The Energon Pub

found this on comic book resources. Article is not big and i will warn you that the actual title of the article as is even looking at the thumbnails, are to be considered major spoilers.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23587

UN

BE

LEEV

ABLE!

I'm... I can't...

Woah.

Dear GOD that art is HIDEOUS.

LOVE

i am completely willing to embrace something new. the artwork is fresh and detailed, and the killing of such a memorable character in the first issue tells me there is alot of unexpected things to come.

i cannot wait.

Ooooooh, nice! I can't wait. I'm a comic and TF collector, but I don't have any TF comics!

Until now! Well, November 18th, that is!

Woah. I get how they were going for a Movie/G1 blend in design, but this looks more like G1 on STEROIDS!

Yeah, not loving the new faces. Hope the story is good. I smell a Rodimus Prime a-coming.

It's looks ok...art might take awhile to get used to. But they do kinda remind me of puffy marshmallows. But it's only a page, so I'll cut them some slack.

I'll be more excited when this series gets past #13....we all remember the last "ongoing" series did to us, right?

****knocks on Cybertronian wood***

Ironhide...NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't believe it! He...he died! In the first issue! After his role in AHM?! He's gooooonnnnneeee!!!

Anyway, yeah, the art ain't great, but I personally like it. Bumblebee looks like a crossover between his Movie and G1 forms, like the Bumblebee here: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Fight_for_Energon.

And since when was Hot Rod Rodimus? I hope this is explained, maybe in the Bumblebee series or Last Stand of the Wreckers. Or even in a flashback in this series. But man, is this epic! I don't have a store where I can buy individual issues, but when the TPB (or TPBs) come out, I'll get 'em at Hastings.

Oh, and I'll get Bumblebee and Last Stand of Wreckers TPBs, too.

This year will be a great year for comics. Can't wait!

Man, I'm just not feeling it. And that's the most unlovable looking Bumblebee ever. And Ironhide's death here just seems so...arbitrary. And not in a "war is hell" kind of way either but in a "HEY WE'RE BEING EDGY AND HARDCORE, YEAH, POST 1986 COMIC BOOKS!" kind of way. At least when Nick Roche does it, it's to be creepy or something.

The artwork is horrible. The faces...just Blech!!! If anything these previews are supposed to make you want to buy and support the comic, this made me def not want to waste money on it.

I blame all the people who whinged about All Hail Megatron for this abomination!

Grow up guys. The Transformers brand itself is about change, about alteration. The franchise has been evolving since its inception. Everyone hated G2, everyone hated the Beast Wars, everyone really hated Beast Machines -- "Ruined Forever" supposedly. But the reason we are even fans of this stuff isn't because we are JUST re-living our childhood memories or for the sake of nostlgia... it's because this is one of the best science fiction franchises since Star Trek. We love the absurd science, the unique storys, and the amazing cast of differeing characters. It's why we are all here in our 20s and 30s still picking up comics and buy these toys.

True fandom comes with appreciation of change; REAL Star Wars fans love the prequels because they properly expand on the themes and leimotifs of the original trilogy, REAL Star Trek fans followed everything... even 'Voyager' and 'Enterprise' because they understood that, no matter the wanning talent behind it... it was all connected and thus had to be respected.

I have had my share of complaints about Shane McCarthy, but ultimately, after Dreamwave, we all know what it means to live within the fandom without great comic stories... at least in the US.

As an artist, I for one really enjoy Don's new style; it's refreshing because of the advanced understanding of mechanics -- E.J. Su's work would have evolved in such a way too, because there are only so many things you can do with the original G1 designs before the limitations really show. Look at the Masterpiece line -- the engineering is in line with the art we see here because of the need to evolve; look at the turn toy engineering took between the very first Japanese toys and the new Universe/Henkei line(s).

While we all are prone to fear change, it's better that we accept it and... TRANSFORM. Grow, Evolve. It's the adult thing to do.

I'm not buying the "STOP BEING ALL GEEWUN GUYS" argument. Ugly artwork is ugly artwork. I loved Reign of Starscream and Alliance so (for me anyways) this isn't about "OMG IT'S DIFFERENT". It's about looking fugly and looking poorly written.

I'll give Mike Costa the benefit of the doubt as far as the story will go because this is only three pages from the first issue and his AHM stories weren't all that bad. Don Fig's new "style" though...man, it just doesn't work for me. It just plain looks butt-ugly to me. I don't even care that it's a weird Bayformer/G1 combo. It's just ugly to me.

I'll gladly wait for the trades for this one. Bring on more Nick Roche's Wreckers!

PlasmaPrime wrote:True fandom comes with appreciation of change; REAL Star Wars fans love the prequels because they properly expand on the themes and leimotifs of the original trilogy, REAL Star Trek fans followed everything... even 'Voyager' and 'Enterprise' because they understood that, no matter the wanning talent behind it... it was all connected and thus had to be respected.

Uh, no. I'm sorry, but being a fan does not mean enjoying everything thrown at you just because it has your franchise's name on it, without caring about quality, even if it's poorly done. That's completely ridiculous.

I appreciate change just fine. My thinking this new art style is ugly and unexpressive has nothing to do with hating change, and everything to do with not liking the way it takes all of the bad parts of the Movie aesthetic and none of the good, and the unexpressive and creepy-looking faces.

I mean, I like the Movie and Animated aesthetics just fine, so no GEEWUN bias for me whatsoever. I just want to see all the styles stay separate, because the fact that the designs are all so different from each other is what makes them appealing.

And the reason I didn't like AHM is because it was poorly written. And ironically because it didn't change enough from previous continuities... it went from the -ations storyline that was well-written and actually did do stuff that was different, into rehashing a lot of plots and cliches that had already been done before in TF.

And while it's too early to tell, I am getting an off-putting "HEY WE'RE BEING EDGY AND HARDCORE, YEAH, POST 1986 COMIC BOOKS!" vibe from this so far, as Kenny28 put it.

This fan thinks the TF franchise would be better served by thinking it has a lot of potential, and wanting artists and writers on board who know how to develop it into something high-quality that both the fans will enjoy and will draw in new fans. It's getting low-quality stuff that actually hurts the franchise.

I'll echo Kenny28 again... bring on the Wreckers! Nick Roche has already shown he knows how to take the TFs in some interesting and thought-provoking directions; I'm hoping the Wreckers mini will do the same. ...with stylistic, expressive art it's a joy to look at. But this ongoing so far, I'm not feeling it.

Jeysie wrote:

PlasmaPrime wrote:True fandom comes with appreciation of change; REAL Star Wars fans love the prequels because they properly expand on the themes and leimotifs of the original trilogy, REAL Star Trek fans followed everything... even 'Voyager' and 'Enterprise' because they understood that, no matter the wanning talent behind it... it was all connected and thus had to be respected.

Uh, no. I'm sorry, but being a fan does not mean enjoying everything thrown at you just because it has your franchise's name on it, without caring about quality, even if it's poorly done. That's completely ridiculous.

I appreciate change just fine. My thinking this new art style is ugly and unexpressive has nothing to do with hating change, and everything to do with not liking the way it takes all of the bad parts of the Movie aesthetic and none of the good, and the unexpressive and creepy-looking faces.

That's exactly what being a fan is all about though, before adulthood or other outside factors had us scoff at what were once simple pleasures. And really, I'm not talking about accepting things JUST because they are presented to you, but at some point, we all must admit, we all start out loving alot about something we are fans of... and eventually become so intrenched in it that we end up ripping it to shreds because we think we know it best. How does Hasbro or Don Figuroa know Transformers any less than we? Don is as much a fan as any of us are. Instead of devoting whole amounts of time hating a particular story, concept or idea, we within the fandom could instead pick and choose which is best for us; I, for example, completely ignore the Car Robots/RiD Animation because I find it ridiculous, BUT I have all the toys because they are engineering marvels of their time -- Love/Hate. I also absolutely hate what All Hail Megatron has done to Simon Furmn's excellent story while enjoying the story as self-contained Transformer fun -- Love/Hate.

When it comes down to it, Don's page art is worlds better than ANYTHING Alex Milne has given us; his poor framing and art style made 'Megatron: Origins' a really difficult read, and that was a story whose lacking script could have been saved by what the artist chose to express on the page. Don is really one of the few who actually CAN rework his style into something that will make these reads even more interesting. I'll say it again: this visual style allows for the robots to be capable of much more in terms of expressed movement, combat capabilites and eventual toy engineering (and "gimmickness").

Also, let's not beat around the bush: is it an real coincidence that his art style matches the asthetic of the most recent Universe figures AND the new film franchise refresh line of figures? Introducing this art style allows for an eventual visual streamlining of the brand; after years of this becoming tiresome and a bit boring, Hasbro/Takara and the comic company with the liscense will return thing to a mor diverse and homaging state that will keep Transformers continuosly relevant, going back to what I said about the brand needing to EVOLVE to survive. I mean come on,... we all want our kids playing with Transformers. These changes are NEEDED.

This change is as much wanted and needed as a woman's caring husband changing into a vicious wife beater.

Everytime I look at the art, I feel like I'm being punched repeatedly in the face by someone I used to love. I want to still love the comics but those punches leave bruises.

The "Pointy Chin" Era is here.

Not the way IH should have gone out.

Streamlining of the brand? So...Animated was just a hiccup then? And who said it all has to look the same? I'm perfectly fine with a wide variety of artists and styles. Give me Wildman (not nostalgia, never read the old Marvel books 'til the Titan reprints), E.J. Su, a more polished Milne (he was less confusing in Reign of Starscream but yeah, room for improvement), Nick Roche and, hell, some gol' dang Guido Guidi. Hell, mess with our minds and throw in Derrick J. Wyatt, I'll still eat it up! Hell, throw in someone new! Give me whoever as long as it looks...y'know, visually appealing and not so strange and sloppy looking. Damn, Don, what the hell happened?

And I'm not criticizing Hasbro here...I'm actually kind of curious as to what they have to do with this debate, actually. Yeah, they have to sign off and approve of this but the comic book stuff is still left mostly to IDW, especially if there isn't any sort of tie-ins. And yeah, I can believe that Don Fig doesn't know what's best for Transformers. Being a fan doesn't mean squat. Just look at DC comics. Geoff Johns, a highly regarded writer and general fan favorite has caught plenty of flack for resurrecting Silver Age Flash and characterizing him as sort of a dick. So no, being a fan does not instantly make you any better on deciding what's best for the franchise. In fact, I believe that's what Plasmaprime is arguing against....

PlasmaPrime wrote:True fandom comes with appreciation of change; REAL Star Wars fans love the prequels because they properly expand on the themes and leimotifs of the original trilogy,

Let me not love Episode 1 and be a true Star Wars fan. Episode 2 and after that is good, and the Expanded Universe makes SW awesome; but parts of ep. 1 I really hate. If you want to know why, just read DarthsandDroids.

Also, the art of the Tartakovskij-Clone Wars I don't like, just like the art of this preview. Ironhide, whose ability is in his name, done from one human cannons shot? Where was this cannon during AHM? I still wait for IDW to get itself together.

Kenny28 wrote:Streamlining of the brand? So...Animated was just a hiccup then?

It must be, since Hasbro cancelled it.

Kenny28 wrote:And who said it all has to look the same? I'm perfectly fine with a wide variety of artists and styles. Give me Wildman (not nostalgia, never read the old Marvel books 'til the Titan reprints), E.J. Su, a more polished Milne (he was less confusing in Reign of Starscream but yeah, room for improvement), Nick Roche and, hell, some gol' dang Guido Guidi. Hell, mess with our minds and throw in Derrick J. Wyatt, I'll still eat it up! Hell, throw in someone new! Give me whoever as long as it looks...y'know, visually appealing and not so strange and sloppy looking.

I'm all for diversity within the line. We all are essentially -- it's why we don't just buy one character, we buy Prime toys, Triple-Changer toys, Insecticon toys, etc. But no matter how much fan input we have, and no matter how many of us go mainstream and affect the brand in positive ways, we are ultimately subject to executive decision. It's why we don't have actual TransTech toys and why the Mini-Con gimmich seeped into the Classics line. These were horrible decisions in the eyes of alot of fans, but because of these decisions we get to have better decisions rectify thing down the line, like to have another company resurrect TransTech in-fiction (done very well in my opinion).

Kenny28 wrote:Damn, Don, what the hell happened?

He's an artist. He's TRANSFORMED their appearance much in the same way 'Transformers: Animated' changed ideas, stories, concepts, and the visual style of the brand. And it got the same heat this art style is getting. I LOVE 'Anmated', but again, we are intially subject to Hasbro's decisions -- the best we can hope for is that fan outcry will have them resurrect it, in which case those who hated it or ignored it will be subject to Hasbro's decisions.

Kenny28 wrote:And I'm not criticizing Hasbro here...I'm actually kind of curious as to what they have to do with this debate, actually. Yeah, they have to sign off and approve of this but the comic book stuff is still left mostly to IDW, especially if there isn't any sort of tie-ins.

Exactly, they have to sign off on it, but it's THEIRS; it is they who had Guido and Su rework a few characters to have Universe bodies. Dropshot (a lack-luster repaint) was actually included in-story! So they have to do with what we are seeing, even if their input is minimal. And remeber, ultimately, the comic IS the tie-in... that's why IDW banked on 'All Hail Megatron' being a series casual fans can walk in on AFTER having seen/loved the first film.

Guys, I can't tell who is the one supposed to be narrating these first 3 pages.

Is it HotRod thinking all that? Or in the end it looks like Optimus? I don't understand.

I'm one of those eat-everything-up type fans but I'm also one of *those* type of fangirls and damnit I want their handsome faces back! With the way things are looking IDW Ongoing Megatron is going to end up looking like his face went through the same blender his Bay-Movie counterpart's went through. I guess my days of swooning over Guido Guidi's work in AHM will have to remain confined to those back issues.

PlasmaPrime wrote:That's exactly what being a fan is all about though, before adulthood or other outside factors had us scoff at what were once simple pleasures.

No, being a fan just means liking the franchise. There's no requirement to like every single story, or not speak out when you think quality's taken a turn for the worst.

PlasmaPrime wrote:And really, I'm not talking about accepting things JUST because they are presented to you, but at some point, we all must admit, we all start out loving alot about something we are fans of... and eventually become so intrenched in it that we end up ripping it to shreds because we think we know it best.

Can't speak for anyone else, but I'm "ripping it to shreds" because it's poorly done from general standards of art and writing *and* bad compared to what we'd gotten before now. I'm more than willing to read stories that take TF in new directions. Heck, seeing as how I'm one of the fans who got into TF with the '07 Movie, pretty much everything TF is new directions to me, as I didn't grow up with childhood nostalgia. But those new directions have to actually be good quality, and I feel like AHM and this art style... aren't.

PlasmaPrime wrote:I also absolutely hate what All Hail Megatron has done to Simon Furman's excellent story while enjoying the story as self-contained Transformer fun -- Love/Hate.

I disliked AHM even as a self-contained story... in a general sense, I see no reason to spend extra effort trying to find tiny little things to like about a story I otherwise don't like on the whole just for the sake of fairness. (Not to say that there aren't a few things I did like about AHM, but they weren't near enough to make the story enjoyable.)

PlasmaPrime wrote:I'll say it again: this visual style allows for the robots to be capable of much more in terms of expressed movement, combat capabilites and eventual toy engineering (and "gimmickness").

...eh? IMHO this sort of design limits movement, especially in terms of the faces lacking expressive range. The G1 designs, in contrast, tend to be very expressive, especially in the hands of someone like Roche who's got facial expressions and body language down to a fine art (pun intended).

Action scenes I admittedly can't speak about until we get to see some. As for toy engineering, what does that have to do with it? IMHO, if Hasbro is going to start making toys from the IDW comics, it's EJ Su's excellent detailed modernizations of the G1 designs that would be the most perfect, not these. Why would they waste time creating toys based on a bastardization of the Movie aesthetic when they can just make toys with the proper Movie designs?

PlasmaPrime wrote:Introducing this art style allows for an eventual visual streamlining of the brand; after years of this becoming tiresome and a bit boring, Hasbro/Takara and the comic company with the liscense will return thing to a more diverse and homaging state that will keep Transformers continuosly relevant, going back to what I said about the brand needing to EVOLVE to survive.

...Buh? Transformers already has diversity in the form of its plethora of continuities all having wonderfully diverse designs and atmospheres. Blending everything into one single design aesthetic would be a giant step backwards that would lose the diversity that is one of the Transformers franchise's interesting unique aspects.

IMHO a story set in a given continuity should have designs based on that continuity's aesthetic. If Hasbro feels a need to create drastically new designs, then that's the purview of new continuities.