The Energon Pub

Can’t believe Heart of Darkness didn’t make this list! Only redeemable part of that story were the alien crab pirates if you ask me.

I really do love the later IDW stuff, but Combiner Wars and Titans Return absolutely ravaged the ongoing plots. The way the didn’t bother touching Power of the Primes. It did not help when the later comics had to cram 50 issues of plot into 25 because of early cancellations for the 2019 series... it’s like they’re allergic to satisfying endings. I’m still aghast that after all the crossovers and plot relevance, that Lost Light pretty much did not connect back to the main series.

Hmm, not a list I am particularly hot on. Some missed points and such.

My list would go as:

5) Avengers vs TFs: so random, only tangentially involved, also bad art, and a nonsensical story honestly. It was just not good.

4) Revolution: it was rushed, it did not flow, forced conflict, poor art, and I just didn't care about any of it. Only thing I ended up caring for from the shared universe was Action Man/Kup. outside that, wasted potential.

3) Heart of Darkness: worst art of TFs ever, no doubt. Plus some writing and editorial goofs made it bad.

2) Spotlight Arcee: insensitive, really bad concept, and ridiculous. Nothing else need be said.

1) TF vs Visionaries: Killing Kup, a crucial character in IDW, in such a fashion and then bragging about it, and proceeding to make a pretty bad story even after that? That one was the worst. Only followup it ever got was a brief mention in Unicron #4 I think? Outside that, everyone dropped visionaries and tried to pretend it didn't happen.

o.supreme wrote:ok , so I have to super careful with this, as I am not really a fan of IDW. I purchased and read every single issue of the 13 year run, most of them are forgettable, but it wasn't until I purged myself of nearly all my comic-book collection in early 2020, that I could finally put it all behind me.

That being said, naturally a "worst" list would be too long to count, but a "best" list I'm not sure if I could even come up with 5 titles or mini-series to fill that conversation.

I do take exception to All Hail Megatron being on this list though, just my opinion, it was the single best thing about IDW in it's entire 13 year run. It was The only series that held any real interest for me, and I eagerly looked forward to each month (Issues 1-12 btw, furmans useless coda was not needed). But I get it. I'm a fan of AHM, because it was different from the dull-as-dishwater stories furman had churned out up to that point, and the closest thing to the classic animated series we would ever get. *Stormbringer I seem to recall was relatively decent also, but I digress... Also while AHM obviously has a large contingent of fans that don't care for it, it is nice to see some actual support for it in the comments I've seen so far.

Combiner Wars was a missed opportunity. I envisioned it being written similar to how DW wrote the Micromasters 4 part series (basically an entire series dedicated to the various Combiner Teams), unfortunately they were just blunt instruments used by the main characters, and a shameless way to promote Windblade and Victorion. Hopefully someday the Combiners will get their due (The toys were great, but decent portrayals in modern fiction are still to be written).

All that being said, despite the shady behind-the-scenes goings on at DW, that world-building had the best foundation for Transformers in Comics I've ever read, and it is a true shame it didn't last. Of course, it died the hero, and IDW lives on to be the villain.

Great post, Omega, I really love it. I'll admit, I too find most of the IDW stuff simply not memorable prior to Death of Optimus Prime (which itself is also not memorable). It just feels like a slog. I did like the Roberts stuff though. I jut liked the way the story was told, emphasis on dialogue rather than narration. And Alex Milne's art is awesome.
But back to the prior stuff, I did find it forgettable and jut boring. Which is why I don't find Heart of Darkness to be such a bad offender. I remember the bad art (someone wrote about that too, I agree), but it just melted with the rest of the blandness before and after. So while I didn't write this list, I can see where Kurona may have been coming from.

And I definitely get what she meant with All Hail Megatron. And what's funny is we all like it and hate it for the same reason. Your reason for liking it is the same reason Kurona doesn't like it. It boils down to being just another episode of the 80s show. And I agree. The bad guys are bad and the good guys come in at the end to save the day. And there isn't much more to it. I really disliked it for this same reason and it's all due to the hype it was given, at least for me. This seemed like a big event, something worth reading. So I did. And the first issue makes it seem like all is truly lost. Optimus is not only destroyed but the matrix is gone too.
But by the end, the stakes which seemed huge at first are the same stakes of any G1 episode. Optimus is fine just in time and just owns the bad guys. And the matrix being gone? Big woop, just like the big woop ass this decepticons are getting.
It just felt so childish and low stakes afterall, like a G1 episode.
So that's my criticism of that event.

I'm smack dab in the middle of the Revolution crossover event, and I couldn't agree more. Its pretty bad. Ide been doing a marathon, reading all the comics for the first time, and Revolution popped up and kneecapped me. Now its like Im forcing my way through tar and sludge.

Also, personal opinions: Autocracy Trilogy is awful. And anything involving Sentinel Prime and Nova/Nemesis Prime is absolutely boring.

I also dislike Spotlight Megatron quite a bit as well. It drags and meanders on and on. Its seriously just several pages of Megatron kicking the crap out of Starscream while showing off the cool new toy you can buy for just 9.99!

Dark Cybertron was boring as well, but it had a lot of really good plot elements in it so Im fine with it. Love IDW shockwave, and love Arcee finally coming out the other side of her....whatever her arc was. Then she just goes on and keeps acting like a psycho.

Also Prowl being so far gone that no one knows hes being controlled was hilarious to see. Prowl getting his in general was just great.

Oh, and about Galvatron? Whatever that story was that was centered around him building an army? I dont remember the name of it. But that one was g a r b a g e. Full stop. Terrible artwork, and pointless exploration of a character with a lot of potential to be an antihero thats later squandered when his personality just completely freaking changes from crazy antihero to wasteland warrior. Like what even was that?

Nowhere to really put this since its not centric to any one story in particular (though its mostly a feature of MTMTE) but I also dont like how every single robot is suddenly just....in or forming relationships. Aside this, MTMTE is probably the best story run with the coolest concepts and ideas, most charming characters, and best written villains imo. Which I fully admit as someone who has Last Stand as his favorite comic. Like. Ever.

Chromedome and Rewind were just adorable. I got on board for Cyclonus and Tailgate with time cuz they developed in a great way.
Then just....suddenly everyone is in a relationship left and right. Im here to read about war between alien robots, not to have their sexuality and relationship status crammed down my throat. It gets old after a while. They're robots. Machines. Alien machines. That turn into cars and shoot eachother with all kinds of weird ass guns and stuff. I aint come here for all this.

Plus, MTMTE kinda ruined Rodimus for me too, just as an aside. Do not like his characterization in it.

MTMTE ruined a lot of established characters. Ultra Magnus, for example. Went from 'Judge Dredd of Transformers', to the neurotic comic relief trope.

Someone I once spoke to, in a bid to rationalise it. Said they equated MTMTE/LL as a separate continuity. That's why the characterisations of what came before didn't apply. Because it was its own thing. She even threw in Auto-Megatron with that too. Which she vehemently hated.

The Primacy Trilogy was just awful artwork, with a completely forgettable story. Not as bad as the rest on this list.

As for the Spotlights, I like to think they ended with Sideswipe. There were a couple of duds, points to Mirage, Optimus Prime ("One Punching" a Gestalt was too much). But on the whole, the side series was great at world building.
Those that came later were literally trading on the name. Without real substance.

I love the 2019 reboot. I was going to take issue with the post dropping long shots of talking out of context, but I have to grant that it's slower-paced and has less combat per issue than your average book. But this is an extensive Cybertronian society, something we only got glimpses of in lines like Till All Are One.

Let's face it, most Transformers characterization is best summarized as "how do you feel about war" and "how do you feel about how that guy feels about war." 2019 has some of the most fully-fledged characters because while violence and power still drive the day, there are other perspectives large and small influencing the world.

AcademyofDrX wrote:I love the 2019 reboot. I was going to take issue with the post dropping long shots of talking out of context, but I have to grant that it's slower-paced and has less combat per issue than your average book. But this is an extensive Cybertronian society, something we only got glimpses of in lines like Till All Are One.

Let's face it, most Transformers characterization is best summarized as "how do you feel about war" and "how do you feel about how that guy feels about war." 2019 has some of the most fully-fledged characters because while violence and power still drive the day, there are other perspectives large and small influencing the world.

It’s not the lack of combat that’s the problem, per se - it’s the lack of emotion. Characters making speeches and proclaiming stuff at each other, with all the wit and verve of people reading the washing machine instructions. It’s not just the slow pace, it’s the fact that everything’s just so dry and flavourless.

Compared to most other comics, the current IDW books have very few exclamation marks in the dialogue, most sentences end in a simple period. If the characters within the book can’t get excited about what’s going on, then why should the readers?

Added to that, the fact this wasn't a full reboot at all. Some characters rely heavily on the familiarity of the previous continuity. This shouldn't be the case. In a vacuum, the death of Brainstorm - the instigating factor of the first arc- is meaningless to the reader. Just a generic victim, akin to procedural Cop shows.

lowman_x wrote:I would put the 2019 reboot series at number 1. I mean, it's the reason I stopped collecting Transformers comics and I've been collecting them since the Marvel UK/US days. I skipped a few of the crossover/miniseries events, but I never gave up on the main books. But this? No. I gave it 24 issues and ~2 years. I'll wait for the inevitable reboot and see how I feel.

This. I love TF comics and this is the worst I've ever read by far. I absolutely hate it.

I'm on my first read through of the entire IDW series, so it's all quite fresh in my mind. I'm currently up to Robots in Disguise Vol 1. I love that they have their FoC designs!

I defo loved everything that came before AHM, so I didn't like it when they all of a sudden switched from the Spotlights and Maximum Dinobots and all that they were establishing, to something totally different. It's like a year on, the Autobots totally lost everything, and somehow everyone goes from using 21st century vehicles to vehicles from the '80s. The Seekers went from F-22s to their G1 jets, I don't get that. If they were going to do AHM, they should've let the Decepticons succeed with their infiltration, activate Siege mode and BOOM, AHM happens. That would've been much better. AHM was also a bit too dark, like it felt gratuitous at times. I thought Mirage was going to become a 'Con after what Ironhide did but they didn't deliver there. Overall, I liked AHM as its own thing, and the ramifications it had were cool because it gave us the Transformers series which was great, it's just that it should've come later on.

The art in Galvatron's recruitment drive series was awful

Overall, I think there have been more hits than misses so far, but I'm not looking forward to all of that weird shite in Lost Light, with relationships and that BS. I prefer that slightly gritty tone that the rest of the series has.

Whirlkick wrote:I'm on my first read through of the entire IDW series, so it's all quite fresh in my mind. I'm currently up to Robots in Disguise Vol 1. I love that they have their FoC designs!

I defo loved everything that came before AHM, so I didn't like it when they all of a sudden switched from the Spotlights and Maximum Dinobots and all that they were establishing, to something totally different. It's like a year on, the Autobots totally lost everything, and somehow everyone goes from using 21st century vehicles to vehicles from the '80s. The Seekers went from F-22s to their G1 jets, I don't get that. If they were going to do AHM, they should've let the Decepticons succeed with their infiltration, activate Siege mode and BOOM, AHM happens. That would've been much better. AHM was also a bit too dark, like it felt gratuitous at times. I thought Mirage was going to become a 'Con after what Ironhide did but they didn't deliver there. Overall, I liked AHM as its own thing, and the ramifications it had were cool because it gave us the Transformers series which was great, it's just that it should've come later on.

The art in Galvatron's recruitment drive series was awful

Overall, I think there have been more hits than misses so far, but I'm not looking forward to all of that weird shite in Lost Light, with relationships and that BS. I prefer that slightly gritty tone that the rest of the series has.

Dont you worry, More Than Meets The Eye will be super dark as well at times.

I would make a special mention to some movie tie-ins between ROTF and DOTM.
I have not read them all personally,but some of the present day stories,introduced some characters and concepts that didn't have an impact.
I don't personally like Carlos Magno drawings.

william-james88 wrote:

Whirlkick wrote:I'm on my first read through of the entire IDW series, so it's all quite fresh in my mind. I'm currently up to Robots in Disguise Vol 1. I love that they have their FoC designs!

I defo loved everything that came before AHM, so I didn't like it when they all of a sudden switched from the Spotlights and Maximum Dinobots and all that they were establishing, to something totally different. It's like a year on, the Autobots totally lost everything, and somehow everyone goes from using 21st century vehicles to vehicles from the '80s. The Seekers went from F-22s to their G1 jets, I don't get that. If they were going to do AHM, they should've let the Decepticons succeed with their infiltration, activate Siege mode and BOOM, AHM happens. That would've been much better. AHM was also a bit too dark, like it felt gratuitous at times. I thought Mirage was going to become a 'Con after what Ironhide did but they didn't deliver there. Overall, I liked AHM as its own thing, and the ramifications it had were cool because it gave us the Transformers series which was great, it's just that it should've come later on.

The art in Galvatron's recruitment drive series was awful

Overall, I think there have been more hits than misses so far, but I'm not looking forward to all of that weird shite in Lost Light, with relationships and that BS. I prefer that slightly gritty tone that the rest of the series has.

Dont you worry, More Than Meets The Eye will be super dark as well at times.

Offset by the distracting level of chibi-like art. It verged on being a Skottie Young book at times.

Also yes, that was one of the worst things about AHM, how everyone's design was downgraded. In particular, the Seekers looked really cool in the -Ations. Which was a real shame in hindsight.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Whirlkick wrote:Overall, I think there have been more hits than misses so far, but I'm not looking forward to all of that weird shite in Lost Light, with relationships and that BS. I prefer that slightly gritty tone that the rest of the series has.

Dont you worry, More Than Meets The Eye will be super dark as well at times.

Offset by the distracting level of chibi-like art. It verged on being a Skottie Young book at times.

What chibi-like art?

I am going to go with whichever one featured the dumbass idea of turning Megatron into an autobot. That alone made Transformers comics the laughing stock of the universe.

hausjam wrote:I am going to go with whichever one featured the dumbass idea of turning Megatron into an autobot. That alone made Transformers comics the laughing stock of the universe.

I dunno, toy franchise tie-in comics aren’t that well regarded by the general public, anyway. Telling people that you’re a grown adult who still reads comics based on kids toys is likely to result in mirth, whatever the plot line!

I get that the move was unpopular with many purists, but having a villain find redemption is not in itself a terrible idea. It’s happened (and been done well) in lots of other media with no problems. Vader turned on the Emperor in Star Wars, Godzilla helped defeat King Ghidorah, Jaws and Pussy Galore end up helping Bond, Crais and Scorpius in Farscape, Damar on Deep Space Nine and so on.

I mean, the execution may not have been to everyone’s tastes, I get that; but saying that the underlying concept is merely a ‘dumbass idea’ is itself pretty dumbass.

Tuned Agent wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Whirlkick wrote:Overall, I think there have been more hits than misses so far, but I'm not looking forward to all of that weird shite in Lost Light, with relationships and that BS. I prefer that slightly gritty tone that the rest of the series has.

Dont you worry, More Than Meets The Eye will be super dark as well at times.

Offset by the distracting level of chibi-like art. It verged on being a Skottie Young book at times.

What chibi-like art?

Swerve and Tailgate in particular. But it did veer into the overly exaggerated features from the rest, on occasion.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Tuned Agent wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Whirlkick wrote:Overall, I think there have been more hits than misses so far, but I'm not looking forward to all of that weird shite in Lost Light, with relationships and that BS. I prefer that slightly gritty tone that the rest of the series has.

Dont you worry, More Than Meets The Eye will be super dark as well at times.

Offset by the distracting level of chibi-like art. It verged on being a Skottie Young book at times.

What chibi-like art?

Swerve and Tailgate in particular. But it did veer into the overly exaggerated features from the rest, on occasion.

For my money, Casey Coller and Alex Milne are the greatest TF artists of all time.

I just remembered pregnant Scorponok...

Rodimus Prime wrote:I just remembered pregnant Scorponok...

I remember laughing at that out loud back when a former friend told me about it.

Quantum Surge wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:I just remembered pregnant Scorponok...

I remember laughing at that out loud back when a former friend told me about it.

Yeah, Furman made him a great character back in the day, in both Marvel and IDW. And that hack roberts just used him for a macguffin for a story line that was garbage to begin with. And he turned the most bad ass character ever into a blubbering mess. Hopefully he's never allowed around TF comics ever again.

Not sure how I missed this list when it was posted (well, I do know, I've been busy as all hell) but I mostly like it. All Hail Megatron is the only good story on the list proper. The tail-end of the IDW 1 Furman run reads fine now, but at the time it was really dragging and losing itself. AHM gave TF comics a big jolt in the arm and while it took some weird continuity hand-waving and its momentum eventually stalled out, it was such a big box of fun at the time that I didn't care. Still don't. I enjoyed it and most of McCarthy's stuff to be honest.

Dark Cybertron is a case where following it bi-weekly was kinda meh, but when collected and read in the full context of RiD and MTMTE collected (and even IDW 1 on the whole), it's really good. Hindsight helped it so very much.

The only real notable absence has already been pointed out:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:1) TF vs Visionaries: Killing Kup, a crucial character in IDW, in such a fashion and then bragging about it, and proceeding to make a pretty bad story even after that? That one was the worst. Only followup it ever got was a brief mention in Unicron #4 I think? Outside that, everyone dropped visionaries and tried to pretend it didn't happen.

william-james88 wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Tuned Agent wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Whirlkick wrote:Overall, I think there have been more hits than misses so far, but I'm not looking forward to all of that weird shite in Lost Light, with relationships and that BS. I prefer that slightly gritty tone that the rest of the series has.

Dont you worry, More Than Meets The Eye will be super dark as well at times.

Offset by the distracting level of chibi-like art. It verged on being a Skottie Young book at times.

What chibi-like art?

Swerve and Tailgate in particular. But it did veer into the overly exaggerated features from the rest, on occasion.

For my money, Casey Coller and Alex Milne are the greatest TF artists of all time.

I'm not massively familiar with IDW as I've only read bits of it (and from my understanding of how it went, especially the end, that's not likely to change unfortunately) but I am a HUGE fan of Kei Zama's art, what I've seen of it. It's like a slightly more manga-esque, refined version of Derek Yaniger's work.

...We could probably start a whole separate topic on the subject of TF artists, to be honest.

TFs vs. Terminator. Just a cash grab. TFs are obviously superior. This is no contest.

TFs & Star Trek. The Enterprise turns into a robot. This would be hugely disruptive. The crew would have to evacuate. They would have to take out all their valuables. It's simply not practical.