TF #8 Review (SPOILERS)

[bumblemusprime]

But this is Transfans, where we are a bunch of snarky old men.

I see your point, JC--though for Primus' sake, why the buggering hell do you keep going back to that board?--but can anyone post something without someone saying it isn't substantial enough or doesn't contribute to the discussion or it's rude? I get the impression that some guys go there out of an inner need to police a board.

[Best First]

"I'm no apologist for IDW and neither are most people here"

That was me! And I'm not! And I honestly think most of the 'apologists' have buggered off now.

har - Soz- i was thinking when i posted that i should probably be clear that i wasn't picking at the poster in question but more the second part.

Which i don't agree with - it still seem's a pretty apologetic place to me. Maybe it's just a small number of people and a high volume of apologising, but i still see plenty of it.

The difference is that you have to do it in a polite way over there because you trap more wasps with honey than vinegar.

Which is fine if you have some perspective about what honey and vinegar are, but several posters still seem to lack this, labelling people trolls for basically just being a bit blunt in their critique, bu which i mean not feeling that they need to counter every negative with a positive.

In other words, Andy Schmidt regularly turns up and, at the very least, puts on a good show of listening to the complaints, as long as people aren't just raging at him. And I'll vouch for Andy - I complained about Tramp, on the board, basically called him a tosser, and instead of editing my posts like some of the other staff members used to, he sent me a PM asking me to explain in more detail what the problem was. Then he sent something to Tramp and Tramp magically disappeared (for the time being).

Yep i have seen Andy's performance and his approach is great but i still see a lot of attempts to drown out perfectly valid and nothining that is in any way offensive with general sycophancy and excuse making by other posters.

The thing about that thread is that it's true the comics have been mediocre at best - and that AHM was awful - but at the same time, this is a fanbase who went out to watch 'Revenge of the Fallen' multiple times. They didn't march out en masse to buy Last Stand of the Wreckers like they should have either.

i don't really think this is the same group of people though is it - it's not like Iron Man sells a million dollars of comics each week either.

The thread's about why people aren't buying the comics and I don't think the reason is just that the Ongoing is a bit bum. As Snarl keeps saying, quite rightly, loads of Transformers fans have crap taste.

Yes but quality remains a significant part of it in my mind - possibly quality should be broadened to the editorial policy over the last few years and the resultant publishing schedule but there have been a lot of poor choices and the direction of the ongoing, as well intended as it may have been (and all IDWs failures seem to have good intentions behind them) is a big part of this.

I mean the more pertinent question with the ongoing as it stands is why should more people buy it? It's not a good comic. If i had any financial concerns i would drop it.

LSOTW is a special case i think - it was not well advertised and was hard to get hold of. The 4000 sales gap between it and the ongoing may be worth questioning, but not sure beyond that.

Either way i still see a lot of cats piss on that board and the opportunity to interact with the seemingly excellent Mt Schmidt isn't enough to overcome the chore of being told off whenever you are a bit snarky or even just really don't like something.

[Brendocon]

"At least its not Micromasters!"

"At least it's not Victory!"

"Stop comparing the ongoing to LSOTW! You are groupies! lol"

I love arguments like that.

"At least it's better than stuff that's rubbish. Stop comparing it to things that are better than it - that's unfair."

I loved Revenge of the Fallen and Last Stand of the Wreckers, for the record. Though for different reasons.

Still wouldn't touch the ongoing with somebody else's.

But trust me, one day he'll come home to find 13 men, in a circle, janking one off over her.

Trust me.

And I don't know quite how that'll metamorphose as a plot in an iffy comic

Kiss Players. There'll be a Kiss Players homage issue. That's how it'll play out. Bumblebee will tentacle rape a prepubescent Marissa Fairbourne and Spike will be in the corner knocking one out.

[Jack Cade]

Yes but quality remains a significant part of it in my mind - possibly quality should be broadened to the editorial policy over the last few years and the resultant publishing schedule but there have been a lot of poor choices and the direction of the ongoing, as well intended as it may have been (and all IDWs failures seem to have good intentions behind them) is a big part of this.

I mean the more pertinent question with the ongoing as it stands is why should more people buy it? It's not a good comic. If i had any financial concerns i would drop it.

Yeah, this is all true - it's just that there are so many threads already where we say why the comic was bad, and that one was not so much about why people with discerning tastes don't buy it (the reason being obvious) but why a fanbase that doesn't seem to expect much from almost any other medium aren't buying it.

Why do I keep going back there? I still think there are some interesting discussions that go on, and there just aren't anywhere near as many people trying to defend the bad stuff anymore. I mean, that happened to me more than anyone before, and now it's not really happening to me at all. I don't think I've said anything particularly positive about the comics for ages but I'm not feeling the aggression like I used to.

I don't think there's that much difference between the general mood over here or the general mood over there anymore - it's just that we're more free to be snippy here and there's more of a shared 'tone' which means we get on better.

but can anyone post something without someone saying it isn't substantial enough or doesn't contribute to the discussion or it's rude? I get the impression that some guys go there out of an inner need to police a board.

I think people just do a lot of 'reading between the lines' and don't necessarily get it right.

[bumblemusprime]

We are more free to be snippy. Also, we have Papa Snarl.

I guess I'm a bit tired of the same old "why don't other TF fans buy the comic?" The answers are thus: A maze of continuities. No link to stuff they really want to see, like specific toys. They're not comic fans anyway. The ongoing is crap right now.

Yes I said CRAP!

[Yaya]

I'm glad Jack posts there, for very reason he cited. If Andy Schmidt truly is interested in fan reaction and opinion, the more representation we get from Transfans over there, the better.

I come here to be blunt and to the point. I go there with the kid gloves on, knowing there are a bunch of 10-year olds posting there who wouldn't know a good story if it slapped them upside the head.

Andy seems like a nice guy, and in order for an opinion to have some practical value in shaping the comic we get, you have to play nice.

Though lately, I've been rather blunt there. Issue #8 deserved no better.

[bumblemusprime]

I don't think we're the cancer of the fandom so much as the boxing gloves of the fandom.

[Kinf Og The World]

Evening, geezers.

Long time lurker, long time comic TF nerd ('bout 25 years till AHM turned up...)

Yeah. It's looking a bit bleak for IDW at the mo. Well, 'part from Rocherts - trapped in continuity fangazm. I was all 'Well played, Clerks. Well played...' at their recent 'What could we be doing better-athon?' bit on their website where they basically did this - http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1928556
- but Hell, if they're asking at least they know things are tit's up.

Still. Am now a bit worried about Super Dourifto-Chan's unstoppable climb...
'Specially as they've revealed that Primus' sword has the Matrix as a hilt in the Exodus book... Which made me have an extra-special look at Maccy-D's 'never apart from my darkest hour' no-daichi's hilt on the 'Oh hai gais!' cover in AHM. And then at the piccy of Megs with selfsame plot-hot-pot in the same series.
Drift - AH AH! - HE'LL SAVE EVERYONE OF US!

The future of the IDW TF's is in safe hands. Ikazu, Mary Sue!

Gah.

[Brendocon]

Still. Am now a bit worried about Super Dourifto-Chan's unstoppable climb...
'Specially as they've revealed that Primus' sword has the Matrix as a hilt in the Exodus book... Which made me have an extra-special look at Maccy-D's 'never apart from my darkest hour' no-daichi's hilt on the 'Oh hai gais!' cover in AHM. And then at the piccy of Megs with selfsame plot-hot-pot in the same series.
Drift - AH AH! - HE'LL SAVE EVERYONE OF US!

The future of the IDW TF's is in safe hands. Ikazu, Mary Sue!

I don't think I've ever been so scared by one first post.

[bumblemusprime]

Evening, geezers.

Long time lurker, long time comic TF nerd ('bout 25 years till AHM turned up...)

Yeah. It's looking a bit bleak for IDW at the mo. Well, 'part from Rocherts - trapped in continuity fangazm. I was all 'Well played, Clerks. Well played...' at their recent 'What could we be doing better-athon?' bit on their website where they basically did this - http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1928556
- but Hell, if they're asking at least they know things are tit's up.

Still. Am now a bit worried about Super Dourifto-Chan's unstoppable climb...
'Specially as they've revealed that Primus' sword has the Matrix as a hilt in the Exodus book... Which made me have an extra-special look at Maccy-D's 'never apart from my darkest hour' no-daichi's hilt on the 'Oh hai gais!' cover in AHM. And then at the piccy of Megs with selfsame plot-hot-pot in the same series.
Drift - AH AH! - HE'LL SAVE EVERYONE OF US!

The future of the IDW TF's is in safe hands. Ikazu, Mary Sue!

Gah.

Hello, Kinf. I like this post. Next time, be even snarkier!

Also, Matrix in the hilt? WwTtFf.

[Kinf Og The World]

Yeah, I have an overly-over-cooked pop culture way with words. But that's largely 4 beers and good ol' idiocy speaking.

Hasbro and IDDub's PR boys machinations however...

*shivers* Oy vey.

To be honest, I hope I'm actually coming way out of left field with something half-arsed. But it's been far too quiet and it smells far too wrong for it to be unconnected...

It's a dark time for the Rebel Alliance, chaps.

[Kinf Og The World]

Also, Matrix in the hilt? WwTtFf.

Check it. All I've read of the actual book is the bits on TFWiki and that 4 chapter deal that got slammed up - but... Paragraph 8, mate.

http://www.allspark.com/content/view/7379/20/

Oh oh. Spagetti-Oh's.

It seems McCarthy has the gift of blarney whether it comes to drunk in-bar IDW or Hasbro execs. His name may even be a killing word.

Even better than Megatronus. Which is, of course, without reproach...

[edit] Meh - Prima rather than Primus... That's like. +87 rather than +99 in D&D terms? Near as dammit.