IDW Transformers ongoing [spoilers]

[Paulbot]

Yes we've seen a lot of this comic book in online previews, but it is on sale now. What did people think?

I enjoyed this issue and think the previews showing things out of context hurt the book

The good
*robots in disguise theme is done well
*human reaction to the TFs is believable (and it's not that G1 cartoon everyone's friends)
*the colouring is quite beautiful
*Don's art is still pretty great
*the battle spread seen in early previews is not an actual event (so lots of chars aren't suddenly back from the dead)
*unexpected cameos
*the Decepticon threat is mostly out of sight

The bad
*the teeth... yes they are annoying but can easily be overlooked
*humanoid bodies... a bit too humanoid in some cases
*an odd time shift towards the end when it jumped to flashbacks
*random Autobots... characters who weren't seen in AHM appear on Earth now or are name-checked
*Prime's angst is a bit familiar, and not really groundbreaking or newspaper worthy

I'm looking forward to issue 2.

[Gutsman Heavy]

I liked it, I would have liked it more if it weren't for the spoilers, thanks IDW!

I like the new art style, its what the movies should have looked like IMO. The teeth are weird...

Sad to see Ironhide get snuffed, I hope Hot Rod doesn't become leader. Disappointed to see Drift again (bloody Mary-Sues) but at least he just stood there, but I'm still scarred after his Spotlight and really want him gone!

[heroic_decepticon]

flicked through this quickly at the comic shop. Didn't quite like the art direction.

Agree with Gutsman, I don't see the point in Drift (I mean why create a new character, and even grant him a Spotlight, when there are literally hundreds of existing G1 transformers to choose from).

[Sky Shadow]

Some good stuff here - the story's not too bad and the art's fine if you keep squinting until all the characters just look like blurry blocks of colour. So, it looks like this storyline is going to be about what life is like for the Autobots without Optimus Prime. WTH? Wasn't that what they did in All Hail Megatron? The IDW story immediately before this one? And the letters page claims "Hopefully, you found this issue accessible and fun, too". What exactly was fun about twenty-four pages of angst?

[SMHFConvoy]

24 pages of angst? Sign me up! ;-) Makes you wonder what was so wrong with Furman's direction to spend the last two years re-inventing the series...

[heroic_decepticon]

So, it looks like this storyline is going to be about what life is like for the Autobots without Optimus Prime. WTH? Wasn't that what they did in All Hail Megatron? The IDW story immediately before this one?

this life without Prime thing is seriously over done. Makes me think they still have not stepped out of the shadow of G1 Marvel (post Game Over Optimus Prime stories) and Marvel UK (Prey).

[griffin]

Yeah, that plot sounds a bit too unoriginal to be interesting.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I'd prefer to have Optimus hanging around, following the loss of a close friend (Ironhide), but to have self doubt about him and his actions, prompting a select few close to him to guide him (their leader) through the tough time, and eventually become stronger in the long run (a secondary story arc that could go 6-12 issues).
We get to see the strengths and weaknesses of a character's personality and how they grow as a 'person' through a tragedy, inspiring others around them in the process. Not to mention highlighting divisions between those supportive of Optimus, and those who question the reliability of a leader with self-doubt, to the point of advocating for a change of leadership.

[GoktimusPrime]

I like G1 style. I like movie style. I do _not_ like mixing the two together. (-_-) Gawd... all the Transformers looked like someone had come along and ripped their lips off, so they look like they're gritting their teeth and snarling.

Breakdown: "Ggrrr, give me more jaAmEnergon! Grr!"
Hot Rod: "Grrr, this sucks, let's stomp some heads. Grr!"
Prowl: "Grr, I can't sit back and watch this. Oh crap, it's a grap. Grrr!"
Optimus Prime: "Grrr, it's taken me two years to realise that I've been a crap leader. Grr!"
(you _know_ that Prime is gritting his teeth under that faceplate!!)
Bumblebee: "Grr, our facial expressions make us all look constipated, grr!"
...etc.
You know that the artwork is dubious when they have to label each Transformer so you can tell who is who! Oh look, Drift's still around. (<_<)

When Hot Rod told Prime off I just thought, wow... he's stating the obvious. Could Prime have been so blind that he didn't realise this for two years?! What was the point of remaining on Earth?!? If Prime was really concerned about more capable Decepticons returning, then why not just leave a small group (or even an individual Autobot) to monitor things; and they could activate a beacon to summon more Autobot reinforcements should a Decepticon threat arise. This was done in Transformers Generation 2 where the Autobots left Earth and gave a beacon to G.I. Joe; now it doesn't seem that the Autobots here have any human organisations that they can trust, but perhaps they could leave a lone Autobot (or a small team) behind with access to this beacon in a hidden and secured location (or the Autobot(s) could carry it on them).

It seems odd to me that Optimus Prime would even allow things to get this bad for the Autobots. And the idea of Optimus Prime walking out on the Autobots is nothing new either. Meh.

The fact that the humans view all Transformers as being a threat is interesting and provides a nice complication for our protagonists. It reminds me of early G1 with III and RAAT only that Skywatch is _way_ more dangerous to the Autobots with their reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology. Another neat moment when Prowl broke cover and risked himself to save Breakdown. I found it interesting that Prowl referred to Breakdown as "one of our own"; it seems that in an environment where the humans don't make the distinction between Autobot and Decepticon and hunt them all equally, that the Autobots would feel a closer kinship with the Decepticons against a common threat (and I wonder if any of the Decepticons might feel the same, perhaps moreso considering that they seem to have been abandoned by the other Decepticons who've left Earth).

[Gutsman Heavy]

While the art does looks like it could be a mix between Movie & G1, Don has stated that its his way of making the TFs look less cartoony, not a movie style merge.

[GoktimusPrime]

meh, either way I'm not a fan of it. Although aside from the style-aesthetics, technically his artwork is getting better. His characters are no longer all chunky (which particularly makes his humans look a lot better) and he's drawing hands a lot better too.