Transformers IDW discussion thread [SPOILER WARNING]

[STL]

Well I have thoughts but they are potential spoilers...

The Autobots leave Earth (as per Devastation #5)and the Decepticons conduct that "full scale invasion" mentioned in the Furman Mosaic which the new Headmaster Sunstreaker combats

And STL, Megatron holding the USA flag might be a clue...

I did miss that. But if it's a full scale invasion with Scorponok and Megatron combining forces I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping they'd show a bit more ingenuity and go with the unusual route of Megatron manipulating the humans. Drat.

I dunno, it seems though that we don't have many twists to expect. Which I think is really disappointing. That image and the Mosaic were badly timed imo and it makes me realy annoyed. There's no guessing game for me at all now; it's just an issue of "when". Does anyone else find that frustrating?

It's the equivalent of being spoilered about key plot points in a movie.

[Paulbot]

I think the Sunstreaker vs Scorponok thing could be separate... establishing Sunstreaker as a proper Headmaster.

I think Furman's Mosaic was very badly timed. They should have waited at least until Devastation was finished.

It's still very broad strokes of the plot but I agree it's annoying.

[roller]

The first series was good but this ongoing Arc seems to be taking forever and to me does not have any closure whenever you reach issue 6, i find it a bit hard to follow sometimes because i dont get the spotlights or subtle references from long ago issues, i liked DW story lines and arcs better

IDW art lately has started to look cheaper, varity is no longer as hot as she was b4

[STL]

The first series was good but this ongoing Arc seems to be taking forever and to me does not have any closure whenever you reach issue 6, i find it a bit hard to follow sometimes because i dont get the spotlights or subtle references from long ago issues, i liked DW story lines and arcs better

I do like DW much better too. Much more closed. I didn't have to read Micromasters (even though I did) or Armada or War Within to have an idea of what was going on. Can't say the same for IDW.

I don't think your predicaments helped either by the fact that the Spotlights are collected much slower than the ongoing mini-series (doesn't that sound stupid?). For instance, the Optimus Prime Spotlight which was quite essential to the awfully convenient twist at the end of Devastation #5 is in the Spotlight that was just out this week.

IDW art lately has started to look cheaper, varity is no longer as hot as she was b4

Was she ever?

[bassbot]

verity hot? heh heh.

wow. being new here i didn't realise the vocal negativity with idw's run.

i'm quite the opposite. It took 3 volumes for DW to get to an ongoing tf comic remember, and that only went for about a year.

IDW have put out 3 volumes (including Dev #6 to come) plus a mini-series and will have 15 spotlights that add to the bigger picture but focus on individual characters more-so.

If you look at the few yrs we've had a great spell of comics. yes there's been some small gaps and delays. but all to be expected with a small independent publisher.

Other positives that shouldn't be discounted -
1. Huge fan-interaction, q & a's, discussion, previews, etc from Chris Ryall and Simon Furman (I have organised two q & a's with Simon personally in the last year where IDW forum members pose questions and he answers!)

2. Furman leading his vision for a transformers universe, with others really adding to that, namely Nick Roche (Kup Spotlight), and others coming.

The mini-series deal is really because of IDW nature, they're a small independent publisher. Regular mini-series that then easily translate into trades seems to be the modus operandi.
Maybe sales are less (as the figures seem to clearly show) but imo the quality has not changed.
And not all questions have been left unanswered, by the end of Infiltration and Escalation things were set up and concluded and moved into different arena's.

Simon's mosaic is great. It is EVERYTHING that we fans of the comics have been discussing - what will happen if the autobots leave earth? what's with the dead universe? will sun-hunter survive? these and many more things that we've been discussing and pondering and theorising, i don't know why so many people think it spoilerish (here and elsewhere).
anyhow, just some random thoughts.
can't wait to see the end of Dev!

[Paulbot]

There's plenty to like in IDW and a lot done better than Dreamwave, but the fact that it's so fan-friendly makes it a bit inaccessible to non-fans hurts it's chances of going on forever (as I'd like!). Dreamwave had two limited series before the ongoing which only got axed because of Pat Lee's dubious business practices.

The Mosaic confirms (some of) what happens, which is spoilerific. We know certain plot points now, although not the specifics. As I said I think the timing is bad and should have come out after Devastation #6.

[i_amtrunks]

IDW is a more serious (and more fluent) series, which does make it harder to get into (and somewhat intimidating to start if you missed out on Infiltration #0). Dreamwave never really had that problem, even though it's universe had some serious questions and inconsistencies after only a dozen issues.

It would be nice to have had the two running alongside one another at the same time, one serious series, one more laid back and reader friendly, but it wasnt to be.

[STL]

verity hot? heh heh.

wow. being new here i didn't realise the vocal negativity with idw's run.

i'm quite the opposite. It took 3 volumes for DW to get to an ongoing tf comic remember, and that only went for about a year.

Maybe I should post more on the IDW forums.

Joking aside, it's not that I don't appreciate the IDW run. I do. I recall remarking at fan meets how this universe is so unique. The whole way the universe is set up makes this feel like a real war. Every run prior (Marvel and UK) had the war in the background but it never felt like a war. This does. And I love that part of it. It's a real take on the Transformers. It redefines them so that they are more than the adventure/sci-fi genre. They are at war.

My quibbles with IDW generally are:
- pacing
- release schedule
- art

The pacing has been horrible within the comics and within the wider IDW universe. It's not that I'm impatient but plot elements take so long to manifest and they require you to have read certain Spotlights. That I find detracting for other readers. I myself may not mind since if it's G1, it's bought in my book. However, for the casual reader it makes them wary. To them it appears like sloppy storytelling.

What ultimately it does is that it makes the stories inaccessible unless you've been reading from day 1. That's damaging in my opinion for any series.

I'm in the process of re-reading Infiltration at the moment and I actually like a lot more in TPB form than I did originally. The slow pace and delays really killed my momentum in those early days. I dropped the series for several issues in fact. The humans were really annoying and overbearing. But reading it as a whole; the humans are far more negligible.

That said, with the benefit of hindsight and the anecdotal evidence in the sales, IDW has flopped the franchise. They took it below chartered territory. The zero issue was awful. You could not read it and feel inspired. That I feel was a terrible way to try and generate buzz. The Transformers didn't even appear!

Dreamwave weren't perfect, just as IDW aren't, either. I like DW. Very fun, it harkens back to a more fanboyish, if I may say that, era. It had an immense amount of "Gwun" charm and allure.

IDW feels gritty and real. It's a struggle and burden between two rivalling factions. It doesn't have that same sense of fun but that's not a fault. That's its strength. It takes the concept and elevates it to mature level.

I agree with i_amtrunks. Two series concurrently would be awesome and give the best of both worlds. I do believe though that IDW have dropped the ball. They don't create the buzz they really need to. Each DW title, good or bad, received coverage in the form of interviews with writers and artists in Newsarama or CBR forums. IDW struggles to even get a voice there and create real buzz.

Simon's mosaic is great. It is EVERYTHING that we fans of the comics have been discussing - what will happen if the autobots leave earth? what's with the dead universe? will sun-hunter survive? these and many more things that we've been discussing and pondering and theorising, i don't know why so many people think it spoilerish (here and elsewhere).
anyhow, just some random thoughts.
can't wait to see the end of Dev!

The problem with the Mosaic is that the question is no longer will Sunstreaker and Hunter survive. It's a given. It's supposed to be in continuity. We know exactly how it all unfolds now. He fights Scorponok, joins the Dinobots and face down a full-scale Decepticon invasion.

That's telling us everything that's going to happen. That's the payoff of any story. That creates the buzz and the speculation. Having told us, what do we have to look forward to?

What are we left with now? Only a "are we there yet?" vibe. That I find incredibly disappointing. We're going to read and go, "oh yeah that was supposed to happen."

That's uninspiring.

And to me, there's just so much that could be managed better. But hey, I'll keep reading after all. There are very excellent character moments.

[GoktimusPrime]

We know exactly how it all unfolds now. He fights Scorponok, joins the Dinobots and face down a full-scale Decepticon invasion.

What-?! When did that happen?? Did I miss something?

[STL]

What-?! When did that happen?? Did I miss something?

It was several posts up. Here's the direct link.

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/2...wellwebam2.jpg

It didn't happen in the comics but the Mosaic reveals how events will unfold.