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Thread: Comic reviews: IDW More Than Meets The Eye ongoing

  1. #31
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    Can't wait to pick this up on Thursday. Really enjoyed the first 2 issues.

    Tend to not read the previews as they give away a bit too much of the issue for me. Great for those that want to see if it is for them though.

  2. #32
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    Just picked up a copy of MTMTE #3. Last one in the store. Owner mentioned how the recent TF comics are selling faster than he can get them in, so he has increased his order. Has previously mentioned that the last series did really poorly as far as sales go for him. So I think he is a bit surprised by the popularity of the two new series.

    Can’t wait to get home, get all the usual jobs done and sit down with my fresh new transformers comic. I always read the previous issue first, as kind a of “Previously on Transformers: More than Meets the Eye!” type thing. Also extends the experience a bit, seeing as it doesn’t take too long to read an issue.

    Post up thoughts a bit later.

  3. #33
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    Does your comic store allow you to set up a standing order? That way they reserve an issue for you as soon as it comes in and you can pick it up at your leisure without worrying about the issue being sold out. I've had my Transformer comics on standing order since 1990.



    Anyway, picked up #3 today. Quite thoroughly enjoyable. A good mix of suspense with action with amusing banter between characters. I like how Ratchet continues to see everything through a scientific eye... especially with other Autobots freaking out around him about a 'monster' being aboard the ship and Ratchet clinically explaining what it is and how it works. Ratchet felt a lot like The Doctor in this issue! (only somewhat more passive )

    Rodimus' daredevil stunt to kill the Sparkeater at the end was something I didn't see coming and took me by surprise. Awesomesauce. Ultra Magnus is really out of his comfort zone here with all these rogues. Seeing Cyclonus explain the war to Tailgate from a Decepticon POV was interesting; although I felt it was a bit odd for Tailgate to want to become a Decepticon considering that he only heard about the war from someone who admitted to not having lived through it himself (not a terribly reliable source)... and in Tailgate's own admission, factions no longer matter... so... <shrug> Btw I really liked the dynamic between Cyclonus and Tailgate -- especially the way Cyclonus just dropped Tailgate on the floor!

    Poor Rung... the ship's model collector who always has some busting in on him when he's either moving or setting up his collection! Gotta feel for him. Microphone in his finger? A neat little G1 reference there.

    The way the Sparkeater killed Shock was just... macabre. I'd just finished eating when I read this issue, and watching him vomit up his own brain was... eww... even now I feel like I wanna wretch. A nice piece of horror there. Hey... now we finally know what a Turbofox looks like! (only had to wait 28 years )

    Only gripe about this issue: The language issue still plagues this ish. It makes it continually hard to accept that they're speaking to each other in Cybertronian when they're making very Anglocentric references like the whole "mnemosurgeon" thing... I just can't suspend disbelief for this and it just spoils part of the fantasy for me. It's hard enough for me to suspend disbelief everytime I see English text written on doors and that thingamajiggy in Ore's hand.

    Rewind's intervention with "Shock!" was funny though. That's more clever -- it's like a fourth wall Anglocentric joke for the audience that more easily allows the audience to suspend disbelief and believe that they're still speaking to each other in Cybertronian. If they want to make more language jokes, then make them like this please.

  4. #34
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    Three solid issues in a row, something that IDW has only ever done once before... Let's see if they can equal their previous best of 4 straight!

    The story flows beautifully from both the artwork (the sparkstalker is brilliantly designed) and the internal dialogue. we get some clues and hints as well as confirmation of some threads that were started in issue #1, plus an (earlier than I was expecting) conclusion to the sparkstalker side story. So far it seems like a problem is being solved every issue (Autobots sucked into space, Sparkstalker) while also offering questions that need to be answered not only in MtMtE, but in RiD as well. (ie. what were some of the nails getting up to?)

    Obvious question is why Rodmus or Red Alert didnt partake in a more thorough search before leaving (Sure they were in a rush, but that was a pretty big miss on their part). We had a couple of gory deaths, as well as some interesting interactions (Skids and Swerve continue to be brilliant) and Rung gets more interesting to this series every issue.
    Rodimus's risk taking goes up to level 11, and his arrogance climbs as well, I can't wait until Magnus gets his "told you so" moment.

    Writing is crisp and peppered with one liners and snappy dialogue, the art matches the story perfectly, you know who each bot is meant to be as soon as you see them, no need for caption boxes, and we re slowly seeing more and more of the Lost Light crew.

    To top it off, Roberts continues to treat Drift like the junk that he is, whilst continuing to give us plenty of characters to focus on, Ratchet, Swerve, Rewind, Skids, Tailgate are all very intriguing and fun to read.

    Obviously another great issue, let's keep hoping the creative team can keep this up for as long as possible and that sales remain strong so IDW leave them alone.

    Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
    Seeing Cyclonus explain the war to Tailgate from a Decepticon POV was interesting.
    I don't think Cyclonus is a Decepticon, he just a leaning towards their beliefs practices. He was part of the original ark crew and only really spent time with active Cons for the brief amount of time he was imprisoned with them after Cybertron's reformatting.

    Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
    Only gripe about this issue: The language issue still plagues this ish. It makes it continually hard to accept that they're speaking to each other in Cybertronian when they're making very Anglocentric references like the whole "mnemosurgeon" thing... I just can't suspend disbelief for this and it just spoils part of the fantasy for me. It's hard enough for me to suspend disbelief everytime I see English text written on doors and that thingamajiggy in Ore's hand.
    Sorry Gok, I doubt that you'll find many people who will agree with you, either partially or fully. Of course the Cybertronians have to speak in English and have English writing in their surroundings, or else we'd have little to no clue as to what was going on. You shouldn't have to be a linguistic expert in a fictional language just to be able to read a comic or two.
    Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by i_amtrunks View Post
    I don't think Cyclonus is a Decepticon, he just a leaning towards their beliefs practices. He was part of the original ark crew and only really spent time with active Cons for the brief amount of time he was imprisoned with them after Cybertron's reformatting.
    Oh yeah, he's definitely not a Decepticon - but I thought it was interesting hearing a recount of the war from a, I suppose Decepticon-sympathetic (or anti-Autobot) perspective... he certainly didn't paint the Autobots in a very positive light in his tale.

    Quote Originally Posted by i_amtrunks View Post
    Sorry Gok, I doubt that you'll find many people who will agree with you, either partially or fully. Of course the Cybertronians have to speak in English and have English writing in their surroundings, or else we'd have little to no clue as to what was going on. You shouldn't have to be a linguistic expert in a fictional language just to be able to read a comic or two.
    Yeah but what grinds my gears is when they say stuff that only (or most probably only) makes sense in English. Stuff that doesn't seem to work if we imagine that they're speaking Cybertronian.

    I can accept that we see the text in their speech bubbles in English; and okay, I can accept that text printed on doors and buttons might be in English (although I'd prefer it if they used a funky font to at least try to make it look Cybertronian) -- I can just pretend that the comic has some kind of "Universal Translator" or Babelfish happening... but there are some things that don't translate... like the "mnemosurgeon" thing.

    I can happily accept:
    "That's the biggest load of..."
    "Shock!"
    ^This works. I can imagine this being said in an alien language. It would probably lose its comedic edge in translation, but it works. And the fact that it's funny when "translated" in English is what I meant by fourth-wall breaking humour.

    But stuff like making light of the silent "m" in "mnemosurgeon" and how it sounds like without the "m"... what?!? You couldn't translate that joke into most other languages from Earth... the odds of that joke existing in an alien language that developed completely independently from any Earth language?? I'm afraid I just can't suspend disbelief on "untranslatable" stuff like this. The odds that this kind of thing could also work in another human language is remote... being translatable in an alien language is highly improbable.

    Maybe I'm the only person in the world who's bugged by this... but it still bugs me all the same.

  6. #36
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    As mentioned, another fantastic issue! 3 solid issues in a row for IDW! This has to be some sort of record

    It is clear that the writing and art team this time around get what Transformers is about and it shows in such great writing and use of characters! It feels as if I am reading the Marvel comics during their glory days when every issue told a story as well provided bits to an overall story arc.

    Faith in IDW: Restored.

    I am looking forward to the next issue of MTMTE and also enjoying RID although it is the weaker of the two series.

  7. #37
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    Preview for issue #4 is up.

    Not only does this preview indicate that the writing and art is at least on par with the previous issues, it connects (or intertwines) with the Last Stand of the Wreckers series. Some of it is only going to make sense if you have read the additional material to the Wreckers series "Bullets".

    While I still feel that these previews show too much of the comic each week, this week it finishes on a good little cliffhanger of what will be left of Delphi.

    And welcome back to Sunstreaker and Bob. I wonder how long it'll be until we get some AHM payback for Streaker from his brethren? (surely someone will let it slip out!)
    Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)

  8. #38
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    Loved issue 4, but it's the first issue of the series where the "to be continued" really left me hanging. One of the cons (I guess) of reading through Comixology on a phone is that you don't always notice what page you're on. One of the cons for sure is that I missed Sunstreaker. I did flick through the pages of issue 3 in store on the weekend and can't wait to have these in a hardcopy trade eventually.

    I continue to love how many new Transformers world-building concepts (the history lesson, the Monoformer movement, the Decepticon Justice Division) James Roberts manages to get in to each issue, as well as the use of existing and obscure items (like the long awaited(?) return of the Mobile Autobot Repair Bay).

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paulbot View Post
    One of the cons for sure is that I missed Sunstreaker.
    Nah he's hard to spot even in print. I only saw him because of Bob. He is in Swerve's bar when Ratchet goes to get his drink.
    Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)

  10. #40
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    I can see him in the preview (and he was in crowd scenes in earlier issues)

    On that page in comixology app though, that portion of the panel is unviewable. It goes from the establishing shot, to the bar shot, to the close up without being able to zoom to the left of the bar shot.



    It's still perfectly readable though and cheaper than buying the comic, but I'll be happily buying the hardcover collection eventually.

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