No-one is perfect, however, and we have an embarassing schoolboy error reference to the 'Matrix of Leadership'. It's called the 'Creation Matrix' throughout the Marvel run. On the teaser side, the plot of Optimus Prime standing aloof on Nova Point, in denial about the imminent return of the Decepticons, is a repeat of what occurred in 'Another Time and Place', the original UK postscript story to US #80. The description of Optimus Prime and Prowl's feelings was much more sophisticated in that story than what we get here - a very brief verbal exchange, Prowl having been replaced - unfortunately, as far as I'm concerned - by Ultra Magnus and Kup. However, this is a teaser for something larger, not a proper character story in its own right as ATAP was. Kup mentions the Wreckers. One would hope that the Wreckers, when they appear, retain the history and scars of events from 'Target: 2006', 'City of Fear' and 'Time Wars' and nothing is done to invalidate those stories (though the animated Movie future they interacted with in the 1980s has evidently been averted).
On the Decepticon side, Soundwave has a few new faces among his followers, including the Micromaster Battle Squad and either Wingspan or Pounce. He also has a few familiar faces such as the Duocons. This is Flywheels' first US appearance, though he appeared in the UK in 'City of Fear', which also introduced the Kalis-Baird Beaming Transmitter that Soundwave makes use of here - a lovely touch. Spinister is also present, but thankfully not Needlenose. Although the sequence of events in the later UK 'Earthforce' stories relative to the later US stories was problematic, one would hope to retain Needlenose's memorable demise at the claws of Carnivac as an established part of Marvel Transformers lore. Then, right at the end, we have the pay-off - but that's too big a spoiler to even include in spoiler tags, until Free Comic Book Day has come and gone. I look forward immensely to the series proper, which I will judge alongside 'Another Time and Place' and the Generation 2 series, for its merits as a continuation/conclusion of the original Transformers comic saga. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the swirly time-vortexy thing framing this story was just for effect and that we don't get another end of the universe - 'Time Wars', G2, 'Reaching the Omega Point' and 'Alignment' having done that to death. Let's have something different this time! Martin |
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Post by wordmongerer on May 2, 2012 17:40:27 GMT
I've had mine with the Action Master Prime colour bit. Join the club. Andy I can't remember if I ever explained that or not? I originally coloured him with blue forearms, red eyes etc, but it was decided that anyone who had access to technology in the last 21 years would have had at least some opportunity to have been upgraded and altered. After all Prime changed body how many times between 1984 and 1991? |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 2, 2012 23:09:15 GMT
Yes you did explain it.
But if that's as big a quibble we can raise you know you've done a bang up job!
Andy
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Post by charlesrocketboy on May 2, 2012 23:56:18 GMT
Got it! The recaps aren't much use if you're a fan but it's a good set-up and I do like the two ideas of [spoil]Prime taking an apprentice and Soundwave's rather clever ideology about Megatron[/spoil]. Botcon sez that the Wreckers aren't necessarily going to be the Marvel UK ones, so it could be this uses UK continuity the same way Furman's old US run did: it's in use but in a way that means Yanks don't realise it's older stuff. (And that's why Soundwave is blue!) |
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 3, 2012 22:16:06 GMT
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 3, 2012 23:25:37 GMT
MUST OWN!!!
Andy
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Post by Bogatan on May 3, 2012 23:37:22 GMT
Getting that is going to be hell. If stores have to order 10 regular issues is the only way to guarantee one to order 10 regular issues too? £44.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 3, 2012 23:38:00 GMT
Well fingers crossed my pre-order comes in!
Andy
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on May 4, 2012 5:35:52 GMT
I don't care for it. Very G2. Martin |
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Post by The Doctor on May 4, 2012 6:38:05 GMT
Sold out on Disposable Heroes already. I am not happy.
-Ralph
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2012 7:04:19 GMT
Sold out on Disposable Heroes already. I am not happy. -Ralph It was actually nearly out of stock when I made my pre-order end of last week, so that doesn't shock me |
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Post by KnightBeat on May 5, 2012 11:47:22 GMT
Sold out on Disposable Heroes already. I am not happy. They seem to have more in stock. I've just had to order it from DH Comics, since coming down with space sickness in the last day. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 5, 2012 13:12:38 GMT
Sold out on Disposable Heroes already. I am not happy. -Ralph Burns, this the standard copy or the Senior? If the standard, see your email. |
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Nigel
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
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Post by Nigel on May 5, 2012 17:55:45 GMT
I just read 80.5 and just to share a few general thoughts, which I will put in a spoiler tag not to colour anyone's reading... As with the other current ongoing series, it's nice to have something substantial to read in a Transformers comic again; IDW's recent prior output had been a bit sparse - few words (and often none) per frame.
I was pleased to see sound effects. I find that comics are much more readable with sound effects. They direct the reader's attention and aid comprehension. Related to the above point about substance, IDW did have a lot of panels which could/should have had sound effects; without them they were just easily passed-over freeze-frames rather than components of consecutive art.
I'd noticed before that Baskerville's and especially Wildman's styles had, naturally, changed to a degree over the years, but their work still gels well together and fortunately their combined work hasn't changed too far from the 90s.
Bove has managed to get a colouring style that fits with the original yet still is quite contemporary.
The "flashack" pages gave something of a nostalgic buzz, seeing the past events; also, it was interesting to see, if only briefly, what those stories might have looked like if Wildman and Baskerville had drawn them.
Ooh, old-school speech bubbles! And finally, an actual spoiler (of sorts): The last page! I didn't expect that! Although it might have been nice to see something actually done with the character first. |
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Post by The Doctor on May 5, 2012 20:20:26 GMT
Got confused over variants. The one that is sold out on DH that I am after to order is the variant of the 100-page spectacular.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on May 5, 2012 20:48:30 GMT
Though let us take a moment to note that as of today, the Marvel run is back to being a current ongoing series again and not an artefact purely of the past. That is a good thing.
-Ralph
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Post by bertie on May 5, 2012 21:42:14 GMT
I still haven't read 80.5. I'm waiting for Disposable Heroes to deliver. I'll get on and and have a look for the Geoff Senior cover of the first proper issue.
Elliott.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on May 5, 2012 22:55:49 GMT
Nigel, he was never a character, he was a plot/exposition device. Though let us take a moment to note that as of today, the Marvel run is back to being a current ongoing series again and not an artefact purely of the past. That is a good thing. Yes, which is why I felt duty bound to break my rule and attend an (albeit free) celebrity event for the first time since Transforce. Martin |
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