IDW Transformers Drift: Empire of Stone #1 Preview
Tuesday, November 25th, 2014 3:05AM CST
Category: Comic Book NewsPosted by: Va'al Views: 35,915
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Transformers: Drift: Empire of Stone #1 (of 4)—SPOTLIGHT
Shane McCarthy (w) • Guido Guidi (a) • Alex Milne (c)
DRIFT RETURNS! Last year, TRANSFORMERS readers were shocked when DRIFT left the AUTOBOTS in disgrace… and now he’s alone, on a mission to clean up the darkest depths of the galaxy—until RATCHET shows up to try to bring him home!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
The creative team behind the classic—and best-selling—All Hail Megatron return to the character they introduced!
Ties directly in to the ongoing MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE series!
The fan-favorite character from the big screen returns to where he started—the comics page!
Artist’s Edition Variant cover by Guido Guidi!
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Posted by Nemesis Maximo on November 25th, 2014 @ 7:10am CST
I'm not sure I'll get this; on one hand, I've all of the IDW stuff since "Death of Optimus Prime".on the other, it's about Drift.
Also, was he really a fan favorite? Not that I'm bashing anybody for liking him, I just thought he was more divisive of a character when he was introduced. Maybe I'm just remembering it wrongly...
Posted by Shuttershock on November 25th, 2014 @ 7:47am CST
Nemesis Maximo wrote:Yay. Drift. Whoopy.
I'm not sure I'll get this; on one hand, I've all of the IDW stuff since "Death of Optimus Prime".on the other, it's about Drift.
Also, was he really a fan favorite? Not that I'm bashing anybody for liking him, I just thought he was more divisive of a character when he was introduced. Maybe I'm just remembering it wrongly...
He was divisive when he started, mainly because he was hyped out the ass for All Hail Megatron (but then, that book had a lot of other problems) and didn't really live up to anything beyond "super cool sword guy doing awesome things".
Roberts' tenure with the character has been more favorably received, mainly by actually giving him a character with flaws and ideals. Of course, now McCarthy (the AHM writer) is doing this book, so it's hard to say if we'll see the return of "Drift Do'Urden" or if he's learned something from his early work.
Posted by zodconvoy on November 25th, 2014 @ 7:53am CST
Shuttershock wrote:Nemesis Maximo wrote:Yay. Drift. Whoopy.
I'm not sure I'll get this; on one hand, I've all of the IDW stuff since "Death of Optimus Prime".on the other, it's about Drift.
Also, was he really a fan favorite? Not that I'm bashing anybody for liking him, I just thought he was more divisive of a character when he was introduced. Maybe I'm just remembering it wrongly...
He was divisive when he started, mainly because he was hyped out the ass for All Hail Megatron (but then, that book had a lot of other problems) and didn't really live up to anything beyond "super cool sword guy doing awesome things".
Roberts' tenure with the character has been more favorably received, mainly by actually giving him a character with flaws and ideals. Of course, now McCarthy (the AHM writer) is doing this book, so it's hard to say if we'll see the return of "Drift Do'Urden" or if he's learned something from his early work.
If TL/DR:
Drift sucked, got better, not sure if sucks again.
Posted by Optimizzy on November 25th, 2014 @ 8:11am CST
Posted by Optimizzy on November 25th, 2014 @ 8:11am CST
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on November 25th, 2014 @ 9:15am CST
Optimizzy wrote:I'll read it BECAUSE of Roberts development...but I suspect that he will revert to "seethes with generic rage" levels of mediocrity pretty soon. I'm just not confident in McCarthy's writing.
Thi is how I feel. I have a smpall hope, however, that with Ratchet in it, they'll keep that interesting relationship going. And anyway, the solicitation for January showed RID Megatron will have a part. So maybe that'll be cool.
Posted by JazZeke on November 25th, 2014 @ 10:05am CST
zodconvoy wrote:If TL/DR:
Drift sucked, got better, not sure if sucks again.
This. Very much this.
Posted by Down_Shift on November 25th, 2014 @ 11:27am CST
Posted by Zeedust on November 25th, 2014 @ 5:52pm CST
Forget this. If I want to read about a sword-wielding Transformer who had the fanbase in an uproar, I'll wait for the Windblade ongoing. (Though that wait might kill me.)
Posted by JazZeke on November 25th, 2014 @ 5:58pm CST
Nemesis Primal wrote:Bleh. That's really what they're going with? That's seriously what someone thinks will hook readers and make Drift as popular as they try to pretend he is?
Forget this. If I want to read about a sword-wielding Transformer who had the fanbase in an uproar, I'll wait for the Windblade ongoing. (Though that wait might kill me.)
Yeah, our major gripe with Drift is he's all swordplay and no personality, so they show us... all swordplay and no characterization.
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on November 25th, 2014 @ 6:54pm CST
JazZeke wrote:Nemesis Primal wrote:Bleh. That's really what they're going with? That's seriously what someone thinks will hook readers and make Drift as popular as they try to pretend he is?
Forget this. If I want to read about a sword-wielding Transformer who had the fanbase in an uproar, I'll wait for the Windblade ongoing. (Though that wait might kill me.)
Yeah, our major gripe with Drift is he's all swordplay and no personality, so they show us... all swordplay and no characterization.
What? Honor Badass McStabbin isn't enough personality/characterization? Since when?
Posted by Shuttershock on November 25th, 2014 @ 8:22pm CST
Nemesis Maximo wrote:JazZeke wrote:Nemesis Primal wrote:Bleh. That's really what they're going with? That's seriously what someone thinks will hook readers and make Drift as popular as they try to pretend he is?
Forget this. If I want to read about a sword-wielding Transformer who had the fanbase in an uproar, I'll wait for the Windblade ongoing. (Though that wait might kill me.)
Yeah, our major gripe with Drift is he's all swordplay and no personality, so they show us... all swordplay and no characterization.
What? Honor Badass McStabbin isn't enough personality/characterization? Since when?
I dub thee "Drift DoUrden". Go forth and be an invincible smirking killing machine who's just so cool you guys.
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on November 26th, 2014 @ 1:13am CST
Shuttershock wrote:Nemesis Maximo wrote:JazZeke wrote:Nemesis Primal wrote:Bleh. That's really what they're going with? That's seriously what someone thinks will hook readers and make Drift as popular as they try to pretend he is?
Forget this. If I want to read about a sword-wielding Transformer who had the fanbase in an uproar, I'll wait for the Windblade ongoing. (Though that wait might kill me.)
Yeah, our major gripe with Drift is he's all swordplay and no personality, so they show us... all swordplay and no characterization.
What? Honor Badass McStabbin isn't enough personality/characterization? Since when?
I dub thee "Drift DoUrden". Go forth and be an invincible smirking killing machine who's just so cool you guys.
Scene: Drift meditates on the floor.
Enter Office Aid #1: Beg pardon, Drift-San. <Bow>. Many Anime Characters have called; they want back their mojo.
Exit Office Aid #1 Stage Left.
Posted by Va'al on November 26th, 2014 @ 11:42am CST
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis
DRIFT RETURNS! Last year, TRANSFORMERS readers were shocked when DRIFT left the AUTOBOTS in disgrace… and now he’s alone, on a mission to clean up the darkest depths of the galaxy—until RATCHET shows up to try to bring him home!
Story
Imagine: you're an ex Decepticon, who used to kill people for fun. Then you grew a conscience. So you traded guns for swords (that famous instrument of peace). Then you grew a bit too much of a conscience, and tried burying guilt beneath it and a veil of reborn spiritualism - and by ways of redemption, take the blame for something you didn't actually do, and are exiled. That's where we are with Drift, as Empire of Stone begins.
It's been some time since we saw him in action, other than flashbacks, and readers have been wary of the return of a character who has been fairly marmite-esque (that's British for divisive). What we find with this first issue back in Shane McCarthy's hands, is thankfully not a return to the character when he first introduced it, though some will complain it can feel that way in places.
Compared to other Transformers comics coming out this week, Empire of Stone is a lot slower in terms of narrative, though it does stand up quite well with the dialogue, and the chemistry between sulky Drift and grumpy Ratchet works nicely. And, as a set-up/catch-up issue, it does what it has to do without wandering too much around.
However, that's about it so far. It's not a bad comic, the story can go in a very interesting direction with the next three issues, and Empire of Stone is a catchy enough title for a popular enough character like Drift - but I can see how it might not be on everyone's immediate buying list as yet. Still.. read on.
Art
The art team is really where the book, much like ReGeneration One before it, will gain traction with potential readers. Guido Guidi's linework and Stephen Baskerville's inking are a great combination, and the action sequences are very well choreographed, with the sword element added to the fights gives space to Guidi's art to play around with the space of and around the panels.
Also back from the ReGen team is colourist JP Bove, doing an amazingly dusty and gritty (in the soil, dirt sense) job of the patina covering some otherwise quite flamboyant roboformers. I will never tire of looking at Guidi backgrounds filled in with Bove's technicolour magic, and there are some excellent sets in the issue.
Unfortunately, the review copy does not fully credit the letterer or editors for the issue, and has some general technical difficulties in the credit page layouts - nonetheless, The Unknown Letterer's work is, while very very subtle, pleasingly appropriate, keeping dialogue in place and a limited amount of background noise. As for the covers, we've seen all of them by now throughout the last couple of months, from the Alex Milne/Josh Perez one to the multiple Guidi variants (including the thumbnail one).
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
As a first issue, and as I mentioned above, Drift: Empire of Stone #1 is a harmless, easily paced, fairly well-dialogued and definitely good looking book, preparing a stage that so far has very little impact on the wider universe of the Transformers, but according to solicits may change everything - again.
It does little more than that, however, other than re-establishing the at times quite moving relationship between Ratchet and Drift, and hopefully diving into more of Drift's story from this point onwards, as well as the presence of the Cybertronians we do find in the issue. Needless to say, I remain hopeful.
Posted by Hans on November 26th, 2014 @ 2:48pm CST
Posted by jogunwarrior on November 26th, 2014 @ 2:48pm CST
Posted by SW's SilverHammer on November 26th, 2014 @ 3:41pm CST
Posted by Shuttershock on November 26th, 2014 @ 3:42pm CST
SW's SilverHammer wrote:Mayhem Sucks.
Soul of a poet, that one.
Posted by AudioKnightsTheatre on November 28th, 2014 @ 8:52am CST
Drift is a junkie. An addict.
Drift finds something to do, to believe in, and he adopts it wholeheartedly, to the point of distraction and, in many cases, to the point of harming himself. As a Decepticon, he thought his role was to punish and kill Autobots. He did his job with such overzealousness that even his superiors wanted him to tone down his brutality. But he couldn't stop, and eventually got "kicked out" for disobeying orders. He left and never looked back(til this issue).
On the Lost Light, he believed so much in the mission Rodimus had set forth(even the secret one concerning Overlord), he had such religious fanaticism to the cause and espoused so much positivity(because that's what he thought it meant to be an Autobot), and when he got kicked out of THAT, even with Ratchet's welcome, he had already moved on.
We've seen his drug addiction in the Shadowplay series. His addiction is obvious there. It seems he's left that behind too.
And now he's out on his own, defending the weak against bullies - this is his new and latest mission, and he has devoted himself whole-hog to this newest obsession. You'll notice Drift has a trigger reaction to most everything. He doesn't leave room for thinking or questions; he just ACTS. He has already decided his stance and doesn't let others talk him out of it. These are classic signs of an addict-to-burnout cycle which he's constantly in.
Drift drifts from place to place carrying his addictive, obsessive nature with him.
I, for one, enjoy playing his character. I can identify with backing a cause and that listless feeling when you feel lost. He's a joy to portray and I hope you guys will give our project a listen! Grab MTMTE issues 1-4 and listen along! www.TheAudioKnightsTheatre.com
Posted by Va'al on December 1st, 2014 @ 12:10pm CST
But this first issue did very little in explaining why he has returned to the loner style, if he is still following his faith (whatever that may be) or if he's had a crisis, and where that leads him. It does little of what you outline in the post, which is what I'd like to see in a story that follows a potentially poignant character with a deep storyline hiding beneath the fancy paintwork.
As I said in the review, I am hopeful for next month, but I'm not waiting with baited breath.
Posted by Dead Metal on December 1st, 2014 @ 3:28pm CST
But, let's just wait and see how the upcoming issues fare.
Posted by Va'al on December 4th, 2014 @ 5:17pm CST
ONCE A DECEPTICON! DRIFT’s past comes back to haunt him, as RATCHET tries to drag him back to the Lost Light. But alone on a far-off world, DRIFT’s honor demands he stand his ground!
Posted by K2vox on December 4th, 2014 @ 5:30pm CST
Posted by SW's SilverHammer on December 4th, 2014 @ 5:32pm CST
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on December 4th, 2014 @ 6:22pm CST
Posted by Randomhero on December 4th, 2014 @ 6:56pm CST
Nemesis Maximo wrote:I always knew there'd be a reason to hold on to that RID Megatron figure.
YUP!!!! Time to take him out of his RiD box(tub in storage) and put him on the classics/IDW shelf with pride.
I don't know why some people are asking for a new classics/generations figure. He's the same as the damn original toy. Go get him off eBay. He's cheap.
Posted by Randomhero on December 5th, 2014 @ 8:41am CST
Posted by jogunwarrior on December 5th, 2014 @ 9:26am CST
Also, I would love for Hasbro to retool Drift into Deadlock, he looks awesome like that.
Posted by Randomhero on December 5th, 2014 @ 10:07am CST
jogunwarrior wrote:I should really go track down a RID Megatron/Gigatron figure on eBay now.
Also, I would love for Hasbro to retool Drift into Deadlock, he looks awesome like that.
I'd even spend the money on a tfcc recolor of deadlock. I like Drift. Always have. I never joined the bandwagon of hate all because McCarthy, Hasbro and IDW over sold him but he was a big deal! New character in G1. That was a thing. He's never done anything wrong in the stories and I don't hold it against him for over commercializing him.
I liked Drift from the beginning and his figure was one if the coolest from 2010 generations to me. Need to get my hands on the SG Deadpool recolor
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 5th, 2014 @ 2:27pm CST
Oh and the best drift writer is James Roberts.
Posted by JazZeke on December 5th, 2014 @ 2:31pm CST
ZeroWolf wrote:To be fair he wasn't the first new character in G1 and there's been far better additions like Rung and Tailgate. I'm cautious about this series, all hail Megatron beat that into me.
Oh and the best drift writer is James Roberts.
Rung > Drift times infinity
Posted by Va'al on December 16th, 2014 @ 2:35am CST
Transformers: Drift—Empire of Stone #2 (of 4)
Shane McCarthy (w) • Guido Guidi (a & c)
ONCE A DECEPTICON! DRIFT’s past comes back to haunt him, as RATCHET tries to drag him back to the Lost Light. But alone on a far-off world, DRIFT’s honor demands he stand his ground!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
The fan-favorite Transformers character returns!
Ties in directly with MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!
Posted by Optimizzy on December 16th, 2014 @ 8:33am CST
Giga-whatsit-tron: "So Deadlock, is the war over" (important question)
Drift: "I told you I'm not Deadlock" (ignores)
Posted by Va'al on December 16th, 2014 @ 9:41am CST
Optimizzy wrote:Still no name given on Megatron/Gigatron in the comic.
Second panel on the first page, Turmoil calls him Gigatron!
Posted by jogunwarrior on December 16th, 2014 @ 9:57am CST
Posted by Optimizzy on December 16th, 2014 @ 9:59am CST
Va'al wrote:Optimizzy wrote:Still no name given on Megatron/Gigatron in the comic.
Second panel on the first page, Turmoil calls him Gigatron!
Ah! I missed that! Thank you.
Good, now it's official.
Posted by Samsonator on December 16th, 2014 @ 11:29am CST
Posted by Optimizzy on December 16th, 2014 @ 2:56pm CST
Posted by SW's SilverHammer on December 16th, 2014 @ 5:27pm CST
Posted by Shuttershock on December 16th, 2014 @ 10:08pm CST
Drift: "I'm not Deadlo-"
Gigatron: "SILENCE!"
Posted by Va'al on December 17th, 2014 @ 1:52pm CST
SW's SilverHammer wrote:I'ght, so I just thought of something, looking through windblade #4. What if, bear with me, ratchet Drift and Gigatron, are near one of the lost colonies mentioned in windblade #4, because I think, there was a colony of micromaster combiners mentioned.
They were indeed, and I am pointing that out in the review too!
Posted by Va'al on December 17th, 2014 @ 6:03pm CST
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis
ONCE A DECEPTICON! DRIFT’s past comes back to haunt him, as RATCHET tries to drag him back to the Lost Light. But alone on a far-off world, DRIFT’s honor demands he stand his ground!
Story
You now, Drift - was Deadlock, but would rather not be reminded; was a Decepticon, see above; part of the Lost Light, then self-exiled; feels guilty about everything since pretty much forever, so heads off to be the Batman/Robin Hood of the galaxy. Why am I repeating this? We are not being allowed to forget what Drift's past is, nor his own guilt.
In this second issue, though, what I am left wondering is - will the retreading of Shane McCarthy's initial pitch, with the layers of characterisation given to Drift since All Hail Megatron, actually lead to something other than unspoken guilt, unreasonable bravado and a penchant for lost causes?
Don't get me wrong, there are some very good interactions in the issue, and some of characters have a fair deal of personal creation and minor development - but there is a constant feeling of something still missing in a series that is promising so much to start with, and already in the middle of its run.
I don't mind the dialogue, though I'd like to see more of it, and I like most of the characters that McCarthy is setting up in the miniseries, from the Stone whatevers to the Micromasters (mentioned in Windblade, too), the brief return of Turmoil and the magnificence of Gigatron. But it needs more to keep us in.
Art
Now, the art is great. It was good, if not entirely apt, when the team of Guido Guidi and Steve Baskerville were working together on ReGeneration One, but it's really good in this contemporary setting - there's a sense of grit, chunky big hulks of rock in the designs of the blockier types of characters we've encountered, and that's before we even see a Stone Army.
Of course, the feeling of dust, dirt and stone would not be complete without the magnificently painted work of JP Bove. If the bulk of the rocky art comes from the pencils and inks, the layer of grit and sand is definitely in the colours. And it's tasty grit with crunchy bits thrown in for good measure, and great lighting as the icing on top.
And Tom B. Long gives us a double-whammy this week, by showing his fingers in the fonting, lettering and sounding of the pages of McCarthy's script, and giving some gravitas to the dialogue where needed. The two covers are also quite a thing to look at, dealing with the duality of Drift's character in the main Guidi/Josh Burcham one, and his conscience in the Alex Milne/Josh Perez variant (thumbnail).
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
Much like its preceding issue, Empire of Stone is taking its time to really kickstart its proper plot, and might get on the bad side of some readers used to the tighter stories of the two current ongoings. The stories that are there don't have more than some references, but the characters' different voices ad their interactions can, for some, make up for it.
On the visual side, we have a similar concentration of silent action sequences (and pretty good ones too) to the first issue in the miniseries, and probably something we should expect for the following two issues. Fortunately, the artistic team is magnificent at conveying the ruggedness of this side of the galaxy, and we can revel in the eye candy.
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on December 17th, 2014 @ 10:28pm CST
But mostly I wan to go dig out Mega...ahem...Gigatron.
Posted by Va'al on December 18th, 2014 @ 2:06am CST
Nemesis Maximo wrote:I hope it is - I want McCarthy to make me like Drift.
That is exactly my feeling. I want to like this series, the writing, the characters. I want it to be impactful, I want it to relate back to the main story in MTMTE somehow meaningful.
So far, it's not doing it. But it hasn't screamed that it won't at all.
So, like Natalie Imbruglia, I am torn.
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 18th, 2014 @ 2:47am CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 18th, 2014 @ 2:48am CST
Posted by Va'al on December 18th, 2014 @ 3:03am CST
I think.
Posted by Windsweeper on December 18th, 2014 @ 4:22am CST
I'm really enjoying this series despite my initial misgivings.
Posted by Mkall on December 18th, 2014 @ 11:30am CST
The story isn't bad. I'm liking that the Breastforce are making an appearance.
Posted by Flashwave on December 18th, 2014 @ 1:06pm CST
Va'al wrote:I believe the Windblade colony explanation sort of overrides that. As it overrides the 'Arcee is only non-male character'. Jhiaxus may as well have created *some*, but there are more out there that are 'naturally' occurring.
I think.
Truthflly, I think its more that after a few years, backgrond cameos get reused and we're reading into it too much.
The Gorlam Prime Micromasters were organic beings who evolved into mechanical ones, first through simple cyborg implants, and then outright living mechanical entities, and yes, that was through Jhaxius' intervention. Off the top of my head, the Gorlam Prime Micromasters were never named as individuals. The fandom "assumed" names becase Hey, that's who they looked like, but they were crowd filler, whereas the Micromasters we've met in story with names but at full scale, Fixit etc., are the actual Micromasters characters. And since I don't have Windblade handy, were the MM colony bots at fll scale or icro scale?
Also of note: There are plenty of Titan's jst laying around. Remember Prime plled one of them out of the time travellling planet, maybe what we saw in WIndblade wa a Titan on Gorlam Prime sleeping with its eyes open?