Transformers: Combiner Wars

Comics, cartoons, movies and fan stuff.
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Transformers: Combiner Wars

Post by inflatable dalek »

Collects Transformers #39-41 and Windblade Vol 2. #1-3.

- ziggy

----

Well, that was OK. A fast harmless read with some nice mental art by Livio.

Everyone acting as if Starscream has had his leadership legitimised by the people when the elections never happened is still annoying, as is Chromia constantly making snide remarks. She's been let off for mass murder and everyone being being remarkably restrained not throwing that in her face every time she makes some sarky comment.

The real issue though, is throughout IDW history people keep treating the combiners as the amazing next thing, when they've never ever been less than rubbish.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
User avatar
Death's Head
Protoform
Posts: 655
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2000 5:00 am
Location: London
Contact:

Post by Death's Head »

Except Piranacon. He's consistently fabulous, in both name and colour scheme. And, presumably, smell.
SMITH
Portfolio | Blog | Freelance Agent Brompton Rhodes - Guns, Girls and Gorillas!
User avatar
Red Dave Prime
Posts: 1340
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:03 pm
Location: Ireland

Post by Red Dave Prime »

I quite liked this, despite not really looking forward to the premise. The dialogue was interesting and I was curious to see where things were going... and utterly let down by menasor appearing so soon. Would have liked some kind of character to the caminus population and government. Also thought that Livos art was very good for this. Faces have never been his strong point but he seemed to be trying much harder here to get them right.
User avatar
Warcry
Posts: 13935
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2002 4:10 am
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Post by Warcry »

I liked this!

Swindle is a mercenary little bastard as always. I usually enjoy when he takes the spotlight, since he's a different kind of bad guy from the violent psychos, fanatics, Space Hitlers and schemers that make up most of the IDWverse's antagonists. He just wants to make a tidy profit, not conquer the world or smite infidels.

Scoop is much more tolerable than the last time I checked in on RiD. Also I'm very surprised that a random Double Targetmaster who was crammed into the series strictly to flog toys is still important a year and a half later.

The Stunticons sort of left me scratching my head a bit, though. First off, there's the implication that Blackjack has been there this whole time (instead of, you know, being a dwarf who helped Galvatron mindwipe Nightbeat way back in the first year or so of IDW books). Then there's the fact that Wildrider could just walk away without repercussions, which only serves to beg the question...why the hell are Drap Strip, Dead End and Breakdown still there? They all hate Motormaster, aren't bound to him by the chain of command anymore and he clearly can't stop them from going. But I like the group's dynamics and I hope they don't just spend the next eleven issues wandering around combined, crushing stuff.

Nothing much really happened aside from setup and toy-flogging, but I was pleasantly surprised that they're using the Combiner Wars series as a vehicle to visit Caminus and possibly the other colonies as well. I was expecting the entire series to be a flimsy excuse for super robot fights, and it's nice to see they're venturing to use it to expand the universe instead.

Oh, and we got the first (I think?) official confirmation that Caminus has both males and females rather than being a female-only society. Not sure how I feel about that.

[EDIT] Livio is still horrible, though. Why in the world do they keep hiring him?
User avatar
Terome
Posts: 1431
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Brighton

Post by Terome »

I too had low expectations but enjoyed this.

I liked Swindle, didn't care about the Stunticon line-up (because who has the energy to care about the Stunticons), felt Livio has come slightly more in line with my tastes and still think that Barber writes a really solid Optimus. The bit where Starscream was picking out his bodies was a bit of a groaner for me though I do like the implication he is going in for a new look every month or so.

My take on combiners is that it's much more of a cultural / psychological thing than an effective weapon in its own right. Did anyone read that Warren Ellis series, Supergod? Where nations competed to make gods out of mad science? I'd like to think that seeing a combiner in action is like seeing King Arthur on the battlefield or something. It's not as though the Cybertronians have ever been shown to be particularly good at warfare or anything.
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Post by inflatable dalek »

Combiner Wars: Exceeding Our Low Expectations By A Marginal Amount.

There's the back cover quote for the trade.

Scoop is much more tolerable than the last time I checked in on RiD. Also I'm very surprised that a random Double Targetmaster who was crammed into the series strictly to flog toys is still important a year and a half later.
But he's the famous Scoop! A character so beloved he got a new Universe toys over nobodies like Nightbeat and Jhiaxus. Of course he's still a major player now, I'm just amazed that when they had to rename the book book they just didn't call it Scoop: He's Better Than You.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
User avatar
Red Dave Prime
Posts: 1340
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:03 pm
Location: Ireland

Windblade Season 2 ;)

Post by Red Dave Prime »

Sooooo... Anyone read this yet?

Really not quite what I expected. Some interesting stuff going on here and its a bit of a head mess to see how it fits with established mythology (actual, are the guiding hands actually a myth in the IDW verse?)

Also sucks if you're a kid who got Menasor - you clearly have the worst combiner ever :)

Art is really nice too, assuming you like Stones previous work.

Am not interested a bit more in this combiner war thing.
User avatar
Denyer
Posts: 33033
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2000 4:00 am
Location: Perfidious Albion
Contact:

Post by Denyer »

Mmm. Might follow the series as dead tree.

So does Prime have the (a?) matrix back at this point?
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Post by inflatable dalek »

More thoughts to follow when I return from holiday, but basically liked a lot.

This book has an insanely cumbersome title though.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
User avatar
Red Dave Prime
Posts: 1340
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:03 pm
Location: Ireland

Post by Red Dave Prime »

The Transformers Windblade Volume 2 Combiner Wars Part 1?

Nah, rolls off the tongue.
User avatar
Unicron
Posts: 2457
Joined: Wed Dec 20, 2000 5:00 am

Post by Unicron »

Denyer wrote:Mmm. Might follow the series as dead tree.

So does Prime have the (a?) matrix back at this point?
He has the container 'shell' along with Bumblebee's half of the empty inner crystal (the other half being left on Luna 1 when Rodimus poured one out for his homies)
User avatar
Red Dave Prime
Posts: 1340
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:03 pm
Location: Ireland

Post by Red Dave Prime »

Unicron wrote:He has the container 'shell' along with Bumblebee's half of the empty inner crystal (the other half being left on Luna 1 when Rodimus poured one out for his homies)
Its actually just the light up matrix from the masterpiece toy. Ssssh....
User avatar
tahukanuva
Posts: 1587
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:48 am
Custom Title: Human After All
Location: Kentucky, US

Post by tahukanuva »

Caminus is cool, I like it.

Superion is cool, I like him.

I'm defs intrigued to get more in depth with the IDW mythology, even if only through the negative space of contrasting it with the Camien religion. And Sarah Stone seems to have listened to some of the complaints about her art because this issue was stylized enough to maintain the appeal of her work, without getting too washed out or muddled to follow.
User avatar
Terome
Posts: 1431
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Brighton

Post by Terome »

Pretty enjoyable. The art was lovely, as always, and it incorporated some of the Prime mythology deftly. Like ex-RID, there are some lines that stand out as real clunkers (Alpha Bravo and Powerglide are the main offenders) but that Blackjack sequence was nice and I like how Optimus seems to be on the verge of taking Starscream apart all the time.

I'd like it if some of the mythology was blatantly contradictory to stories we've heard already. As it stands currently it all fits together a bit tidily.
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Post by inflatable dalek »

Now, my more indepth thoughts:


I liked that.

There you go.


I don't think this is going to be the deepest series, but as a bit of fluff it's very enjoyable and I love the Sisterhood of the Flame vibe to the religious leader.

I'm not sure why they're not just doing 8 issues (or whatever) of Combiner Wars rather than making things needlessly complicated with it being split across two series. It's not as if you can read one or the other by themselves, anyone reading Wind2 is basically going to have to get Ex-RID as well regardless.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Transformers #40: Continuity Bing Wars 2.

Post by inflatable dalek »

OUT AND SPOILERS AHOY.

















hoooooooooly crap. He did it. Barber went there. He actually went there. He explained Spotlight: Mirgae. Bloody hell.

Bloody hell.

That just leaves the "I'll get you Soundwave!" ending to Spotlight: Blaster as the only remaining possible lose end pre-Death of Prime IDW continuity to bring back. Will Barber retire after that?

Joking aside, the gag where the sixth person on the shuttle isn't the brand new member of the Protectobots after all was very nice done. Though as the book already has one character in Ironhide who has bonkers visions of possible futures, did it really need another beyond Continuity Hole Filing?

This felt the weakest of the three issues to date, it was still a fairly solid read but it also felt as if it was stalling for time with the small number of Prowl pages being the only real plot advancement. Optimus in particular seems to be procrastinating to drag things out and The Sisterhood of Karn are winding up less interesting than they originally seemed.

It's interesting that, as in the bulk of Dark Cybertron, Prowl seems to be the only person actually talking any common sense (well, up till his last paragraph where he's firmly moved into unequivocal baddy territory).

Livio's art felt much more rushed than the first part as well, even down to drawing characters who aren't Protectobots in the meet the Protectobots scene. Very odd.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
User avatar
Terome
Posts: 1431
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Brighton

Post by Terome »

Read it late last night so don't have so firm a grip on the particulars. I remember a lot of Dark Knight Returns TV footage which I enjoyed. Prime went from having everyone kneeling down around him to running off saying he'll explain things later. And Prowl continues to become less interesting by the issue to the point where HE HAS RED EYES NOW. Does he think no one will notice that?

I do remember quite liking it - it's very much about the anxieties of the characters rather than how cool THE ENIGMA OF COMBINATION is. Agree on the rushed art though - very uneven.

I also read Crossed +100 immediately afterwards which is unfair as it blows just about anything else out of the water.
User avatar
Knightdramon
Protoform
Posts: 3621
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: York, UK

Post by Knightdramon »

Terome wrote: I also read Crossed +100 immediately afterwards which is unfair as it blows just about anything else out of the water.
Will need to look into it. Though I find the Badlands stories vary wildly in terms of quality. Favourites?
Few stuff in the UK to trade/sell. Measly sales thread.
User avatar
Terome
Posts: 1431
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Brighton

Post by Terome »

I'm a complete novice to the rest of the franchise. It was the Alan Moore connection and the premise of +100 that drew me in.

I'm enjoying the hell out of it. The art is some of the best I've seen in a comic and the story is intriguing enough to paper over some of the more egregious Moore-isms that pop up. There's a bit in the latest issue that is paraphrased quite directly from Watchmen but there's novelty aplenty in the use of language and musings on classic science fiction.

It's also hopeful and optimistic in a way that Moore hasn't really indulged in since the ABC stuff.

Shall go and reread Transformers #40 now so I can talk sensibly about that.
User avatar
Knightdramon
Protoform
Posts: 3621
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: York, UK

Post by Knightdramon »

Hmmm...in that case, yeah, you've got some wonderful backtrack reading to do.

Because each 2-3-4 parter [really depending on the story] is by different creative teams altogether, you get very mixed results.

I would wholeheartedly recommend
---Original Crossed Series. Ten parter [00-09].
---Wish you were here [4 volumes] webcomic. I think it is still available for free online. Absolutely amazing and hours of good reading.
---Various bits and pieces of the Badlands series. Can find a list of all the recommended ones later on. Very mixed quality throughout the series, but some real gems in there.

Onto...what was it...oh yes, RID 40.

Mixed issue. Took me a while to understand what was being dragged on. So basically Optimus and Windblade go to Caminus, have a little talk with the Mistress of Flame, Starscream talks along but is ignored, Starscream then schemes, Optimus goes through another midlife identity/leadership crisis, Prowl acts like an angry hormonal teenager [and turns red-eyed], neither cover reflects anything that's actually happening on the issue and...another omnious cliffhanger from Prowl.

I want to know what they were thinking with the Protectobots scene. Like, seriously guys, how can you misdraw them AND let it go through editorial like that?

Overall, political scene is returned but it's nothing extreme. And Starscream's "chosen" status is still...hmmm what? And why is Scoop still following that guy?
Few stuff in the UK to trade/sell. Measly sales thread.
Post Reply