william-james88 wrote:Oh man, I found some other stuff I will post below and its amazing to read this in retrospect. It is ironic that the last line of that quote above ends with James Roberts stepping in, which has now changed the TF comics books into something Costas could have never dreamt. Here is what I was thinking when I was reading what I found here:– “Transformers fans read Transformers comics, and only Transformers comics. They are isolated from the rest of the comic book world.”
Batfan007 wrote:william-james88 wrote:Oh man, I found some other stuff I will post below and its amazing to read this in retrospect. It is ironic that the last line of that quote above ends with James Roberts stepping in, which has now changed the TF comics books into something Costas could have never dreamt. Here is what I was thinking when I was reading what I found here:– “Transformers fans read Transformers comics, and only Transformers comics. They are isolated from the rest of the comic book world.”
Man that quote is literally one of the dumbest things I have ever read. Is it out of context or does he actually mean that?
Kurona wrote:Having recently binged through all of IDW barring six spotlights (which I'm desperately trying to find), I was really dreading getting to AHM. I'd heard so many bad things about it, how it's the worst thing ever, how it's utterly pathetic...
I just found it kind of eh. I mean it's easily the low point of IDW's G1 continuity (though honestly, I think Revolution contests it for that title), but maybe it was because I was led into it being told how bad it was that personally I just had an apathy for it rather than any utter disgust. I mean when Drift showed up out of nowhere and cut down that Insecticon that really struck me as obnoxious and annoying and I hated him for that, but... eh. For the most part it was just a really dull generic story that makes me glad McCarthy didn't get to really do anything after it and that's about it.
william-james88 wrote:Kurona wrote:Having recently binged through all of IDW barring six spotlights (which I'm desperately trying to find), I was really dreading getting to AHM. I'd heard so many bad things about it, how it's the worst thing ever, how it's utterly pathetic...
I just found it kind of eh. I mean it's easily the low point of IDW's G1 continuity (though honestly, I think Revolution contests it for that title), but maybe it was because I was led into it being told how bad it was that personally I just had an apathy for it rather than any utter disgust. I mean when Drift showed up out of nowhere and cut down that Insecticon that really struck me as obnoxious and annoying and I hated him for that, but... eh. For the most part it was just a really dull generic story that makes me glad McCarthy didn't get to really do anything after it and that's about it.
I actually thought ALH was supposed to be good when I read it. I didnt know it was bad. And the article this discussion in linked from does make it seem like it was a much talked about event and an enjoyed event.
I just really didnt think much of it when I read it. I thought it was supposed to be a great story, but in the end it was just same old same old story with the autobots at a low point then coming back to kicking Megatron's ass. Apparently, there was a bigger casualty count here, but we never see it. What I hated was that it seemed at first they were trying to be different with the whole " but now its really bad, like worse than ever, we were able to pull through the past times, but this time its really bad, we are sure not coming out of this one, no way at all" to just bounce right back up and beat the bad guys. There wasnt even any in between. The autobots were down and then they were up. And the matrix was inconsequential. I was told that was always the case, but then there was no point really to linger on that and make it such a big deal.
Thats how I saw the series. People thinking they were doing something big and fresh and it just being instead just a modern retelling of any random G1 episode. The only thing I find truly bad about it, is how quick and random the situation changes for the autobots.
Kurona wrote: Kup's group serves absolutely no purpose other than exposition.
william-james88 wrote:Kurona wrote: Kup's group serves absolutely no purpose other than exposition.
While I didnt catch it on the first read (and havent reread it) I was told that they had the energon needed to revive Optimus and thus serve a purpose that way too. It wasnt clear to me though and everything still felt random and overly important for no reason.
JazZeke wrote:McCarthy's primary failing to me, besides just writing a G1 episode but with more violence, was his total lack of the grasp of pacing as a writing mechanic. As william-james88 described, there was all this hand-wringing about how the Autobots might not pull through, but there was a failure to actually make things feel dire, and it was all thrown down the toilet anyway by how suddenly they bounced back. Ratchet expressed concern that he might not be able to save Optimus, then like four pages later Optimus is standing whole and giving the troops a rousing speech. I remember that moment vividly because that is when my last scrap of goodwill towards McCarthy was burned away like a match in a tinder pile.
william-james88 wrote:Yeah I remember that moment too. Because thats when I realized this had been a waste of time and that nothing was new. It really was just a violent G1 episode. And its not to say g1 is bad, its fun. It never tried to be anything else other than what it was. But this story had a feeling of supposed importance. Like "this is the one you have to read". This time Megatron really wins and the autobots are really defeated. But no. Megatron takes over a place and the Autobots come to the rescue, the end. And I am sure a G1 episode would have at least shown ratchet fixing prime and Prime thanking him. That pacing was the weirdest **** I ever read in a comic, and I read a bunch of comics in my day.
I think the saving grace to the time I spent reading the story was the art and Ironhide. I really like Ironhide in that story and he acted exactly like I always thought he was, but rarely saw (more stoic and wise than usual).
Kurona wrote:william-james88 wrote:Yeah I remember that moment too. Because thats when I realized this had been a waste of time and that nothing was new. It really was just a violent G1 episode. And its not to say g1 is bad, its fun. It never tried to be anything else other than what it was. But this story had a feeling of supposed importance. Like "this is the one you have to read". This time Megatron really wins and the autobots are really defeated. But no. Megatron takes over a place and the Autobots come to the rescue, the end. And I am sure a G1 episode would have at least shown ratchet fixing prime and Prime thanking him. That pacing was the weirdest **** I ever read in a comic, and I read a bunch of comics in my day.
I think the saving grace to the time I spent reading the story was the art and Ironhide. I really like Ironhide in that story and he acted exactly like I always thought he was, but rarely saw (more stoic and wise than usual).
The funny thing is, when Megatron did finally win in G1, Optimus didn't survive and the autobots had to go on the run before someone else had to take his place
... oh god, I wrote that as a joke but writing it out like that just made me realise that the original G1 cartoon had a better idea of how to handle this
Kurona wrote:william-james88 wrote:Yeah I remember that moment too. Because thats when I realized this had been a waste of time and that nothing was new. It really was just a violent G1 episode. And its not to say g1 is bad, its fun. It never tried to be anything else other than what it was. But this story had a feeling of supposed importance. Like "this is the one you have to read". This time Megatron really wins and the autobots are really defeated. But no. Megatron takes over a place and the Autobots come to the rescue, the end. And I am sure a G1 episode would have at least shown ratchet fixing prime and Prime thanking him. That pacing was the weirdest **** I ever read in a comic, and I read a bunch of comics in my day.
I think the saving grace to the time I spent reading the story was the art and Ironhide. I really like Ironhide in that story and he acted exactly like I always thought he was, but rarely saw (more stoic and wise than usual).
The funny thing is, when Megatron did finally win in G1, Optimus didn't survive and the autobots had to go on the run before someone else had to take his place
... oh god, I wrote that as a joke but writing it out like that just made me realise that the original G1 cartoon had a better idea of how to handle this
Kurona wrote:So having read through it, there's one particular bit of criticism from the fans I really don't get.
Why the hate for Drift? I mean, the scene where he appears out of nowhere and cuts down an insecticon is obnoxious and makes me hate him for two seconds, but aside from that I don't really get it. He doesn't do anything warranting hatred, he doesn't do anything groan-worthy... in fact, and here's the thing, he doesn't do anything period. Like most of the characters in the book he's completely pointless and deadweight; the book wouldn't be any different had he been left out. Which is pretty damn annoying when his whole point is that he's a Decepticon turned Autobot, so surely in an event where Megatron won he'd have something interesting to say or offer! Like, why bother creating this character whose very concept has such a big tie to what going on but you literally do nothing with them?
So yeah, I don't get it. He's pointless, but I don't see why that was warranting of all the rage at him at the time. Hell, he didn't even do anything in the following ongoing.
JazZeke wrote:They literally said he was going to become "the Wolverine of Transformers," a statement which is in an of itself problematic.
william-james88 wrote:You pointed out exactly why people dont like Drift, because he doesnt add anything. He gets almost nothing for a story, here, and is simply introduced as a guy who is good at sword fighting. Its a very one dimensional introduction of a character who was supposed to breath new life into a story (as most new characters should). I never saw it as hatred though, just disdain, and its the same disdain you just expressed.
So, how did you find the book overall. Did you understand why Optimus was fine all of a sudden?
Kurona wrote:william-james88 wrote:You pointed out exactly why people dont like Drift, because he doesnt add anything. He gets almost nothing for a story, here, and is simply introduced as a guy who is good at sword fighting. Its a very one dimensional introduction of a character who was supposed to breath new life into a story (as most new characters should). I never saw it as hatred though, just disdain, and its the same disdain you just expressed.
So, how did you find the book overall. Did you understand why Optimus was fine all of a sudden?
Overall I didn't like it. I didn't dislike it quite as much as I thought I would; much like Drift the terrible quality of this book was overhyped to the extent I was expecting something like, I dunno, Revenge of the Fallen; and instead got something that was awful and terrible in parts but was mostly just boring and generic. It's still easily one of the worst stories in IDW's Generation One continuity, but I must say I dislike Revolution more.
william-james88 wrote:Kurona wrote:william-james88 wrote:You pointed out exactly why people dont like Drift, because he doesnt add anything. He gets almost nothing for a story, here, and is simply introduced as a guy who is good at sword fighting. Its a very one dimensional introduction of a character who was supposed to breath new life into a story (as most new characters should). I never saw it as hatred though, just disdain, and its the same disdain you just expressed.
So, how did you find the book overall. Did you understand why Optimus was fine all of a sudden?
Overall I didn't like it. I didn't dislike it quite as much as I thought I would; much like Drift the terrible quality of this book was overhyped to the extent I was expecting something like, I dunno, Revenge of the Fallen; and instead got something that was awful and terrible in parts but was mostly just boring and generic. It's still easily one of the worst stories in IDW's Generation One continuity, but I must say I dislike Revolution more.
Its because both opinions (yours and the community's) are basing their feelings on anticipations. I remember when this was anounced,it was a big deal in comic book stores. I didnt even read TF comics and i knew this was out. This was marketed as the big thing, the one where Megatron actually won. But it turned out to be no different than any other TF story where the bad guys seemingly won and then the good guys end up beating them like always. Its not a bad story, but its the same story as always, with some serious flaws, like the bad pacing and typical deux ex machina crap, so just typical stuff. So this being so much uner the expectations hyped up, the dislike was great.
And that dislike primed you for this book. It brough your expectations down. But its just a typical TF story, so you didnt see anything that bad about it, so you found it much better than what people said it was. Its all relative.
Transformers: The Complete All Hail Megatron TP
Rejoice, Decepticon brethren! The pretender, Optimus, and his treacherous Autobots are defeated, Earth is all but defenseless, and the time for conquest is at hand!
After at last succeeding in defeating the Autobots, the Decepticons set about ruling our planet with an iron fist. Their forces invade and control New York and, before long, they manage to cripple the United States. It's a war between the U.S. armed forces and a giant species of technologically advanced killing machines--a war that suddenly becomes incredibly one-sided! Meanwhile, the battered and broken Autobots struggle to survive a forced exile on their dead homeworld of Cybertron. Defeated by to an unknown traitor in their midst, the Autobots sturggle to maintain their trust and unity... and nothing short of a miracle will save them from utter extinction!
Collects All Hail Megatron #1-16, as well as Transformers Spotlight: Blurr, Transformers Spotlight: Jazz, Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper, Transformers Spotlight: Drift, and Transformers Spotlight: Metroplex.
Return to Transformers Cartoons and Comics Forum
Registered users: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], Lexomatic, Overcracker, triKlops, Yahoo [Bot]