Arcee Spotlight Review (SPOILERS)

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:11 am

Got it.

Liked it, overall.

Positives?

The cast grows, with some big hitters this time, including Fortress Maximus and Jhiaxus (he looks like Jhiaxus too!) Banzaitron and his secret service (which we find out includes the Combaticons too) make their appearance. Good to see Jetfire and the Technobots again too.

Certainly, these events that take place away from Earth add scope to this continuity, making things more epic.

Looks like the door is opening for some more gestalts now too.

Another positive is that Milne's art, though still cluttered, is nothing like his Megatron:Origin work, and though I'm not fond of his blocky style, at least things are more clear.

The negatives? Well, the whole gender thing is kind of stupid. "I hate Jhiaxus because he made me......a girl!!!!" But on some level, the idea is pallatable and almost believable, given Jhiaxus' strange experimental tendencies. So where I thought I would be more "nah" on the idea of female Transformers, instead I'm more "ehh".

Overall, enjoyable. Give it a "B".

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:19 am

Sounds interesting. Now let's see if they can do a decent job with Wheelie...without completely changing his character.

Hot Shot · Post by **Hot Shot** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:27 am

Well I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. The entire issue was a big "meh" for me. Milne's art was comparable to Megatron Origins 3 or 4. Cover B was so horrible I made a point to get to the comic shop today to secure an issue with Cover A. As for the story, the "total badass" personality given to Arcee felt overused and unfitting, like Furman figured fans didn't like Arcee only because of her motherly personality in the G1 toon and decided to go the complete opposite. The only real plus I can find in this issue is the introductory of gestalt tech to the Decepticons.

I think this was one of the weakest spotlights so far. It builds the bones of future storylines but the issue itself lacks substance. 6/10

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:23 pm

I liked this issue. They make Arcee into a compelling character (even though she's a Weapon X ripoff), and they deal with her "gender" in a way that adds to the story without being crappy and daft.

Milne's art is better than Megatron : Origins, but I still hate his heads. Like the Fort Max, though.

Storywise, lots of shooting and fighting and fun, along with tidbits about the role of the gestalts and Jhiaxus. Oh, and Jhaxius. Yay Jhiaxus!

To me, the new Arcee characterization and the action + Use of Transformers I think kick ass makes this a great read.

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:54 pm

I... didn't like it as much as I thought I would..

The art was obviously quite confusing at times, but the general idea behind Arcee wasn't all that great either... A super-crazy transexual..? No. Just.. no.

I can get behind the idea that she's one of Jhiaxus experiments, that she was built from the spot to be what she is, but this version was simply.. strange.

The fact that her personality was completely over the top, didn't make it an easier sell either.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:05 pm

hmm, my shop did not seem to have it...

Post by **snarl** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:34 pm

Can't find it in London...

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:35 am

Steve's been shorted. As usual.

Post by **snarl** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:23 pm

Got it.

It's ok.

Don't like Milne's stuff.

The sharp teeth - ******* stupid.

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:06 pm

Interesting. Recent IDW comics - since Dev#4 - have been hard for me to get. I had first assumed it was a reduction in orders made by my LCS due to the bad ordering they had made earlier that's resulted in a glut of Target:2006 and Dinobot reprint issues sitting on the shelves and not selling. However, this proved not to be the case after asking, and the issues started turning up a week or more later. I actually got Dev#5 before Dev#4. They claimed shorting as well.
Does anyone know if this is going to be an ongoing problem? As quite frankly, it's a pain in the arse.

Illustration: Spotlight Arcee showed up in my LCS yesterday. Thought the story was okay, interesting and heavy with future possibilities. Art was on the okayish side of the usual cubist acid-trip nightmare that Milne art seems to engender.

Post by **Denyer** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:30 pm

KingMob wrote:Does anyone know if this is going to be an ongoing problem?

It already is -- Diamond manage to **** up on high-profile books, too. They just care less about the indies.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:25 pm

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would after reading inital comments on here.

We didn't really find out much about Arcee herself, but it has set a few things up nicely.

I really don't like Milne's art though. It's so hard to tell what is going on sometimes.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:54 pm

Liked the art on the bigger pages... he can't do action in small panels so well... I think it's because he tries to overdetail everything and it becomes hard to tell what we're meant to be focussing on.

Enjoyed the issue. Bookended by Arcee more than propelled by her... didn't address the gender issue in quite the way I'd anticipated.

Still, fun little seige-the-gates actioner that sets up future plot strands. Interesting handling of the detention centre premise, what with prisoners being used as back-up.

Plus it had Kick-Off in it. Kick-Off is my second favourite Actionmaster (after Banzai-Tron). My third fave is Axer. I geeked out all over the place.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:28 pm

I liked the detention centre too.

Was interesting to see a bunch of Autobots in amongst the captured sparks.

Longtooth, Skyjack(?) and Repugnus.

Also - confirmation that Bludgeon is still alive (kinda)

More I think about it, the more I liked this issue.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:23 pm

I enjoyed this - although the notion that it was about Arcee was a bit of a laugh really - and the gender issue i felt was addressed in a bit of a throwaway manner - not that i mind it being largely dismissed but the explanation was a bit ill detailed - i mean what does introducing Gender actually mean? And more pertinently the way its written does make it seem like all other TFs are acknolwedged as someway being male rather than sexless which i assume was not the intent.

No keen on the art tho - colouring did not help, which was dark and often a bit garish. Actually i'd almost go so farto say as i'm pretty sure i didn't like the art but the coloring makes it hard to tell - generally i'd say that its competent (way more so than Meg's origin) but lacks any real character - its all silly poses and one of two facial expressions and its always too bloody busy. Oh, and that awful, brittle and seemingly random aproach to drawing battle damage where it looks like everyone got a bit chipped.

Other than that some interesting stuff and some solid first appearances.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:16 pm

Best First wrote:i mean what does introducing Gender actually mean?

Yeah, this was my problem. The "answer" is just a half-arsed generalisation that throws up more questions.

Right. So he altered "her" CNA. Uhm. Yeah. In what way exactly? Okay, that we don't know why is intentional... but we need a better how than that, surely?

At least there was a plausible logic behind the Primes Rib thing. "We've given the robot tits" is a self-contained concept. "Altered on a genetic level" is a bit of a fudge. Changed how? Do TFs all automatically have XY chromosomes, and he tweaked it to introduce a Y? If so, why not actually say that?

As it stands, it's a half-realised concept. Vague references to genetics do not an explanation make.

Still, better attempt than "it's magic, don't ask questions." Jhiaxus is obviously more thorough than Mephisto.

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:18 pm

Easily one of my favourites so far.

I have to say, I really think the artwork's some of the nicest I've seen yet.
And the characterisation seemed like a natural evolution of the G1/Prime's Rib Arcee through her personality in the 3H stories, into something which nicely fits into the new rebooted continuity.

I have to say, she looks FANTASTIC. I'm working on converting an old resin kit Arcee of mine that I never assembled into a model of the Spotlight Arcee.

As for the gender issue?
Well, the G1 comic established the transexual angle and I was all for it. It never made sense robots having gender division naturally - especially when G2 showed them all reproducing by mitosis.

I hope when she finally DOES come face to face with him, more detail will be given as to what exactly has changed internally about her, and WHY she was made this way.

As for the whole "He" thing with the dialogue - I'd say it's a matter of translation. Transformers call each other "He" when referring to themselves in the language of races who have gender divisions, because that's the easiest translation of the cybertronian non-gender specific pronoun. Arcee is "She" because she fits the physical and mental parameters they associate with the female gender in other races.

All in all, of the 4 issues I got this month, this is #1 on my list.
A far more solid story with better artwork than Spotlight:Blaster (And my favourite since Spotlight: Kup) and with a far more interesting story than the really quite "meh" generic battle outside the Decepticon HQ that was only made interesting by Starscream's return and Galvatron's (Admittedly, Deus Ex Machina) role...

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:23 pm

Enjoyed it, though the last 2 pages clunked a bit.

Didn't explain the fembots in Megs: Origin though did it?

Milne's art is better when not rushed and given more room by the script to breathe, like here.

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:28 pm

Welcome to the boards Sunyavadin. I think you may find that your stay here could prove to be both heavenly and harsh.

Sunyavadin wrote:Easily one of my favourites so far.

I have to say, I really think the artwork's some of the nicest I've seen yet.

A far more solid story with better artwork than Spotlight:Blaster

Can't say I agree there, mate. Milne still has big problems from his Dreamwave-days and altho he's getting away from the shadow of Pat Lee, he still has a good long way to go.

Emiliano Santalucia however is a talent that's fully grown so to speak, he's all done, with near flawless anatomy and good clean precise storytelling. Admittedly, he does perhaps not do best at action-scenes, but he makes up for it with his other skills.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:16 pm

Sunyavadin wrote: Well, the G1 comic established the transexual

do you mean asexual?

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:58 pm

spiderfrommars wrote: Didn't explain the fembots in Megs: Origin though did it?

No, but it does kinda retcon them out of existance!

yay!

Post by **Best First** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:58 pm

Shame it doesn't retcon the whole thing out of existence...

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:00 pm

Best First wrote:
Sunyavadin wrote: Well, the G1 comic established the transexual
do you mean asexual?

No, with Arcee it established the, if not transexual, then at least sexual nature of her, as opposed to the asexuality of other transformers.

As for the artwork - while I agree megs:origin had the distasteful Dreamwave "inflatabot" look, we got some much nicer angular stuff in this one. And I like his backgrounds. There's always something to see, and it makes it feel like the characters don't exist in a vacuum.

As for the Origin fembots... I'm going with artistic license on the backgrounds as an explanation, rather than anything canonical. >_>

Predabot wrote:Welcome to the boards Sunyavadin. I think you may find that your stay here could prove to be both heavenly and harsh.

I've lurked here for the best part of the last decade, figured it was about time I started posting. Thanks for the welcome and the warning, hehe. You stick this many rabid fans of something together, it's a danger to expect.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:16 pm

Sunyavadin wrote:
Best First wrote:
Sunyavadin wrote: Well, the G1 comic established the transexual
do you mean asexual?
No, with Arcee it established the, if not transexual, then at least sexual nature of her, as opposed to the asexuality of other transformers.

Nah, Prime's Rib established that Transformers are genderless. The entire point of the story is that they built one with feminine characteristics in order to appease silly humans.

Feminine and female aren't the same. And people who believe otherwise run the risk of ending up in Bangkok hotels with a surprised look on their face. [/Denyer]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search? ... al&x=0&y=0

http://dictionary.reference.com/search? ... al&x=0&y=0

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:35 pm

Brendocon wrote:
Nah, Prime's Rib established that Transformers are genderless. The entire point of the story is that they built one with feminine characteristics in order to appease silly humans.

Feminine and female aren't the same. And people who believe otherwise run the risk of ending up in Bangkok hotels with a surprised look on their face. [/Denyer]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search? ... al&x=0&y=0

http://dictionary.reference.com/search? ... al&x=0&y=0

Be careful not to say this in front of some transgender individuals.

I know at least one MTF whose journal on LJ I read, who'd give you the same treatment Unicron gave Xaaron for saying that.

It's still debatable what amount of gender is determined by biological factors, and what is psychological.
The Prime's Rib Arcee was a transformer with the psychological characteristics of a female, in an asexual body which was given female characteristics. Now, in the real world, someone who identifies as one gender can be surically modified - "Chassis redesign" if you will - to physically match their mental state (And some end up with very, uhm, "well-polished bodywork" to the point that often you wouldn't be able to tell the difference in that Bangkok hotel).

Some VERY small number of people have their sexual organs completely removed because they don't identify as either gender.
Arcee certainly acts as though she identifies as female. And her body is designed to look different to the gender-neutral forms of other transformers, reinforcing that identity.
The other Autobots in Prime's Rib were discussing this very same matter - initially they saw it as nothing more than a change to "upper chassis design" - then Jazz corrected himself that "maybe there's more to it than that".

My big question about the new Arcee is, what was changed INSIDE her. IS she capable of allowing transformers a new means of reproduction? If so she would definitely count 100% as female, and as transexual as her physical sexual nature has changed. If not, she is still a transexual individual as she physically and psychologically can be identified as a member of a gender other than the one she began as.

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:31 pm

Sunyavadin wrote:Be careful not to say this in front of some transgender individuals.

I know at least one MTF whose journal on LJ I read, who'd give you the same treatment Unicron gave Xaaron for saying that.

I'll call someone by whatever pronouns they want out of politeness, but the only thing that makes a person a male or female is a particular chromosome set. It isn't necessarily anything manifest in outwardly-visible biology. Male/female used as adjectives, on the other hand, are non-static cultural categories.

I have no philosophical problem batting anyone back who takes a swing at me, so best of luck and may the best man win...

Sunyavadin wrote:The Prime's Rib Arcee was a transformer with the psychological characteristics of a female

How so? What are the psychological stereoty- er, characteristics of a female?

Sunyavadin wrote:IS she capable of allowing transformers a new means of reproduction? If so she would definitely count 100% as female

If gametes that could be fertilised were involved. Our definitions are predicated on the basis of organic life.

Sunyavadin wrote:she physically and psychologically can be identified as a member of a gender other than the one she began as.

If a being doesn't have a gender, it follows that they can't begin as one -- they could gain one.

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:44 pm

Denyer wrote: If gametes that could be fertilised were involved. Our definitions are predicated on the basis of organic life.

This is why I'm interested in what Furman had to say about how he's basing the new biology of Transformers somewhat on organic biology, just with nanobots replacing cells and "CNA" storing the data on how they are to be constructed....

Denyer wrote:
Sunyavadin wrote:she physically and psychologically can be identified as a member of a gender other than the one she began as.
If a being doesn't have a gender, it follows that they can't begin as one -- they could gain one.

So she gained one. Which would mean she became a distinct one other than the neutral one she was.

Post by **Denyer** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:16 am

Sunyavadin wrote:Which would mean she became a distinct one other than the neutral one she was.

There is no default -- volcanoes, peaches and bacteria don't possess neutral gender; neither do alien robots have it as one simply because they move about and can talk about philosophy, look vaguely like organics, etc.

Sunyavadin wrote:This is why I'm interested in what Furman had to say about how he's basing the new biology of Transformers somewhat on organic biology

Specifically "resemble or mimic" -- there's no question that, as things stand, they aren't organic in this continuity. It'd also mean they don't meet some of our rather xenophobic and limited criteria for life.

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:00 pm

Denyer wrote: Specifically "resemble or mimic" -- there's no question that, as things stand, they aren't organic in this continuity. It'd also mean they don't meet some of our rather xenophobic and limited criteria for life.

Well, this is why I'm most curious how cybertronian abiogenesis is explained without Primus doing it. Come up with a plausible explanation and you'll have given an example of how a form of life other than what we base our classifications on could come about.

Post by **Best First** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:29 pm

asexual then. cool.