by Calvatron » Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:15 pm
This is is good one. I havn't seen one this good in a few weeks. First off Keith, nice job. Tight writing, good work on getting in the head of Megatron. While you have taken liberties with some facts (assuming Megs was anything before origins), they don't feel like you're bending facts to make them fit. Hard to do with a TF origin reference/story of any type, as i'm sure Eric Holmes can tell you. And Josh, needn't say that your coloring is amazing as always, but your pencils work really well. They are your own style, more cartoony than E.J. and Milne, but work well with the design.
My only critism isn't with your personal work, it's based on opinion. I feel like the Megatron we met in Infiltration is dissapearing again in official and fan work. Since that is the best incarnation of the character i've ever seen, i feel the need to say something. That character seemed like a true milatary leader. The kind who not only follows a military attitude, but makes decisions so keeps a political/personal view as well. That character seemed to have no question of right/wrong, but more of the proper/improper action attitude. He is not driven by personal agenda but by fullfilling the agenda of a force outside himself(even if he is the voice of that force) The kind of character that has dealt with personal issues/ conflicts and has reached a point where it is about acheiving them. This may be long winded, but please bear with me. I see this character as one who has thought about right/wrong and decided it is beyond call. So whether it is right to conquer a planet, or whether it is his destiny to rule the universe if beyond the point. Cybertron is gone, fact, the TF's will die without resources, fact, and the only route to survival is to take resources when available, without cybertron (the real home, no substitutions allowed) this means taking planet after planet, since resources are not replenishable. Every attempt at explaining Meg's has been about what drives him, what he cares about. But so far these have (iMO) lessened the character. The one we met is one who is beyond ideology, he's milatary: A realist and a survivalist. He simply will not submit and lay down. If he has not way of living he's quite willing to take from others, simple survival being enough justification.
I'm not saying that his motivations are a bad thing to explore. But none of the explorations seem to lead to the mature milatary leader concerned with the means to an obvious end (survival, can't argue with that)that was presented to us. I actually don't want to know why he started his conflict, because every writer has made it so ideological. I think Meg's is more like the fighters in the middle-east. Some of them are ideological, but most (when it comes down to the truth) simply want a guarenteed future for themselves/their clan. They see being a warlord as the only way to acheive that realistically and thus fight regardless of long-term consequences as a whole. This would match the megatron presented in infliltration much more than what has been presented. one who can't live under cybertron/(what will be called) autobot rule. so he fights it. The planet dies, so he moves on to take resources from other worlds, no room from ideology. Sorry to take up so much space, but i felt that this must be said.
that aside, great job to the creative team. This is one well executed and entertaining mosaic. I hope to see more from both the writer and the artist.