The Energon Pub

[ZeroWolf]

I know I am in the vast minority here, being more of a fan of "Transfomers" (formerly RiD), rather than MTMTE... However I have read and purchased both titles faithfully since the beginning. I have to admit I just don't "get" MTMTE most of the time, and not always favorable on the change in characters personas, but that is a discussion for another time. But I appreciate what it is trying to accomplish and have the utmost respect for its fans. That being said... I really look forward to reading this issue.

Also. I've read several comments with regard to Megatron taking exception to Prime's actions on Earth. Also I am aware that *currently* it appears Megs has no interest in what Starscream is doing on Cybertron, or may or may not be aware of what Prime is up to. However...in some future crossover event, I would think that a confrontation between Megatron and Galvatron would something pretty epic.

I know currently in IDW they are probably not even aware of the others existence (Well Galvatron probably knows about Megs..but I don't know about the other way around...) and they are separated by light-years both physically and metaphorically. Still, I would think the nature of Transformers lore would draw these two together at some point for a confrontation. Or am I just thinking one dimensional geewun gibberish?

Megs and galvatron have already thrown down as recently as dark cybertron as galvatron came through the space bridge located inside megs. I think they also fought during chaos but I can't remember.

[leokearon]

Anyone have a scan of the Letter's page, I want to know if my Letter got printed but I can't buy the issue (nearest comic shops is over 150kms away) and I'm not sure if the will reprint the letter's page in the trade

[RevTibe]

Anyone have a scan of the Letter's page, I want to know if my Letter got printed but I can't buy the issue (nearest comic shops is over 150kms away) and I'm not sure if the will reprint the letter's page in the trade

Can't really upload the page currently, but can check if you mention the content of the letter or some other identifier.

[leokearon]

Anyone have a scan of the Letter's page, I want to know if my Letter got printed but I can't buy the issue (nearest comic shops is over 150kms away) and I'm not sure if the will reprint the letter's page in the trade

Can't really upload the page currently, but can check if you mention the content of the letter or some other identifier.

if they print names check for Leo Kearon or leokearon, also the word Stubbies should be mentioned near the start

[RevTibe]

Anyone have a scan of the Letter's page, I want to know if my Letter got printed but I can't buy the issue (nearest comic shops is over 150kms away) and I'm not sure if the will reprint the letter's page in the trade

Can't really upload the page currently, but can check if you mention the content of the letter or some other identifier.

if they print names check for Leo Kearon or leokearon, also the word Stubbies should be mentioned here the start

Sorry, doesn't look like you're in there.

[leokearon]

Anyone have a scan of the Letter's page, I want to know if my Letter got printed but I can't buy the issue (nearest comic shops is over 150kms away) and I'm not sure if the will reprint the letter's page in the trade

Can't really upload the page currently, but can check if you mention the content of the letter or some other identifier.

if they print names check for Leo Kearon or leokearon, also the word Stubbies should be mentioned here the start

Sorry, doesn't look like you're in there.

Thanks for checking

[DarkEnergon]

The reason I love MMTE is because of the characters and dialogue.

I love how Rodimus is done - and how that personality type is very real and always comes with costs, but those who don't let themselves be put off by it fully are usually rewarded - because unlike Getaway, he is kind-hearted at the core. Impulsive, vain, lazy, emotional - but all surface negative traits clouding a heroic character.

Likewise, I like how Megatron is being handled - Roberts doesn't miss opportunities to remind us that this isn't a trick - but still plants seeds of doubt all the same (Fool's Energon can *change* your personality? What happens when he's off his meds then?)

My big question - did the necrobot not have a magic portal to anywhere in the universe? Could they not just switch that thing on and pop off to Hedonia or somewhere?

[D-Maximal_Primal]

My big question - did the necrobot not have a magic portal to anywhere in the universe? Could they not just switch that thing on and pop off to Hedonia or somewhere?

They could, but who knows??? Potential plot point!

[DarkEnergon]

You know, I don't know why, but I'm kind of assuming that the goodbye videos are not under the gun from DJD, but self-made and released. Either a trick from Rodimus to get DJD et al to think they've given up or to trick lost light, or just everyone except him are resigned to their fate and have given up and made these videos.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

You know, I don't know why, but I'm kind of assuming that the goodbye videos are not under the gun from DJD, but self-made and released. Either a trick from Rodimus to get DJD et al to think they've given up or to trick lost light, or just everyone except him are resigned to their fate and have given up and made these videos.

Really not a bad thought, and I think we will see that either next week or next month.

[o.supreme]

I know this is a bit late but...I only get my comics once a month from the local shop, so I just got MTMTE #50 & #51 and read them together. I was just wondering...

When it shows the crowd shot of the mutineers with Getaway...Has anyone identified them all? I mean Blaster, Mainframe, and Smokescreen I could make out...But the rest I have no clue. Even TF wiki hasn't been able to identify them all. I mean if you are going to deviate that far from the original characters designs, you should give them name tags or something...

Also, why did it show Ultra Magnus get blown up on one page, and he is perfectly ok on the next page?

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Answers!

The mutineers on the bridge are: Jackpot, Crosscut, Grapple, Siren, Riptide, Atomizer, Blaster, Mainframe, Bluestreak, Hoist. The characters that cannot be identified are in the background on large shots like the beginning battles. It's not that the characters are that far off from their original designs, just the distance of the shot.

And Magnus got hurt bad, and the damage was on his right arm. He did get blown up, but the blowup was to his right arm. The damage is seen later since he is missing almost his entire right arm, shoulder and such.

[o.supreme]

The mutineers on the bridge are: Jackpot, Crosscut, Grapple, Siren, Riptide, Atomizer, Blaster, Mainframe, Bluestreak, Hoist. The characters that cannot be identified are in the background on large shots like the beginning battles. It's not that the characters are that far off from their original designs, just the distance of the shot.

And Magnus got hurt bad, and the damage was on his right arm. He did get blown up, but the blowup was to his right arm. The damage is seen later since he is missing almost his entire right arm, shoulder and such.

Thanks for the answers. I am not questioning. I guess I am just getting old...

Jackpot--Never heard of him
Crosscut--Never heard of him
Grapple,-other than being yellow, I never would have guessed this
Siren Never heard of him
Riptide--Never heard of him
Atomizer--Never heard of him
Blaster, (Yay I got one!)
Mainframe, (Yay I got 2!)
Bluestreak,(Um...Bluestreak has always been Silver/Grey...Smokescreen is blue..??
Hoist --never would have guessed that..

Probably the coolest part was seeing Megatron say "Autobots Roll Out!" (Hot Rod: You know you want to LOL!) and seeing the Transformers actually TRANSFORM in a comic! For the longest time I thought they had all taken Nucleon and had given up the ability to do this.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

That's a thing though: this comic is all about a lot of characters that nobody or almost no one has heard of, which is cool. And as for transforming: Roberts stated he found the action masters cool because it showed that hasbro was convinced the transformers would sell due to the characters and not the gimmick, even if that gimmick was kind of fundamental to the whole name of the brand. And I think that is partly channeled here

[Ironhidensh]

Did the actionmasters sell though? I know for me, as a child, that was when I walked away from transformers.

Also, one of the things I love about MTMTE is how they've assessed this in book, with several characters wondering at times why they even have alt modes.

[o.supreme]

Did the actionmasters sell though? I know for me, as a child, that was when I walked away from transformers.

Also, one of the things I love about MTMTE is how they've assessed this in book, with several characters wondering at times why they even have alt modes.

Unfortunately I do not believe sales data from 1990-1991 really exists, at least not publicly. But I know for most fans of the original TF like myself, we consider Action Masters to be it's death sentence. Hasbro did not seem interested by that time in investing any real effort in R&D of the brand, and Action Masters just seemed like a cheap cop-out.

I stopped purchasing the toys in after 1987. I really wanted PM Prime & Piranacon, but never got them (until as an adult collector several years later). But I continued to Purchase Marvel's comic, and even had a *rare* opportunity at the time to view the Japanese Transformers series as a friend in my school had family in Japan that sent him VHS tapes of anime constantly. However I vividly remember when the first Action Masters toy commercials came out. The talk among friends was not good. They were pretty much universally hated. I know age and collectability over time has probably softened most fans, and while I do not "hate" the action masters, I still see them as the end of the thing I enjoyed so much as a kid.

I do agree that the characters themselves are strong enough to transcend their "gimmick", but still, doing what they are fundamentally designed to do should appear at least once per comic issue (not every character...but at least once character once per issue)...Just my two cents. Even on alien worlds, where the concept of being "Robots in disguise" is unnecessary. What is the faster mode of travel... walking or flying/driving?

[ZeroWolf]

I think transforming should only be done when it's needed, and where it makes sense to show it. Otherwise it's pointless and can kill pacing in a story. It should never be shoehorned in just because it's in there name.

As for action masters selling I can only imagine them selling as well as an blackberry in an apple store.

[o.supreme]

It should never be shoehorned in just because it's in there name.

See...that's I guess the fundamental difference in our philosophies. I don't think doing something that someone is designed to do is shoehorning. If that's the case...just change the name of TF:MTMTE to - The Lost Cybertronians or something...Forcing characters nobody wants to see..because of Hasbro... THAT is shoehorning. I'd argue that Transforming never slowed down any Marvel or DW comic, or any animated series (with the exception of the Unicron Trilogy...because their overly time consuming Transformation sequences were just awful) . Heck the comics I'd say is the perfect medium because you actually don't have to show any moving parts. One panel they are robots, next panel they are in their alt modes.

Again, I'm not saying to do it frivolously, but in every issue of MTMTE that never featured a transforming bot, I bet I can pick out at least one occasion where it would have served a purpose.

[ZeroWolf]

I can respect your opinion and thanks for highlighting a grammar error I missed they couldn't change the name as the brand naming has to be there.

I'd also wager that transformation sequences being overused in animation is down to money saving techniques, anime does it all the time.

[WreckerJack]

I'd also wager that transformation sequences being overused in animation is down to money saving techniques, anime does it all the time.

That always bugged me in a lot of anime when I was a kid. With Digimon and Sailor Moon particularly. Always felt like filler after the first time. (which were good shows, like any others they have flaws of course)

At least with TF's its not always the same sequence. With digimon you'd see these same animations every episode and it got old. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAeIrYQcnwQ

With transformers it might be the same transformations, but you get them within the context of the story and not some copy pasted animations on a plain background. Which keeps them interesting and exiting. Also the fact that some of them are over fairly quickly keeps the plot moving along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5AJVGnuai8

If you compare the two, you can see what I mean. (I have yet to see Armada but I will watch it at some point.)

[ZeroWolf]

Wow, forgot all about this thread

My animation comment was mainly about the unicron trilogy shows where it's in main abundance. Also I'd argue that all tf shows do it to some extent as it saves time and money which could be better spent elsewhere in the production. Also G1 was like this, as it was just a toy commercial. There was no great care given to the animation as evident by all the animation errors.

[o.supreme]

Also G1 was like this, as it was just a toy commercial. There was no great care given to the animation as evident by all the animation errors.

Wow...I don't think I've seen a more assuming condescending comment in a long time. The Original Transformers animated series was much more than just a toy commercial. If you are going to play that card, then that can be said for every TF animated series. It had some great stories, some silly ones as well to be sure, but what series hasn't? It is still in my top 3 all-time favorite TF animated series. If you didn't grow up with it, I get that you don't understand it. But because you don't understand it, doesn't mean you get to hate on it.

[ZeroWolf]

Actually I did grow up on it, and I know full well its flaws and it's strengths. As a child it blew my tiny mind because it was big robots fighting. However as an adult I look on it without the nostalgia glasses and I realise the biggest moment it had in story telling was in the movie and that only cane about because they wanted to clear the toy shelves.

Also my animation comment was strictly from a technical point of view, something that can't be argued as it really is evident. Now everything else is open for debate, from storytelling to the music to the acting.

The toy commercial thing is true for all animated series as well but face it, g1 was created for that strict purpose just like a lot of other 80s franchises.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I honour and recognise g1 as the building blocks of our beloved franchise but that's as far as it goes for me, I'm happy to leave the toon in my childhood memories, I still believe the franchise needs to keep evolving and changing.

If you love the toon then all power to you just don't pretend that the animation errors don't exist

[o.supreme]

Oh I know the errors exist, especially in season 3. But I think that is more to do with a rushed schedule, than the people involved not caring. If you talk to the script writers, yes the goal to sell toys was obvious, but I'll take 90% of what I see in Original TF stories over anything in say...Armada, which also had its fair share of errors (which japan tried to fix in Micron Legend). Believe me when I say I understand the ability to detach nostaligia, from what something truly is, but initially you spoke with such seemingly emptiness that wasn't quite entirely accurate. believe me I am not against newer shows. TF rime was what in fact dethroned BW for me as the best TF animated series ever (just my opinion). But to say the original was *just* a toy commercial isn't true.. It was that...and a lot more. I'd argue it had for more non-toy Transformers characters than any other TF series to date.

[ZeroWolf]

Ah but it's only more based on your own perception of the toon, something which we'll disagree on amicably. As for the cast, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not after all for kids, they want to own all the cast members featured! I speak from experience with my eldest who wants every character in paw patrol, and all their variants...