Ironhide #3 Review (SPOILERS)

[Yaya]

Not as good as the last two issues, but not bad.

I enjoyed A3. Thought he looked cool in that outfit, impracticality aside. Liked the fact that not only was he an old codger, but he's an old codger stuck on himself.

Liked the fact that Ironhide doesn't remember anything from the past, which should make things interesting after his rescue of a certain down-but-not-out bot.

That artwork is just awesome. Casey, please stick with this. It's your calling. The coloring was perfect too.

But there were some negatives as well, some which just seem to be a running theme for IDW. I mean, is it Hasbro mandate that you have to be able to read an issue in under five minutes? Is it Hasbro mandate that you can only have four panels at most per page, one line of dialogue per panel? This approach really detracts from the experience. It really does, and something needs to be done about it. Andy, I hope you're listening.

Give it a "B-". Skimpy plot progression, poor use of space (again), but enjoyed what was there.

[Professor Smooth]

I really enjoyed this issue. In fact, this issue has made me enjoy the last two issues even more. And I really liked THOSE issues, too!

Jeez, IDW. First Last Stand of the Wreckers then Ironhide? You're really nailing it with these mini-series. You're not actually going to make me enjoy Drift, are you? I don't WANT to like Drift. In fact, I doubt that I'm alone here in saying that I get some enjoyment from DISliking Drift.

(Unlike Spike, who I just dislike entirely. Like, I'm angry when he's on the page. He's the X-Pac of Transformers characters.)

Tell you what... Let's switch! You make Drift as bad as it should be and then maybe stop making me actively dislike every single character in the ongoing?

[Kinf Og The World]

So, Ironhide's the Chosen One. He alone will wield the strength and skill to give a jolly good 'Hiding to all the Swarm. Apart from that one Dourifto killed. And the one Percy shot. And the ones that got 'sploded off a bridge.

So if he's so rufty-tufty, how come they were doing so ponk back when he had alla Earthforce and the All New Wrecker Show to help out?

Shock! There was some actual exposition at the end of this one! Not much, but hey. Baby steps. Not holding out much hope for Alpha Bludgeon, even though the electromagnetic gubbins could hint toward it. And his 'ambient stealth field' Furman made up for the Ultimate Guide. Dunno what's up with his beard though... Simpler tooling for the eventual toy?

Still, then we've got Arrrrnhide, Alf Trion and Sunny mooching around in Metroplex all their own with nothing to do after the bug hunt but fill up endless pages without speech bubbles. Dull. Sitcom time!

"COOOURSE I brought you back to life, you silly gasket! You're an Autobot, aintcha? You're FAMILY, innit! FAAAAMILY!
Not like them Swarmies. They come over here, from the Jungle Planet, nicking our Cybertron! That's that Meggies fault, that is. Bladdy Decepticons! Letting 'em come here! Primus wasn't no Swarmie! Naaah! He was an Autobot! Born and bred! An' I should know!"

There's yer next mini. The Transformers - In Stasis Lock and in Health. Alf's already in West Ham's colours.

Also reading Bumblebee. I think the Autobots handed me the Idiot Ball.

At least Wheeljack seems to have turned into the bitchy Dr Smoov WJ in it though. That's gotta be one silver lining. Guys? Guys?

[bumblemusprime]

Can we have Kinf re-caption the comic? Please?

[Metal Vendetta]

Gah, I wonder if Hasbro mandated A3, considering their plans for him as one of the 13...because I am sooooo sick of Alpha-bloody-Trion right now, the lame-arsed Xaaron wannabe.

[snarl]

Well...

That was complete ****.

[Legion]

What we appear to be reading is the gradual undoing of everything that happened in AHM. Whilst I like the idea of that, I think its a shame IDW don't have the courage of their convictions. before we know it we'll all end up in one big recursive retcon.

[Brendocon]

Gah, I wonder if Hasbro mandated A3, considering their plans for him as one of the 13...because I am sooooo sick of Alpha-bloody-Trion right now, the lame-arsed Xaaron wannabe.

Xaaron was gold. GOLD. Always believe in your soul. You've got the power to know you're indestructible. Always believe it.

Alpha Trion was pink. One of the **** Aerosmith songs. It just goes with the fashion.

I rest my case.

[inflatable dalek]

Xaaron was gold. GOLD. Always believe in your soul. You've got the power to know you're indestructible. Always believe it.

He even managed to get more gold as the comic went on. That's how mother ******* awesome he was.

[Kinf Og The World]

Bumblemus, I don't think the comics are redeemable with recaptioning at the mo. It still hurts.

Xaaron was and still is a Solid Gold Bomb. Alf is probably mandated by Hasbro, what with 13 toys on the way. But the Xaar is cooler by far. He's got Iron Man's old gob and everything! And he's an Actionmaster! Make a toy of THAT, Hasbro! IDW put that old annual story in their Best of OP book, and managed to keep the 1st and 2nd pages switched the wrong way round still. So yeah.

Finished Bumblebee. Missed opportunity. There was some hints at good bits in it, just snaffued by lazy editorial control and dumbing down 'Well, that'll be the last we see of him' Autoberk cartoon plotting. Pity, Xander Cannon's a good artist and writer, but it's the ol' IDub 'Grab a comic writer who's been in print and cheapish, sit 'em down and get 'em writing.' Then put out whatever they do. If their editors don't know TF, then what hope have they got? The Blurr turbospeak from G1 was a dead givaway, and no-one told him. Chee's okay, but just drawing what he wanted didn't help. Specially when it guffs up plot points like the badges. Wasn't it that IDW Guidi postcard Bumblebee and Ratchet designs the ones at the top of TFwiki at the time? I like how it was 'for the kids' but it's got Frenzy covered in cow blood as one of the back cover picks. Smooth move.

The mandate seemed to be 'Make BB more like the movie dude, because he puts bums on seats. Oh and throw in a Sari too. Kids like Sari'. Fast and loose, fast and loose. AWSUM ENDING!

Then they done gone messed that up bad with naff 'Oh, he's gone back to VW mode again. Ooops. No, he's a muscle car'. Derp.

We're just lucky he hasn't lost his voicebox yet. He'll probably mess that up when falling off the back of Thundercracker. TOTAL XTREAME SPORTZ ATTACK DOOD! RADICAL!

[Best First]

Er, i rather enjoyed that. It was kind of silly. In a good way.

More self important thoughts to follow

[snarl]

Not worth buying, but not the total, utter **** it looked like in the preview.

[Sunyavadin]

Is it just me or does "Alpha Trion" REALLY look like a thinly disguised Hot Rod?

Complete with his Shattered Glass beard?

[Kinf Og The World]

Er, i rather enjoyed that. It was kind of silly. In a good way.
More self important thoughts to follow

Glad someone enjoyed it - I'd love to enjoy TF comics again, and I ain't that hard to please. Honest. The BB mini just felt slapdash to me. It didn't know what it wanted to be - a kids story, Ladybird style, or a serious BB toughens up mini-series with bombs and cow-drills. Like the Bay movie, it tried to be a bunch of things and didn't excel at any of 'em. And art discrepancies always knock me out of the loop. That G1 Hound and Guidi-style Ratchet obviously turn into a Nissan Onebox Cherry ambulance and a J59 Jeep from their bot mode kibble, but when they're blazing to the rescue, they're obviously a Ford Transit ambulance and a Hummer. That's not artistic licence, that's just sloppy.

Even the paperback edition that I read felt unloved. 2 stock pictures of BB - same as the ones on the freebies that TF UK inundates us with, one full page stock Autobrand, just the covers in the back. No writers thoughts, no introduction, no sketches. Like a red-headed stepchild.

Eager to hear other peoples self-important thoughts. I get bored of mine, coz I've already heard them.

Back on track tho... Rodimus Trion - could be. The under-helmet, his legs under those clip on bits and suspenders, the popped collar... Think I'm just desperate for the story to be in some way not just a slow plod from Plot Point A to Plot Resolution B.
'I got dead and all I got was amnesia and this lousy exterminators job.'
From security expert and bodyguard to the Prime to pest-control for some jumped-up old biddy in the middle of nowhere, with only a drone and a nutbag to chat to apart from the pensioner. That's got to suck.

[Best First]

very late review, as i'm trying to get back into this writing stuff lark;

http://duggerton.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

[Yaya]

Nice review, one that share's almost all sentiments I have about the issue.

Towards the end, I was thinking, "damn, BF might just get this right."

Then the jab at War and Peace.

Almost, Beefster. Almost.

[Mr_Tigg]

Intriguing review – I find it interesting how many people are critical of the ‘wasted panels’ in Costa’s comics. I’m of the belief that if executed well, a lack of dialogue can actually be more powerful at conveying the intended atmosphere of a particular scene. The emphasis is placed on the artist to channel mood and intrigue via panel layout, facial expressions, pacing etc.

For me, the absolute master of this talent is Hiroaki Samura – see the link below for an example and follow the comic through to the fight scene.

http://www.mangavolume.com/index.php?se ... &page_nr=7

The only dialogue across 5 or so pages is “Who?” and “Rokki” – yet I have found myself going back to these particular pages because the art is strong enough to work without dialogue.

Sadly I don’t believe there are any TF artists at the moment who have that level of ability (that’s not to say there aren’t those with the potential – namely Su, and especially Roche). Casey certainly falls short in this area, so I think whilst Costa probably envisioned these scenes relying heavily on the artwork to create atmosphere when he was writing the dialogue, unfortunately it doesn’t quite work.

[Best First]

Intriguing review – I find it interesting how many people are critical of the ‘wasted panels’ in Costa’s comics. I’m of the belief that if executed well, a lack of dialogue can actually be more powerful at conveying the intended atmosphere of a particular scene. The emphasis is placed on the artist to channel mood and intrigue via panel layout, facial expressions, pacing etc.

i agree entirely - when i say wasted panels i am - perhaps unfairly, but i don't believe so given its happended across multiple artists - referring to the direction that seems to go with those panels. For example in both TF9 and IH3 there are whole pages that are just 4 way split, big talking head, not many words a panel. It's boring to look at - it's missing the opportunity comics present to make every panel have meaning, excitment, emotion etc. Of course in one case its full of humans who i don't give a sh*t about as well, which helps not.

So it's not that i don't think art alone can tell a story and in some cases do it more effectively than dialogue, it's that the art is not well used to tell a story. The execution is entirely lacking and my suspicion is that this is not just down to the artists.

The preception of waste is not based on 'is there words or not' its based on whether the panel's add anything to the comic or could more being done with the space available.

[Yaya]

Right, I'm all for telling the story through the art. Hell, that G.I.Joe issue way back in the day had no words the whole issue, and it rocked.

It's the use of the space that matters most. A whole page dedicated to Spike looking at a large screen is wasted space.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

Was that the storm shadow issue?

[Yaya]

Yeah.

There were actually two issue done in that format, if I recall. One was the Storm Shadow one and another was an annual that had Scarlett and Storm Shadow rescuing Snake Eyes from a Cobra facility.

Both were fantastic examples of how to use art alone to tell the story.