All Hail Megatron Issues 1 to 6 (Vol 1)

[Lord_Zed]

Ok I read All Hail Drif... uh Megatron.

Good Points:

A bit of dialouge and development for some of the minor players of the TF Universe, Roadbuster, Bombshell, even hints of personality for Thundercracker yay!

Starscream = not as dumb as he seemed at the start of AHM,makes him fit in a bit more with -ation Starscream.

Some changes in direction for old characters, mainly Perceptor and Jazz both seem to have gotten a lot meaner.

Talk of Decepticon mutiny/Autobot mutiny, so there is a point behind this story.

Bad Points:

It's so sloooooowwwww!!! And while I enjoy a lot of the new character dialouge I think I can clearly see where the story is going, get there already damnit!

Drift's initial apperance bugs me, cause he appears exactly what I was afraid he'd be a super badass sword guy who's cooler than cool ugh! I hate when they try to push those inflated character types. Here's hoping they flesh him out and make him something less sterotypical. To use Kup's words from earlier this thread "He sounds like the typical fan character who is overly 'in your face' cool and unbeatable." UGHHH!!!!!!!

Some changes in direction for old characters, mainly Prowl becomming a bit of a wimp, compared to what he was in other comics anyway.

The corny human bits, well didn't I say that was comming, it was so obvious. And why are the Humans all bent out of shape over it ummm the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many it's the loss of one city against the whole planet. Megatron has to know this is comming or I will assume he has the mental capacity of George W Bush.

So yeah 4 for 4 against, so overall i'll call it an average issue. Rythmns of Darkness is so much cooler though.

Considering skipping the next 6 issues and getting the TPB at the moment, but then I want be able to discuss on this thread.

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

The edge of the blade is pointing at the same angle as the cut - judging from the position of Drift's shoulder and arm, it ought to be pointing outward, not downward... even with speed effects (as demonstrated in the picture on the right).

Also, why is Drift's body facing square on to his opponent? Was that Insecticons' head attached by silly string? If it was so weakly attached to its neck then you could probably decapitate it with your bare hands... Drift would have to have his waist and shoulders turned in order to gain the torque and momentum required to swing his sword (which ought to be a freakin' heavy weapon) and hit his target with sufficient force to cut through enemy steel.

You wouldn't even draw a punch that way, let alone a sword slash. :/

Exactly but that's cause Drift decapitated that insecticon by being such a baddass, the Insceticon litteraly lost his head quaking in his boots. Imagine how popular he would have been with the animators of G1 had he been around then, they would never actualy have to animate him doing anything.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, I really like hardcore Perceptor! Now if only he would use his tank mode...

Drift's initial apperance bugs me, cause he appears exactly what I was afraid he'd be a super badass sword guy who's cooler than cool ugh! I hate when they try to push those inflated character types. Here's hoping they flesh him out and make him something less sterotypical. To use Kup's words from earlier this thread "He sounds like the typical fan character who is overly 'in your face' cool and unbeatable." UGHHH!!!!!!!

Exactly but that's cause Drift decapitated that insecticon by being such a baddass, the Insceticon litteraly lost his head quaking in his boots. Imagine how popular he would have been with the animators of G1 had he been around then, they would never actualy have to animate him doing anything.

[STL]

This is a post from the TAAU boards by Dragontail that cast the series in a brand new light for me. I've always believed that AHM is (and will be ) set in an alternate Universe from the "-tion" and "Maximum Dinobots" stories, and I think that had it been I would have received the story better originally, I may have even figured this out myself rather than needing someone else to point it out to me!

Unless the 2nd half of the story completely throwns this out on it's head, I too think I may be able to enjoy the series much more than I have been.

I haven't caught the recent issues but that's a different take on it and thanks for sharing though I do think that AHM is supposed to be a more basic take on things which I have absolutely no qualms with.

Thats the beauty of the TF universe, you can choose what you want to accept as canon because there are so many different TF universe's.

Agreed here absolutely. I operate very similarly. To me, memorising and trying to coalesce together all continuities for a "singular" or "wholesome" universe is a thing of the long distant past. And I think from a fan perspective, its far more enjoyable to accept as canon what you like and not focus on what you don't like. This allows you to really appreciate the strengths of TFs rather than being underwhelmed by the negatives.

I can understand the critical eye G1 comic fans have for the series, but here's a news flash THE MAJORITY OF TF FANS ARE CASUAL FANS and the only continuity that really stands out to them is the G1 Cartoon. Before I joined this board the G1 comics were a repressed memory of terrible art and confusing stories.

heheh, I share ur assessment of the old G1 comics too. Pretty were they not. And touching on your earlier point, that's where I wash out a lot of memories of G1. I loved the Headmasters introduction but I try my best to forget totally about the 1st two years of those comics as they were very forgettable.

Letting go poor continuity or continuity that does not sync up adds to your experience - not detract from it and I think doing that would help a lot of readers, especially the old stagers here.

Yeah what would the majority know. My advise to all the unique, well read, Transformers connoisseurs would be to stop reading AHM, and leave all the mainstream morons who like it to thier undeveloped trash mags.

Its pathetic that people are still saying how much they don't like it, but they are always the first to buy and review or opinionate on it.

I don't agree here. I completely share your frustration with the negativity that seems to emanate across this thread but I think that everyone has a right to complain. Even if they don't like something, they've invested the money and the time into a hobby they care about. That's not to mention the time over the years they've invested in reading/watching TFfiction, trying to piece it altogether. They've made both a financial and time commitment so its only fair that they be able to criticise. If they do not like the current direction they should be allowed to be heard because along with the $$$ and time they've committed, they've made an emotional investment in TFs and that gives them every right to complain.

BUT all that said that does not give them the right to flog a dead horse either. I think its important to temper negativity with acceptance for something that is new or different to what they're used to. This is something that has significantly transformed about the overall comic industry and from everything I've seen across many a TF board, TF comic fans are just not as accomodating or accepting of change. They like to shoot down new writers and new takes very fast. Especailly takes on G1.

The broader comic industry has shifted dramatically. About five to six years ago, I would've counted myself as a heavy continuity loving comic fan. I loved the old school style, disliked decompression, hated sensationalism, and out of the nowhere changes to character development. Marvel Comics in that time has done some serious changes to the way comics are written and the way characters are treated. Continuity is a matter of convenience and no longer a editorial mandate.

I was frustrated and angered as many of my favourite stories and characters continuities were disregarded. And I can say that a lot of the comic fan base was too. You'd go onto a lot of the comic forums and see a LOT of bashing of the new stuff. But one thing I had to learn to accept is that this is a business decision. Marvel Comics, and DC and the rest of the industry, have started to go down that path. Ironically, DC has tried to get back to the continuity driven days and stories but the amount of displeasure about that has been evidenced about that in their declining market share compared to Marvel. Things come and go in comics now, not just in TF comics. I mean, Marvel Comics' Secret Invasion was not really "Secret" if you look at it. Spider-Man's the Others was what now? New Avengers was really "new" Avengers?

Those are just a few examples in the comic industry of how much change has taken place and deviated from what was considered the norm or the classic "feel" of a book. Heck, they're also examples of where the title doesn't live up to the what the comic is actually about. But the point is, there has been a lot that has changed about the business of comics. Companies don't care about continuity b/c it can hinder them and it might just not be financially or legally possible. Such as in the case of following up DW's War Within. That's never going to happen and it'd prevent IDW from progressing with its own vision. Abandoning a continuity of a character or even an entire story is not something new to comics and I think fans need to let it go. Because it only detracts from your enjoyment to dwell on what you don't like. For me things like JMS' Gwen Stacy Spiderman story never happened. They're out there okay but to me I just ignore them completely now rather than mull over the stupidity of the story.

So I think you've made an exceptionally progressive point in terms of not tying continuity to reading as much and to respect what each collector sees as continuty and enjoys.

It is misguided to try and shoehorn continuities together and belittle a series that others enjoy when all it really is, is a matter of preference because in the end, the comic company behind it is making a business decision - not a fictional one. And AHM being a part of continuity was a business decision by IDW here. It was intended to try and avoid alienating the existing fanbase yet at the same it wanted to attract new readers. That in itself has proved to be a confusing and poor business decision.

Those business decisions can be right or wrong but I think it undermines enjoyment to dwell on those. Its better for the fan to take what they like and what they don't like. Any fan can do that but what's important is not to lose sight of what you like and why you like it rather than focusing on what you don't like and then imposing and constantly reminding others about why you feel it is inferior.

This isn't true. For the majority of casual Transformers fans, the main continuity that stands out is not going to be the G1 Cartoon. The G1 cartoon ended twenty years ago. The majority of today's 'casual' Transformers fans would be too young to remember the G1 cartoon and would have grown up on Beast Wars or the 2007 film or Transformers Animated (all of which are better than All Hail Megatron or the G1 cartoon.)

I disagree there completely. I count myself among the young and I know of at least a few others in my age category but to us, G1 is the cartoon and that is what permeates our mind as being the definitive G1. We of course realise how far TF fiction has progressed since but our basic impression of G1 is still based on the cartoon. You have to remember that G1 was replayed on TV up till at least 1995 and was still on VHS for quite a while for many of us.

And what does age have to do with it anyway? Just b/c someone is a younger or older TF fan should not make a difference as to whether they can like or dislike something as G1. Just because a fan has had more experience with G1 does not mean that younger fans have to conform to a standard G1. Experience does not matter. What does matter is that we accord the respect to what everyone enjoys and not be negative and deprecating b/c someone hasn't experienced as much.

[Paulbot]

It is misguided to try and shoehorn continuities together and belittle a series that others enjoy when all it really is, is a matter of preference because in the end, the comic company behind it is making a business decision - not a fictional one. And AHM being a part of continuity was a business decision by IDW here. It was intended to try and avoid alienating the existing fanbase yet at the same it wanted to attract new readers. That in itself has proved to be a confusing and poor business decision.

IDW are the ones who "try and shoehorn continuites together" and yes it was a "confusing and poor business decision".

AHM works as a standalone series. Maximum Dinobots works as the next series of the IDW universe.

Similarly I think Megatron Origin doesn't fit well into the grander IDW universe, but thinking about it this morning maybe it and AHM are there own little cartoon-like universe, which I'm very happy to consider.

[Sky Shadow]

I disagree there completely. I count myself among the young and I know of at least a few others in my age category but to us, G1 is the cartoon and that is what permeates our mind as being the definitive G1. We of course realise how far TF fiction has progressed since but our basic impression of G1 is still based on the cartoon. You have to remember that G1 was replayed on TV up till at least 1995 and was still on VHS for quite a while for many of us.

STL, you are so far from being a 'casual fan' that if a casual fan was lightning and you saw him or her in the distance, it would take you a week to hear the thunder. Nobody on this board is a casual fan. Casual fans are those millions of people who saw the movie and thought it was great and count themselves as a fan, but that's it. Casual fans are those people who go around wearing Autobot t-shirts but don't necessarily know who Trailbreaker or Skids are. I don't like to be gender biased, but I know a lot of girls in particular who loved the movie and have never seen anything else to do with Transformers. All the kids with their eyes glued to Animated on Toasted TV in the mornings are fans. I'm a high school teacher - I have talked to heaps of my students about Transformers and countless numbers of them loved watching Beast Wars and the film, but that's all Transformers is to them.

Some of these casual fans have now branched out into the other media - buying toys, comics, DVDs whatever. But they're not suddenly going to fit into the "news flash" that "[the majority of TF fans are casual fans] and the only continuity that really stands out to them is the G1 Cartoon", which is the statement I was disagreeing with in the first place.

[Hereticpoo]

*sigh*

I liked the IRONMAN movie. That doesn't make me a fan.

Fan or Fanatic: a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.

Casual: Irregular, Indifferent, occasional, unconcerned.....(And many more similar definitions)

I am a Casual Fan: I have an indifferent, unconcerned zeal for TF's.
I like Transformers enough to want interact with other fans, however I'm unconcerned with knowing all there is too know about TF's.

Your post implies that we should all be hardcore fans and that by being members and interacting with each other we are obliged to know all there is to know about transformers.

If you're going to quote me then do it properly.

I rectified my grammar and said;

"My bad I should have said adult fans. Its what I meant." (This is me conceding to your point.)

I'm trying to keep the argument in perspective.

So, if you had been reading the thread properly

Then my statement would have been read as

"the majority of adult TF fans are casual fans and the only continuity that really stands out to them is the G1 Cartoon"

which is the statement I was disagreeing with in the first place

You already said you disagree a few posts ago. Have you got your horse's whip out again?


I didn't remeber who Trailbraker was before I joined OTCA, I didn't know that G1 lived on in Japan with Headmasters and Victory something something.

So my point is that I am a casual fan, so that means that your statement about nobody being a casual fan is wrong. *removed comment, apologies to SkyShadow*

STL, you are so far from being a 'casual fan' that if a casual fan was lightning and you saw him or her in the distance, it would take you a week to hear the thunder. Nobody on this board is a casual fan. Casual fans are those millions of people who saw the movie and thought it was great and count themselves as a fan, but that's it. Casual fans are those people who go around wearing Autobot t-shirts but don't necessarily know who Trailbreaker or Skids are. I don't like to be gender biased, but I know a lot of girls in particular who loved the movie and have never seen anything else to do with Transformers. All the kids with their eyes glued to Animated on Toasted TV in the mornings are fans. I'm a high school teacher - I have talked to heaps of my students about Transformers and countless numbers of them loved watching Beast Wars and the film, but that's all Transformers is to them.

Some of these casual fans have now branched out into the other media - buying toys, comics, DVDs whatever. But they're not suddenly going to fit into the "news flash" that "[the majority of TF fans are casual fans] and the only continuity that really stands out to them is the G1 Cartoon", which is the statement I was disagreeing with in the first place.

[Sky Shadow]

*sigh*

I liked the IRONMAN movie. That doesn't make me a fan.

Fan or Fanatic: a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.

Casual: Irregular, Indifferent, occasional, unconcerned.....(And many more similar definitions)

I am a Casual Fan: I have an indifferent, unconcerned zeal for TF's.
I like Transformers enough to want interact with other fans, however I'm unconcerned with knowing all there is too know about TF's.

Your post implies that we should all be hardcore fans and that by being members and interacting with each other we are obliged to know all there is to know about transformers.

No, you inferred that from nothing. And I don't know what you're doing with your dictionary, but according to mine, a fan just needs to be a "follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc" To quote M Sipher in a fairly well-known ATT post from over ten years ago now:

Anyone who hates/likes Beast Wars or Machine Wars is a TF Fan.

Anyone who hates/likes Action Masters, MicroMasters, Pretenders, or
any other generally disliked subgroup is a TF Fan.

Anyone who likes G1 but doesn't know what G2, BW or MW *is* is a TF
Fan.

Anyone new to TFs who only knows BW is a TF Fan.

Anyone who likes G1 but doesn't know anything about the Japanese or
European lines is a TF Fan.

Anyone who only likes the first two years of G1 toys is a TF Fan.

Anyone who likes the toys but knows jack about the cartoon/comic
fiction is a TF Fan.

Anyone who doesn't care about ANY of the toys but enjoys the
cartoon/comic is a TF Fan.

Anyone who only likes the first two seasons of the G1 cartoon is a TF
Fan.

Anyone who only likes the comic is a TF Fan.

Anyone who thinks the Decepticons have got it right is a TF Fan.

Anyone who doesn't like the way any of the fiction went but likes the
characters is a TF Fan.

To be a casual fan, would then make you a casual version of the above.

If you're going to quote me then do it properly.

I rectified my grammar and said;

"My bad I should have said adult fans. Its what I meant." (This is me conceding to your point.)

I'm trying to keep the argument in perspective.

So, if you had been reading the thread properly

Then my statement would have been read as

"the majority of adult TF fans are casual fans and the only continuity that really stands out to them is the G1 Cartoon"

I wasn't replying to you, I was pointing out the original context of my statement to STL at the time it was written. STL was replying to what I had written before you "rectified" your grammar. My statement still exists on its own regardless of your point.

You already said you disagree a few posts ago. Have you got your horse's whip out again?... So my point is that I am a casual fan, so that means that your statement about nobody being a casual fan is wrong. Have you got a dictionary in that classroom? Or do you work in a Public school?

It's not casual behaviour to loiter on this board, flaming people. In fact that's somewhat fanatical. Please at least attempt to argue the point rather than attacking individuals. There is a difference.

[Paulbot]

It's not casual behaviour to loiter on this board, flaming people. In fact that's somewhat fanatical. Please at least attempt to argue the point rather than attacking individuals. There is a difference.

Ok, "Moderator mode"

Yes, there is a difference and at this point in the thread I think everyone's point of view on why they like or dislike AHM is clear. And I think every one who dislikes it has at least some positive comments to make which shows a nice well rounded discussion.

Debating who's more of a fan, is definitely not needed and the quote M Sipher post is something that is good to remember.

Nobody should feel that they can't speak up for what they like even if it they feel the majority of the board is against them. Nobody should attack anyone for having a different view because everyone has different likes and dislikes.

There is nothing wrong with people disliking a series/toy/whatever and expressing why. There is nothing wrong with people liking a series/toy/whatever. If anybody things there's too much negativity about something you like, then post why you like it.

The review section should encourage discussion of both pros and cons and it should never be the case that a dissenting voice feels they can't speak up.

But leave personal comments out of it please.

[STL]

IDW are the ones who "try and shoehorn continuites together" and yes it was a "confusing and poor business decision".

AHM works as a standalone series. Maximum Dinobots works as the next series of the IDW universe.

Similarly I think Megatron Origin doesn't fit well into the grander IDW universe, but thinking about it this morning maybe it and AHM are there own little cartoon-like universe, which I'm very happy to consider.

I think those are some great points there. I've mostly impliedly thought about Origins as separate from the rest of the IDW series. In fact, in my mind it probably sits somewhere closer to War Within than anything else. AHM is on its own somewhere too though I've only reached issue #3 to date.

It's not casual behaviour to loiter on this board, flaming people. In fact that's somewhat fanatical. Please at least attempt to argue the point rather than attacking individuals. There is a difference.

Right, and this post you posted just above was what? If Hereticpoo added an emoticon that'd make it okay too?

STL, you are so far from being a 'casual fan' that if a casual fan was lightning and you saw him or her in the distance, it would take you a week to hear the thunder.

*sigh*
"the majority of adult TF fans are casual fans and the only continuity that really stands out to them is the G1 Cartoon"

I completely agree with this and perhaps the clarification that needs to be made is that most TF fans are casual fiction fans. That's true of many of us and especially true for me until about a year ago. When I first started out, the G1 cartoon was the entire premise for my following of comics. That's why the War Within and Dreamwave's stuff was far more appealing to me that the old UK comics.

And I think lost in all this is the pertinent point that Hereticpoo is trying to make which is that it seems like there's a constant river of negativity and grumbling that rips through this thread and drowns the life out of it. And I think part of that is accepting that AHM was aimed at a different market, and that was IDW's business decision as I alluded to above. Make the choice as to whether you like it or not and move on.

By all means, I understand the nature of buying to complete as Goktimus, i_amtrunks and others have said here, I've done it myself, but if you continue to buy something you don't like that doesn't give anyone the right to drown out a thread,

As I've tried to argue above, the nature of the comic industry was like this for a few years. Fans would be up in arms yet continually buying every new issue of say New Avengers then jumping onto message boards and forums bashing the hell out of it. Civil War was the same but then in WWH and Secret Invasion and so on. Yet what eventually has happened is there's been a maturing of the general comic book reading public that if you don't like something, let it go. Vote with your wallet, make your disappointment known once, twice and move on. Look at Furman's run at IDW. That's precisely what happened despite the remaining hardcore fans arguing how good and brilliant and successful it was. Fans just left. If AHM is poor, its sales will be poorer than 10K by the time it is finished and that will be the ultimate judge of things. And we as the reading public have control over that.

In the end, we should enjoy what we like and appreciate what we like and not dwell compulsively on what we do not. it makes a chore for not only ourselves but for everyone else as well.

[Hereticpoo]

Apologies to members, Sorry for any offence. This was never my intention. Skyshadow PM'd

Clearly we will never let each other have the last word. So I'll be brief.

You say that you were replying to STL, but you quoted me, I believe that gives me the right to reply.

I also agreed to disagree with you and was under the impression that we understood each other, because you expressed a concern that we were arguing in the Review section.

My dictionary was a reference to dictionary.com.

I don't get your point, I never said I wasn't a fan.

[QUOTE SKY SHADOW]It's not casual behaviour to loiter on this board, flaming people. In fact that's somewhat fanatical. Please at least attempt to argue the point rather than attacking individuals. There is a difference.[/QUOTE]

Mate I believed I was under attack from you, so I defended myself.Also me replying to you is loitering and fanatical? Whatever man.