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Post by Pinwig on Apr 8, 2017 9:49:54 GMT
Is issue 8 due in shops this week? It's the first one I haven't seen in my local Smiths.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 8, 2017 10:03:48 GMT
Is issue 8 due in shops this week? It's the first one I haven't seen in my local Smiths. Yes, it was in my Smiths this morning when I went in. |
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 8, 2017 10:21:22 GMT
Aha. Mine only had two copies of issue 7, so I guess I'm on to ordering direct now. Although both of those did sell.
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Post by blueshift on Apr 8, 2017 10:33:13 GMT
One copy in my Smith's in case I decide i hate myself enough to get Hearts of Steel again
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 8, 2017 15:01:29 GMT
Three copies of issue #8 at Cardiff Central station, so chances are good I'll get a copy of issue #9, and so have the first five Marvel volumes released. They're decent coffee table books for casual reading even if they don't rank as part of my top copy Marvel TF reprint collection (Titan + IDW TF Classics UK).
Martin
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Post by kinggrimlock on Apr 8, 2017 15:10:28 GMT
Three copies of issue #8 at Cardiff Central station, so chances are good I'll get a copy of issue #9, and so have the first five Marvel volumes released. They're decent coffee table books for casual reading even if they don't rank as part of my top copy Marvel TF reprint collection (Titan + IDW TF Classics UK). Martin Why do you regard the TF Classics UK as top copy Martin? I can't get past the fact the artwork is reduced so much, hence why I'm happy to fork out for the Hachette stuff instead. I realise Hachette aren't making them at the same size as the UK originals either, but they are least less reduced and I've always been a sucker for hardcovers hence why I get so excited waiting for the monthly parcel to drop  |
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Post by kinggrimlock on Apr 8, 2017 15:13:48 GMT
Just noticed that it seems to have gone unremarked (unless I missed the relevant post), that Volume #13 is titled "Dark Cybertron Part 1" and collects Dark Cybertron #1, MTMTE #23 to 25 & RID #23 & 24. So the first post-Furman IDW collection to drop.
Also notice the listing on the front page hasn't be updated with the latest volume numbers. #7 is volume 8, #8 is volume 39.
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Post by blueshift on Apr 8, 2017 15:16:58 GMT
Why do you regard the TF Classics UK as top copy Martin? I can't get past the fact the artwork is reduced so much, hence why I'm happy to fork out for the Hachette stuff instead. I realise Hachette aren't making them at the same size as the UK originals either, but they are least less reduced and I've always been a sucker for hardcovers hence why I get so excited waiting for the monthly parcel to drop That's my issue with the Classics stuff too. I mean in theory it's a well researched and put together package, but the tiny tiny art, smaller than the US-size page by some margin too! For my money, the best is still the original Titan reprints. I mean yeah, there's some repro issues, but they're the right size. Personally, I'd prefer the US reprints to be the same size, as that's what I remember growing up with!! |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 8, 2017 15:55:01 GMT
Why do you regard the TF Classics UK as top copy Martin? I said my top copy was Titan + TF Classics UK. That includes the nine full-size Titan volumes of UK stuff, and the five mini black & whites (where the story order actually bothers me more than the reduced size, but it's the only place those stories are collected in the original b&w, so it's my top copy by default). The IDW TF Classics UK series rounds out the Titan volumes by including all the missing annual and pre-Dinobot Hunt stories, plus all the bonus material like the A-Z profiles. Size reductions really don't bother me half as much as shoddy reproductions and recolouring, as seen in IDW's US Classics books and the US stories in the Hachette partworks. To be precise, my top copy Marvel TF collection is currently: 14 hardcover Titan US books (Trial by Fire signed by Bob Budiansky & Jose Delbo) 9 large-size Titan UK books 5 mini Titan black & white books IDW TF Classics UK (5 volumes so far, first few signed by Simon Furman & Andy Wildman - if series continues, may eventually make the 5 mini Titan b&w books in my collection obsolete) IDW Best of UK: Dinobots (signed by Simon Furman & Geoff Senior) Original trade paperback of Transformers Universe profiles (signed by Bob Budiansky) Original of Marvel US issue #1 (signed by Bob Budiansky) Original of whichever Marvel US issue contained the Big Broadcast of 2006 Original large-size Marvel TF movie comic adaptation special Original of 1989 annual (signed by Lee Sullivan) Printouts of 'The Magnificent Six' and 'Another Time and Place' I got rid of most of my floppies and annuals some years ago as their condition was not good. The 1989 annual somehow survived the passage of time better than the rest. If the Hachette partworks gets around to doing stories like 'Man of Iron' and 'Crisis of Command', they might earn their place in my collection, as they'll be larger size then the IDW versions, but I'd resent giving space on the Shelf of Respect to the badly reproduced/recoloured US stories in those volumes. Also, I suspect they're likely to omit annual stories like 'Plague of the Insecticons' that don't easily fit in continuity. Martin |
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Post by Jaymz on Apr 9, 2017 11:41:14 GMT
Also, I suspect they're likely to omit annual stories like 'Plague of the Insecticons' that don't easily fit in continuity. Yeah, the recent ' Wanted: Galvatron - Dead or Alive' Hachette collection has a piece at the back about the annuals and ends with "all the key/in-continuity stories have been included in The Definitive Collecton" so definitely going to be some skips. However, that article does mention ' Plague of the Insecticons' and includes a couple of panels from it, which might indicate a higher chance of that story being reprinted? |
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Post by jameso on Apr 9, 2017 13:59:43 GMT
For me my ideal collection based on existing available material will be when/if they finish the UK Classics, and then it would be them the Titan US hardbacks, the Titan black and white things, the original Universe trade and the UK annuals and UK movie adpatation release. I might get rid of those Titan UK original sized ones, they never really worked for me.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 9, 2017 14:13:12 GMT
I only got a few of the large size Titan TFUK collection as I didn't think the shoddy repro looked good at that size.
Like Martin, I think the Hachette volumes are nice coffee table/reference reads and at the price-point are fine for what they are. If they were more expensive I would skip them but at a tenner the convenience of them and the decent physical book production is enough to keep me happy. I'm sticking with the Marvel only issues for space and interest reasons. A selling point is the chance to see the black and white strips coloured though I see them as an interesting alternative rather than a replacement for the Titan B&W collections that I have. I like to have the option to see them as they were published and of course black and white strips are not comics with the colour 'missing'. It's nice to see an alternative presentation of them though, even if I thought the decision to colour Race with the Devil in the US style was a clunking big mis-step, though well intentioned.
I just get frustrated when I see the quality of repro that Rebellion apply to their material (and they're often working off scans as the raw material too). There's really no reason for TF UK to look as poor in modern collections as it can do at times. Imagine if the Rebellion reprographics folk were working on it!
I don't buy the TF UK Classic books because they A: Come out every few years if at all and B: the presentation of the strips is utter crap and I'm not paying money for that kind of quality when I still have the original issues. It is pretty mad though that decaying 30-year old comics still represent the best way to see these strips.
I hope this does not read as a rant for it is not intended as such. I just have a great interest in how archival comics material (of all kinds) survives original printings and is presented down the line. I can be a bit anal about it!
-Ralph
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Post by inflatabledalek on Apr 10, 2017 19:58:58 GMT
I think your points are all fair Ralph. It's a shame that (except for those issues that need recolouring) that Hachette are just relying on IDW's stuff and that IDW have never viewed their reprints of Marvel and Dreamwave as anything other than money for old rope to put the minimum of effort in to (all the extra bells and whistles on the Classics UK books seems largely to have been done of James own back, IDW would have been fine with just a cheap chunky reprint series). Read the Wanted book! After finding the story a real drag when I did it at a weekly rate for the blog, I was wondering if hitting it all in one go again would help it read better. Not really, it just hit how reppetative the whole thing is (run up and down that volcano guys, it's good exercise). Nice first issue, good Death's Head (though objectively he gets a lot of focus in that first two parter compared to what he actually contributes) and some very nice Geoff Senior art--though the first Galvatron/Magnus fight looks very washed out in my copy, though less like a general printing fault and more the ink in the printer was starting to run out--but a very bloated arc. Even if Furman writing an extended love letter to A View to a Kill is actually very funny in and of itself (though the empty headed blond geologist didn't have to be carried over so closely!). King of the Hill is actually probably my favourite thing in the book. It's silly as hell, but Trypticon is brilliant and most of the jokes actually hit home for once. It's only knowing how badly Grimlock's storyline goes afterwards that really counts against it, and that's not really the fault of that issue. Plus, Ratbat. Mechanical Difficulties gives cancer to kittens though. In terms of presentation... sigh. I really wish that Furman hadn't made a thing of presenting the Marvel series in proper order. Whatever spacing excuses were used for things like Cold Comfort and Joy, there is literally no reason King of the Hill couldn't have been put in its proper place before Wanted... when they're both in the same book. Boo. Also it's a shame that as well as not reprinting it, none of the background material is going to mention G2 (and come to that, the Joe crossover doesn't warrant a line despite replacing that being a key part of the Volcao story's purpose)even when it obviously should. Yes, there was Another Time and Place and then ReGeneration One and there was not another popular Marvel continuation inbetween the two at any point: It also makes Another Time and Place sound like a placeholder for fans until Reg came along and was joyfully embraced by all of them as well. Oh, and I guess that's confirmation only the "Key" Annual stories will be reprinted. |
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Post by blueshift on Apr 10, 2017 20:04:04 GMT
Why does Furman hate G2 now? It was his best work!!
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Post by inflatabledalek on Apr 10, 2017 20:12:23 GMT
Oh, and it's a shame there's no background material on the US issues considering they cover a fairly keen transition of Bob's run and it'd be interesting to hear his thoughts on Grimlock and Ratbat and making Blaster de-facto lead of the series. Maybe we'll get a full lowdown on the entire change in leaderships in the book with Afterdeath/Gone But Not Forgotten instead though.
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Post by inflatabledalek on Apr 12, 2017 18:42:07 GMT
Read Hearts of Steel!
The titular series is one of those TF comics that's perfectly readable (despite a very sudden ending) and looks great thanks to Guido, but also feels very disposable. The description of the other Evolutions they had planned sound equally meh, as if no one had any other ideas for the range than "Ahhhhhh, but what if the Transformers woke up in a different decade and turned in to different things!!!! Hot rod cars! UFO's!"
To be fair on Hearts, it does try for something beyond this with the debate on automation and losing your job to machines, but because Transformers is a series about machines doing jobs it's preloaded to coming down on one side of the argument, even though the human villains are evil industrialists who want to get rid of their workforce.
The two Furman Spotlights are frustrating in that they both have some really nice moments, but equally are the point where the range stopped being Spotlights (tight focused stories about the title character that people could dip in and out of) and became add ons to throw ideas and subplots that Furman couldn't be arsed to deal with properly in the ...tions. These are more Escalation issues 7 and 8, and Hunter and Verity randomly turning up in Galvatron to discuss a subplot that has nothing to do with that comic being especially bad.
Mirage of course goes almost entirely in the other direction as it's utterly divorced from everything (until John Barber had to explain it because he can only reach sexual climax by rationalising old continuity points no one cared about at the time). It fits the remit of a Spotlight more, but suffers from it being Mirage's first (and mist sustained!) IDW appearance and you can't really do a dark alternate timeline version of a character when you don't know the normal one yet.
Interestingly the book is very confident the series will be reprinting right bang up to date stuff as it promises we'll see the only just started John Barber written explanation as to why Hearts of Steel is included with the main continuity IDW stuff (and yes, the "Worthy side step even if not strictly G1" rationalisation in the intro is annoying when they're not doing the far worthier "Sidestep" G2).
As this is book 39 and Escalation was 37, I wonder what 38 will be? Presumably not Devastation as they're supposed to be doing the IDW stuff "Chronologically" and the two Furman Spotlights here are set before that. Unless that's going to be messed up as the Marvel ordering?
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Post by Benn on Apr 12, 2017 19:56:26 GMT
There was a run of Spotlights, wasn't there? Kup, Soundwave... um. Grimlock?
That's a puzzler.
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Post by Kingoji on Apr 13, 2017 8:04:18 GMT
Avengers and Ramjet
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
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Post by primenova on Apr 13, 2017 11:59:48 GMT
Ramjet does tie in with bits later on but expect all the other spotlights from series 2 before Devie then it spotlights series 3 (which Mirage was from) & then the last 2 lots of Furman-IDW.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 18, 2017 17:27:59 GMT
End of last week, the railway station had three unsold copies of issue #8. Today they started out with just two copies of issue #9. I fear 'Trial by Fire' may be the last Marvel-content issue I get to buy in the shops. Oh well, it had a good run.
Martin
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 18, 2017 18:54:18 GMT
Ooh. I must away to Smiths quick sharp.
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 20, 2017 8:49:13 GMT
Found one copy of #9 in Smiths this morning. Pleased with that. Still going... just. In fact on the 'put out the way cos these are the geeky partworks and we don't want them by the tills' stand it was the only one there. No Star Trek or Warhammer, which has been more prevalent.
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primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
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Post by primenova on Apr 20, 2017 11:32:32 GMT
Startrek price is £14.99 now
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 20, 2017 11:35:06 GMT
No. The Specials for the Star Trek partwork are £14.99 (you pay extra for a dustjacket). The regular issues remain £9.99.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 20, 2017 11:36:46 GMT
Found a copy of TRIAL BY FIRE in newsgant and red hazed. The UK and US Headmasters stories in one volume? I had no choice.
Shame a Headmasters focussed volume has the main cover picture be that of Devastator the well known Headmaster character.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Apr 20, 2017 11:44:57 GMT
I was going to mention the cover. Such a lazy fail! Unless they literally have no Headmaster related art at all, it's unbelievable, especially given they didn't skimp on the rest of it!
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 20, 2017 11:49:08 GMT
As has been established, Hachette are using the previously produced style guide for licencees rather than original art. It may be the case that the guide does not include any Headmaster characters so there wasn't any appropriate art to use. A shame!
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 20, 2017 17:20:39 GMT
Ah, but the Constructicons were major characters in this volume. Hook, Scavenger and Bonecrusher are the key characters in the US story's final chapter, as on page 13 of 'The Desert Island of Space' they are clearly shown putting the finishing touches to their new spaceship, which promptly destroys Fortress Maximus, the main hero of the volume. It is only logical that Devastator should star on the cover of a volume that in many senses very much belongs to him.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 20, 2017 20:36:44 GMT
Of course.
-Ralph
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Post by KnightBeat on Apr 22, 2017 13:36:16 GMT
Does Trial by Fire contain the Krunix correction? |
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