The Energon Pub

Kurona wrote:Oh believe me, I've every intention of getting to them... if I can find out how

Signal to Noise is in v4 of the trade: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Transformers-M ... 613776918/

The Sound of Breaking Glass is in v5: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Transformers-M ... 613778023/

ScottyP wrote:

Kurona wrote:Oh believe me, I've every intention of getting to them... if I can find out how

Signal to Noise is in v4 of the trade: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Transformers-M ... 613776918/

The Sound of Breaking Glass is in v5: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Transformers-M ... 613778023/

Oh I more meant like, the stuff with Sandstorm and Bludgeon.

Internet was down for almost 24 hours so I decided to get around to reading the Action Man and ROM comics in my Revolution Humble Bundle (that being ROM 1 & 2 as well as the revolution one-shot and Action Man 1-4 which makes up the intro arc).

ROM was kinda... blah. It exists. If you wanna read it's there, it's not terrible.

Action Man I was pleasantly surprised by. It starts off pretty slow and a bit meh but it quickly caught traction and had some entertaining stuff going on by issue 4 that made me really wanna see more. It's actually up there with Micronauts for me; very good. Bit too heavy on the british slang and such though, and I say that as someone who lives in the bloody country.

Ironically, both comics gave me a feeling of excitement for their crossover event... only to remember and quickly get sad over the fact that said event is Revolution. Haha... ha... sigh.

The end of IDW's massive franchise crossover event is almost in sight, but there are still a couple of side-books to consider and left to enter the stage - this week, it's the turn of G.I. Joe! Check out the full preview of the event tie-in one-shot below, and expect a review some point this week too, from our resident staff Joexpert.

G.I. JOE: Revolution #1
Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milogiannis (a) • Aaron Conley (c)
G.I. JOE IS BACK! Thanks to the events of REVOLUTION, the G.I. Joe team led by Scarlett returns to the fray, leading the charge against invading TRANSFORMERS and other aliens. But when a US military defense base goes dark, Scarlett has reason to suspect that these enemy forces may have infiltrated G.I. Joe. It’s up to her, Roadblock, Rock ‘n Roll, Quick Kick, Wild Bill, and Shipwreck to move in and root out any traitors before the facility falls into the wrong hands!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
G.I. JOE returns to the fray!
A key one-shot connected to the world of REVOLUTION!
Variant cover by Ken Christiansen, part of a 13-part connected cover!

I'm honestly so far from caring anymore. Revolution has been a bloody mess.

Big Grim wrote:I'm honestly so far from caring anymore. Revolution has been a bloody mess.

it kinda has. I think this would have been better executed if it were split between 2 events 1 event to introduce GiJoe and Mask, and a second event to bring in Rom, Micronauts, and Action Man

Does anyone get an 80s/90s classic anime feel from Scarlet's face? I dunno, it just sort of reminds me of that for some reason.

But yeah... Revolution I think would have been far better if it only had Transformers crossing over with one other property, or maybe two. Throwing this many fictional properties into one basket sounds awesome at first but it suffers from a severe lack of focus at it's fundamental base, especially as all of these bar Transformers and G.I. Joe are literally just starting out.

In fact, I think this is why the one-shots have proven far more enjoyable. All of them focus on a smaller group of characters and have a single story objective. They're simple and effective.

SG Roadbuster wrote:it kinda has. I think this would have been better executed if it were split between 2 events 1 event to introduce GiJoe and Mask, and a second event to bring in Rom, Micronauts, and Action Man

Kurona wrote:But yeah... Revolution I think would have been far better if it only had Transformers crossing over with one other property, or maybe two. Throwing this many fictional properties into one basket sounds awesome at first but it suffers from a severe lack of focus at it's fundamental base, especially as all of these bar Transformers and G.I. Joe are literally just starting out.

For sure. I think if they'd taken the time to re-establish G.I. Joe and perhaps introduce M.A.S.K. first, that woulda helped. Perhaps Action Man too. The terrestrial assets. Get them running, let us see how they would work in the world with Cybertronians in it. THEN bring in the likes of ROM and Micronaughts. And give their comics time to establish themselves, though I hear that Micronaughts has managed to do so before being dropped into Revolution.

As it is, far too much is being brought in, in most cases from NOWHERE and are all being crammed together. Too much, too fast with little time to establish anything. And it has suffered. Big time.

Big Grim wrote:

SG Roadbuster wrote:it kinda has. I think this would have been better executed if it were split between 2 events 1 event to introduce GiJoe and Mask, and a second event to bring in Rom, Micronauts, and Action Man

And give their comics time to establish themselves, though I hear that Micronaughts has managed to do so before being dropped into Revolution.

Action Man's also been able to do that imo

The sooner this series ends and we get back to our normal schedule, the better!

Kurona wrote:Action Man's also been able to do that imo

Really? Has it proven to be good fun, as I hear of 'Naughts?

Big Grim wrote:

Kurona wrote:Action Man's also been able to do that imo

Really? Has it proven to be good fun, as I hear of 'Naughts?

Kurona and I don't entirely agree on all of this, but yes, it's enjoyable, much more than any of the other humanoid-centric series!

I'd say, personally, that enjoyment levels outside of the TF books are:

Micronauts
Action Man
-
-
GI Joe
-
MASK
-
ROM
-
Revolution

Dr Va'al wrote:

Big Grim wrote:

Kurona wrote:Action Man's also been able to do that imo

Really? Has it proven to be good fun, as I hear of 'Naughts?

Kurona and I don't entirely agree on all of this, but yes, it's enjoyable, much more than any of the other humanoid-centric series!

I'd say, personally, that enjoyment levels outside of the TF books are:

Micronauts
Action Man
-
-
GI Joe
-
MASK
-
ROM
-
Revolution

We don't? Cos that's how I'd rank it as well
except that I haven't read GI Joe or MASK yet

Dr Va'al wrote:

Big Grim wrote:

Kurona wrote:Action Man's also been able to do that imo

Really? Has it proven to be good fun, as I hear of 'Naughts?

Kurona and I don't entirely agree on all of this, but yes, it's enjoyable, much more than any of the other humanoid-centric series!

I'd say, personally, that enjoyment levels outside of the TF books are:

Micronauts
Action Man
-
-
GI Joe
-
MASK
-
ROM
-
Revolution

Sort of my ranking, except Action Man would be number 1 and the rest are about tied with one another

Hrm. Might just have a look at that then. Got a few issues of Action Man in the Humble Bundle recently.

I had such high hopes for MASK. Cybertronian tech/biology being used to create hitech transforming vehicles and Masks! What could go wrong?!? Oh. Turning them into a Black Ops team created by Miles Mayhem...instead of a group of do-gooders fighting a bunch of bad guys. Just...such a misstep in my opinion. I so wanted MASK to be aces.

Big Grim wrote:Hrm. Might just have a look at that then. Got a few issues of Action Man in the Humble Bundle recently.

I had such high hopes for MASK. Cybertronian tech/biology being used to create hitech transforming vehicles and Masks! What could go wrong?!? Oh. Turning them into a Black Ops team created by Miles Mayhem...instead of a group of do-gooders fighting a bunch of bad guys. Just...such a misstep in my opinion. I so wanted MASK to be aces.

The four Action Man issues in the Humble Bundle are actually the only AM issues out so far; aside from of course the Revolution one-shot. But even just them on their own are fantastic in my opinion; it starts off slow and you think it's gonna be on the "meh-it's-okay-but-nothing-special" level but it quickly builds up momentum in the endgame.
I've gotta say, if there's anything good that has come out of this crossover it's that it did in fact introduce me to two decent new comics - even if they weren't portrayed well within the crossover itself. I suppose even if this crossover was terrible, it still done it's job...? So I guess it's on the level of me doing retail.

Kurona wrote:We don't? Cos that's how I'd rank it as well
except that I haven't read GI Joe or MASK yet

You like more of what I don't, so it's a common ground agreement but not on every aspect!

Hmmm. Okay, come payday, I may just pick up MIcronauts and the AM one-shot. See what I think of them.

Big Grim wrote:Hmmm. Okay, come payday, I may just pick up MIcronauts and the AM one-shot. See what I think of them.

Action Man is a pretty good little mini series, though it feels a little like Barber couldn't decide if he was going for Sterling Archer or not. It's fun and I don't feel like it was a total waste reading it, but it's not something I would go out of my way to recommend.

Micronauts though? It's real good. Not "change your life great" by any means but surprisingly well paced, has a few deep characters, and is building a fun mythos. I think most Transformers fans will like it, and probably Guardians of the Galaxy fans too.

That said, issue 7 is clearly a breather issue meant to not spoil the end of Revolution too completely. Oh well, release schedules are what they are.

Moody magpie wrote:The sooner this series ends and we get back to our normal schedule, the better!

I like this post. Couldn't agree more.

ScottyP wrote:Micronauts though? It's real good. Not "change your life great" by any means but surprisingly well paced, has a few deep characters, and is building a fun mythos. I think most Transformers fans will like it, and probably Guardians of the Galaxy fans too.

Sold.

Reflections of a GI Joe comic by a mostly Transformers comics reader - GI JOE Revolution Issue #1 - by **************

G.I. Book Blurb:


CREATIVE CREDITS:


Presently: It’s a clandestine mission to our favorite Transformers playwright’s old hideout… BIKINI ATOLL for an extraction that maybe you wouldn’t predict…

TRANSFORMERS STUFF

Besides BIKINI ATOLL, and the mention of what has been going on with Optimus Prime, Autobots, and Decepticons, there isn’t much here for Transformers fans except a little gem at the end that I want to hint at with a very vague image below. Next issue of REV should be of much more interest to Transformers readers.



REVOLUTION STUFF
It’s pretty obvious, it’s a REVOLUTION title so it’s going to be about all the main players and continuing that over-arching story-line. It’s the GI JOE ONESHOT though, so mostly, we get Joes. A handful of them to be precise. And a whole island full of zombie-like Dire Wraiths.

Yo Joe…


AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!! Big Hat, Parrot Guy, Nose Man, Darryl, and The Rock


Joe Colton’s death was not a shock to most people keeping up with the series. The fact that he was a Dire Wraith, also not a shock at all. And indeed like the body snatchers of old, and any number of newer horror, sci-fi related movies and materials; this revelation involving several shape changers has sown the seeds of distrust, nervousness, anxiety, and even panic amongst the humans who have been infiltrated: mainly the government and GI JOE.

Who do you trust? How far? With what? The handful of Joes chosen for the mission by Scarlett meant that she could, hopefully, trust her crew and they could trust each other. Whoops…



The only Joes to go on the mission with Scarlett are Rock ’N’ Roll (machine gunner/infantry), Quick Kick (silent weapons), Road Block (Heavy weapons support), Shipwreck and Polly (naval command infiltration/extraction), and Wild Bill (air combat commander/pilot). Seems like a pretty solid group- but to me it does feel lacking-. Seems we have no Mainframe, who featured previously in REVOLUTION and who had ties to ACTION MAN, and the EDC. I think I might need to do a re-read to see if he got lost somewhere and I missed it, but I think, Myles ‘Mayhem’ Manheim may be the culprit, if my memory is doing its thing correctly.



It's really no surprise, when we find out one of this inadequate group is a traitor, a Dire Wraith in disguise, and this traitor looks to take out the group and end the mission tout suite (Who do you take out of that group as traitor? There’s no ‘C” level member, no red shirt, or green shirt...). The result is a nice little bit of horrorfest, which would have been perfect, if distributed about two weeks ago around Halloween. But now is good too.


Friend, Foe, or alien?


Definitely, alien.

MY TAKE
It was a somewhat morbid, despairing story that I thought really read well as a tale of deception by the alien Dire Wraith element and the mind-twisting, gut wrenching consequences, with another decent enough twist at the end that won’t pay off until later. Lots of gun play and action, albeit featuring about 6 Joes that have never been listed amongst my personal favorites, but certainly are popular among lots of the Joe fandom. The story becomes most relevant at the end for TF fans, but may not be worth a purchase for those not into GI JOE, or who aren’t collecting all the individual issues of REVOLUTION. Ask your Joe collecting buddy, or REVOLUTION collecting roommate to see the final page, and then wonder about what happens next…

The art was enjoyable, and while a scratchier, lots-of-line-work, somewhat detail-heavy style, it was still pretty slick and appealing. While Scarlett stuck out as seeming a bit to manga/anime-ish at times, and faces lacked eyes or even entire faces in some panels, I did not find it to be off putting or even bad -somewhat adding to the horror and unsettling storyline-. Action scenes were well-executed and very upbeat, if not unrealistic at times (it's a comic, so...). The lettering and colors played well to create the creepy, overall dark feeling that the story pervaded. The dialogue was pretty clear military jargon when it needed to be, but also was able to help you to understand more about their personalities and relationships. Like Rock 'N' Roll is a bit of a jerk.


The comedian or just a jerk?


What does this face mean?

YOUR TAKE (Recommendations, or not)
Skip and borrow for TF fans.
Joe fans**- worth it- certainly if any of those characters are amongst your favorites.
REVOLUTION readers, of course, BUY IT!


No crossbow for this zombie killer!

**GI JOE toy fans might find new reason to buy those new two-packs of Zombie Troopers at TRU, if you can find them. They could make great stand-ins for the Dire Wraith zombie people that are found on BIKINI ATOLL, standing in the way of our heroes and their goal.**


GI JOE toy image credit to site sponsor BigBadToyStore

Big Grim wrote:

ScottyP wrote:Micronauts though? It's real good. Not "change your life great" by any means but surprisingly well paced, has a few deep characters, and is building a fun mythos. I think most Transformers fans will like it, and probably Guardians of the Galaxy fans too.

Sold.

Let's see if I go 2 for 2, I'm 1 for 1 on recommending it so far. Had a Twitter friend pick it up and enjoy after my praise of it

Via the iTunes page for IDW Publishing's Revolution #5, we have an initial preview of the last chapter in the Hasbro cross-franchise cross-comics crossover event - and we've mirrored the imaged, copied the info below, and will be ready for a full preview next week! Check it out.

LAST STAND IN AUTOBOT CITY! It’s all come to this—TRANSFORMERS vs. ROM vs. MICRONAUTS vs. G.I. JOE vs. M.A.S.K. vs. the ultimate evil! The futures of Earth, Cybertron, and the Microverse will all be changed forever by the decisions made this day.

viva revofunlution

Oh dear... I obviously always should have expected a battle like this to be one, but this is just a mess. I can barely make out what's going on and the proportions and scale are all messed up.
And what is Snake-Eyes' deal? I'm really confused, nothing about him has even been attempted to be explained since he first showed up. He's just here now because icon!