Transformers: More than Meets the Eye season two discussion

Unicron · Post by **Unicron** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 7:04 pm

Terome wrote:Hmm... who narrated that chunk of biography we had on DA? Where we saw him 'exchanging fuel' with Rewind and such?

That was Domey, explaining who Dominus was to Tailgate

Post by **zigzagger** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:11 pm

Terome wrote:
But isn't that exactly what we see when we get to 'subject not recognised?'

Mmm, possibly. Though I do wonder, is that a result of the Functionalist timeline converging with the other, or was that the result of Brainstorm revising his plan?

I kinda gathered he hadn't initially intended to go that far back in time.

Terome · Post by **Terome** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 10:24 pm

Mmm, possibly. Though I do wonder, is that a result of the Functionalist timeline converging with the other, or was that the result of Brainstorm revising his plan?

I kinda gathered he hadn't initially intended to go that far back in time.

Could definitely be a red herring. I'm assuming at this point that the Functionalist timeline is one where Megatron never arose / the war never happened. It appears to be what we're supposed to think but it could be a feint... the workings of the timelines converging are very vague right now.

That was Domey, explaining who Dominus was to Tailgate

Ah, cheers. Guess Dalek is right - OLL Rewind never brought him up.

Red Dave Prime · Post by **Red Dave Prime** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 12:02 am

So regarding rewind - are we thinking that at some point since coming on board OLL Domey wiped OLL Rewind but this didnt happen (for whatever reason) between ALL Domey & Rewind? There is that off-hand remark in issue 12 about rewind being allergic to ultra violet light and of course thats how you spot whether someone has had been messed with. Wonder what the reasons were - is it possible that...

Ok, on OLL, the snuff discs are found and rodimus gives out to rewind. Realising that Rewind is still obsessed with Dominus, Chrome dome does his needle trick. In the aftermath of OLL Rewinds death, he feels guilt with this which explains some of his comments to rewind in issue 37.

However back on board the ALL this never happens (Rodimus being dead and all) so Chromedome never learns of the discs. Its possible he never even learns of Dominus (again, going by the conversation in issue 37) Rewind discovers that dominus is on the discs in some form and that its linked to the DJD which in turn leads to Rewind contacting the DJD leading to the massacre. His hope is to use the time machine to go back before the DJD did what they did.

Maybe.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 7:13 pm

Why is Brainstorm trying to kill the leader of a side that's already lost the war?

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 7:41 pm

Well, assuming that is what he's doing (Roberts is a wiley fox)... Killing Megatron and preventing the war from ever happening could save quintillions (totally a real word) of lives.

Plus, actually pulling a gun out seems to be a last resort. The previous plan was just to knock out Past Rung and prevent the chain of events that led to Megatron being horse whipped by Whirl and really set him off.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:00 am

I don’t think Brainstorm could care less about saving billions or ‘quintillions’ of lives. A mad scientist like him prospers best in wartime, being given licence to create all manner of nasty and strange devices. There’s a phrase about war often creating the best situation for innovation and advancement, so if anything, the war coming to an end is the end of a purposeful life for him.

Some of his actions suggest he cares about no-one, apart from a little sentimentality towards Chromedome losing another Conjunx Endura, and the desire to be recognised above Perceptor… and these two are alive and well. There’s been no backstory yet to display he’s lost anyone or anything important through the war.

Interestingly the gun he’s about to shoot Megatron with has a bit of resemblance to a Walther P-38. I’d bet the cover price of a TF UK comic from 1987 that its not a gun necessarily used for killing. Maybe he’s going back to enhance Megatron in some way?

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 8:58 am

I wondered that - he's carrying around that 1%er spark.

...I was about to say there's 'more than meets the eye' without any trace of irony, but stopped myself. Phew. Think I got away with that one...

Elsewhere, I really liked the bar scene with Tailgate going about how he's potential Wreckers material and then asking where his curly straw is. Adorable. Loved the gags about his face too.

And look what I handsome chap Whirl was before the Senate/ Functionists got ahold of him.

...just on the colours, I really like Joanna's brighter and bolder hues. They really help sell the splendor of pre-war Cybertron in a way I don't think Burcham's more washed out muted tones would have done. Does mean the reprinted Chaos Theory pages stick out though and are quite obviously a reprint.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 9:53 am

On another note, why did Cyclonus kick Tailgate in the stomach again? Apart from it being a reference to one of the early issues, I didn't get it!

Unicron · Post by **Unicron** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 11:22 am

Auntie Slag wrote:On another note, why did Cyclonus kick Tailgate in the stomach again? Apart from it being a reference to one of the early issues, I didn't get it!

Pretty sure that's meant to be a flashback

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:56 pm

But I don't see why this flashback is relevant now. Apologies if I'm being dim!

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 2:03 pm

Cyc's just having a moment of reflection.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 9:36 pm

Weird, I still don't get it. Cyclonus isn't a Decepticon, and Tailgate has long since resolved his Autobot/Decepticon allegiances, and now they're best buddies. So the beating, to my mind, seems totally unnecessary when both characters have since moved on?

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:12 pm

It isn't mind-blowing to Tailgate, who spent millions of years deactivated. Cyclonus spent it in the company of genocidal maniacs, some of whom were complicit in the ruining of Cybertron... it turned him into someone he didn't like much, he's overcome with regret in general, etc.

It may also indicate that that's what Tailgate thinks about in connection to the apology, rather than Cyc.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:32 pm

Yeah I guess, but Cyclonus is also a person of honour like a Samurai. I don't see him randomly beating anyone else up, or punching the wall because of his traumatic time past dealings with a bunch of murderers. I consider him far more level headed than Rodimus, Trailcutter and the others. It seems such a weird, unstructured thing. And if he's honourable and got some anger issues, it would behoove him go and have a chat with Rung rather than occasionally give Tailgate a swift kick in the balls every time his thoughts get dark.

I guess that's my point; I'd expect someone like him to find a solution rather than simply hurt his friend and apologise, that would be in character. Whirl I could easily see beating someone up and semi-apologising, for instance... but Cyclonus? It breaks him a bit for me.

We can drop this if you like, there's something I'm not getting. Maybe its because I've been able to understand everyone's actions up to this point... Whirl, in his own batty way, makes sense.

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:49 pm

Hang on... are you reading that panel with the kicking as happening at the same time as what's on the rest of the page?

Flashback. The abusive rage happened a few volumes ago.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:55 pm

Really? Unicron mentioned that a few posts ago but I didn't really understand. Does it say somewhere on the page that its a past event? I'm getting the impression this was obvious to everyone but me!

Post by **Denyer** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 11:23 pm

Previously there's been more emphasis on using muted colours for flashbacks, but the visual shorthand's the same as used later in this issue with Whirl -- rounded corners.

A little box saying 'Issue #4' might have helped, though.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 11:41 pm

I totally didn't get that!

Otherwise (and entirely apart from this oddity), I found the first read through quite hard going, and the second almost sublime. I put a lot of it to the fact that, for the first time the art has felt properly clogged up.

People have been saying how great LaFuente's colouring is, but it got far too confusing this issue. The panels with Whirl going mental on The Heavies was just a mess. Trying to make out the detail was hard work, and the whole thing was too dark for its own good. I miss Burcham's colours. I felt he complemented Milne's complex drawings perfectly. It didn't matter how detailed a panel because, I could always make out every bit just fine.

I wonder if the problem with this issue was that someone had dialled down the contrast too much on some pages?

And poor old Springarm. I always imagined he & Wheelarch were done with a sword, but to have his head torn off, in panel. I know its been done before with Cyclonus back in the original Marvel UK run, but what persists with me is the scene from Megatron: Origin where Megs does the same to Bumper. That felt proper grisly and we only heard it happen. This has some of that feel. Ugh!

Post by **Warcry** » Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:28 pm

I loved the whistlestop tour through different formative points in Megatron's personal timeline. It does seem to look like everything is coming together in the form of a predestination paradox in which Brainstorm's pilfered green spark winds up inside Megatron's (seemingly constructed cold) body, though. Hopefully if that's where it's going Roberts will throw in another twist or two along the way.

Count me among those who didn't "get" Whirl's shock that the Functionists were behind both his shop being shut down and his later Empurata. I guess it's just because Roberts hasn't done much to actually show us what the Functionists and Senate have authority over. Both just sort of blend together into a vague evil government, so for it to turn out that a different organ of that government was responsible for something doesn't seem like that big of a shock to me. Does it really matter which functionary signed the orders to ruin your life?

Whirl and co. talking about it openly in front of the two Heavies is almost certainly the "tip off" that led them to take down Shockwave about a year later at the end of Shadowplay, though.

Overall, enjoyed this quite a bit and I'm looking forward to the conclusion.

Red Dave Prime wrote:So regarding rewind - are we thinking that at some point since coming on board OLL Domey wiped OLL Rewind but this didnt happen (for whatever reason) between ALL Domey & Rewind? There is that off-hand remark in issue 12 about rewind being allergic to ultra violet light and of course thats how you spot whether someone has had been messed with. Wonder what the reasons were - is it possible that...

I suspect something similar, though I wonder if the reasons are staring us right in the face. What if they've already found Dominus and know exactly what happened to him, but it's something so horrible that Rewind needed to forget it? If he was killed horribly/became Tarn/tried to kill Rewind/any of a million other awful things, I could see Rewind deciding that not knowing was better.

I could also see Chromedome deciding that for him.

That would make Chromedome's question sound less like a jealous lover and more like "did the other me ever tell you what I did?"