Transformers #3 Review (SPOILERS)

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 12:44 am

Another nice issue.

Skimpy on the action side, but on the character-focus side of things, it's exactly what I want to see. Though I will say Jetfire seemed a bit out of sorts.

Loved the Swindle and Blurr moments. Awesome.

Art great, as usual. I wonder if Don made Huffer the ugliest bot I have ever seen on purpose.

Give it a "B". Issue read quick and not much plot progression, but still enjoyed it. Three issues in, things are still looking good to me.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 12:11 pm

I winced when Hot Rod called Jetfire 'J.F.' (Kennedy?). I swear, if someone calls Thundercracker TC next issue, I quit reading...

The faces are somewhat better this issue, but the plot is still thin and uninteresting. With Furman, you always knew there was at least 3 conspiracies and hidden agendas in the background, here you can pretty much guess what's gonna happen. Even Mr. General-guy's plan is transparent as a piece of glass.

Post by **Best First** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:21 pm

Did i miss an issue where all the Autobots became total idiots?

That was like a flashback to a Bob B comic.

Manchester Devil · Post by **Manchester Devil** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 3:59 pm

You would've thought Hot Rod would know better than to trust some Decepticons to help his lot out, especially if you're the kind of continuity hound who likes to have Costa's stuff as a continuation of Furman's material. In which case you'll end up wondering how the hell did Beachcomber got better.

Speaking of Beachcomber, what the hell is up with that bloke who just ran up to him and tagged him in the chest like a NBA player getting a slamdunk? I mean, what. the. hell? At least everyone with a mouth actually has a proper set of dentures.

Man, I'm missing Furman's common sense grounded space operas.

Post by **Best First** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 5:55 pm

I have reread this a few times now.

My favourite bit is where Seaspray and Cliffy don't get names, they may as well have a box that says 'Unimportant' under both of them.

Seriously tho - the central premises, that the war is over and that Prime saw squatting on earth as the right thing to do - are just so paper thin - and everything seems to stem from this.

Certain rooms might look nice, but the foundations are quicksand.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:50 pm

Best First wrote: That was like a flashback to a Bob B comic.

That describes all the Costa run I've read or heard about thus far.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:31 am

Certain rooms might look nice, but the foundations are quicksand

.

I wouldn't say it's on quicksand just yet, but I know where you're coming from. We're kind of at that stage in the game where things can get tenuous.

I think Costa has to be careful at this juncture with not falling into the same trap as McCarthy (or Simon on Infiltration) with the pacing.

In other words, the next issue has to move the story along. The first issue did that well, cutting to the chase right away. The second was just set up, as was the third. In my opinion, the third issue is usually the most crucial, yet it was the weakest of the three here.

Happily, the Bumblebee mini looks to be quite irrelevent in relation to the ongoing, and stands on it's own (or falls on it's own, as it were).

And now a Prowl spotlight is on the way. When I think about it, I kind of wish they just did away with spotlights altogether and inserted them into the ongoing as one-shot tales like they did back in day with Marvel. Things end up less convoluted that way, and all readers are on the same page.

I'm thinking this fourth issue is sort of a 'make or break' moment for this ongoing. I'm happy with what we've got so far, but things could go south quickly (ala quicksand) if Autobots are still hiding in caves.

Post by **Best First** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:57 am

Yaya wrote:
Certain rooms might look nice, but the foundations are quicksand
.

I wouldn't say it's on quicksand just yet, but I know where you're coming from. We're kind of at that stage in the game where things can get tenuous.

Hmm, i'm not talking/caring about pacing at this juncture - the quicksand is the premise - that the war is over.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:36 pm

Best First wrote:the quicksand is the premise - that the war is over.

Worked for BW. Worked for BM.

Bear in mind I have no idea about the context of the discussion, I'm just reading random posts. Which is far more fun than reading **** comics.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:32 pm

Flicked through this in FP while looking for LSOTW (which they have, but won't put on the shelves until tomorrow, the bar stewards) and...well, I don't think "meh" is non-committal enough. "Feh" or "pff" might do.

Very pleased I gave up TF comics halfway through AHM. Aside from Roche's Prowl/Kup issue and LSOTW, I really couldn't care less any more.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 1:41 am

Best First wrote:
Yaya wrote:
Certain rooms might look nice, but the foundations are quicksand
.

I wouldn't say it's on quicksand just yet, but I know where you're coming from. We're kind of at that stage in the game where things can get tenuous.
Hmm, i'm not talking/caring about pacing at this juncture - the quicksand is the premise - that the war is over.

Yeah, it really is a stupid ass premise. How can the war be over just because Megatron dies. I mean, what do the rest of the Decepticons scattered throughout the galaxy do, just give up? Is it some sort of Order 66 Clone Wars kind of thing, where Megatron dies, and all Decepticon just automatically stop functioning?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:25 pm

Yaya wrote:Yeah, it really is a stupid ass premise. How can the war be over just because Megatron dies. I mean, what do the rest of the Decepticons scattered throughout the galaxy do, just give up? Is it some sort of Order 66 Clone Wars kind of thing, where Megatron dies, and all Decepticon just automatically stop functioning?

OK. I'm gonna swap 'Megatron' with 'Optimus Prime' and 'Decepticons' with 'Autobots' and pretend we're discussing early issues of AHM.

Yaya almost wrote:Yeah, it really is a stupid ass premise. How can the war be over just because Optimus Prime dies. I mean, what do the rest of the Autobots scattered throughout the galaxy do, just give up? Is it some sort of Order 66 Clone Wars kind of thing, where Optimus Prime dies, and all Autobot just automatically stop functioning?

Yup. Sounds pretty much like AHM to me.

Post by **Best First** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:59 pm

At least with AHM...

...and i never thought i would start a sentance that way...

...there was an allusion to a load of off camera stuff with multiple strikes against Autobot based. Now obvioulsy this is a terrible way to tell a comic story but it was there.

In fact that is one of the problems with new new series - we have been told that the Deceps have taken down a huge chunk of the bots in AHM, yet apparently shooting Megs in the face suddenly means that none of that counts.

And we always get this 'lots of time has passed' nonsense - don't care - tell a decent stroy rather than hiding behind ommissions.

In fact using an unseen intervening period to derive plot points from twice in a row is appalling.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 3:59 am

Caught up.

Incredibly unimpressed. The word, I think, is "putrid." Mike Costa has made my handle true, for which I thank him. Everything else... euhh.

1) The Transformers have never looked uglier. Every TF fan, it's safe to say, loved Don's work. So now he has alienated half of the fanbase he already had. Does he drop half his friends every few years?

2) This story is going nowhere. The Autobots have been sitting around arguing for three issues while the major threat--humans!--have been trying to pick them off. And not even interesting humans. "I had some business to attend to... IN BED."

At least AHM started out with action. Things happened. For that matter, War and Peace had promise because stuff happened. And on Furman's first run on Marvel US, Megatron came back at the end of the first issue. Say what you like about Infiltration, too, but there was chasing and shooting and smashing in the first issue.

3) The Autobots are suddenly not the battle-hardened soldiers of the -ations. They can't fire on humans? So when Prime killed the driver for the Machination, he suddenly had a change of heart?

I really, really hate this notion that humans are a credible threat to a species that has faster-than-light travel and shapeshifting capabilities. The Machination might have been a credible threat, but we've got no evidence that the humans have any kind of headmaster-related technology.

Bah. This is all of Bob Budiansky's worst tendencies returned. Oh well, at least the Car Wash of Doom issue will be fun.

Post by **Best First** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:54 am

bumblemusprime wrote: Oh well, at least the Car Wash of Doom issue will be fun.

Except this time Spike will take some bubble bath and a couple of hookers with big fake tits cos that is how he rolls.

God i hate new Spike. What a clart.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:26 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:Flicked through this in FP while looking for LSOTW (which they have, but won't put on the shelves until tomorrow, the bar stewards) and...well, I don't think "meh" is non-committal enough. "Feh" or "pff" might do.

I recommend "Ptah!" It worked for me. It also shows off your knowledge of egyptian mythology.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:56 pm

BB Shockwave wrote:I recommend "Ptah!" It worked for me.

Did you wipe the spittle off afterwards?

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 10:51 am

Rebis wrote:
BB Shockwave wrote:I recommend "Ptah!" It worked for me.
Did you wipe the spittle off afterwards?

No, that shows your devotion to Ptah.