IDW Transformers: Robots in Disguise #31 (Dawn of the Autobots) Preview

A quick thought from the end of issue #30, shouldn't prowl know about scavenger leaking information because of his gesalt modifications?

ZeroWolf wrote:A quick thought from the end of issue #30, shouldn't prowl know about scavenger leaking information because of his gesalt modifications?

I wondered about that too.

But having read the issue, I have potential answers as well, so I can't really reply until next week!

Va'al wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:A quick thought from the end of issue #30, shouldn't prowl know about scavenger leaking information because of his gesalt modifications?

I wondered about that too.

But having read the issue, I have potential answers as well, so I can't really reply until next week!

Gah! Having review issues isn't fair will be picking up my monthly collection when this comes out so it'll be good to discuss what's going on.

I know, I usually try discussing before I read the issue, but by chance I read this one last night so it kind of spoils the fun.

But what I was going to say *before* reading it was - Prowl has been particularly scheming, and we've seen all the combiner stuff that Hasbro and IDW are going to be building upon going forwards. Maybe he's scheming even more, and is allowing the leak to happen?

That's what I've been thinking, well actually I went down the rabbit hole a bit further then came up with the following idea.
Prowl and Soundwave in a sort of shaky truce to get the war started again.

From the new gallery (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... ary/30915/), and I remember seeing it earlier, too:

Ah that cover, I remember seeing it in my brother's Previews magazine, it just served to fuel my prowl/Soundwave theory. With the way plot threads are being handled, I can't help but wonder about Elegant Chaos.

Synopsis
MINDBOMB! The humans have access to a CYBERTRONIAN mind—but whose is it—and why do they want it? OPTIMUS PRIME and GALVATRON race for answers, as JAZZ faces the consequences of his last trip to Earth.



Story

We're on Earth again, still, once more, with humans and Decepticons seemingly on one side, and an Optimus Prime-led team on the other, taking a moment of respite and recalibration since last issue's kerfuffle and almost cover-blowing blow-up. And we get to look at some of the cast's members' past experiences, both further back and closer to the now.



The narrative did not do too much for me, this time round. It felt too much like the moment to regroup, something that has been complained about previous iterations of the comics - and that work well as a trade, less so as a monthly. The character building, on the other hand, was very mcuh appreciated, and goes some way to explain the distended storyline in the issue, and I am particularly fond of John Barber's Soundwave vision.



The dialogue is also quite good, with some excellent chemistry between the Autobot team, some mixing, some clashing (and a great moment with Kup and Optimus); even Jazz' internal narration, though some parts feel a little overly drawn, works overall with the 'new' character he's being given in the story - and sets his voice up nicely for the rest of the issue, too.



Prowl, Optimus, the EDA, Jazz, Devastator, Galvatron -- everything keeps coming back to the Witwickys, one way or the other, and not usually in a good way for our favourite team(s) of Cybertronians. But as much as Barber's revisiting of previous plots to comb the knots is a good strategy, I'm not sure my interested is too piqued with the conclusion of this issue. Though having said that, I realise that pointing it out means it piqued something.. More below.

Art

I still really like seeing different artists working together on the same issue, and in this particular case, personal perspectives, with Andrew Griffith lining the present-day twists and turns, Guido Guidi dealing with troubled Jazz and his broken track and Brendan Cahill donning the purple for some Soundwave/Con flashback time (and some cheeky reference material).



Colourists Josh Perez and Joana Lafuente do an exquisite job a making the transitions work and stand apart as needed, building on the three different styles present in the issue. Perez has a nice palette of grittiness to contrast Lafuente's multitoned sections, especially the Decepticon flashback with its focus on what everyone (most) really covets.



Tom B. Long has quite a good amount of fun on this issue, with Galvatron's idiosyncratic and melodramatic style: soundwords and effects abound, and there are many individual voices to play around with. The covers also show this, with Jetfire and D.O.C. on the main Griffith/Perez one, a stunning melancholy Jazz by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente, and Generations Arcee (!) art by Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr (thumbnail).


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

I am still very pleased with Barber's approach to Soundwave, making him into one of my favourite characters in the RID ongoing, fleshing out background and current environments - and on some aspects, Prowl too, after my concerns with the Bombshell incident pre-Dark Cybertron. Jazz, unfortunately, felt more of an interlude with chance to smoothen out some crinkles from the story as we knew it.



As I mentioned above, there are some elements plot-wise that are looking similar to a number of other stories told in the franchise, and I do hope that is not the case for the series - as I know what the creative team are more than capable of. The read is not bad, by any means, though, and is still definitely worth picking up for a (beautiful) look at some Jazz, Soundwave and general bots.

Another good review va'al, so who exactly is leading the decpticons? Soundwave keeps getting more development, it seems so far from what I've read and learnt that Soundwave lets Galvatron think he's in charge. Hopefully picking this up in the next day or so, I'll be able to add my thoughts then

interesting use of Scoop in that issue

The comic's not about Arcee?

Strange, seeing as the toy the comic comes with is Arcee, and shows her on the cover.

The toy/covers have been a little bit randomised, to be fair, ever since they started matching them up. I think only the first couple were really synced up.

However, Arcee does feature for at least a scene, which is more than can be said for the Skywarp issue.


I have an addition to the review, but it contains some spoilers and will wait for later in the week to post it.

I love the way the Transformers remember that they are alien robots and not humans. For that reason alone MTMTE should be cancelled so RID can come out 2x a month.

1984forever wrote:I love the way the Transformers remember that they are alien robots and not humans. For that reason alone MTMTE should be cancelled so RID can come out 2x a month.

I'm not sure how you can say that I mean when the bots talked to each other they acted like humans this goes back as far as the original toon. Plus personally I much prefer MtMtE as I love the interactions and humor. What did you think the bots and cons did when they weren't fighting? Being social isn't a human trait you know

ZeroWolf wrote:

1984forever wrote:I love the way the Transformers remember that they are alien robots and not humans. For that reason alone MTMTE should be cancelled so RID can come out 2x a month.

I'm not sure how you can say that I mean when the bots talked to each other they acted like humans this goes back as far as the original toon. Plus personally I much prefer MtMtE as I love the interactions and humor. What did you think the bots and cons did when they weren't fighting? Being social isn't a human trait you know

One of the problems that I have with IDW is that the Transformers are too human. I've heard them say that they have internal organs, they were itchy, etc. RiD seems too be moving away from that by having Jazz say that "Starscream was a bag of rusty bolts" instead of saying he was full of crap.. and having Thundercracker say the Decepticons were watching like " an ardurian Roc", which no one on Earth knows what that is.

An adult Transformers is not one where the characters sit in bars, play drinking games and debate nonsense. A true adult Transformers is a G1 based (real continuity) Transformers where the characters wage war using military strategies. RiD is as close as it gets right now, so this means that we need more RiD and less MTMTE.

1984forever wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

1984forever wrote:I love the way the Transformers remember that they are alien robots and not humans. For that reason alone MTMTE should be cancelled so RID can come out 2x a month.

I'm not sure how you can say that I mean when the bots talked to each other they acted like humans this goes back as far as the original toon. Plus personally I much prefer MtMtE as I love the interactions and humor. What did you think the bots and cons did when they weren't fighting? Being social isn't a human trait you know

One of the problems that I have with IDW is that the Transformers are too human. I've heard them say that they have internal organs, they were itchy, etc. RiD seems too be moving away from that by having Jazz say that "Starscream was a bag of rusty bolts" instead of saying he was full of crap.. and having Thundercracker say the Decepticons were watching like " an ardurian Roc", which no one on Earth knows what that is.

An adult Transformers is not one where the characters sit in bars, play drinking games and debate nonsense. A true adult Transformers is a G1 based (real continuity) Transformers where the characters wage war using military strategies. RiD is as close as it gets right now, so this means that we need more RiD and less MTMTE.

To be fair, strategies are only being used by two characters, Prowl and Soundwave. You put them in MtMtE then that would be more your liking. Plus in MtMtE have used terms that you would like, such as the time Megatron knocked Trailcutter's intake chip permanently online. Besides what's so wrong with alien beings acting in a way that we can sorta relate to.

Guess what I'm trying to haphazardly say is that MtMtE and RiD have two different styles, so they can tell two different stories. No one forces you to read either, and for me I'm glad that they did it this way ( though trying to catch up on tpb is expensive!) more of IDWs G1 universe can be explored this way.