All Hail Megatron Issues 1 to 6 (Vol 1)

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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.