Beast Wars: Sourcebook #1-4/TPB

Post by **zigzagger** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:45 pm

Okay, I am just going to go ahead a put these up even if the book ends up being further delayed....again

After a rather lengthy wait, the promised sourcebook containing profiles for all your beloved and hated Beasties is finally here (hopefully). This is your all purpose Beast Wars: Sourcebook #1 reaction thread. Place your praise and/or revilement here.

Purportedly scheduled to hit the shelves October 3rd according to IDW. Check back later for confirmation, etc.

edit
confirmed to ship according to CNI
http://comicnewsi.com/article.php?catid ... emid=10452

Philister · Post by **Philister** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:00 am

Really looking forward to the Sourcebook. Does anyone know whether it'll just feature the Gathering cast or will also have stuff on the original TV cast?

Post by **zigzagger** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:28 pm

Sorry if I caused any confusion moving your post to the Sourcebook thread (was originally in the Devastation thread). Seemed more appropiate here.

Anyhow, as far as I understand the Sourcebook will feature all, if not most, of the characters from the Beast Wars universe(s) (i.e. toylines, cartoons, etc). Characters from the Japanese series will be featured as well (pretty sure anyway, don't see why not since they've already been featured in the ongoing). However, Beast Machines characters (I'm pretty sure anyway, though I could be wrong ) will not receive profiles in the Sourcebook, which is a shame I suppose.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:28 pm

Just went through mine reading only the bios (I'll give it a more thorough once over later). Good stuff and I'm eagerly awaiting the future installments.

Also one thing I noticed, they nicked my motto for Autocrusher/crasher! That's kinda cool. I guess that means the people at IDW read my BWII/Neo profiles.

...which is kind of embarassing, considering how poorly written most of them are.

Brimstone · Post by **Brimstone** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:53 pm

There are definately characters from the Japanese shows. I am a little confused by the not beast characters though (like Dirge and others). How did they figure into the Beast Wars?

My biggest disappointment, though was Big Convoy (even the art wasn't that great for him). On a personal note, although I've gotten used to the term "Convoy" it has still always felt like the Japanese version of Prime or Prime is the English translation of Convoy (not literaly, I know). But I could have lived with "Convoy." What I really didn't like was his first name "Big." It just doesn't work very well, IMO. The name Big Convoy sounds more like a literally translated term and not the name of one of the leaders of the Maximals. Not that I have a better name, but there has to be something better than "big" that means the same thing. Hell, even Maximus Convoy would have been better (even if it does borrow from another's name).

At least with Lio Convoy, it sounds better (although I still would have preferred Lio Prime or Lio Primal). I'm not saying they needed to follow the Optimus/Rodimus moniker pattern...but anything would have been better than "big."

Other than that, though, it was a great read. Beast Wars was my favorite series (as a show) so this will be a nice addition to the ol' collection.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:26 pm

Originally posted by Brimstone
There are definately characters from the Japanese shows. I am a little confused by the not beast characters though (like Dirge and others). How did they figure into the Beast Wars?

One of the themes of BWII was "nature vs. industry", which is why all the Maximals in that series were animals while all the Predacons were either machines or (later) cyborgs.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:03 pm

Only had chance for a flick and so far it seems a bit meh. Why include two of Chettor's bodies but not the third? Why come up with bloody awful fanwank in order to make the Transmetal toys of Black Arachnia and Airrazor "canon" when they not only have no bearing on the show whatsoever and don't even get a drawing here? I can only assume that Furman might actually be planning to do something with them in the comic, but I really hope not as the idea sucks. "When Black Arachnia had a nap in season 1 the Vok made a Transmetal copy of her which they hid".

And why's Magmatron on the cover?

One thing it might have done with- considering it's dealing with the cast of three different shows on three different planets it might have soothed my troubled brow to clarify which show they're from in the name/rank/sub group bit (perhaps by naming the planet they're fighting/living on?).

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:09 pm

Originally posted by inflatable dalek

One thing it might have done with- considering it's dealing with the cast of three different shows on three different planets it might have soothed my troubled brow to clarify which show they're from in the name/rank/sub group bit (perhaps by naming the planet they're fighting/living on?).

Apparantly Furman's current Beast Wars stories take place after "a version" of the events of BWII and Neo. The Pax Cybertonia was signed after Big Convoy and Magmatron made piece. Whether the attack by Unicron and the Blentrons happened in "this version" of those events or not, who knows.

Yeah, it's wacky. But my guess is they couldn't include "is fighting on Gaia" because that part of the story was already over and done with.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:15 pm

It would have helped then if they hadn't talked about the events of the TV shows in the present tense ("Repaint X allways polishes Galvatrons shoes on a Tuesday") as it makes it all sound concurrent...

I am hoping this will stand up better on a full read though. The entry for the purple Inferno repaint made zero sense to me though I have to say- Is it talking about stuff that's going to happen in the Ascending or stuff that happened in whatever cartoon the baddywithasillyname came from?

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:21 pm

Originally posted by inflatable dalek

I am hoping this will stand up better on a full read though. The entry for the purple Inferno repaint made zero sense to me though I have to say- Is it talking about stuff that's going to happen in the Ascending or stuff that happened in whatever cartoon the baddywithasillyname came from?

If you mean Antagony, she was created by Psycho Bitch Raksha for some Botcon comics ages ago. Parts of Antagony's bio in the sourcebook seem to be commentary on her notoriously insane creator, particularly the bit in "weaknesses" about Antagony overestimating her worth in the grand scheme of things etc.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:27 pm

Is the character even a toy then? Or just a convention exclusive? I know Furman's determined to get every character ever into the comic but that's pushing it.

Actually, I wonder if Furman/The Guy Who Probably wrote all of it really used your motto/s because they thought you'd just translated the Japanese ones?

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:34 pm

Originally posted by inflatable dalek
Is the character even a toy then? Or just a convention exclusive? I know Furman's determined to get every character ever into the comic but that's pushing it.

Yeah, apparntly she was the 1998 BotCon exclusive. Which makes her about as important as one of the Happy Meal exclusives.

Actually, I wonder if Furman/The Guy Who Probably wrote all of it really used your motto/s because they thought you'd just translated the Japanese ones?

That's what the people who upload the bull**** at Wikipedia Prime seem to think. I dunno if it's still like that, and I can't be damned to check, but for a while Big Convoy's and Magmatron's articles had "and his motto is blah blah blah".

No, that's not their motto, that's just crap some kid in high school wrote 5 years ago.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 6:13 am

On reflection, a really good glossery in issue 4 could solve most of the problems I have with this, lets hope we get one.

Nevermore · Post by **Nevermore** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 3:20 pm

Why does Archadis copy G1 Jazz's motto?

Who do B'Boom and Apache look nearly identical, while BB gets a new, entirely made up color scheme for no apparent reason?

Why does Archadis get a double-page spread, while characters with multiple incarnations get crammed into a single page entry?

What's up with Dinobot's and Blackarachnia's colors?

Really, for something that's supposedly been in the works for over a year, that's quite a lot of errors. And the writing is... not so great. Inconsistent, loads of pointless fanw*nk and loads of errors. Me no like.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 3:56 pm

Here are some links of interest:

http://www.bwtf.com/cbreviews/idw/bwsourcebook1/

Ben Yee reviews the book and gives some behind the scenes info and opinions. Apparantly, BB's and Blackarachnia's colorschemes were a complete error and he hopes to have that fixed for the trade.

http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.ph ... t&p=757979

Dan Khanna chimes in with some news that furthers the "rushed and halfassed" viewpoints. Apparantly, a number of the artist credits were incorrect; he receives credit for art he didn't do and doesn't receive credit for art he actually provided.

Man, one issue and they screwed up this much?

Post by **zigzagger** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:42 pm

Originally posted by DrSpengler
Here are some links of interest:
http://www.bwtf.com/cbreviews/idw/bwsourcebook1/

http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.ph ... t&p=757979

And to go along side with that, an explanation from Chris Ryall;
http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=2512

edit: Now, if only he'd post a public apology in regards to Megatron: Origin

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:58 pm

I appreciate Ryall's apology and I do believe that he never wanted the book to go out with so many errors.

However, I'm not the type who buys individual issues and then buys the TPB. So once again, I feel like I'm being punished for supporting a book during it's initial release by receiving the inferior product. I felt that way with the Animated Movie adaptation and I feel that way now. If this is IDW's standard business plan then I may just quit buying the individual issues and wait for the TPBs from now on, since at least that way I won't get shafted with tons of errors and what-not.

According to Ryall, #2 may contain more of the same editorial errors, but with luck #3-4 will be up to snuff. I hope that's the case.

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:10 pm

Originally posted by DrSpengler
However, I'm not the type who buys individual issues and then buys the TPB. So once again, I feel like I'm being punished for supporting a book during it's initial release by receiving the inferior product. I felt that way with the Animated Movie adaptation and I feel that way now. If this is IDW's standard business plan then I may just quit buying the individual issues and wait for the TPBs from now on, sense at least that way I won't get shafted with tons of errors and what-not.

I think "standard business plan" is putting it a bit strongly, but there are too many things that have slipped past editing in the last year or so, and have been pointing out for a while now that hearing things'll be fixed at a later stage is the last thing that will go down well with issue-buyers.

The only way I'll jack in buying issues is if part of the main story becomes trade-only (like the second DW preview was reserved for the V1 TPB a few years back.) That'd really sour things. But I think a lot of others would stop buying sooner for other reasons, including not expecting a 'finished' product if they follow singles. That's a dangerous perception to let build.

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:24 pm

Originally posted by Denyer
I think "standard business plan" is putting it a bit strongly,

Yeah, that was mostly some bitter snark on my part. I just don't like getting burned twice in a row.

I suppose I AM grateful that they've only let this sort of thing happen in their "back-up" books and not their main line Transformers series. I'd hate to be told that I need to buy the Devastation TPB just because issue #3 was riddled with coloring errors, speech bubble errors and spelling errors.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:45 am

I don't mind them correcting errors for the trade versions, but I am annoyed at the suggestion in the Ben Yee article that art for more alt variations on the characters will be included in the trade. Makes buying the issues pointless.

This made me laugh as well:

Some of the elements in those shows would not work in a more serious Western based universe.

That's the serious Western based Universe that did an episode about Rhinox's farts? Is there anything sillier in the Japanese stuff?

originally posted by da Spengly one
Yeah, apparntly she was the 1998 BotCon exclusive. Which makes her about as important as one of the Happy Meal exclusives.

Idid insist however that the McDonalds Beast Wars toys be included

EDIT: And if Ryall didn't have the time to edit the issue properly he should have handed the Editors job to someone else (which by the sound of that post would seem to be what he has done, who's this Andrew?)

Second Edit: [I'm Editlicious]

In regards to this:

Just because Powermaster Optimus Prime and Ginrai use the same sculpt, with almost the exact same color scheme - are they the same character? Certainly not. And that is the rationale we used when using both Apache and B'Boom or Bighorn and Bonecrusher etc.

That rational falls apart as there's no official fiction that tries to claim Powermaster Prime and God Ginrai co-exsist within the same continuity despite looking exactly the same.