Bumblebee #2 Review (SPOILERS)

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:07 am

Wow. That was jarringly bad.

This comic couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Funny? Serious? Aimed at children? Aimed at adults? Profound? Philosophical? Tongue in cheek?

Aside from the art, this is a step way back from the first issue. The dialogue had to be some of the worst in a TF comic.

The first page with Blurr was actually pretty good. I smiled. But thereafter, it simply lost everything going for it, and I might even say it derailed the series as a whole.

The whole premise is just silly. Was Bumblebee's speech intended to be rousing? Cause to me, it was just annoying. The tech to keep the Autobots under control seemed gimmicky. I mean, the Autobots can't speak without the Colonel hearing them because of the device, but Bumblebee can speak to them without the Colonel hearing? What kind of device is that? Contrived, that's the kind.

Give it a "D+", the art being the only positive thing about it. Never have the Autobots looked so annoyingly stupid. By the end, you want Devastator to show up and crush the Autobots to dust.

Post by **Best First** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:40 am

Bah. I just added this to my standing order.

Oh well, Art looks nice....

Jack Cade · Post by **Jack Cade** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:04 pm

I don't know what to make of this. What Yaya says is right, but on the other hand it sets its own bar so low that I actually found parts of it enjoyable - in the same way that you automatically adjust to reading old Stan Lee comics.

Ratchet's improvised congratulation of Blaster for making some 'energon soup' is the sort of thing that reminds me of the TF comics I was drawing myself at 8 years old. So hugely unsophisticated and clumsy, but somehow makes me smile. Might have something to do with him being drawn with a fat chin as well.

Under any kind of scrutiny, the plot makes less sense even than AHM. It's utter balderdash ... but again, because the book seems aware of that, it isn't nearly as painful as McCarthy's writing.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:51 pm

Jack Cade wrote: So hugely unsophisticated and clumsy, but somehow makes me smile.

See, if it was consistently like this the entire comic, maybe I would have, y'know, gotten it. It did remind me at places of some sort of story you might find in a bubblegum wrapper from the 80's, which I might say would have been pleasantly nostalgic, except with each page turned, the tone sort of changes.

I'm not willing to lay $3.99 down for something an 8-year old might conceive. Not even for an 8-year old Jack Cade. No offense.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:38 am

You people are still buying/reading this tosh?

What on Earth for?

Jack Cade · Post by **Jack Cade** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:17 pm

Yaya - what bits did you think constituted tone changes? Even when the comic was trying to be serious, it did it oafishly. Dija notice how the dialogue suggests that Chee and Cannon haven't agreed between them exactly where the Skywatch badges are meant to be?

Yaya wrote:I'm not willing to lay $3.99 down for something an 8-year old might conceive. Not even for an 8-year old Jack Cade. No offense.

What about something I wrote a couple of years ago? Actually, you might have seen it before - http://www.bandijcat.com/wheeljack

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:50 am

Jack Cade wrote:
Yaya wrote:I'm not willing to lay $3.99 down for something an 8-year old might conceive. Not even for an 8-year old Jack Cade. No offense.
What about something I wrote a couple of years ago? Actually, you might have seen it before - http://www.bandijcat.com/wheeljack

Better than many spotlights, I'll say that.

Post by **Best First** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:12 pm

Jack Cade wrote: because the book seems aware of that, it isn't nearly as painful as McCarthy's writing.

in what way does it seem aware?

Read 1 & 2 now - hilarioulsy bad, altho i really like Chee's art.

Badges!!!! FFS!!!!!

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:26 pm

Best First wrote:
Jack Cade wrote: because the book seems aware of that, it isn't nearly as painful as McCarthy's writing.
in what way does it seem aware?

Read 1 & 2 now - hilarioulsy bad, altho i really like Chee's art.

Badges!!!! FFS!!!!!

It's way, way worse than McCarthy. It really is. I agree with BF, I don't think they are 'aware'. Though I enjoyed the first issue for the dialogue and art, the second was so contrived and ridiculous, it was on par with an episode of the cartoon.

In fact, I'd say it's neck and neck with that TF/Avengers crossover for Worst TF Issue from IDW.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:43 am

I'm really enjoying Bumblebee. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I do. I thought the "I can see the articulation seems in your cab" bit was pretty clever.

Post by **Best First** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:13 am

Yaya wrote:
Best First wrote:
Jack Cade wrote: because the book seems aware of that, it isn't nearly as painful as McCarthy's writing.
in what way does it seem aware?

Read 1 & 2 now - hilarioulsy bad, altho i really like Chee's art.

Badges!!!! FFS!!!!!
It's way, way worse than McCarthy. It really is. I agree with BF, I don't think they are 'aware'. Though I enjoyed the first issue for the dialogue and art, the second was so contrived and ridiculous, it was on par with an episode of the cartoon.

In fact, I'd say it's neck and neck with that TF/Avengers crossover for Worst TF Issue from IDW.

eh, i don't think its any worse than AHM - at least here you don't get the feeling the writer is repeatedly patting himself on the back for being so kewl and insightful

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:32 am

Professor Smooth wrote:I'm really enjoying Bumblebee. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I do.

It's because you're a whore for everything. Mystery solved.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:49 pm

Professor Smooth wrote:I thought the "I can see the articulation seems in your cab" bit was pretty clever.

I hope you've misspelt a word or two there, or someone just failed English.

Jack Cade · Post by **Jack Cade** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:59 pm

Best First wrote:in what way does it seem aware?

Best First wrote:at least here you don't get the feeling the writer is repeatedly patting himself on the back for being so kewl and insightful

I guess the latter is more what I meant. Bumblebee seems more like it's being written for kids or something, while AHM was just as cackhandedly written, in its own way, but seemed to think it was a complex, mature narrative.

Post by **Best First** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 3:22 pm

ok, i getacha.

Loving the debate about character over at IDW by the way.

I don't think about 70% of (online) TF fans understand what characterisation is.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 3:32 pm

It's when there's, like, lots of characters in it. Obviously.

Post by **Best First** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 5:46 pm

Brendocon wrote:It's when there's, like, lots of characters in it. Obviously.

No fool, characterisation is when people stand around talking about themselves in a hacknyed fashion - idealy there should be no impetus for this.

This is especially good when it relates to his tech-spec.

Or when a character displays a vocal tic - this is the best characterisation of all as it avoids cookie cutter dialougue. That is proper characterisation and also the reason why Warpath is the most characterful character ever Boom Pow Kablooie.

Characterisation also cannot happen if there are events going on - then it is event driven plotting with no characterisation.

Fact.

Jack Cade · Post by **Jack Cade** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:21 pm

On the subject of the IDW forum, is anyone else having trouble getting on to it? I keep getting this message:

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phpBB : Critical Error

Could not connect to the database

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:36 pm

Jack Cade wrote:supplied argument is not a valid

[...]

Critical Error

Maybe the internet is becoming aware and has started to self-regulate?

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:17 pm

*Runs to complex in the mountains to organize the human survivors