The Energon Pub

[BATTLEMASTER IIC]

I have no problems with this stuff. If anything, it makes it easier for readers to relate to these characters. Who's to say that other alien races out there aren't like the human race we're used to here? That's my opinion, anyway.

I do like that Leige Maximo design. I like it more than both the aligned and G2 versions. I'm not sure that it that similar to Loki, considering a lot of big bad guys tend to have horns as part of their characterization, like Unicron or Menasor.

[Va'al]

Much like Kurona said, I like the artist's take on the original Christiansen design - but it's the latter that I'm not a fan of. So the starting point is 'eh' and on top of the 'eh..' there's an 'oh ok!'. Meaning my overall opinion of the IDW Liege Maximo is 'eh ok'.

I can't shake the feeling that it's Hasbro doing a Marvel, and feeding it to IDW.

[Kurona]

Yeah, I do get the idea of the body-type and the subsequent jump to being Loki-inspired; the whole 'big bad evil dude that's really imposing' thing is already filled by Megatronus, and Liege Maximo's single appearance in G2 basically showed he was manipulating things behind the scenes - so being a trickster makes sense. But they went just a wee bit too far with the whole idea in latching onto something that's popular. They're smart enough to focus on the only good villain from the Marvel movies, I'll give 'em that.

'They' of course meaning the peeps who made the whole Aligned series bible. I wonder if there's anything else interesting in there we'll get to see in IDW other than the Liege Hiddleston.

[Va'al]

Yeah, I do get the idea of the body-type and the subsequent jump to being Loki-inspired; the whole 'big bad evil dude that's really imposing' thing is already filled by Megatronus, and Liege Maximo's single appearance in G2 basically showed he was manipulating things behind the scenes - so being a trickster makes sense. But they went just a wee bit too far with the whole idea in latching onto something that's popular. They're smart enough to focus on the only good villain from the Marvel movies, I'll give 'em that.

'They' of course meaning the peeps who made the whole Aligned series bible. I wonder if there's anything else interesting in there we'll get to see in IDW other than the Liege Hiddleston.

I kinda want to see IDw TF's 'purple bot in the floating chair' now.



(This was definitely Elita for a couple of issues.)

[D-Maximal_Primal]

I still really like Durocher's design for the Liege, and I think it is the best of the 3. The G2 one isn't my style, and the aligned one was a bit too Loki. this one feels like a better balance, I like the colors, I like the helmet design, and I like that she had other ideas for it before settling on that one. When I saw the different helmet designs I was actually hoping for a TLK Megatron thing with the horns adjusting to facilitate some sort of faceplate (I love faceplates). Her design has basis, but still feels somewhat original, plus I believe those are wheels in the lower legs, so a hint at an alt mode! The colors actually work for me too.

It also helps me in that it looks enough like TLK Megatron that the voyager from that line will serve as my "G1 battle-damaged new-armor Liege Maximo"

[Hydrargyrus]

Ironhide and Chromia have always been a pointless couple and from what I read Sideswipe and Arcee seem pointless as well.

Aren't all relationships?
sorry, that was too good to resist

No art is apolitical. Not all art is political. Nothing is created in a vacuum.

Who's to say that other alien races out there aren't like the human race we're used to here?

Both very true.

[Deadput]

Sorry for the previous posts I took a look at them and I can't believe how idiotic I sound and I do think you guys are right I'm just saying what the mind's thinking and I'm bad at explaining.

I still dont think there has to be as many romances as there are I want them to be charismatics like Rewins/Chromedome and Brainstorm/Nautica or Skids/Nautica and not just have a relationship there just for it to be "there" and nothing is done with it.

Just means I shouldn't make posts while tired out and in a bad mood.

But you're starting to sound more and more like a person I want nothing to do with.

If I knew me as a separate person IRL I wouldn't want anything to do with myself either.

Because I'm literately mental, have frequent emotional meltdowns and shouldn't have access to a computer just stating this just in case I do something worse and no this is not a looking for "sympathy" post I'm sure some of you are going to think that in fact I don't care much for sympathy towards myself.

But thanks for the article Va'al I read it and I do understand it I should say I often use the wrong words to describe what I mean like political and escapism since their just words that sound right to use yet I usually ignore the definition of said words.

[Evil Eye]

As a complete stranger to IDW who probably shouldn't even be in this thread...

Liege Maximo is booooooring. He's literally Marvel's Loki except A ROBOT LOLOLOLOLOL. Seriously, the sooner we get a return to the demonic robo-Cthulhu of the original design, the better. That dude was iconic despite only appearing in a single panel.

As for the whole relationships kafuffle, again I don't actually read the comics but I will admit there is something a liiiiiittle bit weird about Tailgate being in a relationship and having a holomatter avatar fashioned after a baby. As far as the whole gay robots thing, I don't hugely care, though as a relative social conservative I obviously have my slight misgivings about it. I am glad they have been evening out the balance so there's some more fembots and some actual normal relationships though. I just hope they don't completely leap down the social justice rabbit hole and start introducing genderbending-based LOLdrama. Quite aside from anything else, being robots and all, turning into the opposite sex is a piece of the proverbial- a few chassis adjustments and a replacement gearbox and voila, drama-free reassignment.

Though after the mansplaining debacle I don't think they'd dare.

[Va'al]

There's a podcast episode coming up that will be talking about allllllll of the things for this second arc!


Also, once that is up, I want to do a breakdown of the 9-12 covers, too.
There's some great stuff in there that I really want to get my critical hands on, but I start explaining it in Mainframes, so will wait for that to be uploaded.

[Va'al]

One of those covers, as shown before, in sketch form before edits.


A fan recreating it with toys.





afdhfg

[Evil Eye]

I think I love the toy recreation even more. Starscream looks so unimpressed.

"Get off me you filthy little second-rate Thrust."

[Kurona]

Maaan do I wish the CW Seekers could be downsized to Voyager... this is just another reason it'd be so perfect.

[Sunstar]

"Get off me you filthy little second-rate Thrust."

Any idea how DIRTY that sounds? LOL

[Va'al]

"Get off me you filthy little second-rate Thrust."

Any idea how DIRTY that sounds? LOL

Easy tiger.

[Va'al]

This is the podcast episode I mentioned!

https://www.seibertron.com/transformers ... con/37901/

Give it a twirl, why doncha.

[Va'al]

As March has passed, but IDW scheduiling is what it is, we skip the month that was skipped and go straight to the next issue of Transformers: Till All Are One, number #9! Check out below a full preview, and come back to Seibertron.com next week for a review of this first issue in the next story arc.

Transformers: Till All Are One #9
Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a & c)
After the costly victory against the Titans, Iacon is in shambles and Starscream finds himself on shakier ground than ever. The key to his political (and likely literal) survival rests in the outcome of a very unlikely event: the trial of the Council's first official war criminal—Chromia of Caminus!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
Variant cover by Jin Kim!

[steve2275]

2 issues in a row to puck up on free comic book day

[SW's SilverHammer]

One of those covers, as shown before, in sketch form before edits.


A fan recreating it with toys.





afdhfg

*cough* *cough well i tried something

[Kurona]

World in Shambles

Spoiler-ish review of Till All Are One #9

Synopsis

After the costly victory against the Titans, Iacon is in shambles and Starscream finds himself on shakier ground than ever. The key to his political (and likely literal) survival rests in the outcome of a very unlikely event: the trial of the Council’s first official war criminal-Chromia of Caminus!

Story

Till All Are One is a book that thus far has managed to exceed expectations. Between the first arc involving old fan-favourites the Combaticons in a grand political drama and the second arc bringing in a Titan invasion straight from Luna 1, the comic has not only managed to beat out its predecessors in the Windblade volumes, but arguably it has been the best of all three Transformers ongoings this year. However, after two world-shattering arcs, it's time for the book to slow down a little and deal with the aftermath - and it isn't short on things to deal with. This issue balances so many dangling plot threads - the aftermath of the Titan invasion; the repercussions and explanation of the Liege Maximo and Elita's crew; a trial concerning a Badgeless' allegiance with the Combaticons; a decision on what to do with Chromia, and where Starscream will stand in all of this. Oh, and they somehow managed to bring in a plot thread from Combiner Wars too. So after such a fantastic arc, it might be one's worry that this issue in trying to balance so many bullet points may not be up to snuff. But oh, my friends, there is no worry to be had. For this might just be the best issue of Till All Are One so far.

With Windblade ominously missing from this issue, the narrative mic is handed to Starscream - and as you'd expect from the silver-tongued manipulator he somehow finds a way to talk for ages and ages and ages... without mincing his words. The Windblade books have done a fine job of building up just the sort of person Starscream becomes when he's essentially gotten all he's ever wanted and this continues that development following the huge events in the last eight issues. I won't spoil it all here; but all the interesting introspection and dilemmas he plagues himself with throughout the pages makes it all the more satisfying when he finally reaches a conclusion on what to do and how exactly to play around all his foes - it's exactly the kind of thing that could only come from a guy called Starscream.

Talking of his foes, let me give this last little drabble to Elita One. Ever since she first appeared way back in 2015 the mystery surrounding her, the crew she commands and the ship she captains has been played up - and in the last arc it all came to fruition. And as the mysteries of 'Carcer' have now been borne to all the public, Elita lays out all the cards of her goals, her motivation and her backstory to Starscream and what remains of the council. While a lot of it does show her roots on working on the Aligned continuity, Mairghread Scott nevertheless manages to weave in some very interesting worldbuilding to an already very interesting world. And by the time it's done, by the time it's clear where exactly she stands; Elita has in this reviewer's opinion been turned into one of the most interesting characters in the comic.



Art

Sara Pitre-Durocher and Joana Lafuente handle lineart and colours in this issue, respectively; as they have done almost the whole book. As such, a lot of what has been said about them the past issues can be said here - they're very good at what they do, they have a great understanding of composition and sequential art; and their style fits the book and helps make the characters pop. There is, however, one particular section of the issue very much worth commenting on art-wise - and that's the flashback to the age of the Primes.

This only goes on for two pages, but it shows they can go for another very different style extremely well. The section stands out for its darker, sharper colours and lines; creating a great contrast between then and now - the blurred figures and misty panel separation help create an aura of mystery and wonder without veering too far so that it feels like a smudge. While I adore Pitre-Durocher and Lafuente's style employed for most of Till All Are One, this is some beautiful artwork the likes of which I would be very excited to see in future issues.


Final Thoughts

As far as aftermath issues go, this is one heck of a good one. Starscream is interesting. Elita One is interesting. Chromia is interesting. The way the consequences of last issue are dealt with are interesting. This is an interesting issue! We got so much character development and revelations and story advancement in so few pages - this creative team has come a long way since Windblade volume 1 and I truly believe they're at the top of the game and know exactly what they're doing. And what they're doing is some truly excellent work.

And even with all it managed to give us, it still leaves me wanting more. The repercussions wrought by both Starscream and Elita are shaping up to be some very interesting development for Cybertron, and there's still characters we haven't checked in on yet. But if the upcoming issues dealing with said characters are anything like this one, then I can look forward to excellent storytelling with masterclass character studies and some absolutely stunning art.

1/2 out of

[Targetmaster Kup]

This was an awesome issue!

I like that they keep going on like Windblade is dead.

[Sunstar]

I'm sending out my husband to pick this up for me - CHIRR! *excited!*

[ScottyP]

Starscream is just so perfectly Starscream-like in this. This incarnation is creeping up on Armada Starscream as my favorite. Scott has such a handle on the character that it's astounding, and really damn fun to read!

[MrBlack]

This issue was peak Starscream. Clever, ruthless, and manipulative. I like the fact that he knows that what he's doing is wrong, but that he's also self-aware enough to know he'll never change. His statement to Chromia closes the character arc that started way back in Robots in Disguise under John Barber. Starscream has changed, but he's never going to be a good guy, and both he and the readers understand that now.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

via the usual suspects we bring to you today our first of several previews, that of Till All Are One #10! With the latest issue coming out only yesterday, it seems perfect that the first 3 pages of the next issue come out today. Check out the preview below!

As Starscream faces down the encroaching machinations of Elita One, he enlists Blast Off to help him bring Bruticus back!

[Kurona]

Oh scrap, we're gonna be focusing on Blast Off?!
... I mean, okay, yes; cover implied that, but still!