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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:26 pm
by inflatable dalek
Though the title page of Stormbringer still has T:'06 art behind it...

I've also spotted a mistake that (having double checked) was also on the trial version of 2 but I don't think any of us noticed: It credits the wrong artist for Spotlight Soundwave:

https://twitter.com/InflatableDalek/sta ... 8921691136

Throw in "Jazz" and "Andrew Wlidman" (corrected on the site but on the poster that comes with one) and this is a series in desperate need of better proofing as it's coming across as sloppy.

Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 9:07 pm
by Skyquake87
I picked up the second issue in the shops and got saddled with one that had some production flaws - the pages hadn't been cut properly so some corners had some oversized squares poking off them, which were helpfully stuck together as presumably the ink hadn't dried properly.

Couple of snips with some scissors and its all good. Didn't spot the credit being wrong, though, although I hadn't paid much attention to those - I just read it nicely.

I really enjoyed re-reading these stories. I haven't read these since they came out and I found them fun and I enjoyed Stormbringer a lot more than I did at the time. There's some nice world building on show. After being all curmudgeonly about these, I've ended up subscribing. The overall quality is good, despite some minor production issues and I was looking at my Titan books, and they are er, well-loved.

I'm not sure that reprinting the first issue was warranted, personally. Seems like a bit of a waste of resources, although I can see how having the spine mural mis-aligned will bother folk. I think that for £1.99, I can live with that. I was bothered about the printing mishap on Stormbringer (if only because I was worried I'd ended up tearing the pages).

Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:33 pm
by Denyer
Not related but a bit more mainstream coverage of TF stuff --

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/201 ... MP=soc_568

Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:05 pm
by Skyquake87
Neat! Liked the brief write up on MTMTE/ LL and interview with Roberts.

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2017 2:53 pm
by Brendocon 2.0
Any other trial subscribers got another email from Hachette asking to resupply their payment details? I've already done this once...

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2017 3:09 pm
by inflatable dalek
You posted right before I was going to on this very subject!

Had the same email, and even though I've tried putting my payment details in twice (once for card, once for direct debit) they're not showing up on my subscription details online in the same way they are for the Who partwork. Or even the defunct Transformers trial.

So as I still needed to sort out the address being wrong on the packages I decided to phone them.

First, the line was terrible, to the point I had to try calling again on a different phone where it was only marginally better (it also seems the number they tell you to call on the Your Subscription page isn't right as they have to put you through to another department. Who then asks you for all the details you've just given to the first person so the second person wouldn't need to ask them).

They did say they added the payment method though.

Mind, the address they have for me on their files is the correct one, unlike what it says on both the website and the actual parcels, so God knows what's going on.

More cheerfully, I really enjoyed reading the Stormbringer book (though I've still got the last two Spotlights to go). It's been a while since I've done the Full IDW (I think around the end of season 1 of MTMTE/RID?) and it was actually good fun dipping into a random group of issues rather than reading everything in exact sequence. Consdiering I've put a lot of thought into the Marvel stuff recently (as people may have noticed), I think IDW and Dreamwave is where this is really going to shine for me.

Some great early instalment weirdness as well, Scoop as a hardened Wrecker taking on Thunderwing; Soundwave as a great scientist; Shockwave worrying about the Predacons being sent after him rather than the DJD (and it's interesting that he's only slightly less egocentric than Overlord will be, assuming it's most likely Megatron will come himself).

Such a shame about how Stormbringer itself ends, before the anticlimax it's actually really good fun with a lot more throwaway little characterisation moments than I remembered.

Prime's narration of DOOM is still pretty bad though, he'd doing endless monologues about Thunderwing for a full issue before he knows Thunderwing is back. It's like he gets up every morning, has Searchlight bring him a coffee and then starts going on about "How we reaped the whirlwind" for eight hours straight in his head.

And considering what a cluster**** they became, it's so easy to forget the early Spotlights are actually pretty neat, even if Shockwave and Soundwave have basically the same plot in different time periods.

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 7:55 pm
by Skyquake87
Issues 3 & 4 turned up today! Key rings are nice. I read Primal Scream (the red one with Optimus on the front) and...yeah it bugged me that 'Cold Comfort...' has been reprinted out of sequence. I did really like the bit with Bove about colouring techniques, which was aces. And I like the effort he's gone to to colour the b&w stories in a style that fits with their contemporaries. Although I'm not sure that colouring some of the UK stories that directly link to the US material in the US 'dot' / block colour style. I get the idea, but I think I'd have preferred the UK stuff to be coloured ...like the UK stuff...

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:28 pm
by inflatable dalek
Issues 3 and 4 allocated on the website! Backdated to the 27th.

But, they also want me to pay for issue 4 because, and sing along at home, they still don't have my payment details. So Brend and anyone else who got that email should double check.

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 5:31 pm
by Brendocon 2.0
Yeah I rang 'em last week and they said my payment details weren't on file. Added them there and then (supposedly).

Have just checked my account and they've registered a payment but haven't added #3 and #4 yet...

I'm starting to think that just asking my LCS to put this stuff aside for me would have been the simplest approach.

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:34 pm
by inflatable dalek
I'm wondering how often you can legitimately try to pay for something before you just keep it...

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:11 pm
by Skyquake87
Crikey, and here's me, a dithery Johnny-come-lately who's had no problems at all.

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:24 pm
by inflatable dalek
Sharp "Sort this out or I cancel the sub" message sent. I wouldn't even be giving them this chance if not for the Who one always going well.

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:05 pm
by Auntie Slag
I bought Issue 2. Lovely hardcover and the paper is really nice quality. I bought it for Stormbringer, which I've always missed out on in the past and felt I'd missed loads of Technobots and Jetfire action. Turns out its a bit wanky and dull with Prime posturing and moping in equal measure, which I always loved in the past but that was 30 years ago. I've seen sexy, dynamic roof-jumping Pax since then, and that's what I'm in the mood for now.

Oh well. You pays your money. I didn't think the print was quite spot on, there was just a slight bit of image shift/blur. Not much, but its there.

Are they going to print Chaos Theory?

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 10:46 am
by inflatable dalek
They should indeed. Combiner Wars in the most recent thing I've seen mentioned and a chap involved with the Orbital Signing over at TMUK mentioned it'll be going all the way up to LL and OP.

Speaking of forthcoming issues, someone on Twitter posted a pic of a page from Previews, and whilst I forget to note the numbers (it was either 7&8 or 8&9) Hearts of Steel and Trial by Fire are coming soon.

I think Stormbringer has always looked a bit soft, digital volouring has come a long way.

Two days and no reply to my Hachette email...

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 7:33 pm
by inflatable dalek
In general updatery (thanks to Jaymz over at TMUK), the volumes after War Within are:

6: Escalation.
7: Perchance to Dream.
8: Hearts of Steel (on top of the four issue original you might expect, say, that infestation issue. Or the "What if..." Movie one off to make it a full alternate history book. No, it's getting some of the early Spotlights in it).
9: Trial By Fire (Headmasters, Headmasters on Earth and World's Apart. A sensible book).

Shaping up for an odd focus on early IDW and late Marvel at the moment. Hopefully it'll go a bit more nuts soon.

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:19 pm
by Skyquake87
...looks like I spoke too soon. Got a letter from Hachette this morning saying my direct debit instruction doesn't exist.

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 4:47 pm
by inflatable dalek
Phew. Actually got to the stage of having an email sent from Hachette saying they'd gotten my Direct Debit details. Will it go all the way this time, or will it do a Skyquake?

Books came today anyway. Hurrah.


https://twitter.com/InflatableDalek/sta ... 0859244544

I'm thinking the new colouring works better on Survivors than Race. I think with the later Wildman left a lot of the backgrounds for the colourist to sort out, but Bove is a bit too faithful so there's still lots of empty blank voids, they're just sometimes pink rather than white.

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 5:18 pm
by Brendocon 2.0
It's a Christmas Miracle, Charlie Brown. Mine have turned up too. Does this mean the system is fixed? It's almost certainly too early to tell...

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:39 pm
by Skyquake87
Resupplied my bank details tonight. Although thanks to being at work during office opening hours, had to nip outside and contend with traffic noise to make the call :( Sent an email asking for confirmation this is all set up okay.

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:32 pm
by Skyquake87
Direct Debit fiasco sorted, issues 5 & 6 turned up over the weekend.

Sooo Escalation is still great :) Man, E.J. Su was one of the best artists Transformers ever had. I love his cinematic style,its right good. The Spotlights, Sixshot and Magnus are good, if still in thrall to the bloated art style of Pat Lee. Reapers are still a bunch of ass-hats though.