The Energon Pub

[Va'al]

Out this week from IDW Publishing is a new chapter in the Transformers: Lost Light ongoing comics series, with issue #5! The book is released on Wednesday, and we will have a Seibertron.com review ready for you after then, so check back for thoughts and conversation in the Energon Pub!

Transformers: Lost Light #5
James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a & c)
It's TEAM RODIMUS versus a universe gone wrong! An alternate Cybertron is being torn apart as the malevolent Functionist Council implement a plan that's been millions of years in the making. But with victory within their reach, they find themselves up against someone who really shouldn't exist: MEGATRON.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
The end times are here for the crew of the Lost Light!
Variant cover by Jin Kim!

[MrBlack]

Jack Lawrence has been improving considerably through this arc, and these pages looks really great. Really looking forward to this issue.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Anyone else notice the large amount of FoC Shockwave alt modes?

[Diaboragon]

God I hate when the story focuses on Rung. He's such an intrusive OC.

[Rodimus Prime]

God I hate when the story focuses on Rung. He's such an intrusive OC.

Agreed. Rung sux.

[Va'al]

God I hate when the story focuses on Rung. He's such an intrusive OC.

Agreed. Rung sux.

I think you'll find you're all wrung.

[Big Grim]

G2. Always a good decision.

So the 1st story arc of Lost Light is about to come to a close. Has it met your expectations?

It's written as a trade and that'd be more OK with me if Dying of the Light, Titans Return, All Hail Optimus, and New Cybertron weren't also the same way. I'm kinda looking forward to the upcoming stretches of standalone stories and two parters/etc. Those are the bricks that make it all work and let creativity really flourish when it comes time to unveil the house that they've built, and right now this parade of homes is starting to get too long.

I love having three good ongoings but when they're all in full-on trade paperback epic longer form story arc mode for 12 months+, it starts to make you miss, say, Spotlights.

I came to say this basically. Now I don't need to! Awesome! While there has been gold (like the aforementioned squeeing of Brainstorm and Nightbeat. And the fact we see Nightbeat driving around the walls in his excitement!) I'm ready for a few smaller arcs. I enjoyed the issues of dancing and personality parasites, the Scavengers and the like. Fun little breathers. And yes, I wanna know what's happening on the Lost Light.


The preview looks good and I daresay that's Megatron co-ordinating the attack and being a military genius. And Rung rocks.

[Kurona]

People don't like Rung?

[Big Grim]

Apparently so. News to me too!

[Conwise]

People don't like Rung?

There are people who do and people who don't, just like any character. I for one really like Rung because he's one of the characters I can most identify with. Plus I love his design and the whole mystery surrounding his alt mode is something I've really enjoyed in the comic.

[Diaboragon]

People don't like Rung?

It's just that I'm constantly reminded he's someone's special OC insert. What with the mysterious alt-mode that wrecks an entire government, a super-powered spark that attracts a sparkeater, and being a timeline constant who's met every other important character in history. On top of related to Vector Sigma as the story's direction seems to be taking.

[Va'al]

People don't like Rung?

It's just that I'm constantly reminded he's someone's special OC insert. What with the mysterious alt-mode that wrecks an entire government, a super-powered spark that attracts a sparkeater, and being a timeline constant who's met every other important character in history. On top of related to Vector Sigma as the story's direction seems to be taking.

You'll probably want to read this issue then.

[ScottyP]

[Randomhero]

It certainly is a story of convienient coincidences. Stuck in a altnernate universe by a weapon designed by Killmaster, Killmaster is conveniently and coincidently on the necroworld with his wand that shares similar tech and can take them home. Rung revealing he can make constructed cold sparks with his body with Alternate Rung explaining the same thing the exact moment across the galaxy to those who arnt with the normal Rung. Anode being introduced for the first time conviently and coincidently as her functionist counterpart being introduced as the second in command to a rebellion.


This is lazy.

Wish the reveal of Lug was more of a surprise but a lot of people figured out what was up with her by issue one and more by issue two.

[Nexus Knight]

It certainly is a story of convienient coincidences. Stuck in a altnernate universe by a weapon designed by Killmaster, Killmaster is conveniently and coincidently on the necroworld with his wand that shares similar tech and can take them home. Rung revealing he can make constructed cold sparks with his body with Alternate Rung explaining the same thing the exact moment across the galaxy to those who arnt with the normal Rung. Anode being introduced for the first time conviently and coincidently as her functionist counterpart being introduced as the second in command to a rebellion.


This is lazy.

Lazy? Have you ever actually written for a living? I do it as a hobby and it isn't easy. If you're going for something with some sort of sense, it isn't very simple to think of a unique way of doing so. Roberts has to try to get his characters back to where they belong without seeming to pull out of his rear, so setting up Killmaster's tech as the way to do so is pretty smart. We know that Killmaster was supposedly killed by Whirl (who isn't reliable for good intel on the account of being y'know INSANE), so his lying about it isn't too far-fetched and thus making KIllmaster's inclusion of being part of the Disappeared rescued by Necrobot plausible.

Next, they never say when exactly Rung has this talk with Nightbeat (unless they did and I wasn't paying attention). Even so, I don't see how to the two versions giving to same information at the same time is being lazy. Maybe one of them could've been cut, but it was a character building moment for "our" Rung, so it is far from lazy.

Finally, Anode. If Roberts was tasked to try and pull new readers in with Lost Light, her inclusion could be his trying to do so. It doesn't feel like he meant for MTMTE was supposed to end there at issue 55 (I'm referring to the Lost Light's storyline), so I'm sure Roberts was scrambling to try and do so and launch a new book. My point? Having both Anode on Necroworld with her problems and a version of her with the AVL was probably his way to help his new readers understand the different universes better with giving them a character they've known since her conception.

To end this rant, I'm not a comic expert and a lot of that is pure speculation. I do, however, consider myself an amateur writer and feel that work from a good writer should be defended if it feels justified, as I believe so in this case.

[Randomhero]

It certainly is a story of convienient coincidences. Stuck in a altnernate universe by a weapon designed by Killmaster, Killmaster is conveniently and coincidently on the necroworld with his wand that shares similar tech and can take them home. Rung revealing he can make constructed cold sparks with his body with Alternate Rung explaining the same thing the exact moment across the galaxy to those who arnt with the normal Rung. Anode being introduced for the first time conviently and coincidently as her functionist counterpart being introduced as the second in command to a rebellion.


This is lazy.

Lazy? Have you ever actually written for a living? I do it as a hobby and it isn't easy. If you're going for something with some sort of sense, it isn't very simple to think of a unique way of doing so. Roberts has to try to get his characters back to where they belong without seeming to pull out of his rear, so setting up Killmaster's tech as the way to do so is pretty smart. We know that Killmaster was supposedly killed by Whirl (who isn't reliable for good intel on the account of being y'know INSANE), so his lying about it isn't too far-fetched and thus making KIllmaster's inclusion of being part of the Disappeared rescued by Necrobot plausible.

Next, they never say when exactly Rung has this talk with Nightbeat (unless they did and I wasn't paying attention). Even so, I don't see how to the two versions giving to same information at the same time is being lazy. Maybe one of them could've been cut, but it was a character building moment for "our" Rung, so it is far from lazy.

Finally, Anode. If Roberts was tasked to try and pull new readers in with Lost Light, her inclusion could be his trying to do so. It doesn't feel like he meant for MTMTE was supposed to end there at issue 55 (I'm referring to the Lost Light's storyline), so I'm sure Roberts was scrambling to try and do so and launch a new book. My point? Having both Anode on Necroworld with her problems and a version of her with the AVL was probably his way to help his new readers understand the different universes better with giving them a character they've known since her conception.

To end this rant, I'm not a comic expert and a lot of that is pure speculation. I do, however, consider myself an amateur writer and feel that work from a good writer should be defended if it feels justified, as I believe so in this case.

Yes I do write. I've said on here before I am artist that writes and draw comics and publish them. I've been reading comics since I was 5 and I've been creating comics for 14 years and have been publishing my own comics and going to comic conventions since 2012 with my other friends who also create their own comics and we sell and promote them at tables. Even been on a couple podcasts and been on a couple Q n As at conventions telling people about being a content creator and how to start it. So I kinda know a thing or two about comics.

In my opinion this is utterly lazy. Having Rung explain to nightbeat what has happened to him while his alternate version also explaning it at the exact same time is lazy. Having the crew sent to an alternate universe by technology created by someone who just so happens to be there and then him having a weapon that can solve it all is lazy.

[Nexus Knight]

It certainly is a story of convienient coincidences. Stuck in a altnernate universe by a weapon designed by Killmaster, Killmaster is conveniently and coincidently on the necroworld with his wand that shares similar tech and can take them home. Rung revealing he can make constructed cold sparks with his body with Alternate Rung explaining the same thing the exact moment across the galaxy to those who arnt with the normal Rung. Anode being introduced for the first time conviently and coincidently as her functionist counterpart being introduced as the second in command to a rebellion.


This is lazy.

Lazy? Have you ever actually written for a living? I do it as a hobby and it isn't easy. If you're going for something with some sort of sense, it isn't very simple to think of a unique way of doing so. Roberts has to try to get his characters back to where they belong without seeming to pull out of his rear, so setting up Killmaster's tech as the way to do so is pretty smart. We know that Killmaster was supposedly killed by Whirl (who isn't reliable for good intel on the account of being y'know INSANE), so his lying about it isn't too far-fetched and thus making KIllmaster's inclusion of being part of the Disappeared rescued by Necrobot plausible.

Next, they never say when exactly Rung has this talk with Nightbeat (unless they did and I wasn't paying attention). Even so, I don't see how to the two versions giving to same information at the same time is being lazy. Maybe one of them could've been cut, but it was a character building moment for "our" Rung, so it is far from lazy.

Finally, Anode. If Roberts was tasked to try and pull new readers in with Lost Light, her inclusion could be his trying to do so. It doesn't feel like he meant for MTMTE was supposed to end there at issue 55 (I'm referring to the Lost Light's storyline), so I'm sure Roberts was scrambling to try and do so and launch a new book. My point? Having both Anode on Necroworld with her problems and a version of her with the AVL was probably his way to help his new readers understand the different universes better with giving them a character they've known since her conception.

To end this rant, I'm not a comic expert and a lot of that is pure speculation. I do, however, consider myself an amateur writer and feel that work from a good writer should be defended if it feels justified, as I believe so in this case.

Yes I do write. I've said on here before I am artist that writes and draw comics and publish them. I've been reading comics since I was 5 and I've been creating comics for 14 years and have been publishing my own comics and going to comic conventions since 2012 with my other friends who also create their own comics and we sell and promote them at tables. Even been on a couple podcasts and been on a couple Q n As at conventions telling people about being a content creator and how to start it. So I kinda know a thing or two about comics.

In my opinion this is utterly lazy. Having Rung explain to nightbeat what has happened to him while his alternate version also explaning it at the exact same time is lazy. Having the crew sent to an alternate universe by technology created by someone who just so happens to be there and then him having a weapon that can solve it all is lazy.

A). I'm sorry, I overreacted and haven't been around much to know much about anyone here. So, ignorance on my part and I apologize for this.

B). I didn't notice that Killmaster had made the tech. And I still stand beside the explanation I give about Rung. However, I will say it to be my own opinion now and apologize again for heavily criticizing yours.

[Randomhero]

Killmaster is the creator of the Geobomb which was the weapon used by the Galactic Council at the end of mtmte that trapped everyone in this universe. And it just so happens he was on th necroword and it just so happens his wand is also based on similar technology. It's a convenient coincidence on top of a convenient coincidence with a macguffin as a cherry on top. I'm sorry I find that lazy

[Nexus Knight]

Killmaster is the creator of the Geobomb which was the weapon used by the Galactic Council at the end of mtmte that trapped everyone in this universe. And it just so happens he was on th necroword and it just so happens his wand is also based on similar technology. It's a convenient coincidence on top of a convenient coincidence with a macguffin as a cherry on top. I'm sorry I find that lazy

Nothing to apologize for. To each his (or her) own. I do think MTMTE, ahem, the Lost Light is the type of series to have a goofy coincidence like that, but as I said, to each his own.

Also, if you do writing, could you direct me (via PMs) to some of your work? I'd actually be interested in reading it.

[Randomhero]

One of my issues with Killmaster is that it seemed so forced to bring him into the story. Whirl talked so much about how they were arch enemies, making up amazing stories of their rivalry and then admitting he killed him in his sleep. Jump 4 years later and Killmaster shows up and Whirl admits he never killed him or really fought him. Here's my problem, why would Whirl say he killed him by simply sneaking into a decepticons base and crushing his brain if he Killmaster just disappeared. Whirl is all about himself and if Killmaster just vanished he would have made up a story of his heroic victory of defeating Killmaster and no one could call him out on it. This honestly feels like whirl did kill him and James needed a way to do this story and decided to bring him back and write that whirl just lied.

[Rodimus Prime]

I do, however, consider myself an amateur writer and feel that work from a good writer should be defended if it feels justified, as I believe so in this case.

This is where I disagree. I don't think James Roberts is a good writer. I like MTMTE generally, but it could have been so much better. It feels too cluttered, though not as bad as ReGeneration One was. If Roberts was truly worth his salt, he would have tidied up the story and maybe gotten more out of the pages he was allotted. Having said that, I still do plan on picking up the TPB of Lost Light, so I guess in the end that's all that matters.

[ScottyP]

I do, however, consider myself an amateur writer and feel that work from a good writer should be defended if it feels justified, as I believe so in this case.

This is where I disagree. I don't think James Roberts is a good writer. I like MTMTE generally, but it could have been so much better. It feels too cluttered, though not as bad as ReGeneration One was. If Roberts was truly worth his salt, he would have tidied up the story and maybe gotten more out of the pages he was allotted. Having said that, I still do plan on picking up the TPB of Lost Light, so I guess in the end that's all that matters.

I think he's a phenomenal writer. He can turn a phrase into magic, create genuine, relatable characters, and the long term plotting at play is very well planned.

I think Barber at his peak of being involved/invested as an editor helped the final presentation of Roberts' words in way we haven't seen in a long time now. Don't underestimate editorial's role in what we see. Also consider IDW has a shortage of labor in that department causing some of the delays reeally plaguing some of their other titles.

I kinda wish I had an editor for all my board posts and articles here. They'd be much better!

[RNSrobot]

I hate anode, and every panel on her has been wasted.

Whole arc should have been four issues.

Lawrence's art ... Nope. Zama and Pitre smoke him on every level. It's not very good, it doesn't fit the story, and detracts. I can only imagine everything would be reading better with Milne at the helm.

It's just fine. I don't know. I'm not totally down on lost light. It just doesn't seem to be on the level of mtmte. Not even close. Every month is at least vaguely disappointing.

There's good stuff. There really is. But it feels like every issue has me trying to justify the good in the face of the bad.

**** anode.

[Randomhero]

The art is the one thing I love. I think jack is knocking it out of the park with his story telling and layouts.

[Big Grim]

Well, I just gotta say I'm enjoying the hell outta Lost Light.