MTMTE #7

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 8:35 pm

Once I get my jaw off the floor, change my pants, and reassemble my blown mind, I'm going to die waiting for next month.

More setup than last issue, but nonetheless, one hell of a setup.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:00 pm

Again, genius. This comic is such good value for money.

I *love* Krok's team of Decepticons.

The DJD are genuinely freaky.

Brainstorm is amazing.

Yay Rung! Who was spying on Red Alert though? My first thought was Skids

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:37 pm

Anybody missing Earth? Cause I sure as hell ain't.

Just another dose of what we need this month. You really can't lose when you write a story that involves multiple teams scattered across the universe with their own unique problems and challenges, yet are all in some way tied to each other. When someone says "epic", that's what it really means to me. Roberts gets it right in another fantastic issue.

How is it possible that after 25 years of demented power-hungry Decepticons introduced by numerous writers and creators, that James can introduce the creme de la creme of down-right sadistic bastard bots that are more creepy than any bots we've seen before? Yet, he does so. He makes you feel sorry for a Phase Sixer!

Somebody needs to do some press on how Transformers:More Than Meets the Eye is one of the best comics out there. The humor is such that you really don't need to know Transformers to enjoy it (although knowing them makes it all the more sweeter). That hasn't happened in....forever. A TF book that, after seven issues, could still appeal to any comic book fan looking for a fun story? Could it be?

Can't wait to see what happens with Krok's merry band of Decepticons when the Big G and the DJD show up. Going to make for some very nice moments, I think, and perhaps an unlikely alliance between the Big G and Kroks bunch.

Artwork was some of the weakest of the series so far, IMO, but the story was so damn good, I couldn't care in the least.

Another solid "A".

Post by **snarl** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:31 am

http://www.comicbastards.com/homepage/2 ... mte-7.html

anybody?

I've read it, really liked it as I have with all the MTMTE issues.

The wise crackery reminds me a lot of Buffy, I like it.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:19 am

snarl wrote:http://www.comicbastards.com/homepage/2 ... mte-7.html

anybody?

I've read it, really liked it as I have with all the MTMTE issues.

The wise crackery reminds me a lot of Buffy, I like it.

Written by someone who probably loved the Dreamwave comics...

I love the wisecracks. People in real groups dick around and rib each other and it adds vibrancy, personality and makes the characters relatable.

Post by **snarl** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:55 am

He does come across as a complete and utter **** doesn't he.

Happy birthday btw.

Mr_Tigg · Post by **Mr_Tigg** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:50 am

I enjoyed this issue as per usual, though it wasn't quite up to the awesomeness of the last issue, plus it felt a little flat after the initial execution/DJD reveal scene.

Also found the motley crew of Decepticons a tad annoying. They sounded a little too much like their Autobot counterbots on the Lost Light. Kinda felt like Roberts natural tone of voice came through a little too strongly in some of them.

Still the big reveal at the end has me excited about the next issue. I have a feeling when Jame's writes "Grimlock Unleashed" he really means it, so it'll be a rollercoaster issue!

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:18 pm

Mr_Tigg wrote:Also found the motley crew of Decepticons a tad annoying. They sounded a little too much like their Autobot counterbots on the Lost Light. Kinda felt like Roberts natural tone of voice came through a little too strongly in some of them.

I get that, but I think Roberts gave himself an "out" as well, by revealing that Misfire's actually high on "circuit speeders" when he's at his most chatty. Also, I find he's kinda endearing.

Oh, and FLYWHEELS! YAAAAAY!

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:18 pm

Felt very much like a filler issue really. Most of the ongoing plots and characters are shoved into a couple of guest appearance pages whilst we get Decepticon month forced down our throats. It was well written as ever, but still wound up feeling fairly irrelevant. Effectively the same cliffhanger as last month as well.

And BOO for Rung's recovery after me praising Roberts for killing his proxy character.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:53 pm

If Roberts has a flaw, it's making everyone sound very similar and comedic. I personally don't feel this is a negative (yet), but many are starting to become more critical of it. I think James has taken notice of the comments and will try to tone things down a bit.

Felt very much like a filler issue really. Most of the ongoing plots and characters are shoved into a couple of guest appearance pages whilst we get Decepticon month forced down our throats. It was well written as ever, but still wound up feeling fairly irrelevant. Effectively the same cliffhanger as last month as well.

And BOO for Rung's recovery after me praising Roberts for killing his proxy character.

Agree with the Rung return, though doesn't really bother me too much, as he is an interesting character to play with.

Disagree though about the new Decepticons introduced. It's important to take things off the Lost Light for a while and for the purposes of seeding future subplots which are the lifeblood of epic storytelling.

The strong points of James' writing are so damn good, I find it hard to let any weaknesses detract from it. Strange, because I became such a cynical reader with McCarthy, Costa, Abbnett/Lanning, that anything good in those stories simply wasn't worth pointing out.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:27 am

So who's the DJD's target? I'm pretty sure that Grimlock is a red herring (being an Autobot and all, why would Decepticon Internal Affairs be interested in him - and I don't think he's ever been a Decepticon in IDW continuity) so that leaves one of the other six:

There's a fairly good case to be made for Fulcrum, given that as (apparently) the sole survivor of the Decepticon forces on Clemency he obviously "lived", and beyond that he's shrouded in mystery - he doesn't volunteer the slightest bit of information about what he was doing on Clemency in the first place. Also, as a non-toy character he's obviously fair game.

Crankcase has the head wound (and didn't we last see him getting killed by Thunderwing?) indicating that he too "lived" - everyone else we saw with his Infiltration unit on Nebulos is now dead, I think, except maybe Darkwing.

Flywheels, notably, remains completely silent following the DJD's call. While not an indication of guilt in itself, after Tarn says that the transgressor knows who he is, it might indicate that Flywheels does have something on his mind after all.

Misfire has already admitted to being the type of Decepticon to "run away screaming" and after the DJD's call he starts to panic. He also describes the situation as "monumentally bad", which could show that he has something to be worried about. He also openly admits to Fulcrum that he's responsible for a dozen dead Decepticons, something the DJD might take exception to?

Spinister's crazy and prone to flipping out. He's the wildcard here.

And finally Krok...well I'm not sure I trust anything Krok says in this issue. He's vague about what happened to his squad and it's entirely possible he killed them, leaving him as the one who "lived". Then there's that "clicking" thing that he didn't quite finish explaining...He's also high-ranking and apparently AWOL, something that the DJD don't seem to favour.

So yeah, at this point I'm leaning towards Krok, but it really could be any of them.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:46 am

I cannot wait for the DJD to discover Overlord is on the Lost Light and go after him

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:52 am

Hound wrote:I cannot wait for the DJD to discover Overlord is on the Lost Light and go after him

I'm assuming that Overlord is the target Vos mentioned unintelligibly, and Tarn replied that they have to keep scanning for his energy signature. I doubt they'll have forgotten about the other rogue phase sixer still out there...

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:36 pm

Yaya wrote:I
Disagree though about the new Decepticons introduced. It's important to take things off the Lost Light for a while and for the purposes of seeding future subplots which are the lifeblood of epic storytelling.

The strong points of James' writing are so damn good, I find it hard to let any weaknesses detract from it. Strange, because I became such a cynical reader with McCarthy, Costa, Abbnett/Lanning, that anything good in those stories simply wasn't worth pointing out.

My main worry is that there's so many subplots ongoing it may well be a mistake to introduce a whole load more along with a bunch of new characters before a few more have been resolved. It's in danger of falling prey to what undid Furman's -tions run, throwing loads of balls as high as possible into the air and hoping IDW won't chop your hands off and kick you in the balls before you can catch them.

And the DJD were just as fanwanky as Turmoil. Even moreso really as there was only one of him. And they somewhat undo the work to try and make Megatron seem a reasonable and sensible leader by having a really stupid concept behind them.

"Hey, you know those guys who are more super badass than even our most bad ass warriors? Who can even talk you to death? What we should do right, is use them to hunt down our own naughty boys. I mean, if Black Shadow can destroy a planet by himself these guys could probably win the war for us in a week but we shall never set them against an Autobot".

Honestly, what sort of army is more effective at killing its own troops than the enemy? And does Megatron strike you as the sort of guy who'd be that determined to have all traitors killed horribly when he not only keeps Starscream about but gave him a massive promotion after Infiltration (OK, mainly because subsequent writers forgot he wasn't second in command but rather very down the totem pole but that point still stands)?

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:05 pm

inflatable dalek wrote: And the DJD were just as fanwanky as Turmoil. Even moreso really as there was only one of him. And they somewhat undo the work to try and make Megatron seem a reasonable and sensible leader by having a really stupid concept behind them.

Don't think the DJD are as fanwanky. They've been built up since LSOTW and fleshed out more and they have a very interesting role within the Decepticon heirarchy. Turmoil was just....there. To be killed right away as a plot device. It was lame.

"Hey, you know those guys who are more super badass than even our most bad ass warriors? Who can even talk you to death? What we should do right, is use them to hunt down our own naughty boys. I mean, if Black Shadow can destroy a planet by himself these guys could probably win the war for us in a week but we shall never set them against an Autobot".

A very good point, I was thinking the very same. If they're that powerful, why haven't they won the war for the Decepticons? Gonna be tough for James to explain that, but again, because the writing is so good, I'm not really going to try to find a way to make his story fit with the stories of the previous schlucks. In other words, James dude, you get a free pass to mess with continuity all you want, as long as you continue doing what you've been doing.

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:12 pm

Whilst I'm not going to give out free passes over stuff I don't like (even if I adore Roberts to the point if he told me to kill, I probably would) I'm not going to let one disappointing issue get me down. Every ongoing will have one now and again even with the best writers and I forgave RID...err... Issue 5? The one where Prowl kills everyone. No, that doesn't narrow it down... the Bombshell one.

As long as Grimlock's baggage and setting Krok's crew up as the anti-Lost Light doesn't keep from the stuff already set up getting paid off quickly. I don't want epic long running stories because IDW haven't attempted one yet they haven't buggered up. Anything that goes on longer than a year is going to get me very nervous.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:59 pm

inflatable dalek wrote: As long as Grimlock's baggage and setting Krok's crew up as the anti-Lost Light doesn't keep from the stuff already set up getting paid off quickly..

Yeah, but an anti-Lost Light comprised of Grimlock, that motley crew of Deceps, and who knows who else, on a collision course later on with the Lost Light itself, well, damn, that would be something I'd be looking very much forward to, wouldn't you?

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:06 pm

As long as I'm not still going "So... what's the deal with Skids then?" at the same time.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Sat Jul 28, 2012 1:26 am

inflatable dalek wrote:Honestly, what sort of army is more effective at killing its own troops than the enemy? And does Megatron strike you as the sort of guy who'd be that determined to have all traitors killed horribly when he not only keeps Starscream about but gave him a massive promotion after Infiltration (OK, mainly because subsequent writers forgot he wasn't second in command but rather very down the totem pole but that point still stands)?

Considering IDW Megs is AWOL and there's no evidence that he was ever in charge of the DJD in the first place, and also considering the sheer scale of the war that we are being asked to imagine - fleets of War Worlds, the whole Imperial Phase ending when the last P-6 flew home and Black Shadow killing three billion inhabitants of Rigel IV just because Megatron had earmarked it for sterilisation ahead of cyberforming...the existence of a fanatic Decepticon cult that are batshit mental and fanatically aligned to Megatron's cause that Megatron didn't necessarily know about doesn't strike me as that unlikely.

Post by **snarl** » Sat Jul 28, 2012 10:37 am

That had crossed my mind too, that the DJD are so ******* mental that they're actually doing what they do off their own back - I was kind of hoping that's the case.

Post by **Kaylee** » Sat Jul 28, 2012 5:54 pm

An excellent issue- really enjoyable

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:57 pm

snarl wrote:That had crossed my mind too, that the DJD are so ******* mental that they're actually doing what they do off their own back - I was kind of hoping that's the case.

That's the first thing I thought when I read the preview - "The war's not over until Megatron's dream is realised" stuff immediately tripped a couple of flags, like these guys have taken it upon themselves to make that happen. The other possibility is the Conclave that's been mentioned a couple of times now. They're obviously some kind of high-ranking Decepticons, but how do they fit into the whole command structure?

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:53 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:
snarl wrote:That had crossed my mind too, that the DJD are so ******* mental that they're actually doing what they do off their own back - I was kind of hoping that's the case.
That's the first thing I thought when I read the preview - "The war's not over until Megatron's dream is realised" stuff immediately tripped a couple of flags, like these guys have taken it upon themselves to make that happen. The other possibility is the Conclave that's been mentioned a couple of times now. They're obviously some kind of high-ranking Decepticons, but how do they fit into the whole command structure?

Hey, it's almost as though you're postulating the idea that religious/political groups can lose control of their extremist members' behavior partially just because the leaders' silence is taken as complicit acceptance.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:21 am

bumblemusprime wrote:Hey, it's almost as though you're postulating the idea that religious/political groups can lose control of their extremist members' behavior partially just because the leaders' silence is taken as complicit acceptance.

It's not as if I'd go further and suggest that certain religious/political groups tacitly (or not) encourage such extremism for their own political gain. Without naming names, certain politicians in the UK wouldn't have such prominent careers if they hadn't claimed to speak for the "political wing" of a terrorist organisation that was bombing people in pubs, nor would anyone be half as worried about offending "tolerant" members of a certain religion if the "less tolerant" members weren't burning down their embassy over a the publication of a drawing.

I'd say the DJD are exactly what Megatron needs to maintain control over this movement he's created. Whether he had a hand in their creation or not, he can plausibly deny all knowledge of their activities. They certainly don't seem to need his say-so to carry out these executions, after all, they just go after whoever's names are on "the list". Which begs another question - who compiles the list?

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 2:33 pm

Flywheels.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:42 pm

Brendocon wrote:Flywheels.

He's in Regeneration One #80.5 too. Quite the Flywheels renaissance these days

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:08 pm

I'm a trendsetter yo.