Transformers: More than Meets the Eye Season One #1-22

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I'm actually not sure I agree with that. Neither book has Optimus, Megatron or MovieBee in it, so from a non-fan's perspective they're probably on pretty equal footing.

Should've specified. Was thinking more along the lines of those who are a little bit more familiar with the property (the hypothetical casual audience that IDW is desperate to gain, I'm sorry to say, I don't think really exists anymore). Like, those who are familiar with the 80's cartoon or toyline, but have never read a Transformers comic.

I know I would still pick up the Rodimus book over the other because of the diverse cast, but, as I said elsewhere, I can still see the more 84-85 centric cast appealing to a lot of people. At least enough to draw them in; whether or not they'll stay after reading it is a different matter*.

I very much could be wrong, that just seems to be my impression.

* - Mind, I haven't read RiD yet myself, but after reading somewhere

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that Bumblebee allegedly sets off a deterrence chip in Horri-Bull's head to prove a point, I gotta say...that's a bit unsettling.

I think you could safely rule out Sureshot and Ginrai, though.

Of course. I was just making an RPG-related quip.

[Denyer]

Sigh, seriously? Why are links still visible though spoiler tags. Kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think?

Nobody's every mentioned it; links are concatenated anyway; it's only relevant with sites practising SEO techniques (although this is more common these days); it's generally considered bad form to have non-visible elements do things if people click on them by mistake, which is more likely when people are selecting text, and links should be differentiated somehow; images such as smilies aren't covered.

I've included links in the definition (only tested in Chrome) but if it causes problems for anyone will take them out. Could consider doing spoiler tags as javascript hide/show if we can guarantee it works well enough for different devices. Nobody's said anything about the "select to reveal" technique on tablets/phones/etc, and I haven't tried mine for browsing much because it's a cheap POS. Next time it gets switched on will do.

On-topic, great book, not too worried about Roberts sowing seeds as I expect the major ones to pay off relatively soon and in any case he's capable of putting together a hurriedly shortened ending that's satisfying better than some other writers.

The OneShallStand offer on RI covers and the first issue being a gatefold is a nice little perk for buying the singles, too.

[inflatable dalek]

I can see Warcry's point on the deaths, even if it didn't occur to me at the time, mainly because of the way death work in comics in general, I just didn't take it seriously. If Siren at least is back next issue, perhaps that was something else burning up in the atmosphere? Or they survive but really badly mangled like G2 Megs in that issue where he hit earth with a bump.

Assuming for a second they are all dead, and that there is a good reason for it beyond cheap shock value (probably to emphasise this is a book that'll have serious consequences rather than being all fun, and to give Rodimus a bit of a angst to work with) Roberts pretty much had three options over who to pick, none of which are entirely satisfactory:

1: Kill a bunch of made up generics. Which would have people derriding him of not having the guts to kill anyone we've heard of, and risk Spotlight: Hot Rod syndrome.

2: Do a Joss Whedon and kill off someone set up as a major character. Which, if it were Magnus say would result in people expecting him back any second and an already loaded first issue having to devote time to establish a character who isn't going to play any part for the rest of the series.

3: As he did do, which has the problem Warcry pointed out.

I'm, not sure what the best solution is. Though considering he's a Marvel fanboy I'd be amazed if Siren stayed dead (hey, maybe the long thought dead guy is Nightbeat? I could see Roberts bring him back at some point).

I'd agree the format of the book lends itself more to a limited run, but I suppose that's the advantage of the incredibly generic title, it can go on to be about anything after the initial mission is over.

My guess on how it'll end: The Knights of Cybertron will turn out to be a total myth, but through their adventures in the Galaxy Rodimus and company will go on to become legends themselves and become known as the New Knights or somesuch. A bit obvious perhaps?

As for RID, I'd hope the Autobots are being portrayed as such jerks because the arc of the series is them learning the error of their ways (though them being firm with the Decepticons isn't so much a problem, it's the civilians and each other). Though the problem there is it's been done, Furman's stuff was obviously set up to have them go through a similar arc even if it never reached it, and Shane McCarthy was obsessed with pointing out the Autobots need to be excellent to one another. How many times can they learn the lesson?

[Red Dave Prime]

I think more than meets the eye has plenty of potential to be an ongoing beyond a set conclusion. Even after they discover the truth/ lies behind the knights, they can keep exploring. It could be interesting seeing an adapting species move from planet to planet. I think also, MTMTE is as much about its core characters as any plot. Here's a chance to have a core group of individuals with the odd rotation in of someone different to keep things fresh.

RID I imagine will be the one to go back to the default series. If I was a betting fanboy, I'd imagine that at some point the autobots and the nails will unite against the Cons only for Megatron to return which prompts the call out to mr. Orion Pax, thereby bringing everything back to status quo.

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Nobody's every mentioned it; links are concatenated anyway....

Didn't realize until re-reading it how snappy that may have sounded. Sorry about that.

And, also, thank you for fixing it. The only reason why I was grumbling about it earlier was because I originally had the link spelling out exactly what it was (i.e. "_______'s character model").

[Denyer]

Or they survive but really badly mangled like G2 Megs in that issue where he hit earth with a bump.

Yeah, nothing wrong with pushing the "virtually indestructible" angle and putting the cast through hell. Assuming Hasbro will let it past.

[Summerhayes]

Well that was actually an amazing read. I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing this one through. Here's hoping!
I think Roberts will pay off on a lot and get them where they're going pretty quick but there are a milllion reasons the story could go on after finding the Knights (or otherwise).
Personally, I'm of a mind that a lot of those 'bots will survive entering the atmosphere.

[Red Dave Prime]

Thing is, although they are burning up on re-entry that doesn't mean they are destroyed. Hot Rod himself came down through a meteor shower in his spotlight and overall IDW has shown the transformers to be very hard to kill. Hell, the NASA space shuttle hits massive temps on re-entry and it survives.

I'm more of the idea that we got some name bots thrown out there so there can be interaction further down the line. They provide another storyline option if needed.

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This is your all purpose Transformers: More than Meets the Eye #2 reaction and discussion thread.

Out February 15.

Preview @ Comic Book Resources. Expect some spoilers.

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Also out this week, the 2nd printing of More than Meets the Eye #1 in case you missed it the first time around.

Preview @ Comics Continuum.

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One thing I think MTMTE has got going for it is the overall tone. It's interesting -- it manages to find comedy in what should be a pretty dire situation.

Mmm, and Milne's work continues to improve. That's good. Nothing looks cluttered, at any rate.

[Warcry]

Wait, I'm confused.

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Transformers that were set on fire, fell hundreds of kilometres into a gravity well and slammed into the planet's surface at terminal velocity in the last issue turn out to survive without much more than a couple dents and dings to show for it? On a planet that's covered in giant craters that blatantly illustrate just how much force they would have been slamming down with? That's some Furman-level put-characters-in-danger-but-not-really gymnastics right there. Since he made a point of rejecting antics like that at the end of Eugenesis, I expected better of Roberts.

I'm disappointed but not surprised that Prowl wasn't responsible for blowing up the ship. I wish they'd gone through with it but I can see why (given the other ongoing has Prowl as a lead) they only used it as a red herring. It's totally ridiculous that a vital component that can disastrously fail simply by someone walking past at the right time is just left standing in the middle of a room though, though, isn't it? Unless there's more to it than that, it's hard not to say that that's lazy writing.

Milne's art is very nice, though. And I agree with ziggy that Roberts has a flare for finding humour in the most unlikely places.

[zigzagger]

Wait, I'm confused.

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Transformers that were set on fire, fell hundreds of kilometres into a gravity well and slammed into the planet's surface at terminal velocity in the last issue turn out to survive without much more than a couple dents and dings to show for it? On a planet that's covered in giant craters that blatantly illustrate just how much force they would have been slamming down with? That's some Furman-level put-characters-in-danger-but-not-really gymnastics right there. Since he made a point of rejecting antics like that at the end of Eugenesis, I expected better of Roberts.

Erm...maybe IDW caved in? From what I gathered, you're certainly not the only one who's pointed that out. Personally, I didn't take too much issue with it, but it is a legitimate complaint.

Either way I can't say I'm all that surprised, to be honest.

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Honestly, I'm not all that surprised that was the fate of
I'm disappointed but not surprised that Prowl wasn't responsible for blowing up the ship. I wish they'd gone through with it but I can see why (given the other ongoing has Prowl as a lead) they only used it as a red herring. It's totally ridiculous that a vital component that can disastrously fail simply by someone walking past at the right time is just left standing in the middle of a room though, though, isn't it? Unless there's more to it than that, it's hard not to say that that's lazy writing.

Mmm, I think it's another red herring. There's too many other culprits to consider. I don't think it's the last we'll see or hear of this plot thread.

Though, I would be disappointed if that's all that it was; that it was a 'Duobot' being in the wrong place.

[Red Dave Prime]

Regards the art all I can say is Wow! Its not the best art ever but AM is really getting good at merging his style to fit with others. If he sticks to this standard I think the book will have a great look overall.

PLot wise, again it looks like we have lots of things going on. Which I like lots.

One thing I dont get though...

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Why is everyone hating on the falling autobots surviving? In the previous issue Rodimus clearly states that he is going to rescue everyone, so it seems fair enough that he was going to save at least a few. Also as I said in a previous thread, the nasa space shuttle can survive re-entry, so why not a transformer? Rodimus did in his spotlight and quite a few like cyclonus are capable of space travel so its not that big a surprise. Sure, the robots will be damaged but to expect them to burn up seemed more a stretch on the part of some of the readers than the writer dropping the ball.

[Blackjack]

SKIDS YAY

[Denyer]

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the nasa space shuttle can survive re-entry, so why not a transformer? Rodimus did in his spotlight and quite a few like cyclonus are capable of space travel so its not that big a surprise. Sure, the robots will be damaged but to expect them to burn up seemed more a stretch

This.

I'm not sure I like the way Ratchet's being set up as a codger on the brink of spark burn-out, when he's been essentially fine in this continuity (as far as I know) until now. It feels like too much of an import from Animated.

[Warcry]

One thing I dont get though...

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Why is everyone hating on the falling autobots surviving? In the previous issue Rodimus clearly states that he is going to rescue everyone, so it seems fair enough that he was going to save at least a few. Also as I said in a previous thread, the nasa space shuttle can survive re-entry, so why not a transformer? Rodimus did in his spotlight and quite a few like cyclonus are capable of space travel so its not that big a surprise. Sure, the robots will be damaged but to expect them to burn up seemed more a stretch on the part of some of the readers than the writer dropping the ball.

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It's not a stretch -- Ultra Magnus specifically said that they were burning up in the atmosphere, and we saw them doing just that. And then...they didn't. They're only slightly dented when Rodimus and Magnus rescue them, and their paint isn't even burned off. So what was 'burning up' last issue, exactly?

If he'd left out that line, the Transformers' survival wouldn't be a problem because we didn't know how strong this planet's gravity was or if it had an atmosphere at all. But once he says that this is what's happening, it's tough for me to ignore the fact that it just didn't happen. What was the point of even saying it, other than cheap drama, if you weren't willing to go through with it?

The only conclusion I can reach is that Roberts just doesn't know atmospheric reentry actually works, because I can't see him just deciding that Transformers are practically invincible. And make no mistake, if they're tough enough to survive the heat of reentry and a terminal-velocity impact with a planet's surface then not a single one of the weapons we've seen used in the comics so far would even be able to scratch them. It's just physics.

Also, there's a very, very big difference between controlled spaceflight and freefall. To use your space shuttle example, reentry needs to happen at a very precise angle. If they come in too steep, the shuttle will burn up. It's also covered in heat-shielding and that shielding breaking down is what caused the Columbia disaster.

Rodimus rode down on a comet to shield himself from most of the heat and then using a special force field to protect himself from the crash. Cyclonus would fly into the atmosphere at the right angle if he'd been approaching in alt-mode. Those are luxuries that the falling Autobots didn't have.

[Red Dave Prime]

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I get that the physics dont add up completely. I just dont see it as being that big a stretch or deal. For all we know the transformers who fell were able to control their descent (some most have had flight-capable forms) or able to deploy emergency forcefields. Maybe some larger bots shielded other smaller ones. Its not unreasonable to expect Transformers to have some safety precautions for space flight.

To quote Joss Whedon - Sometimes the overall story is more important than the details. Maybe Roberts doesnt understand re-entry to a planet. Or maybe he just doesnt see it as massively important.

Seeing as we are dealing with a fictional world where machines can change shape and size it seems a minor point to get hung up on. For me, these kind of things only bother me when the rest of the story isnt grabbing me. I can forgive Roberts these odd tech mistakes much like I forgave Star Trek TNG when I was younger. Massive plot holes and inconsistent characters? That would annoy me a lot more

[Warcry]

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I'd be happy to overlook it too, if the author himself hadn't drawn attention to it for no apparent reason. The overall story might be more important than the details, but it's hard to focus on the overall story when one of the details drags you right out of it and makes you facepalm.

Again, I have no problem with anyone surviving planetfall. I do have a problem with them surviving unscathed when the previous issue showed them freefalling while on fire and this issue showed a planetscape covered in giant impact craters that illustrate just how much force they would have hit the ground with.

Suspension of disbelief falls apart when the author actively reminds you how impossible the situation is. That's just sloppy writing.

[Terome]

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Spoiler tags? Spoiler tags.

I'm okay with the survivable re-entry on the grounds that we have no idea what the atmosphere of that planet is made of, how thick it is, what the gravity is and so on and so forth.

What I do have a problem with is an 'easter-egg' like those shuttle-bots' utterance of '1984' dropping with a leaden thud. Yikes.

[Red Dave Prime]

@ Warcry - Still don't see the problem, but agree to disagree?

@ Terome

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Yeah, that all went a bit over the top with the spoiler tags alright