Looking back on Beast Wars: The Ascending

[spiderfrommars]

What did everyone make of this volume?

I was pretty disappointed. I really liked The Gathering which for me captured the tone of the cartoon, but this one just seemed to be going through the motions.

I was looking forward to getting to know the cast from the first volume better but instead we had a whole new load of characters crammed in the comic as well.

Wasn't happy that Razorbeast was killed off (a much more interesting character than the generic Convoys) and if one isn't familiar with all these obscure characters it makes the plot rather hard to follow.

Add to that too much stuff on Cybertron (I'd have preferred a much more simple and focussed story of the Maximals and Preds on prehistoric Earth) and the standard superpowered mystic bad guys meant I thought this Furman's laziest effort for IDW thus far.

Even with the art, it didn't seem Don's heart was in it anymore, Guido's last issue seemed to have been rushed to make the deadlines and the colours were mostly flat.

Anyway, who was the guy in the last panel and why should I care?

[Halfshell]

To be honest, I couldn't be arsed with it. I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the first issue (most of the things that were wrong with the Gathering were still wrong here, and looked to be about to get even wronger, plus godawful colouring)... and though I've got 2-4, I can't be arsed with them.

I thought the inclusion of Shokaract in the early pages was a nice little easter egg, but as soon as I realised that we were actually about to get a revised retelling of Reaching the Omega Point, I stopped caring. I knew exactly where we were heading, and the comments I've read from people (and flipping the last pages of #4 today) shows I was right.

Anyway, who was the guy in the last panel and why should I care?

... you're kidding right?

Anywho. I think part of where it's all gone tits up is that, due to budget reasons, the BW cartoon had a tiny cast so relied on actual story and characterisation... and that's what we've come to expect. Plus, in the grand scheme of things, the crew of the Axalon were just an insignificant little exploration vessel who were in the wrong place at the wrong time... the apocalyptic thing grew out of a two year chain of events.

The comics have been freed from the budget constraint, so have essentially become an exercise in cramming in as many non-show characters as possible - plus an apocalyptic storyline - into a small part of the existing timeline... in a paltry eight issues.

Ends up lacking all the tight focus we've come to expect. Well, forget what we expect, it lacks focus at all (and is completely at odds with the standard set over on the G1 book).

Infiltration was more akin to the standard of characterisation and plot from BW than the BW comics have been.

The Gathering got away with it to some degree because the overall mission made sense with the plot from the tv series... and because there was a valid reason for all the new characters to be part of the plot (albeit they didn't all need introducing at the same time). The Ascending seems to exist solely as a way of cramming all these extra characters in, and shifting focus even further away. It's like season 2 of the g1 cartoon. Or when Budiansky suddenly needed to introduce a new wave of toys. But without any of the excuses you could apply to those.

[Predabot]

Can't help but agree there, Spidey. It seems like if the whole team and series got derailed after issue #1. Neither Guido nor Don was quite in shape here, and the last issues reads like Furman phoned it in.

But alas, I think one should judge the series in comparison to not just the big hits of TF-comics, but also compared to the real stinkers. If one does that, then the series levels out on a "medium" 4.5-5/10 in score. Not even close to as bad as some of the DW stuff, or Megatron Origin, but obviously not as good as the main TF title.

Now... the big question is, do we want a new BW series? Can they create another fine mini, or is the franchise dead?

I'm thinking, let's leave the BW behind, and try and do something with Beast Machines. The basics for filling in some holes and showing some untold stories are certainly there. I'm also thinking, that maybe IDW should try and get Marv Wolfman on it! He was the main man behind the direction of BM, so why not have him write a comic out of it, yes?

Also, I'd put Emiliano Santalucia on art. Because he's cool like that, yo.

[Hot Shot]

Now... the big question is, do we want a new BW series? Can they create another fine mini, or is the franchise dead?

Seeing as Galvatron hasn't shown up yet and we can't really count on Magmatron being a good little pred for long, there's enough to work with for a last installment. Maybe with little story detours every now and then showing Megatron's progress developing his virus. Done right, this series can end with a bang leading up to a point where Megatron's virus infects them all, ending their branch of the Beast Wars.

[Predabot]

Now... the big question is, do we want a new BW series? Can they create another fine mini, or is the franchise dead?

Seeing as Galvatron hasn't shown up yet and we can't really count on Magmatron being a good little pred for long, there's enough to work with for a last installment. Maybe with little story detours every now and then showing Megatron's progress developing his virus. Done right, this series can end with a bang leading up to a point where Megatron's virus infects them all, ending their branch of the Beast Wars.

Perhaps not such a bad idea! It could work in a sort of homage way to the original Marvel TF #4&5, with the Maximals all but victorious in the end, perhaps even Magmatron seeing the light in Maximal honour (mainly because he'll end up on the side of the 'angels' according to his toy-packaging) in the last few panels. And then...

BOOOM!! ^^ They all begin to malfunction, and stuff explode while hundreds of Vehicons come at them in all directions. Que the obligatory cover to BM#1 with a scarred Beast Wars transmetals Megatron carving into a wall... "ARE ALL DEAD." ^^

[Halfshell]

Que the obligatory cover to BM#1 with a scarred Beast Wars transmetals Megatron carving into a wall... "ARE ALL DEAD." ^^

Yeah, because the new movie continuity cover homaging just isn't enough...

[spiderfrommars]

Anyway, who was the guy in the last panel and why should I care?

... you're kidding right?

.

Doh. The colouring threw me off. Plus I wasn't expecting him to turn up - he's got nothing to do with the story.

[Halfshell]

Doh. The colouring threw me off. Plus I wasn't expecting him to turn up - he's got nothing to do with the story.

I sort of was. I mean the story kicks off about the time they leave Earth with him, and any story dealing with the events on "future" Cybertron would deal with his arrival eventually.

It's tagged as an epilogue, isn't it? So technically it isn't really part of the story anyway... m'eh, anyway. I feel little reason to care.

[veritech]

I have to agree that this volume seemed to cram way too many characters in. As someone not familiar with the Beast Wars toys, I was totally lost most of the time.