All Hail Megatron Issues 1 to 6 (Vol 1)

[i_amtrunks]

i just hope that the in the end, the story isn't a dream

or

That the humans all start chanting "UsA , USA, USA" and start smashing the Decepticons, while American flags appear everywhere-like at the end of that horrid Spiderman movie

That would be horrible.

Especially considering that the writer is Australian, and yet in his comic, North America (and in particular New York) is still "the heart of Earth". I'd love to see more Worldwide focus in Transformers comics every now and again.

[GoktimusPrime]

The writing of AHM is very American-centric. If I didn't know better I would never have guessed that McCarthy is a non-American. Seriously.

Then there was that alternate future in G1 where Spike and the human-Autobot resistance won their victory by using an American flag! Har!

[i_amtrunks]

Then there was that alternate future in G1 where Spike and the human-Autobot resistance won their victory by using an American flag! Har!

I don't know if I would call it a victory... they just didnt get nuked by the EU...

[GoktimusPrime]

Well considering that was the primary objective of their suicidal mission, I'd say it was a victory. And hey, the convenient timing of Hook, Line and Sinker's arrival probably enabled Spike and the other surviving members of that raid to escape.

[Sky Shadow]

The writing of AHM is very American-centric. If I didn't know better I would never have guessed that McCarthy is a non-American. Seriously.

Then there was that alternate future in G1 where Spike and the human-Autobot resistance won their victory by using an American flag! Har!

And that was written by a Pom. I'd love a more global look at Transformers. Again, Masterforce did that sort of thing relatively well. It would be interesting if different Transformers were stationed at different locations on Earth and if their personas developed based on their conditions (guess where Outback would be based...)

[STL]

[Lord_Zed]

If there going to make it Ameri-centric then I hope they a t least make the consequences appropriate. Given the carnage the Decepticons have caused in America in AHM the world can never go back to the way it was can it? at least not without some corny fix I think. Will China become the new world leader? America has got to be hurting with no President and there greatest city captured and in ruins, the stock market must be in even worse shape than in the real world.

I wonder if anti-US terrorists in AHM praise the Decepticons?

[FFN]

To be fair, Transformers has and in all likelihood always will be an American franchise. The majority of it's fans are there, and the US continues to be TF's biggest market. So it's reasonable for most western TF stories to be written with an American audience in mind.

I wouldn't worry about the US military being able to defeat the Decepticons (not without external help, anyway), as McCarthy didn't like the 2007 live-action movie.

[roller]

USA!!! USA!!! USA !!!

Convoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyy!!!

[STL]

I just read issues #2 and #3 and I can't speak highly enough of this series. #1 felt generic crash and bang but I've really warmed to the different style to TFs. It's very refreshing. This is a much more cinematic approach to the stories compared to Furman's weaving together of multiple plots. Its been very possible to enjoy and I don't think the continuity issues are as glaring as people have made them out to be. I think those fans are being rather precious. A year has elapsed, a lot has changed. Accept it for what it is.

(Not to mention the fact that IDW had to try something new b/c Furman's run was sinking into unchartered depths at a time when Transformers is a hot property. Like it or not, the sales numbers for Furman's run are pathetic and change was needed.)

The conversation between Starscream and Megatron in #2 was extremely well executed and intelligent. The Constructicons and Astrotrain's snipe at one another was welcomed too and gave some texture to the rivalry among the ranks. Ravage's silence was great too. It gave the book real atmosphere and spoke volumes about the nature of the character.

The human characters are not being forced down our throats. They're there to tell the story of the Transformers and how humanity responds to the Decepticons' assault on Earth. They're not the new age kid genius/punk who wants to tell the Autobots what to do. They've got problems but there within the context of the story. I actually find myself caring for them more for that reason as opposed to Verity, Hunter and the other one (Jimmy?). They have a job to do and they struggle through the crisis. This is a world without heroes, a world without hope. And it's a wonderful world that McCarthy has constructed.

I wonder how much of this is related to Spotlight Mirage too.

My only quibble was what the heck happened to Devastator's breast plate? that really irked me as they combined. At first I thought it was a colouring mistake but on closer inspection, I realised it wasn't there and that jarred me a bit.

Love Guido's art. He's a talent though I think the inks aren't doing him justice here. He seems a bit too scratchy at times as opposed to the clean lines we know he's capable of.

But yes, overall, I haven't been this excited about TF fiction for a while now (since Stormbringer/Escalation). It's simpler but it reduces TFs down to some of the core aspects of the war between Autobot and Decepticon. The characters and the pages have life. It isn't trying too hard and it doesn't make you wait and wait for the plot to develop. I love how everything is slowly unfolding too, it's like we're being exposed to an all new mindset. I look forward to picking up #4 and #5 from the comic shop next week or the week after.