Megatron Origin #2 (Spoliers)

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:34 am

Got it.

Let's get this out of the way: the pencilling was just bad. Better than the first issue, but then again, how could you get worse.

But something made up for it in a big way for me. A big, BIG way. Scrounge! Who would have thought we'd ever see that little guy again! Yet, there he is in all his miserable glory. And not just that. That "Empty" that was also in Marvel's "Return to Cyberton" issue is there as well. Whoever had the idea of getting those cameos in there saved this issue for me. Probably for a lot of folk.

On to the story, this issue wasn't bad, better than the first issue as we get to see the 'origin' of some of the other Decepticon players, which was nice. In fact, the major weakness of this series thus far has been that it really hasn't focused as much as it should in developing Megatron's origin.

Had this series been entitled "Origin of the Decepticons", it would fit much better, and would have been easier to swallow. Instead, Megatron's development as a character has been very sloppy thus far. One minute his concious urges him to do no harm, the next he's chopping down helpless bots with a pick axe. What's the motivation here? I mean, I just don't see why Megatron separated himself from the pack. Okay, he was a disgruntled low-class worker who got laid off, then goes apeshit. That's it? Next thing we know, just because he does well in these gladatorial arenas, he's "The Man"? I really expected more. The same message was sent across with two panels during the Dreamwave run. How is this any different or how does it add anything?

Overall, a solid "B" for me, despite the glaringly bad pencilling and the atrocious character development of the lead character. You would think that these two things would make for a bad comic, but there is good enough in it to be worth the time and money.

Something tells me as more fo the Decepticon cast is introduced, this series is going to get better and better.

Post by **Kaylee** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:04 am

So does it fit in with State Games?

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:41 pm

Karl Lynch wrote:So does it fit in with State Games?

I'm embarassed to say I don't think I've read State Games.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:28 pm

Yaya wrote:
Karl Lynch wrote:So does it fit in with State Games?
I'm embarassed to say I don't think I've read State Games.

It's been a while since i've read it, I have to admit, (but i'm thinking that maybe I should, just so i can reaffirm how poor this mini is going so far). But i'm guessing that it's going to 'be based on' / 'pay hommage' too, but not be able to co-exist with it.

Onto the issue itself, a vast, vast improvement over the first issue. Infact, you could quite easily just skip #1 and not miss out on anything. The artwork has improved and it's now far easier to follow just what the heck is going on (was it the inking or pencils... this issue seems to have different inking to me... i'm going to have to go back to #1 and check that).

Still not liking Sentinal Prime. And what's with all the Autobot bad-attitude? Surely, if the Autobots were this mean, then when the Decepticons started the civil war against 'the peaceful' Autobots... they would have just have got their arses kicked?

Some cool cameos and improved scripting and visuals make this issue far superior to #1, but still not as good as the rest of IDWs output has been so far.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:50 pm

Out of interest, wasnt Scrounge a Marvel character, how did they get the rights to use him again?

Thats would be like using Impactor or somthing.... *dreams*

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:51 pm

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:Out of interest, wasnt Scrounge a Marvel character, how did they get the rights to use him again?

without being too spoilery... his 'use' is merely decorative and if it were to go to court, would probably be put down to mere coincidence...

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:37 pm

That's MUCH better. Things actually happen! And we can actually see what's going on for the most part.

And cameo-palooza or what? Clench! Machine Wars Starscream!

Don't think much of Soundwave's clunky speech patterns. Wish they'd decide on a spelling for Sentinel Prime.

Nice to see the gladiator origin being worked in. Wasn't really keen on a lot of the criticism of #1 being "he's meant to be a gladiator!" - makes sense that he was something before then.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:21 pm

It's not the ideas, per se, that are the problem with this series. It's the jumbled execution of these ideas that is really hurting this series. A lot of this is because of the pisspoor art, of course. But much of it is from weakness in the writing.

If someone were to ask me how I would sum up Megatron thus far, I would describe him as an autistic child with multiple personality disorder who is unsure of what he really wants to do. "Kills someone? Yes! Oh wait.....should I really do that? Geez, I feel guilty now. Wait! No I don't! Have at you! BAM!"

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:38 pm

A bit better than issue 1. In fact, I don't see the point of issue 1 at all - was it even referred to?

Still have trouble following the art. Except for in the middle that is, when it was drawn by Matere not Milne.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:45 pm

spiderfrommars wrote:A bit better than issue 1. In fact, I don't see the point of issue 1 at all - was it even referred to?

Totally agree with you there mate.

spiderfrommars wrote:Still have trouble following the art. Except for in the middle that is, when it was drawn by Matere not Milne.

Ah-ha! That would explain it!

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 3:53 am

Art was still bad, but better, in a DWish kind of way.

I agree that this should be the origin of the Decepticons, not Megatron; he's been relegated to the background and his big turn from blue collar hero to angry savage happened off panel.

I enjoyed Senator Ratbat, Decepticon culture, and the UFCish themed Arena.

Manchester Devil · Post by **Manchester Devil** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:32 pm

The frustrating thing about Megatron: Origin - so far - is that it only displays fleeting glimpses into Megatron's head. The huge number of panels per page and lack of clarity for some under Alex Milne's pencils just slows things down - compare that to Marcelo Matere's pages.

I think Eric Holmes is an idea of where he wants Megatron and the Decepticons to go, it's just he's rushing it toward the conclusion without giving us an insight into Megatron bar said glimpses.

That said, I like seeing Megatron taking his helmet off for two pages, Ratbat and the fighting sub-culture.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:24 pm

Exactly. But that leads me to say, "If this had been called "Birth of the Decepticons" or something, we would be like, 'This is a bad ass story hampered down by bad art.'"

Hot Shot · Post by **Hot Shot** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:18 pm

Got it today. Much better than the first, but it still has its flaws. Definitley worth a read.

Also, has anyone else noticed that the bot that Megatron fights and eventually kills over the first few pages is Go-Bot bad guy Cykill?

Post by **Best First** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:52 pm

i thought it was crap.

The characterisation is appalling, where there actually is any.

And where there isn't any at all... is Megatron.

oh! This week Megatron is a miner!
oh! This week Megatron is a gladiator!
oh! Next week Fireman Megatron! Honk honk!

he might as well be for the amount of insight we are getting in terms of his actions, motivations etc. Oh! but he does some glaring, so that's good. I bet he listens to angry music when he gets home at night. Grr.

rubbish.

Its just all so amatuer - i mean ratbat's dialouge is so cliche its embaressing. Worm! Not to mention on Cybertron it is established fact that that insult is reserved purely for Transformers who turn into pianos. Continuity people.

Plus Soundwave spoke like his cartoon doofus version which is totally out of step with the Spotlight - i expect better editorial skills from IDW.

Basically, my biggest problem with this, is that SF would have done a far better job, and could probably have crammed it into one issue as well.

My second biggest problem with this is that it reads like a crappy TF version of the phantom menace - "Hey kids, remember when your villain was cool*? Not any more!". Maybe in the final issue it will turn out that Sentinel Prime is in fact played by Samuel L Jackson.

Cameo's and cheeky go-bot references would be fun if the central conciet wasn't being dealt with in such a fanwank fashion.

I'm back by the way. Woo-hoo.

*Ok, probably rarely in Megs case, but he sure isn't getting any cooler

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:32 pm

Best First wrote:And where there isn't any at all... is Megatron.

oh! This week Megatron is a miner!
oh! This week Megatron is a gladiator!

Aye. It's kinda like they've worked out the basic background "okay... he used to be a miner... there was a rebellion... he went on the run... became a gladiator... gained support there" and realised that it's sound in theory, but then forgot to actually come up with anything to flesh it out.

As such we've got an entire issue of "he's a miner... and there's a rebellion" without them actually focussing on why there's a rebellion.

Like you say, what we've got so far is about the first three pages of a Spotlight.

I could probably bear that nothing much happened in the first issue if not for the fact that, when it did happen, I couldn't work out what the hell it was.

Oh, and if it ended up having any relevence to the second chapter.

i mean ratbat's dialouge is so cliche its embaressing.

It's also directly opposed to the basic tenet of Ratbat's character. The minutae is all he cares about, dammit. He should be leaping at the chance to fill in forms... as it is, he's just generic EEEEEVIL senator who just happens to have the same name as an established character.

Plus Soundwave spoke like his cartoon doofus version which is totally out of step with the Spotlight - i expect better editorial skills from IDW.

Maybe Fireman Megatron slaps him upside the head and straightens it out?

I think the Star Wars comparison's a bit harsh. It's not quite the same level as "The Badass of All Badasses turned evil because he's a whiny brat with no backbone and by the way, kids, love is wrong". I think in principle, the basic beats are sound... it's just that there's nothing in between them to actually make it believable.

At least Revenge of the Sith looked pretty. This doesn't even have that.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 2:48 pm

A decent internal dialogue could actually save this - if instead of a whole page of people shouting "Hooray" as Megs puts his hat back on it, they were chanting "Megatron! Megatron! Megatron!" a la State Games, and he could have internally mused on the real meaning of power and whatnot...it just annoys me that Megatron's panels are mostly devoid of any text whatsoever...and then as Megs swings the axe onto Cy-Kill, what's with all the "'Till all are one!" text boxes? Who are they even attributable to at this point? Megatron? The crowd? Clench? Cy-Kill? Why would anyone be saying "'Till all are one!" over and over at this point?

Man, Clench is completely wasted in this issue. I love Clench, and for him to go to pieces in the middle of a battle seems totally out of character, though I appreciate that this is the first real characterisation he's ever had aside from
A vehicle of terrifying power and pure evil. Combines a keen brain with diabolical cruelty. His whole being is dedicated to vengeance. A nightmare opponent, powered by pure hate and throws aside anybody foolish enough to get in his way. As a vehicle attacks from all sides with vast weapon power and does terrible damage with his vicious, rear mountied grabbing claw. Menacing in intermediate mode as a multi-purpose battle station. As a gigantic robot, towers terrifyingly above all.

Still, I was kind of hoping he'd get a bit more development that "the team leader that Megatron replaces" and written out in such a shoddy style.

Argh, I could go on but mostly I agree with Besty on this one. It's just...wrong. Some nice touches, some nice cameos and the odd spark of brilliance, but mostly it feels amateurish, fanwanky and indistinct.

5/10 - could have been great

Post by **Best First** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:10 pm

The thing that really gets me about the Clench bit is that he says "Circle Formation" and no one does anything, but then Megs gets on of their own killed (not sure how this is supposed to inspire loyalty) and then says "Circle Formation" and everyone is like "oh, ok then".

Wow, what an amazing leader he is.

Not to mention the art in the scene where Megs is (as far as i can tell from the dialogue) supposed to do some really fancy move with the weapon he pulls out of Clench actually makes it look like he does some he would be best off walking at the front of a marching band.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:41 pm

Best First wrote:Not to mention the art in the scene where Megs is (as far as i can tell from the dialogue) supposed to do some really fancy move with the weapon he pulls out of Clench actually makes it look like he does some he would be best off walking at the front of a marching band.

"Wow!"
"Didya see that?"
"Yeah, he pulled off the mighty Twirl of Doom!"

Another unnecessary use of the insult "worm" too, I think you'll find. God, that scene is just painful to watch. Does Megs grab Clench from behind and force him onto the spear? (no sniggering at the back, now) Do we even see Betabear? Why do Skyquake and Stalker switch sides to Megs so quickly after he's just torn Clench a new one? Aren't they supposed to be buddies or something?

Post by **Best First** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:50 pm

I think the notion that 'Betabear' is a good name for a Transformer alone condemns this issue to the scrap heap to be honest.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 12:50 am

Best First wrote:I think the notion that 'Betabear' is a good name for a Transformer alone condemns this issue to the scrap heap to be honest.

Oh hell, are you so right about that.

I seriously stopped at that point, closed the comic, looked up, and asked "Betabear? Did that just say Betabear?" Then, I opened it up and couldn't help laughing my ass of.

Did Holmes think that was being creative? Please tell me when he wrote that, he himself was having a chuckle. Please tell me that.

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:36 am

Liked that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were in one of the crowd gladiator scenes.

And that Wheezel was scrapped by the constructicons.

The rest was a waste of good paper.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 12:05 pm

I think the Megatron mini is everything that was wrong with Dreamwave.

"Hey look - it's this character! Isn't that cool?"
"Maybe... why are they there? Other than subgroup groupings?"
"Hey, this is happening! Isn't that cool?"
"Not really... depends why it's happening and what relation it has to other stuff..."
"OH MY GOD LOOK AT THIS REFERENCE! WE'RE AWESOME!!!!1111oneoneohenee"
"I can't see the reference because I can't make out the art..."
"Buy our stuff!!!"

Post by **Best First** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 12:47 pm

indeed, in essence a very odd step backwards for IDW.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:14 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote: Man, Clench is completely wasted in this issue. I love Clench, and for him to go to pieces in the middle of a battle seems totally out of character, though I appreciate that this is the first real characterisation he's ever had aside from
A vehicle of terrifying power and pure evil. Combines a keen brain with diabolical cruelty. His whole being is dedicated to vengeance. A nightmare opponent, powered by pure hate and throws aside anybody foolish enough to get in his way. As a vehicle attacks from all sides with vast weapon power and does terrible damage with his vicious, rear mountied grabbing claw. Menacing in intermediate mode as a multi-purpose battle station. As a gigantic robot, towers terrifyingly above all.

Still, I was kind of hoping he'd get a bit more development that "the team leader that Megatron replaces" and written out in such a shoddy style.

Apparently, Simon didn't know Holmes was using Clench in the Origin... I asked him about an old interview back in the DW era that he had plans on using Clench and Pyro as precursors to OP and Megs...

Here you can find what he said on his blog:

http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2007/0 ... /#comments

What gives me hope is that he said he plans to weave some loose threads from Origin into the ongoing... I only wish G1 WAS and ongoing, not 6-issue minis...

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:29 pm

BB Shockwave wrote: I only wish G1 WAS and ongoing, not 6-issue minis...

Yeah. But it seems people have stopped asking about it.

Do we accept it as a neccessary evil to keep our favourite comic selling?

Post by **Best First** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:12 am

i suspect it hurts sales if anything.

However whether it hurts sales more than a drop in quality due to a more hectic schedule i do not know.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:16 am

I'd rather have a succession of six issue minis filled by the occasional spotlight than nothing at all.

And, thinking about it (and ignoring Infiltration #0, which came out in Oct 05), the main continuity has been going 21 months, and we've had 25 comics released in it (two six issue minis, one four issue mini and nine spotlights).

I prefer this format for telling the story they're doing than if all those 24 parts had been one ongoing, as it would have meant back and forth all over the place and broken up the flow.

As it stands, they can do something like Escalation and have concurrent flashbacks (Ultra Magnus, Sixshot, Soundwave) that add context to the twists, without having to break away from the main arc for a month whilst they say "OH! Before we do that, we need to show you this happening... no, there's no reason... it might be important later").

[EDIT] Of course Marvel UK dealt with this problem by having two stories per issue, but demz da breakz.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 11:25 am

It just seems it's been a bleak Summer, TF comicwise.

Post by **Best First** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:04 pm

yeah, 2 fairly good spot lights.

but in the shadow of an uninspired movie prequel, a low quality movie adaption, the entirely rubbish TF/Avengers and Megs: Origin, which i personally think is a piece of fanwank and little more.