Transformers More Than Meets the Eye #19 Preview

I swear, if they do not make a Generations Star Saber from this design, so help me God...

oooooooo i called it!! i had a feeling that that's what Star Saber was going to be!!
now the question is, is he another guy in a suit of armor or really star saber?

Henry921 wrote:Don't let them take Skids!


Also, make sure those doctors work some miracles on Tailgate!

Yes, quite the foreshadowing, no?

chaosmage42 wrote:this makes me wounder about the list the necrobot had. -its now clear that that list can't be totally accurate as ultra magnus isn't even alive now or then -he died a long time ago. so the necrobots list may not be entirely accurate -its not like he can't make mistakes -if you know what i mean.

In all honesty, I doubt that list had anything to do with the Necrobot. It's is some other bot making a list for an unknown purpose.

You know, I'm getting kinda tired of the whole attention deflector thing. it just doesn't make sense. Might as well say a wizard did it That aside the this is shaping up to be an amazing mystery. Just a few more sleeps

Imagine Tailgate as the new Magnus. Totally unbiased by the War, finally living the life he's lied about living, his tiny white altmode trying to tow the still full sized trailer, and still being slightly naive about the nature of modern Cybertronians.

Hypershock wrote:

guarayakha wrote:

Hypershock wrote:oooooooo i called it!! i had a feeling that that's what Star Saber was going to be!!
now the question is, is he another guy in a suit of armor or really star saber?

Obviously he's gonna be a guy in 2 suits of armor

hahaha, what if victory leo rolls along too?

zodconvoy wrote:Imagine Tailgate as the new Magnus. Totally unbiased by the War, finally living the life he's lied about living, his tiny white altmode trying to tow the still full sized trailer, and still being slightly naive about the nature of modern Cybertronians.

i just had that idea too! i think that might be a good theory, cuz way back when he left that innermost energon offering, it was green, which probably means he's a point one percenter!! also, he's white and blue

That thought is just all kinds of delicious fun. I can see him sneaking off behind everyones back, desperate to find a cure and convincing the docs that he needs the armor to save his life. What a surprise that will be for everyone else to see him rolling out in his brand new, totally unauthorized threads. lol

Synopsis

BETRAYAL! The Lost Light may be occupied by enemy forces, but that’s the least of RODIMUS’ problems! As he awaits execution, the one-time Matrix holder realizes how little he knows about the people he once called friends. Is there anyone left he can trust? And where does the legendary STAR SABER fit into all this?



Story
We left the crew of the Lost Light, or focused on a part of it at least, in a cell with Minimus Ambus - who revealed his true identity as Ultra Magnus. Or the other way round, rather. We now pick up from that point, and get to find out more about the true nature of the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and about Tyrest himself.



Of course, the main dish is the Ultra Magnus backstory, but the entrée, starters and sides are fairly appetising too. More on that later. One problem with the explanation about the Magnus armour? The attention deflectors don't hold, at all. It's an easy plot device, only recently introduced, possibly for it to be used here. And it still doesn't work. That aside, I'm, personally, really glad that Roberts is playing on an established idea in the franchise, taking it a little further than white-optimus-in-armour.



The other courses, from Tyrest to Star Saber to Pharma and Ratchet, are interestingly fitted in, and for some reason we had seemed to forget about Whirl and Cyclonus, who are up to good. Somehow, however, Roberts hasn't kept things up enough throughout this issue, and, like in Overlord's fight, things feel a bit rushed with some shocking moments to distract us. And Tyrest, being so overly lawful to become evil.. or is he?



I have to say, as much as there are interesting points about various plots, it didn't kick me as usual. There is pain, suffering, gore, torture, sadists, information about Skids and his secret, Tyrest and his intentions, even more about the Circle of Light. But. I wasn't that impressed.

Art

The artwork, on the other hand, works really well with the story. Milne lifts up the plot in beautifully crafted pencilwork, giving splatter to the gore and feeling to the emotions. There are some really ..er.. beautiful panels that I will not show for the sake of readers' enjoyment, and the credit (also on the cover) goes to the inker, Brian Shearer, too. It's excellent to see a team work that well with each other, and the result is stunning.



Obviously the colours are the usual amazingness that Burcham delivers, shifting from light interiors to dark rooms, adapting to the mood and setting for each scene, and playing really well with Milne and Shearer's artwork. The whole is completed by the spot-on, as usual, lettering by Long. Not as creative as usual, but the tone of the story didn't need it, and what he does mixes perfectly with the stunning non-textual work.



I apologise for gushing out on the artwork again, but I am genuinely impressed at the synergy that Milne, Shearer, Burcham and Long have created among themselves, working on Roberts' scripts. There are some excellent panels in this issue, and it deserves to be read even just for that.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

The multiple plots didn't blend as well as usual in this one, and I have an issue with the pacing of the story and depiction of characters. But someone pointed out to me that there are two more parts to this arc, and those may redeem the faults of this issue in some way. We will see. Definitely give it a couple of reads, though.



Overall, though, it's a good issue, especially thanks to the artwork, as I have gushed out above. And, as usual, don't get too attached to characters, or you'll miss them when they're gone. And they will go, oh how they will go. Here's hoping that the ending to this arc does not disappoint like the Overlord one, but there are definitely answers in here that I wasn't expecting to ask any more.

PS: Make sure you read the letters pages: there's a really nice personal response to the events of MTMTE #15 from a reader.

I cannot wait for this issue!!
No offense to you Va'al, but often on these reviews, it seems to me that you don't like them quite as much up front but warm up to them with time. You always make a point of the issue having great plot points, but not living up to past ones. If every issue is only mediocre, though, what great issues are you comparing them to?
This isn't a criticism, i'm honestly curious as to which MTMTE/RID issues you find better than the current run. Sometimes i agree, but others i can't help but have a love-fest for the IDW crew

Va'al wrote:Good issues? Shadowplay, definitely, Before and After, and Interiors.
Spotlight: Trailcutter too. As for RID, Stick Together and Interference Patterns.

You forgot Shockwaves, which gets my vote for best RID issue. I also thought both Annuals were pretty good.

Va'al wrote:

Hypershock wrote:I cannot wait for this issue!!
No offense to you Va'al, but often on these reviews, it seems to me that you don't like them quite as much up front but warm up to them with time. You always make a point of the issue having great plot points, but not living up to past ones. If every issue is only mediocre, though, what great issues are you comparing them to?
This isn't a criticism, i'm honestly curious as to which MTMTE/RID issues you find better than the current run. Sometimes i agree, but others i can't help but have a love-fest for the IDW crew

Well, that's the thing. I don't want to gush too much, and I already do it a lot with the art aspect of the issues. I'd rather keep a more distanced look, trying to be objective about them, when I write the review (usually after four reads, too, and a fifth during the review itself, as I look for images).

Where did I say it compares badly to past ones? (I'm actually curious, please tell me! )
In this case, I actually complained about it starting to look too similar to the Overlord arc, which was too rushed. And I said that at the time, too.

Good issues? Shadowplay, definitely, Before and After, and Interiors.
Spotlight: Trailcutter too. As for RID, Stick Together and Interference Patterns.

okay, i see where you're coming from. and you didn't say it compares badly, i just wanted to see it from your perspective is all. I admire that you're trying to stay objective, you just sometimes seem very underwhelmed by some issues