Transformers Spotlight: Hoist

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Red Dave Prime
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Transformers Spotlight: Hoist

Post by Red Dave Prime »

From the IDW forums, by way of itunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/transf ... mt=11&ls=1

No dialogue to speak off but the art looks good (if a bit murky)

Enlarged:
Page 1: http://imageshack.us/a/img89/342/hoist1.jpg
Page 2: http://imageshack.us/a/img812/6109/hoist2a.jpg
Page 3: http://imageshack.us/a/img17/6073/hoist.jpg

---

UPDATE

7-page preview @ Full Metal Hero.
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zigzagger
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Post by zigzagger »

Enlarged those images for you :)

Also, another page from Jame Roberts' interview with CBR. And this one actually has dialogue.

Image

---
SPOILER! (select to read)
Guess the DJD were bound to show up again. Chronologically before their introduction, that is. Y'all know how much I loooove Tarn [/sarcasm].

Then again, the last spotlight set in the MTMTE timeline was pretty lighthearted, so DJD's brand of camp should make for a pretty fun issue.
It's also great to see Sunstreaker (and Bob) finally getting some love. Been a quibble of mine since I realized he was on board the Lost Light.
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zigzagger
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Post by zigzagger »

Rest of the preview @ Full Metal Hero.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

OUT AND READ.











SPOILERS















The highlight here was was the interaction amongst the crew, whilst it was arguably Roberts by numbers style banter it was still good banter. My first experience of Bob as well, I can see why he's the main well regarded thing Costa did.

The main plot was very predictable though, as soon as I saw Shockwave's gun arm on the cover I thought "Well, he won't really be there" and so it soon became really obvious that there was some sort of illusion going on, in that regard Swerve happening to force the names of his five least favourite Decepticons into conversation was an unusually unsubtle way of making it obvious who the five mentioned in previews were were going to be. It was all a bit Star Trek: Voyager really.

That is, till the end. Where's Hoist's solution was the same as Kryten's in the Red Dwarf episode Legion (come to that, the Decepticon gestalt mish mash might have been an intentional tip of the hat to the source).

Not a bad issue though, probably on the same level as Megatron in the middle of this Spotlight run (with Trailbreaker at the top and Pax followed a long way behind by Bumblebee at the bottom), but it would have been more fun to just give over an entire issue to the three guys in a shipwreck talking.

Anyone want to take bets on Metroplex being a giant meaningless illusion as a meta commentary on the overriding arc to these Spotlights?
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Its not a bad issue but its very obvious where its going. What helps make it interesting is the banter between the Autobots. Swerve in particular,is all mouth, with a nice sting. Hoist could have been explored more - which brings me to a point i've found with three of the last four roberts issues. Some of the stories feel like they could have done with an extra 2 (or in #15 4) pages, not so much from text story telling but in terms of panels to flesh out what was happening.

Here, I think we could have had a bit more of Hoist to cemment him as a character. I like the idea of a Miles O'brien character on board who can be a bench mark for the wider crew. Some have complained (mostly on the IDW forum to be fair) that many of Roberts stock characters are smart-ass wise-crackers. I'm not sure if thats completely true (I feel its as much the way Roberts writes his dialogue in general) but a character like Hoist can help ground the stories and allow the more odd-ball ones something to bounce off.

Anyway, enough rambling - a nice issue but nothing outstanding. I cant compalin about the red-dwarf / ghostbusters pinching because both are over 20 years old at this point. I did like the idea that the Galactic Council does work at combating Cybertrons through non-violent means.

On a ranking of this run of Spotlights I'd go with:

Trailcutter
Megatron
Hoist
Orion Pax
















Bumblebee.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

You know, we both forgot Thundercracker.

I feel I should hand in my geek credentials for not clicking to the Ghostbusters similarity as well.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Crumbs ID, you're right!

In fairness to us, Spotlight: Thundercracker is not much better than the bumblebee one.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Also in fairness to us, everyone else may remember Spotlight Thundercracker but we're the only ones who seem to remember Hoist. I think we got the better deal.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

Spent the week poking crabs on a very internet-poor island. Have caught up thanks to a long bus ride and the woman sitting next to me letting me use her tablet.

Very very Red Dwarfy - I was thinking of Marooned and Terrorform but Legion works as well. Nothing wrong with that, Red Dwarf after all stole most of its ideas wholesale from Star Trek, and the fleshing out of Sunstreaker and Hoist was pleasant. Too much Swerve though. Roberts needs to kill that darling sooner or later. That said, the weaving of Swerve's wound with the talking and the near-death experiences was nice and elegant.

Really wanted to see Perceptor's fears though. What could those be? A cold and unforgiving Universe?
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zigzagger
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Post by zigzagger »

Not much to the titular character, is there? But, I suppose that's entirely the point. So, from what I gathered, Hoist is just a second-stringer who's sat behind the scenes up until now. A 'no flash, just gets the job done' kinda guy. I can appreciate that.

To butcher what Dalek and Terome said in the issue #16 thread, it's nice to see what zany adventures folks outside of the core cast are up to...

That said, this is probably the least spotlight-y of the new batch of Spotlights. More of a group dynamic here, in no small part to Swerve and Sunstreaker's (and Bob) prominence throughout the story. Who, might I add, are spot on here.

And hey, I wanted to see more of the latter, so I can't complain.
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

[quote="Terome"]Too much Swerve though. Roberts needs to kill that darling sooner or later. [quote]

I'm not sure we can be friends anymore...
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Post by zigzagger »

inflatable dalek wrote:
My first experience of Bob as well, I can see why he's the main well regarded thing Costa did.
Well, yeah, he's adorable! Hasbro needs to get cracking on those Bob plushies.

If it purrs, I'm totally getting one.
Metroplex being a giant meaningless illusion as a meta commentary on the overriding arc to these Spotlights?
"I look forward to the crippling anticlimax."
Red Dave Prime wrote: Some of the stories feel like they could have done with an extra 2 (or in #15 4) pages, not so much from text story telling but in terms of panels to flesh out what was happening.
Heck, even with the last page. Really would've allowed that moment - when Hoist realized he was all alone - to sink in.

Maybe pan out? While spreading out that last bit of inner-dialogue between the added panels? As it is, the issue just sort of ends.

I blame the lack of page space on the gratuitous Metroplex cameos. And no, that's not just a pun on the size of the character.
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Post by Skyquake87 »

I enjoyed this, but there wasn't enough Hoist! He seemed a likeable chap and I'd have liked to have seen a bit more of him. I suppose given the conceit of the story, this wouldn't have amounted to much though! Padilla's art was much more enjoyable here where he's drawing under his own steam, rather than aping Milne/ Roche over on MTMTE.

The Metroplex thing is deeply irritating across these Spotlights. Why, its almost as if Hasbro had a new and expensive toy to promote...
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Springer85
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Post by Springer85 »

Does anybody know if these Spotlights are going to be included in the trades? I normally only buy trades and don't want to miss out on the good stuff :D
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Post by zigzagger »

Yeah, the new batch of Spotlights will be collected in trade format. Transformers: Prelude, they'll be calling it.

http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Prel ... 1613777167

Though, if I collected the trades, I'd have preferred Hoist and Trailbreaker's one-shots be included with MTMTE's. They're practically MTMTE stories as it is.
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Post by Springer85 »

So they're not going to be collected in the trades they tie in to? That's too bad. :(

I don't want to buy a trade for only 2 stories I might like. Would you reccomend buying it or should I try to find the issues?
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Post by zigzagger »

Springer85 wrote:So they're not going to be collected in the trades they tie in to? That's too bad. :(
Much as I didn't care for it, I get why IDW (and Hasbro?) opted to do it that way. Metroplex is a recurring (and rather intrusive) theme throughout all six new Spotlights. That, and each issue will come packed with its respective toy, while simultaneously whoring out that 2-foot tall hunk of plastic Hasbro plans on releasing during the holidays.
I don't want to buy a trade for only 2 stories I might like. Would you reccomend buying it or should I try to find the issues?
Wouldn't buy the trade myself, no.

Spotlight: Trailcutter (Trailbreaker) really did it for me. Probably the best of batch, in my opinion. Spotlight: Megatron wasn't too shabby either. Always a treat having Nick Roche on both art and story.

The Thundercracker, Bumblebee, and Orion Pax one-shots were pretty forgettable.
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Post by Knightdramon »

The only one I didn't bother reading a second time was Bumblebee.

Pax, Trailbreaker and Thundercracker were pretty decent. Megatron's was okay. Hoist funnily doesn't tie into the Metroplex theme at all.

And yes, Metroplex\the Titans have become a merchandise-oriented push. Ever since FOC they've been pumping Metroplex everywhere. Toys, comics, the works.
Few stuff in the UK to trade/sell. Measly sales thread.
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Post by Springer85 »

Wait, Hoist will come packed with the Spotlight comic? That's good news! He's on my "to get" list :D
I'll try and see if I can find the Trailbreaker issue. Thanks for helping me decide :up:

I loved Metroplex as a kid and I'm still fond of the character, but I'm not a big fan of what's going on with him in IDW and that whole Titans of Cybertron thing they have going on.
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Post by Knightdramon »

Theoretically he should be. All the previous wave bots are packed\will be packed with their comics, so it makes sense that Thundercracker and Hoist will be as well.

I do like their Titans story so far. For me he was never a character as more like a very big bot, it's nice to see they're opting for a bit more mysticism than "wow that dude is huge and becomes a base".
Few stuff in the UK to trade/sell. Measly sales thread.
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