Yeah, so clearly had Roberts been given this assignment, he could have done wonders with it. Which for me detracts from my enjoyment of this. Knowing what could have been. The fact that he revealed Shockwave's origin initially in MTMTE, well, it just seems criminal to let someone other than James tell this story.
So Shockwave's a mouthy senator/scientist who then goes on to have Empurata/Shadowplay forced upon him. Then here's where it gets silly. He goes back to being a senator again. Seriously? I mean, what were all the other senators thinking. "Oh look, it's Shockwave, haven't seen him in a while. But he looks...different somehow. Hey, Shockers, did you get a new haircut or something?! Ah well, good to have you back, let's do some voting and decide on policy. " Silly. What would have made more sense is if he had just disappeared. Proteus and Nominus up to that point had done everything underhandedly. Why the hell would they completely [composite word including 'f*ck'] up Shockwave and them have him serve as a senator after? Did they not think that there would be cause for alarm and concern on the part of everyone else in the Senate if Senator Shockwave strolls in with a new color, new head, new body and claw hands?
The art started off okay, but clearly became progressively weaker as the story went on. Which I found distracting. Shockwave looked worse and worse, and by issues end, he looked like a pile of purple blocks stacked one atop the other.
Still don't quite get why Shockwave shot Dai Atlas in the end. To save him from Megatron? By shooting him? Again, just silly.
James could have rocked this. The tying up of all the elements that we've seen so far (Crystal City, Jhiaxus, Monstructor vs. Omega Supreme, Megatron wanting a gestalt, ore-13, etc) could have been much neater and tidier had Roberts tackled this. It would not have seemed so forced and just thrown together. Despite being tied down to continuity, I think James could have still delivered.
RID #17 Review (spoilers)
Moderators:Best First, spiderfrommars, IronHide
"But the Costa story featuring Starscream? Fantastic! This guy is "The One", I just know it, just from these few pages. "--Yaya, who is never wrong.
I thought this was decent but there were no real surprises.
I took Shockwave being a senator as a public demonstration from the corrupt senate saying 'this is what happens if you [composite word including 'f*ck'] with us' and maybe they thought Shockwave after empurata was someone they could manipulate.
In regards to Dai Atlas, I think Shockwave shot off both of his legs so that he was missing from the senate when Megatron slaughtered them.
I liked the art, I thought it was suitably moody and scratchy.
I took Shockwave being a senator as a public demonstration from the corrupt senate saying 'this is what happens if you [composite word including 'f*ck'] with us' and maybe they thought Shockwave after empurata was someone they could manipulate.
In regards to Dai Atlas, I think Shockwave shot off both of his legs so that he was missing from the senate when Megatron slaughtered them.
I liked the art, I thought it was suitably moody and scratchy.
I lie somewhere in between Hound and Yaya in my assessment of this issue.
I actually thought that – generally speaking – in terms of writing it was a solid issue by Barber standards. The story and dialogue is serviceable, but it lacks spark. It all feels like a ‘paint by numbers’ approach to storytelling. On the plus side, I quite liked how the make up of each planet leads to a different type of Ore-energon. I also appreciated Barber attempts to explore ideas introduced by Roberts (shadowplay, etc).
Yet there’s an over-arching feeling that this is a wasted opportunity. As Yaya points out Roberts could’ve worked wonders with this – his writing and ideas are just on a completely different level to Barber’s.
I’m growing increasingly weary of gestalt technology being the be-all and end-all of Megatron’s master plan. Surely, surely after eons of civil war he would’ve come up with something a little more imaginative. That’s the difference between Barber and Roberts for me. Barber sticks to safe concepts that (while a key part of TF mythology) have been done to death. Roberts introduces so many new ideas – phase sixers explained / DJD / Megatron’s extra experimental warcruiser / Nightmare Engines – hints at grand decepticon schemes that are way, way beyond gestalts.
It’s funny that Shockers comments on the inevitable failure of Megatron’s plan / Bumblebee’s government. It’s as if Barber is foreshadowing the reader’s reaction to the utter predictability of his previous arc.
On the art – sorry but Lavio just doesn’t do it for me. So many basic errors – it’s too dark, too confusing, and littered with perspective issues. He also some how manages to make cool TF designs (like Nominus Prime) look utter gash.
The sequence where Shockers and Jhiaxus see Omega fight Monstructor looks and feels way, way off. Both characters have serious deadeye, and lack any sort of emotional characterisation. It’s poor, poor stuff.
Finally “Shockwaves” is a feckin’ boring name for a story about Shockwave.
I actually thought that – generally speaking – in terms of writing it was a solid issue by Barber standards. The story and dialogue is serviceable, but it lacks spark. It all feels like a ‘paint by numbers’ approach to storytelling. On the plus side, I quite liked how the make up of each planet leads to a different type of Ore-energon. I also appreciated Barber attempts to explore ideas introduced by Roberts (shadowplay, etc).
Yet there’s an over-arching feeling that this is a wasted opportunity. As Yaya points out Roberts could’ve worked wonders with this – his writing and ideas are just on a completely different level to Barber’s.
I’m growing increasingly weary of gestalt technology being the be-all and end-all of Megatron’s master plan. Surely, surely after eons of civil war he would’ve come up with something a little more imaginative. That’s the difference between Barber and Roberts for me. Barber sticks to safe concepts that (while a key part of TF mythology) have been done to death. Roberts introduces so many new ideas – phase sixers explained / DJD / Megatron’s extra experimental warcruiser / Nightmare Engines – hints at grand decepticon schemes that are way, way beyond gestalts.
It’s funny that Shockers comments on the inevitable failure of Megatron’s plan / Bumblebee’s government. It’s as if Barber is foreshadowing the reader’s reaction to the utter predictability of his previous arc.
On the art – sorry but Lavio just doesn’t do it for me. So many basic errors – it’s too dark, too confusing, and littered with perspective issues. He also some how manages to make cool TF designs (like Nominus Prime) look utter gash.
The sequence where Shockers and Jhiaxus see Omega fight Monstructor looks and feels way, way off. Both characters have serious deadeye, and lack any sort of emotional characterisation. It’s poor, poor stuff.
Finally “Shockwaves” is a feckin’ boring name for a story about Shockwave.
Pictures - www.mikescribbles.com | Words - www.mikewrites.co.uk
It's not that it's awful. It's just, you know, it's Shockwave man. Gotta do the guy justice.
Agree with the lameness of Megatron's infatuation with gestalt tech. According to this issue, he had this fetish from before even attacking the senate, and it has apparently continued on to this day as seen in the last RID issue. So for 400 million years, Megatron's wanted gestalt tech. 400 million years! As Mr. Tigg mentions above, you'd think he'd be aiming higher this deep into the game.
Agree with the lameness of Megatron's infatuation with gestalt tech. According to this issue, he had this fetish from before even attacking the senate, and it has apparently continued on to this day as seen in the last RID issue. So for 400 million years, Megatron's wanted gestalt tech. 400 million years! As Mr. Tigg mentions above, you'd think he'd be aiming higher this deep into the game.
Like I said, Roberts presented Proteus and Nominus as deviously underhanded bots with a hidden agenda. If Shockwave was meant to be an example, there was nothing in this issue to indicate this. He just strolls in like it's another day at the office. If he were meant to be an example of defiance, then the least Barber could have done was mention it or present it as such. And even if he were meant to be that example, the more than likely response would have been Proteus and Nominus getting incarcerated, or at the very least, kicked out of the Senate.I took Shockwave being a senator as a public demonstration from the corrupt senate saying 'this is what happens if you **** with us' and maybe they thought Shockwave after empurata was someone they could manipulate.
I see. Wasn't that clear, really.In regards to Dai Atlas, I think Shockwave shot off both of his legs so that he was missing from the senate when Megatron slaughtered them.
"But the Costa story featuring Starscream? Fantastic! This guy is "The One", I just know it, just from these few pages. "--Yaya, who is never wrong.
Shared from IDW boards. Had a good laugh.Soundwave wrote:After Jhiaxus points out his creation Monstructor.
Shockwaves thoughts: I had studied under Jhiaxus for hundreds of years, and at that moment, my education began in earnest. I realized I had surpassed my mentor. I... Shockwave could count to six!
It was clear to me that there were six individual units combined to create the monster before me. Yet Jhiaxus could only count 5.
The student was now the master!
"But the Costa story featuring Starscream? Fantastic! This guy is "The One", I just know it, just from these few pages. "--Yaya, who is never wrong.
-
Sunyavadin
- Smart Mouthed Rodent
- Posts:532
- Joined:Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:05 pm
- ::Super Unvincible
Reading my copy later with my GF.
But what happened to a good big event name, like "Shockpoint"? "Dark Cybertron" sounds... a bit naff, really.
But what happened to a good big event name, like "Shockpoint"? "Dark Cybertron" sounds... a bit naff, really.
bumblemusprime wrote:
When I picture Simon Furman's direct ancestor, squatting in dingy furs, singing songs about the glory of the Saxon tribe, I imagine him as the very first to gather his buddies around the campfire and say "There was this dude named Beowulf..."
-
Impactor returns 2.0
- Big Honking Planet Eater
- Posts:6885
- Joined:Sat Sep 22, 2001 11:00 pm
- ::Starlord
- Location:Your Mums
-
bumblemusprime
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
- Posts:2370
- Joined:Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:40 pm
- Location:GoboTron
Yeah, "Dark Cybertron" sounds too much like "Dark Avengers." Roll it back to 2009!
It's interesting that nobody else has my major gripe. I'm more or less with Hound in that I liked it but was not wowed. Once again, Barber proves that he can take a bunch of great ideas and do... not enough. Ditto on gestalts as silly, ditto on Shockwave's post-empurata appearance, ditto on Livio's art (fantastic as cover/pinup, not much for sequential storytelling).
But my big thing: we've established, in a million ways, that the TFs are super hard to kill. Prime and Megatron have a conversation that includes "they practically had to reconstruct me from blast patterns on the walls!" Maintenance-free, Tailgate is only now dying after six million years. You have to deliberately take out a spark, aiming for said spark, fighting through layers of armor, and hell, First Aid can jumpstart it if you're really in trouble.
So Shockwave can bring back dead robots. Wow? Given the world the TFs live in, that's just about at "Jean Grey RETURNS!" level of surprise.
It's interesting that nobody else has my major gripe. I'm more or less with Hound in that I liked it but was not wowed. Once again, Barber proves that he can take a bunch of great ideas and do... not enough. Ditto on gestalts as silly, ditto on Shockwave's post-empurata appearance, ditto on Livio's art (fantastic as cover/pinup, not much for sequential storytelling).
But my big thing: we've established, in a million ways, that the TFs are super hard to kill. Prime and Megatron have a conversation that includes "they practically had to reconstruct me from blast patterns on the walls!" Maintenance-free, Tailgate is only now dying after six million years. You have to deliberately take out a spark, aiming for said spark, fighting through layers of armor, and hell, First Aid can jumpstart it if you're really in trouble.
So Shockwave can bring back dead robots. Wow? Given the world the TFs live in, that's just about at "Jean Grey RETURNS!" level of surprise.
Best First wrote:I didn't like it. They don't have mums, or dads, or children. And they turn into stuff. And they don't eat Monster Munch or watch Xena: Warrior Princess. Or do one big poo in the morning and another one in the afternoon. I bet they weren't even excited by and then subsequently disappointed by Star Wars Prequels. Or have a glass full of spare change near their beds. That they don't have.
-
Sunyavadin
- Smart Mouthed Rodent
- Posts:532
- Joined:Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:05 pm
- ::Super Unvincible
Just on the topic of gestalts, seriously, can we get a Decepticon plan sometime that isn't simply "Get combiner -> Smash"
You've got Spotlight Arcee, AHM 15, Swindle's stupid failure, Limping Devastator in Chaos, Megatron's big Prowlastator failure in RID, even MTMTE's had the Decepticons use combiners to wipe out an Autobot medical facility. Spotlight Hoist nailed it. You can't put two Decepticons in a room together without them standing on each other's shoulders.
You've got Spotlight Arcee, AHM 15, Swindle's stupid failure, Limping Devastator in Chaos, Megatron's big Prowlastator failure in RID, even MTMTE's had the Decepticons use combiners to wipe out an Autobot medical facility. Spotlight Hoist nailed it. You can't put two Decepticons in a room together without them standing on each other's shoulders.
bumblemusprime wrote:
When I picture Simon Furman's direct ancestor, squatting in dingy furs, singing songs about the glory of the Saxon tribe, I imagine him as the very first to gather his buddies around the campfire and say "There was this dude named Beowulf..."