Ironhide #4 Review (SPOILERS)

[Yaya]

I'm going to say it, but I shouldn't.

Alpha Trion rocks.

I know, I know, it's crazy. His donning that silly brown robe (which I've grown quite fond of) makes it even crazier.

But this series was worth reading just for him. He's a hoot, and his mockery of Ironhide throughout the series was gold. I think redefining and then injecting a character like him into this mythos is going to make for some good times and a lot of laughs. Costa got the guy right. I found myself laughing out loud four times, and it wasn't the sneeringly sarcastic laugh I let out reading the past few issues of the ongoing.

Liked the way Costa gives a valid explanation for one of McCarthy's plot flaws in AHM for why Cybertron was habitable when the Autobots got beamed to Cybertron and survived it's caustic atmosphere. Always nice when someone other than rabid message board fans fill in the gaps that exist in IDW's TF continuity.

Coller's art is superb. One thing I appreciate in his work is proper use of layout in the panels. It seems all too often artists are hesitant to shrink down the action so that it easily fits within the panel and so that it doesn't seem too crowded. Casey gives us shots from far off, for example, of the Swarm attacking the ark to stress their numbers, and I think this makes for good storytelling. Or when Ironhide ejects from the ark. Rather than fill the panel up with Ironhide in his ejection chair, he shrinks him down so we are left with a view of the Swarm on the ark as well. I like that kind of use of space and hope to see more of it.

The flaw is, again, this story could have been told in two or three issues. If the creative team can address the pacing issues, I think it would go a long way into winning fans back over, even if they are disgruntled by the current story arc.

Give it an "B+".

[Best First]

ooh, that almost sounds ok.

I liked the last issue - precisely because Trion was an absolute wanker. Its a shame there's nothing apporaching this knowing humour in the main book.

[Yaya]

Interesting post, here, that explains why I enjoyed the flow of the story so much more in this issue than in Costa's ongoing:

http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopi ... 284#197284

I have to say, this is a very classy post by Mike Costa. In light of how his work has been so maligned of late, to come out and ensure credit is given where credit is due, well, I respect that.

[Professor Smooth]

I love snarky Alpha Trion. Everything he says is gold. He's like the John Hodgeman of Transformers.

[Kinf Og The World]

So, he's not Bludgeon. Or Roddy. Or anyone but A3. Plot point A to B. 'Kay. Least he has the good sense to have Alf be a jerk about it.

Not so, however, on the first 10 pages of this issue. I knew very early on that this would be Casey's last work for the foreseeable future, so I decided that I'd like to make it as enjoyable for him as possible. Knowing issue 4 would begin with a massive action sequence, I figured I'd let Casey go nuts on it as sort of a victory lap. I E-mailed him and asked him if there was anything in particular he'd like to see happen in it, and the Trion was actually HIS idea (I never would have thought of that.) After that, I simply gave the vaguest-possible descriptions of the action on each page and I let him pace it out and block it as he saw fit. Afterward, I went back and wrote in the dialogue over his finished art.

pages 1-9 IRONHIDE kills almost 3000 Swarm.
Page 10 METROPLEX kills the rest.
11 pages an ep, man, this is like the 2nd coming of Marvel UK! All is forgiven! They obviously heard our prayers after St. LSOTW. He'll be asking to do 5 black and white pages next and fill the rest of the mag with Marvel reprints and Spitfire and the Troubleshooters.

Well, at least that bit with using the Trion made sense as to how he could get rid of loads of 'Cons quickly, and it even had a cheeky link with this A3 chap everyone but him seems to have heard of. What's that? That was the bit he didn't write? Sheesh.
Well, at least we have a competent writer and artist in Co - ooops! Casey is quitting. Rats.

I got some actual chuckles reading Alf's bits though. He's all like "Use 'Plex to clear up the Swarm? that's my flying house! I've got loads more important, exiting places in the galaxy to be that you can't go to! What if the paint on the veranda gets scratched! Scamper only re-whitewashed that last Tuesday. Same day he retouched up my beard."
And the Infinite Power D Battery. That'll get rid of some hassle when they lug that thing to back to earth. You can now make energon on earth? Well, here's all the power you'll need ever. Problem solved. He should have said "Oh, and see this button? I just pressed it. That's Metroplex's 'Get rid of all Ore-13 and Facimilies' button. OOOOH SNAP! I WENT THERE! YES I DID! You know why?
I'm the Goddamn Alpha Trion, b*tch!" *turn to camera, smug-ass grin, gleam off teeth*

So, the Bionic Redneck's all frustrated on a planet full of nothing. Was this meant to be this meta? Are we meant to be Ironhide - confused at this smug git ladling magiced-away plotlines 'just because' on us as we powerlessly have to put up and shut up? Left alone in the wreakage as the Status Quo is slowly returned to G1 in a whirl of plot devices. I certainly feel frustrated. I eagerly await the next mini in which more epic plot tidying is done, centering on someone who already has a logo font name from the movies. Starscream, I'm looking at you. Or possibly you, Ratchet. Or hell, I dunno. Barricade. You'll do.

Maybe he can find Deluge and Dirge and play with them. I'm sure the nicey-nicey we don't kill Autobots of AHM wouldn't have murdered them, then eulogised over how doubleplusbad murder is. Up to the point they let the Cons fly away without even shooting ineffectily at them after they tried to nuke NY. Or he could go downstairs and punch Primus a bit. That usually goes down well.

So, for the future - after they've mended the Trion, Ironhide can hand over the big battery, he can punch some more Autobots in the face and then get dead again. Unless he can somehow withstand having Cillit Bang poured on him, in which case he can kill off the however many weak-ass whiney Decepticons that are left over. He just killed at least 2 thou Swarm. I'm sure he's got an encore left in him.

Oh and 'too big for your britches?' Since when do TF's wear... Oh yeah. Sorry, Alf. You win this round, Costa.

[Best First]

Oh and 'too big for your britches?' Since when do TF's wear... Oh yeah. Sorry, Alf. You win this round, Costa.

Yeah i hate when stuff like that sneaks in. Furman was/is pretty bad on this front as well.

Anyway - just got it. Sarcastic review soon. ish.

EDIT;

Review;

http://duggerton.blogspot.com/2010/08/i ... -hide.html

Story 7/10
Art 9/10

[Yaya]

Good review. Cause I agree with it.

[Best First]

Yes, Thierry Henry is a cheating sh*t isn't he?