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Sam
9th April 2009, 05:37 PM
I just picked this up today. The story is nothing exceptional, but it's still enjoyable.

I thought that the artwork, colours, and lettering were all done very well.

I would give it an 8/10.

Lord_Zed
9th April 2009, 09:37 PM
I agree, good read, nothing excpetional. Nice colouring, good to see the Wreckers again, not to mention a bit more of the galaxy.

Drift is ok, I wish he were a more stoic samurai and wans't smiling cockily all the time though.

Still not about to say that the Drift character is anything special, to me he's just Jazz + Dinobot + swords.

It would be nice if they did something clever nad made him a former pupil of Bludgeon or Banzaitron or something, although that would involve using non first 3 years G1 characters so It might be asking to much.

Good to see Spotlights comming out more frequently though, not sure about the cover of Cliffjumper in anime land, Does anyone think its about time we had A Deception spotlight though? I'm getting tired of just seeing Genericons.

GoktimusPrime
10th April 2009, 08:04 AM
Drift is like some kind of Cybertronian Jedi. And yeah, it'd make sense if he had some link to Bludgeon or Banzaitron (as they're pretty much Decepticon Sith). Damn Munchkin!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Summoner%20Geeks%20photocomic/dsummoner11.jpg

Zahhak
19th April 2009, 03:19 AM
Reading spotlight Drift I couldn't help but think of this comic from lil formers
http://www.lilformers.com/index.php/2007/11/28/lil-formers-74-transfan-profiles-iii/

Drift seems ALOT like the type of fan made character I'd get by searching devart. The comic itself wasn't written so bad with and was nicly illustrated, it was also nice to see perceptor be perceptorish.

GoktimusPrime
19th April 2009, 08:46 AM
Drift seems ALOT like the type of fan made character I'd get by searching devart.
+1. Drift = Munchkin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchkin_(role-playing_games))

Paulbot
19th April 2009, 03:23 PM
I found myself quite enjoying Spotlight Drift. The preview with the aliens made me expect a totally different (and much less Transformer-based) story.

The robot art was very nice, the action was interesting and the artists did a great job of making the generic Decepticons not look generic. They all had different coloured schemes and shapes. Enough so that I was studying them to see if I could recognise them. That's a nice touch.

Now I know his story, I would have liked it if an existing character was used in the role of former Decepticon seeking redemption. Carnivac would have been the clear G1 character to use but I don't want to keep reading G1 stories told over and over again so I am glad he wasn't.

I would have LOVED it if we'd found Drift used to be Thundercracker. To finally see that character's doubts of the Decepticon cause get explored. Drift's former Decepticon identity is an enigma to us, but if he'd been a very familar character turning over a new leaf the story (and character concept) would be more powerful.

Sky Shadow
19th April 2009, 04:00 PM
Now I know his story, I would have liked it if an existing character was used in the role of former Decepticon seeking redemption.

I agree 100%. I wouldn't even care which character they used, all McCarthy had to do was substitute any currently unused Decepticon's name for the word 'Deadlock' and I would have been ecstatic. As it is, I'm still 'sigh... meh'.

GoktimusPrime
19th April 2009, 10:32 PM
Heh... Deadlock. He used to be a Cybertronian who transformed into a self-locking door handle. Tiby's fingerprint scanner would pwn him! :p

Zahhak
20th April 2009, 12:33 AM
I
I would have liked it if an existing character was used in the role of former Decepticon seeking redemption.

I couldn't agree more, I had the exact same thought...even if it was a sort of throw away character realeased only in europe as a toy character that one guy bought.

Also I read some guys opinion (I think on siebertron.com) that drift/deadlock is one of the mystrious decepticons on the cover of spotlight cliffjumper(one of them has a very similar head)
http://rex-203.deviantart.com/art/Spotlight-Cliffjumper-cover-117372560

GoktimusPrime
20th April 2009, 08:07 AM
Of course, the so-called "European" exclusives were also released in Australia and New Zealand, so they would also have meaning for us. And considering that this character was made by an Aussie... so many missed opportunities!

The Decepticon with the "funky" head on the cover of Spotlight: Cliffjumper is meant to be Banzaitron I believe.

i_amtrunks
20th April 2009, 08:14 AM
It was better than Spotlight Blurr in terms of storytelling, but nothing spectacular.

I still get the feeling that McCarthy expected everyone to be like him and start gushing sentences like "OMFG, Drift is teh most awzomest doode evar!!!1!" whenever Drift is on a page.

With what I have seen in the various Mosaics made in the past 18 months, I think McCarthy would have gotten a much better reaction if he had of used someone like Thundercracker as a Decepticon turned Autobot...

Hell any existing Decepticon would have been better.

Lord_Zed
20th April 2009, 12:20 PM
Baddies turned into goodies stories are so predictable, I'd rather see a good guy turn to the darkside that's way more fun.

As for Deadlock, I thought is was just cause Mcarthy likes using Genericons. :rolleyes:

i_amtrunks
20th April 2009, 12:24 PM
Baddies turned into goodies stories are so predictable, I'd rather see a good guy turn to the darkside that's way more fun.

As for Deadlock, I thought is was just cause Mcarthy likes using Genericons. :rolleyes:

bring on the Animated Waspinator comics!

SilverDragon
20th April 2009, 12:44 PM
Judging from what I know about this Spotlight, it really does sound like a bad fanfic.

Zahhak
21st April 2009, 12:47 AM
bring on the Animated Waspinator comics!

Other then animated Black Aracnia I don't know of any other Autobot gone Decepticon story arc or character. Unless you count Dealer but he's sorta of a grey area.

Oh and what do you guys think of big baddy decepticon Turmoil. Niceish desghn IMO despite his bulk, but his giant gun was a little too ridiculous for me.

Sky Shadow
21st April 2009, 08:40 AM
Other then animated Black Aracnia I don't know of any other Autobot gone Decepticon story arc or character.

Armada Wheeljack? Cybertron Mudflap? Shattered Glass Sideswipe? Universe Obsidian? Classics Cliffjumper?

There were many Maximal to Predacon or Vehicon changes in Beast Wars/Beast Machines as well - Rhinox... Silverbolt... arguably any of the Maximal protoforms that became Predacons...

Paulbot
21st April 2009, 08:48 AM
Oh and what do you guys think of big baddy decepticon Turmoil. Niceish desghn IMO despite his bulk, but his giant gun was a little too ridiculous for me.

I thought it was Brawl at first :o

GoktimusPrime
21st April 2009, 10:10 AM
I prefer Spotlight Blurr over Spotlight Drift. Spotlight Blurr's probably my favourite McCarthy written story so far. :/


Unless you count Dealer but he's sorta of a grey area.
Not really -- Doubledealer is a Decepticon double-spy, much like Punch/Counterpunch and Animated Shockwave/Longarm Prime, only that he's not inherently loyal to the Decepticon cause but he certainly has no loyalty to the Autobots either - ultimately he's a self-serving mercenary. But not like Lockdown who remains factionally neutral - he's more like Animated Swindle -- happy to fly the Decepticon flag but deep down only serves himself.

kup
26th April 2009, 09:07 PM
I read it. Thought it was good but not spectacular. Although it was a good story it is still hard to like Drift due to the way he is being presented. The lilformer (http://www.lilformers.com/index.php/2007/11/28/lil-formers-74-transfan-profiles-iii/) fan joke has this character spot on.

I was also very disappointed that the 'Geewhunner' mentality is still present despite this story taking place in a much more Sci-Fi world more commonly seen in Marvel comics and Furman's IDW where an opportunity was created to use 'forgotten' characters or toys but instead they did made up characters. There are literally dozens of Decepticon characters, many of them with no more story than their toy bios yet the writer decided to use genericons; Very disappointing and again shows that it seems that the writer is not all that much aware nor does he care to learn or explore characters beyond 86 and instead prefers to use made up ones.

Overall a good story which was unfortunately brought down by the poor characters concept of the lead and a lot of missed opportunities which are noticeable enough to be distracting particularly if you have a G1 background that goes beyond 1986 and the cartoon.

Tetsuwan Convoy
22nd May 2009, 08:16 AM
Just picked mine up the other day

Was OK, I had to read it a couple of times, some of the action scenes didn't seem to flow very well for me. The part when the wreckers are blasting the cons just after Perceptor gets shot, Drifts actions are a little confusing (runs forwards, stops tuns back) I worked it out in the end, but it felt jilted. Also when Drfit meets Kup, he says he can take them there, next scene they are releasing prisoners, I was thinking "where the hell did these guys come from?" Dunno why, just seemed a bit sloppy really.

Shame about the Genericons as well, there was a good oppoortunity for him to really make a mark of TF canon (cannon?) but oh well.

6/10
Like Kups cigar, despite the lack of logical reasoning for him having it.:rolleyes: