Infiltration 4 (spoilers)

Post by **Best First** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:39 pm

Mmm, good eating - the last page is superb, as is a lot of the dialougue, with the possible exception of Bumblebee's hide and seek bit.

i worry the mechination might turn out to be abit cheesey, but we will see, maybe they are more for Escalation...

The verity stuff was great, as was what she found.

Sadly though i got the AW cover and, bluntly, its as if he is doing his best impression of Pat Lee

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:59 pm

Yes, the last page is glorious. I keep taking time just to stare at it. Like I said to IDW - if I were in Verity's shoes, they would be warm and damp right about now. I honestly can't wait for next month.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:41 pm

as much as i love the guy the shot of Ratchjet taking it porn star style was awesome as well.

i will continue the theme by saying he looks f***ed.

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:54 pm

Although I'm guessing not, it'd certainly be a revelation if he's down for good. Very reminiscent of TF:TM...

My favourite part of this was Skywarp falling to his own stupidity and predictability.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 2:33 pm

Read it.

Good, but not great, issue. That basically sums up the entire series for me thus far. Good. Not great.

The pacing of this issue is, thankfully, a little quicker. Thought the battle scene with Ratchet and Bumblebee vs. Blitzwing and Skywarp was very well done. Verity remains annoying, and unfortunately, it looks like she is the main human character in this story. Maybe Megatron will squish her next issue. We can only hope.

Artwise, I think this issue is E.J.'s best. The angles used throughout this issue are incredible, and really add scope to the story. We have views from above, below, and every which way possible. Fantastic work, E.J.

My biggest gripe, however, is that the issues seem too short. Maybe page-wise, they aren't, but pacing-wise, what has happened thus far in four issues could easily have been fit into two or three. I read the Annihilation Prologue issue from Marvel just before, and it took me twice as long to finish that issue as it did the TF issue and it seemed a #### of a lot more happened.

Overall, I give this issue a "B+". Looking forward to more and hating having to wait another month to see what happens next.

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:05 pm

It doesn't appear as if anyones commented on it yet, but I guess I'll be the first to do it. Did you all notice that the colour was much less over the top?

The issues previous to this has been a lot more burn-out red and crazy, in this one they were a lot more relaxed. Lookin' good, keep it up.

The last page was indeed the best page of the book, with ol' bucket-head turning his head to focus on what his audio-receptors detected. Some small kind of vermin, looks just like if he's thinkin' "and what are you supposed to be? Weird little squishy creature. I think I'll use you for target-practice."

Yaya wrote: I read the Annihilation Prologue issue from Marvel just before, and it took me twice as long to finish that issue as it did the TF issue and it seemed a #### of a lot more happened.

Yah, that series is gonna be some good fun, yes?

I've picked up the Anni: Silver Surfer meself, and it's more of the fun stuff.

Ronan by the eminent Mr Furman looks like it'll be pretty fun too, there's just a certain something about a guy that will sentence you to combat-death with alien Velociraptors.

"Wherever a Kree sets foot there shall be Kree-law!"

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:32 am

Yeah, enjoyed this also. In agreement with most of the points raised, that last page reveal was great. A page you can drink in, it's really atmoshperic, and the lead up to it was great as well.
I don't mind Verity at all, tho I can see how she might be considered annoying. I did think she was a little OTT earlier in the storyline, but I'm enjoying the sequences with her, personally.

Uh, the Annihilation Prolgue was 40 pages plus like 6 pages of profiles, and was dense as hell, art and story-wise. There's like 5 different major storylines all going on at once in it, setting up the concepts for the series. Not sure on the comparison there. Different types of stories, different reading speeds.
But yeah, I'm sure you could squish this story down into fewer issues if you wanted to. Happy with the beats myself tho, with the possible exception of the way the conspiracy stuff is developing. I was right into it until the pages in this issue, which were kind of meh. Didn't feel like they fitted that well, to me.

But yeah, still digging it. Cracking stuff.

Someone pointed out to me that the Megs in this looks a bit like the Titanium Megs figure. What'd you think?

Post by **Best First** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:52 am

the thing that actually bugs me most about the mechanation is that they have a big ol logo.

while the rest of the plot seems steeped in realism this makes them seem very cartoony.

and no one wants that...

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:09 am

I thought the first half of the issue was a bit dull to be honest. But the second half, from the moment Verity discovered the skeleton (ooooh these 'cons are nasty) it was friggin' excellent. Brilliant fight scene, loved the way Ratchet got taken out. Last page outstanding (slightly undermined by the give away on the contents page don't you think?).

Post by **Best First** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:14 am

yeah, but that has always been true hasn't it?

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:31 am

Thought it was dull.

Verity's dull. Faux edgy boring yawn.

Ratchet's dialogue was clunky and yawn.

I spent the weekend watching The X-Files and really don't need pseudo-intrigue by proxy of mysterious human organisations in the background. Pretentious yawn.

What actually happened in the issue? I mean really?
- Background for annoying generic pseudo edgy human who's still boring.
- Bumblebee thinks the humans are expendable (yay)
- Ratchet maybe gets blown up
- The Decepticons have maybe killed humans (big shock yawn)
- Megatron

The only actual movement I can see from the end of the previous issue is the revelation that Megatron's in the bunker. Okay, that opens up a whole lot of fun questions. Aside from some refreshingly different characterisation of Bumblebee and Ratchet's being an idiot, nothing of any worth in regards to the plot happens until the very last page.

Oh, and we meet more boring humans with political blah blah blah. Where's Lazarus when you need him?

Decompressed to hell.

Bored now.

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:45 am

Brendocon wrote:Where's Lazarus when you need him?

As bad as that? Ouch.

Post by **Best First** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:00 pm

Brendocon wrote:I spent the weekend watching The X-Files and really don't need pseudo-intrigue by proxy of mysterious human organisations in the background.

surely that's your own stupid fault for watching the sodding X-files?

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:17 pm

Brendocon wrote: Decompressed to hell.

That's my biggest gripe. The pacing is really killing the potential of this story. I mean I'm enjoying it, but no doubt this tale is better told as a TPB than any other Transformers story I've read.

while the rest of the plot seems steeped in realism this makes them seem very cartoony.

You wanna talk cartoony? How bout that fat guy called Mr. Jolly?? Mr. ******* Jolly? Ho, ho, ho! Waitin for his reindeer to show up.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:19 pm

Best First wrote:
Brendocon wrote:I spent the weekend watching The X-Files and really don't need pseudo-intrigue by proxy of mysterious human organisations in the background.
surely that's your own stupid fault for watching the sodding X-files?

I was actually watching Gillian Anderson. And the pseudo-intrigue in the program is vaguely pseudo-interesting and serves to underline that the pseudo-intrigue in Infiltration is only pseudo pseudo-intriguing.

Dull dull dull. Dull humans and boring Transformers in a dull story against a backdrop of dull conspiracies.

By numbers.

At least Lazarus had comedy potential.

sprunkner · Post by **sprunkner** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:37 pm

Bah.

Brend, once you let on that you find Gillian Anderson attractive, all your credibility vanishes.

I thought it was great. Great great great. Although I am looking very much forward to being able to read this all at once, this nice little bit of combat and Megatron really filled my tank. And I did notice that the color was better.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:47 pm

sprunkner wrote:Brend, once you let on that you find Gillian Anderson attractive, all your credibility vanishes.

Where did I say I found her attractive? I said I was watching her...

[insert Spaced quote about FHM placings here]

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:29 pm

I adore Gillian, especially when she seems to have had a little work done round the jaw in latter seasons. I mean, who doesn't love that bit in the pilot where she walks into Mulders hotel room, strips to her (ever so functional- which somehow made her sexier actually...) bra and pants and started waving her arse in Mulders face?

Mind you, after extensive research I've proven that issue four of Infiltration can out act David Duchovny nine times out of ten.

sprunkner · Post by **sprunkner** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:47 am

It's proportional to Tea Leoni, who manages to have less acting ability than her man.

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:43 am

Really liked the story. Really, really. And I am concerned not only for the tfs involved but also of the humans (where I usually want them to be killed) the whole Verity background makes her more relatable.

Run Verity!!!

What I disliked was the Bumblebee cover grabbing Blitzwing cannon, it looked like the cover for a coloring book for 3 year old boys.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:08 am

Yeah, I got the BFG cover, the other one was horrible. I almost missed the comic 'cause that was the only one showing and I thought it was GI Joe V TF III* or something.

* Which I also bought, of course. Damn.

Lamest. Gestalt. Fight. Ever.**

** Though having said that, I'm sure the mighty Marvel did some pretty poor gestalt fights. The ones that took place in Buster Witwicky's mind were pretty lame IIRC, though I haven't seen them in a few years...