Full Preview of IDW Transformers: Lost Light #3

Please note Nightbeat squeeing and promptly driving up the wall in car mode.

I love this character to a potentially unhealthy degree.

Kurona wrote:Please note Nightbeat squeeing and promptly driving up the wall in car mode.

I love this character to a potentially unhealthy degree.

Nightbeat is one of my favs. He's such a nerd, I can identify with him on that level.

I wonder who that member of the council is or rather who he used to be. It's gotta be someone we know.

In an alternate universe, I wonder what Trailbreakers fate was, considering his 4x4 styled alt mode and his super powers. And for that matter, what became of outliers in this universe I wonder?

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:In an alternate universe, I wonder what Trailbreakers fate was, considering his 4x4 styled alt mode and his super powers. And for that matter, what became of outliers in this universe I wonder?

Well, the Functionists have a completely different ideology to the Senate, so they would have been treated much better - after all, everyone has a purpose. Though much better than how the Senate would treat them isn't really saying much.

Kurona wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:In an alternate universe, I wonder what Trailbreakers fate was, considering his 4x4 styled alt mode and his super powers. And for that matter, what became of outliers in this universe I wonder?

Well, the Functionists have a completely different ideology to the Senate, so they would have been treated much better - after all, everyone has a purpose. Though much better than how the Senate would treat them isn't really saying much.

Shadowplay implies otherwise. Form dictates function, and the outliers had functions that didn't match the norms for their forms.

I think this is the first piece of fiction to be completely perfect.

My guess would be that the functionist council member would have to be five of twelve the enumerator. In issue 34 he was the only one with a rust red color. I also would theories that Rung's alt mode is the only way to get out of the functionist universe, or as swerve put it in issue 2 of mtmte "We've got to find the 12 fragments of the Primal Key, unlock the Infinite Gate, travel sideways in time, defeat the agents of chaos and restore order to the Multiverse."

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:In an alternate universe, I wonder what Trailbreakers fate was, considering his 4x4 styled alt mode and his super powers. And for that matter, what became of outliers in this universe I wonder?

I would assume Trailbreaker is either dead or exiled due to his status as an outlier. Back when when we first saw this universe it was said that all the pre-war constructed cold cybertronians were kicked off the planet, I imagine that would have happened to all the outliers as well or they were "recalled" due to their abilities being a slap in the face to the functionalists.

That being said as much as I do miss trailbreaker, I don't want anymore alternate universe characters that are dead to be brought back with that kind of story telling. I feel it robs and cheapens that original character we knew.

If Whirl set Killmaster loose,

1) It seems that Whirl lied about killing him

2) I think the current Necroworld residents are going to have a lot of trouble, probably as bad as Overlord being loose on the Lost Light.

Just an art observation: I think one of the main reasons this style feel off are the proportions of the characters.

I notice that on page 4, panel 3 there's this really great drawing of brainstorm. It might just be because it's a wide, detailed closeup, but the rest of the brainstorm panels don't look as nice for some reason. In the close up, brainstorm's shoulders are more than 3 head widths apart from one another. In other panels, the shoulders look about less than 3. Regardless of the inconsistency, the head being larger relative to the shoulders, I think, might be giving the characters that cartoon look that a lot of people are irked by.

Another good read on the books, this time compared to the associations that TFs have with the spotlight being the Bayverse: http://www.themarysue.com/transformers- ... chael-bay/

(It doesn't mention any of the art teams, I asked them if they could edit about that!)

VERY IMPORTANT PART OF ARTICLE:

It’s not so much about commenting or criticizing Bay or the old TV show or the toys, it’s about using their success as a bolster to take the same characters and create something that appeals to an entirely different audience.

So Megatron did have an alt-mode all along!

They moved the Doomsday Clock up recently, you know. I don't want to think about that. No one does. Sometimes you have to, but thankfully this isn't one of those times.

It's a simple joy, getting caught up in a comic book. When the next page gets turned and you can't wait to see what's in store, be it from some anticipation or dread or excitement, it's joyful. Even the dread - it means you're experiencing moments that mean something, even if it's just to you.


Lost Light #3 finds Rodimus and co. probably wishing for those moments, stranded in another time and place with the end of #2 giving at least a faint glimmer of hope for better times ahead just before its ominous conclusion. This glimmer lies in the midst of almost chaotic action and fighting, though as anticipated this issue begins by gently putting the brakes on Team Rodimus' journey. Plenty of dialogue with this team and the new bots they've encountered ends up being a very welcome and perhaps genius moment of pacing. The modest change of setting accompanied by the introduction of some other familiar (and surprising) faces into the fold helps frame the scene for things to come. Satisfying answers laced with yet more tantalizing questions all with a complexity becoming of the series await readers that dive beyond the surface of the dialogue.


Fans of action won't be disappointed though, as Swerve, Ten, and Whirl run into misadventures of their own. A plot point seeded within the first handful of issues of More Than Meets The Eye reveals itself, and manages a great balance between peril and humor. Our heroes are still funny when it might be wiser to dial down the wit and dial up the focus, but that's what makes it work. Without giving anything away, James Roberts executes this other running plot of the issue expertly, ensuring that a sense of danger stays within the tone delivered.


The timely political and social commentary found not only within this issue but within the overarching thematic structure of "Dissolution" thus far is effective and poignant without being either heavy handed or polarizing. Readers will find simple truths about decency, mixed with rhetorical postulates on theology, finished with Megatron and Ratchet coming face to face with some cold realities - or maybe warm memories.

Transformers at its best, everyone: starting heavy and ending with personable robots. Simple joys.


The production of the book is at a very high level, with Jack Lawrence's art evolving to suit the unique challenges that Transformers present at a positive velocity that's often seen when real talent begins the daunting task of playing within this huge universe. Joana Lafuente's colors are the usual, which is to say that they're great. This is especially so in the numerous scenes where a contrast between light and dark is a wise choice in art direction, helping with the narrative delivered through the words. Those words are again presented by Tom B. Long, who might as well be teaching a class on lettering at this point. Come to think of it, he kind of is on his Twitter account from time to time.

As always, you can find full credits and covers in our database entry for Lost Light #3, along with a list of characters that appear in the issue so do be aware of possible spoilers.


There's much to say here that I'll have to save to chat about with you in the discussion that follows the review, but simply put, a great deal happens in this third issue of Lost Light. Characters are built, ideas are grown, and a few major surprises are in store. All the while, a sense of foreboding is omnipresent, but is that because of the story or because of the history of awful things that always seem to follow this crew? I haven't decided the answer to that part yet. I'm less certain that I ever want to, if I'm really honest. The journey is just too much of a simple joy.


I'm going to be reviewing this series for the site for at least the next issue, if not for the rest of this initial story arc. Some of you can guess why this is. I'm moving my own little version of a Lost Light/Hasbro Comics Universe Doomsday Clock (Uniclock, perhaps?) back two minutes after this one, because it was joyful. That didn't remove all the dread though by any means, as you'll see from the minute hand below.



A score for this issue though, is that what you're waiting on? It's coming. This installment, to me, is one more answered question away from perfection, or maybe one huge moment away. There were certainly big moments but on the surface and without the benefit of hindsight (which has often been a beneficial factor in going back and re-reading issues of this series and finding a new appreciation) I can't quite find it in myself to put it up into the pantheon of perfect scores. I reserve the right to regret that decision later.

However, if you're reading this and haven't read this comic, I'm glancing up at the url and wondering how you set your priorities. Maybe it's just timing in your day and you haven't gotten to the shop yet, but if there's another reason, stop what you're doing and go buy this. Lost Light #3 is fun to follow and engaging even as a single part of a whole, though the whole is something you should simply invest in. It's a joy, I promise.



Bonus! James Roberts' soundtrack suggestions for this issue:

• Anthony Reynolds - "Those Kind Of Songs"
• Okkervil River - "A Stone"
• Andreas Mattsson - "The Summer Of Speed"

Can we rename Scotty 'The Unicron Guy' already

Loved this issue as always. Shows me I was right to get invested in Anode too; there's clearly something interesting going on here~

Rung in the Functionist Universe must have a different altmode, because we've SEEN his 'ornament' altmode during the Dark Cybertron story. Or that tank thing isn't Rung. It couldn't take millions of years to figure out what a drill tank is useful for, so I'm calling bull on the Functionists' "reveal"

Also, I'm glad Anode is not NEARLY as annoying as she has been.

What's a doomsday clock?

Sounds serious.

Deadput wrote:What's a doomsday clock?

Sounds serious.

Doomsday clock is how close something is to Armageddon and absolute destruction. It's from Watchmen but it's actually real and kinda scary. Look it up, it's freaky to see where we are in our own world with it.

Randomhero wrote:

Deadput wrote:What's a doomsday clock?

Sounds serious.

Doomsday clock is how close something is to Armageddon and absolute destruction. It's from Watchmen but it's actually real and kinda scary. Look it up, it's freaky to see where we are in our own world with it.

I forgot about it in Watchmen until you mentioned it. Really, really well used there!

As for the very actually real thing: http://thebulletin.org/timeline

So this doomsday is worse then say a world war 3?

It's pretty darn scary to think on how our relatively normal and safe lives right now can be suddenly plunged into world disaster.

I forgot to say what I thought! Good solid issue all around! Anode in the alternate universe seems pretty forced but whatever, doesn't take me out too much. Rungs function is 100% bullshit lol that is not Rung. Altnerate universe or not that's not Rung. I'm sure he's in there but he's probably the ignition key to turn that stupid thing on but what we see isn't him or his function. All in all I loved the issue but I could care less about this story as a whole. By the end all I cared about is what is going on with cyclonus? Could he be linked to his functionist universe counterpart in the dead universe and be deteriorating? Is he slowly falling apart the more Tailgate uses his powers due to them being linked since they were so close when he spazzed out? I have no idea but I don't want him to die.

Deadput wrote:So this doomsday is worse then say a world war 3?

It's pretty darn scary to think on how our relatively normal and safe lives right now can be suddenly plunged into world disaster.

It wasn't created till the Cold War. Originally is was made by scientists to determine how close we were to nuclear war with Russia back in the day. I'm basing this on memory so I could be wrong but it's how a branch of the science community determines how close we are to the end of the world. Check out that link Scotty attached. We are 2 minutes to midnite, closest we've been in 30 years. But don't let it bother you, it's not that big of a thing. Most don't even know the clock exists.

Randomhero wrote:what is going on with cyclonus? Could he be linked to his functionist universe counterpart in the dead universe and be deteriorating? Is he slowly falling apart the more Tailgate uses his powers due to them being linked since they were so close when he spazzed out? I have no idea but I don't want him to die.

I've assumed this is the case with Cyclonus. Dead Universe bots could only ever spend so much time outside of it before becoming extra dead.

ScottyP wrote:

Randomhero wrote:what is going on with cyclonus? Could he be linked to his functionist universe counterpart in the dead universe and be deteriorating? Is he slowly falling apart the more Tailgate uses his powers due to them being linked since they were so close when he spazzed out? I have no idea but I don't want him to die.

I've assumed this is the case with Cyclonus. Dead Universe bots could only ever spend so much time outside of it before becoming extra dead.

And that goes back my original problem 2 years ago with the functionalist universe. Because the war never happened and there are no autobots or Optimus prime then this universe shouldn't exist anymore because no one stopped Nova Prime and the expansion 10 years ago. Without anyone to stop them than the original expansion back in the spotlight/revelation series would have happened merging the dead universe with that universe. Obviously that's being ignored for the sake of story but it does bug me.

Randomhero wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

Randomhero wrote:what is going on with cyclonus? Could he be linked to his functionist universe counterpart in the dead universe and be deteriorating? Is he slowly falling apart the more Tailgate uses his powers due to them being linked since they were so close when he spazzed out? I have no idea but I don't want him to die.

I've assumed this is the case with Cyclonus. Dead Universe bots could only ever spend so much time outside of it before becoming extra dead.

And that goes back my original problem 2 years ago with the functionalist universe. Because the war never happened and there are no autobots or Optimus prime then this universe shouldn't exist anymore because no one stopped Nova Prime and the expansion 10 years ago. Without anyone to stop them than the original expansion back in the spotlight/revelation series would have happened merging the dead universe with that universe. Obviously that's being ignored for the sake of story but it does bug me.

Unless somehow Nova was doomed to fail anyway somehow.

Also, yeah that is not Rung. that is a ploy!

Okay, this is adorable and very well done.



Lug of course uses TR Rewind, but Anode's a mis-mash including Animated Blackarachnia as a base and Generations Windblade's arms. I really want these two

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

Randomhero wrote:what is going on with cyclonus? Could he be linked to his functionist universe counterpart in the dead universe and be deteriorating? Is he slowly falling apart the more Tailgate uses his powers due to them being linked since they were so close when he spazzed out? I have no idea but I don't want him to die.

I've assumed this is the case with Cyclonus. Dead Universe bots could only ever spend so much time outside of it before becoming extra dead.

And that goes back my original problem 2 years ago with the functionalist universe. Because the war never happened and there are no autobots or Optimus prime then this universe shouldn't exist anymore because no one stopped Nova Prime and the expansion 10 years ago. Without anyone to stop them than the original expansion back in the spotlight/revelation series would have happened merging the dead universe with that universe. Obviously that's being ignored for the sake of story but it does bug me.

Unless somehow Nova was doomed to fail anyway somehow.

Also, yeah that is not Rung. that is a ploy!

I think we're just suppose to ignore it. It's hard because I'm a continuity fiend.

With cyclonus I think the real reason might be he's doing it to himself. He's either inflicting the damage himself or he's welcoming the damage he taking from others. He is from a caste on Cybertron that expresses grief with self mutilation and admitted in issue two he's always thinking about the life's he's taken. It's possible he's allowing harm not just for the lives he's taken but also for the lives Tailgate is taking because he saved him in remain in light.

Re: Cyclonus

Tailgate is doing it. In his sleep or unconsciously.

Re: Rung

Yeah, no. That drill is clearly a ploy by the Functionist Council, and a desperate one at that.

OK, long ass post dealing with lots of things I have thought about today.

1) Anode. How does that work in the alternate dimension? She is from Caminus, and Lug is her travel buddy, we'll use that for now. Yet here, she is on Cybertron and is without Lug. She has the same purpose though. Does this mean the alternate universe made contact with the colonies, maybe even earlier than this universe, or did somehow there not being a war allowed an Anode exactly like the Camien to grow on Cybertron? I'm having issues seeing this, especially considering how the council is now anti-space travel, and seeing as how Sentinel and the council seem to have several things in common, wouldn't the council hate colonies and thus not want to make contact?

2) So they actually have the matrix in this universe. That means Orion Pax never got to it and thus was never chosen to be a Prime. instead, that 6 of 12 got it and has been addicted to it ever since. So what happened to Orion when the functionists retook power? Was he killed off? is he on the run? I can't see him bowing willingly to functionism.

3) speaking of characters from our universe, considering MTMTE 35 showed us alternate Rewind died, but Minimus and Dominus are still alive, will that play a role? Like, minimus finds his alternate self? or was his alternate self dealt with? Also, Dominus should in all likelihood still be alive, so what if Rewind finds him here? There is major potential here for Rodimus to reclaim a Matrix and thus get the quest back on track for them with a matrix map, and also to recover from the death of Dominus in MTMTE 53.

4) a resurgent functionists council would not have taken hold until after the events of MTMTE 36 seeing as how that happened on the day Megatron would have taken a life. Does that mean a Rodimus is alive in this universe as well, or another version of him? Or, let's just bring this out: what about all the guys who were forged in this universe? what happened to them? I'm sort of disappointed that so far Anode and Rung are the only 2 appearing in both universes in this arc, and there is great potential to see where the others went. Which, could happen in issue 4 with some sort of Rung rescue effort with a rogue group with that universes Orion Pax or something like that.

5) what do we make of 9 of 12 being different from his version in MTMTE 35? He was green then, but now he's red. and his design could have changed a bit, I'm not entirely sure on that one. could this be an honest error, or could it be something else entirely?

6) Rung is a ploy. They even said in #35 that he was 'the last thing they wanted' when referring to his alternate mode, so therefore he can't actually end up being something useful. He's connected to the matrix and 6 of 12 somehow, seeing as how my prediction is that he is a giver of life, someone capable of creating sparks, as seen when he steps down on Luna 1 and ignited the Hot Spot in issue 17. Also funny that we havent seen our Rung since issue 1.

7) Luna 2: no idea what's up there, not even a prediction, but I do not believe Unicron = Luna 2 (sorry Scotty)

I totally called Killmaster. Maybe his wand is some sort of space bridge technology, where he teleports the victims somewhere? We've not had any background on that, and I very highly doubt Swerve and 10 would outright be killed that way.

9) Cyclonus: is it possible that Tailgate sleep-beats him up? Like, when Tailgate is recharging, his new strength means he also lashes out in his sleep, hence Cyclonus not being around him when he wakes up and also how he suffers those injuries but wants Tailgate to 'let them go.' I highly doubt Cyclonus would actually let someone beat him up, let alone more than once and including ripping off an arm, and leaving him his great sword.

10) still don't like the art. OP's art has grown on me, but this is still doing me no favors.

11) somehow, Luna 2 will be the way that the trapped Lost Lighters get off of Cybertron and back to their own dimension, maybe coupled with a newfound Matrix. with no spaceships and no teleport technology and no "geobomb" at least in this universe seeing as how Killmaster would not have been around to design the basis of the design anyway.

12) Wonder if any thing will be brought up that this universe is essentially Rewind's fault, and if he feels responsible in some way for it.

That is all... for now

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:OK, long ass post dealing with lots of things I have thought about today.

1) Anode. How does that work in the alternate dimension? She is from Caminus, and Lug is her travel buddy, we'll use that for now. Yet here, she is on Cybertron and is without Lug. She has the same purpose though. Does this mean the alternate universe made contact with the colonies, maybe even earlier than this universe, or did somehow there not being a war allowed an Anode exactly like the Camien to grow on Cybertron? I'm having issues seeing this, especially considering how the council is now anti-space travel, and seeing as how Sentinel and the council seem to have several things in common, wouldn't the council hate colonies and thus not want to make contact?

2) So they actually have the matrix in this universe. That means Orion Pax never got to it and thus was never chosen to be a Prime. instead, that 6 of 12 got it and has been addicted to it ever since. So what happened to Orion when the functionists retook power? Was he killed off? is he on the run? I can't see him bowing willingly to functionism.

3) speaking of characters from our universe, considering MTMTE 35 showed us alternate Rewind died, but Minimus and Dominus are still alive, will that play a role? Like, minimus finds his alternate self? or was his alternate self dealt with? Also, Dominus should in all likelihood still be alive, so what if Rewind finds him here? There is major potential here for Rodimus to reclaim a Matrix and thus get the quest back on track for them with a matrix map, and also to recover from the death of Dominus in MTMTE 53.

4) a resurgent functionists council would not have taken hold until after the events of MTMTE 36 seeing as how that happened on the day Megatron would have taken a life. Does that mean a Rodimus is alive in this universe as well, or another version of him? Or, let's just bring this out: what about all the guys who were forged in this universe? what happened to them? I'm sort of disappointed that so far Anode and Rung are the only 2 appearing in both universes in this arc, and there is great potential to see where the others went. Which, could happen in issue 4 with some sort of Rung rescue effort with a rogue group with that universes Orion Pax or something like that.

5) what do we make of 9 of 12 being different from his version in MTMTE 35? He was green then, but now he's red. and his design could have changed a bit, I'm not entirely sure on that one. could this be an honest error, or could it be something else entirely?

6) Rung is a ploy. They even said in #35 that he was 'the last thing they wanted' when referring to his alternate mode, so therefore he can't actually end up being something useful. He's connected to the matrix and 6 of 12 somehow, seeing as how my prediction is that he is a giver of life, someone capable of creating sparks, as seen when he steps down on Luna 1 and ignited the Hot Spot in issue 17. Also funny that we havent seen our Rung since issue 1.

7) Luna 2: no idea what's up there, not even a prediction, but I do not believe Unicron = Luna 2 (sorry Scotty)

I totally called Killmaster. Maybe his wand is some sort of space bridge technology, where he teleports the victims somewhere? We've not had any background on that, and I very highly doubt Swerve and 10 would outright be killed that way.

9) Cyclonus: is it possible that Tailgate sleep-beats him up? Like, when Tailgate is recharging, his new strength means he also lashes out in his sleep, hence Cyclonus not being around him when he wakes up and also how he suffers those injuries but wants Tailgate to 'let them go.' I highly doubt Cyclonus would actually let someone beat him up, let alone more than once and including ripping off an arm, and leaving him his great sword.

10) still don't like the art. OP's art has grown on me, but this is still doing me no favors.

11) somehow, Luna 2 will be the way that the trapped Lost Lighters get off of Cybertron and back to their own dimension, maybe coupled with a newfound Matrix. with no spaceships and no teleport technology and no "geobomb" at least in this universe seeing as how Killmaster would not have been around to design the basis of the design anyway.

12) Wonder if any thing will be brought up that this universe is essentially Rewind's fault, and if he feels responsible in some way for it.

That is all... for now

1. the colonies were found. its just implied especially with females shown in issue 35 of MTMTE and Hotshot being in the background.

2. the matrix was rediscovered, in 4 million years they probably unearthed it from the Undergrid or forced the bot that hid it to find it, maybe through Mnuemosurgery. Orion is probably dead because they said the council killed the intelectual class and Orion was part of that, or hes still alive. He could even be Nine of Twelve.

3.depends if they are needed or alive. I personally dont want that because we dont need another weird fakeout death situation or love triangle with Rewind and Chromedome. its getting old and so fare fake outs and resurrections

4.its Possible any of the Forged cast are alive and well in this universe but remember, the council started ripping people apart and rebuilding them for other functions.

5.Probably just a change of heart, he discovered what atrocities his fellow councilmen have done but lets not forget hes not that great of a guy himself. he backed a lot of terrible stuff before turning against them.

6. Whatever Rung is, it for whatever reason denounces Primus and religion in general in thier point of view.

7. dont even mention him. lol the day unicron shows up any form of religious ambiguity goes too and in my opinion its one of the best aspects of IDW.

8. yeah, i think his wand may be a weird teleporter. MCGUFFIN TO THE RESCUE!

9. Its very possible.

10. i like the art, its no more stylized than Nicks when he started and im not gonna rag on someone for doing their own thing instead of copying what others are doing like Milne did for years until he found his own groove(seriously from 2004-2011 all he was doing was copying Don's style and it was awful)

11. i have wondered if they might take the Matrix but i dont think its their right to do something like that. i think we need to fix their own matrix before taking another reality's. it also feels lazy.

12. theyre aware. everyone knows, it was why they were okay with him killing megatron for a moment because while it condemned their race, it saved billions, maybe trillions in the universe. Thats why Megatron told Tarn he doesnt blame Rewind for it.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:6) Rung is a ploy. They even said in #35 that he was 'the last thing they wanted' when referring to his alternate mode, so, therefore he can't actually end up being something useful. He's connected to the matrix and 6 of 12 somehow, seeing as how my prediction is that he is a giver of life, someone capable of creating sparks, as seen when he steps down on Luna 1 and ignited the Hot Spot in issue 17. Also funny that we haven't seen our Rung since issue 1.

This theory makes... a lot of sense, actually. The council would likely be vehemently opposed to the notion of a being other than Primus being able to give life. On the other hand, going with this theory, that might imply that the Rung scene in issue #1 was actually him resurrecting Skids or something like that, and I would NOT want that. It would take away the value Skids' death.

Randomhero wrote:Orion is probably dead because they said the council killed the intellectual class and Orion was part of that, or he's still alive. He could even be Nine of Twelve.

While that would be an interesting twist, Orion isn't nearly religious enough to receive a spot on the council. I'm sure with time Roberts will show the whereabouts of plenty of other important transformers. There are so many ways he could go with this. Think about it, The Circle of Light, Shockwave (although he and Dai Atlas were likely killed with the rest of the Senate), Omega Supreme, and Trypticon are all unaccounted for.

Also, I didn't mind the art in this issue as much as in the first two. Lawerence is still no Milne, not even close, but he'll do for now.

On a tablet so quoting long posts gets messy, but for just ^ above, wasn't that Senator Shockwave getting attacked (with an implied death) in the flashback panels?

As to my thoughts on the book, it was pretty great. Like Scotty said in the review it had the "eagerness to turn the page" thing going on. The art was actually pretty nice here, it didn't bother me like the first two and Anode was developed nicely. I agree that the drill is probably not Rung at all and if he has the power to give life then I hope it doesn't lead to fake out deaths like others have said. As much as I love these characters, if they die it needs to have meaning and finality.
Also can I just say on an unrelated note that the whole "big brother" society the Functionists run is one of my greatest fears that should never become reality.

Any Brits catch the allusions to Brexit Britain in this issue?

Nicely done, Mr Roberts.

Quint wrote:Any Brits catch the allusions to Brexit Britain in this issue?

Nicely done, Mr Roberts.

They were laid on fairly thick, to be fair!

Va'al wrote:

Quint wrote:Any Brits catch the allusions to Brexit Britain in this issue?

Nicely done, Mr Roberts.

They were laid on fairly thick, to be fair!

Yeeeah... I got a little excited. On second reading, I completely agree. He even emboldened one of the Gove references FFS

[facepalm]

Quint wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Quint wrote:Any Brits catch the allusions to Brexit Britain in this issue?

Nicely done, Mr Roberts.

They were laid on fairly thick, to be fair!

Yeeeah... I got a little excited. On second reading, I completely agree. He even emboldened one of the Gove references FFS

[facepalm]

Not the first time, to be fair: we saw something similar about Gove and academies/education earlier on in MTMTE, when they visit Ofsted XVII in MTMTE 31-34! I enjoy them, but they're not the most subtle of commentaries.

If the Council has the Matrix, why recycle other sparks to make military bots? That's already blasphemy enough, so bleeding sparks from the Matrix shouldn't be off limits.

I don't think they do have the real Matrix. Nine-of-Twelve defected when Six-of-Twelve took the Matrix from Nominus. We know Nominus didn't have the real Matrix. The real one is likely still hidden in the Undergrid, which may be the key to victory for our intrepid heroes.

Killmaster or his wand will likely be the path back to the regular universe. He did invent the basis for the Geobomb, after all.

As an aside, oh man, did I miss this! We are back in full-on speculation mode with Lost Light, and it's just wonderful!

SureShot18 wrote:As to my thoughts on the book, it was pretty great. Like Scotty said in the review it had the "eagerness to turn the page" thing going on. The art was actually pretty nice here, it didn't bother me like the first two and Anode was developed nicely. I agree that the drill is probably not Rung at all and if he has the power to give life then I hope it doesn't lead to fake out deaths like others have said. As much as I love these characters, if they die it needs to have meaning and finality.
Also can I just say on an unrelated note that the whole "big brother" society the Functionists run is one of my greatest fears that should never become reality.

It's already there...WE ARE YOUR EYES!!!!

MrBlack wrote:Killmaster or his wand will likely be the path back to the regular universe. He did invent the basis for the Geobomb, after all.

Never thought of that, but you could be very right!

Po-po-po-politiiiiics! (And credit to the art teams, which is nice.)

Politics is a core theme of Roberts’ entire Transformers work, and while the comics do have some of the best action, romance and comedy, they’re also all about refusing to let anyone else make your decisions for you.

It’s something explored in the classic two-parter “Chaos Theory” with regular collaborators Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente, which not only features the first meeting of Optimus Prime and Megatron, but shows the early roots of both the Autobot and Decepticon ideologies.


Read More: TMKF: Raging Against The Machine In 'Transformers' | http://comicsalliance.com/james-roberts ... ck=tsmclip

What I like about Robert's, is how he does the politics in his stories right. He doesn't beat you over the head with it, with a large ugly Cheeto shaped club. He lets it flow naturally in the course of the story and the characterization. I don't mind political messages, even if I disagree with him, when portrayed in that nature. I hate when it is in your face and the express purpose is to make a statement, not tell a story.

Roberts kind of a master at this, in my opinion. Subtle, yet gets his point across while still keeping you engaged.

Ironhidensh wrote:What I like about Robert's, is how he does the politics in his stories right. He doesn't beat you over the head with it, with a large ugly Cheeto shaped club. He lets it flow naturally in the course of the story and the characterization. I don't mind political messages, even if I disagree with him, when portrayed in that nature. I hate when it is in your face and the express purpose is to make a statement, not tell a story.

Roberts kind of a master at this, in my opinion. Subtle, yet gets his point across while still keeping you engaged.

I said this earlier in the thread I think, but coming from a UK/EU perspective, he's not always as subtle as it might seem to readers outside of those realities. Especially direct criticism of UK politics, can be very obvious, rather than a more diffused sense of political ideologies at work.

Not detracting from the work he does, at all, just pointing it out for the discussion!

Yeaaah, if there's one thing I can say MTMTE/LL doesn't do well, it's being subtle in its political allegories. It's embedded well into the stories, and it's very clever how it's embedded into the universe itself, but it is very obvious and lays it on rather thick. I don't mind it myself and I feel there are good reasons for it in terms of education and inspiration; but I'd rather not get into politics no matter how much the subject matter is about them. Politics and Religion are the big two you never talk about on the internet...

Kurona wrote:Yeaaah, if there's one thing I can say MTMTE/LL doesn't do well, it's being subtle in its political allegories. It's embedded well into the stories, and it's very clever how it's embedded into the universe itself, but it is very obvious and lays it on rather thick. I don't mind it myself and I feel there are good reasons for it in terms of education and inspiration; but I'd rather not get into politics no matter how much the subject matter is about them. Politics and Religion are the big two you never talk about on the internet...

Though it is fascinating to see it from an 'outsider' perspective, that much I do like. US politics tends to creep into a lot of media commentary, explicit or otherwise, and I feel like more people are tuned in to that reality than the other way round.

On a completely different note, I'd like to mention that Lost Light has surpassed friggin' Spider-Man and got to the #4th best-selling spot on Comixology. And is the only thing on the top 10 not from either Marvel or DC.



This is awesome.

It's amazing that one of the best comics you can get right now has its roots in storytelling with a corny 22 minute long commercial from the 80s. And the Marvel comics of course.

Va'al wrote:

Kurona wrote:Yeaaah, if there's one thing I can say MTMTE/LL doesn't do well, it's being subtle in its political allegories. It's embedded well into the stories, and it's very clever how it's embedded into the universe itself, but it is very obvious and lays it on rather thick. I don't mind it myself and I feel there are good reasons for it in terms of education and inspiration; but I'd rather not get into politics no matter how much the subject matter is about them. Politics and Religion are the big two you never talk about on the internet...

Though it is fascinating to see it from an 'outsider' perspective, that much I do like. US politics tends to creep into a lot of media commentary, explicit or otherwise, and I feel like more people are tuned in to that reality than the other way round.

Interesting. I'll be the first to admit that I, at best, only casually follow European politics. That nonsense in my own country is such a destructive nightmare that I simply can't stomach any others. I really don't feel like Roberts is heavy handed. Like I said, interesting.

ScottyP wrote:On a tablet so quoting long posts gets messy, but for just ^ above, wasn't that Senator Shockwave getting attacked (with an implied death) in the flashback panels?

That was Nominus Prime