IDW Transformers Drift: Empire of Stone #3 Review

Just read this issue. Under McCarthy, Drift is such a mary sue. He makes absolutely no mistakes in this book so far. Yeah, you could say stuff he did was dumb, but did it really affect him? He's says that this is all his fault but that comes across more like false humility to me. After all, he's "got this."

Of course, lying to one's self can be considered a fault...but when you get proven correct or justified each time I get bored.

I guess I'm spoiled under Roberts who fleshed this guy out considerably. Drift made mistakes in MTMTE and they were costly ones. He was a good character. Now...ugh. I'm going to read the last one because I'm insane like that, but Empire of Stone is just words and pictures to me. No heart.

But hey, if you're into that....

While I'm not loving this miniseries, I am enjoying the use of Gigatron. Almost makes me want to slap some Decepticon emblems on my RiD Megatron's shoulder pads...

Samsonator wrote:While I'm not loving this miniseries, I am enjoying the use of Gigatron. Almost makes me want to slap some Decepticon emblems on my RiD Megatron's shoulder pads...

I can totally agree with that. Using "Gigatron" was awesome.

Optimizzy wrote:Just read this issue. Under McCarthy, Drift is such a mary sue. He makes absolutely no mistakes in this book so far. Yeah, you could say stuff he did was dumb, but did it really affect him? He's says that this is all his fault but that comes across more like false humility to me. After all, he's "got this."

Of course, lying to one's self can be considered a fault...but when you get proven correct or justified each time I get bored.

I guess I'm spoiled under Roberts who fleshed this guy out considerably. Drift made mistakes in MTMTE and they were costly ones. He was a good character. Now...ugh. I'm going to read the last one because I'm insane like that, but Empire of Stone is just words and pictures to me. No heart.

But hey, if you're into that....

Oh, there has definitely been a massive shift in characterisation, and I doubt the issues will ever peak over a 3.5 rating in my mind, but this third one in particular has done a little more to me about giving some of heart it was seriously lacking until now.

What he really needed, I believe, was to fail that rescue run-jump-swing. That would've provided a serious lack of support for his self-assuredness, and give him a gigantic plot boost (though with serious repercussions of a fridging kind). But let's see.

Va'al wrote:
What he really needed, I believe, was to fail that rescue run-jump-swing. That would've provided a serious lack of support for his self-assuredness, and give him a gigantic plot boost (though with serious repercussions of a fridging kind). But let's see.

Dang. That's a good set up. I wish that happened too. At least it would make him a character rather than a "generic action hero"

Hi! Remember us? We left the interviews with comics creators lagging for a while, as life decided to settle itself, 2014 swept in and we're now ready for Combiner Wars hitting shelves in both paper, plastic and pixel format. But alongside that, we've also seen the return of one of IDW's original Transformers characters, Drift, in the hands of its originator - Shane McCarthy. Read on below for a spotlight on the Australian author of AHM!



Va'al - Shane, it is a pleasure to talk to you for a bit, thank you for agreeing to do this! As we've done for the other creators we've interviewed, I'd like to start from the beginning - from your beginning: how did Transformers enter your life, do you remember your first interaction with the franchise?

Shane McCarthy - I absolutely do. Like most kids I was crazy about cartoons and around that time I was all about He-Man. Saturday morning was where it was at and I would get up super early to watch them all. One morning, when He-Man had finished, on comes this cartoon I'd never heard of. It opened with Cybertron in flames and I was immediately hooked. After that it was a mad dash to the toy store. The first one I ever bought was the double pack of the cassettes... Frenzy and Laserbeak I think.



Va'al - And was that also a gateway moment into collecting the toys, or were you able to keep the plastic addiction at bay (or forced to, by external factors)? Did you, or do you still, have the one that got away, or at least a very elusive toy that was really hard to get?

Shane - Well I'd already started my He-Man collection so buying toys was already a habit. What I could afford mind you; my parents would buy me some big things for Christmas (Castle Grayskull) but I had to buy the figures myself. So picking up Transformers was a natural progression.

As for the one that got away. I was crazy about Prime and Soundwave as a kid and got both of those. There's two I never got that I really wanted as a kid. Ravage, because he looked so damn cool and I never saw him again beyond when I had to make that first choice in the store. And Megatron. Although I wouldn't be after Megs these days, the actual toy doesn't look at all that hot to me.



Va'al - Starting to sense a purple pattern here, I must admit. Would you say that Ravage (or any of the other three) still holds a spot in your collector's heart? Did you continue collecting beyond your childhood and teenage years, with new iterations of the same characters?

Shane - I'd say it's really just Ravage these days; I think the concept and the design are really cool. I think I've still got Frenzy around here somewhere, I lost Laserbeak's head though.

I didn't keep collecting, no. My love of the toys spilled over into books and comics. The next time I bought a Transformer was after Beast Wars came out. Like a lot of people I dismissed Beast Wars as some sort of heretical assault on the old classics. When a friend explained how the old cartoons and Beast Wars lined up and then handed me Transmetal Optimus Primal, I was hooked again. That was a seriously cool toy.

Va'al - That often still happens with some fans, good to hear we won you over to the beast side eventually! So as you ventured from screen media and toys into comics, what were your first impressions, what caught your attention in particular?

Shane - You mean comics in general? Conan, haha. My sister bought me one at a flea market to shut me up. It had Gil Kane on art and it was glorious. From there it was into Batman and Superman then down the road the X-Men.

As far as Transformers though I started picking up the magazine format comics, the ones from the UK that Simon Furman was writing. I absolutely loved them. I remember the first story I came in on, I can't remember the issue number though. But basically Prime and Outback were battered and fighting to survive against some sort of ape creatures I think. Classic stuff.



Va'al - That sounds very much like issue #100, Distant Thunder! As an established comics reader, how long did it take from that point to entering the industry as a creator? How was that process for you?

Shane - That's the one! Man, you're good. Alan Davis on cover art too, wow.

How long did it take? Well the link says that comic came out in 1987. My first publication was Batman for DC Comics in...2005 I think so, 18 years. Yikes.

The process was an interesting one. I never even thought of becoming a writer until I was around twenty odd years old. It had never occurred to me. Once the idea struck (or was actually suggested to me) everything clicked in a way nothing ever had before. After that it was a lot of work, effort and training before I broke in with DC.

Va'al - But you did make it in the end, and you've worked on multiple characters and properties since! What I'm wondering, though, is how the IDW gig started - did they ask you to take over from Furman, or did you pitch material to them?

Shane - I was approached by Chris Ryall to take over from Simon. He'd been doing great stuff but they were wanting to move in a different direction and asked me what I would do if I took over. With the understanding that it was supposed to be a new direction, one they hoped would also appeal to a wider audience, I pitched All Hail Megatron.

Va'al - And Drift was one of the new, original appearances in the series, before he became his own full-on character, correct? We've seen the pitch for him in the recent IDW Complete Drift volume, actually - how did it feel to introduce an entirely new character to the franchise?

Shane - It was fun. I was already having a hell of a lot of fun working on AHM and it was never on my mind to bring in anything new. However when I was working on the book the idea for Drift popped into my head and I thought, why not? I've said it before but the initial pitch was me just firing off a "what if" email to Chris. He liked the idea but said Hasbro would never go for it. Turns out they loved it. Right away they mentioned the possibility of a figure which was brilliant. Apparently some people didn't believe the figure was true when Chris announced it. I still find that hilarious.



Va'al - He was also not the only lasting outcome of the AHM series, as we're still feeling some of the aftermath of those events in the current ongoings and mini-series (such as the beef between Devastator and Spike, which Costa took a step further, and Barber is currently retreading in The Transformers). How does it feel, as the plotter behind it all?

Shane - It's nice to know it's all still going forward. I don't read the books (unless I'm writing for them) but I would hope that some things have been kept and other things have changed. Like any comic book, when a new creative team comes on they need to leave their stamp. It's important everything isn't thrown out but it has to be something new otherwise what's the point?

Va'al - And that, in a way, brings us to the present day, with you returning to Drift after his presence in James Roberts' writing in More Than Meets the Eye. How does it feel to write the book now, compared to any of the three you were working on back then?

Shane - I have to say it was a mix of weird and fun. James' take on Drift was different to mine and I needed to keep that in mind as I did the mini series. I'd read through Drift's "James" appearances and got a feel for who he was there. After that I needed to think about where I wanted to take him and what I wanted to say with the character taking into account what he meant to me when I created him and what he means to me now after he'd gone through so much since AHM.



It kind of felt like seeing a really great friend after they'd been overseas for a while. They're still your good mate but they've got a whole bunch of new hobbies and an accent.

Va'al - Was the inclusion of Ratchet as grumpy but sensible counterpart to him in Empire of Stone something that you built from the MTMTE relationship between the two, then, or entirely your initiative?

Shane - No that was absolutely from MTMTE. I loved the odd couple vibe I was getting from them and knew I needed someone to come calling from the Autobots. It was nice having it be Ratchet, someone who once hated Drift (or was at least seriously annoyed by him). Plus I knew it would make for some fun buddy cop moments.

Va'al - They do have some really good interactions, yes! And what about the other characters showing up, such as Gigatron and super obscure ones like Hellbat and the Micromasters? Are they something you have a connection to, or was it more of an editorial call?

Shane - No those were all my choices. When it comes to finding new, interesting characters that haven't been overused it can get tough so I decided to go to an expert. I went to Twitter and asked a Transformer fan, Sprite, for advice on some underused characters. I knew the kinds of characters I was looking for and she made some great suggestions of who hadn't been used in the IDW universe yet. I had a look through that list and chose the ones I liked the most. Gigatron, Hellbat and Grit all came from that list so, thanks, Sprite.



Va'al - Fans really making an impact, then, on all accounts! Some great artists are also showing up at IDW from the fan base, but you've gone with the established team of Guido Guidi, Stephen Baskerville and JP Bove. How are you finding working with them? What do you feel their art brings to the story?

Shane - They're a fantastic team to work with. It's fantastic to be working with Guido again; I absolutely adore his artwork. After having worked together for a year on AHM it was great to get back into those familiar roles again. And JP, what a champ. Fantastic work and a great guy. I had the pleasure of signing with JP when I was at a UK con, the guy's a riot. Stephen is a new one to me but, like the others, I love what he brought to the book. Everyone is excited to be working together and we're all doing our best to put out a book that we love and hope the readers will love too.

Va'al - It is receiving its fair share of praise so far - but with only one issue left to the series, do you have any other plans in mind for Drift or the Transformers universe in general? Anything we should be looking forward to?

Shane - Not currently no. I'm really glad John [Barber] dropped me a line asking me to do this, it was a blast, but currently this looks like it's it for Transformers. Not to say something won't pop up down the line, IDW is over the moon at how well Drift is being received so you never know.

Va'al - That's a low - though hopeful - tone to be ending this chat upon, however - is there anything you'd like to say to the fans and readers out there before we bid our goodbyes?

Shane - Just a huge thank you. Thank you for reading and thank you for writing in. It's great to know people have enjoyed AHM and Drift.



Va'al - And thank you, Shane, for taking the time to talk to us for this interview - it was great to find out more about your journey as a fan and a creator. Best of luck for future endeavours, and we'll be on the lookout for Drift #4 later this month!


You can find out more about Shane McCarthy's multiple creative lives at his website, SMAcTalk, and on Twitter. IDW Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone is regularly reviewed on Seibertron.com - join the discussion here!

You can also read Shane's thoughts on Age of Extinction Drift here - and find out more about the latest incarnation of the character in animated series Robots in Disguise here and here.

Man, I always had the imprssion the Mr. McCarthy was a bit of a Spaz. But after reading this, I want to pick up the TPB for Empire of Stone.

I like this approach Seibertron is taking with news posts. More editorials. More interviews. I like it. Keep it up!

It Is Him wrote:I like this approach Seibertron is taking with news posts. More editorials. More interviews. I like it. Keep it up!

We've always had interviews and roundups (well, since Blurrz, Burn and I worked on them), but life got in the way for a bit! Will's editorials are a great idea, I agree, and much needed freshness.

And here it is, the final preview for mini-series Transformers Drift: Empire of Stone by IDW Publishing. What do you think will happen, what will Gigatron do, how far will Hellbat go, and how many more times will Drift remind us of his past? Find out below, read our interview with series writer Shane McCarthy here, and head back here tomorrow for the Seibertron.com review!

Transformers: Drift—Empire of Stone #4 (of 4)
Shane McCarthy (w) • Guido Guidi (a & c)
FINAL FATE! This is it—DRIFT and RATCHET show down against the STONE ARMY! Will DRIFT rejoin the AUTOBOTS—or forge a new fate in the farthest reaches of the galaxy?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
This issue’s fallout will impact TRANSFORMERS comics for years to come!
Ties in directly MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!

Is it wrong that I don't want either Gigatron or hellbat to die? Gigatron could make for an interesting rival to Galvatron's leadership down the line. Hellbat could serve as an introduction for the rest of the breastforce into the IDW verse, and we need liokaiser.

ZeroWolf wrote:Is it wrong that I don't want either Gigatron or hellbat to die? Gigatron could make for an interesting rival to Galvatron's leadership down the line. Hellbat could serve as an introduction for the rest of the breastforce into the IDW verse, and we need liokaiser.

That's the funny thing about Transformers villains. There are some real bastards our heroes are up against, but you don't want to see them die and have no more chances to be bastards. Sure, you usually want them to lose, but it would feel like a waste to outright kill them.

That said, Japanese characters have not had a good survival rate in the two ongoings, so it's not looking good statistically.

"All bluster and bravado." How funny that McCarthy gives us such a succinct summation of the entire series.

I've not had much experience with his writing beyond this mini, but I know it's pretty widely panned among a good portion of the fandom. Now I can see why. Drift has no need to introduce and re-introduce himself in EVERY FREAKING ISSUE. "I'm Drift. I used to be a Decepticon. Then I was an Autobot. Now, I'm neither." Talk about Bluster. And making him talk like a badass or a wiseass all the time? There's your bravado right there. It just seems so forced and makes me roll my eyes. I can't take anything in this series seriously. Maybe I'm just too used to the great writing in MTME. Coherent plot threads, character development in spades..... In McCarthy's hands, it doesn't seem like Drift has actually learned anything or become any different. If he does come back to MTME, I can only hope Roberts can fix the damage. If not, I'm not attached to Drift, so it won't be a big loss.

Bounti76 wrote:"All bluster and bravado." How funny that McCarthy gives us such a succinct summation of the entire series.

I've not had much experience with his writing beyond this mini, but I know it's pretty widely panned among a good portion of the fandom. Now I can see why. Drift has no need to introduce and re-introduce himself in EVERY FREAKING ISSUE. "I'm Drift. I used to be a Decepticon. Then I was an Autobot. Now, I'm neither." Talk about Bluster. And making him talk like a badass or a wiseass all the time? There's your bravado right there. It just seems so forced and makes me roll my eyes. I can't take anything in this series seriously. Maybe I'm just too used to the great writing in MTME. Coherent plot threads, character development in spades..... In McCarthy's hands, it doesn't seem like Drift has actually learned anything or become any different. If he does come back to MTME, I can only hope Roberts can fix the damage. If not, I'm not attached to Drift, so it won't be a big loss.

I don't mind it, then again I'm a fan of the Flash and Arrow on the CW so it reminds me of that in a way.

That_Guy wrote:I don't mind it, then again I'm a fan of the Flash and Arrow on the CW so it reminds me of that in a way.

More power to you if you do. I don't fault anyone for liking it, I just personally can't stand it-to me, McCarthy's writing is so heavy-handed and doesn't do anything to advance a character's growth, it just tries to force people to accept Drift as a badass when he could do it through actions rather than the same internal dialogue over and over.

But different strokes for different folks, eh? I loved the Windblade miniseries and will subscribe to the new ongoing when it's out, because I feel Mairghread Scott has a far better grasp on writing for various characters. Hers are fleshed out and have more layers and subtlety to them.

Bounti76 wrote:"All bluster and bravado." How funny that McCarthy gives us such a succinct summation of the entire series.

I've not had much experience with his writing beyond this mini, but I know it's pretty widely panned among a good portion of the fandom. Now I can see why. Drift has no need to introduce and re-introduce himself in EVERY FREAKING ISSUE. "I'm Drift. I used to be a Decepticon. Then I was an Autobot. Now, I'm neither." Talk about Bluster. And making him talk like a badass or a wiseass all the time? There's your bravado right there. It just seems so forced and makes me roll my eyes. I can't take anything in this series seriously. Maybe I'm just too used to the great writing in MTME. Coherent plot threads, character development in spades..... In McCarthy's hands, it doesn't seem like Drift has actually learned anything or become any different. If he does come back to MTME, I can only hope Roberts can fix the damage. If not, I'm not attached to Drift, so it won't be a big loss.

I gotta agree with you. It feels like he watched a bunch of 80's action movies before he wrote this. Replace Drift with Stallone and you've got the latest Rambo.

Bounti76 wrote:

That_Guy wrote:I don't mind it, then again I'm a fan of the Flash and Arrow on the CW so it reminds me of that in a way.

More power to you if you do. I don't fault anyone for liking it, I just personally can't stand it-to me, McCarthy's writing is so heavy-handed and doesn't do anything to advance a character's growth, it just tries to force people to accept Drift as a badass when he could do it through actions rather than the same internal dialogue over and over.

But different strokes for different folks, eh? I loved the Windblade miniseries and will subscribe to the new ongoing when it's out, because I feel Mairghread Scott has a far better grasp on writing for various characters. Hers are fleshed out and have more layers and subtlety to them.

I enjoyed it as well. In all honesty did not see thag twist at the end.

That_Guy wrote:

Bounti76 wrote:

That_Guy wrote:I don't mind it, then again I'm a fan of the Flash and Arrow on the CW so it reminds me of that in a way.

More power to you if you do. I don't fault anyone for liking it, I just personally can't stand it-to me, McCarthy's writing is so heavy-handed and doesn't do anything to advance a character's growth, it just tries to force people to accept Drift as a badass when he could do it through actions rather than the same internal dialogue over and over.

But different strokes for different folks, eh? I loved the Windblade miniseries and will subscribe to the new ongoing when it's out, because I feel Mairghread Scott has a far better grasp on writing for various characters. Hers are fleshed out and have more layers and subtlety to them.

I enjoyed it as well. In all honesty did not see thag twist at the end.

Are you talking about the reveal of Chromia as the bomber?

yup, did not see that coming.

That_Guy wrote:yup, did not see that coming.

How? That got dropped on us in Windblade's opening monologue "The only one I can trust is Chromia", every time that line is used in any fiction it means that that character is the one who ends up betraying the lead.

And finally, our third preview of a newly released Transformers comic from IDW Publishing sees the character of Drift - introduced all the way back in All Hail Megatron, and become a mainstay in most of the stories since - show up in all of his Drift-centric stories, from Spotlight: Drift, to his eponymous mini-series to the Empire of Stone follow up, of which we are seeing repercussions to this day, more or less in the background (keep an eye out for that in the likes of Lost Light).

Check out the full preview below, and join the discussion in the Energon Pub discussion boards!

Transformers Drift: Origins & Empires
Shane McCarthy (w) • Alex Milne, Guido Guidi, Marcelo Ferreira (a) • Livio Ramondelli (c)
Repentant villain Drift roams the galaxy, waging a solitary war on his former allies, delivering swift justice to any Decepticons that cross his path. But with many Autobots refusing to trust him, and many Decepticons sure he's pulling a scheme, walking the straight and narrow path won't be easy, and Drift—previously known as Deadlock—must repeatedly face the consequences of his past mistakes. Collects Transformers Spotlight: Drift, Transformers: Drift #1–4, and Transformers Drift: Empire of Stone #1–4.
TPB • FC • $24.99 • 220 pages • ISBN: 978-1-68405-223-3

I didn't care about Drift until I started reading MTMTE, so I didn't read any of this. Now it's all in one nice package. I'm definitely picking this up.

I already have Emprire of Stone so I don't get why it's included in this. I don't have any of the others so I just have to figure which option is cheaper, granted I am a huge fan of paper books/comics.

Out just in time for Flame Toys Drift! Or the Wing, Drift, and Deadlock MMC are doing. Total Brand and/or Theft Awareness!

ScottyP wrote:Out just in time for Flame Toys Drift! Or the Wing, Drift, and Deadlock MMC are doing. Total Brand and/or Theft Awareness!

The Brand is bigger than us all. Which is why one can never reach True Total Brand Awareness.

Va'al wrote:

ScottyP wrote:Out just in time for Flame Toys Drift! Or the Wing, Drift, and Deadlock MMC are doing. Total Brand and/or Theft Awareness!

The Brand is bigger than us all. Which is why one can never reach True Total Brand Awareness.

:stares at MMC Wing in its glorious plastic Circle-of-Light awesomeness:

:knows deep down it's not really a Transformer:

Indeed, I shall have to find some penance worthy of The Brand.