Spotlight Cliffjumper Preview

[Skidmark]

This is a dead ringer to "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide."

[Cliffjumper]

The woman talking to a red robot... it's uncanny! Is it too late for David Wise to sue? Actually, we could just counter-sue him for stupidity on a criminal scale, so he'll probably keep his head down. Unless someone's done the right thing and lopped it off, of course.

[wyze2099]

Mostly, I can't help but think this is the first time I've seen that particular kind of kibble on Cliffjumper. Then again, it could very well be the first time he's been seen in the IDW-verse pre-AHM earth-mode. The interlocking Stormbringer cover doesn't count, because that seemed to be Don Figueroa porting over his War Within designs; some of the characters who appeared on the cover have since looked differently upon showing up in IDW canon.

Or it could just be that Cliff's gone through a number of different alt modes on different planets over the years/centuries, and we just haven't been privy to them.

Anyway, I like the artwork.

[MeGrimlock]

Oh, nice, a purple Mary Sue. At least Drift looked like a robot.
I'm kidding, you know. It's just that these pages remind me those slightly-disturbing fancomics made by fangirls in love with the Transformers.

So, page 1 tells us that the purple mary sue dies in his arms, because of the evil deed of the Decepticons seen in one of the covers.
Then, Bumblebee... I mean, the good-hearted Cliffjumper is so traumatized by the violence and everything that he turns into a sniper. No, wait. That's Perceptor. Cliffjumper is so traumatized that he makes a deal with Starscream, in order to have all the purple girls killed, so that this can't happen again. No, wait...

[wyze2099]

Yeah, Cliffjumper seems way too nice in the preview. Granted, this could be the traumatic incident that causes him to become the more hardened warrior we're used to, the colorist could have colored him yellow and the letterer could have swapped all references to "Cliffjumper" with "Bumblebee" and nothing important would have changed. Which is a shame, because despite the fact that Cliffjumper has spent most of his toy career as a repaint of Bumblebee, he's an entirely different character and should be portrayed as such.

[Cliffjumper]

Surely abut the only thing we know about the character from past stuff is that, like all Minibots that aren't Bumblebee, he has a serious personality disorder? I'm not sure how entertaining a comic of him walking around pointing at random things and sceaming "TRAITOR!!!!" would be all that entertaining...

[opaquereptilian]

So what you're saying is that so long as there's carnage and violence, plot and character can go hang?

Or that, because the world in question is peaceful and brightly coloured, it's automatically populated by children's tv characters and therefore rubbish?

The first page is a portent of things to come. The other preview pages are what's known as "a flashback to happier times." It's a common storytelling device - the things employed by writers who are able to do more than big explosions and who use them to bridge the gaps between the cynical crowd-pleasing set pieces.

^^ no offence to you personally meant in any of that. I've just left my tact and diplomacy in my other jeans.

No offense taken, (and hopefully none sent back) I just looked at the pictures, what can I say? If it's a compelling story with insanely childish images, then it'd still be enjoyable at some level.

For everything else I've read all over this board in the various posts, everyone has differrent opinions on what they do and don't like like. I'm just not a fan of the artwork in this case (doesn't mean I won't buy it) but for me, that is sometimes enough to make me not enjoy whatevery story is attempting to be told.

I have no imagination of my own so I need to hope that somone can predefine one for me.

The last Happy-time transformer was Wheelie and I'me pretty sure all most of us want is for larger explosions surrounding him.

[MeGrimlock]

Yeah, Cliffjumper seems way too nice in the preview. Granted, this could be the traumatic incident that causes him to become the more hardened warrior we're used to

I agree, but only because this is pretty obvious. I realize I'm getting redundant, but: All the Autobot characters written by mccarthy are uncool guys (Blurr the retarted speedster, Perceptor, Sunstreaker, and now Cliffjumper) who end up being traumatized and become kewl guntoting "macho macho mechs" (well, some just turn kewl).

[Rossum]

I agree, but only because this is pretty obvious. I realize I'm getting redundant, but: All the Autobot characters written by mccarthy are uncool guys (Blurr the retarted speedster, Perceptor, Sunstreaker, and now Cliffjumper) who end up being traumatized and become kewl guntoting "macho macho mechs" (well, some just turn kewl).

To be fair, Simon Furman traumatized Sunstreaker first.

The preview looks pretty, but I don't think I can bring myself to buy it. Every time I read an issue by Shane McCarthy I'm left with a vague sense of embarrassment about reading comic books that's really unpleasant and makes me want to give up on them altogether.

[MeGrimlock]

To be fair, Simon Furman traumatized Sunstreaker first.

I suspect that he was just obeying to IDW's request for their "new" artistic direction: in his Mosaic, "Hail and farewell", Furman was clearly telling us that he meant to keep Hunter and Sunstreaker together for a loooong time.
The split was probably forced upon Furman by IDW... and even if Furman traumatized the guy, I think that he would have handled Sunstreaker's reaction better and more logically than Mccarthy did ("I was shocked by this human, because of Scorponok's experiments: let's kill all the humans, so Scorponok will not be able to start the same experiment again on another planet).

Every time I read an issue by Shane McCarthy I'm left with a vague sense of embarrassment about reading comic books that's really unpleasant and makes me want to give up on them altogether.

LOL
Ditto

[opaquereptilian]

and it's still horrible.......

[Denyer]

The preview looks pretty, but I don't think I can bring myself to buy it. Every time I read an issue by Shane McCarthy I'm left with a vague sense of embarrassment about reading comic books that's really unpleasant and makes me want to give up on them altogether.

There are a whole lot of better comics out there than most Transformers stuff, even at its peak. I mean, just because people like Greg Land and Rob Liefield exist isn't a reason to give up living...

[Rossum]

There are a whole lot of better comics out there than most Transformers stuff, even at its peak. I mean, just because people like Greg Land and Rob Liefield exist isn't a reason to give up living...

I'm talking more about the negative light in which most people see comic books, any comic books, as stupid, slightly weird entertainment for the permanently immature. All of AHM's issues have brought the self-conscious inner voice saying "what are you doing reading comic books at your age?" to the front and center. Bleh.

[Denyer]

I'm talking more about the negative light in which most people see comic books, any comic books, as stupid, slightly weird entertainment for the permanently immature.

Screw 'em? Most people have interest in following professional sport, fashion, or other wish fulfillment things at least as gormless as cartoon robots.

Besides which, comics (and even Transformers) are doing quite well right now in the minds of the great unwashed -- major films, sales (at least of collected editions) are up, celebrities are a-plugging...

Fully agree that AHM can really drag down interest in the books overall, though. Things needed salvaging from about mid-way through Devastation, but the most recent arc has probably left the continuity at the point of no return. Even if the ongoing's any good, there's still a lump of dodgy major event stuff stuck before it.