Dark Cybertron news

[Denyer]

Barber / Roberts interview:

http://www.newsarama.com/19117-trans...franchise.html

Rob Liefield's doing a cover:

http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/Ho...ticleID=140031
 

[Summerhayes]

Oh, what!? I didn't realise until now that Dark Cybertron was actually another book I'd have to buy!
 

[Denyer]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong (I've thrown money at OneShallStand to sort it out for me) but I'm pretty sure it's twelve issues; five each of RID and MTMTE bookended by specific Dark Cybertron issue either end.

Going in with low expectations.
 

[Springer85]

I'll be waiting for the trade then
 

[Summerhayes]

That's better, actually. I was expecting them to do the marvel thing of having a limited series AND concurrent storylines in the ongoings.
Didn't I hear something about spotlights as well though?
 

[Skyquake87]

the return to the dead universe doesn't exactly fill me with glee, so i hope this will be good.

Liefeld's cover looks good at first glance...until you realise how misshapen Shockwave's head is and how misproportioned Prime must be with such weedy arms on such a big body.

...why did people go for Liefeld's terrible doodles?
 

[Springer85]

Did Liefeld seriously put "After me" on the cover? I know it's an homage to the New Mutants cover that first featured Cable that he did himself, but that's just a bit silly :/
 

[inflatable dalek]

It'll be interesting to see how they do the trades, if it's a proper 12 part story it'll probably be easier/fairer to just do two Dark Cybertron books with everything in the right order rather than try and split it between RID and MTMTE trades.
 

[Red Dave Prime]

I'm holding out hopes that this isn't too bad but also that it puts a pin in all the "continuity fixing" that hampers RiD on a regular basis. Barber and Roberts are both solid enough and show enough attention to detail to make this work - although I hope Roberts is the driver as Barbers stuff has so far lacked.. a certain degree of depth in his overall plotting.

And as I've already said, this should be the end of Shockwave. After pulling a stunt like this, he cant hang about in the background scheming anymore.

And no more Gestalts (I'm fairly certain that Dalek is right about there being a metrotitan Gestalt in all this). Please.
 

[Auntie Slag]

Awww, I liked the monthly adventures of Rodimus and the lads on their space Beano, and now its all coming to an end for another big ol' Unicron/Underbase whatever saga?

Is this an effort to pull in more readers? Are the titles not showing as big a bunch of sales as IDW'd like?
 

[Cliffjumper]

I think IDW just have some built-in need to completely **** their readers over at random intervals.
 

[inflatable dalek]

@Slag: Both books are supposed to be continuing after the crossover, so at worst it's should only be a temporary aberration.

I think, at least in theory, it's a good time to bring the books together for an event. They've not been greedy, having had twoish years of completely separate adventures, shaking things up and having the characters interact in different ways as a result of what they've been through feels like it's been earnt.

Of course, the proof is in the pudding, and a lot of the set up hasn't been hugely exciting.
 

[Terome]

Originally Posted by inflatable dalek

I think, at least in theory, it's a good time to bring the books together for an event.

I disagree on the grounds that not enough time has passed in-universe to mean anything. Out of universe, I really have to wonder about readers who have just been itching to see Rodimus hang out with Bumblebee again and for the green orc guy to give him a hug. These are not compelling reasons to bring the contrivances in by the bucketful.

Of course, the proof is in the pudding, and a lot of the set up hasn't been hugely exciting.

I'm adopting my very low-ebb Regeneration One approach - I'll read it because I guess I'm a bit dumb but I'll keep an eye out for nice nuggets. Mind, that's not working out so well for Regeneration.

And as I've already said, this should be the end of Shockwave. After pulling a stunt like this, he cant hang about in the background scheming anymore.

Yeah, apart from that tidying-up scene in Wreckers and the flashbacks in Shadowplay he's not really done anything that justifies him not being killed in his Spotlight.
The same goes for the Dinobots too, really.
 

[Red Dave Prime]

Curious how Shockwaves master plan was formulated - surely it didnt include "part 8 - get encased in molten rock on primitive planet called earth for 10,000 years - check"
 

[Terome]

To be fair, that part has been dealt with - this is a new master plan. His ore-seeding one went all Pete Tong because he only stabilised Earth so we went on a grand tour to see what became of the planets he'd fired his missiles at and presumably improvised something.

His old master plan was very simple really - seed obscure planets, wait, reap high-quality energon, win war.

His new one seems so far to be to use a Death Ore to make a portal to another universe to something something rewind time with Time Ore something bring back the dead with a Resurrection Ore something?

Poor Shockwave is overthinking things in his old age.
 

[Red Dave Prime]

Fair point. As much as I like how he has been built up, there was a feeling a few issues back where it looked like he was behind everything. It just made me think of that South Park episode - "Shockwave (simpsons) did it!"

Still, I think this good be a great way for the creative team to draw a massive line under everything that has come before. Dead Universe, Ore 13, Gorlam Prime, Pax Cybertronia - not that any of those things need to be written off but I think it would free things up a bit to fully close up these lines.

And then everyone head back to earth to kill Spike.
 

[Terome]

It could be a way to get Earth back in the mix, actually. Ore-13 is still there, relatively ripe for the picking. Maybe it will get cyberformed for some reason. Or Verity Carlo, drifter with no assets, will be President now.
 

[inflatable dalek]

No, wait, wasn't making ZOMBIE ore and whatnot part of his plan all along? The gestalt thing has certainly been his goal since teaming up with Megs (as I'm sure we all remember, it was what he agreed to do in exchange for one new hand but not a replacement head).
 

[Terome]

I don't think so unless I am getting the wrong end of the stick. The gestalt thing was a bone he threw to Megatron so he could work unfettered and unsupervised. Presumably he was occasionally brought in as a big stick too. Seeing as Bludgeon, Soundwave and Megatron knew all about his very treacherous seeding project by the time he woke up on Earth then I presume they would have looked further in to stuff like anti-death fuel or crazy time-travel fuel if they'd been wise to it. He must have started checking on his planets sometime after he busted out of Garrus-9 (and presumably took charge of that symbol ship?).

I quite liked the detail about him not fixing his face. He has no use for it any more.
 

[Terome]

Oh no, a quick check of TfWiki reveals that the guff with the Ardurian Rocs and whatnot was set half a million years ago which doesn't really gel with Spotlight: Shockwave.

So who knows? Checking those summaries also reminded me that there was a lot of Turmoil and Bludgeon acting like mischievous elves, drawings of Quintessons on missiles and Jhiaxus using a lot of words in a portentious, RTD-Doctor Who way.

Urk.