Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review

Wednesday, August 27th, 2014 2:38AM CDT

Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al Views: 46,170

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Friday the 113th
(Spoiler free-ish)

Synopsis
SLAUGHTERHOUSE! The crew of the Lost Light are used to past decisions coming back to bite them, but nothing—not even an ULTRA MAGNUS-certified crash course in the law of unintended consequences—could have prepared them for the horrors of Sector 113. Be warned: this issue is not for the easily distressed—or the easily heartbroken.

In space, no one can hear you...

Story

We've seen parts of the Lost Light slowly disappear. We've seen members of the crew do the same. We've seen Ravage, openly, finally revealing himself to the crew. We've seen Megatron's position questioned by several of the older cast, and the new additions being more lenient. We've seen the horrors of Overlord, the DJD, the fighting pits, the mines and Empurata. Now, welcome to Slaughterhouse.

Carrie on, if you will

Premise: More Than Meets the Eye is already dealing with time paradoxes and multiple planes of existence, and has done so in its first season and during Dark Cybertron (that was the whole point, actually). So why not take it further? James Roberts, indeed, does, and gives us a glimpse of what might be, could be or potentially will be/has been depending on the observation point - and it ain't pretty.

Eyes Without a Face

In fact, it's horrific. As the title might suggest, it's slaughter. And even if we know something's not really happening, or not as we know it, it does not detract that much at all from the impact of the scenes. The scenes with Overlord so far are nothing compared to what we see in this issue. And actually, we don't really see it happen, wading as we do in the aftermath of the perpetrator(s)' rampage.

The Chills Have Eyes 2

The stand-out moment of the entire book for me, however, is a long scene between Megatron and Ravage, in which we learn more about both of them, about the Decepticon ideal and loyalty, about Megatron's true nature, and Ravage's presence on the ship. And we see some old friends. Quite a few of them. So to speak. And some very nice interactions between Nightbeat and Nautica, as they discover a briefcase's contents. So to speak.

Art

As the issue was being drafted and inked, Alex Milne took to Twitter to add a running commentary of the horrors he was made to draw for the issue - and he was right. There is nothing pretty here, it's a splatter film in panels, on printed/digital pages. It's a Helex Chainsaw(hand) Massacre with excellent photography and art direction. It even has some formal experimentation to match the temporal paradoxes.

Dial D for.. Death

To make the art work so much more, Joana Lafuente adds some amazing effects in her colours. Most of the ship is adumbrated, shadows shifting in the background, with the only sources of light coming from optics, quantum foam, emergency lighting - until the very end, when power is restored. And the difference in tones is gigantic, and stunningly executed.

The abyss looks into you..

Similarly, the lettering touches that Tom B. Long brings to the issue, used sparingly once again, but to their full effectiveness when in their more creative moments, add to an already eerily tense, situation. And the lower case, almost rounded title font is brilliant in its contrast with the content. As for the covers, we've seen all three now, and how fitting it is to have the Coller/Bove variant, and the realisation of what cover A is actually showing.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Roberts does not hold back on the horrors and emotions running through at high voltage throughout the book, even though some may complain about the warped time nature somewhat detracting from the full impact - but it's powerful enough visually to overcome those (fairly apt) critiques. Milne and Lafuente have created a carnival of sparks, a morbid feast for desensitised optics, and one that is bound to stick with readers for a while.

...

This issue of MTMTE, much like its RID counterpart this month, reminds us of the many genres that the Transformers comics can span in their fiction, and lands squarely in full-blown cosmic horror, from splatter to gore to psychological thriller - via a couple of Doctor Who references, time warping and well-placed interactions between characters. On an unrelated note, ever noticed how the 1-2-3 Transformers emoticon looks a bit like the puppet from Saw..?

out of

Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Va'al

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Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602227)
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 27th, 2014 @ 2:54am CDT

Can't wait to read this later

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602250)
Posted by Moody magpie on August 27th, 2014 @ 5:50am CDT

This issue blew my mind! :BOOM:

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602277)
Posted by prjkt on August 27th, 2014 @ 9:04am CDT

Interesting final panel....

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602377)
Posted by 1984forever on August 27th, 2014 @ 7:27pm CDT

MTMTE's "2nd season" is looking worse than the first, if that's at all possible. Apparently Roberts is using 3rd party toys in MTMTE because that was definitely "not Megatron"! The real Megatron would never be so down on himself, or hold a conversation with a stuffy old Ravage! In the end we get Rewind back, but only a few readers will care. The Z-list cast of MTMTE is old and stale now.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602403)
Posted by Bounti76 on August 27th, 2014 @ 11:02pm CDT

1984forever wrote:MTMTE's "2nd season" is looking worse than the first, if that's at all possible. Apparently Roberts is using 3rd party toys in MTMTE because that was definitely "not Megatron"! The real Megatron would never be so down on himself, or hold a conversation with a stuffy old Ravage! In the end we get Rewind back, but only a few readers will care. The Z-list cast of MTMTE is old and stale now.

IF IT ISN'T A REHASH OF THE 1984 CARTOON SEASON IT'S CRAP!!!!!

[/sarcasm] >:oP

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602411)
Posted by Shuttershock on August 27th, 2014 @ 11:39pm CDT

Bounti76 wrote:
1984forever wrote:MTMTE's "2nd season" is looking worse than the first, if that's at all possible. Apparently Roberts is using 3rd party toys in MTMTE because that was definitely "not Megatron"! The real Megatron would never be so down on himself, or hold a conversation with a stuffy old Ravage! In the end we get Rewind back, but only a few readers will care. The Z-list cast of MTMTE is old and stale now.

IF IT ISN'T A REHASH OF THE 1984 CARTOON SEASON IT'S CRAP!!!!!

[/sarcasm]

I have seen the face of our enemy; he is green and has a laptop.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602531)
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 28th, 2014 @ 4:17pm CDT

1984Forever@ This Megatron has been through much more then any other Megatron (to the point where I begin to wonder if they're setting up someone taking Megs name ala Beast Wars), and the cast list isn't Z list...There's no grappler, hoist or inferno. So since they aren't anywhere they are Z list

My question is though why do you read MtMtE if your so unhappy with it. Isn't RiD good enough for you?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this issue, wasn't quite the event horizon I was hoping for but I loved it nonetheless. Took me a moment to find the flow of Nautica and Nightbeats conversation, and I found it amusing when Nautica called Ravage a girl, only for Riptide to call him a boy a panel later. Having a girl around must confuse them a bit

I'm also calling for a Nautica and Nightbeat !pairing

bring on #33!

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602543)
Posted by Va'al on August 28th, 2014 @ 5:00pm CDT

The ship is strong with those two.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602560)
Posted by 1984forever on August 28th, 2014 @ 6:19pm CDT

ZeroWolf wrote:1984Forever@ This Megatron has been through much more then any other Megatron (to the point where I begin to wonder if they're setting up someone taking Megs name ala Beast Wars), and the cast list isn't Z list...There's no grappler, hoist or inferno. So since they aren't anywhere they are Z list My question is though why do you read MtMtE if your so unhappy with it. Isn't RiD good enough for you?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this issue, wasn't quite the event horizon I was hoping for but I loved it nonetheless. Took me a moment to find the flow of Nautica and Nightbeats conversation, and I found it amusing when Nautica called Ravage a girl, only for Riptide to call him a boy a panel later. Having a girl around must confuse them a bit I'm also calling for a Nautica and Nightbeat !pairing bring on #33!

Sad. Transformers has degenerated to the point where one Transformer mistakenly calls another "she" and that's seen as entertainment. I just don't see the appeal of Nautica and her one tool. If she is so dependent on this Super Monkey Wrench why didn't she have the damn thing integrated into her forearm? I don't know, maybe it's the tiny cockpits that Milne draws onto his Transformers playskool alt-modes that makes me hate this character. Hasbro incorporated Milne's designs into it's toys and ruined Generations Trailbreaker, Hoist and Skids for true fans everywhere. Or maybe it's Nautica's name, ripped off from a clothing company that hasn't been hot since '89? Seaspray could have been substituted for both Riptide and Nautica. This would have minimized the amount of lame boat characters from 2 down to 1 and lessened the stink of fanfic MTMTE always has about it like old fish.

As for Megatron, I remember when Megatron was scary, whether in Marvel Transformers 1-4 or just sitting in BFG mode in the toy store. IDWs Megatron is made of tin-foil. Hopefully it turns out that it's Bombshell's fault that Megs is such a little bitch now.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602561)
Posted by Shuttershock on August 28th, 2014 @ 6:21pm CDT

ZeroWolf wrote:1984Forever@ This Megatron has been through much more then any other Megatron (to the point where I begin to wonder if they're setting up someone taking Megs name ala Beast Wars), and the cast list isn't Z list...There's no grappler, hoist or inferno. So since they aren't anywhere they are Z list My question is though why do you read MtMtE if your so unhappy with it. Isn't RiD good enough for you?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this issue, wasn't quite the event horizon I was hoping for but I loved it nonetheless. Took me a moment to find the flow of Nautica and Nightbeats conversation, and I found it amusing when Nautica called Ravage a girl, only for Riptide to call him a boy a panel later. Having a girl around must confuse them a bit I'm also calling for a Nautica and Nightbeat !pairing bring on #33!

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602612)
Posted by Bounti76 on August 29th, 2014 @ 12:36am CDT

1984forever wrote:Hasbro incorporated Milne's designs into it's toys and ruined Generations Trailbreaker, Hoist and Skids for true fans everywhere.

As for Megatron, I remember when Megatron was scary, whether in Marvel Transformers 1-4 or just sitting in BFG mode in the toy store. IDWs Megatron is made of tin-foil. Hopefully it turns out that it's Bombshell's fault that Megs is such a little **** now.

"True fans"
"Marvel Transformers "1-4"

Anytime anyone uses the phrase "true fan/s" I immediately stop listening to what they have to say, because only their version of the fandom is "true", and nothing anyone says has the least bit of truth to it. It's okay that other people like this, 1984forever. It really is. Would you rather have had Transformers as a whole, comic books, toys, etc, spectacularly fail so 1984 would have been the ONLY year of the franchise? I just honestly do not get this blind loyalty to the earliest days of the franchise.

My most important question to you is this, 1984forever: If you can't accept anything other than the first half of the first season of the cartoon, the first four issues of the Marvel comic book, and any Transformers toy that came without a rubsign it's first year out....then for the love of Primus....WHY are you a member of a site that celebrates ALL things Transformers? Why don't you create, build, and maintain a site that caters to your one specific interest in the Transformers hobby as a whole? I dare you to answer my question rationally.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602627)
Posted by Va'al on August 29th, 2014 @ 3:32am CDT

In other news:

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602637)
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 29th, 2014 @ 6:14am CDT

1984@ I think we established in other discussions that your opinions aren't shared by everyone, and that you shouldn't use stuff like true fan, afterall it doesn't exist and never did. Also Seaspray, why use a character like that when you can create new characters that can hopefully stand the test of time like other non-G1 cartoon characters like Jihaxus, waspinator, impactor etc. We need to stop relying on old characters and start creating new ones, create the primes, megatrons and bumblebees of the next generation of fans, our kids (for those who have them)

As for Nautica, maybe she'll get it attached in the future or maybe it's a reference to doctor who and his do-it-all sonic screwdriver.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602717)
Posted by Dead Metal on August 29th, 2014 @ 4:00pm CDT

No Zero, there is such a thing as a true fan, it is me.

I am a true Transformers fan, only the original incarnation will satisfy me, and that is the "Bild Lilli", the doll Matel later KOed and released as Barbie, which later got the accessory named Ken, who was later put into army uniforms and sold as the very first action figure, which then prompted Hasbro to create GI Joe, which Takara licensed and developed into Microman, which later got spinoffs in the form of Microchange and Diaclone, which are the basis for Transformers.

So yes, Transformers have been ruined and have stopped being Transformers ever since Barbie.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602769)
Posted by Dough-bot on August 30th, 2014 @ 4:05am CDT

I getting back on track.

I loved this issue, the interaction between Megatron and Ravage was fantastic, nice to see Megs finally questioning himself, the blind loyalty of the Decepticon cause was a great line.

The slaughterhouse was quite grim seeing the aftermath of the attack and the realisation of what had happened was played well. Nice to see Rewind back, love the little fella and great to see that this arc has spanned since the message in MTMTHE #1

Can't wait for the next one

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602781)
Posted by Shumi Nagaremono on August 30th, 2014 @ 6:36am CDT

Has anybody ever seen Henry Rollins' impression of William Shatner eating scallops?

This is the best scallop I've ever had! No! THIS is the best scallop I've ever had. NO! THIS...

That's how I feel about MTMTE every single month.

THIS is the best Transformers comic ever written. No, THIS...

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602802)
Posted by 1984forever on August 30th, 2014 @ 9:03am CDT

Bounti76 wrote:
1984forever wrote:Hasbro incorporated Milne's designs into it's toys and ruined Generations Trailbreaker, Hoist and Skids for true fans everywhere.
As for Megatron, I remember when Megatron was scary, whether in Marvel Transformers 1-4 or just sitting in BFG mode in the toy store. IDWs Megatron is made of tin-foil. Hopefully it turns out that it's Bombshell's fault that Megs is such a little **** now.

"True fans"
"Marvel Transformers "1-4"
Anytime anyone uses the phrase "true fan/s" I immediately stop listening to what they have to say, because only their version of the fandom is "true", and nothing anyone says has the least bit of truth to it. It's okay that other people like this, 1984forever. It really is. Would you rather have had Transformers as a whole, comic books, toys, etc, spectacularly fail so 1984 would have been the ONLY year of the franchise? I just honestly do not get this blind loyalty to the earliest days of the franchise.
My most important question to you is this, 1984forever: If you can't accept anything other than the first half of the first season of the cartoon, the first four issues of the Marvel comic book, and any Transformers toy that came without a rubsign it's first year out....then for the love of Primus....WHY are you a member of a site that celebrates ALL things Transformers? Why don't you create, build, and maintain a site that caters to your one specific interest in the Transformers hobby as a whole? I dare you to answer my question rationally.

I actually like season 2 and 3 of the cartoon and Marvel TF up until about #23, it's just not as good as the early stuff. James Roberts reminds me of a hack season 3 writer coming on after a bunch of season 2 writers have already messed things up. Instead of fixing things and bringing Transformers back to it's roots, people like Roberts try to create something new but only succeed in making Transformers look less like itself and more like some other franchise... Star Wars, Doctor Who, Pokemon... you fill in the blank.

A site dedicated to real Transformers and true fans would be a great idea. Too bad there are so many Hackers out here with hatred for G1 bubbling up in their throats that the site would probably get trashed within hours.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602863)
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 30th, 2014 @ 12:39pm CDT

I'm surprised there isn't already one. Plus most hackers have bigger targets then a fan site (unless they havebeen wronged by the people behind the site)

You still haven't answered the question 1984, why are you still hanging on with MtMtE? I don't believe your trolling howeve, its more of a case you keep reading it in the hope it'll become a series you want to read. So, what is it that keeps bringing you back?.

Something else I noticed though on a recent re-read, the theme of re-editing your past has come back in a big way. But what's it building to? And what part does megs have to play.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602927)
Posted by 1984forever on August 30th, 2014 @ 3:36pm CDT

I keep reading MTMTE because it's a pretty good book, even though it's not really Transformers.

Anyways, my guess is it's the future LL crew. A crew that managed to recapture Overlord sometime in the future. Maybe Overlord didn't kill Rewind because he needed someone to chronicle his greatness.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1602930)
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 30th, 2014 @ 3:56pm CDT

See I don't remember seeing chromedome amongst those corpses...nor Brainstorm thinking about it. See I was thinking what if this LL didn't have cd on it...hence Overlord still captive.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1603066)
Posted by SW's SilverHammer on August 31st, 2014 @ 2:45am CDT

I just wanted to share this:

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1603079)
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 31st, 2014 @ 5:46am CDT

What the...? That's quite strange, wonder what the issues come.with for that price

(I wonder if there was a glitch and the decimal point ended up wrong)

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1603109)
Posted by Dead Metal on August 31st, 2014 @ 10:18am CDT

SW's SilverHammer wrote:I just wanted to share this:

Lol wat?

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1603152)
Posted by SW's SilverHammer on August 31st, 2014 @ 1:49pm CDT

Well I mean come on, isn't the normal retail price for an IDW comic $40.00.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1603185)
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on August 31st, 2014 @ 4:22pm CDT

I don't even...but what...why...but then...and yet...

I'm so confused.

But really, the only part I didn't like was that page with Nightbeat and Nautica on the elevator. While I get what Milne/Roberts were trying to do, It felt more distracting then expirimental.

Re: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #32 Review (1603191)
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 31st, 2014 @ 4:54pm CDT

Nemesis Maximo wrote:I don't even...but what...why...but then...and yet...

I'm so confused.

But really, the only part I didn't like was that page with Nightbeat and Nautica on the elevator. While I get what Milne/Roberts were trying to do, It felt more distracting then expirimental.

I liked that part once I understood it. It does make me wonder about the next issue though and if there's going to be more bits like it.