Well I picked up All Hail Megatron #15!
It was kinda nice to read a TF comic that took time to read and consider.
I was a bit disappointed -- I'd hyped it up a bit in my head, because I LOVED Spotlight Kup. But the story here... was kinda pointless unless there's a follow-up. Here's hoping that the Wreckers series is that follow-up.
I liked Prowl a lot, and the characterisation... ahhh that was really nice. Each of them being treated as a different character with a different voice. That's ALL I ASK from Transformers. Not much to ask is it? (Okay, I ask for more than that, especially when I get it... but it's a start.)
I love how expressive Nick Roche's art is... but I don't particularly like his compositions or layouts. His pages are confused -- it was, admittedly, a LOT worse in Maximum Dinobots. This was nicely readable, if a bit visually ugly.
The Perceptor story was... fine. Not great, not bad. The art hurt it a bit too -- there was no mood to the art, and no creativity in the angles. This was especially bad in the "Perceptor sharp-shoots Monstructor" panel. If it had been framed from the point of view of the shooter -- so that the blast is the focus of the image instead of MOnstructor himself -- it would have worked a hundred times better. Also scripting to the page was a bit bad too. Way to waste an entire splash page on a reveal of Perceptor... when... uhhh... we already knew what "New" Perceptor looked like from nearly 12 issues of him in All Hail MEgatron already!
Overally, though, Casey Coller does a workman-like job with the art. I especially like the way he draws Transformers' hands. (I like the way Roche draws them too, for that matter.) I just wish he'd be a bit more thoughtful with his framing of scenes. Pull back a bit, show us the environment. Give us a long shot once in a while, Casey. Honestly, that goes for you too Nick Roche. Enough with the medium shots and closeups already. Give us a damned long shot!
Special Mention goes to the lettering. I REALLY noticed it this issue. The Letterer, whoever he was (Chris Mowry) had a style that really, really suited Casey's work... but the exact same bubbles, and fonts used on Nick Roche's work looked really out of place. I really noticed the text as standing out from the artwork more than it should in the Nick story. The script was very word, and that contributed to the problem, but the main thing was that the TOTALLY crisp perfect panels and borders the text didn't blend in as a part of the art -- they stood out from it as intrusive.
Ahhh well.
Overall, I enjoyed the issue a LOT more than my usual All Hail Megatron. If the entire series had been this quality -- honestly the quality of either story -- I'd have a LOT less complaints. I'm going to read it again without the expectations that Spotlight: Kup would put on it... and I do believe I'm gunna enjoy it MUCH more on the second read.
It's been a while since I could say that about a Transformers comic.
--Boltax.
(Oh... the whole explain-the-cigar thing made me cringe. That's one thing about All Hail Megatron that didn't *NEED* explaining. Fortunately, the ACTUAL EXPLANATION was *really* strong and effective and worked with the story AND the continuity, so the cringe didn't last.)
(Cy-gar is a cringe that lasts, though.)
Reply With Quote
)
The "Cy-Gar" thing felt forced, but I suppose Roche felt the need to explain it's otherwise meaningless appearance in previous AHM (yet another writer cleaning up after McCarthy's mess (-_-)); but as Jhiaxus said, it was a pretty good explanation so I was able to accept it. The word itself is indeed cringeworthy though... and I'd imagine that it would be pronounced differently from 'cigar' like maybe "sigh-gar" because previously Spike asked Kup something like "what's with the cigar?" and he replied, "What's a cigar?" -- so in keeping with that I'm imagining that it's pronounced differently. Or so I tell myself so I can sleep better at night. 
Originally Posted by SMHFConvoy
