Transformers: Robots in Disguise #1 (spoilers)

Post by **Kaylee** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:11 am

A fine issue, I think I prefer the opening of 'More than Meets the Eye' better, but this was still very good indeed. Thanks to a link from DJ, I can buy these issues over the 'net from Comixology

Prowl having doubts about his actions is looking good, it keeps his character just far enough away from Shockwave. Bumblebee seems to have inherited a poisoned chalice, whatever he does will backfire and cause problems.

Is Horribull dead, or just a plan of Ratbat's? I wonder also whom the mysterious stranger is who is 'coaching' Prowl... he looks evil but the shape reminds me of Emirate Xaaron a little.

An enjoyable read and worth the $3.99

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:33 am

I loved this! Political machination madness in the midst of a haunted planet trying to eat them alive. Trying to use the Decepticons as police--crazy, but those Nails are pretty damn annoying.

I've never been so impressed by a writer who just came out of nowhere. The art isn't quite there, though. Too crowded, inks are too rough and the composition of the panels... well, unfortunately it's a bit much like Milne.

These stories are like nothing I've read in the TFs before. Good on Barber and Roberts.

Post by **Kaylee** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:09 am

Absolutely - this is completely moving on from the standard Optimus/Megatron centric cliche plots we normally have.

I see what you mean with the art, although I'm very happy that I can at least understand every panel! I completely understand where characters are moving to and their gestures.

The big let down for me are some of the expressions - they just don't come alive like the expressions in 'MTMTE'. I say 'big let down', I mean minor quibble.

Poor Bumblebee, I really feel for him

Post by **Best First** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:15 am

i thought the art was pretty good. passable anyway. You could see what was happening and everything.

Story wise, pretty good, although Cybertron feels quite small/local as it stands and i think 'bee was a bit easily goaded into fairly cold blooded action.

Don't like S'wave looking subservient to Ratbat. Subservientwave sucks.

The shadow - i was thinking Starscream.

Not as good as MTMTE then, but still streets ahead of what we have had for the last 2-3 years.

Looking good overall.

DJ_Convoy · Post by **DJ_Convoy** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:16 pm

Art looked fine from the preview... but I'd echo what Bumble said... and add a tiny, personal pet peeve of my own...

Don't like the eyeball-like cameras in the eyes. Ech. I'm probably the only person in the world who would find that as a hang up, but there you go.

GOing to be interesting to get this and MTMTE #1 and read them back to back (I get my comics shipped in once a month).

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:08 pm

Best First wrote:i think 'bee was a bit easily goaded into fairly cold blooded action.

Metalhawk really treats the little guy like absolute sh*t, constantly undermining his authority, and Bee just takes it. Is this what all those years as the little cute Autobot did to him?

The shadow - i was thinking Starscream.

Ah, of course.

I liked the story as much as MTMTE, myself. The art was good. I would be perfectly happy with it if I didn't know there are people like EJ and Casey out there.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:55 pm

Really enjoyed this. Agree with Bumblemus, nice first issue from I guy I've never heard of before. Barber really shaved off a lot of that excess nonsense the prior author gave us, who Costas two years of our lives. ZING! Horrible puns intended. Sorry.

Also agree bout them Nails. Annoying shits, aren't they, from Metalhawk on down. I think if I were on Cybertron right now I'd do the same thing as the Decepticon 'police' force. I mean, talk about frustrations! A suddenly ridiculously overcrowded Cybertron that's alive and trying to grab it's inhabitants, all the while a bunch of Nails scream insults down into you audiomodulator blaming you for everything that's gone wrong? Yeah, I think a good ole punch to the face of a Nail might do me some good. My respect for Prime has gone up. Apparently, he knew exactly when to bail.

Like that tertiary characters along the likes of Horri-bull and Needlenose are getting some screen time. TF has the cast, it just has to be used.

Agree with BeeFster, don't like Subserviantwave either, but I'm sure it won't be long before Shockers makes his move. I wish Ratbat resumed his prior Cybertronian form that he had when he was a senator. Or even the form he had from The War Within:Dark Ages. Oh well, minor issue.

My guess for the mysterious figure in the shadows? Arcee.

Give it an "A". Solid stuff, servicable art. Good start for both titles.

Post by **Best First** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:10 pm

Yaya wrote: Costas two years of our lives.

*smirk*

Yaya wrote:Give it an "A". Solid stuff, servicable art. Good start for both titles.

Yeah on rereading i realised Starscream, while an obvious choice, is wrong as the figure pronounces Earth wrong and makes references to what happened in Costaland that suggested he/she was not present. So it ain't Starscream.

Arcee is a good shout. I'm trying to think of others who have more fr a personal agenda/exist between the lines and who were not on earth.

Scorponok would be nice but i don't think so.

And yeah the Nail's are a bunch of wallys. Altho can't help but feel that grafitti probably was not the best example of something to punish someone for in the current climate - plus he should have just claimed "Cybertron did it". And then they just let him go cos Metalhawk turns up - was it a crime or not?

I hope Shockers does make some kind of move - he has also seemingly become a bit of a follower since his return in Decepticons Are Lame And Have No Real Plan But Stick With It It Will All Make Sense Eventually or whatever that story was called.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:29 pm

The figure is wrong for Arcee, although Scorponok would have to be standing much farther back. Hmmm... Thundercracker figured into the end, as I recall, and I assumed he was chatting with Ratbat over his connection. Jeez, just how evil are supposed to think Prowl is?

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:49 pm

Imagining silhouettes from the desriptions above (don't pick my copy up until payday) but maybe Jhiaxus?

Dammit, I'll be breaking the rule I was trying to set, won't I? Of getting MTMTE each issue and buying the RID trades....

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:21 pm

Maybe Xaaron.

I enjoyed this, but it didn't have the same 'pick up and read again' factor that MTMTE did

Mr_Tigg · Post by **Mr_Tigg** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:58 pm

Excellent issue.

For me, it's on a par with MTMTE easily.

My only annoyance is that Ironhide still sounds too much like a hick, but even so - he came across better than he has for a while.

Still think Furman's 'quiet bot of few words' is my preference, but this is a good start.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:56 am

Way late to this, but I DID read it, and thought much the same as others: Good, not MTME good. But I wasn't really a fan of the art. It's like, go Wildman (super anthropomorphic) or go Su (super mechanical), but it seems like the art straddles both. Prowl's some angular warrior with a face buried behind a giant helmet and overdone chevron, meanwhile Bumblebee's mouth is out of a cartoon and the NAIL that got beat up had some sort of robo-freckles. I guess overall the art was alright, but Prowl and Bumblebee took up so much space in the comic that I ended it with a bad taste.

DJ_Convoy · Post by **DJ_Convoy** » Fri Feb 10, 2012 2:36 pm

A lot of stuff looked scratchy... no metal was shiny. It wasn't like DW or anything (where dudes seemed to have scraplets or something)... but a lot of metal surfaces looked scratchy and dull.

This is nitpicking, however. The art was fine and, I'd imagine, will get better. I just read this, tho', coming off of MTMTE #1 which had some of the best Roche art yet (except for that "eat an energon sammich" version of Roddy. Ack!)... so the comparisons might not run in this cat's favor.

This was fine, overall. It didn't blow me away by any means... but it was a solid TF comic. Did dig the Prowl mystery... but I thought Prowl was more interesting in MTMTE #1. I still kind of wish that this was the book Roberts was doing.

I'll prolly have more to say about this (and certainly more to say about MTMTE) later.