TF Ongoing Miniseries #6 Review (SPOILERS)

[Yaya]

Predictability's a bitch, innit?

So much was riding on this final issue. Would it surprise us? Would Costa throw us any curveballs? Unfortunately, no. Pretty much everything I figured would happen, happened. Which is not a good thing, IMO.

For the unindoctrinated new reader who lacks a strong familiarity with prior TF storylines of times past, it might be right up their alley, a nice introductory six issue miniseries featuring the classic generic "Prime Saves the Day" moment to bring them up to speed regarding what the Transformers universe has been about the past twenty years.

But for the well-informed TF fan who has come to expect more from his TF comic experience, for the fan who has read every TF issue from three different publishers spanning almost three decades, well, I find myself again in disappointment territory, to say the least.

I would describe this first arc like so many a TF story these past few years. Mediocre with a smattering of excellence here and there that finally ends in an underwhelming fashion.

Like Infiltration, this series suffered from being two to three issues too long. It will read better as a trade, but why should that be a saving grace? LSOTW reads just fine issue to issue without sacrificing character development. Why should this not be the case for the main TF title?

What's there to like? Swindle, Thundercracker, and Ultra Magnus all shine in this series, and their moments I found to be the most enjoyable in the series. Thankfully, their involvement in this arc helps to blunt the brain-numbing effect the two most annoying characters of this series have on the reader: Spike Witwicky and Optimus Prime.

Seriously, Prime has lost his mojo. I've been annoyed at Prime before for, well, being Prime. And I've accepted him and loved him for it. But his unencumbered talk-to-the-hand passive-agressivity in this series is taken to new nausea-inducing heights, especially in this issue. If I were an Autobot, I'd do exactly what Hot Rod did at the end. Speak nary a word, steal a ship, and get as far away from Optimus as possible.

Don's art is again fantastic, and the battle scenes with Menasor did not disappoint.

So yeah, overall, I'm disappointed. I think having seen the covers of upcoming issues posted around the web really hurt my experience. I don't think the story would have been quite as predictable. I avoid the solicits, and still the covers were enough to spoil whatever surprises might have been present.

As a series, I would say it wasn't bad. Issue #4 was fantastic and the others weren't bad. But I was hoping for some curveballs and surprises to conclude this arc, and didn't get any. I was hoping that by the end of this issue, I wouldn't be able to wait for the next.

But you know what? I can wait.

Give this issue a "B-", and the series a "C+" thus far.

[Jack Cade]

Was I right then, Yaya?

[Yaya]

About Prime, I stand corrected. You were absolutely on the money. He is annoying.

The other stuff...yeah, you were right there too. But... there is some stuff at the end that I didn't see coming that has potential.

For me, it will really depend on pacing from here on out. Poor pacing can really take down a story, even one that shows promise. I would have been much more accepting of this arc, despite the predictable nature of it, had it been three or four issues max.

Despite the foibles, I'm still not ready to do away with Costa, as Bumblebeemus is. I've seen enough of Mike now to think that, with some minor adjustments, he could be a keeper. I enjoy his dialogue and I think he's excellent at inner monologue and character focus. He does seem to have ample grasp of the cast.

There's just one corollary to keeping Costa on the ongoing. Roche must be given mini's to coincide with it. Roche has to be involved on a monthly basis, and I think with competent editing, the vast cast of TF makes it a viable option to do this. In fact, I'm pretty sure Rocherts have an upcoming project that has yet to be announced that likely will involve a certain One-eyed giant purple people eater.

[Jack Cade]

Potential, potential, potential - it's getting to be a bit of a frustrating theme, isn't it?

[Yaya]

Potential, potential, potential - it's getting to be a bit of a frustrating theme, isn't it?

Aye, tis.

Perhaps giving Rocherts the ongoing is for the best.

[bumblemusprime]

Hear hear!

We haven't even seen what Rocherts could do with the A-listers. I would love to see them write Prime and Megs.

[Predabot]

'Twas ok. Not quite mind-blowing, but not bad at all. As a lot of you say, one can kind of see a lot of potential in the story in quite a few places, but it never quite blooms out entirely.

Swindle's first (?) meeting with Prime is somewhat iconic tho. ^^

**spoilers**


Anybody else think Rodimus didn't actually steal that ship just to get off-world? As far as I could tell, he was listening in on what they said about being lost along with the Matrix. And getting a hold of the Matrix is precisely why he's now going out into outer space. On an.. uh...hmm... "Matrix Quest."

'Twould be cool if he met Metroplex.

[Best First]

Finally got this.

To be honest it felt pretty dreamwavey - silly human alliance, old combiner plot riff.

Some good stuff, fight scene was great, but then the ending, which was supposed to have punch is deflated by the gaping flaw in the series which is that the war is not and was never over - BB's and UM's standoff in which Magnus starts to actually state where his authority comes from (which i would be interested in) ends with BB basically saying "SHUT UP. WE ARE STILL PRETENDING THE WAR IS OVER"

Its not done digging itself out of this collosal hole.

[Jack Cade]

I read this today but decided not to buy it. I think that's it with me giving the Ongoing a chance unless things seriously pick up.

I didn't even really like the fight scene. Menasor ended up looking like a sieve, which - while it's exactly the kind of damage I like to see Transformers getting - doesn't really justify Prime's arrival, any of the supposedly clever tactics or the idea that he took down Magnus. He didn't even have a weapon - he was just a big, lumbering bullseye.

I also love how Bumblebee asks Magnus a question, Magnus begins to answer it (an explanation we'd all like to hear, I might add) and Bumblebee basically responds: "No, you weren't supposed to answer it because I don't really care - that was just the lead-in to me standing up to you."

I remember when people were calling Prime a coward after issue #1, and Mike Costa said something like: "Wait until the end of this arc and then see if you still think he's a coward."

Does it count if I think he's an ass-hat? And that all his stunt achieved was showing up the rest of the Autobots as ass-hats as well? It just doesn't seem to count for anything. Everyone's still looking to him to save the day, he's still doing it and nothing that has happened really explains why he's abandoned the rest of the Universe to its fate.

The art was pretty good - except, as per usual, the humans and faces.

[Best First]

"Hello. I've come back to save the day"

"Oh! Thank god!"

"By the way, you guys totally need to figure out how to save the day on your own"

This is starting to feel more like AHM - i can see what they are trying to do (i think) but it ain't working.

[bumblemusprime]

Of course we will all pick up #7 for our EJ-crack, thus counteracting whatever sales hits this issue took.

[Yaya]

I remember waaay back in Marvel #12, how exhilirating it was when Prime finally got his head back on his body. After what seemed like an eternity of taunts and jeers from Shockers issue after issue, he proceeded to kick the ass of the entire Decepticon army. Single-handedly.

Never, and I mean never, was there a time I actually cheered, out loud, seeing my favorite character get his monocular ass handed to him and thrown into a swamp by the champion of all champions. He was Optimus Prime. And though he had a chance to finish off Shockwave once and for all, he did the stupid thing and ran down the street to save Buster. But you know what? I loved him for it.

I loved how efficiently, when put to the test, when that line was crossed, he could take down an army by himself, then revert back to his compassionate emotionally-driven impractical self.

But this Prime? God save us all, this Prime???? I want Galvatron or some unholy beast from the depths of a smelting pit to take him down, and take him down for good. With Spike in tow.

I don't think that's the kind of feelings Costa was trying to stir up, do you?

[Guest]

Don't worry, Yaya.

As someone wrote in a different topic about this:

As a trade, I think it will actually be worth a read.

[Yaya]

Of course we will all pick up #7 for our EJ-crack, thus counteracting whatever sales hits this issue took.

Don't you know by now, sales are indirectly proportional to quality? LSOTW is their lowest selling TF book. The world is nuts.

But yeah, E.J. I don't care if #7 is Megatron and Screamer doing ballet together in miniskirts, if E.J. can do what he did last time, he's got my money.

[snarl]

Of course LSOTW is the lowest selling book.

Anybody who has been to another TF forum should by now know that the majority of Transformer fans are ******* idiot *****.

And probably paedophiles.

[bumblemusprime]

(calls Snarl's house)

[snarl]

Ah, that guy.

I doubt he'll call. I think he's probably too busy ******* his own mum, even though mother nature beat him to it.