Preview for #9
Nightbeat!
Looks solid, once again the characters just jump off the page.
Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)
had a read of #9 this morning and another good issue, i loved the story telling and the reveal at the end
the one liners through the issue was great too..
and skids talking about prowl.. made me chuckle...
this series is just great.
Prowl has been one of my favourite ongoing / Roche characters, but I too enjoy all the Prowl bashing that has been going on from Rewind and Chromedome. I'd pay good money for a comic series (digital or otherwise) set back during the olden days before the war if it was written the same way that the flashbacks were in this issue.
It was fantastic to see Nightbeat again, although why he wasn't in the police/forensics department I have no idea.
The final reveal was exactly what I was expecting, but maybe not so soon. Rodimus is obviously wrong, but hey, we learnt that Grapple is part of the Lost light crew, it's been fun meeting the non core characters each issue.
Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)
after the annual and the last few issues, i have really enjoyed how they have given life to characters such as swerve, tailgate and rewind...
they are great to see regular even if it is for two panels and and a but.
I quite enjoyed this issue, especially the way that it was told in a recount narrative, and also playing on how history can be diluted by inaccurate recounts (and the unreliability of eyewitness testimonies, especially when said witness is totally mind-scrapped )
Mebbe he was still a rookie? And yet Chromedome was a cop... See... this is the thing I kinda simultaneously like and hate about IDW -- on one hand they do flesh out characters in interesting ways and giving them cool personality quirks like with Chromedome... but on the other hand, it's completely inaccurate to their original G1 personas, that they might as well be completely different characters (the only similarity they share is name and visual likeness). Yeah, I know, different continuity blah blah blah -- but still, I gotta say that one thing I liked about Dreamwave Comics, despite their flaws, was that their characters were more "true to G1." And honestly, DW's later series were pretty well written - they just suffered from appalling artwork (from Pat Lee and others mimicking his style ) and occasional poor editing.
I'm all for fleshing out characters in more depth, and I'm definitely a lover of seeing Transformers written with a variety of personality quirks -- that's something that was always cool about G1 when you read their toy tech spec bios, they all had some individual ability and weirdness to them (e.g. Breakdown can shut down machines, but he's a total paranoid schizo! ) -- I'd just like to see such things done in a way that's more true to G1. <--JMHO.
Rodimus is such a bad leader... I'm just waiting for the moment when Ultra Magnus snaps and relieves Rodimus of command (kinda surprised that it hasn't happened already -- unless there's some rule that currently disallows him from doing it... Magnus may be waiting for Rodimus to make the "right mistake" that allows him to assume command).
MtMtE goes from strength to strength!
Loved this issue. The interaction between Drift and Ratchet is fantastic, as well as finally seeing how Drift actually feels about Rodimus' approach to things.
I kinda like seeing the characters we know in situations that we're not used to seeing them in. Sure, we know who Chromedome, Nightbeat, Prowl, etc are in the present. But who's to say that they were always that way. Seeing the same person in a different context gives us a better understanding of the whole character, rather than just the job title, as other bits of their character are allowed to show.
I think that's the big strength of MtMtE over RiD, because we get these multi-faceted characters, people who are more than just a one-trick pony (Trailbreaker aside ), with these reveals coming as part of the story than being the story.
I didn't like the Annual much. I think the regular art suits the book so well and makes this series kick butt IMHO. Now I really enjoyed this issue. The top of page 15 (the old infomercial) was the biggest laugh out loud moment in a comic I've seen in ages. Absolutely brilliant sight gag.
Paulbot, you're right - Alex Milne with Josh Burcham on colours make this series amazingly deep, alongside Roberts' writing! The annual, whilst I enjoyed the story (and Guido's flashback stuff) did lack the punch the ongoing has from the art.
#9 is amazing though. Can't believe the goodness of it... Loved seeing Nightbeat again, and wonder if this opens the doors to seeing how he became the detective that Prime calls on in Infiltration! More flashbacks please!
Twit and insta @lukeabarnett
Just to break up the praise for Issue #9, I thought it was just ok and far preferred the Annual.
While the flashback gave us some insight into the past lives of several of the characters It felt a bit slow to me as if they are still setting the scene for a stronger follow up issue (further evidenced by the shock ending).The writing was good as usual but some of the gags fell flat for me, though I did like how Ratchet got spray paint on Drifts face.
Maybe it's just because with Autocracy and the like it feels like there has been a lot of flashbacks of late... dunno.
The Annual on the other hand (while having pretty ugly art) was an awesome stand alone story, AND delivered a defining character development point for both Magnus and Swerve, not to mention showcasing Rodimus brash leadership style and love of uttering "Till all are one!" Loved it.