IDW's The Transformers Discussion/Spoilers Thread

[Art Monkey]

Starscream beats Superman every day of the week. That is one awesome cover. (plus, you know, better proportions...)

The MTMTE cover is the intriguing one though. That's what I like about this series: I can go back and reread the previous issues and still discover new things as it all falls in place. I guess what we see here might be Chromedome's special "talents" in action?

[cactusmaac]

I'd've pulled Costa a year earlier than they did. Great ideas, zero ability to execute them, even less understanding of the concept. Michael Bay and the guy co-wrote DOTM handled the global politics of the TFs on Earth better in DOTM than Costa did in that entire run. That's like saying Rob Liefeld has a better grasp of the anatomy of the human foot than another artist. Even his "good book" Cobra, has suffered without a co-writer. Blackhawks was a fiasco. 3 for 3 as a solo writer should show publishers that the guy just can't write.

Thankfully we have new writers. Two issues in, we have a TF comic that can hold it's own with the best comics on the market.

Agreed. He wasn't as bad as Shane McCarthy but the writing by Roberts, Roche and Barber on their series in the same time-frame was just far better.

[rasx]

Thinking about reading idw's transformers.
So what's the difference between transformers mtmte and transformers rid?

[Art Monkey]

Transformers Robots in Disguise takes place on Cybertron and bascially revolves around the Transformers' efforts to rebuild their society and come to terms with a reformatted (if you can call it that) Cybertron. The Autobots are in charge, the Decepticons are plotting, and there's a large group of neutrals who have returned after they found out the war is over who now tend to make things difficult for the Autobots as they didn't agree with either faction and aren't happy with what the war did to their planet. Key players are (among others) Prowl, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Ironhide, Starscream, Metalhawk. Most of the characters will be familiar faces if you've been a fan for longer, as RID has most of the "big names" of the Autobots and virtually all Decepticons.

Transformers More than Meets the Eye takes place in outer space and focuses on Rodimus and a band of about 200 Autobots as they travel the universe following a map found in the (now dead) Matrix, trying to locate a mysterious group of Cybertron's past called the Knights of Cybertron. Although there will be payoff in the end, of course it's all about the journey and this is very much an adventure book. Key players include Rodimus, Drift, Ratchet, Ultra Magnus, and less well-known (or well-developed) characters like Chromedome, Rewind, Whirl, Brainstorm, Swerve, Tailgate, Cyclonus, Red Alert and newbie Rung. MTMTE is a good book if you like characters who haven't had much (or any) development in previous fiction to shine. Also funny as hell.

[Blackknight75]

Ok, so I've been busy catching up on the whole IDW Transformers universe. Got my hands on all 5 of the IDW hard cover collections, the Bumblebee, Ironhide and Last Stand of the Wreckers collective trades, plus 6 of the 7 collective trades volumes of the ongoing Transformers series.

I was a little confused at the beginning of the All Hail Megatron story, as it felt like I had missed something between volume 4 and 5 of the hardcover collections. But it looks like somewhere between Maximum Dinobots and All Hail Megatron, Hunter was kidnapped by the Decepticons. But what happened to Verity and Jimmy? When did Verity sneak aboard Ultra Magnus' ship? Where did Ultra Magnus get a second ship after Rodimus stole his first?

I know the publication timeline has been added to this discussion thread, but when do the events of Last Stand of the Wreckers take place in accordance to the ongoing Transformers series. It does feel like it happens after Vol 6, Police Action.

Does anyone have any ideas?

[Art Monkey]

They did a time jump with AHM. It often gets described as "a soft reboot". I fear some characters got sidelined, the human trio especially. Although apparently there is an unpublished mini called "Legacy of Rust" which stars Jimmy (along with Punch/Counterpunch). Pray IDW publishes it someday, it should answer some questions at least.

The events in LSOTW take place somewhere at the beginning of the ongoing (definitely not after Police Action: note that Ironfist's dataslug appears on Prowl's desk at the end of that arc). Ultra Magnus has a ship and a shuttle: he leaves the ship with the Wreckers, takes the shuttle to Earth, only to have it stolen there by Hot Rod. He mentions in LSOTW that Prowl wants him back on Earth ASAP: this in relation to Ironhide's death.

In the meantime, here's a preview for MTMTE #3: http://www.newsarama.com/php/multime....php?aid=45833

[Blackknight75]

Thanks for the clarification, and the link to MTMTE #3 preview.

Creepy yet funny.

"Ratchet, could you put his brain back in his head? With corpses, I prefer to go in through the eye sockets".

Is it wrong that I hear the voice of Malcolm Reynolds when Rodimus talks, and Dr Simon Tam when Chromedome speaks. Of course, when Ratchet speaks, everyone should hear the voice of Dr Leonard McCoy.

[rasx]

Thanks for the clarification, and the link to MTMTE #3 preview.

Creepy yet funny.

"Ratchet, could you put his brain back in his head? With corpses, I prefer to go in through the eye sockets".

Is it wrong that I hear the voice of Malcolm Reynolds when Rodimus talks, and Dr Simon Tam when Chromedome speaks. Of course, when Ratchet speaks, everyone should hear the voice of Dr Leonard McCoy.

Don't forget Mr. Spock talking for Galvatron.

[Blackknight75]

Reading up on the preview for Transformers Vol 7: Chaos. I am surprised that this volume doesn't include the "Death of Optimus Prime" story. Was it initially a one-shot or a limited series? Or should we expect a Vol 8 to be released later this year?

[Art Monkey]

Death of Optimus Prime will be collected with the first few issues of More Than Meets The Eye as it essentially kicks off the new storylines.

[Blackknight75]

Just finished reading Transformers Vol 7. Not happy with the way the series just ends. It should have included the Death of Optimus Prime just to close out that chapter of the IDW Transformers series.

I may have to see if I can find the single issue, rather than buy the first collective trade of More Than Meets the Eye. Little point in buying the trade when I am already collecting the singel issues.

[steve2275]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...eview&id=11830

[wyokid]

Who else has read all of the IDW Transformers universe?

[Art Monkey]

I've been reading IDW's Transformers well from the very beginning - actually I hail back from the old Marvel days and I've not missed a single issue since Dreamwave. I do think IDW's run is the best though - especially with what we're getting now.

[Blackknight75]

I kind of fell into the IDW Transformers series by accident.

I picked up the collected trade paperbacks of Bumblebee and Last Stand of the Wreckers cheap from Target last year, which were both very satisfying reads. I prompted me to then find more collected trades, but the trouble was trying to find a suitable jumping on point.

Thankfully, my comic shop had in stock the first 5 hard cover collections, plus the many paperback collections on their shelve. Reading the first volume, with the origin of Megatron and the Transformer Spotlights really sold to me that the creative teams at IDW had a firm grip on the Transformers mythos, and were using all pervious written material as inspiration for a unified universe.

The More Than Meets the Eye is my favourite of the two books being published at the moment. The sense of humour and eclectic cast of characters just keeps reminding of my favourite sci-fi show, Farscape.