Escalation previews, IDW BotCon panel news, artwork previews, etc

Post by **Denyer** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:29 pm

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/ ... gi?id=8496

Thanks to Limabean.

edit:

Lots of spoiler-y images from a BotCon panel by TFormers:

http://tformers.com/ig.php?mode=album&a ... 00&start=0

Writeup: http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=6608

edit2:

More panel...

http://www.allspark.com/index.php?optio ... &Itemid=20

Cunning Ravage · Post by **Cunning Ravage** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:31 pm

Oh Goody! More Verity angst! Really when will Furman learn that while he can write about Transformers Characters he can't write humans to save his life. On the the other hand I'm curious about what their going to do with Meg's Alt-mode. Will they keep it as a cybertronian Tank, maby make him an earth tank? O just go with a hand gun,and if they do will they go for the dumb idea of him not being able to fly around and fire himself in it?

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthrea ... 389&page=8 (scroll down to comic)

Bingo1 · Post by **Bingo1** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:37 pm

That was supremely awful.

Hastily edited - not Escalation, I'm really looking forward to that. The Trailbreaker thing. Honestly, it's a wonder I don't punch myself in the face tying my shoelaces....

jhlucas · Post by **jhlucas** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:25 am

IMO, the best thing that can happen in Escalation is for the three human supporting cast members to end up canon fodder. Heck, Buster and Spike were more interesting than these three losers...and that's pretty pathetic.

Pun-3X · Post by **Pun-3X** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 6:07 am

I've never been a fan of the whole humans who organize to counteract the Transformers concept. Even if that isn't quite what's going on, (I haven't been reading IDW's stuff past the first couple of issues) I roll my eyes at it. Just don't care to see TFs having to fend off stupid people. Forget the three new brats.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:46 pm

"I've not been wanted anywhere by anyone, since I started crawling"

God, I wonder why. That frame's a nice encapsulation of everything that was wrong with InfiltrationYeh, looks like after the surprise of Stormbringer being good, it's back to square 1. That said, I hope they've done the same thing as SB, and the first five pages really are terrible, but then it picks up, but they don't have the common sense to show a better passage. Still, at least Furman's dialogue isn't totally awful. Hang on...

I'm really struggling for any reason to have humans in a Transformers title. Surely no-one needs audience identification anymore. Hopefully they're doing something smart, like they actually do boot them out on page 6 and that's it. But then, that'd bring up the old problem of 75% of Infiltration being pointless...

CounterPunch · Post by **CounterPunch** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:14 pm

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
I'm really struggling for any reason to have humans in a Transformers title. Surely no-one needs audience identification anymore.

Its suprising that no one at IDW/Furman has picked up on the fact that the two best recieved TF titles (from DW and IDW) are War Within and Stormbringer... Titles which dont feature humans at all.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 3:48 pm

Originally posted by CounterPunch
the two best recieved TF titles (from DW and IDW) are War Within and Stormbringer

Except the sales contradict that by some margin, particularly for War Within.

http://tfarchive.com/comics/dreamwave/guide/sales.php

Many people consider US G2 the best arc Marvel published. Maybe it would've sold better as trades, but publishers didn't do that thing back then... the issue sales certainly weren't worth enough to justify the title at the time.

Originally posted by CounterPunch Pun-3X
organize to counteract the Transformers concept. Even if that isn't quite what's going on

Or indeed at all. The M corp aren't RAAT, Triple I or similar. They're doing the most realistic thing that'd happen in the situation -- try to steal as much technology as possible.

Originally posted by Cunning Ravage
On the the other hand I'm curious about what their going to do with Meg's Alt-mode.

We've already seen it.

CounterPunch · Post by **CounterPunch** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 4:20 pm

Originally posted by Denyer
Except the sales contradict that by some margin, particularly for War Within.

http://tfarchive.com/comics/dreamwave/guide/sales.php

Many people consider US G2 the best arc Marvel published. Maybe it would've sold better as trades, but publishers didn't do that thing back then... the issue sales certainly weren't worth enough to justify the title at the time.

Well atleast from what I've gathered from fan viewpoints War Within is the best recieved.

Also, how much does alt cover sales come in to it when talking about the G1 series?

And... I dont remember making the other comment you quoted...

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 4:59 pm

War Within had multiples on some issues, and a steady downwards sales curve. I think it's a simple case of readers viewing it as a niche series, and as an adjunct to the main title.

There's overlap between multiple cover buyers and those who buy doubles (one to read, one to store) -- though variants probably do distort the figures, it doesn't seem to be by much except on #1 issues.

Cunning Ravage · Post by **Cunning Ravage** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:03 pm

Originally posted by Bingo1
That was supremely awful.

Yeah I know that it's not that funny or visually interesting, but it does a good job summing up what I feel about G1 Megatron and his alt-mode.

"I've not been wanted anywhere by anyone, since I started crawling"

I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes so hard when I read that, that my eyes slipped into my head ( I think I saw my brian gaging). What we need is for Racth , or Prime, or someone to just take her aside and say:

"Yes that's very sad but where doing this to save your life so shut up and go!"

"But.."

"No just go!"

Pun-3X · Post by **Pun-3X** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:29 pm

Originally posted by Denyer
Or indeed at all. The M corp aren't RAAT, Triple I or similar. They're doing the most realistic thing that'd happen in the situation -- try to steal as much technology as possible.

Ah, I see. Well, with that all cleared up I'm still not interested. Realistic or not, these are the kinds of moments in a TF series I like to read past as fast as possible. It's not to say that Humans don't or shouldn't have a fighting chance, or that there aren't those that would indeed attempt to take advantage of the situation, I just don't care much to read about them.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 8:39 pm

Spoiler stuff from the IDW BotCon panels...

http://tformers.com/ig.php?mode=album&a ... 00&start=0

Including pages/artwork from Escalation, Sixshot, Magnus, and other things.

SPOILER! (select to read)
Astrotrain attacking Hardhead? Megatron in robot mode. Blitzwing following a human with Megatron in gun mode. (Clone/avatar?)

There's an accompanying writeup here: http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=6608

Including things like 2007 movie plans, Generations reprinting UK stories, status of Beast Wars and further Evolutions titles.

Jaynz · Post by **Jaynz** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 8:48 pm

Why is it that the more I see of IDW's Transformers titles, the more I get the impression that the LAST thing they want to do is actually have Transformers IN them?

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 8:58 pm

Dunno, which ones are you reading?

Jaynz · Post by **Jaynz** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:12 pm

Originally posted by Denyer
Dunno, which ones are you reading?

Heart of Steel and Infiltration. Both had stories which had the Transformers more as plot devices than as characters... and Escalation seems to be going the same route. I suppose that fits in with the movie, but I was a fan of the Transformers in the FIRST PLACE because of the characters and fiction surrounding them.

I'm beginning to feel like I'm the only one that was, though.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:22 pm

Of the original stuff, we've got Beast Wars, Stormbringer and Spotlights, which are all TF (occasional glimpses of aliens notwithstanding) and Infiltration / Hearts of Steel, which are both about half and half.

Looking on the bright side, one of the squishies is likely to bite the bullet in issue #1 of Escalation.

As for plot devices -- with Hearts of Steel, very much so. With Infilitration, Ratchet's been right there since the beginning. Or does characterisation not count if readers can't see a robot? (That's actually the impression I've gained from several discussions on various boards over the last half year.)

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:31 pm

Originally posted by TFVanguard
I'm beginning to feel like I'm the only one that was, though.

Maybe if you let Stormbringer into your bubble...? Or stop making melodramatic generalisations?

Infiltration's got a lot of faults, but I really don't agree that it's using Transformers as plot devices - well, any more than anything else featuring Transformers as they're inevitably a catalyst in most stories by some definition or other.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:38 pm

Anyone heard of this Robby Musso guy who's doing the Ultra Magnus oneshot?

http://tformers.com/ig.php?mode=view&al ... 00&start=0

Looks as if Swindle's involved:

http://tformers.com/ig.php?mode=view&al ... 00&start=0

Jaynz · Post by **Jaynz** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:49 pm

Of the original stuff, we've got Beast Wars, Stormbringer and Spotlights, which are all TF (occasional glimpses of aliens notwithstanding) and Infiltration / Hearts of Steel, which are both about half and half.

Beast Wars was a bit too random and jarring. You're right, it had more characterization (for a few of the myriad of guys who showed up), but it was just poorly written IMO.

Spotlights isn't gripping me yet, though I'm not sure why. It really could just be that a lot of the 'new' TF stuff leaves me feeling 'been there, done that' ... Grimlock in a Furman story AGAIN ... sort of feeling.

Looking on the bright side, one of the squishies is likely to bite the bullet in issue #1 of Escalation.

Probably one of the boys... the one NOT interested in Verity. (Forget the names of 'em... )

Or does characterisation not count if readers can't see a robot? (That's actually the impression I've gained from several discussions on various boards over the last half year.)

I think the problem was that it was JUST Ratchet (with a minor smidgeon of Bumblebee and a charactiture of Prowl), coupled with a pretty badly flowing series. Always being in vehicle mode DOES kinda take down the anthropomorphics of characterization, though.. it means dialogue has to carry a LOT more, and that wasn't there.

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Escalation previews, IDW BotCon panel news, artwork previews, etc

Five-page preview of Escalation #1