COMICS

[blackie]

OK so.
i look at all the comics you guys read, and i have access to some marvel g1 comics, but i was wondering what you guys would suggest for comics i can find in retail to start getting into. im more into the cool drawings, not so much like the marvel g1, but more like the war within comics.
so yeah since i want to start collecting comics, any advice about which series i should go for would be much appreciated :D

[GoktimusPrime]

So you're more interested just in the art rather than stories? In terms of just sheer art, I would actually look at the TF manga... but for TF comics outside Japan I think the E.J. Su is the best of what's out there atm. I also like Guido Guidi although I found his AHM work kinda disappointing. Most of them are reasonably decent (though I'm not a fan of Ruffolo), so it's a matter of taste. Go browse around your local comic store and see what you like. One advantage of Western comics vs. manga is that they're not shrink-wrapped (although that can also be a disadvantage from a collector's POV). :)

[blackie]

So you're more interested just in the art rather than stories? In terms of just sheer art, I would actually look at the TF manga... but for TF comics outside Japan I think the E.J. Su is the best of what's out there atm. I also like Guido Guidi although I found his AHM work kinda disappointing. Most of them are reasonably decent (though I'm not a fan of Ruffolo), so it's a matter of taste. Go browse around your local comic store and see what you like. One advantage of Western comics vs. manga is that they're not shrink-wrapped (although that can also be a disadvantage from a collector's POV). :)

i like both the art and the story line, thats why im starting to sift through my marvel g1 comics, but for one reason theyre too hard to read for me. i like having a comic in my hand, and would love to have a shelf full of them some day. the spotlight on blur art is the sort of art im more into, but im not sure what the story lines are like etc... im sorta a comic noob :P

[TheDirtyDigger]

If you're a comic noob like you state I would say read everything that you can get your hands on and then make judgement calls later on what you purchase as you'll have more of a feel for what artists, authors and eras you like.

[roller]

Get Generation 2 comics, they are so 90s!!!

[blackie]

ok so ive just read vol 1 of war within, and must say it does it for me... so whats similar to this?

[roller]

volume 2 is similiar :D

[heroic_decepticon]

ok so ive just read vol 1 of war within, and must say it does it for me... so whats similar to this?

Stormbringer.


... but for TF comics outside Japan I think the E.J. Su is the best of what's out there atm.

I think we're among the very few people who think so. But then, its a matter of opinion i suppose. :p

[Paulbot]

Dreamwave's Generation One series are worth looking at too. The first aint great and you could skip that and go straight to the second series. The third's the best but it picks up story threads from the second series so you can't really just jump on in.

[blackie]

ive got vols 1 2 and 3 of the dreamwave g1 series already so ill look into them, but im also looking for stuff thats comming out at the moment, that ill be able to buy easily and actually own, any ideas?
what are the spotlight comics like? they look cool

[Paulbot]

ive got vols 1 2 and 3 of the dreamwave g1 series already so ill look into them, but im also looking for stuff thats comming out at the moment, that ill be able to buy easily and actually own, any ideas?
what are the spotlight comics like? they look cool

Spotlights vary. The early ones are better. The more recent ones are often too tightly tied into the IDW-verse (particular the last four!) Spotlight Blurr is due out soon and might be a different and more like the original standalone stories.

The only other things coming out at the moment are "All Hail Megatron" and the "Animated" comics.

[blackie]

hmm so my hopes are limited, or i look for old issues...... oh well i guess my laptop will be my friend for comics for a while longer

[jacksplatt11]

Because even the older IDW stuff is pretty new, you can still easily get most of it in TPB form... And there isn't a great deal of it compared to say Batman/Superman/Xmen etc if you get my drift, so you could probably just pick it all up... If you like TFs (which of course you do :p) you should like all of the IDW stuff I think.. and of course if you can get access to it the other DW stuff you haven't read so far, and then of course there is Marvel G1 which you can get in TPB form nowadays too

[blackie]

minatour here i come :P

[Paulbot]

minatour here i come :P

STL will kick me if I don't recommend Classic Comics (also in the City). They have cheaper prices than Minotaur.

[blackie]

never been there, where is it? i know of comics r us, but ill never buy from there unless i absolutely have to, and my local random comics r us has nothing in the way of tf literature...

[jacksplatt11]

minatour here i come :P

Minotaur even.. :D


STL will kick me if I don't recommend Classic Comics (also in the City). They have cheaper prices than Minotaur.

Yeah, I have it on good authority from STL that Classic Comics is cheaper, and was even insulted when I mentioned that I go to Minotaur :rolleyes:

[Paulbot]

It's in a laneway off of Bourke Street in between Spring St and Exhibition Street. It's easy to miss but a few of us shop there and can show you the way.

[blackie]

cool, i might try and go hunt for it next friday when i have my day off (god i cant believe it, ive finished uni, and still dont have time off, whats wrong with me)

oh man comic collecting is going to be expensive, but not as expensive as lego methinks :)

thanks for all the help so far guys

[Tropisetron]

Hi blackie

I was just about to start a thread similar to yours.Guess you were one step ahead of me...

Anyway, i just got into the comic TF too. So i started off with the crossover with my 2 favourite cartoons, GI JOE vs TF.

I got the OMnibus for AUD60 few days ago from ebay. Highly recommended! Great storyline so far. And the arts not too bad...

Have a look at them when you're at the store......

Cheers

[GoktimusPrime]

Do they still sell G1/G2 TFs at Comics R Us? (haven't been there in 7 years :p)

[TheDirtyDigger]

Do they still sell G1/G2 TFs at Comics R Us? (haven't been there in 7 years :p)

Haven't been to the city shop for ages as it's always been a rip off for figures and comics. After the hype of the movie though they were pretty well cleaned out of G1 and G2.

[STL]

STL will kick me if I don't recommend Classic Comics (also in the City). They have cheaper prices than Minotaur.

Darn tootin' straight!



Yeah, I have it on good authority from STL that Classic Comics is cheaper, and was even insulted when I mentioned that I go to Minotaur :rolleyes:

You want a box of Kleenex, Sunflower?

In all seriousness the one advantage that Minotaur has is that it generally keeps its stock levels maintained better than Classic Comics. Classic Comics is cheaper but they generally only stock stuff that has been a proven mover so stuff that is not you'll generally have to order. That's in terms of trades. With single issue comics, they're even harder to get off the shelf. It's quite worth your while to use Classic Comics standing order system though b/c it means you get discounts on TPBs and single issues while your issues are always well looked after as instead of being on the shelf they go straight to your bag. If you have a standing order w/ them, you'll get even better discounts on top of their lower prices.

One of the things about ordering TF comics though is that IDW have a terrible habit of not providing sufficient images of covers so it does make it hard to signal your preference on your orders. IDW's covers generally don't get released till a week out which by then doesn't leave much wriggle room but Classic Comics are more than happy to find the specific cover you want at no extra charge. My discount rates at Classic Comics is 15% which is very generous given their already competitive prices.

As for general reading, my personal top 3 are:
1.) DW: War and Peace (G1, vol.2): a very nice G1 feel here.
2.) DW: The War Within I - mindblowing, inspirational
3.) DW: The War Within II -

I, like you, love the new art a lot, Don Figueroa especially. I doubt I'd be reading any of the comics in sequential form if it wasnt' for the more modern style.

For the IDW G1 stuff, it's very convoluted unless you read it in the right order and remember everything over the course of the past 3 years. So it pays to actually sit down and read it one go. It's written terribly for a sequential book and is all over the place.

I'd recommend this (http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Premiere-1-HC/dp/1600101186) as a starting point at IDW. It'll keep you up to speed with the order of things. It's a bit pricey but IIRC, Classic Comics has a volume for $120 which I saw about a month ago which is excellent value for the 18 odd issues you get in it. It's oversized and all the art is blown up which makes it quite desirable to read. The dust jacket is simply awesome too. It's the best way to read IDW imo and the stories flow a lot better in this form than the sequential format. The 2nd volume of this is due next year sometime, I think.

Of IDW's stuff, the must read story is: Stormbringer. Love the story and the art especially. Megatron: Origins is a story that you'll want to read that has a lot of easter eggs but it suffers many flaws.

Of IDW's artists, my favourites are:
- Guido Guidi - he's not at his best imo on All Hail Megatron but he's still an awesome G1 artist.
- Rob Musso - his Ultra Magnus issue was amazing. His Ramjet was good but not a favourite character of mine.
- Alex Milne: his sequentials can be very hard to follow but he does awesome covers and pin up pages.

Also IDW's Kup Spotlight was very awesome imo. It's different and the art's not my cup of tea, but it works extremely well for the story it has to tell.

[blackie]

ok new question, having never read the spotlight comics at all, but looking at the art thinking i might get one or two of them, do they follow a continuous story line, or are the independent of one another. also when does spotlight on blurr come out in aus?

[STL]

ok new question, having never read the spotlight comics at all, but looking at the art thinking i might get one or two of them, do they follow a continuous story line, or are the independent of one another. also when does spotlight on blurr come out in aus?

I believe Spotlight Blurr came out a week ago. I could be wrong though since I pick up my comics once a month (mostly cos it takes me that long to read stuff).

The Spotlights were -supposed- to be independent but that's not really the case and a lot of them leave a lot to be desired if you haven't been reading the rest of the IDW G1 series. The best spotlights that are closest to stand alone are:

- Blaster
- Kup
- Ultra Magnus
- Shockwave

Most of the others are middling to okay. A large part of the problem is they leave you unsatisfied since its part of a story arc and the end of the Spotlight leaves you in no mans land. Many of those plots weren't followed up to for a long time and that was a large problem w/ IDWs G1 series. Too long between series and spotlights. That's why I really recommend the Premiere Hardcover so you can read it in one go.

[blackie]

i just finished reading dw war within vol 3..... wtf only 3 of them :'(
liked the story line and the art, but i want more :'(
looking into stormbringer tomorrow :D

[STL]

I'd lend you mine but that Jacksplatt11 pansy has it.

[jacksplatt11]

I'd lend you mine but that Jacksplatt11 pansy has it.

Well you're not getting it back now for that, so ner

[STL]

Well you're not getting it back now for that, so ner

Hah! I still owe you 2c! that makes us... waitaminute... :o

[GoktimusPrime]

I think most of the Spotlights can be read as stand alone stories except for Galvatron and the Revelations arc ones.

[Eruntalon]

Do they still sell G1/G2 TFs at Comics R Us? (haven't been there in 7 years :p)

I was there last Thursday and the only TF toys they had were a complete G1 Devastator, loose Breakdown and loose Afterburner. All looked suspicious because they either had repro-stickers applied or were knock-offs in general being sold as authentic.

Comics R Us are really only good for bags/boards and back issues as everything else is expensive.

[blackie]

I was there last Thursday and the only TF toys they had were a complete G1 Devastator, loose Breakdown and loose Afterburner. All looked suspicious because they either had repro-stickers applied or were knock-offs in general being sold as authentic.

Comics R Us are really only good for bags/boards and back issues as everything else is expensive.

if there the ones in the case as you walk in before you reach the top of the stairs then theyre ko's :P

[STL]

Aye.

[Autocon]

anyone know when the movie comics will be out in Aus? alliance defiance

[GoktimusPrime]

► Transformers Movie Prequel [#1-4]: March~May 2007
► Transformers Movie Prequel [one shots]: June 2007, October 2007, June 2008
► Transformers Movie Prequel, Saga of the Allspark: July~September 2008
► Transformers Movie Adaptation [#1-4]: June 2007
► Transformers: The Reign of Starscream [#1-5]: April~August 2008
► Transformers: Destiny (Alliance/Defiance) [8 issues] December 2008, January~February 2009

(Reference (http://www.tfarchive.com/comics/idw/))

[STL]

In Melbourne now, the cheapest place for Transformer Trades is Collectors Edge. It's cheaper by $2 to $3.

Individual comics are still cheapest at Classic Comics though.

[jacksplatt11]

It's in Moonee Ponds? Nice, pretty close to me, doesn't make a difference really though cause I just catch the train anyway

[STL]

It's in Moonee Ponds? Nice, pretty close to me, doesn't make a difference really though cause I just catch the train anyway

Its abt a 5 minute walk from the station. I used to duck out of uni and go there via train. Man those were the days.

[jacksplatt11]

Sick, just checked out their ebay prices, pretty good, I'll give them a visit next week, wanna come?

Oh wait... :p

[STL]

Sick, just checked out their ebay prices, pretty good, I'll give them a visit next week, wanna come?

Oh wait... :p

Yeah, keep laughing, Lily, i'll kick ur sorry excuse for behind yet