AHM #14 Review (SPOILERS)

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:13 pm

First story was 'meh'. Not sure it added anything to Sunstreaker's history that we didn't know already, but rather just retold what we already do. That Sunstreaker was a tortured soul is no revelation to us. Why not focus instead on how exactly Streaker betrayed the Autobots and how the Decepticons got the codes from Hunterstreaker? Wasted page space. Time to let McCarthy move on to pursue other endeavors.

The second story with Galvatron was satisfying, not because the writing was that impressive (actually, the story was quite lame), but because it gives us some sort of continuity that the abrupt ending of Revelations took from us. What was also nice was that it gave us focused characterization of Cyclonus and Scourge. And of course, having a mad Galvatron is always fun. So I enjoyed this tale more for the character moments, despite the weak story.

Give it a "B-".

Post by **snarl** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:48 pm

Yeah, I saw the previews and the sunstreaker story looked like a mess. Pretty, but a mess.

Like Lindsay Lohan.

It just looked ******* idiotic... The ******* Scientist taking some slag into the room to nail her in front of sunstreaker, then being surpirsed it can talk... It's a ******* head you ****!

And his Reaction... "HA HA, SPEAK MORE, DO MORE OF THE SPEAKING!!!1111" What a ****, and completely in keeping with Mccarthy's inability to write believeable dialogue / "ability" to write completely annoying, unbelievable dialogue. Maybe he's writing from experience and only knows utter ******* *****... ***** with no brains but who have still somehow managed to blag a decent job in a decent place...

Maybe he writes all his characters as an extension of himself?

Well, at least it's good to hear the second story is decent... although mine and your tastes aren't always the same.

Anyway...

Time to [composite word including 'f*ck'] off Mccarthy, you were **** - a breath of vile air.

Can we now have a comic that is a bit more inteligent, bit less cack handed / inept / illogical / littered with plot holes, consumed with jarring unexplained contradictions, weak caricatures and random "badass" posturing and then hopefully we'll have something that IS more entertaining then an abortion.

For ****s sake, it beggars beliefe that people think his stint "ROCKED" and that anybody who (not that it was hard) drew attentiong to the obvious flaws were "WHINERS" and should "CHILL OUT ALREADY"

And god, if you do exist and are up there, please can you somehow whipe out - in a manner of your choosing, although I'd go for botulism - the pandering, moronic, cartoon-mong, AIDS ***** that think AHM was a clever, tight piece of work. For there sakes. Put them out of their misery.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:49 am

snarl wrote: Well, at least it's good to hear the second story is decent... although mine and your tastes aren't always the same.

Actually, the story was weak but there was at least some character development that made it worthwhile, IMO. Art sucked though.

Yeah, I agree, McCarthy's got to go. He has been given enough chances in my book. AHM was a complete waste of time. I gave him the benefit of the doubt hoping he would deliver in the end. He didn't. In all three of his spotlights, he makes his characters bigger than life. Sunstreaker in this issue is some sort of Autobot hero getting cheered on by his fellow bots in a very cheesy scene. Cliffjumper apparently doesn't need anyone, he just kicks everyone's ass all by himself. Drift is the silent badass type that saves the day, Etc, etc.

I think he had maybe three really good issues out of the 14 or 15 he's written. That ain't good percentages.

stranger · Post by **stranger** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 10:49 am

snarl wrote: Maybe he writes all his characters as an extension of himself?

They're all unlikeable, so yeah maybe. It may seem harsh to say something like that, but nothing that I have seen of his online presence is likeable (unless you happen to think he's the greatest thing ever; then you're set).

As for this issue. I've read reviews that continuity is once again shot to bits, but then I suppose that happens when you have god-knows-how-many writers providing the story for 4 issues off the back of 12 months of [composite word including 'f*ck']-all. Hooray!

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 2:00 pm

stranger wrote:As for this issue. I've read reviews that continuity is once again shot to bits, but then I suppose that happens when you have god-knows-how-many writers providing the story for 4 issues off the back of 12 months of ****-all. Hooray!

Because to keep track of continuity from, like, a year ago would be far too difficult for them. Why shouldn't they just retcon away anything they don't like? It's not as if people care about this stuff.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 9:15 am

Sunstreaker story was pointless AND stupid.

Back in Marvel, showing Josie Beller torturing Skids had a point - the majority of RAAT still thought the TFs were soulless machines, and Circuit-Breaker was a darn sadist anyway.

But here, the Machination DARN WELL knows the TFs can feel pain, they are not just machines - heck, they are working for a Decepticon! When their men face Jazz and WJ in Escalation, they were clearly not afraid of them...

Plus, what security is there if a scientist can take his girlfriend down to the top-secret lab? "Hey baby, I wanna show you my giant robot head, wanna make out in front of it?" (That thing staring kills the romance as fast as Unicron's orbiting head, I bet).

IDW's TF storyline is, face it, going down the drain. I'm sticking around only to see something like Spotlight Metroplex happen with the ongoing. If the ongoing fails... I'm off.

(Though, in their advertising of the ongoing, they are really trying to make it look like ANOTHER reboot. Geez. They should have given the reins back to Furman, he could might have saved this mess. )

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:54 am

BB Shockwave wrote:They should have given the reins back to Furman, he could might have saved this mess.

The only reason there is a mess in the first place is because they took the reins away from Furman...

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 7:07 pm

Legion wrote:
BB Shockwave wrote:They should have given the reins back to Furman, he could might have saved this mess.
The only reason there is a mess in the first place is because they took the reins away from Furman...

Well and truly?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:00 pm

It's a variation on the "Anyone But Furman" party line, at any rate.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:14 am

Yaya wrote:
Legion wrote:
BB Shockwave wrote:They should have given the reins back to Furman, he could might have saved this mess.
The only reason there is a mess in the first place is because they took the reins away from Furman...
Well and truly?

No i think its also because they enforced a ridiculous issue structure - 6 issues, hige break, 6 issues.

Plus Spotlights that were essential to the main story.

If they had found a way to combine the two into an ongoing i think Furman's plans for the new 'verse would have resonated a lot more with a wider audience.

Jack Cade · Post by **Jack Cade** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:58 am

Six-issue mini-series? Fine.
Ongoing? Fine.

Ongoing half-assedly disguised as several six-issue mini-series with accompanying one-shots for spurious marketing reasons, involving long breaks in the pace? Bad play.

They should have either jumped in with Furman on an ongoing for at least a year or so, making it clear they they'd need a clean break off point a la G2, or they should have edited him more severely so that the mini-series format worked. I can entirely sympathise with them wanting to start a new direction with a new writer, but they shouldn't have put themselves in a situation where they had to put the brakes on several ongoing plot threads in order to do so.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:27 pm

Best First wrote:
Yaya wrote:
Legion wrote: The only reason there is a mess in the first place is because they took the reins away from Furman...
Well and truly?
No i think its also because they enforced a ridiculous issue structure - 6 issues, hige break, 6 issues.

Plus Spotlights that were essential to the main story.

If they had found a way to combine the two into an ongoing i think Furman's plans for the new 'verse would have resonated a lot more with a wider audience.

Six-issue mini-series? Fine.
Ongoing? Fine.

Ongoing half-assedly disguised as several six-issue mini-series with accompanying one-shots for spurious marketing reasons, involving long breaks in the pace? Bad play.

They should have either jumped in with Furman on an ongoing for at least a year or so, making it clear they they'd need a clean break off point a la G2, or they should have edited him more severely so that the mini-series format worked. I can entirely sympathise with them wanting to start a new direction with a new writer, but they shouldn't have put themselves in a situation where they had to put the brakes on several ongoing plot threads in order to do so.

Agree with both of these assessments.

Not sure why they felt the need to go the six issue-break-six issue route. Maybe it was for TPB purposes, but other publishers and titles are still able to sell six-issue TPB format with an ongoing.

The biggest gripe I've heard from people who weren't happy with Furman was the pacing (which I agree with). The gap between storylines only magnified the problem.

Then, to tie it all up, to give us a four-issue Spotlight series? WTF?

Bad decisions. Bad decisions that have hurt bad because now even those who were pleased with things initially, the fans that stayed on, the core fanbase that is, are now disgruntled. AHM and M:O only shook our confidence that much more.

This ongoing has to be good. It just has to be.

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 1:43 pm

My opinions on the latest one?

"Replay"
So-so artwork, bouncing between the sort of quality I've come to expect from the majority of TF comics these days (In the last couple of pages, to really amateurish (the flashback to before the Infiltration/Escalation ac)...
Story? Rehashing what's gone before isn't a way to make a good story. Now, if it had some good introspection by Sunstreaker as he died, but no... It evoked no emotion, no empathising with him or his predicament, and to be honest the last pages of art conveyed more WITHOUT the dialogue than the ENTIRE STORY had.

"Rebirth"
I didn't like the art. For starters. It was too... What I'd best describe as "slapdash" (Not the powermaster, he was cooler) - like it was rushed, and lazily coloured. For these characters bolder artwork works best. Something with a darker, grittier feel to it. Like the Galvatron spotlight, or the Cyclonus one. this detracted from the overall feel of something I'd really been looking forward to.
Story? Deus ex machina made me nauseous. How was Galvatron able to do these new things with Scourge? Why couldn't Nova Prime? Sure would have helped them WIN if he could create an army instead of relying on a handful of them. Why is this Galvatron, though arguably heading for the same insanity his Marvel predecessor suffered from Fallen Angel to Time Wars, not the ruthles, determined, but ultimately driven by something OTHER than simple insanity character we saw in his last few appearances? Sloppy writing, but more attempt at characterisation than the other story at least (Which makes me wince, as the other was clearly intended to characterise the protagonist more)

On the upside, got the latest issues of two of the current Deadpool comics at the same time, and while this was better than one of them, the other was quite nice.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:42 pm

I feel like I did toward the end of the Dreamwave run, in that I don't really care whether I get the comics and I usually forget to read them.

That stinks, considering that I was absolutely frothing to get any IDW comics after Escalation.

I have no real interest in the end of AHM. I quit reading it with issue 6, and I keep thinking I should get the trade for the second half, but with things like Daredevil trades to catch up with and X-Factor and The Initiative still good, why bother with a heap of 3.99 comics?

For ****'s sake, IDW--we got a 2002 reboot from Dreamwave, a 2006 reboot from IDW, and then a "fresh start" in 2008 with AHM, now another "fresh start" with the ongoing--I was buying the Furman series because it had actually built up to something!

And who cares about that ****ing movieverse after that product-wanking abortion of a sequel? The robots are hideous, and though I'm not much of a Hunter or Verity fan, they run character circles around Sam and Megan Boobs.

An ongoing from the start would have at least made it easier to recommend the comics--even the trades--to friends. "Yeah, you read Infiltration, Stormbringer, Spotlight 1--then you get back to where you left off in Infiltration."

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:40 am

bumblemusprime wrote: And who cares about that ****ing movieverse after that product-wanking abortion of a sequel? The robots are hideous, and though I'm not much of a Hunter or Verity fan, they run character circles around Sam and Megan Boobs.

My sentiments exactly.

Megan Boobs. Hehe.