The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1452 · by **Blurrz** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:48 pm

The month of January brings in a new chapter to the Transformers 'Ongoing' series. Exclusive to Newsarama, they offer up a 5-page preview of the Issue #3. We get to see a relatively odd relationship between Hot Rod and Jetfire. This chapter marks the arrival of certain Commander. Check out the description, covers and a little preview below......

[quote]Transformers #3
Mike Costa (w) • Don Figueroa (a) • Figueroa, Andrew Wildman (c)
HOT ROD’s desire to get off-planet leads to some desperate measures, OPTIMUS PRIME and Spike sit down for an unpleasant conversation, and a new arrival to the AUTOBOT camp comes at their most vulnerable time possible. Costa and Figueroa continue to make history, bringing the AUTOBOTS to their (almost) darkest hour.
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

News Credits: 7 · by **Chaoslock** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:21 pm

On the seventh page, besides Bumblebee, there are no names shown in the middle panel, who could the other two bots be? [/sarcasm]

Oh well, doesn't look any worse than the two comics or AHB before it...

News Credits: 1452 · by **Blurrz** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:25 pm

We're into Issue 3 and we still need name tags.......

And I know Jetfire is a gentle giant... but a dumb giant now?

and Wolverimus calling him J.F.?

Oh dear.. Ryan's gonna rip this apart.

by **lowman_x** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:56 pm

It's not that Jetfire's "dumb" it's that his processors are having to slow down so much because of the 'archaic' communication systems we use. I can kind of relate because, as a teacher, I spend a lot of time with teenagers and, to be honest, I sometimes get home feeling like I'm getting more stupid because of the constant interaction. LOL

I'm liking how Ultra Magnus is being portrayed. The IDW Magnus is a cool take on him as a "cop" (oooh! A Cops style issue would be cool LOL) and not as a self-doubting, Prime neverbe.

The art is starting to have some modifications to it I can see. They've lost the "teeth" and the lines on the faces are becoming a little less distinct. I think we'll see some more mods as the issues progress. All in all, I'm really digging the ongoing and I can't wait to get my hands on the new issue. :grin:

News Credits: 2 · by **Ultra Magnus** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:59 pm

I do like this very interesting take on Jetfire's design; Don has a long standing tradition of interesting Jetfire designs. This one's quite unique. Lean, too!

Yes, the detractors will get their quips in soon enough, so let the floodgates open and let the Hater-ade flow! Oh boy this one should be interesting. Still, I got your back, Don.

B-)

by **Peter Bilt** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:09 pm

Is the publishing date correct? Because in the newsletter and my local comic shop list it as coming in this wednesday the 13th. (Though I do live in Canada I doubt they would send it to us first)

by **lowman_x** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:13 pm

Yeah, my store here in Australia has it due in this week too...

News Credits: 1452 · by **Blurrz** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:18 pm

[quote="mysteriousdewd"]Is the publishing date correct? Because in the newsletter and my local comic shop list it as coming in this wednesday the 13th. (Though I do live in Canada I doubt they would send it to us first)

by **Elvaan** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:43 pm

That Ultra Magnus would make an awesome mold... :-?

by **BATTLEMASTER IIC** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:47 pm

I do like some of the redone alternate modes. I like the looks of the Decepticons in the preview, plus Jetfire looks like a B-1B offshoot.

by **cadenheadr04** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 6:37 pm

Anyone else wondering why they chose purple for Huffer instead of blue?

News Credits: 97 · by **Savage** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 6:47 pm

anybody else think Jetfire's new design looks like a non-organic Optimus Primal?

by **Bouncy X** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:42 pm

damn, someone beat me to the hot rod/wolverine thing.

but wow, they put their names when they first appear? they do realize its fans reading this right? i mean its not like the designs look nothing like them or something.

by **Mechastrike** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:47 pm

they really did a great job on Magnus' artwork. i just don't know why Cliffjumper and Seaspray didn't have names below them though.

by **JediJerseyJoe** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:01 pm

I hate HATE :-x

HATE

HATE

the new look they've gone with.

wow... is all I can say

I don't know who convinced Don that drawing G1 like some sort of CraptasticMovieverse rip offs was a good idea, but HEYsus-Christ I actually am rooting for this to fail.

I mean seriously, how can you give us 4 years of drawing the SAME charicters in the SAME universe one way, then switch to this

guys - its not like this is separate from Infiltration/devastation/escalation/spotlight/stormbringer/all hail/meg origin/etc

ITS THE SAME UNIVERSE the characters have the same backstory. Now all of a sudden we are supposed to accept them drawn in some stupid puzzleformer look?

I thought it might grow on me, but it hasn't. Every-time I see a new character I think its worse then the last one. the faces are just random crap.

I'm sorry, but our I expected a LOAD more for our first "on-going" series in like 10 years, and all I can think of is "God I have to sit through the pain of 80 more issues of this craptasticness ..."

If it wasn't for Last Stand of the Wreckers, I would boycott IDW for pulling this. Whatever is in the water of the people making the decisions over there, is making them Batshit-crazy!

bring back spotlight...

News Credits: 7 · by **Chaoslock** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:29 pm

I've cancelled my preorders on Ongoing when I first saw the 5-page preview and Ironhides death from issue 1. Along with it I cancelled the All Hail Bumblebee preorder too (I've had a bad feeling about it), the only one I kept was the Wreckers. If and When the series' level will rise to the earlier levels (art- or storywise*), I'll get the TPBs, but until then I won't pay for this.

*: AHM I sit through, and bought the comics, because I knew it was going to be only 12 issue, and the art was still good enough for a Geewunner. This "art": Seriously, Jetfires and Hot Rods faces on page 4; and no background on most of the pages?

by **Shadowstream** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:38 pm

Down the hill we go

News Credits: 1 · by **Matrix.** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:46 pm

[quote="Blurrz"]We're into Issue 3 and we still need name tags.......

News Credits: 1082 · by **Tigertrack** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:49 pm

Jetfire reminds me of the pre-Earth seekers from the movie-verse.

Okay, maybe only sort of.

I think one can find these superior to Infiltration's beginning, because Infiltration and the other -tions already set the table. We did not have to get re-introduced to the story, etc., although random Autobots do seem to be just popping up.

News Credits: 3 · by **Samsonator** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:58 pm

Say what you will about his face, and I'll agree, but still that Magnus looks hardcore. He's a bit closer to Don's more old-school stuff than what he's dishing out right now (like that Jetfire for instance)... All in all the design style still strikes me as a bit off, especially in the aforementioned faces... but I suppose I'm still interested in where the story goes from here...

- Sam

News Credits: 1014 · by **First Gen** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:12 pm

Can someone tell me why every new series Don does has to have a radically different Jetfire? I mean, even compared to this "new art style" he does not resemble any form of any prior Jetfire in the least.

Then its like a slap in the face when you read Bumblebee (which is directly related to Ongoing BTW) and you get super old school G1 art, when they are supposed to be the same exact bots in the same exact storyline.

I'm gonna give the story a chance and keep reading, but this art is bad
(don't get me started on the humans too) and the nametags have got to go already.

by **AutobotOutlaw** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:32 pm

Jetfire looks like he is desperately trying to be a Gundam, are those fin funnels on his back ? One would think he would look more like a Valkyrie from Macross than a Gundam ...

News Credits: 4 · by **Neurie** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:48 pm

Jetfires alt mode looks like Beast Machines Jetstorm with a tail fin

News Credits: 21 · by **dragons** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:14 pm

i perfer the machine look without teeth and very human face looking on hese bots i choose the machine faces anytime it suits them machines dont have human faces, & teeth unless your terminator, cyborg superman , & robocop, which transfromers are non of the thing i have mentioned.

i would like to see toys made of some these characters in this series desgins if possible that would be intersting

by **JRFitzpatrick7** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:31 pm

[quote="First Gen"]Then its like a slap in the face when you read Bumblebee (which is directly related to Ongoing BTW) and you get super old school G1 art, when they are supposed to be the same exact bots in the same exact storyline.