The Energon Pub

News Credits: 22 · Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:48 pm

Why is it that I loved this style of art in TFA, but don't care for it in these comics? Too many straight lines and angles, not enough curves.

News Credits: 462 · Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:51 pm

Rodimus Prime wrote:Why is it that I loved this style of art in TFA, but don't care for it in these comics? Too many straight lines and angles, not enough curves.

Still images vs. moving pictures, perhaps?

News Credits: 6 · Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:27 am

Alternatively, TFA was stylised but at least they still looked like they were supposed to in altmode. Prowl looked like a bike. Not a bike drawn by a 3yo that doesn't know what bikes look like >:oP

Also, in this issue we learned you can still fire blasters in Beast Mode. Wow, that's... artistically lazy. How many issues was it before we get the new artist? :-?

News Credits: 1646 · Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:41 pm

Angry Tarantulas face is amazing.

I still think Burcham was perfect for the art role. Hopefully, as much as I love Coller, he only fills in for just one issue.

News Credits: 1350 · Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:50 am

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Angry Tarantulas face is amazing.

I still think Burcham was perfect for the art role. Hopefully, as much as I love Coller, he only fills in for just one issue.

I'm still a bit confused by the art situation as IDW didn't make any note of it at all in the solits, normally a change of artist (even for one issue) is a big deal, but nothing was said.

Also, I'm with you in liking Burcham's art. It didn't bother me at all.

On the other hand though, regularly rotating the artist isn't bad as it could give exposure to up and comers (still say IDW could have done an TF anthology comic for this purpose)

News Credits: 6 · Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:17 am

I'm going to assume the main issue here, is that Burcham drew G1 first and doesn't understand the difference. That Beast Modes are not just cosmetic altmodes. Primal can't pull his shotgun out of his gorilla forearm. No more than Waspinator can shoot lasers from his wasp stinger. The original series couldn't do so and the lore says it doesn't happen, aside from specific exceptions ala Lio Convoy. Then it is simply the artist couldn't be bothered to draw a scene properly.

This issue also highlights that scale is a problem too. There are growing, objective problems with this art. Subjective bias is all well and good. But that is all it is.

Case in point:

Alex Milne has a RI cover in the back of this issue. One that is so impressive, on multiple artistic levels. I think he should have been given this book easily.

News Credits: 1350 · Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:32 am

Scenes like that though, Primal using his guns in alt mode, i don't care they weren't in the original series...I mean this is its own new thing. The creative team want that in this series, all power to them. The editors were clearly happy with it, so it's really not a problem to me.

News Credits: 462 · Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:38 am

Animal Attack Mode was the main gimmick of 1997.

News Credits: 1350 · Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:44 am

Sabrblade wrote:Animal Attack Mode was the main gimmick of 1997.

Ah yes good point. However even if it wouldn't, I'd still be
Okay with it. I wonder if they'll incorporate it into the Rise of the Beasts movie :-?

News Credits: 6 · Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:44 am

Except this isn't it's own new thing, yet. So far, it is a truncated redux with kitbashed extras. No new information has been presented. How things differ, in how they work within this continuity. A New Thing has to define itself. Just as Megatron: Origins and the -Ations did to establish how they were different from G1, Dreamwave etc.

This isn't about gatekeeping. Beast Wars finished 25 years ago. The End. Personally, I don't think there is any merit in catering to nostalgia at all.
But, guns in altmodes thing isn't them doing something "new". It is cutting corners. Because ala this issue, Burcham didn't want to draw Scorponok or Waspinator in Bot Mode. It would be like someone drawing Wolverine slashing a foe, without his claws being displayed.

Given the state of IDW 2.0, I don't think the editors at IDW have an issue with anything being done under the Transformers brand. As long as the money comes in.

News Credits: 51 · Fri Jul 23, 2021 1:59 pm

...so for the people complaining that this series isn't different enough from the original story, October solicits from IDW are out, and between one of the revealed covers and confirmation from Burcham on Twitter, Razorbeast is coming.

Razorbeast.jpg

https://twitter.com/jcburcham/status/14 ... 1994667009

News Credits: 462 · Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:03 pm

Me: "Huh, that's neat. Wonder what his role might be."

Haters: "Oh great! Another character for this series to ruin!"

News Credits: 6 · Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:08 pm

Great looking cover aside, If drawn by Burcham, I wonder what his altmode will look like...

Hog.jpg

News Credits: 1350 · Fri Jul 23, 2021 3:43 pm

It wasn't Burnham who drew it, Chan did

News Credits: 6 · Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:19 pm

ZeroWolf wrote:It wasn't Burnham who drew it, Chan did

I was being facetious. I know Burcham didn't draw that cover, because it looks great. Something you could see as a poster on a wall. Not stuck on a fridge, by comical magnets... >:oP

News Credits: 1350 · Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:41 pm

Ah I misread your post, hence my confusion :lol:

News Credits: 6 · Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:51 pm

ZeroWolf wrote:Ah I misread your post, hence my confusion

I thought so. Although you made me doubt that I'd written the right name, at first :lol:

As for the comment above. I'm looking forward to Razorbeast's inclusion. Part of the wellspring of non-Mainframe characters, that should have been used in this book from day one. Instead of the digibashes: Bat-Girl and Discount Snapper.

News Credits: 656 · Tue Jul 27, 2021 10:30 am

The first arc in IDW's new Beast Wars series, "Savage Landing", is set to conclude with tomorrow's release of Beast Wars #6. IDW Publishing has provided a five page preview of the book as well as its brief solicitation text which provides some information about what to expect:

(W) Erik Burnham (A/CA) Josh Burcham
"Savage Landing", Part 6! It's a siege on the Axalon as the Predacons attempt to end the Beast Wars before they even begin by bringing down the Maximals and their base! As Megatron and his loyal (?) troops launch their assault, one bot on Optimus Primal's ship decides to put it all on the line to help the others turn the tide.

The series will still be ongoing after this unlike many of IDW's recent Transformers titles which were mini-series, so don't forget to keep Beast Wars on your pull list for issue 7 and beyond! Check out the preview pages below, and as always keep it here at Seibertron.com for all the latest Transformers comic book news.

News Credits: 6 · Tue Jul 27, 2021 10:49 am

Didn't realise Tarantulas was a Fuzor in this continuity...

News Credits: 10 · Tue Jul 27, 2021 1:19 pm

That's quite a lot of monologuing.

News Credits: 56 · Tue Jul 27, 2021 4:38 pm

Sabrblade wrote:Me: "Huh, that's neat. Wonder what his role might be."

Haters: "Oh great! Another character for this series to ruin!"

Actually I'd be quite excited for Razorbeast as that cover looks amazing. It's just that the series regular art is abysmal and makes me have zero interest in this series. I hope just for the sake that someone can derive enjoyment out of it, that it turns out to be a decent story.

News Credits: 1350 · Tue Jul 27, 2021 4:44 pm

o.supreme wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:Me: "Huh, that's neat. Wonder what his role might be."

Haters: "Oh great! Another character for this series to ruin!"

Actually I'd be quite excited for Razorbeast as that cover looks amazing. It's just that the series regular art is abysmal and makes me have zero interest in this series. I hope just for the sake that someone can derive enjoyment out of it, that it turns out to be a decent story.

There's a different artist listed for the interior art. Still no announcement from IDW about the artist change, unless the artists rotate regardless :-?

News Credits: 3 · Tue Jul 27, 2021 6:58 pm

ZeroWolf wrote:
o.supreme wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:Me: "Huh, that's neat. Wonder what his role might be."

Haters: "Oh great! Another character for this series to ruin!"

Actually I'd be quite excited for Razorbeast as that cover looks amazing. It's just that the series regular art is abysmal and makes me have zero interest in this series. I hope just for the sake that someone can derive enjoyment out of it, that it turns out to be a decent story.

There's a different artist listed for the interior art. Still no announcement from IDW about the artist change, unless the artists rotate regardless

They are rotating. Josh has discussed it

Tue Jul 27, 2021 10:09 pm

Ok... that A cover is super cool and dynamic. It looks like all out war!! I've only read the first issue so far and I understand some peoples problem with the art, but I don't mind it. I just don't think it quite works for this type of story. This artist would be AWESOME on an Animated book, but I don't mind it here at all.

News Credits: 4877 · Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:17 pm

Dénoument

A review of Beast Wars issue 6

Light spoilers

This will be a short review because I tend to be more lengthy when I complain than when I praise or am simply having a good time. And that's what this issue was, a good time. Here is some praise for the writing, it was the very first time that I could read the lines with the characters' voices in my head. Which is something I have been unable to do at times in this comic, which is not ideal when your main goal is to give your readers a familiar setting to expand on.

But as of now, I'm good. This issue serves as a fitting end to the six part introduction arc and is similar to how the second episode of the show wraps up. The stand out this issue was Megatron and the weakest link s Cheetor, not due to characterization but because there is just very little of him in this first arc.

In terms of art, I am fine with it too. The style is not for everyone but I felt more comfortable with it now than before, for the robot modes. I like the nice sheen given to Primal and I don't mind his almost gundam wing looking helmet. However, the beast modes are still offputting to me, where the exaggerated and angular style works much better for robots and vehicles than it does biological creatures like rats and Dinosaurs (though Burcham's Terrorsaur looks great in both modes).

My one issue with the art is more about how it does not synch with the words being uttered all the time. For instance, there is a scene where Dinobot says he is facing five Predaccons but there are only 4 in front of him. I actually have no clue who he is referring to in that scene since he himself took one out of commission (in a great callback kind of way) so maybe the error doesn't lie with the art at all but the editing. Someone didn't catch that there were 4 Predacons standing in front of Dinobot in the shot (as there should be). While it may seem I am spending an awful long time on just a few lines, this is where we get the big money shot of the issue and it is the peak of the climax so it definitely sticks out as an error we didn't need. And it could have easily been fixed with changing one word in a few sentences uttered.

In the end, this was a good issue. Looking back on this first arc, it was not all great, but I did have a lot of fun as a Beast Wars fan with these most recent 2 issues. And I am looking forward to what is next for our heroes and villains.

out of