Escalation #5 preview [SPOILERS]

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Denyer
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Post by Denyer »

Originally posted by snavej
I thought an arc was a curve.
Also refers to a bridge of energy (usually electrical) between two points -- lightning's a natural arc lamp, for example. "Line" if you prefer.
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Post by snavej »

So these are not really MY non arguments: they stem from the inconsistencies of the G1 tech specs, which I remember fairly well. Please, blame where blame is due!

I have heard it said that a straight line is a special kind of arc with no bends in it.
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Post by T.V. »

Originally posted by snavej
So these are not really MY non arguments: they stem from the inconsistencies of the G1 tech specs, which I remember fairly well. Please, blame where blame is due!
Ah, but weren't you defending the "fusion cannon" and the ability to "draw upon the power of a black hole?"

Besides, as I said, it goes against common sense to assume that the tech specs are entirely valid for IDW's reimaging.

Wether it's in the tech specs, or a term used in Marvel comics or G1 cartoon, they don't neccesarely have to carry any weight in terms of IDW's Transformers.
Even then, Megatron's cannon could best be regarded as a "fusion cannon" in name only, since it doesn't yield the power as would be expected from such an earth scorching device.
Ah...forget it!
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Post by snavej »

It is one thing to defend an argument or belief, but it is another thing entirely to create the argument in the first place. I will never claim to have invented any part of G1 but I will say that I found it hugely inspiring, fascinating and entertaining. Without it, we would be discussing something completely different, after all.

At the time G1 began, during the cold war, the threat of nuclear holocaust was very great, so nuclear fusion weapons were on a lot of people's minds. Most major cities were in danger of annihilation. No wonder the writers regarded such power as fitting for a super-villain. I think the tech specs were written in a hurry, to suit the rapidly growing Transformer craze, so they were not fully thought through. As we have seen, Megatron and his cannon are top priority targets for Autobots, so quite often his cannon is out of action due to battle damage.

Infiltration, Escalation, etc. show Transformers who are essentially very similar to G1 (one might say they were drawn better and look something like Alternators) and there is no disclaimer to say that they are distinct from G1, so it is natural to assume that they would be basically the same in terms of character, abilities, strengths, weaknesses and equipment. As the saying goes, if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it may well be a duck! It is very easy to get confused if the situation is vague in the first place: people tend to see what they want to see (e.g. the Rorschach ink blot test). Not everyone has a mind like that of a detective.

Optimus Prime carries one of the most powerful lasers in the galaxy, proportional to its size. This is how he can equip Roller with such a laser and cripple or kill Blitzwing with one shot. Optimus also carries a god's power inside him (the Matrix), which can be used as a kind of super-weapon in times of dire emergency. It is not unreasonable to expect Megatron to crave a similar god-like power for himself, which in G1 he found in a black hole link. However, controlling a black hole is one of the most difficult things to do in the universe, so he can only usually get a tiny amount of black hole power at any one time - perhaps enough to destroy a building, a village or a group of Autobots. The risks involved are so great as to prevent the use of this power except in the worst predicaments.
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Post by Denyer »

Originally posted by snavej
Infiltration, Escalation, etc. show Transformers who are essentially very similar to
Minus the gimmicks. No sign of combiners, pretender tech is the aborted pipe-dream of maniacs, what of the -Master tech we've seen has been abortive, etc. More thought's being put into what's feasible.
Originally posted by snavej
there is no disclaimer to say that they are distinct from G1
Dreamwave did a G1 series (and tied it explicitly to several characters and concepts that were previously cartoon-only.) IDW are doing Transformers. Have you been reading any of the press surrounding the comics? Latest evidence of this being that Galvatron isn't Megatron.
Originally posted by snavej
so it is natural to assume that they would be basically the same in terms of character, abilities, strengths, weaknesses and equipment.
There are huge differences between even the previous continuities -- and much of the tech spec material never saw any fiction use.
Originally posted by snavej
and cripple or kill Blitzwing with one shot
Actually, Blitzwing mostly just seems to be crap. He didn't do Ratchet much damage at point-blank range.
Originally posted by snavej
Optimus also carries a god's power inside him (the Matrix)
No matrix so far in this continuity. The glimmer of light in Prime's chest in Stormbringer is confirmed as Don's artistic insertion, not scripted.
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Post by E.J.Su »

I am not speaking in official capacity, so I don't think everything I say here is accurate to what Simon is planning.

I do know that our continuity has nothing to do with Marvel or Dreamwave profiles.

I like to think that Transformers have technology to strengthen their armor plating.
with exception of Starscream, everyone that was "trashed" in the story so far has been in vehicle mode, maybe the Transformers deverse more energy to offensive fire power in vehicle mode. Perhaps Blitzwing spares even more defensive energy to "cloak".
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woo hoo

Post by another tf fan »

Hell yeah, EJ SU is posting on our boards.

Let me be the first to suck up:

Love your work!


ok, thats enough from me.
Come on and wind me up.
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Post by T.V. »

Originally posted by E.J.Su
I am not speaking in official capacity, so I don't think everything I say here is accurate to what Simon is planning.

I do know that our continuity has nothing to do with Marvel or Dreamwave profiles.

I like to think that Transformers have technology to strengthen their armor plating.
with exception of Starscream, everyone that was "trashed" in the story so far has been in vehicle mode, maybe the Transformers deverse more energy to offensive fire power in vehicle mode. Perhaps Blitzwing spares even more defensive energy to "cloak".
Hello handsome! (talking to the avatar.. :D)

Thanks for the input.
Now.. where can I spot some more of your art, besides in IDW's TF comic? :)
Ah...forget it!
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Post by snavej »

More clarity - yay! We are on another alternative continuity, but is it 'played out and cheap'?!
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Post by Denyer »

Originally posted by snavej
is it 'played out and cheap'?!

I think you may be misunderstanding (deliberately or otherwise) the comment about alt-universes and time-travel... they're quick fix plot mechanisms. Furman used them back in the day because he had to juggle characters around Budiansky's stories. Shows such as Red Dwarf and Trek used them when they ran out of other ideas, and Hasbro/conventions use confluence of realities as a cheap device to flog toys from different lines together. "He's an evil version of you from another dimension!" and the like is a cliché.

This is the first time we've had a continuity that's intended to be unified from the beginning and doesn't involve writers second-guessing around each other. It led to major inconsistencies in the original cartoon, original comics and with Dreamwave.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Originally posted by Denyer
IShows such as Red Dwarf and Trek used them when they ran out of other ideas,


Well, Trek tended to do them because time travel/alternate universe shows were often the most popular (I don't think anyone would call Mirror Mirror, Yesterday's Enterprise or Far Beyond the Stars creatively bankrupt.)
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Post by Denyer »

All Good Things? And yeah, they would. Pretty much every series of its its type has "the episode where the characters think they've dreamed everything" (DS9, Buffy, etc.) Since the TOS episode, the stock parody of alt-universes is bad guy versions and little goatees -- and even when Mirror, Mirror was produced it was cliché sci-fi writing.

People'd also call Who creatively bankrupt because it makes constant use of "do anything" plot devices, sometimes several within a particular episode.

One person's fun and escapist is another's lazy plot mechanic.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Originally posted by Denyer
Since the TOS episode, the stock parody of alt-universes is bad guy versions and little goatees -- and even when Mirror, Mirror was produced it was cliché sci-fi writing.


Though everyone forgets that in Mirror Mirror the alternate with the goatee is in fact a decent guy. The quality really depends on what the stories are used for- If it's just an excuse to get your female cast in skin tight leather then yes, it's a little lazy. But the good ones usually tell us a great deal about the regular characters. After all, it was Dopplegangland that first told us Willow was "kind of gay", Yesterday's Enterprise shows how our characters would cope in a utterly depressing no-win war situaition and has Tasha Yar having to cope with the fact that when things get put right she'll be dead again, Inferno shows us what would happen if the Doctor wasn't there to save us, even something as campy as Mirror Mirror tells us a lot about the sort of man Kirk and the others could be if they'd lived just a slightly different life.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Post by Jaynz »

"Mirror Mirror" was really a piece about Spock and Kirk, showing that they could still find understanding despite a literal world of difference. It was also the first time the cliche was used in a major TV show to that extent (though, of course, it had been used in writing long before).
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Post by Denyer »

Wasn't the first time in major TV sci-fi (The Twilight Zone took a more subtle approach, rather than having most characters be radically different) but it's the best-known.
Originally posted by inflatable dalek
if they'd lived just a slightly different life.

Yeah. It's the nearest thing official continuities have to "what if?" fan fiction, whilst being able to go back to the regular setup afterwards.

I think it's much harder to write a strong continuity with alt-universes and time-travel popping up, because once the plot device is on the table it becomes a fallback -- Marvel and DC have decades of this stuff piled up, to the extent people drop books and just wait until things are retconned out.
it was Dopplegangland that first told us Willow was "kind of gay"
Speaking of which, am I the only one pissed off that the "best of Willow" DVD is more about Oz rather than Willow?
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Post by snavej »

As the old saying goes, familiarity [with Sci-Fi and Fantasy concepts and characters] eventually breeds contempt. Breaks are needed to recapture the old 'magic'.
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Post by Denyer »

And nowhere is that more true than with Star Trek at the moment...
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Post by E.J.Su »

Originally posted by another tf fan
Hell yeah, EJ SU is posting on our boards.

Let me be the first to suck up:

Love your work!
Thanks Another tf fan. :)
Originally posted by T.V.
Hello handsome! (talking to the avatar.. :D)
Just for you
Thanks for the input.
Now.. where can I spot some more of your art, besides in IDW's TF comic? :)
On my ComicSpace page has a list of what I've done in the past (that I could remember).
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Post by T.V. »

Thanks man.
Ah...forget it!
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Post by snavej »

Where could the Escalation Matrix be? Somewhere we might not suspect. A storage locker in Grand Central Station? The Restaurant at the End of the Universe? Ugly Betty's house? Or inside the cruelly neglected Wheelimus Prime?
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