The Energon Pub

[Brakethrough]

I wonder if Roadbuster's death will be used in some way for a Whirl-centric story in the future?

[Va'al]

We're getting closer the publication date for the last issue of Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers, and iTunes provides the second first look at the opening pages for #5 - check them out below, and head back here next week for the probable full preview!

THIS IS THE END! Will PROWL get his comeuppance? Will TARANTULAS conquer all? Will any of the WRECKERS survive? It’s wreck and rule one last time, with everything on the line!

[LE0KING]

So this is still going on huh?
I kinda thought they cancelled it due to the fact that it stunk so bad.

[RevTibe]

So this is still going on huh? >:oP
I kinda thought they cancelled it due to the fact that it stunk so bad.

:P Wrong on both counts, mate.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Roche was having some personal things he needed to attend to, so the schedule was really messed up. but IDW was really good with him and still let the whole thing happen. And I'm glad we're finally getting the conclusion. I've been enjoying the series

[LE0KING]

So this is still going on huh?
I kinda thought they cancelled it due to the fact that it stunk so bad.

:P Wrong on both counts, mate.

Yeah, I know most don't share my opinions on this series. And personally I hate it when people just get on here to complain, but I still gotta say; this comic is just disappointing.
I feel like he dumbed down everyone's personality, making them all the same: snarky, sarcastic, angry, and homicidal.
The dialog doesn't flow because no one is building off of what anyone else is saying. It's like they're having a conversation but don't know what the topic is. It's just sarcastic one-liner after sarcastic one-liner.
He just doesn't do the dialog well. There was a whole scene between carnavac and impactor where he explained their motives and I still have no idea why they are on earth or what they want.
Not to mention I hate when he has them start to say something only for them to stop and start the sentence over. I know why he does this but it's annoying.

The art is good though, and some of the basic concepts are cool. It just boils down to not liking the way he makes the characters interact with each other.

Sorry, I didn't mean for that to become a rant.

[CaptainMagic]

So this is still going on huh?
I kinda thought they cancelled it due to the fact that it stunk so bad.

:P Wrong on both counts, mate.

Yeah, I know most don't share my opinions on this series. And personally I hate it when people just get on here to complain, but I still gotta say; this comic is just disappointing.
I feel like he dumbed down everyone's personality, making them all the same: snarky, sarcastic, angry, and homicidal.
The dialog doesn't flow because no one is building off of what anyone else is saying. It's like they're having a conversation but don't know what the topic is. It's just sarcastic one-liner after sarcastic one-liner.
He just doesn't do the dialog well. There was a whole scene between carnavac and impactor where he explained their motives and I still have no idea why they are on earth or what they want.
Not to mention I hate when he has them start to say something only for them to stop and start the sentence over. I know why he does this but it's annoying.

The art is good though, and some of the basic concepts are cool. It just boils down to not liking the way he makes the characters interact with each other.

Sorry, I didn't mean for that to become a rant.

I kind of agree, actually. I don't dislike this series that much, but it isn't the most satisfying story I've ever read. Roche could definitely salvage the story for me right here at the end, but it seems like there's a lot of ground left to cover to wrap everything up in a satisfying way and this would have to be an amazing last issue. And I agree that the dialogue has fallen flat at times.

It's funny how problems in various media tend to show up in groups. I usually notice it with movies, but I'm definitely seeing trends in all of the Transformers comics right now in terms of dialogue seeming wonky, characters not feeling consistent, and lackluster endings to arcs. It just seems baffling when I stop to consider how many people are involved in making these things that they all struggle with the same things. Obviously, I can't demand a perfect product every time, but it seems like there should be a wider range of mistakes to make.

Still, this series has taken Tarantulas and made him an even more uncomfortable, creepy character for me, and I can always be grateful to it for that.

[Va'al]

The first final chapter coming from IDW Publishing this week is for the second Wreckers mini-series: find below the full preview of Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 (because Newsarama), delayed yet again but finally here, by the mind and hands of Nick Roche and Josh Burcham. Of course, we will have a review ready for you on release day, so head back to Seibertron.com then!

Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers #5 (of 5)
Nick Roche (w & a & c)
THIS IS THE END! Will PROWL get his comeuppance? Will TARANTULAS conquer all? Will any of the WRECKERS survive? It’s wreck and rule one last time, with everything on the line!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
Variant cover by Guido Guidi!

[Randomhero]

Dear IDW,

Please give EJ more work. He deserves it.

[Prowl4]

You know it's a pity that the follow up to lsotw just hasn't matched the first book. Personally I think the choice of villains as beast wars villains was a bad choice. Overlord and a plethora of cons in the first was always going to be hard to top but I feel the beasts are so out of place it's distracting.

I would have went nearly an Armada route, hot shot in with flame throwers keep tidal wave and have sideways be the villain.

The presence of arcee bothers me. It seems in all idw books a fembot is crammed in and down the throat of the reader. Could have really done without her because other than Michael bay nobody is killing a fembot engaged in a war zone.

[BumbleDouche]

Good to see EJ Su back, if only for a cover. Now if we could just get rid of Ramondelli.... Yep, I went there again.

[ZeroWolf]

Prowl4@ Arcee is a strong fighter who can hold her own against Galvatron, if their was someone I wanted in a battlezone then it would be her.

Also Sideways would only really work if Unicron was involved, and IDW are holding back on him.

[Prowl4]

Prowl4@ Arcee is a strong fighter who can hold her own against Galvatron, if their was someone I wanted in a battlezone then it would be her.

Also Sideways would only really work if Unicron was involved, and IDW are holding back on him.

Holding her own was complete nonsense against galvatron. A writer with courage would have gravely injured or killed her. Galvatron would wipe the floor with her.

Sideways doesn't need to exist with Unicron.

[RevTibe]

The presence of arcee bothers me. It seems in all idw books a fembot is crammed in and down the throat of the reader.

Can't you see how ridiculous that statement is? If one female TF is being "crammed down your throat", you must be absolutely choking on the male TFs.

Arcee's inclusion is based on her past history with Prowl, the pre-Dark Cybertron Robots In Disguise story. Fitting, since much of SotW is focusing on Prowl's actions/legacy, much of the cast is a mix of Prowl's agents, dupes, and partners.

[Prowl4]

The presence of arcee bothers me. It seems in all idw books a fembot is crammed in and down the throat of the reader.

Can't you see how ridiculous that statement is? If one female TF is being "crammed down your throat", you must be absolutely choking on the male TFs.

Arcee's inclusion is based on her past history with Prowl, the pre-Dark Cybertron Robots In Disguise story. Fitting, since much of SotW is focusing on Prowl's actions/legacy, much of the cast is a mix of Prowl's agents, dupes, and partners.

Nah I like the male bots seeing as how they're all different and written with personalities. All of the fembots are the same. There's not one book without them.

Arcee is clearly being used to cram a fembot in. Look at the joke of rid that had her as earth autobot leader that was an utter farce.

[ZeroWolf]

You can not be serious. Compare windblade to Nautica, and then Nautica to Arcee, heck look at Nickel! She's the mother hen to the djd! Have you also considered that Arcee is powerful because of her back story? Jihaxus does like messing a lot.

And Sideways has really only ever existed with unicron, especially if you want to go armada themed. The only sideways I can think of that isn't connected was in Revenge of the Fallen, and I can't remember much about him at all given his lack of screen time.

Sideways in Armada was great as he was trying to screw over both the bots and the cons for his true master. Cut him off from ole big horns, and you got doubledealer or a less interesting version of counterpunch.

Speaking of which, where's counterpunch IDW? I'd love to see your take on him.

[Randomhero]

You can not be serious. Compare windblade to Nautica, and then Nautica to Arcee, heck look at Nickel! She's the mother hen to the djd! Have you also considered that Arcee is powerful because of her back story? Jihaxus does like messing a lot.

And Sideways has really only ever existed with unicron, especially if you want to go armada themed. The only sideways I can think of that isn't connected was in Revenge of the Fallen, and I can't remember much about him at all given his lack of screen time.

Sideways in Armada was great as he was trying to screw over both the bots and the cons for his true master. Cut him off from ole big horns, and you got doubledealer or a less interesting version of counterpunch.

Speaking of which, where's counterpunch IDW? I'd love to see your take on him.

You're getting close to fan fiction on here with sideway. In armada it's HEAVILY suggested he was part of Unicron. He wasn't exactly an individual but Unicron himself. Without Unicron sideways wouldn't exist and technically ceased to exist by the end of armada when Unicron was "destroyed".

Aside from revenge of he fallen, here was transformers: Cybertron sideways and he was not the same character as in armada. Cybertron was a sloppy dub of galaxy force and Unicron had nothing to do with galaxy force. Sideways along with sound wave were the surviving members of Plant X and we're playing both sides to benefite their goals.

[ZeroWolf]

I had forgotten about cybertron, but didn't the Japanese later go back and say that Galaxy Force was connected to the others? I could of sworn that I read that somewhere and they blamed the black hole as to why the timelines messed up...Then again they did find a way to Turn A Bang everything into the G1 timeline at one point.

My point still stands though about Armada Sideways, without Unicron he's nothing...After y what you pointed out Randomhero, quite literally.

[Prowl4]

You can not be serious. Compare windblade to Nautica, and then Nautica to Arcee, heck look at Nickel! She's the mother hen to the djd! Have you also considered that Arcee is powerful because of her back story? Jihaxus does like messing a lot.

And Sideways has really only ever existed with unicron, especially if you want to go armada themed. The only sideways I can think of that isn't connected was in Revenge of the Fallen, and I can't remember much about him at all given his lack of screen time.

Sideways in Armada was great as he was trying to screw over both the bots and the cons for his true master. Cut him off from ole big horns, and you got doubledealer or a less interesting version of counterpunch.

Speaking of which, where's counterpunch IDW? I'd love to see your take on him.

All fembot are written the same, snarky attitude, lack of respect for authority, over powered and invulnerable. Nickel is a stain on the did tapestry. Started as a gang of creepy psychos and now they've a cutesy female designed character questioning and bitching to tarn. The same traits are in windblade, aileron, mistress of flame, that horror show Victorian and arcee. They're involved in a war and not one fembot has died.

Sideways would have fit in perfectly with the current toyline. Replace the beasts with headmaster tech you still get the same story and a bigger better reveal. If a psychological route was the one to go we could have had an Armada esque sideways and the reveal would have been removing the headmaster disguising him to show Prowl who he was. The story could have been pretty much the same and let into Titans return far better than the sloppy way mairghread Scott will write it.

[ZeroWolf]

Again, I don't see how you you can say they are written the same, and and as for Fembots dying, that's really a strange thing to keep going on about, I mean for one, guy bots outnumber the girls by a large margin, so statistically yeah, the guys will take more of the hits. Look at your list again and count the ones who have been in battle. Nautica isn't looking quite invulnerable with the damage she's suffered. Will she die, probably not but she'll survive cause she's popular, not because of her gender.

Arcee has survived fights cause she can fight with the best of them and as Random hero pointed out worked with prowl before Dark Cybertron, being a lethal assassin.

The biggest thing however is that the greatest killer is: plot. If the plot decries someone to die then they will, if not then that's that.

Also they couldn't of used this as a tie in for titans returns. It's only because of delays that it's out now. When the series was planned out Titans Returns and the whoke Revolution event were still being talked about. Sentinel has already been chosen as the poster boy of Titans Return, and he's got more of a claim then Sideways has (he may of been the only headmaster in armada but he wasn't the only one in the toyline) as he was the first non optimus prime seen in IDW within the pages of Megatron Origins.

[RevTibe]

Nah I like the male bots seeing as how they're all different and written with personalities. All of the fembots are the same. There's not one book without them.

All fembot are written the same, snarky attitude, lack of respect for authority, over powered and invulnerable. Nickel is a stain on the did tapestry. Started as a gang of creepy psychos and now they've a cutesy female designed character questioning and bitching to tarn. The same traits are in windblade, aileron, mistress of flame, that horror show Victorian and arcee. They're involved in a war and not one fembot has died.

The sad thing is, I really do love discussions that aptly challenge my own thoughts and opinions, but a good deal of what you're... depositing here is objectively false. To view characters as differing as Arcee, Nautica, Aileron and Windblade as effectively equivalent is absolutely ridiculous. For instance; Windblade has displayed a talent for both empathy and manipulation - are either of those traits present in the terse, unpredictable Arcee, anxious Nautica or the once naive, now embittered Aileron?

Frankly, the most common theme between the majority of your objections towards current toys, comics and writers is that you seem to have a problem with women being involved in the franchise.

[Prowl4]

You can not be serious. Compare windblade to Nautica, and then Nautica to Arcee, heck look at Nickel! She's the mother hen to the djd! Have you also considered that Arcee is powerful because of her back story? Jihaxus does like messing a lot.

And Sideways has really only ever existed with unicron, especially if you want to go armada themed. The only sideways I can think of that isn't connected was in Revenge of the Fallen, and I can't remember much about him at all given his lack of screen time.

Sideways in Armada was great as he was trying to screw over both the bots and the cons for his true master. Cut him off from ole big horns, and you got doubledealer or a less interesting version of counterpunch.

Speaking of which, where's counterpunch IDW? I'd love to see your take on him.

All fembot are written the same, snarky attitude, lack of respect for authority, over powered and invulnerable. Nickel is a stain on the did tapestry. Started as a gang of creepy psychos and now they've a cutesy female designed character questioning and bitching to tarn. The same traits are in windblade, aileron, mistress of flame, that horror show Victorian and arcee. They're involved in a war and not one fembot has died.

Sideways would have fit in perfectly with the current toyline. Replace the beasts with headmaster tech you still get the same story and a bigger better reveal. If a psychological route was the one to go we could have had an Armada esque sideways and the reveal would have been removing the headmaster disguising him to show Prowl who he was. The story could have been pretty much the same and let into Titans return far better than the sloppy way mairghread Scott will write it.

[ZeroWolf]

Nah I like the male bots seeing as how they're all different and written with personalities. All of the fembots are the same. There's not one book without them.

All fembot are written the same, snarky attitude, lack of respect for authority, over powered and invulnerable. Nickel is a stain on the did tapestry. Started as a gang of creepy psychos and now they've a cutesy female designed character questioning and bitching to tarn. The same traits are in windblade, aileron, mistress of flame, that horror show Victorian and arcee. They're involved in a war and not one fembot has died.

The sad thing is, I really do love discussions that aptly challenge my own thoughts and opinions, but a good deal of what you're... depositing here is objectively false. To view characters as differing as Arcee, Nautica, Aileron and Windblade as effectively equivalent is absolutely ridiculous. For instance; Windblade has displayed a talent for both empathy and manipulation - are either of those traits present in the terse, unpredictable Arcee, anxious Nautica or the once naive, now embittered Aileron?

Frankly, the most common theme between the majority of your objections towards current toys, comics and writers is that you seem to have a problem with women being involved in the franchise.

Thank you Rev, for the last observation in particular, I had noticed it but I didn't feel comfortable calling it out, as I didn't know how Prowl4 would react.

[Prowl4]

Nah I like the male bots seeing as how they're all different and written with personalities. All of the fembots are the same. There's not one book without them.

All fembot are written the same, snarky attitude, lack of respect for authority, over powered and invulnerable. Nickel is a stain on the did tapestry. Started as a gang of creepy psychos and now they've a cutesy female designed character questioning and bitching to tarn. The same traits are in windblade, aileron, mistress of flame, that horror show Victorian and arcee. They're involved in a war and not one fembot has died.

The sad thing is, I really do love discussions that aptly challenge my own thoughts and opinions, but a good deal of what you're... depositing here is objectively false. To view characters as differing as Arcee, Nautica, Aileron and Windblade as effectively equivalent is absolutely ridiculous. For instance; Windblade has displayed a talent for both empathy and manipulation - are either of those traits present in the terse, unpredictable Arcee, anxious Nautica or the once naive, now embittered Aileron?

Frankly, the most common theme between the majority of your objections towards current toys, comics and writers is that you seem to have a problem with women being involved in the franchise.

They are all the same with the same traits I listed if you read what I said. Injured yes but has one even died even a throwaway fembot? No.

I don't like the fembots the way they're portrayed so what?

Mairghread Scott is a dreadful writer, Victorian is garbage and the fembots are not suffering loss of life in a war. Valid points all of them. If you think I don't criticize male writers, characters and toys I'm afraid you're deluded.

[RevTibe]

They are all the same with the same traits I listed if you read what I said. Injured yes but has one even died even a throwaway fembot? No.

I'm not sure if this is genuine ignorance or willful ignorance. Either way, discussing your myopic view of characterization clearly won't have any benefit.

Many people have tried to explain to you that if female TFs are a smaller fraction of the cast than the male TFs, and haven't been around as long as the male TFs, some of them even less than a year, then of course there aren't going to be major female TF deaths yet. (Have there even been a dozen significant character deaths since female TFs were properly introduced in Dark Cybertron?) If you want to see female TFs die, you should really be pushing for a 50/50 gender split in the comics - much more likely you'll get what you want then.

Mairghread Scott is a dreadful writer,

My ability to take you seriously in regards to anything regarding Scott was obliterated after your "She's only got the job because she's a woman!!!!!" spiel.

If you think I don't criticize male writers, characters and toys I'm afraid you're deluded.

I said your distaste for women in the franchise was your "most common theme", not your only theme. After all, who could forget your quote about James Roberts's "disturbing homosexual material"?

Bringing it back to the beginning, Arcee's been skillfully, perhaps even impressively, used in Sins of the Wreckers. SotW really needed to have an issue's downtime for Impactor and the once-comatose Springer - it would've felt a bit rushed/jarring if they showed up, ready and active on the first page. Arcee served to move issue #1's plot so the Wreckers could get their dramatic end-of-issue reveal, and gracefully switched to being a secondary/supporting character following the Wreckers' appearance.