MTMTE #34 (Spoilers)

[Computron]

Poor Trailcutter. =(

Raises the question though, what caused Vos and Kaon to lose power in the first place? Was it a pummeling by the Galactic Council or something else?

In any case, Brainstorm did, or is about to do, something in the past. My guess is perhaps he needs nucleon to power the .1% spark he found?

[Best First]

That was the most suprising issue of the series so far i think. I mean that in a very very good way.

Sometimes reading on ios is far more suspensful as you don't get to look ahead when there is a reveal at the bottom of the page - i was terrified on the characters behalf when Vos was revealed and rightly so.

That said somehow i was still expecting TB to get out of things somehow.

The tradgedy is remarkable really - between disengaging his FIM chip and the sentiments in Towards Peace (as i read it) - Meg's has doomed Trailbreaker when over 4 million years of war he failed to do so.

My only complaints would be:
- the ending of the Ofsted sequence felt a bit cramped
- assuming we were supposed to see *that panel* as definitive in terms of TB's death i don't think the art did it justice

On the other half of the issue - the character development of Megatron is just unbelievable. Megs has always been a bit of a washout for me, what Roberts is doing with him is (har) transformative.

And let's not forget all the other questions raised - who can hurt the DJD like that, who are the Black Block consortia and WTF is Brainstorm up to...

This issue really came out of nowhere. Love it.

[Computron]

Sometimes reading on ios is far more suspensful as you don't get to look ahead when there is a reveal at the bottom of the page - i was terrified on the characters behalf when Vos was revealed and rightly so.

This issue really came out of nowhere. Love it.

Agreed. When they picked up the mask I wanted to blurt out "run you fools!"

Doesnt help that I've been playing Alien Isolation lately. Cranks the fear right up to 11.

[Metal Vendetta]

A lot of what Besty said. Though the art was not exactly stellar, I think Rojo has definitely improved (though not as much as Sarah Stone has and I have to say that after the last issue of RID, if she wanted to try an issue of MTMTE I wouldn't be averse to it) and...hah, I've just realised who he reminds me of. Robin Smith. He's exactly like Robin Smith. So, yeah, while I would have liked a bit more detail on this issue - like maybe a couple of those Tesla-coil antennae sticking out of the "rubble" earlier on, or have one of them sit down on the rubble and idly pick at a bit of it while talking, or just show it prominently in one panel while the reader's focus is elsewhere, you know, as something to flick back through to and go "Ah, I shoulda known something was up!" - his Cybertronians are emotive and just nostalgic enough for me to enjoy them without getting annoyed with the art. Except when he draws their heads to goddamn big all the time and seems to forget they have shoulders. No, it's fine. It's serviceable. I can always pretend it's the UK G2 comic. And though I shouldn't really have to, at least it's not Livio Ramondelli, because I've read Primacy so far and the last issue of RID and I haven't got a fracking clue what's going on in half of the panels. If there's ever a time you want your Transformers to look boxy and incomprehensible, Livio's your guy.

Anyway, back to MTMTE #34. I absolutely love the Magnus cover. For months all I've really known about this issue is that Magnus would be in it, holding a smoking gun. Holy hell, Roberts, you just took that series title to another level and the addition of the speech bubble makes it an in-joke at our own expense. Utter genius.

So onto the story itself and if you haven't read it yet, spoilers ahoy.

First Aid has a really interesting arc in this story. He starts out trying to do the right thing, maybe as a way to atone for his actions as a result of what happened to Ambulon and ends up realising there's a line of compassion that even he won't cross, but Trailcutter will. That's harsh. We don't get that much on Bluestreak this issue. I'm thinking his story is further down the line and that it involves lots of references to classic cinema. Mainframe appears in yet another issue and manages not to get killed. It's weird, seeing Actionmasters in recurring roles, it makes me think like Hasbro might have a new to coming out for him or something. But that won't necessarily save him 'cause, Trailcutter had a toy out this year and by the looks of it he's toast. Ah, ****, I was really starting to like him as well. That's an utterly tragic story arc. I really wasn't expecting that.

Plus Trepan, Froid, Rung, an offhand reference to Senator Shockwave, our first glimpse of Terminus and correct me if I'm wrong but our very first (chronological) sighting of Brainstorm. This is shaping up to be a very weird season, in a very good way.

[snarl]

this was great.

Art was... not Milne.

At times the character models just get a bit rushed - you can tell when he's rushing, the characters go well boxy and the fingers basically look **** - but also at other times absolutely fine.

In terms of telling a story with the art though, all very easy to follow, and interesting enough angles etc... which I think not enough people talk about when criticising it, and I've seen a lot of people criticising it here:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transform ... ssion.html

That TFW2005 board is pretty good, with the exception of a passive aggressive **** on there called Split Lip, who no doubt shits his own bed.

Story - liked not loved, seemed to fly by which isn't usually the case with MTMTE. Still, there were some great moments in it, and TC's death - [composite word including 'f*ck'] about!

That's upset a lot of the ***** the make up the fandom.

Which gets it a double thumbs up from me.

[Best First]

My only other complaint, is that in some ways i would have liked the issue to end with one or the other of the threads that had run through the issue. I get the BS turning up ties the two ears together but i thought that was already nicely covered by TB's reading of Towards Peace.

The horror of what happened to TB and the tragedy of Meg's situation felt a little lessened by, intriguing as it was, BS's sudden appearance - especially on the TB (not TC - Marathon! Opal Fruits! Jif!) front, i felt there could have been more of a coda.

That said tho - i think in some ways this might be my favourite issue in terms of the overall reading experience - the emotional wallop was a lot greater than issues where we have been promised emotional wallop and ultimately the casualty list has not aligned to the expectation. Even with Rewind's death there was a strong feeling the Lost Light had got off lightly overall - here we came from nowhere to a full on gut punch.

[Computron]

James Roberts' Twitter feed has been...interesting for the past 24 hours post Issue 34. Seems like this really was a sucker punch to the fandom.

Then over on the IDW forums you have some people asking why the DJD get so much attention over other Decepticons...I really don't understand people sometimes. It's like complaining that your food is just too good and that if you could please substitute some McDonalds instead, that would be great.

[Metal Vendetta]

I think the issue that the IDW board people have with the DJD is that they're Roberts' own characters rather than pre-existing Geewun 'Cons with toys and all that jazz. Personally I like having some non-toy characters in the mix, especially in an "anyone-can-die" setting such as MtMtE.

[Hound]

It's a stupid criticism. The world of Transformers has to be bigger than the characters defined purely by toys or previous fiction, else it makes a mockery of them being a race.

The DJD are genuinely frightening. And now they know that Megatron has defected and is on board the Lost Light. There is more heartache to come.

[Best First]

Gotta love people asking "what about other Decepticons" when the central strut of Season 2 is Megs Megs and more Megs.

[snarl]

IMO most of the fandom don't deserve legs.

There are some right thick self entitled ***** whining about **** on the various TF boards.

[Computron]

IMO most of the fandom don't deserve legs.

There are some right thick self entitled ***** whining about **** on the various TF boards.

People have been fed crap for so long it's become an acquired taste they prefer.

At some point the DJD will get their comeuppance, and if they were "ordinary" cons (Seekers, Combaticons, whoever) I can only imagine the uproar if Roberts' killed them off.

[snarl]

You can bet your hairy beanbags that if TBC had somehow survived his encounter that the self same ***** crying about his death would be crying at how it makes the DJD look **** and weak.

Will have to go to a Botcon or something again one day, with my cricket bat, a couple of pint glasses and my trusty broken snooker cue.

[Yaya]

Worth the wait. Fantastic.

For the first time ever Megatron's box motto makes sense. I mean, seriously, in every other iteration has "peace through tyranny" ever sounded like something Megs would have ever said? Well, now it does. Thanks James. Took literally thirty years, thirty years!, for someone took make sense of that.

Bummed about Trailbreaker, but I couldn't tell if he's really dead. Seemed like he might still be possibly alive, in a "spark with no body" kind of way.

[Professor Smooth]

Got the issue today!

Finished the book and readied myself for the standard ritual. Go to some other board to share my excitement over yet another issue in the unbroken* run of best Transformers comics in history, read a bunch of whiny bull**** from horrible, horrible people... then come here to celebrate with people who loved it as much as I did! Good times!

*Dark Cybertron doesn't count. And it was the price fans had to pay for that huge flippin' Metroplex figure.

[Best First]

Finished the book and readied myself for the standard ritual. Go to some other board to share my excitement over yet another issue in the unbroken* run of best Transformers comics in history, read a bunch of whiny bull**** from horrible, horrible people... then come here to celebrate with people who loved it as much as I did! Good times!

[bumblemusprime]

I loved this. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Rojo's art. If there is one teeeeeeeeeeeeeny complaint I have about Alex's art, it is that it tends to look crowded, and the nice use of space (at the price of dynamism) helped make this a lot creepier.

I know 85% of the fandom probably skipped the text page. I loved it. Loved the chance to finally read from Towards Peace.

In other news, RiD this month has put a crimp in the style of some of my fanfic, forcing me to rethink perfectly good Bumble continuity.

[Best First]

The text page was amazing.

[Computron]

I know 85% of the fandom probably skipped the text page. I loved it. Loved the chance to finally read from Towards Peace.

That was freaking epic. I loved having that huge excerpt from the book.

[Optimus Prime Rib]

The text page is right there with the end of Target:2006 for "most important pages in TF history".

[Best First]

So this comic made me go out and buy Generations Tailcutter

[snarl]

I must confess I have also recently acquired the ****.

Went on a spate of TF purchases, also got Nightbeat, Thunderwing, Springer, FoC Grimlock and Hoist.

Hadn't bought a TF since 2010

[Best First]

Springer is marriage material.

Nightbeat any good?

[bumblemusprime]

I stand Springer up next to this guy and he holds up. http://www.sector70.com/download.axd?fi ... 120331.jpg

[snarl]

Springer is great isn't he. And that Grimlock is way more deserving of the character than the pip squeak version released in 2006.

Nightbeat I like a lot.

Apparently some people are dissatisfied with him because of the mould they used having "door wings"? I think it's fine, and personally very fitting.

I do deliberately misstransform him though, a la:



IMO, it's a ******* great likeness of him

(And apoparently this is getting a Japanese remould for Siren, with the offical transformation being as it is above.

Intend on getting Skids soon too. And that ****** Brainstorm. basically want the LL crew.

[Best First]

Skids is uhmaaaaaaaazing.

Yeah on LL crew.

Not sure i feel the need for the new Tailgate and Swerve as the original minibots are pretty perfect.

Same with Whirl.

[Yaya]

Wow! Is that Nightbeat out now? Or is that a Generations Nightbeat from a couple years ago?

Also, how do you guys post pics on this site? If I want to post a pic of the figures on my desk for you guys, how would I do that?

[Yaya]

I stand Springer up next to this guy and he holds up. http://www.sector70.com/download.axd?fi ... 120331.jpg

I ended up not getting that Galvy because he's not Masterpiece size. But he looks sweeeeeeeet, so now I'm having second thoughts.

[Hound]

I love the Nightbeat figure - I mistransformed mine too though. Fold the doors up again and you get this

[Computron]

I would throw so much money at a Milne style Rodimus toy.

And First Aid.

And Chromedome.

And Rung.

And...