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Thread: Comic review: Robots in Disguise ongoing

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sworc View Post
    Cat,

    That's interesting to hear (or should it be read?) as I get the impression that MTMTE is the more appreciated of the two. For you, what gives RID the edge? Apologies, but I haven't watched much of the new BG so I don't get much from the comparison. BG is one of the many shows on my list to one day get around to watching though!

    Also, would be interested in your views on #3 in comparison to the first two issues?
    Yep, More Than Meets The Eyes is definitely edging out RID for a large chunk of the readers, moreso than RID.

    I enjoy the political side, and there are elements that share a common theme with Battlestar Galactica (which you REALLY need to see. Amazing show), which mirrors different aspects of the show: the world basically ended, now what do we do?
    - heavy politics, trying to placate and integrate separate factions
    - who do we trust? Is the enemy of my enemy my friend?
    - you expect us to live and integrate with those who actively destroyed us, and forced us into conflict, to abandon our life, and to flee our home.
    - can you truly be neutral? What is the cost of being neutral?

    There are a few more things, but I don't want to inadvertently spoil and Battlestar for you. Less you know going in, the more shocking everything is.

    I did enjoy issue 3. I know people had trouble with Prowl saying suicide when that was obviously physically impossible for Ratbat, but it worked well for me. An easy, glossy statement to try and move on and cover it up, with little regard to the Decepticons realising that's a lie. There are so many real life instances that mirror that, some in our lifetime, others in history - doing a patchjob to quiet the crowds, and hope they'll be Placated by a quick answer and move onto the next crisis. People's outrage tends to ebb and flow rather quickly.

    I'm loving Starscream. What is he sincere about? It would appear that there are some honest statements mixed in with his lies. After all, the best lies contain a small amount of truth. What is his end goal? Leading the Decepticons? Hardly seems worth it right now. They're a shell of a people.

    I think there's some really strong parallels you could draw between Prowl and Starscream at the moment.

    So basically: they've finally got a utopia: a united Cybertronian population. How long before it starts to shatter? Early signs are already there, but who, if anyone, is aware of this?

    Prowl is emerging as a kind of Alpha Trion. He has his own position, his own agenda, his own position. But would anyone listen to him ?

    What does it mean that the one who seems to understand him the most is Starscream, a mass murderer, manipulator, and schemer.
    Last edited by Cat; 8th April 2012 at 11:30 PM.

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    Thanks for the responses Cat.

    Looking forward to seeing what Starscream's real motivation is. At times he has almost convinced me he is sincere, but I just can't buy it. Perhaps he is just positioning himself to take over the government if a new leader is required. Maybe help push Bumblebee over the edge. Easier to do from the inside.

    Speaking of Bumblebee, he strikes me as being one crisis away from cracking completely under the pressure of leadership. Doesn't seem to be handling it well at all. Having jumped into the IDW series here, I've got no idea how he ended up in charge. Was everyone else away that day?

    Prowl could easily pass as a Con they way he is scheming. Again having not read IDW this is kinda new for me. Certainly doesn't match my childhood impressions of Prowl. Did he actually mean to destroy the bots that left with Rodimus or just send them hurtling through space as was the end result? Either way, that is just cold.

    So so many preconceptions I need to change!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sworc View Post
    Thanks for the responses Cat.

    Looking forward to seeing what Starscream's real motivation is. At times he has almost convinced me he is sincere, but I just can't buy it. Perhaps he is just positioning himself to take over the government if a new leader is required. Maybe help push Bumblebee over the edge. Easier to do from the inside.

    Speaking of Bumblebee, he strikes me as being one crisis away from cracking completely under the pressure of leadership. Doesn't seem to be handling it well at all. Having jumped into the IDW series here, I've got no idea how he ended up in charge. Was everyone else away that day?

    Prowl could easily pass as a Con they way he is scheming. Again having not read IDW this is kinda new for me. Certainly doesn't match my childhood impressions of Prowl. Did he actually mean to destroy the bots that left with Rodimus or just send them hurtling through space as was the end result? Either way, that is just cold.

    So so many preconceptions I need to change!
    Bumblebee was actually elected leader after Prime quit. This was in the early issues of the last ongoing, and his own miniseries at the same time.

    It does ignore the rigid command structure from IDW's initial run, but there are ways to handwave that, really.

    Prowl, when written well, is easily one of the highlights of IDW's run. Yes, I'm biased as he's my favourite character, but he's been having great periods of development (mixed in with a modicum of mediocrity, depending on the writer).

    Prowl is not afraid to scheme, if he thinks it's for the greater good. Regarding the ship in MTMTE, well, I think there's more to find out on that one, but I don't believe he meant for THAT to happen. That's just my opinion though, and I could well be wrong.

    Glad you're enjoying the comics. Now is really a great time, with two high-quality ongoing series, and the Marvel continuation coming up too.

  4. #34
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    So the preview is up on Seibertron but not yet on the regular comixology site.

    Looks like Robots in disguise is jumping on the LSotW bandwagon, with Skydive making an appearance. He and Falcon might have been the only Predators to survive that mini.

    -edit-
    Nope, guess Skydive was not present in LSotW. My error.

    Not sure how I feel about the preview, it made the issue look as though it was going to be an open and shut case, but I am sure it is misleading...
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    So it wasn't misleading, it was open and shut and not in anyway shape or form, clever or setting up something bigger. I won't spoil any of the actual plot in the next few paragraphs.

    We get to see Blurr beaten up, Arcee try to kill things and Prowl changing character yet again to a sloppy, kill first, ask questions second character, who simply cannot and it appears will not move on from the past. Why couldn't Prowl have been like this when the Autobots held Megatron captive if this was the path he was heading down? (other than Megsy cannot be killed-for long). At this rate there will be no Decepticons left or in an even worse (and who knows, possible storyline candidate) Prowl will end up leading some Decepticon like subsection of troops that turn into the "new Decepticons".

    Just seems like RiD is jumping all over the place, it wants to tell the stories of a rebuilding Cybertron, and it started well enough with political based machinations, but has quickly diverged into telling other smaller stories with characters that could move the story forward quicker (Bee, Starscream, Metalhawk etc) only shown in a panel here and there. Upcoming issues look at the stories of Ironhide and Orion Pax... it feels more plodding and onerous.

    I divulge that the story isn't too bad and as a character study on how Prowl sees the current landscape it is revealing and interesting, but when you have the sister comic moving forward issue by issue simply by focusing on a core cast with the secondary characters supporting them (rather than RiD having the main characters who can drive the story forward supporting the secondary cast), it is hard not to compare both titles to one another (especially considering their numbering) and seeing the negatives slowly stacking higher in the RiD issues.
    it is also a very quick read compared to the sister title, while nothing like a Spotlight Mirage, it is noticeably quicker, and I feel no need for a re-read as I am sure there is nothing deeper going on in the issue that I may notice on a subsequent read through.

    The art doesn't help. Once again characters look different page to page, the over-detailed look is fine, as long as it is consistent. Arcee cops it pretty bad this issue, which does not help her already weird looking robot mode. I do get the feeling at times that this series must really have two artists with similar styles.

    So overall I feel that this issue was only useful in showing us how Prowl cannot seem to stay the same character for more than a few issue, and how he is willing to do whatever needs to be done, even if it means breaking his protocols and such. No forward momentum, no growth for anyone else, and a pretty big kill list of some of the bigger players since Furman was dropped (actually, the killing of the McCarthy/Costa players might not be such a bad idea).

    I really like the potential that this series has, and I hope that it isn't too long before Barber (who did an exceptional job with the turd that was the movieverse) can hit his strides and start looking forward rather than continually focussing on the weak and convoluted stories that preceded the split in titles.
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    this title has me wondering how long before we see alot of autobot (not just red shirt) casulties.. the ending was a bit of a disapointment i thought.... to easy of a finish... prowl should of took them down single handedly and had them all in stasis cuffs... but of well....
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sharky View Post
    prowl should of took them down single handedly and had them all in stasis cuffs... but of well....
    Thats what I was expecting too. Guess since one limb is already killed and with the failure of the combination with him being nothing more than a dead leg the writers saw no need for that team any longer.

    Shame because even individually they could have been used quite well as masterminds/ technicians for other plotters.
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    Quote Originally Posted by i_amtrunks View Post
    Thats what I was expecting too. Guess since one limb is already killed and with the failure of the combination with him being nothing more than a dead leg the writers saw no need for that team any longer.

    Shame because even individually they could have been used quite well as masterminds/ technicians for other plotters.
    i was thinking for sure starscream would have them out in some wasteland harvesting new cybertrons resources already and building a new base of operations whilst playing government..

    i am also getting tired of metalhawk... always quick to put down everything and yet we see nothing of ow good he is to the population... no noble acts to win support from autobots cybertronians or decepticons he is just there... and whinging....

    boring character to me...
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    The last issue wasn't very good mostly because it was rather pointless and as I_amtrunks said, all over the place. Despite it's 'complexity' nothing was really resolved or accomplished, just more Decepticons dead and the Autobots coming off as jerks.

    The last Wheeljack issue was much better.

    Overall I have been enjoying reading RID (although it is a distance second to MTMTE) but I am not sure I am liking it's current course, specially after the last issue which wasn't good.

    Too bad about Predator Skydive, they should have given him a bit of character before killing him off panel.

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    Issue five was brilliant. Sky Byte is the outsider observer poet without the bias of any of the three factions, and this issue continues to makes it clear that there are no easy answers for either the Autobots or Decepticons. Even if the Decepticons did want to 'change' they are third-class citizens under an Autobot militia who can't risk trusting their former enemies and removing their inhibitor/deterrence chips. (Or can they?) Some clever Shakespearean allusions - there's the obvious Yorick/Sweep shtick (which was a clever nod to Robots In Disguise Scourge, and RiD is the title of this comic so having Sky Byte in it is especially appropriate). More subtle was the nod to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, in which Cinna the poet is attacked by an unruly mob who think he's Cinna the murderous conspirator (Sky Byte the poet is attacked because an unruly mob mistake him for Skywarp the murderer.) I liked the Wheelie reference too. Great art and writing. An A+ issue.

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