Spotlight: Trailcutter [Spoilers obviously]

Post by **Computron** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:45 pm

Grabbed it on comixology featuring our forcefield specialist Trailbreaker...er...Trailcutter.

Spoilers below.

It's a cozy little believe in yourself story regarding Trailbreaker and what he feels is his pigeon holed role as "forcefield specialist." After Rodimus hands out "Rodimus Stars" to everyone save him, Trailbreaker gets disillusioned and feels overlooked. Whirl does a hilarious job of trying to cheer him up, but TB won't have any of it.

He falls asleep and when he wakes up, the entire crew is frozen in place and Decepticons hunting for MetroTitans are aboard! Through a series of bluffs and ambushes, TB manages to get em off the ship and saves the crew.

TB gets his own Rodimus Star only to find out that Rodimus handed out gigantic Rodimus shields to everyone on the crew for "exceptional endurance" during the paralysis incident.

*cue wah wah music*

Some cool things:

1) Metroplex is nearby, and apparently shedding skin everytime he jumps.

2) We saw the scene where Rodimus confiscates Rewind's snuff films.

3) Whirl and everything he said and especially his impression of TB's forcefield face.

4) Whirl's Rodimus badge.

Some not so cool things:

1) Maybe it's my fault for looking forward too much to MTMTE #16, but I almost feel curiously let down by the issue. I guess I was hoping for new clues as to the Lost Light's fate or something. Then again the issue gave me plenty of stuff to laugh about so I may just be grasping at straws.

TLDR:

Comedy issue, don't expect Tolstoy.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:53 pm

This is one of those instances where I feel i'll get really mercenary and leave it. I bought Spotlight: Orion Pax and it was completely throwaway. What attracts me to this one more than anything is the banter of Whirl and Rodimus.

The Annual was sidestory, but really good sidestory. You didn't have to buy it to know what was going on with the rest of MTMTE, but its as good.

So for Computron and others that have read this, is it as cool as the Annual, or as irrelevant as SL:Orion Pax?

Post by **Computron** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:21 pm

Auntie Slag wrote:This is one of those instances where I feel i'll get really mercenary and leave it. I bought Spotlight: Orion Pax and it was completely throwaway. What attracts me to this one more than anything is the banter of Whirl and Rodimus.

The Annual was sidestory, but really good sidestory. You didn't have to buy it to know what was going on with the rest of MTMTE, but its as good.

So for Computron and others that have read this, is it as cool as the Annual, or as irrelevant as SL:Orion Pax?

Unfortunately it is irrelevant. =(

I suppose I could be wrong, as Roberts has hidden stuff in plain sight before, but in the grand scheme of MTMTE, I don't see how this issue really matters. (We'll see if those words haunt me.)

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:41 pm

I enjoyed this. It's a bit fluffier than your average MTMTE but I suspect that is because this comic is going to be packed in with the Generations Trailbreaker figure so needs to be kid friendly. Given those constraints I think it works well

It was a damn sight better than Orion Pax anyway.

Whirl stole every scene.

Jack Cade · Post by **Jack Cade** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:01 pm

Much better than Orion: Pax and better than some parts of the annual (all the business with the fleshlings and nanocons). The art is also good - not beltingly good, but very expressive and easy to follow, and head and shoulders above every other spotlight in this series bar Roche's Megatron.

Also, you get to see Killmaster for the first time, and Rewind's discs being confiscated, and you learn that Brainstorm and Highbrow had 'original' names like Chromedome - so it does add to the main story in small ways.

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:41 am

Jack Cade wrote: and you learn that Brainstorm and Highbrow had 'original' names like Chromedome - so it does add to the main story in small ways.

What is it with these not-headmasters and not being able to stick to a single name?

Post by **snarl** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:51 am

Decent, if a little bit throwaway.

Not a massive fan of the lines... found the style a bit to "cutesy" for my personal taste... but it wasn't "bad".

Glad they stuck with the MTMTE colouring style

Jack Cade · Post by **Jack Cade** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:02 pm

What is it with these not-headmasters and not being able to stick to a single name?

The headmasters thing is the logical connection - apparently Chromedome, Highbrow and Brainstorm all worked together and picked up these head-related nicknames at roughly the same time.

Death's Head · Post by **Death's Head** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:33 pm

Really enjoyed that. Genuinely funny in a manner rare in the official fiction (until MTMTE came along*) and the fact that I could see the penultimate panel coming made it all the sweeter.

(*Beast Wars certainly managed it as well)

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:42 pm

Was Scalp a reference to Heart of Darkness' continuity fail?

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 4:19 pm

I enjoyed that a lot. Definitely worth 3.99$ even if it wasn't high art, or up there with much of MTMTE.

Also, I enjoyed seeing one of the C-listers of the Lost Light get some screen time. Now can we get a Spotlight: Whirl?

Post by **Kaylee** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:25 am

I really liked how utterly [composite word including 'f*ck'] insane Rodimus was in this

Mr_Tigg · Post by **Mr_Tigg** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:27 pm

Enjoyed it a lot despite it's totally throw away nature.

Trailcutter doesn't roll off the tongue like Trailbreaker though.

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:01 pm

Of course it doesn't roll off the tongue. It never id. It was always a stupid sounding name. Makes so much sense that it was something ridiculous that Whirl approved of.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:19 pm

Trailblaster
Trailmaker
Trailfinder
Trailbender
Snailtrail
Bumwarp

All better than Trailcutter IMO!

Mr_Tigg · Post by **Mr_Tigg** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:47 pm

Sunyavadin wrote:Of course it doesn't roll off the tongue. It never id. It was always a stupid sounding name. Makes so much sense that it was something ridiculous that Whirl approved of.

There is much anger inside of you young jedi.

Death's Head · Post by **Death's Head** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:02 am

Nothing's throwaway in the Roberts'verse, it seems - look at the preview for MTMTE #16...

Sunyavadin · Post by **Sunyavadin** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:06 am

I tried looking at the 16 preview it, but everywhere I find it, it's so blurry that I can't tell if those are speech bubbles or not.

*Edit* nvm, found it on the IDW forums.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:12 pm

Really enjoyed this. One of the better spotlights out there. Pretty much perfect, the way it was a self-contained story and fleshed-out a hardly used character. Roberts is a master of just building up this world.

Can't wait for Hoist.