IDW Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #39 Review

SW's SilverHammer wrote:You didn't confirm nor deny Vos is a Tears for Fears fan

Va'al wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:You didn't confirm nor deny Vos is a Tears for Fears fan

He said:

James Roberts wrote:@DrFumetts @seibertroncom I don't mean to patronise, and I'm not just saying this cos of the high score, but that was a v perceptive review.

Dead Metal wrote:Tarn, is confirmed as being Roller, not really a spoiler, and I'm super torn about weather or not he's Agent 113, but currently I'm back at thinking that he's not Agent 113 and just a super dedicated Roller.

Dead Metal wrote:Look at that, the mark looks like The Matrix with a black aura (or maybe border?)

So what does this mean? Did Tarn torture Skids? Did Tarn discover that Skids was spying on the DJD (Agent 113) and what does the Matrix mark thing mean?

"Unlike many others, Transformers from this continuity hold a wide variety of religious reliefs, and the true nature of Cybertronian life remains a mystery into the modern day. The most common deistic belief is in the pantheon known as the Guiding Hand, five aspects of the warrior god Primus, a being conceived in reaction to an unknown 'opposite'. The creation myth known as the "Primal Sacrament" describes how these five gods populated Cybertron before falling in a war amongst themselves, their last remains becoming Vector Sigma, the Matrix of Leadership, and the archetypal brain module and transformation cog. Belief in these gods is known as Primalism Meet the Crew, and Primalists would sometimes wear a 'tattoo' of the Matrix on one cheek as a symbol of their faith. The religious texts known as the "Primal Prophecies" and belief in the Underbase are also associated with Primalism"

Dead Metal wrote:The DJD have been noted to be someone you can reason with though, remember when they picked p first Aid? Tarn had a deal with the Autobot hospital, that he would spare the hospital, its staff and its patients if they supplied him with fresh T-Cogs.

Here's a bit of a thing I did for the Skids flashback

Jeen0808 wrote:Looks more "angry" than "shocked" in #39.

Jeen0808 wrote:Looks more "angry" than "shocked" in #39.

However, I was surprised that he showed Brainstorm contacting the DJD. I did think it was him, after all he's a Decepticon, but I still don't get why Brainstorm would get them involved.

Optimizzy wrote:Remember skids had a memory of the empyrean suite? Tarn plays that when he interrogates his victims. That flashback might be revealing something different than roller meeting skids.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Jeen0808 wrote:Looks more "angry" than "shocked" in #39.

I agree. It's a stretch; a plausible stretch, but still a stretch nonetheless.

Dead Metal wrote:

Optimizzy wrote:Remember skids had a memory of the empyrean suite? Tarn plays that when he interrogates his victims. That flashback might be revealing something different than roller meeting skids.

That was what I thought it would be, but then there is the Matrix tattoo and the angle fits.
Seriously, check out the two issues, Skids is always shown from the left, and the first time we get to see his full face is when Optimus notices the mini matrix.

The ES, Skids could still have heard it somewhere else, but the main thing I'm saying here, is that the flashback is to establish Tarn as Roller, and not hint at who Agent 113 is.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Jeen0808 wrote:Looks more "angry" than "shocked" in #39.

I agree. It's a stretch; a plausible stretch, but still a stretch nonetheless.

Go back to the issue, Skids was acting tough, due to what he was doing at the time, Roller interrupted him and stopped him, this could very well be just before the shocked expression in issue 10

pie-man wrote:A couple of things that still confuse me...

Brainstorm contacted Tarn about Overlord, let the DJD into the Lost Light.... but how did he end up getting killed during the slaughter?

pie-man wrote:And the DJD killed everyone on board the Lost Light... but that happened to be an alternate Lost Light (without Rodimus & Megatron). Now they're going to track down Megs, and look to kill crew of the Lost Light again?

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Optimizzy wrote:Remember skids had a memory of the empyrean suite? Tarn plays that when he interrogates his victims. That flashback might be revealing something different than roller meeting skids.

That was what I thought it would be, but then there is the Matrix tattoo and the angle fits.
Seriously, check out the two issues, Skids is always shown from the left, and the first time we get to see his full face is when Optimus notices the mini matrix.

The ES, Skids could still have heard it somewhere else, but the main thing I'm saying here, is that the flashback is to establish Tarn as Roller, and not hint at who Agent 113 is.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Jeen0808 wrote:Looks more "angry" than "shocked" in #39.

I agree. It's a stretch; a plausible stretch, but still a stretch nonetheless.

Go back to the issue, Skids was acting tough, due to what he was doing at the time, Roller interrupted him and stopped him, this could very well be just before the shocked expression in issue 10

Huh, that's a good point. You may be on to something - I guess if you look at it as though the scene was extended for this POV, yeah...

I'm Imagining how it would play out as a TV show as opposed to a static image, and I can see it.

Dead Metal wrote:One thing that just hit me, remember back when we first saw Tarn? Black Shadow said the war is over and that Megatron was dead. Tarn replied that the war is only over once Megatron personally tells the Decepticons that the war is over and to lie down their weapons and badges, and that should Megatron do that the DJD would disband and cease their mission.
Well, what did Tarn do when he heard Megatron say the exact words he said would make him stop? He set himself a new mission to kill for.

Dead Metal wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Optimizzy wrote:Remember skids had a memory of the empyrean suite? Tarn plays that when he interrogates his victims. That flashback might be revealing something different than roller meeting skids.

That was what I thought it would be, but then there is the Matrix tattoo and the angle fits.
Seriously, check out the two issues, Skids is always shown from the left, and the first time we get to see his full face is when Optimus notices the mini matrix.

The ES, Skids could still have heard it somewhere else, but the main thing I'm saying here, is that the flashback is to establish Tarn as Roller, and not hint at who Agent 113 is.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Jeen0808 wrote:Looks more "angry" than "shocked" in #39.

I agree. It's a stretch; a plausible stretch, but still a stretch nonetheless.

Go back to the issue, Skids was acting tough, due to what he was doing at the time, Roller interrupted him and stopped him, this could very well be just before the shocked expression in issue 10

Huh, that's a good point. You may be on to something - I guess if you look at it as though the scene was extended for this POV, yeah...

I'm Imagining how it would play out as a TV show as opposed to a static image, and I can see it.

Yup, it would be cool to see this in the form of a TV show!
I can't wait to get more information.

One thing that just hit me, remember back when we first saw Tarn? Black Shadow said the war is over and that Megatron was dead. Tarn replied that the war is only over once Megatron personally tells the Decepticons that the war is over and to lie down their weapons and badges, and that should Megatron do that the DJD would disband and cease their mission.
Well, what did Tarn do when he heard Megatron say the exact words he said would make him stop? He set himself a new mission to kill for.

Umbra wrote:Very nice issue, and it brings a large new cast for possible toys, since they seem to like pulling from the comics. I'm now hoping for a Tarn figure, which seems like they could easily release as Roller as well

I will be upset though if that is really all their is to Brainstorm's decepticon story. I am still hoping for another twist, such as he forged the logo as he thought DJD were the only ones who could stop Overlord

Can anyone help out and identify notable people in Deathsaurus' crew?

Flashwave wrote:So who, or what is the Jackpot? (Unless its the time machine, but we have no reason to think that had anything to do with the Cecepticon plo, especially since he was going to kill Tarn's idol.) The mass illing was before Megs' defection, or at least before Megs was known, and Drift was hardly a prize.

Umbra wrote:Very nice issue, and it brings a large new cast for possible toys, since they seem to like pulling from the comics. I'm now hoping for a Tarn figure, which seems like they could easily release as Roller as well

I will be upset though if that is really all their is to Brainstorm's decepticon story. I am still hoping for another twist, such as he forged the logo as he thought DJD were the only ones who could stop Overlord

Can anyone help out and identify notable people in Deathsaurus' crew?

Optimizzy wrote:Remember skids had a memory of the empyrean suite? Tarn plays that when he interrogates his victims. That flashback might be revealing something different than roller meeting skids.

Va'al wrote:

Umbra wrote:
Can anyone help out and identify notable people in Deathsaurus' crew?

Via TFWiki:

avidgamer wrote:

However, I was surprised that he showed Brainstorm contacting the DJD. I did think it was him, after all he's a Decepticon, but I still don't get why Brainstorm would get them involved.

Crazy theory - in the previous issue(s), Megatron surmised that Brainstorm wanted to be free and clear to attempt his plan. SO, he contacted the DJD the first time, but they slaughtered the crew of the alternate Lost Light. Meanwhile, Brainstorm is still waiting for them to appear, and figures they won't show. So, later, he convinces Chromedome to talk to Overlord, thinking that if Overlord gets free, he'll kill everyone on the ship. When THAT didn't work out, finally, he spikes everyone's drinks.

This would allow him to be free and clear of eliminating anyone who might stop him and he wouldn't have to do it directly (since he's shown to have qualms about killing people by himself).

Dead Metal wrote:Holy crap, I totally forgot about Skids having the Matrix in Shadowplay! I went back and checked, it looked a bit different (missing the black) but it'S there an Optimus points it out.
Then I saw how Roller was in the the same task force, so I payed some more attention. You see, until Optimus points out that SKids has the Matrix tattoo in part 2, you only ever see Skids from the side, from the left side!
And then I noticed that there is one moment in which Skids makes such a face, at such an angle:

There is no denying it now, Roller is Tarn, it also tells us that that's not Tarn remembering a traitor he's about to torture.

Okay, so it's been two weeks and I promised to answer some questions about Nickel. So here goes.
I wrote #39 thinking that Alex would be drawing it.
I write *every* issue thinking Alex will be drawing it. When we have a guest artist, it's usually decided once the script has been handed in
Before writing #39 I already had in my mind a very specific 'look' for Nickel: she was to be an androgynous Minibot with a retro, '50s vibe.
I wanted more female TFs in MTMTE and I in particular wanted a female Decepticon, so... Nickel. #NoBrainer
The 50s retro vibe is evident, I think, in the head design. She turns into a rocket/car which looks '50s Cold War'. You'll see it eventually. When you see Nickel again she might be a different color, or have highlights: she was originally silver and chrome, per the retro look. In the script (written with Alex in mind), in addition to the aforementioned design cues, I asked for lightbulb fingertips and a rocket pack. Ultimately it was Hayato Sakamoto who was given #39 to draw. He sketched 3 versions of Nickel, all excellent. I chose elements of each.

Until #39, all you'd seen, very deliberately, was the 'front facing' DJD. As readers, you knew them principally by their reputation. Where was I? Right, the DJD. Prior to #39 you knew them by their reputation + when you saw them in action, it was through the eyes of others. I didn't want to show any behind-the-scenes stuff until #39, the 'Spotlight: Tarn' issue. The intention was always to build to a contrast between the 'outward' and 'inward' DJD. The DJD were never going to be utterly murderous, terrifying, super-evil monsters 24/7, because who is like that, really? But given that, as readers, you weren't afforded a privileged 'off-stage' glimpse into their lives until #39, but instead saw them as the 'in universe' characters did, of course based on the info given you're gonna assume they're 100% awful - everyone 'in universe' does.
None of which is to say that the DJD *aren't* truly appalling creatures. They are! The things they do are AWFUL. Is that incompatible with their behaviour towards each other when in private? In my mind, no. Was #39 my attempt to belatedly 'humanise' the DJD because I'd made them TOO awful? No. But it was about making them less 1D, albeit that for plot purposes to date, 1D is what they needed to be.
NB: Not One Direction.
Do I think Nickel is cute? No. She's a foul-mouthed and quite possibly traumatised genocide survivor who facilitates torture and death. Do I object to people finding her cute? Course not. What you think of her is up to you!

Va'al wrote:YES. I knew I saw it, but forgot about it until now! Good catch!

It’s Friday, have a treat: Sakamoto’s final design for Nickel, based on descriptions in #39’s script.