Transformers: Robots in Disguise Season One #1-22

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Terome
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Post by Terome »

Prowl is now against killing? Didn't he have a mini massacre last issue?

And Arcee isn't acting like an assassin? Could have fooled me?
I get the impression that both of them are pretty good at cognitive dissonance.

This is looking promising and I'm looking forward to the rest of it, though I do wonder what Tappet and Hippotank are burning in that hobo-barrel* and why.

* Actually, it looks kind of like a hologram projector or something. Is it... the image of a fire? That would make a little bit more sense, somehow.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Am I the first person to get it for once?

Now that was more like it, a big step up from last issue. I was initially worried Ironhide's monologue was going to overplay the "Ah slept with mah sister, mah cousin an' mah aunt (they're all the same person)" southern schit but no, we actually wound up with the first decent look at the G1 version since.... ohhh Perchance to Dream? Not a big dumb hick, but a level headed common sense no nonsense guy who is actually realistic as a security chief rather than the guy who should be making the hooch for Blurr's bar (we now have space pubs in both ongoings, there's probably some deeper symbolism there).

It's interesting to see the "Flash Forward" issue get incorporated into the narrative, especially as Costa didn't plan it as such (based on his comments on flashback stories in that underbase interview he seemed to just want to turn everything that came afterwards into one as a massive "SCRRRRRRRRRRREW YOU!") and it resulted in the one and only "Are all dead" joke that's ever worked. And again, Ironhide's reluctance to tell anyone about his crazy vision but instead to just get on with life safe in the knowledge he knows what's coming was very in character.

Sky Bite was OK, but was perhaps a bit subdued to the point that he could almost have been anyone if he hadn't done some poetry (which wasn't even a Haiku either. Though he did say it was a work in progress). Though there was certainly nothing wrong as such with him it would have been a lot more fun if they'd really played him to the hilt. The Scourge joke was rubbish as well.

Worryingly the ongoing Prowl's a dick/Bumblebee is useless stuff was by far the least interesting part of the issue because it doesn't seem to be going anywhere very fast. And as I said in the Costa thread, it's odd that Bumblebee is having to learn here exactly the same "Using electrical devices that can kill/torture your enemies to control them is wrong" moral as he did in his own mini series. You'd have thought someone else would have at least pointed it out, especially as the issue was concerned enough about old business to explain where the Sweeps in Chaos came from.

Is it me or did the art look a little rougher than usual this month as well?
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

inflatable dalek wrote:Am I the first person to get it for once?

Is it me or did the art look a little rougher than usual this month as well?
Thought it looked sharper this month. In my opinion, last month's was a bit choppy. The only details that I thought didn't quite work were Sky-Byte's fat head and some panels in the bar at the end.

Well this is certainly the most interesting that Ironhide's ever been. Nice to give him something to do or to care about.

I also really like the concept of an idealistic Decepticon who left after witnessing an atrocity, and the implication that Transformer memories do indeed suffer during these million-year time spans we're lumbered with. Sky-Byte really thought he could get away with no one knowing who he was.
Worryingly the ongoing Prowl's a dick/Bumblebee is useless stuff was by far the least interesting part of the issue because it doesn't seem to be going anywhere very fast.
I liked the fact that we got to see others react to it - Prowl's clearly on thin ice with everyone. The conversation about casually wiping out the Constructicons was nice, as was the idea that they were actually helping out quite well before being murdered.

Still pretty slow, but that's not something that really bothers me.

Poor Dirge. With all this Orion Pax business that I am dubious about happening next month it may be a while before we get him narrating an issue. I like that, by the way, having every issue partially in the voice of a character. I wonder how long they'll keep that up for.
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

One of the better Rid issues. I like the idea of Ironhide as a preacher of sorts. Makes sense with him being born again and what not. Also credit to the mention of gorlorm Prime - the new cybertron. What looked like an error on the part of Furman in revelations has been picked up by Costa and now Barber.

Nice that some stability is being brought to Cybertron - I honestly feel its hampered the plot since the start. Next issue should be interesting with Orion Pax coming back. I hope they keep him away from the main story though. It really is too soon for him to come back in and have any impact. I would have preferred if he had been kept out for a year.
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relak
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Post by relak »

GREAT JUMPIN SHARKS!! ITs Sky byte!!!!!

MY favorite RID character

Although i am not really taken by the art.

Everytime an upward shot is used the TF faces look.........fat.

Not as bad as Heart Of darkness but still./............
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Terome wrote: Well this is certainly the most interesting that Ironhide's ever been. Nice to give him something to do or to care about.
Perhaps he and Sludge can compare notes on being dead when they team up in issue 8?
I also really like the concept of an idealistic Decepticon who left after witnessing an atrocity, and the implication that Transformer memories do indeed suffer during these million-year time spans we're lumbered with. Sky-Byte really thought he could get away with no one knowing who he was.
Yeah, it was nice to have another character with a bit of common sense in the book. Hopefully he'll be sticking around as a supporting player, perhaps doing poetry nights in the bar? (Does anyone else find it odd Blurr didn't rename it after himself? The ego must have gotten smaller).


I liked the fact that we got to see others react to it - Prowl's clearly on thin ice with everyone. The conversation about casually wiping out the Constructicons was nice, as was the idea that they were actually helping out quite well before being murdered.

Still pretty slow, but that's not something that really bothers me.
Though there is the question of how the full details got out, I'd have thought Prowl would have been able to come up with a convincing cover story as to why the Constructicons and Bombshell had to die, so did Dirge talk? I guess he's a lot braver when a crazy psycho transvestite isn't in front of him. With the info out there and the damage done there's actually very little reason left for Prowl to have Dirge hunted down except out of spite now anyway. Presumably if Dirge did talk everyone knows about Arcee now as well?
Poor Dirge. With all this Orion Pax business that I am dubious about happening next month it may be a while before we get him narrating an issue. I like that, by the way, having every issue partially in the voice of a character. I wonder how long they'll keep that up for.
Go on IDW, give us a Skybite POV issue with all his narration done in verse. I challenge you!
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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TLB80
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Post by TLB80 »

Hm, not bad. I was beginning to think that Barber was incapable of doing an issue without someone dying in it so this makes a nice change.

Prowl does seem to be on thin ice with everyone, I wonder if we'll be seeing a complete 'fall from grace' sometime.

I'm still not sure why Sky-Byte even had to be in it, if it wasn't for the poem you could've replaced him with almost any other character and it would have made no difference. I hope that's gonna change though.
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

Dalek: Go on IDW, give us a Skybite POV issue with all his narration done in verse. I challenge you!
I second this challenge. Every second they do not publish this hypothetical comic is a disappointment to me.
TLB80: I'm still not sure why Sky-Byte even had to be in it, if it wasn't for the poem you could've replaced him with almost any other character and it would have made no difference. I hope that's gonna change though.
I'm a bit put out that they stripped the wackier / more distinctive parts of the character out, but from a basic approach of 'sympathetic Decepticon without blood on his hands,' he's the best fit out of existing characters I can think of. I mean, Dirge is presented as a goodie now, but he must have killed a lot of people in his day. And he, like Sky-Byte, could have left whenever he wanted, or at least in the early days.
Dalek: With the info out there and the damage done there's actually very little reason left for Prowl to have Dirge hunted down except out of spite now anyway.
Prowl is a spiteful guy. He was happy enough with pulling a gun on Ratchet for aiding humans back in the day. Most of his narration in his AHM coda was about how delicious it was to have the mental one-up on Springer, who rubbed him the wrong way. He also took a certain amount of delight in subverting Kup, the kind of hero he can't stand, into commanding Autobots for him by proxy. He'd plumbed some depths before this series started.
Dalek: Presumably if Dirge did talk everyone knows about Arcee now as well?
Perhaps that's what precipitated Arcee and Prowl's little chat in this issue? There was something going on in the background here that we weren't privy to - Bumblebee and Wheeljack were busy with something, Prowl found something 'unbelievable,' Arcee is having all sorts of new thoughts... it's plausible that all that could be down to Dirge singing. Swindle does mention that he's holding something back though.

Another thing I liked about this issue: the designs on some of the background NAILs were fun. The guy with two heads was nicely bizarre while, at the same time, being perfectly Transformery.
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Another thing I liked about this issue: the designs on some of the background NAILs were fun. The guy with two heads was nicely bizarre while, at the same time, being perfectly Transformery.
Yeah, I'm liking that too. I wonder with the return of transformers from different evolutionary paths will we see a lot more of beast war/ machine characters, maybe not exactly like they were but with a new spin? Be very interesting if we had Beast Wars Megatron show up or maybe Gigatron :) Of course it might be too cute a concept, much like the cameos overload that sometimes blights transformer comics.
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

Yeah, I'm liking that too. I wonder with the return of transformers from different evolutionary paths will we see a lot more of beast war/ machine characters, maybe not exactly like they were but with a new spin? Be very interesting if we had Beast Wars Megatron show up or maybe Gigatron Of course it might be too cute a concept, much like the cameos overload that sometimes blights transformer comics.
Gigatron would fit in well for MTMTE, now that the seal keeping characters from other continuities has been breached, as the head of the DJD. His regal look and ten wacky modes would suit the part.

But yeah, don't see anything inherently wrong with sticking some Beast guys in there, especially if they could offer something interesting to say about Transformer biology.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Terome wrote: I'm a bit put out that they stripped the wackier / more distinctive parts of the character out, but from a basic approach of 'sympathetic Decepticon without blood on his hands,' he's the best fit out of existing characters I can think of. I mean, Dirge is presented as a goodie now, but he must have killed a lot of people in his day. And he, like Sky-Byte, could have left whenever he wanted, or at least in the early days.
I'm not sure he's remotely the best fit, all he really needed to be is a Decepticon who hasn't been in any of the present day stuff and is a bit of a blank slate as far as IDW go. There may not be many G1 characters left like that, but if it had been RID Gas Skunk or Armada Thrust it would have been the same bar the poetry. Considering what people like about the guy is he's basically lovably nuts it is a bit of a shame they didn't go full on with that. Though there's always future issues.

As for other characters who might turn up... I suspect Sky Bite is going to be a special case in that he's a beloved character from an otherwise overlooked franchise. The BW characters have five years worth of stories plus other spin offs (and are technically G1ish anyway, so would it be quite the same thing?) and I'm not sure there's anyone from Armada or Animated popular enough to make a fuss off, whilst Prime and the films are still possibilities for their own comics).
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

if it had been RID Gas Skunk or Armada Thrust it would have been the same bar the poetry. Considering what people like about the guy is he's basically lovably nuts it is a bit of a shame they didn't go full on with that. Though there's always future issues.
I'll concede to that. I would have uncritically loved Full Sky-Byte but, to play devil's advocate here, something that RID has been really good at is being tonally consistent. I can see Full Sky-Byte, veering between a petulant child, a fawning teen and a seasoned killer, being a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
The BW characters have five years worth of stories plus other spin offs (and are technically G1ish anyway, so would it be quite the same thing?) and I'm not sure there's anyone from Armada or Animated popular enough to make a fuss off,
Beast Machines would be my preference, mainly due to the designs. They are so different from the default Transformer style that they beg the question just by being there. Though I suppose there aren't any underutilised BM who are very interesting... a browse of the Wiki throws up Snarl, Night Viper and Geckobot and not much else.
Otherwise, new perennials like Bulkhead and Lugnut can't be off the cards, though there doesn't seem to be any immediate point in including them.
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Mind, considering the slightly bizzare toy and occasionally nonsensical toy whoring across both books (everyone can get a War For Cybertron body but poor old Ambulon is stuck as a leg forever? It's not as if the comics aren't being brought by people who follow the toylines closely anyway) I would put a small amount of money on any non G1 characters getting one of the 40 (?!) new Generations toys turning up in the IDWverse.

Hell, maybe they have already and we will be getting a new Sky Bite? (he could be repainted and remoulded into/from a Seacon and a Sharkticon after all) [/cynical]
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

Mind, considering the slightly bizzare toy and occasionally nonsensical toy whoring across both books (everyone can get a War For Cybertron body but poor old Ambulon is stuck as a leg forever? It's not as if the comics aren't being brought by people who follow the toylines closely anyway) I would put a small amount of money on any non G1 characters getting one of the 40 (?!) new Generations toys turning up in the IDWverse.

Hell, maybe they have already and we will be getting a new Sky Bite? (he could be repainted and remoulded into/from a Seacon and a Sharkticon after all) [/cynical]
'Nonsensical' is definitely the word. There doesn't seem to be any shame in declaring when an element in the comics is the result of Words From Hasbro, and so far the creators have given every indication of taking it upon themselves to give everyone bodies from the computer game and such.

Though we could rationalise Ambulon by saying that he was ashamed to have a tune-up. There's precedent for that with Kup. Transformers (or Autobots, at least) seem to have some medical ethics about consent to upgrades.

New Sky-Byte toy would be ace, but I already have my massive old RID one so it's of limited interest. And I, for one, would welcome a new Jawbreaker kicking around.
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Post by relak »

Red Dave Prime wrote:Yeah, I'm liking that too. I wonder with the return of transformers from different evolutionary paths will we see a lot more of beast war/ machine characters, maybe not exactly like they were but with a new spin? Be very interesting if we had Beast Wars Megatron show up or maybe Gigatron :) Of course it might be too cute a concept, much like the cameos overload that sometimes blights transformer comics.
I would like that.

Or even a jab at beast machines. Not using the exact characters of Primal and Cheetor but perhaps They could be another cybertron faction obsessed with techno organic fusion and show almost a cult-like dedication to it.
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Transformers: Robots in Disguise #6

Post by inflatable dalek »

Have I missed something or shouldn't MTMTE 6 have come out before this? I actually wondered if my suplier had sent me something early again but as the Underbase review has gone up I'm guessing not...














Anyway: So the whole Shockwave thing was a giant red herring, with him only making a contractual obligation appearance in flashback. It's really Orion Pax Vs. Jiaxus, Bludgeon and Monstructor! With the return of Hardhead, Wheelie and the guy from his Spotlight (Who seems to have gone all butch in the interim)! Erm... yay?

A bit of an odd issue, and obviously the first in an occasional series following Pax's team. All the continuity references to Chaos left me more than a bit confused so I'm not sure if Bludgeon now turning out to have been working for Jiaxus actually contradicts his brain dead zombie routine in Revelation.

The art was very pretty, Pax was well written (loved his "Yeah right" reaction to Hot Rod's "Death") and it was nice to see Hardhead again.

On the other hand though, I thought Chaos was supposed to have ended all the old business so plot threads like Monstructor getting picked up when, frankly, I don't think anyone cared is a bit odd. Especially when the book has more than enough dangling threads of its own to deal with.

And the fact Hard Head's so easily able to stay in touch with Bumblebee once again raises the question of why the Lost Light can't. Even with Rodimus probably not caring there should be at least one robot out of the 200 wanting to send a "Hey guys, We're OK!" space fax to his friends.

Other than that though, it's the first part of a story we won't be picking up on for (another 6?) months and is very hard to judge on that score. I actually wonder if the original plan was to break up the main narrative or if this got pulled forward as a PR push? There's nothing outright bad and it reads quick enough (and it's certainly not as poor as 4 was) but until we get a clearer idea of where this is going there's a sense of pointlessness to the whole diversion.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
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PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
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Terome
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Post by Terome »

With the return of Hardhead, Wheelie and the guy from his Spotlight (Who seems to have gone all butch in the interim)! Erm... yay?
That's not that guy, it's this other guy.

I feel a bit mixed about this one - I was pleasantly surprised at how they pulled off the reintroduction of Orion Pax. Recasting him as a space cowboy and giving him some sidekicks to look after was a good move.

More mixed about the story. While there is reptillian, tyrannical part of my brain that recognises things it already knows and goes, 'Ooh, Jhiaxus,' and squirts out a jot of dopamine, there is another lobe nearer the front that goes, 'These characters are most associated with some very dumb stories that are probably best forgotten.' And then it makes my face screw up in intense concentration and I have to go to the kitchen to get a biscuit.

Did like the details about the Rocs though. A once-propserous race of robotic bird Transformerish people who have now been brought down to hoboes huddling around a barrel fire is a nice bit of flavouring, especially when Orion muses that he hasn't even thought of them for a million years or go.

What was the 'message' of leaving Wheelie and Garnak alive? Maybe Bludgeon is just getting sentimental in his old age.
And the fact Hard Head's so easily able to stay in touch with Bumblebee once again raises the question of why the Lost Light can't. Even with Rodimus probably not caring there should be at least one robot out of the 200 wanting to send a "Hey guys, We're OK!" space fax to his friends.
Yep, big ole plot hole. Not, to my mind, a particularly important one though.
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Post by TLB80 »

Is it just me or does this issue have pretty much the worst art of any TF comic ever?
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Is it just me or does this issue have pretty much the worst art of any TF comic ever?
No. Whatever your personnel preference I would still put this as leagues ahead of the art from Heart of Darkness, the Bumblebee series and AHM #8 (the one where rumble gets killed and soundwave cries)

Back to this. I cant shake the feeling that when Barber was getting Roberts on board he had to promise to deal with all the loose ends. Not really sure why we need to go back to all these points but I do like the idea that there are 12 other variants of ore 13. And if Orion Pax is going to get some story time, it's better he is kept as far from Cybertron as possible. And I do like the art (but I've liked Livio Ramondelli since first seeing his work - interesting look at how he develops his stuff here

But, but, but. It feels far too much like loose ends being tied up as to a story that wants to be told (such as AHM:Kup) Kinda knew it was going to be a major throwback from that scene in the bar - several familiar aliens there. After that too many things fall together too handily. I've never liked the idea that Jhiaxus has been keeping track of all his students and that they always fall in with his master plan. Given that he left before the great war it always felt ridiculous that Shockwave and Bludgeon just happened to be where he needed them. I always hated Bludgeons inclusion at the end of Revelations.

But its not just that - Pretty handy that Wheelies links up with hardhead and orion so that Bludgeon can send a message. And was Monstructor going to just wait encased in ice until the Autobots just showed up? Considering Pax and Hardhead are just flying about, Bludgeon could have just jumped them to get Jhiaxus back and not bothered with the elaborate trap.

Thinking about it, I would have opened the issue with a monologue from Hardhead explaining why he has decided to stay as guardian over Jhiaxus and maybe go into a little on how he exists outside of the dead universe before the ship gets attacked by Bludgeon. Maybe than Orion could arrive through picking up the distress flair as opposed to the straight communication that brings him in here (I got the impression from the Death of Optimus Prime that Orion wanted to be as far removed from all Transformers as possible)

Anyway, not a terrible issue but its much more confused and contrived than it needs to be.
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Post by relak »

On the other hand though, I thought Chaos was supposed to have ended all the old business so plot threads like Monstructor getting picked up when, frankly, I don't think anyone cared is a bit odd. Especially when the book has more than enough dangling threads of its own to deal with.
What made you think that???
Bludgeon was last seen alive and well and not even mentioned during Costa's run
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