Transformers #13-18 (Ongoing) / Vol. 3 TPB

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Springer85
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Transformers #13-18 (Ongoing) / Vol. 3 TPB

Post by Springer85 »

Your all purpose Transformers #13 reaction and discussion thingy.

Out November 10.

-ziggy


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TRANSFORMERS #13
Written by Mike Costa with art by Nick Roche.
Covers by Don Figueroa and Nick Roche

RODIMUS might be impulsive, but he’s not stupid. The last anyone saw of him, he was rocketing off Earth in disgrace and a stolen ship. In this issue we finally see where he went, what his plan was, and which long-absent DECEPTICONS he came up against. Mike Costa and fan-favorite artist Nick Roche deliver a stand-alone issue that sets up the entire second year of the hit ongoing series.

*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
5 page preview over here: http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... -13/20170/
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Auntie Slag
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Post by Auntie Slag »

I love 'Cover B' of Hot Rod leaping off the hilltop like a superman, very dynamic and fun. More of that would be great, and less of the Starscream strangling Hot Rod cover. It's nice enough but rather meh, which an image like that really shouldn't be. I'm with bolting into the future rather than endless nods to the past, unless they're done well (LSotW). :)

Speaking of which, this issue has a lovely whiff of 'Kup's Story' from Marvel UK issue 133 I think?
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horizon
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Post by horizon »

Jeez, did the art turn this mediocre?
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Commander Shockwav
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Post by Commander Shockwav »

At least there are no humans throwing bottles of acid at the faces of Decepticons.

But in the interest of staying consistent, it does have it's share of some ridiculously silly parts, the most silly being Razorclaw accidentally swallowing one of Bombshell's cerebroshells and suddenly falling under the mental sway of Bombsh....wait...he fell under the mental sway of Hot Rod. Because, uh, because, I guess Hot Rod, uh, also shares a link to Bombshell's cerebroshells? :eyebrow:

And just last issue, I was saying at least Razorclaw was spared humiliation as a pet of the Chinese.

See, here's the problem. Costa has made the Decepticons a bunch of incompetent clowns. Even the one's made out to be credible threats in the past, like Razorclaw, he has managed to castrate. There is no intrigue or sense of urgency in this story now because of it. It's almost comical, almost The Three Stooges comical, the way the Decepticons are being portrayed. I was just waiting for Starscream to let out a Curly-esque "nyah, nyah" after he slaps Bombshells hand away reaching for the Matrix. Seriously, the Decepticon's on that asteroid have acted like a bunch of impetuous drunks on an acid trip. I mean, out of the entire Decepticon cast, only Swindle has a shred of competency? Does it always have to take Shockwave to enter the fray before real evil rears it's ugly head? Here comes Menasor! Oh. No wait. There he goes, falling apart. Hey, it's the Combaticons! Uh, why is Onslaught bowing to the the North Korean head of state? Look! A Constructicon survived! Oh no! Acid! Ruuuuun!

Sigh. At least now we have Megatron, who begins his new stint in a way befitting a true Decepticon warrior. The ending, I actually liked, as I didn't see that coming. Finally, chalk one up for the Cons.

Give it a "C+", mainly for the ending. Though I enjoy Roche's pencils, I'm thinking the return of Don is just what we need to get this thing at least looking serious again. With a badass Megatron in tow, I'm hoping that's what we will get.
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snavej
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Post by snavej »

Did any Decepticon even bother to investigate the power of the Matrix? They were treating it like an ornament! Maybe they are simply incapable of understanding it.

Perhaps Hot Rod got lucky with the cerebro shell. If Bombshell quickly 'tuned' it so that it would interface with Hot Rod, the Autobot could then use it on Razorclaw. That's my guess.
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Love the art - really like the way Roche put his own spin on dons tidings design. Looking forward to picking this one up just for the art.

Regarding bombshell, in the earlier issue it shows that the victim is open to suggestion from anyone so it may be stupid but it does follow the previous stuff properly
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Post by Paul053 »

Commander Shockwav wrote:And just last issue, I was saying at least Razorclaw was spared humiliation as a pet of the Chinese.
So, last issue Razorclaw was on earth and this issue he is here? What the????? Is this a practical joke that assumed nobody was paying any attentions on last issue? Or is this just a typical G1 cartoon error? Come on Roche, you should slap Costa's head and said "Waht are you doing?". Or you are also one of the people who did not pay anything attentions on last issue. Give you some credit, though. At least I didn't see a full page filled with two big faces talking each other.
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Post by Commander Shockwav »

Paul053 wrote:So, last issue Razorclaw was on earth and this issue he is here? What the????? Is this a practical joke that assumed nobody was paying any attentions on last issue? Or is this just a typical G1 cartoon error? Come on Roche, you should slap Costa's head and said "Waht are you doing?". Or you are also one of the people who did not pay anything attentions on last issue. Give you some credit, though. At least I didn't see a full page filled with two big faces talking each other.
No, Razorclaw wasn't on Earth with his other fellow Predacons, that's why I said he was spared the humiliation.
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Ok, quite liked this. Really like the more cartoony style of roches art. Bags of character and energy.

The story itself is very simple so theres not much for costa to mess up. All the characters act closer to how they should than previous costa works. Even rodimus feels more like the early character than the rodimus that irked me through the early costa arc.

The best bit of course is the return of Megatron. The new design isnt completely to my taste (is it the animated version or war for cybertron?) but its great that he's no longer a little gun. Now can someone give soundwave a new alt form?



Also, if some people felt that AHM was a longer version of DWs prime directive, then they may also feel some deja-vu with the return of a darker, more serious version of Megatron - similar to DWs own ongoing round about issue 10-12.

More than his new body, Megatron also should bring back a sense of purpose not just to the decepticon rabble but to the comic as a whole. He looks a serious threat and it should give the ongoing the serious kick it needs. Fingers crossed anyway.

The end panel is an interesting one and theres an obvious "out"
SPOILER! (select to read)
basically, rodimus is blasted into space by megatron and left with a massive hole in his chest, seemingly dead. But he still has the matrix so that could bring him back to life further down the road
But hopefully its a indication of things to come regarding Megatron - And hopefully this atitude will be inflicted on starscream. As he sits around through this issue you get the feeling even HE is bored with his own character. Lets face it, theres nothing left to do with the guy and with the seekers no longer really any kind of faction (ramjet and thrust are dead, dirge is a maybe dead from his encounter on nebulos with thunderwing and thundercracker is an autobot - sort of) theres not much of a point to having him as a main. My suggestion is that Megatron truly destroys Screamer next issue. Be done with the treachorous decepticon arc, its been done to death. At least his death could lead to a potential thundercracker revenge plot aganst Megatron.

But yeah, a good issue more for what it might lead to than whats actually within the covers.


EDIT: Just remembered that dirge goes down in AHM when he gets shoved through the space bridge. So thats all the Conehead seekers down :(
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Post by Paul053 »

Okay, now I have read the issue. So Costa intentionally left Razorclaw on the asteroid so he can be a joke for Hot Rod to play with? Initially I thought he was on earth even while reading #12 (see, I am also the one who doesn't pay much attention) because they (all combiners) all should stick together in my thought.

@Red Dave Prime, see, I didn't pay much attention on the head count again. Yeah, all the seekers (Acid Storm doesn't count) are gone except Thundercracker who still haven't had a Hasbro version of deluxe class repaint in classics (generation) line yet, and he is sort of an Autobot now. Who knows what will he do when he knows Megatron is back.

About Hot Rod, do you really think the upgraded Bumblebee will be gone for good also? He kind of suffers the similar injury.
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Bumblebees wound looked so over the top. I cant believe that we've seen the last of upgraded bee. Besides, Rodimus is left floating in space where as Bee is with the autobots (and the humans to an extent)

Funny thought - regarding the shot on Bumblebee, I thought the only way for that to seem plausible was if it did indeed turn out to be megatron that the human was holding. It clearly wasnt so it would appear that Megatrons super powerful new arm cannon is the same as.... a human laser pistol.

For fecks sake costa...
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Post by Paul053 »

Red Dave Prime wrote:Rodimus is left floating in space
Now I think he will be "accidentally" picked up by Cosmos.........
Red Dave Prime wrote:Megatrons super powerful new arm cannon is the same as.... a human laser pistol.
:lol: See! We humans can evolve faster and greater than robots.
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Post by Blackjack »

Issue twelve was pure dirge. The whole international incident arc, plus issue eight (one-that-should-never-be-spoken-of-again) is a cheap filler that detracts from the more interesting plots that Costa had seeded before. God, issue twelve just had the exact same conclusion with AHM, but with Cosmos subbing in for Thundercracker (or Superion or Skyblast if you want to compare it with Dreamwave's comics). And the whole International Incident crap/dirge/bad fanfic simply falls flat on its face.

It's kind of annoying, really, to have average/mediocre issues, a couple of good ones, a string of plodding nonsense, and another semi-good issue. This yo-yo quality really vexes me... Costa clearly can write a good story when he sets his mind to it. There are times when that happened (the Ironhide mini, as well as issues 4, 5, 7 and 13 being the prime only examples), so why the hell does he write like a lost fanboy the rest of the time?

Considering that the ongoing has exceeded the Dead-Furmanverse and AHM in issue numbers, it has told a story that seems more insubstantial than either one of those two.

Issue thirteen was great, but anything touched by Nick Roche would be. In fact, I suspect that the continuity references thrown in by Hot Rod was all Nick Roche's work.
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Transformers #14

Post by zigzagger »

This is your all purpose Transformers #14 reaction and discussion thread.

Out December 8.

Preview @ Comicbook Resources.
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Post by Commander Shockwav »

If one accepts the premise that humans can be legitimate opponents to Transformers if properly armed (which I don't think I can) then this issue wasn't bad. In fact, I'd say I was a bit intrigued for the first time since the first six-issue arc about where things are going.

Most intriguing to me now is the newly arising question, "What are Megatron's remains doing on Earth?". Now, I'm not sure what will happen with this or what Costa will do with it, but I see a potentially kickass twist that could occur here if done right. Consider that issue when Starscream's Decepticons on that asteroid were first shown. Seemingly out of nowhere, Shockwave was present, for just one panel. And since that time, he has remained conspicuously absent. No sign of him in the last issue when Hot Rod attacked. Interestingly, Megatron's new body is much more akin to Shockwave himself, in both color and design. Also interestingly, the new Megatron showed no concern for the very item he chased around the galaxy, the Matrix. I would think that strange for Megatron and out of character. But not so much for Shockwave, who never really desired it.

So what if, what if, this new Megatron isn't Megatron at all? What if this is Shockwave given new form? A form, dare I say, that somewhat mimics his new upcoming form in the movie, given his sillohuette in the prequel comics yet to be published?

Why would Shockwave do this? I don't know, but I would think an adept writer could certainly create a good enough motive to make this one of the greatest twists in a comic book since Ratchet and Megs got blown together into one being. Perhaps Shockwave might do this to more easily usurp Decepticon authority. Megatron's troops would never question Megatron. They might do so with Shockwave.

Is this what Costa is up to? After all, we know the new big baddy for the upcoming movie is Shockers. What better way to bring him back into the spotlight and have him assume command of the Decepticon army without firing a shot? I would take a lot back if it were true. But I'm not holding my breath.

Say what you will about the faces, Don's art still fascinates me. His angles and proportions are always spot on. He makes the bots sleek and deadly looking, and I think that certainly adds a more serious undertone to a story that sorely needs to jettison that cartoony feel. If only he could stay on permanently.

It continues to be absolutely infuriatingly stupid though, this idea that the Autobots are "stuck" on Earth, which Magnus again reminds us about this issue as well. I am begging Mike to please never mention this again. No matter how many times he tries to convince us this makes sense, it never really will. So let's just assume that for whatever reason, the Autobots are there and leave it at that.

Give this issue a "C+".
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Think I agree with most everything you said there shocks. Dons art does seem to suit Costa best, as you say adding realism to a script which often has none.
He also does faces better than most (altough Spikes face warping is getting ever more ridiculous issue to issue)

The plot itself is interesting - at least regarding whats with all the guns and megs head. I like you're idea as its something I never would have expected and it somewhat makes sense but does costa really have the balls to ax megs in that matter? It would also negate issue 7 completely (altough that kind of thing never seems to bother IDW). Must say thats Dons drawing of new megatron looks great.

Back to the issue itself and yeah, some interesting things to at least carry me into the next one. But stuff like autobots stuck on earth (come on!), the guy getting a massively powerful weapon from a webboard which is evidently being monitored by the goverment (double come on!) take any gloss off. Its a stay of execution but next issue better start the good stuff - simply wanting to know whats going on isnt good enough anymore.
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Post by Commander Shockwav »

Red Dave Prime wrote:The plot itself is interesting - at least regarding whats with all the guns and megs head. I like you're idea as its something I never would have expected and it somewhat makes sense but does costa really have the balls to ax megs in that matter? It would also negate issue 7 completely (altough that kind of thing never seems to bother IDW).
It doesn't have to mean permanent axing of Megs. A good writer could easily make Megatron's return after Shockwave impersonates him as triumphant as it deserves to be.

And with Abbnett and Lanning bringing Galvatron into the fold, who likely has a special affinity for the dead, Megatron's return at that juncture would make even more sense.

Seriously, the possibilities of making a real kickass story in Transformers are endless. It's frustrating when Costa and McCarthy continue to give us such cliche and predicatable material and expect us to like it. For God's sake, most of us have been reading Transformers for over a decade. Give us something we haven't seen before!
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Dunno, that Megs head looks really fooked. Doubt you could recreate Megatron if he was in that condition. Curious about the workers assembling the guns - if they are facims it may start to tie together a bit better.

One thing I hate about this plot though is that a gun that size can be that powerful. It sort of made a little sense when Megatron himself was the weapon and he was jacked up on ore-13 but if weapons that powerful can be that small (and mass produced it seems) why dont the transformers themselves equip them as standard weapons? Imagine a robot sized pistol which housed six of those bad boys? It would take down nearly any regular transformer with one shot (going on the fact one nearly killed a re-inforced bumblebee.

Also have to give credit where its due - snarvj called it somewhat correctly. That was a Megatron Pistol in the guys hand. Theres a joke in there about "great" minds thinking alike but I'll take the high road...
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Post by snavej »

A whiff of the ludicrous: humans managing to make such powerful guns. Either they're world-class scientists/engineers or maybe it's easier than we thought, e.g. 'use two egg boxes, not just one'.:)

Megatron's severed head: a bit like the situation in T.F. /G.I. Joe 'Art of War'.
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Post by Paul053 »

Wow, no wonder Comm. Shock sounds so anxious this time. This issue does bring up a lot of potentials. But how many time have IDW and Costa failed and ruined those potentials? Anyway, back to the head. Didn't Starscream brought the whole Megatron's body back to space at the end of AHM? Don't tell me he left the head behind. Then what about issue 7? Please also don't tell me this is a typical G1 cartoon error. For some reason, that "Earth's Children" spokesperson reminds me so much of Iron Man 2's Justin Hammer.
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