The Energon Pub

Thanks to our friends over at IDW, we're able to show a preview of next week's issue of Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye! Make sure to pick up your digital or print copy on Wednesday, and pop by here on Tuesday for a review.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #19
James Roberts (w) • Alex Milne (a) • Milne, Sean Chen (c)
BETRAYAL! The Lost Light may be occupied by enemy forces, but that’s the least of RODIMUS’ problems! As he awaits execution, the one-time Matrix holder realizes how little he knows about the people he once called friends. Is there anyone left he can trust? And where does the legendary STAR SABER fit into all this?
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variant Covers: Nick Roche variant cover!

Bullet points:
The game-changing epic REMAIN IN LIGHT continues!
Major revelations within!

I swear, if they do not make a Generations Star Saber from this design, so help me God...

Don't let them take Skids!


Also, make sure those doctors work some miracles on Tailgate!

oooooooo i called it!! i had a feeling that that's what Star Saber was going to be!!
now the question is, is he another guy in a suit of armor or really star saber?

"There's a criminal on the Lost Li- Oh. Whirl."

Gold, just comedy gold!

Henry921 wrote:Don't let them take Skids!


Also, make sure those doctors work some miracles on Tailgate!

Yes, quite the foreshadowing, no?

this makes me wounder about the list the necrobot had. -its now clear that that list can't be totally accurate as ultra magnus isn't even alive now or then -he died a long time ago. so the necrobots list may not be entirely accurate -its not like he can't make mistakes -if you know what i mean. That aside im kinda woundering where that .1% spark when -the one that brainstorm was fiddling with because maybe they will put it in a new shell for a new character -ie a new ultra magnus or kill the guy in star sabers armor and put the new one in.

Also i want to know what was in that trial computer in last stand of the wreckers was hidding

chaosmage42 wrote:this makes me wounder about the list the necrobot had. -its now clear that that list can't be totally accurate as ultra magnus isn't even alive now or then -he died a long time ago. so the necrobots list may not be entirely accurate -its not like he can't make mistakes -if you know what i mean.

In all honesty, I doubt that list had anything to do with the Necrobot. It's is some other bot making a list for an unknown purpose.

You know, I'm getting kinda tired of the whole attention deflector thing. it just doesn't make sense. Might as well say a wizard did it That aside the this is shaping up to be an amazing mystery. Just a few more sleeps

Hypershock wrote:oooooooo i called it!! i had a feeling that that's what Star Saber was going to be!!
now the question is, is he another guy in a suit of armor or really star saber?

Obviously he's gonna be a guy in 2 suits of armor

Imagine Tailgate as the new Magnus. Totally unbiased by the War, finally living the life he's lied about living, his tiny white altmode trying to tow the still full sized trailer, and still being slightly naive about the nature of modern Cybertronians.

guarayakha wrote:

Hypershock wrote:oooooooo i called it!! i had a feeling that that's what Star Saber was going to be!!
now the question is, is he another guy in a suit of armor or really star saber?

Obviously he's gonna be a guy in 2 suits of armor

hahaha, what if victory leo rolls along too?

zodconvoy wrote:Imagine Tailgate as the new Magnus. Totally unbiased by the War, finally living the life he's lied about living, his tiny white altmode trying to tow the still full sized trailer, and still being slightly naive about the nature of modern Cybertronians.

i just had that idea too! i think that might be a good theory, cuz way back when he left that innermost energon offering, it was green, which probably means he's a point one percenter!! also, he's white and blue

Hypershock wrote:

guarayakha wrote:

Hypershock wrote:oooooooo i called it!! i had a feeling that that's what Star Saber was going to be!!
now the question is, is he another guy in a suit of armor or really star saber?

Obviously he's gonna be a guy in 2 suits of armor

hahaha, what if victory leo rolls along too?

zodconvoy wrote:Imagine Tailgate as the new Magnus. Totally unbiased by the War, finally living the life he's lied about living, his tiny white altmode trying to tow the still full sized trailer, and still being slightly naive about the nature of modern Cybertronians.

i just had that idea too! i think that might be a good theory, cuz way back when he left that innermost energon offering, it was green, which probably means he's a point one percenter!! also, he's white and blue

That thought is just all kinds of delicious fun. I can see him sneaking off behind everyones back, desperate to find a cure and convincing the docs that he needs the armor to save his life. What a surprise that will be for everyone else to see him rolling out in his brand new, totally unauthorized threads. lol

That would be something if Tailgate Magnus comes up. I have to say, IDW making Ultra Magnus a constant title and not a single character is amazing. That's the only explanation for his many deaths. I know we all liked Magnus as in G1 Magnus, and it was Dion or Prime's brother. But this new concept is unique to the armour, keeping the original Ultra Magnus separate. It's sad to hear the original one died. Maybe that was the Prime look alike. Does this mean all the redecos of Magnus will change now? Is the Magnus from Transformers Prime just another armor, with a little dude hanging out inside, maybe a scraplet? So many possibilities.

What I'm impatiently waiting for is Ratchet's unfortunate situation to pan out. Why must he always suffer?

Great writing. This Star Saber fellow looks cool, but the way he took out Skids was sort of brutal. So maybe he'll be an enemy at first.

Kudos to the guy the mentioned the necrobot's list.

Synopsis

BETRAYAL! The Lost Light may be occupied by enemy forces, but that’s the least of RODIMUS’ problems! As he awaits execution, the one-time Matrix holder realizes how little he knows about the people he once called friends. Is there anyone left he can trust? And where does the legendary STAR SABER fit into all this?



Story
We left the crew of the Lost Light, or focused on a part of it at least, in a cell with Minimus Ambus - who revealed his true identity as Ultra Magnus. Or the other way round, rather. We now pick up from that point, and get to find out more about the true nature of the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and about Tyrest himself.



Of course, the main dish is the Ultra Magnus backstory, but the entrée, starters and sides are fairly appetising too. More on that later. One problem with the explanation about the Magnus armour? The attention deflectors don't hold, at all. It's an easy plot device, only recently introduced, possibly for it to be used here. And it still doesn't work. That aside, I'm, personally, really glad that Roberts is playing on an established idea in the franchise, taking it a little further than white-optimus-in-armour.



The other courses, from Tyrest to Star Saber to Pharma and Ratchet, are interestingly fitted in, and for some reason we had seemed to forget about Whirl and Cyclonus, who are up to good. Somehow, however, Roberts hasn't kept things up enough throughout this issue, and, like in Overlord's fight, things feel a bit rushed with some shocking moments to distract us. And Tyrest, being so overly lawful to become evil.. or is he?



I have to say, as much as there are interesting points about various plots, it didn't kick me as usual. There is pain, suffering, gore, torture, sadists, information about Skids and his secret, Tyrest and his intentions, even more about the Circle of Light. But. I wasn't that impressed.

Art

The artwork, on the other hand, works really well with the story. Milne lifts up the plot in beautifully crafted pencilwork, giving splatter to the gore and feeling to the emotions. There are some really ..er.. beautiful panels that I will not show for the sake of readers' enjoyment, and the credit (also on the cover) goes to the inker, Brian Shearer, too. It's excellent to see a team work that well with each other, and the result is stunning.



Obviously the colours are the usual amazingness that Burcham delivers, shifting from light interiors to dark rooms, adapting to the mood and setting for each scene, and playing really well with Milne and Shearer's artwork. The whole is completed by the spot-on, as usual, lettering by Long. Not as creative as usual, but the tone of the story didn't need it, and what he does mixes perfectly with the stunning non-textual work.



I apologise for gushing out on the artwork again, but I am genuinely impressed at the synergy that Milne, Shearer, Burcham and Long have created among themselves, working on Roberts' scripts. There are some excellent panels in this issue, and it deserves to be read even just for that.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

The multiple plots didn't blend as well as usual in this one, and I have an issue with the pacing of the story and depiction of characters. But someone pointed out to me that there are two more parts to this arc, and those may redeem the faults of this issue in some way. We will see. Definitely give it a couple of reads, though.



Overall, though, it's a good issue, especially thanks to the artwork, as I have gushed out above. And, as usual, don't get too attached to characters, or you'll miss them when they're gone. And they will go, oh how they will go. Here's hoping that the ending to this arc does not disappoint like the Overlord one, but there are definitely answers in here that I wasn't expecting to ask any more.

PS: Make sure you read the letters pages: there's a really nice personal response to the events of MTMTE #15 from a reader.

Another great review va'al!
I cannot wait another night to get this issue

I cannot wait for this issue!!
No offense to you Va'al, but often on these reviews, it seems to me that you don't like them quite as much up front but warm up to them with time. You always make a point of the issue having great plot points, but not living up to past ones. If every issue is only mediocre, though, what great issues are you comparing them to?
This isn't a criticism, i'm honestly curious as to which MTMTE/RID issues you find better than the current run. Sometimes i agree, but others i can't help but have a love-fest for the IDW crew

Hypershock wrote:I cannot wait for this issue!!
No offense to you Va'al, but often on these reviews, it seems to me that you don't like them quite as much up front but warm up to them with time. You always make a point of the issue having great plot points, but not living up to past ones. If every issue is only mediocre, though, what great issues are you comparing them to?
This isn't a criticism, i'm honestly curious as to which MTMTE/RID issues you find better than the current run. Sometimes i agree, but others i can't help but have a love-fest for the IDW crew

Well, that's the thing. I don't want to gush too much, and I already do it a lot with the art aspect of the issues. I'd rather keep a more distanced look, trying to be objective about them, when I write the review (usually after four reads, too, and a fifth during the review itself, as I look for images).

Where did I say it compares badly to past ones? (I'm actually curious, please tell me! )
In this case, I actually complained about it starting to look too similar to the Overlord arc, which was too rushed. And I said that at the time, too.

Good issues? Shadowplay, definitely, Before and After, and Interiors.
Spotlight: Trailcutter too. As for RID, Stick Together and Interference Patterns.

Va'al wrote:Good issues? Shadowplay, definitely, Before and After, and Interiors.
Spotlight: Trailcutter too. As for RID, Stick Together and Interference Patterns.

You forgot Shockwaves, which gets my vote for best RID issue. I also thought both Annuals were pretty good.

Henry921 wrote:

Va'al wrote:Good issues? Shadowplay, definitely, Before and After, and Interiors.
Spotlight: Trailcutter too. As for RID, Stick Together and Interference Patterns.

You forgot Shockwaves, which gets my vote for best RID issue. I also thought both Annuals were pretty good.

Hmmm. I had some issues with Shockwaves, as it messed up some of the established continuity. I'll go back and read it again once I get the trade.

The Annuals are definitely worth a mention, but more for the flashback stuff than the contemporary story, in my opinion. The art in MTMTE wasn't always amazing, and that dropped the volume a little. And the Omega Supreme/Metalhawk ending in RiD was terribly terribly cheesy.

Va'al wrote:

Hypershock wrote:I cannot wait for this issue!!
No offense to you Va'al, but often on these reviews, it seems to me that you don't like them quite as much up front but warm up to them with time. You always make a point of the issue having great plot points, but not living up to past ones. If every issue is only mediocre, though, what great issues are you comparing them to?
This isn't a criticism, i'm honestly curious as to which MTMTE/RID issues you find better than the current run. Sometimes i agree, but others i can't help but have a love-fest for the IDW crew

Well, that's the thing. I don't want to gush too much, and I already do it a lot with the art aspect of the issues. I'd rather keep a more distanced look, trying to be objective about them, when I write the review (usually after four reads, too, and a fifth during the review itself, as I look for images).

Where did I say it compares badly to past ones? (I'm actually curious, please tell me! )
In this case, I actually complained about it starting to look too similar to the Overlord arc, which was too rushed. And I said that at the time, too.

Good issues? Shadowplay, definitely, Before and After, and Interiors.
Spotlight: Trailcutter too. As for RID, Stick Together and Interference Patterns.

okay, i see where you're coming from. and you didn't say it compares badly, i just wanted to see it from your perspective is all. I admire that you're trying to stay objective, you just sometimes seem very underwhelmed by some issues

Thanks Va'al! I always love reading your reviews. Would we happen to know the person that is posted in the letters in issue #15?

Va'al wrote:

Henry921 wrote:

Va'al wrote:Good issues? Shadowplay, definitely, Before and After, and Interiors.
Spotlight: Trailcutter too. As for RID, Stick Together and Interference Patterns.

You forgot Shockwaves, which gets my vote for best RID issue. I also thought both Annuals were pretty good.

Hmmm. I had some issues with Shockwaves, as it messed up some of the established continuity. I'll go back and read it again once I get the trade.

The Annuals are definitely worth a mention, but more for the flashback stuff than the contemporary story, in my opinion. The art in MTMTE wasn't always amazing, and that dropped the volume a little. And the Omega Supreme/Metalhawk ending in RiD was terribly terribly cheesy.

Yeah, the art for the MTMTE annual was a bit choppy and inconsistent, but at least the Galactic Council fleet looked menacing and added a good non-Cybertronian enemy for the Lost Light crew.

As for Shockwaves messing up continuity... you do know this is the IDW verse, right? The continuity's been retconned and repaired and re-retconned since Shane McCarthy.

Let me first say this: I do like that there are Transformer comic reviews... now for the controversial thing. I dislike nearly all of them.

Where to begin, Va'al certainly does a better job than tfw2005 in terms of being even handed, but I still get the feeling these are all hastily done and over reliant on TVTropes to categorize things or shoe horn plot elements into nice neat bins to hate on.

You also see a huge difference in attitudes between Regeneration One and RID/MTMTE, the former having just as good a story, but the later being praised for building upon what Furman established. Is there that much of a rush to get these out there? Can we not take time and read it let it sink in and think things through unless you all get it like a week earlier, but from what I can tell its pretty much you get it, read it and then do a write up.

This is why you all had retrospective reviews which I actually enjoyed. They contained much better opinions than these.

Anyways, I am pointing out something to which you can help improve the quality of the content of the site. I hope you all keep doing well with the IDW comic reviews.

Stormrider wrote:Thanks Va'al! I always love reading your reviews. Would we happen to know the person that is posted in the letters in issue #15?

Not that I'm aware of, no.

I would say if it were me, don't worry.

burning_sirius wrote:Let me first say this: I do like that there are Transformer comic reviews... now for the controversial thing. I dislike nearly all of them.

Where to begin, Va'al certainly does a better job than tfw2005 in terms of being even handed, but I still get the feeling these are all hastily done and over reliant on TVTropes to categorize things or shoe horn plot elements into nice neat bins to hate on.

You also see a huge difference in attitudes between Regeneration One and RID/MTMTE, the former having just as good a story, but the later being praised for building upon what Furman established. Is there that much of a rush to get these out there? Can we not take time and read it let it sink in and think things through unless you all get it like a week earlier, but from what I can tell its pretty much you get it, read it and then do a write up.

This is why you all had retrospective reviews which I actually enjoyed. They contained much better opinions than these.

Anyways, I am pointing out something to which you can help improve the quality of the content of the site. I hope you all keep doing well with the IDW comic reviews.

For the record, I've never even visited TVTropes.

I've mentioned somewhere before that I take my time, as I get the comics on the Friday before they're released, and write the review on the Monday, reading it at least three/four times, with another as I write things up. I also have to go through it to pick out images.

Of course, sometimes they can be a little faster than others: last week's BH3 was all done in a day, because of when we received the material, for example.


I'm not sure what you're saying about ReGen vs RID/MTMTE, could you please explain it again?


But thank you for your comments, I'm glad you took the time to let me know what it was that you disagreed with (though I'm still unsure I can put my finger on it exactly).

I'm going to try to keep this spoiler free bc of the thread title, but I will say that one thing that consistently is problematic for me in Roberts's writing is the way he just JAMS worldbuilding in. I love worldbuilding, I adore that we now know the distinction between forged and constructed cold, but at this point in a story arc, it's a bit breaking the reader contract to pull all this "OH YOU DIDN"T KNOW THIS" stuff on the reader.

Chekov famously said, if you have a gun in the first act, it better get fired by act three. It's act three, and guns are firing that haven't been on tables. I enjoy the story, but the way I don't have a chance to figure it out for myself because I don't even have half the pieces gets a little frustrating.

CC, that said, I rather liked the issue.