Spotlight: Ramjet

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zigzagger
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Spotlight: Ramjet

Post by zigzagger »

This is your all purpose Spotlight: Ramjet reaction thread.
Speak of its greatness or banality right here!

The conehead's first IDW exposé is due to ship November 7th according to CNI
http://comicnewsi.com/article.php?catid ... emid=10643
Date is subject change, so stay tuned!
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Springer145
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Post by Springer145 »

I saw the preview for this comic on IDW's homepage and I must say I thought it sounded very interesting - especially since it included Monstructor. I think this spotlight series sounds like a good idea, but I think it gives the writers a massive amount of liberty to play with the backgrounds of individual characters.

This is a bit off the wall, but are the IDW TF comics available at most comic shops? I haven't bought a comic since I was very young so I don't know how they do things now days. I've fallen in love with the artistry in the IDW comics though, and I want to purchase a few.

BTW Hey everybody, it's been a while :D
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zigzagger
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Post by zigzagger »

Okay.....

I suppose one could say why bother telling Ramjet's account, when it doesn't serve much purpose in the larger scheme of things. Kup's tale was sort of executed in a similar manner, with satisfying results in my opinion, and personally I don't mind if the main story deviates for a moment to allow someone else to shine. Of course, that's contingent how the writer uses the material, rather than the material itself. Something like that anyway. This is fine and all, but this...this was a bit silly.

But maybe that was point. Maybe, this issue was meant to be a comedy, and the main arc could always use a little levity. If that is the case, than Spotlight:RJ accomplishes this perfectly. Ramjet's "non-linear" plan involves a band of "Mini-Constructicons" who speak in Earthen slang, a facsimile named Harrison who was made from inferior equipment resulting in him being a half-wit, and a device that is referred to as "The Universal Cybertronic Tracker", which he intended to use to track and monitor all Cybertronian life on Earth. Oh, oh, and "Micro-Constructicons" (tiny microscopic machines) the he had originally planned to be injected into the bloodstream of humans, turning them into subservient zombies.

It's comedy, it just has to be. It's the only logical explanation ;)

Spotlight: Ramjet, by the look of things, is a stand alone story. Though it inadvertently ties in with the events in Escalation, Ramjet's tale doesn't really affect the main arc in any significant way. Meaning you won't miss out on much (so far in the story, anyway) if you didn't read it. In a nutshell; he has his "non-linear" plan, which he is overly confident of, and in the end dies in the most brutal fashion at the hands of Megatron because of his vision. Really, really, brutal. Brutal as in, he was literally torn limb from limb, his spark ripped from his chest, his parts scattered through out the planet, and his head kept as a trophy sort of brutal. We probably won't be seeing Ramjet again anytime soon...if at all. And quite honestly, I don't think I'll be missing him all that much or his grating monologues. I mean, it's no wonder Megatron caught wind of his "non-linear" plan; if it wasn't Skywarp tattling on him, than his unique brand of Saturday-morning-cartoon-super-villain prattling that did.

I suppose that's the issue's charm; that it is meant to be stupid.

edit: oh...alright. here. grade slightly edited

2.8 out of 5
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DrSpengler
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Post by DrSpengler »

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Commander Shockwav
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Post by Commander Shockwav »

Huh. That was darn good stuff. Have to disagree with zigzagger on this one.

As a stand alone story that fit's into the overall continuity, it's a really nice effort by Moore. Very strong dialogue, some of the best from IDW yet. Good characterization, something I wasn't expecting given Moore's performance on the New Avengers crossover bit. It's like the guy has been spending his free time getting caught up on TF lore or something, because on this front he delivers the goods.

And the artwork was fantastic! No problem here telling what's going on, I'll tell you that. This Musso/Burcham effort is crisp, clear, and cool. I hope to see more from this team, as it's some of the best I've seen from IDW.

The plot, though simple, was presented in such a way that I was hooked despite the cliche 'subordinate attempting to overthrow leader" theme. Wasn't expecting that. For a minute there, I actually believed Ramjet might pull it off.

And the Miniconstruciticons were the breath of fresh air that I have been hoping for for a long time. Now that's the kind of characterization I like to see. It shows how dialogue can infuse even characters that last but a few panels with some real character. It's not cookie-cutter characterization, let's just say that.

What I didn't like was the character choice here. Clearly, this was a tale that was already fashioned in the mind of Moore, and then it was an "insert generic character here" kind of tale. If you're going to go that route, at least insert a character who can actually come up with such a far reaching plan, and not one who notoriously solves problems by smashing things with his head. (Unfortunately, there is no such scene in this tale, which makes it a more strange depiction of Ramjet).

Pleasantly surprised by this spotlight. I give it an "A", finding very little not to like here
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zigzagger
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Post by zigzagger »

Originally posted by Commander Shockwav
Huh. That was darn good stuff. Have to disagree with zigzagger on this one.

Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining. Its just that, upon my initial read, the whole time I was thinking "is this supposed to be funny or not?" I suppose that was my own skepticism of Moore's abilities that impeded my judgment. But yeah, I guess that was what threw me off, that it wasn't entirely clear to me what tone Moore was trying to establish at first. I guess this is a telling statement that the main arc truly does need more humor.
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MegatronIDW
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Post by MegatronIDW »

As the Transformers universe gets darker and darker (The Autobots hunted bya living weapon, the noble Prime lineage a hypocritical lie, The "Golden Age" and era of deceit and corruption, Sunstreaker a torutred and suicidal wreck, etc) it's nice to see a bit of comic relief.

Ramjet's gloriously stupid plan is just that. He's an idiot who thinks he's somebody. He's never meant to be a serious threat, except maybe to himself. And he's the only one who thinks his plan stands half a chance.

His death at the end is a nice moment of black comedy, while also hammering home the point that THIS Megatron isn't the "I'll kill you...possibly, at some point in the future maybe" joke that many perceived the old interpretation of the character to be. This is a "F*ck with me and your LUCKY if you end up comatose in a CR tank" Megatron who doesn't let idiots like Ramjet mess with him.

Poor stupid Ramjet. He really does think he's got a good plan. He thinks he's a master planner, a strategic genious. What he is is a bumbling idiot whose plans make the cartoon series Decepticons plans look good. (I'll take Megatrons Master Plan or even the whole "Turn Earth into Cybertron" thing from City of Steel over Ramjet's ludicrous/mad plan any day)

But in the end, that's what your MEANT to think. It's a bit of comedy, like the Marvel one shot issues of yesteryear, but with some nicely black humour at the end with Ramjet's comeuppance.

So no, it's not an essential issue to own. Your not missing anything by not buying it. Except maybe a few good laughs at this wonderfully mental story.
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Post by optimusskids »

I enjoyed it and see his efforts as the equivalent of his ramming things. Firing of plans right and left until something cracks.

Just out of curiousity did he ever ram anything in the Marvel continuity ?

Plus its probably the most characterisation he's ever had much more than Straxus' seeker hench mech no 2.

I wonder whether his gadget is a nod to the one that Outback tracked him down with in Carbombya and i have a suspicion it'll feature somewhere further down the road .

Also you get a sense that Earth is only a backwater on an intergalatic stage that there are other Decepticons out there plotting taking advantage of Megs distractions.
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Post by Aardvark »

Terribly silly and predictable -- but more importantly, good fun! Very reminiscent of the B&W comedy issues from the Earthforce era.

Yes it's a "throwaway", but at least it managed to tell a self-contained story as well as getting into the protagonist's head -- something the previous two issues didn't really achieve.

Musso did a great job -- loved his Ramjet design. If he continues to grow in this manner, I dare say he'll be up there with the best of 'em.

Despite the gangsta dialogue being woefully unoriginal and corny, the Mini-Constructicons still rocked. The "Harsh" bit, though a tad bit unoriginal as well, was great -- highlight of the entire issue. Hope we see more of the M.C. that survived.

Good to have the odd bit of fluff every now and then. Certainly worked for the Marvel comics.

Pleasantly surprised.
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optimusskids
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Post by optimusskids »

If the Mini Constructions had specialised roles then one of them could be M.C Hammer 0-)
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Post by Denyer »

That was fun. At no point does RJ actually seem to have a plan to deal with Megs, he's just clutching a device that'll let him know where his enemies are...

Liked the re-emphasised aspect that Megatron's supposed to be handing over to another commander by this point... it raises the question of whether he really is at the top of the command hierarchy (and just following through his own protocols) or part of a group of equally dangerous individuals.

Furman's indicated he'll probably do something with the character, so we might be seeing Ramjet get edited down from 'stupid' to 'stupid grunt'.

Wouldn't say this confirms sparks* in this continuity, but characters do appear to have critical systems in their chests (laser cores?)

Looked good, read fine. So what the hell went wrong with TF/Avengers?

3.5/5

*As shown in series like BM, anyway. Sparks and spark-cores seem to be functional rather than having an independent existence and a mythology around them.
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Post by Halfshell »

I think what went wrong with the Avengers thing is that TF crossovers are generally rubbish because nobody seems to know how to handle them, other than the two Joe efforts that were essentially guest starring roles in ongoing stories.
Originally posted by DrSpengler
You see, I liked the issue. It was a fun little comedy relief story, and I enjoy those every now and again. Ramjet spends the whole story devisng a needlessly overcomplicated plot, complete with jive-talking robo gangstas, only to get his crap dismembered at the end. It was funny.

Stories that advance the overall plot of the series are great, but every once and awhile I like comedy relief stories, too.


Agree completely.

Especially as Ramjet's approach to his MCs that forgot their place is much the same as Megatron's approach to Ramjet.

A nice "day in the life" diversion to break things up a bit. Definite "count your chickens" moral to it.

I also like the subtle inference that Skywarp quite possibly had a hand in Ramjet's downfall.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Not that subtle surely? He might as well held up a sign at the end saying "Twas me that turned him in".

Nice issue all round- I'd love to think Ramjet's messy death is sybolic of the death of all links to Man and Machine in the main books. Would I be right in thinking the panels from Escalation weren't supposed to be happening at that time? Else Megatron recovers from his Autobot given buggering a bit quick...
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Post by LKW »

Yeah, my first thought was that there was a continuity problem - at the least, you'd think he'd look a bit dinged up. And the last page is dang goofy.

Yeah, this was very silly. Some fun; but, my feeling after - besides "Huh." - was that it was my least favorite of the Spotlights. As a Megatron fan, yay for the "all hail mighty Megatron" of it - though maybe Moore based Megatron's dialogue on the early issues of "Megatron: Origin"? - but still - immaterial. Not bad - all of Ramjet's planning was creative, anyway; but - more "I can take it or leave it" than most of IDW's work for me, I guess.

I did like Ramjet's very Classics-esque design. And, back when people were complimenting the coloring of the preview pages, I assumed that Josh Burcham must have done them; then thought, "Well, I shouldn't always assume that whenever there's good IDW color work." Well - I guess that I should :) Very nice work, Josh! IDW should have you color every TF title!
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Post by Denyer »

@Dalek:

He does, but it just about fits into the timeline.
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

I got the impression that megatron doesnt so much get a beating in escalation as has a power surge problem. Dont see much damage done in a physical sense and it kinda ties into him wanting to vent his fustrations out. Also, maybe clutching a bit here but it seems megatron makes a habit of ripping out the spark cores (Optimus, ramjet and possibly sentinal prime if we count megatron:origins). I felt a wee feeling of sorrow for Ramjet as his spark core (if thats what it is) was being pulled out. I thought it was an overall fun issue and wouldnt mind a few more spotlights like this involving the smaller bots fighting in stories that dont affect the main. Having said that, I've a feeling that locator could prove handy in findy shock & sound wave and the dinobots.

And didnt megatron look so happy with his new toy? That pic at the end was worth the price alone.
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Post by Denyer »

Originally posted by Red Dave Prime
I've a feeling that locator could prove handy
Assuming it works. It seems unlikely anything Ramjet built functions as intended.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

It did tell him exactly where Megatron was.

Of course, this does make Megatron not killing Starscream look even dafter...
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Post by Halfshell »

Megatron blasted a hole straight through Starscream's chest then basically told the others "if he's still alive, I'll decide out what to do with him later."

It just happened that Screamer survived enough to be thrown in permanent storage. Megs was perfectly prepared for the notion that he'd killed him, and didn't really seem bothered either way.

Ramjet got an absolute kicking, and we'll probably find that the surviving components met a similar fate.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Well, Screamer did have a big hole blown in him. Ramjet had that, plus his spark being ripped out and his head removed. Megs really didn't like him did he?

Oh, and firm proof that Euro's are evil. The Daily Mail will love that.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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