Informative Question and Answer with Costa

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 7:21 pm

http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopi ... c&start=30

The more I find out about how Costa thinks, the more excited I become.

Post by **Best First** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:42 pm

2 things really bug me about that interview;

Firstly his comparison to the end of WW2 is utter balls.

Secondly he perpetuates the bullsh8t notion that we shouldn't judge a comic until its 244th issue. Comics are an episodic medium - no one is asking yoiu to explain everything in one issues but it would be great to get away from comic writers who think that the best way to craft intrigue is to have something jarring happen with no hint that there might be a specific reason behind it. Relying on the fact that 'a lot of time' has passed to explain this is just as tiresome. Even worse the whole 'well i will respond just this once' - yeah because everyone jumped on it because it was poorly handled.

underwhelmed.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:45 pm

Best First wrote: Secondly he perpetuates the bullsh8t notion that we shouldn't judge a comic until its 244th issue. Comics are an episodic medium - no one is asking yoiu to explain everything

I agree with you, but...

Transformers fans can be notoriously impatient, which can be quite annoying, particulary to a writer who thinks ahead. I think he's absolutely right in what he says. A good story shouldn't have to reveal everything immediately just to appease a few impatient fans. Some things need to simmer. I just think fans have become more reactionary because of things that have happened, things like McCarthy, and now Costa has to face the fallout from it.

There are a lot of TF fans out there that, based on Prowl's behavior alone, will drop the title. That's being impatient in my book. And stupid.

Post by **snarl** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 7:47 pm

Err... I do agree, that would be stupid and impatient - but it's not like that's news mate. You have read other transformers forums right?

Assuming you haven't (even thought I know you have, I just feel like a rant) I'll fill you in. I'm sure there are like minded individuals that feel the same. Shockwave's logic would back me up here. If he were real, I 100% expect "he'd" have reached the same conclusion that I have: Most TF fans are *****. Seriously, it's like they're ACTUAL living toby jugs full of steaming hot piss.

I can't believe some of the stuff they come out with. Like that robot ******* **** who did the mosaic involvnig auto-noncery. Remember him?

Jesus Hendry Thomas, what a bizarre individual he was...

I worry, from what I see and read from the fandom, that he is par for the course to be honest.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 4:06 am

Avengers: Initiative and X-Factor had the single best first issues I've ever read, sans perhaps Astonishing X-Men. I had no reason to pick up either one except that I liked David's old stuff on X-Factor.

I am still buying them. I will buy them until they are either canceled or retconned by Mephisto.

We're being impatient as long-timers, but a kickass first issue is the proven way to get new readers.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:59 pm

bumblemusprime wrote: We're being impatient as long-timers, but a kickass first issue is the proven way to get new readers.

That was exactly my gripe with AHM. The first issue was so bland, no wonder so many people just dropped it.

I think this first issue tries to move away from that by having a major character die and a radical change in Prime's strategy. Maybe it was boring and silly to some, but at least something happened.

Post by **Best First** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:52 pm

Yaya wrote:
Best First wrote: Secondly he perpetuates the bullsh8t notion that we shouldn't judge a comic until its 244th issue. Comics are an episodic medium - no one is asking yoiu to explain everything
I agree with you, but...

Transformers fans can be notoriously impatient, which can be quite annoying, particulary to a writer who thinks ahead. I think he's absolutely right in what he says. A good story shouldn't have to reveal everything immediately just to appease a few impatient fans. Some things need to simmer.

This is a fallacious response though.

NO ONE, bloody no one, is saying reveal everything immediatley - it's all about context - all it would have taken was one line of dialougue - for someone to acknowledge that it was out of character, or that Prowl had been acting more eratically - something to hint that things have changed and there is something to be interested in - nothing in the story did that - Prowl just acted wierd. A good story crafts a mystery - it doesn't thump you with it.

More to the point its not like he is the only one - Prime's actions all make him come across like a tw@t who doesn't know what he is doing and the whole end of the war thing is 'out of character' with everything we have seen up to this point.

But oh! don't worry, it will be revealed in issue 9. And 27. And 33.

So no one is saying Costa has to reveal everything. they are saying he did a poor job on issue one. That's the point to be addressed, not some fictitous people not saying something that no one in their right mind would say.

****ing internet. Full of nonsense.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:13 pm

Best First wrote:
Yaya wrote:
Best First wrote: Secondly he perpetuates the bullsh8t notion that we shouldn't judge a comic until its 244th issue. Comics are an episodic medium - no one is asking yoiu to explain everything
I agree with you, but...

Transformers fans can be notoriously impatient, which can be quite annoying, particulary to a writer who thinks ahead. I think he's absolutely right in what he says. A good story shouldn't have to reveal everything immediately just to appease a few impatient fans. Some things need to simmer.
This is a fallacious response though.

NO ONE, bloody no one, is saying reveal everything immediatley - it's all about context - all it would have taken was one line of dialougue - for someone to acknowledge that it was out of character, or that Prowl had been acting more eratically - something to hint that things have changed and there is something to be interested in - nothing in the story did that - Prowl just acted wierd. A good story crafts a mystery - it doesn't thump you with it.

If this weren't an introductory issue which, by the nature of such things, tries to extend it's reach to everyone, new and old, I'd tend to agree with you. I think i too would be concerned, and as critical, about Prowl.

But for [composite word including 'f*ck']'s sake, it's the first issue. Prowl featured in like, three panels. If you visit the IDW forums, it's like they want every story detail laid out before them like some loose Brooklyn whore.

It's annoy because they have this ridiculous preconceived notion that everything is being written for them alone, and if it strays in any way away from this, it's not worth reading.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that most of them are wet-behind-the-ears teenagers. And I'm an old fart.

I guess what I'm saying is....******* internet, full of nonsense.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:47 am

So... introductory issues should explain things less? Brilliant.

And also - why are you trying to answer my point by replying to a bunch of people elsewhere?

Altho that said i don't see anyone at IDW saying they want every detail laid out - stating such things is pandering to Costa's attempt to divert attention away from the fact that he could have handled it better and delivered a more compentant comic.

The industry of excuse making that seems to exist around TF comics is really quite remarkable.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:26 pm

Best First wrote: And also - why are you trying to answer my point by replying to a bunch of people elsewhere?

Because that was whom I was referring to when I made my comments.

I'm not "pandering to Costa". There's a big difference between that and giving him the benefit of the doubt, which I think he deserves as a writer who has only done one issue. Sure, he might end up being as bad as McCarthy or Holmes, but I will wait a few issues as I did with AHM and M:O before lowering the boom on the guy.

I'm not really arguing the point about it being a good or bad comic either, as that's a matter of opinion. But as I said, I think Costa is in a more precarious situation coming off of AHM, which completely disrupted continuity and, in my mind, left things a bigger mess than before. I mean, did you read Continuum? IDW's continuity is now the most messed up I've ever seen. You can't fix that.

Post by **Best First** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:59 am

Yaya wrote: I'm not "pandering to Costa".

Sorry - but you are. His interview tries to deflect a reasonable criticisim (not always presented in a reasonable manner, but a reasonable crit nontheless) by turning it into something else and refuting that. And you then endorse it - ergo pandering.

Prowl does come across as a pawn in the story because there is nothing, other than what seems like a very odd action, to suggest that there is some mystery to it - about a miliseconds more context and it actually would have been of real interest instead of a point of contention.

The Mony Dick (much like the genuinley inept ww2 one) comparison is balls as well - at the start of the Moby Dick you don't know who anyone is.

And as an aside - i don't think it would be hard to fix the continuity at all. I'd ignore contiuum because it did an appalling job from the preview pages i have seen and the awful excuses (again) that hace come out from IDW in it's defence.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:15 pm

Best First wrote:
Yaya wrote: I'm not "pandering to Costa".
Sorry - but you are.

Call it what you will, then.

Prowl does come across as a pawn in the story because there is nothing, other than what seems like a very odd action, to suggest that there is some mystery to it - about a miliseconds more context and it actually would have been of real interest instead of a point of contention.

I don't know why, but the Prowl thing didn't even appear to be something way out of character until fans started focusing on it. Maybe it's the fact that the kickass Prowl from the Roche mini was the last Prowl we saw. In my opinion, that Prowl was waaaay out of character (in a very good way) from what preceded it from Simon and Shane. Did anyone gripe and piss so much about that sudden change? Glad they didn't, because it was a change for the better.

And as an aside - i don't think it would be hard to fix the continuity at all. I'd ignore contiuum because it did an appalling job from the preview pages i have seen and the awful excuses (again) that hace come out from IDW in it's defence.

What I mean is, it's hard to fix because it's already happened. AHM, as much as I try to ignore it, happened. You can't go back and wipe away the past. The [composite word including 'f*ck'] are actually considered part of continuity themselves now. What I meant was that it will be hard to navigate around said [composite word including 'f*ck'] now, and so the best way to approach the future is to ignore the small contradictions that inevitably will arise.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 11:16 am

Roche's Prowl was not really much different from Furman's. We have seen that Prowl has kept information from Prime in Infiltration (for the simple reason he thought it was not worth to bother Prime with it) and he has been going around some people's backs to get things done right. (remember his verbal sparring with Hot Rod in Escalation).

In retrospect, a simple "What the slag is wrong with you Prow? You of all Bots to lose your cool like that?" from Streetwise at Prowl's slipping out would have sufficed to show us that something is amiss there. But no-one seemed concerned that the calm and collected right hand of Optimus Prime is suddenly going all Hot Rod...