Transformers:Infiltration #5 Review (SPOILERS)

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:19 pm

Okay, here we go.

Shortest. Read. Ever.

I went in with more of a keen eye, more with the kid gloves off, because after five issues and giving the pacing of the story the benefit of the doubt, things should happen.

Things didn't.

I mean, I was liking the story as I was reading it, but was caught surprised that the issue ended so quickly. No major revelations. Short sequences of action, mostly involving trapped humans and some Megs action. This issue was lacking, to say the least.

It just seems like this story is stuck in quicksand, waiting for #6 to come so they can really have things happen. I have no doubt issue #6 will be a great one, because Furman has been purposely pulling his punches it would seem.

The positives? Artwork very good, and as I said, what was actually in the issue wasn't too bad.

Those who say Brad Mick dragged on and on during the DW ongoing title with Sunstorm and find this series pacing adequate are lying. They should have the guts to step up and admit that Simon is dragging his feet here.

Infiltration makes a very good four-issue story. The six-issue format is really stretching this sucker out.

I give issue #5 a "C". Hoping for more but got less.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 3:58 am

re: Comparison of DWG1v3 0-5 and IDW 0-5...

Or we could do something resembling a fair comparison and summarise the preview + issues of the first Dreamwave story arc to see print. Even that's based on picking up the story a couple of years into a version of cartoon continuity, rather than having a setup arc.

But anyway...

#0:
- TF:TM rehash.
- Wreck-Gar is building things for Megatron.
#1:
- Starscream attacks Autobots and rounds up Decepticons.
- Prime being out of commission, Cybertron stands still and troops are sent to Earth.
- Sunstorm, Shockwave's pet project, arrives.
#2
- Sunstorm fight. (Crashes the Autobot shuttle and takes out Bruticus.)
- Meanwhile, things are stalled back on Cybertron.
- Starscream's Brigade rehash.
#3
- Talk about Sunstorm. Fight. Omega Supreme arrives.
#4
- Sunstorm fight.
- Meanwhile, things are stalled back on Cybertron.
- Megatron now has some clones on Junk.
#5
- Sunstorm fight. (Apparently taken down, but nooo... he'll be back next issue.)
- There's an old TF shuttle/base in Alaska.

The best DW story arc by far, to be sure. A toy repaint shows up, there's a protracted fight, and some exposition around it -- specifically, Shockwave was building an expendable defence force, and there's something stockpiled on Earth. I'll lay you reasonable odds that it was advance preparation for Unicron, with outposts being built across the galaxy. Shockwave knows Unicron is coming because he captured Scourge.

Basically, my complaint (and those of some other people, I think) is that if it ends up at Unicron, nothing's happened. It's the same story told in the movie, at the end of the original comic, in Armada, in the Armada/Energon comics et al... slight differences in route don't help. Having Unicron turn out to be connected to the Quintessons, or the Quintessons pulling the strings of the council in War Within doesn't help. It's closed and circular, with the Transformers always less important in the scheme of things.

And in specific: Sunstorm didn't go anywhere, didn't change the status quo, didn't do anything except blow Jetfire up. Build-up can be justified provided the ending is there.

From the issues that've arrived so far...

#0
- Introduce most of the human characters.
#1
- The Decepticons are tracking a device containing evidence of their plans on Earth.
- Ratchet goes AWOL and ends up rescuing the humans with the device.
#2
- Runabout and Runamuck pursue Ratchet. Fight. Ultimately being driven off by the Autobots.
- The 'salesman' turns up dead, linking in humans looking to recover TF tech.
- The Decepticons have already lain waste to other worlds in this new continuity. These Autobots are just a taskforce whilst the rest fight on other fronts.
#3
- Failing to get most of the Autobots involved, Ratchet & Bumblebee head out to collect evidence.
- The Decepticons wipe out all traces of their activity.
#4
- The humans discover the Decepticons have been covertly taking and killing ranking officials.
- Autobot and Decepticon units clash. Fight. Megatron arrives to investigate Starscream's treachery.

Parallel to this we learn that Cybertron was rendered uninhabitable centuries ago, in events that forced factions to unite and address a wipeout threat. And it wasn't Unicron. This is partly why the Decepticons are stripping other planets for resources.

And on another note (by Matrix):

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:53 pm

For the sake of others, I will paste my reply to you on the other boards so others may jump in:

Allow me to refresh your memory of the events that happened aside from Sunstorm in the first five issues + preview of the DW ongoing for comparison with Infiltration so far:

-WreckGar rebuilds Megatron and furnishes him with an army
-The Ark is destroyed as Ratchet and Brawn sacrifice it to escape the clutches of Bruticus
-Back on Cybertron, the Autobots are in the process of reclaiming and rebuilding Cybertron, with Prime in stasis; Prowl and Ironhide try to train new recruits, Magnus falters as a governmental head
-The revelation that Jetfire and Omega came to Earth together in search of the Ark is made and how he dealt with Scourge
-Elsewhere on Earth, Warpath and Bumper recover Jazz and his unit from a lake, but are apprehended by Marissa Faireborn and the Earth Defense Force
-A cloning lab belonging to Shockwave is discovered
-A strange smelting pool is discovered on Earth, the origins of which are shrouded in mystery

And the list goes on. Notice no mention of Sunstorm in the above. Add to this list the Sunstorm battles you mentioned, Jetfire and the other Autobots attempt to solve the mystery, and thats a lot of things happening. Good things? Well, thats a matter of taste. All the above happened in five issues, not even the sixth final issue.

The argument here is not whether you like the contents of the DW ongoing or not, as that is a matter of taste. What I'm saying is that it is ridiculous to say that the Sunstorm saga dragged on and Infiltration does not.

(By the way, this is the last time I'm going to repetitively post the same thing on every message board because it seems nobody else is getting in on this debate except us.

)

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 7:52 pm

Note to audience: the last two posts really fit in reverse order.

There's a bit of tangential discussion at the Allspark... here there's usually a fair delay before people actually get issues though, myself included.

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:58 pm

I will have to admit that this issue was a bit better then the last one, mainly since we got to see the bad-assnes that is Megs beat the scrap out of people.

Other than that... I'm afraid that I will agree with Yaya, it reads terribly short, and on some pages it looks as if the inking is not quite up to snuff, one can see quite a bit of what to me looks like uninked lines.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:16 pm

Preds, are you actually talking paper copies, being as you're over in mainland Europe? And if not, care to share on the scan source? With things like the BW #3 distribution ****up, it'd be useful...

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:36 am

Why sir!

Are you implying that I may be obtaining works of art trough unlawfull means?! I am appaled!

( I sent you a more thorough reply trough PM..)

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:07 am

My 2-cents:

I could usually, and I mean 9 times out of 10, predict exactly where Dreamwave's stories were going. How? Because I've seen every episode of the cartoon multiple times.

With IDW, I have no idea. It's uncharted territory. I know that I'm enjoying the story. I know that I don't want to choke every human character that shows up. I know that when we finally learn more about THESE Transformers, there are going to be some surprises along the way. I also know that, when collected into a trade (or a hardcover? please?), this will be the perfect storyline to get new fans interested in the Transformers franchise. IDW's Infiltration doesn't assume you know anything in regards to The Transformers and treats the property as something that can be used to tell a good story, not just something to squeeze a few bucks out of nostalgic children of the 80's.

I can see where the complaints come from; it's not the same thing we've been given time and again for the past 20 years. That's cool with me. I like stories about Transformers. I especially, at 23 years of age, like that stories are now being written for me. I don't know if everyone else quite gets this yet. Transformers started out as a throwaway toyline for children under the age of 10. Now, over 2 decades later, there is Transformers material made by and for adults. Thanks IDW!

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:33 am

*prod*

Post that here with 'OKAY TO PRINT' after it... it's a much better summing-up than I've managed for anything yet...

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 4:17 pm

Professor Smooth wrote: Now, over 2 decades later, there is Transformers material made by and for adults. Thanks IDW!

Yes, but DW's material wasn't geared towards children either.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 4:36 pm

Yaya wrote:
Professor Smooth wrote: Now, over 2 decades later, there is Transformers material made by and for adults. Thanks IDW!
Yes, but DW's material wasn't geared towards children either.

Absolutely correct. It was geared towards DW.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 5:15 pm

Denyer wrote:*prod*

Post that here with 'OKAY TO PRINT' after it... it's a much better summing-up than I've managed for anything yet...

Done and done.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 5:16 pm

Rebis wrote:It was geared towards DW.

And in turn, DW was geared towards fast cars and hookers...

(not really relevant to the conversation, but i always just like bringing that up).

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 11:05 pm

Badum-sshh!

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 9:23 am

Have the UKers received this then?

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 9:35 am

http://oneshallstand.proboards37.com/in ... 1149457794

I don't expect much from the postal service in these parts...

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 11:00 am

I don't think I can PM people for some odd reason... every PM I send just bounces back at me...

But anyways Denyers, want me to just post what I know about that thing, that you asked to know some information on?

Also, has anyone seen the Wildman cover? I think it looks as if Wildman is changing up his style a little bit once more?

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 11:22 am

He's definitely making an effort to take some design cues from the current IDW models.

denyer@tfarchive.com

Ta.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:01 pm

i don't have this issue yet.

but i do have a distate for someone coming on here and accusing people of beig lyers and guttless when he doens't like their opinion.

that person shoud probably reconsider their attitude.

As an aside: The pacing was far from all that was wrong with Sunstorm saga.

people might also want to consider being polite enough to use PM's if they are going to discuss things that the site rules profess a distate for.

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:28 pm

Is it freebie-soliciting when you bought the things six months ago?

Anyone care to speculate where Skywarp's head is (or was) in his redesigned form? We also sort-of get a look at how Blitzwing transforms -- not sure if the folding in that design's physically possible. Both are probably still just about functional, IMO.

Since the 'Cons will likely be staging a sit-in on Earth (and they seem to have a credible reason to do so, without having to be trapped here -- kudos for the simple but realistic update) Escalation looks promising for conflict. The two arcs, put together, would probably form an excellent live-action film script.

It's very cinematic, and since Furman is apparently writing full script on these jobs, either he's scripting additional dialogue and removing it from the placements before going to press or just being very "show rather than tell". It does create tension, and the last couple of pages give an effective wrap-up; it does make sense that a group of Autobots who aren't dedicated combat specialists are peripheral to the Decepticon schism that's about to break.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 2:12 pm

Denyer wrote:Is it freebie-soliciting when you bought the things six months ago?

how you use it and how other people use it might not be oen and teh same, hence the not unreasonable suggestion that PMs might be more suitable.

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 3:08 pm

Wasn't about to let him post publically -- though the source turns out to be one I wouldn't pursue or recommend. Dug up elsewhere.

I suspect we're both a touch narked at non-payers getting issues ahead of legit distribution, even if it probably just feels longer because of last weekend forcing the post past this one...

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 3:35 pm

I have "sorted" the thing with Denyer concerning the "accusations" via e-mail.

Besters is mainly talking to Denyer tho, right?

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 4:24 pm

Denyer wrote:Wasn't about to let him post publically

but you are advertsing the fact that he can be contacted as a source for such things.

iregardless of the distribution, just stating that this sort of thing should be handled by PM if at all.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:14 pm

*cough*

Anyway, really enjoyed this issue. Even though it's very dialogue-light, the pace is fast and it builds towards a good conclusion next issue, though I suspect we're going to be dropped with the mother of all cliffhangers, while Stormbringer builds to the same point in time - we know that [Stormbringer spoiler]OP receives the message from Ironhide in Stormbringer#1 so they are pretty closely timed...will Stormbringer go beyond the time-frame of Infiltration? We kind of know that Optimus will be in Infiltration #6, but he seems to be a pretty major player in Stormbringer too - does he hand the reins to the Wreckers and set course for Earth? Will he leave for Earth at the end of Stormbringer? Is Megatron aware of what's going on out there?[/Stormbringer spoiler] So many, many questions...

Back to the issue, I really liked the Verity/Megatron scenes. very powerful without saying a word. The "humans in peril" scene was maybe a bit too long (I'd have cut it by a page and had two pages inside Starscream's base instead) but contained some nice character moments for the Autobots and humans, though I'm finding Jimmy a little grating. "Whatever we got in there...it better be worth all the grief!" "Verity's...special" Please.

Then...8 and a half pages of pure Decepticon action. Great artwork, great action. Nice and violent. What better introduction to Megs than to have him completely slag two of his own guys for betraying him? He's a Megatron I can believe in. No lengthy exposition about how he's going to conquer the universe, no secret plan to turn the world into metal with a muitating virus while simultaneously trying to convince Optimus that they're really best friends, no insane ranting and not remembering who the Predacons are a couple of issues later, he's more like Megatron is in TFTM, his fusion cannon actually destroys things and he's not afraid to use it when necessary. The way he just takes two of Blitzwing's finest is quite impressive too - Blitzy took Ratchet down with one last issue, though he's up and about again this issue with only superficial damage. Maybe Blitzwing's not "locking and loading" the right kind of ammo to use against Cybertronians...after all his mission was to take out an old garage, a base, a bus etc. I'd hope that Megatron would be significantly tougher than any of those. And he's uber-pissed off. And we know where he's going next issue...

Finally a page of ominous Autobot exposition to set it all up. I still think we're heading for a massive cliffhanger. It's all going to hit the fan for sure, and I think although Stormbringer will drop heavy hints about this, we're not going to see what happens next until Escalation.

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:08 pm

Best First wrote:he can be contacted as a source for such things

Mmm.

MV wrote:I still think we're heading for a massive cliffhanger.

Specifically I reckon there'll be deployment of troops to counter the "juiced up" Decepticons, with more permanent residence begun since there's something on the planet neither side can afford to concede to the other.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:48 am

Denyer wrote:
Best First wrote:he can be contacted as a source for such things
Mmm.

you'll have to more specific. or you could just concede what i don't see as an unreasonable point and not do it again, but evidently thats not a becoming option.

issue 5 just arrived, off to read it on the bogs sometime in the near future so i can weigh up how much of a gutless liar i am.

sprunkner · Post by **sprunkner** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 3:46 pm

Gutless lying:

(Actually I lost track of who said that... and where... actually I skimmed this thread)

I was initially disappointed in this issue. Reason 1) EJ Su gave us a beautiful first five pages, and then some of the action sequences looked a little bit flat and odd. The splash page of Megatron breaking out of the ground made his arms look a small.... plus the inking looked a bit weak on a lot of stuff, like the falling dirt. 2) There is no way everything about Starscream, Megatron, the power source, siege mode, etc, can be wrapped up in one issue. This series is clearly going to lead straight in to Escalation and I would much rather see a finished storyline with only a few hanging threads. Reason 3) Megatron didn't transform! Okay, it's silly, but it bothered me.

All that said, it's still a good series, though I really don't like the "lead-in" approach for a series. But it does completely kick Sunstorm's fanwank cartoon retread @$$.

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:12 pm

I lthink I'm with MV on this one.

Mmm. It may have been a somewhat quick story to read, but it wasn't actually a crap story. Difference.
One can drink in the art for as long as one likes, I certainly paused at the Megs scene. I liked the issue, some nice action and the art had some ooomph to it - tho I agree on a comment about some distracting inking or something at some points.

Sure, if Stan Lee wrote it in 1966, it could probably have fitted into a page and half.
But it is't being written like that, the writer is going for an entirely different thing. He said before we started that he fancied trying some widescreen storytelling (ref: Authority etc), and while that may not be coming across visually in some of EJ's choices in this issue, it is in the plot.
If that isn't one's cup of tea...sorry?

But maybe I am too gutless to type what i really think and oh hey I'm probably lying WooOOOoooOOO look at me. Whatever.

---

A comparision to an old DW plot is disengenuous.
Mick seemed to be trying to create a complex busy story that would ramp up into cosmic-level doodahs. Apart from a sub-plot featuring the EDF that had dubious set-ups and turned out to result in 2 rather sub-par issues, the only technical success story was the Wreck-Gar/Megatron plot, which pretty much came off spot-on IMHO.
His other strands were needlessly muddied and spun out and were getting nowhere slowly. It was a bad move to keep referencing all his ideas in almost every issue; better to drop a plot if you can't get to it for a while. There's no reason to keep plate-spinning if nothing is going to be happening. Take the plate off the stick, put it back on later.

The accusations of poor pacing control in there seem different to the ones being pitched at Furman here; the Sunstorm thing comes down to the Itchy and Scratchy theme tune with extra Starscream fanwank.
This seems to be disliking too long spent on the storytelling of every scene. One had no story progression but lots of stuff on the page, the other seems somewhat the opposite.

Also, i would disagree with the labelling of beats etc as independent plots. A revelation in a comic does not automatically count as it's own plot. Using the above examples of stuff supposedly not being connected to Sunstorm, I'd have put it more like this:

Sunstorm plot-points
-A cloning lab belonging to Shockwave is discovered
-A strange smelting pool is discovered on Earth, the origins of which are shrouded in mystery

Sttory-beats inside Sunstorm plot
-The Ark is destroyed as Ratchet and Brawn sacrifice it to escape the clutches of Bruticus
-The revelation that Jetfire and Omega came to Earth together in search of the Ark is made and how he dealt with Scourge

Sub-plots
-WreckGar rebuilds Megatron and furnishes him with an army
-Elsewhere on Earth, Warpath and Bumper recover Jazz and his unit from a lake, but are apprehended by Marissa Faireborn and the Earth Defense Force

Pplate-spinning
-Back on Cybertron, the Autobots are in the process of reclaiming and rebuilding Cybertron, with Prime in stasis; Prowl and Ironhide try to train new recruits, Magnus falters as a governmental head

"Waaah i don't like it, it's not actualy bad but it's not waht i want to read" reviews are boring, yeah, but there's no need to try and be personally provocative in order to get people interested in debating one's points. Crass. Those who starts thread like that have penile-insecurity issues and probably think Micromaster wrestling was the best previous Transformers story. Oh and they masterbate in churches as well.

By the way, this is the last time I'm going to repetitively post the same thing on every message board

Hooray!

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:54 pm

Best First wrote:you'll have to more specific.

Predabot wrote:Here comes the american titles that I retrieve trough eeeeeviiiilllll means!

Simple question whether he'd started buying mixed with irritation at the distribution, and since he hadn't and the PM system appears not to work for him [is it now? test messages sent] -- pushed the conversation someplace else.

Either there's already huge honking advertisement in GD or people think "evil means" involve ramraiding stores.

More than anything, I hope people will purchase books they want to see continue. Smaller publishers have the most to worry about with cashflow and wait-for-trade readers -- and retailers likewise need preorders to dull the risk and storage costs of over-ordered stock.

Is it me or did the colours seem particularly dark in this issue? Bumblebee is block yellow in places. And it seems as if there should have been explosion over the sketch lines on page 18. All in all, the colouring's great in places but not very consistent.