Transformers: More than Meets the Eye season two discussion

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Unicron
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Post by Unicron »

Not sure if it's just me, but when I brought up those preview pages, my anti-virus popped a bunch of alerts telling me it caught some stuff. May want to try finding them elsewhere
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Post by Denyer »

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Unicron
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Post by Unicron »

Not presently, no. Recently did a fresh install of Windows, there's a bunch of little things here and there I'd forgotten about and haven't gotten to
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Knightdramon
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Post by Knightdramon »

I think there's an error---the book acknowledges MTMTE 9 and Ongoing...20 on the inside cover, but 20 is the space opera which has absolutely NOTHING to do with this, but the scenes from 21 [Megatron backstory] are on the exact same time as this one.

I have a theory...Rung is "forgotten" in the past when these guys make their final jump.

The next page [coupled with the front cover] probably covers the bar fight from 21, with Rung breaking cover---ie the Rung tossed on the window at Impactor/Megatron is our Rung. Then the opening of Shadowplay issue 1, with a "past" Rung assembling a Lost Light spaceship model is our Rung, possibly left back, trying to reminisce his memories, and ends up being stuck on a loop.

Remain in Light opening also makes sense, when Rung recognized the opening portal as something similar---he is actually re-living his story in a loop.

Somehow, information creep gets to him and he forgets what he is himself, and maybe an attention deflector or something is attached on him, which explains why half the bots forget who he is [even his patient, Red Alert] most of the times.

The earliest chronological appearance of Rung [pre Ongoing 21, ie our next page] is the Messatine mines on issue 34, where he interferes on Froid's and Trepan's stuff. What if he's very aware of what was going to happen to Megatron, and he used Shockwave's new laws as a front?

Crazy theory, but even Red Alert's backstory with Rung places him after Shadowplay.

It all fits, I tell you. It all fits.

You heard it here first. And if somebody comes out in the next 4 minutes and says that he had an earlier [chronological] appearance that ruins my theory, oh well.
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Post by Auntie Slag »

About time! That's over a month that goalpost shifting, genre redefining, stupidly talented bastard's had me waiting. It had better come with two additional free issues, a send-away plush MTMTE character of your choice and free tea bags taped to the cover.

And a CD containing the two or three tracks that define every issue, with a painfully delicate & detailed explanation for each one that would make Thatcher cry.

I didn't carve '4 REAL' (with Rodimus Star) into my arm for nothing, J.
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Post by MikeB »

Knightdramon wrote: appearance that ruins my theory, oh well.
In issue 1 (rereading, not some weird perfect recall thing) tailgate is thinking about Rungian self analysis 6 million years ago, but there's no reason why rung can't jump even further into the past before this arc is done, is there?

I like the theory, though I'll miss rung if it turns out to be true...
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Knightdramon
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Post by Knightdramon »

Hmmm, I knew something was off.

The series has another error in the early issues though; Magnus refers to amendments on the Autobot code, happening after Tailgate's time, but the Autobot code should have been written after Sentinel adopted the name and Zeta formed a proper faction.

Meh. :p
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

So.....



Need to re-read again but going by this issue, Roberts has set things up really well. Fair play that we are getting pay-offs so far down the line.

And...
SPOILER! (select to read)
Many of us were correct in thinking it was Megs Brainstorm was going for and not Pax. But still, the whole reveal to this is done really well.
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Post by zigzagger »

As always, doing this on the fly. Just some super quick thoughts.

---

Figured it'd be Megatron. In 'season 2', it's always about Megatron!

By the time Roberts is done with him, we're going to know just about everything there is know about Megatron, huh? Think this is the first time we've seen the creation of, well, anyone in the IDWverse.

Hope to get more details next issue regarding that. And assuming Megatron was indeed forged, this may go some way to explaining (or rather, showing) the process.

....

Annnnd that's all the time I got. Will be back later.
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Post by Death's Head »

In that last page he looks more like he's being Constructed Cold...
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Post by inflatable dalek »

He also has a blue spark rather than the point 1 percenter green one he should have. Brainstorm on the other hand, has a green spark somewhere stashed around his person...




A fantastic issue. I'm a sucker for when an ongoing series does a Back to the Future 2 style "Mucking about in old stories" style time travel adventure and this pulled it off perfectly. I love the idea that Rung hadn't actually yet been as important as Rewind and the series thinks he is, him being everywhere that matters in the past is just down to his wacky time travel highjinks.

And Knightdramon was so nearly right in his theory! Excellent weaving in and out of the old art as well, especially as- whilst Rung in Shadowplay might have always been intended to be a future version- there wouldn't have been any thought of this when Chaos Theory was done (with the comic divided up into seasons, Chaoes Theory really is, using similar TV terms, a back door pilot).

I think those in the "Brainstorm isn't a Decepticon" camp are pretty much vindicated here. He may be up to no good, but whatever his plan his actions are just far to benign for a DJD mole. He could have killed past Rung. He could have blown up Maccadam's. Effectively his main plot this issue is to stop Megatron becoming Megatron- not kill him- by preventing a bar room brawl.

On the other hand, I'm now more convinced that ever the theory I suggested a few months ago about Rewind is true and it was him that betrayed everyone on the ALL. I think the DJD have Dominus Ambus and have been putting Vesper Lynd style coercion upon him to make him pass on information, probably for some time. The slaughter of his old crew wasn't what he had wanted, hence him being so keen to rescue Dominus in the past and prevent everything.
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Post by Terome »

Yes, dug this. Took me another read to quite twig what was going on with Past Rung and Brainstorm and infer what was going on with the Dominus Ambus talk. Is the 'Functionist' timeline the one where Rewind meddled? We're getting all these teases to the start of the war - Terminus' instructions, Megatron getting arrested, Whirl's involvement - what if Dominus Ambus was the ultimate cause of the war and Megatron's ascension?

On Future Rung - it does make especial sense that Brainstorm would spot him because he would have known about his teetotal habits. Speaking of those, we now know why teetotal Rung was in Maccadam's in the first place.

Sweet catch on the blue spark detail. We also get to see what Whirl's crazy gun does and it seems to detonate sparks quite handily.
I'm a sucker for when an ongoing series does a Back to the Future 2 style "Mucking about in old stories" style time travel adventure and this pulled it off perfectly.
The bit where Megatron cowers under the bar is so Marty Junior.

But hey, here's something I didn't like - the pages from older issues. Seemed a lot clumsier than I'd give this series credit for. A big long chat about Proteus' Promise had nothing to do with this story. The Impactor pages were more seamless but, wow, Roberts has really improved at dialogue since Chaos Theory, hasn't he? 'Five quarts of energon in the wind' makes me wince.

The bar brawl that follows is pretty awesome though. On improvement - how great is Milne at crowded, chaotic scenes now?

Not sure I quite follow the Whirl backstory. The Functionists sent the Heavies to break his stuff and then, later, had the Senate take his face? Why is that a big revelation?

Oh yeah! Amidst it all - Cyclonus' apology. The shoe finally dropped. I've been tense about that for years. And is Tailgate inside Cyclonus while he's protesting against Brainstorm's execution? Love how willing Rodimus is to kill him, by the way. He doesn't have a high opinion of traitors.

Anyone think all this was just a way for Brainstorm to impress Perceptor? That would be a more powerful motivator for him than caring whether the war happened or not.
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Post by Terome »

Stray thought - will Rung's tendency to go unnoticed mean that Past Rung and Future Rung will swap places before the LL crew heads for the present?
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Present Rung becomes Tarn!

You know, considering Rewind has access to all this CCTV fotage and can accurately place what everyone was up to in the past, it's odd he's never asked Rung about the day he was thrown into Megatron considering that's quite an important event.

Or asked any of the others how they managed to both be in the bar that day and in other places. Especially as this now seems to be a predestination paradox.
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Post by Terome »

Well, of course if he had those particular angles then we wouldn't be in this situation... Though if he'd asked Rung he would have just gone the way it went when Megatron asked him.

I've been thinking of Rewind's database. It does present a storytelling problem for exactly reasons like you mention and I reckon its corruption won't just be so that Brainstorm can be hooked up to it like they did to dissuade Tailgate. Its loss may be permanent so that the upcoming Dominus arc won't have to answer questions like, 'Why doesn't Rewind just look this/that/the other up.'

Also, I imagine Megatron would get a real kick out of an encyclopedic knowledge of what would have happened had he not killed everyone. Rewind might end up writing Megatron's next book rather that Optimus' biography. Seeing as how we're all about writing this season it would suit for Megatron to take up the pen again.

Hey, here's something else I liked - even though the laws of the day in no way apply to the Lost Light crew, and that he's done far worse things in his time, Chromedome still has the fear of getting a fine for being in a class-inappropriate place. That is the most Catholic thing in the world.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Terome wrote:Well, of course if he had those particular angles then we wouldn't be in this situation... Though if he'd asked Rung he would have just gone the way it went when Megatron asked him.
Another reason for the corruption of it is likely that as Rung's database has been replaced by the one from the new timeline it neatly deals with them not just asking him to check up on where Brainstorm might be. Smart move by Mr. Roberts there! I'm just more curious as to why this has never come up before (like when, for example, Rung interviewed Impactor when doing his Weckers psychological profile). It seems Megatron was the first person ever to mention it to him as Rung seemed to find it a bit baffling.
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Post by Terome »

Oh yes, good reasoning. It's easy to imagine that Impactor would have some complicated emotions about Megatron and might not have been interested in that line of inquiry.

Hmm... I just realised that when Roberts does go down that 'Impactor's back' road that the presence of Megatron would make it a very different story from whatever fragments he and Roche had at the end of Wreckers. Personally, I hate 'big returns' and think Impactor should stay away and play among the stars with Pharma, Tyrest, Overlord, et al.

That would be nice, wouldn't it? If they were all just having a fantastic time playing stickball or something. Not a care in the world.

Apart from Impactor, when would anyone bring up that day in Macaddams to Rung? Everybody else in the room likely perished in the war. Nightbeat might ask impertinent questions, since something about that guy with his model ship has been nagging at him for ages.
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Post by zigzagger »

Got a moment to add a few more thoughts.

Yeah, this storyline is just plain fun. Has all the adventure, and world-building, and... fun I've come to expect from the title.

Nice touch with the reprinted pages from Chaos Theory. As well as with the new, previously off-panel bits that had been added. Felt like genuine improvements. If Elegant Chaos is intended to be the conclusion to Roberts' ongoing flashback-trilogy-thingy, it felt appropriate we come back to where it all started, you know. Brings us full circle.

Serves as a nice refresher for those who missed Chaos Theory, too.

Do agree with Terome's quibble with the Shadowplay pages, though. Not nearly as seamless, their inclusion.

While nothing major, that was some nice character development for Cyclonus. He's just a big ol' sentimentalist. And his late apology to Tailgate had me grinning like a fool. Certainly not the star of the show, but Cykes still had some standout moments for me.

Chromedome and ALL Rewind's relationship gets more and more uncomfortable (for me) as the story goes along. And OLL Rewind never seemed this preoccupied with finding Dominus Ambus. At least from what we were able to tell.
inflatable dalek wrote: I'm now more convinced that ever the theory I suggested a few months ago about Rewind is true and it was him that betrayed everyone on the ALL....
I'm convinced too. Still seems suspect to me that Magnus's memories have not melded with the Functionalist reality like Rewind's data has.
Terome wrote: On improvement - how great is Milne at crowded, chaotic scenes now?
I know, right? He's come a long way since Megatron Origin (seriously, check out M:O; it's a good point of reference). Has a much keener understanding of space and what have you.

Though to give credit, Lafuente's coloring does compliment Milne's pencils. Quite liking her work, actually. Very vibrant with good attention to detail... and this is Milne we're talking about, so there's a lot of freakin' detail.

At this point, I'm going to assume she's replaced Burcham, yes?
Not sure I quite follow the Whirl backstory. The Functionists sent the Heavies to break his stuff and then, later, had the Senate take his face? Why is that a big revelation?
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Post by inflatable dalek »

zigzagger wrote: Chromedome and ALL Rewind's relationship gets more and more uncomfortable (for me) as the story goes along. And OLL Rewind never seemed this preoccupied with finding Dominus Ambus. At least from what we were able to tell.
I'm trying to think, did we ever hear OLL Rewind mention Dominus directly in the present, or have we only ever heard about him from Chromedome up till now?

Something is definitely going on there.


At this point, I'm going to assume she's replaced Burcham, yes?
Yeah, it's a permanent gig. I didn't attend it, but based on what I was told by someone who did, it seems Milne gave the impression during his art class at the last AA that he and Burcham had a fractious working relationship. That's not to suggest any behind the scenes issues as such-based on the same talk Milne and Roberts go at it tooth and claw over the smallest details as well because both care a lot- but Burcham may have fancied something a bit more relaxing as a result.
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

Court intrigue!

I do miss Burcham - his muted palette and paper textures were a welcome addition to post-Dreamwave Transformers. Joanna's colours have grown on me but they aren't arty enough for my dumb tastes.

So I think with the Senate / Functionist thing, there's a deliberate effort being made to make it seem as though they act separately when, in actuality, the Senate or factions of it were under the control of the Functionists, even when their power was publicly ebbing.

And I am guessing that Whirl will be put in a position where he will have to spare Megatron or spare the Functionists and he'll be all, no way!
I'm convinced too. Still seems suspect to me that Magnus's memories have not melded with the Functionalist reality like Rewind's data has.
But isn't that exactly what we see when we get to 'subject not recognised?'
I'm trying to think, did we ever hear OLL Rewind mention Dominus directly in the present, or have we only ever heard about him from Chromedome up till now?

Something is definitely going on there.
Hmm... who narrated that chunk of biography we had on DA? Where we saw him 'exchanging fuel' with Rewind and such?
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