The Energon Pub

Just picked up Transformers ongoing #8 and I find myself very disappointed. The whole issue is just about Spike and how tough he is. I don't mind humans in a Transformers comic but if they wanted to focus so much on one why not make a seperate mini series? I buy these comics to read about the Transformers and this issue really did leave me feeling like the title on the cover should have been SPIKE. Anyone else like or dislike this issue?

I find Ongoing lacking, like each issue is just a set up for the next one, not one issue can be titanic on it's own. That's completely different from series such as Ironhide or Last Stand of the Wreckers.

I agree, Wreckers was good, Ironhide leaves me anxious for the next issue but ongoing is really just constant lead ups to the next minor event in what is fast becoming a slow story with nothing happening. I also feel like its becoming to much like the movieverse with the whole 'small government team combines forces with asylum seeking Autobots to hunt remaining Decepticon forces' they may as well rename Spike's team NEST.

I recently started picking up Ongoing myself (since they fixed the art issue for the time being, I can actually tolerate it), and I was told to skip this issue, since it is nothing but padding involving Spike, and that nothing of the actual story-arc was moved along. I decided to read it anyways. He was right.

I normally do not mind human involvement in stories (especially if the Transformers are on Earth..makes sense they'd interact with the local wildlife), but they have to be done right and with relevance to the overall story...but a whole issue devoted to one human character? Not interested.

Blurrz wrote:I find Ongoing lacking, like each issue is just a set up for the next one, not one issue can be titanic on it's own. That's completely different from series such as Ironhide or Last Stand of the Wreckers.

That is what Costa or any other writer is suppose to do in any ONGOING comic book series. If you want a collection of mini-series and one-shots go read IDW crappy Transfomers books written by Furman.

Cyberstrike wrote:

Blurrz wrote:I find Ongoing lacking, like each issue is just a set up for the next one, not one issue can be titanic on it's own. That's completely different from series such as Ironhide or Last Stand of the Wreckers.

That is what Costa or any other writer is suppose to do in any ONGOING comic book series. If you want a collection of mini-series and one-shots go read IDWs holy Transfomers books written by Furman.

So, an ongoing is supposed to be one long story stretched through 50 comic books without any internal stories? So far, Furman could have written in 2 books what Costa did in 7, and wouldn't have lacked style.

Cyberstrike wrote:That is what Costa or any other writer is suppose to do in any ONGOING comic book series.

Well, no, what every writer is supposed to do is write issues where stuff actually happens worth reading about in each issue.

There can, and should, be setups and storyarcs, but each issue should also do something on its own. Costa's not writing a book here where the chapters and pages are all part of the single book we're buying; he's writing a comic where every issue is both its own contained entity as well as a part of the whole.

@Cyberstrike- Should be noted that most ongoing series today are done in story arcs (for TPB reasons), there is still a larger overall story but smaller events still happen.

In Dreamwave's ongoing series (which I miss more and more) during the Sunstorm story arc and the Insecticon story arc there were still many more things going on- Optimus Prime was recovering, Quintessons were plotting, Autobots building metroplex, Bumblebee leaving the Autobots and visiting spike, Government plans for an exo suit, questions over what the government were doing with the remains of several transformers, something strange deep within the earth. These smaller things were the larger story and the story arcs served to give the readers something exciting to read while giving little peaks to allow a larger story to unfold. IDW's ongoing feels like they are not sure where their story is going and that some issues are serving only to give them more time to figure this out.

Just read the issue, and... my point that RotF was the worst thing in TF history is no longer valid. This issue is now the "leader".

Spike going in to an unknown territory, starts using acid on every construction vehicle he finds, defeating a Decepticon one-on-one, and then killing him with cold blood despite him waving the white flag. WTF is wrong with IDW? Worst filler ever.

I have to agree, IDW has made me bored the living daylights out of me with Ongoing.

I look forward to Ironhide much more, even though it touches on AHM stuff. A dead character does more than 20 something living bots... what does that say to you?

Whatever James and Nick are on next, I look forward to, and even the Drift mini has my attention much more than ongoing.

I think IDW maybe should re-evaluate and go back to the miniseries style of storytelling. At least something happened.

I read this one about a week ago. All I can say is that if one human can take out a Con that easily, the series won't last too much longer.

Decepticon Spike wrote:I read this one about a week ago. All I can say is that if one human can take out a Con that easily, the series won't last too much longer.

Well, Spike seems a bit super-human in this issue, but the way the humans have also handled the Autobots, this could go wrong for the giant robots soon enough!

Yeah. They keep this up, Skywatch won't need the Autobots at all.

I believe issue 8 was the worst issue I ever read how can a human defeat a constructicon

Overloaded wrote:I believe issue 8 was the worst issue I ever read how can a human defeat a constructicon

Apparently with near super human powers, acid, a construction site, and a motorcycle. Guess that's why they call them germs or pests.

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Overloaded wrote:I believe issue 8 was the worst issue I ever read how can a human defeat a constructicon

Apparently with near super human powers, acid, a construction site, and a motorcycle. Guess that's why they call them germs or pests.

It is the first issue I wish I never read and now we will never see Devasator again

Cyberstrike wrote:

Blurrz wrote:I find Ongoing lacking, like each issue is just a set up for the next one, not one issue can be titanic on it's own. That's completely different from series such as Ironhide or Last Stand of the Wreckers.

That is what Costa or any other writer is suppose to do in any ONGOING comic book series. If you want a collection of mini-series and one-shots go read IDW crappy Transfomers books written by Furman.

While I personally did not especially care for this issue either, mainly because the characterization seemed off, (and I know very little about G1 characters) what with the whole 'Spike hates machines' angle, I'm not quite as iratee about it. Sure, it was kind of disappointing. Sure, it seems like Ongoing is meshing G1 and Movie. But is that really such a bad thing? Transformers (the franchise as a whole) is starting to blend together a lot more. And I personally don't think that's a bad thing. Just kinda natural evolution of the brand. Now, what does that have to do with this issue? Okay, pretty much nothing. But... Hey, its just one of those things. It's not like IDW TF is ruined FOREVER. Just a kinda weak issue. *shrug* What you gonna do? Don't buy or read it if you hate it so much.

-TheSnackist

TheSnackist wrote:It's not like IDW TF is ruined FOREVER. Just a kinda weak issue. *shrug* What you gonna do? Don't buy or read it if you hate it so much.

-TheSnackist

One cannot forget what one has already read, and certainly with comics and books, one cannot unbuy what they have already bought.

Cyberstrike wrote:

Blurrz wrote:I find Ongoing lacking, like each issue is just a set up for the next one, not one issue can be titanic on it's own. That's completely different from series such as Ironhide or Last Stand of the Wreckers.

That is what Costa or any other writer is suppose to do in any ONGOING comic book series. If you want a collection of mini-series and one-shots go read IDW crappy Transfomers books written by Furman.

So you want to tell us that ongoing comics can't have story arks?
Every ongoing comic series ever printed disagrees with you.

And to put it in idw's own words concerning the idw Furman output:

"This aint no stinking miniseries, this is ongoing."

this issue was the final straw for me.

i dropped the book.

this series is just Baaaaaaad !