IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016 9:02AM CDT

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Posted by: D-Maximal_Primal Views: 44,485

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That's Not What Your Eyes Are Saying.....
Spoiler-free

Synopsis

Megatron vs. Tarn

Sounds simple right? The teacher and the student. The master and the apprentice. Having those Star Wars flashbacks yet? Well, Darth Vader has nothing on Issue 52 of More Than Meets The Eye, and that is a fact. But, we may be getting ahead of ourselves here. Let's take a few quick steps back and talk a bit first. Then we can put Lord Vader in his place.

Transformers News: IDW Transformers: #MTMTE #52 Review

All they’re missing are the Lightsabers

Story

Well, if you are a More Than Meets The Eye fan, and even if you really aren't, this is the issue that should be on the top of your desires list. Things are nowhere near straight forward. Everything has a point, and then when you think you have the point, suddenly another one comes out of nowhere and stabs you in the back. This was a story heavy on the plot, yet heavier on the action, as if that was possible. This issue took things up several levels, from the players involved to the very foundations of the opposing sides. There were things that were expected. There were things that were wished for that finally came true. And yet, there were things that no one could possibly see coming, yet they did. The story has the twists and turns that Roberts is oh so known for pulling off, but this issue does it in far more dramatic fashion than pretty much any other issue.

YES

This issue is what issue 50 should have felt like. Scratch that: this issue is what 50 was meant to bring about, and in that regard this is extraordinarily organized and executed. If you felt that the last year of More Than Meets The Eye was lackluster and felt off, believe me: This thing accelerates that faster than the Millennium Falcon can jump into hyperspace. Megatron, Tarn, Kaon, Ratchet, Drift and Rodimus make for the big 6 of the story and get their good moments.This is more than just physical war; this is also psychological war, and we see how that has affected our characters, and how they will affect our characters.

Art

I follow James Roberts on Twitter and I know so many things about what is to come and what he thinks of both his artists and his fans. For issue 51, he made a point of saying that the art in that issue was supposed to be the creative teams best artwork ever, and it did live up to the hype. But for all that they did in 51, take that and multiply it by several degrees and you get the art in issue 52. The art in here is astounding! If you ever had even the slightest thought that Alex Milne was going off his game, here's a clue: Hell no he's not. The lines are bold, the background setting massively detailed, the very characters themselves beautifully defined in all their states of wear, tear, and care.

And you thought the best eyebrow raises were in Prime didn’t you?

Of course though, this creative team is far from being just Milne. His lines and attention to detail may be the baseline, but Joana Lafuente brings the colors to the front, and she is far and away on the A-team. Probably the biggest moment when she shines? Right as the sun starts setting. Page 7. Page 7 is where she shines her brightest. The light may be dying, but she is in no way dying down, and if anything the fading light only brings her colors farther forward.

I only wish I could I could show you the REST of that panel

And no issue is complete without its lettering. Tom B. Long gets mentioned so much in our many reviews, and he is always worthy of the praise that is sung for his work. Kaon comes to the front as one of the primary 5 characters I can say this story focuses on, and Long does a great bit in bringing that forward. Kaon's passion and fury are always present, and if Milne and Lafuente didn't already make that clear, Long's lettering far and away makes sure his voice is in your face.

Pretty much his natural state when his Pet is in trouble

Thoughts
You are now entering potentially spoiler territory. Enter at own Risk

Actually, we really did. You didn’t see the tears in the wake of issue 40

Alright, now that I can be a little freer in my opinions, I will say this: This is be the best issue of More Than Meets The Eye that we have gotten. People wanted the action, and we got it. Ohhhhhh we got it alright. We didn't have much of that standing around talking and setting up what’s to happen next shenanigans. Nope, we got the action sequences that were meant to be. 13 of the 20 pages involved physical violence, all of which was beautifully executed, and in some ways literally. I can say with confidence and truth that there were 2 main parts to the story involving 2 different characters that I could never have anticipated. Just when you think you are rid of someone, they come back with an explanation that furthers your own storyline yet makes complete sense, and makes things only that much worse.

This issue had 3 main characters so to speak: We has the obvious Tarn and Megatron, but we must also not forget Kaon made for a main character and definitely got his personality that he will forever be known for. Ratchet and Drift, while not making total "main character" status, were definitely very well executed secondary characters, as was Rodimus. We also begin to see the cracks in the armor for some members. Sometimes they are extraordinarily subtle, but take a look and you will see.

As a parting thought, it has been said now that issues 54 and 55 will wrap up Dying of the Light, and that 56 is the epilogue so to speak, with a Titans Return crossover coming soon after. Roberts himself even said that 56 would make for a great series finale, though I'm sure we are far from done here. But no matter. It does not matter if this ends in the 50's, or even if we end up much higher though. This issue is Roberts at his peak, Milne at his peak, Lafuente at her peak, Long at his peak. This is the issue that defines what More Than Meets The Eye is, and I look forward to where this can possibly can go from here. In conclusion: Vader, I think Tarn wears the mask better.

out of

Credit(s): IDW, D-Maximus_Primal

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Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784514)
Posted by ZeroWolf on April 27th, 2016 @ 9:09am CDT

Good review d-max ;)^

though one error "13 out of 2 pages" doesn't quite make sense ;-)

I wonder if the titan returns back story segment has thrown a wrench into the works of mtmte natural development.

Though I wonder how many people will take Roberts view of the end of this arc being a great series finisher and actually think this series is ending :-?

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784518)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on April 27th, 2016 @ 9:24am CDT

Thanks Zero! That has been fixed.

I'm hoping Titans Return doesn't throw a wrench into things, because we are getting good build up here and there are even more continuous hints towards a much bigger storyline. But, I think Roberts can handle it. :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784521)
Posted by Randomhero on April 27th, 2016 @ 9:31am CDT

Wow. I hated it. Lol. This issue was stupid. My first reaction to Overlord is "Jesus is James having a tumblrite right this instead of him?" There's already so much going on and last thing I really wanted was that jackass showing up in a story doesn't need him.

3rd issue out of 5 now and the main cast is still just sitting in a room. Some are even taking naps. This story to me is turning out worse than Remain in Light. It's really gonna come down to the last 8 pages of the final issue with a macguffin saving the day isn't it? I'm pretty much done with it right now.

The art was pretty at least. I'd give it a 1 and 1/2 for that.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784524)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on April 27th, 2016 @ 9:49am CDT

While the main cast is still holed up, it is important to note that they can't really do much. And this issue was more about the bad guys, Megatron, Ratchet and Drift, and they did their parts well. And I thought the introduction of Overlord was surprising as well. But the "benefactors" fixed him up, and I'm betting anything that the strange organics plus Overlord are leading up to the main storyline throughout the series, or whatever has been building up for many years now at least

I'm also kind of surprised Randomhero. I thought you would really like the issue honestly :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784528)
Posted by Randomhero on April 27th, 2016 @ 10:02am CDT

Personally I am too but I just couldn't get into it. I understand why some would love it but for me? I couldn't. Like we've talks before this is probably going to be a series that is going to translate really well in a trade and not month by month issue and for me that's really how it's looking.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784530)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on April 27th, 2016 @ 10:07am CDT

Which I do agree with whole-heartedly. I'm notoriously impatient when it comes to thing and 5-parters do make much more sense when put all together.

On the plus side, we did get lots of action in this issue. 13 out of 20 pages featured it in some capacity, though I will admit the one thing that made me sad about the issue. Trailcutter's death was a big deal, for me and for Megatron. Kaon killed him, and I had hoped for some sort of good justice for that, so I was very let down when Tarn ripped his head off for showing love for his pet. I would have preferred some autobot kill him "for Trailcutter" but not to be. That kinda let me down, but it's more personal than actual storyline stuff :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784533)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on April 27th, 2016 @ 10:12am CDT

So do Megatron and Tarn actually fight finally?

I haven't read the issue, but I'm calling it now: If Megatron survives Diying of The Light, he will become Rodimus's mentor, sort of a surrogate Optimus, teaching him how to not be such a...whatever Rodimus can be called, and be a serious, mature leader. Whenever MTMTE winds down, the final fight will be between Rodimus and Overlord, with everything in the balance, and Megatron deciding the fight by killing Overlord and saving Rodimus, if he makes it that far. Otherwise, I'm actually gonna go to my comic shop and read the issue. Not gonna buy it, gonna wait for the TPB, but now I'm very curious.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784535)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on April 27th, 2016 @ 10:23am CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:So do Megatron and Tarn actually fight finally?

I haven't read the issue, but I'm calling it now: If Megatron survives Diying of The Light, he will become Rodimus's mentor, sort of a surrogate Optimus, teaching him how to not be such a...whatever Rodimus can be called, and be a serious, mature leader. Whenever MTMTE winds down, the final fight will be between Rodimus and Overlord, with everything in the balance, and Megatron deciding the fight by killing Overlord and saving Rodimus, if he makes it that far. Otherwise, I'm actually gonna go to my comic shop and read the issue. Not gonna buy it, gonna wait for the TPB, but now I'm very curious.

Now, you know we can't tell you that! It spoils the whole story! Yes they do, and it is quite dramatic

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784537)
Posted by Va'al on April 27th, 2016 @ 10:25am CDT

Can I re-sub this issue as The Pissing Contest?

I mean, the two major egos clashing here have some excellent exchanges, with the sleazy smarminess of one trumping the blind fanatism of the other. I think that Deathsaurus eyebrow image captures it perfectly.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784542)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on April 27th, 2016 @ 10:44am CDT

Dr Va'al wrote:Can I re-sub this issue as The Pissing Contest?

I mean, the two major egos clashing here have some excellent exchanges, with the sleazy smarminess of one trumping the blind fanatism of the other. I think that Deathsaurus eyebrow image captures it perfectly.

I think that title works better, go for it! That was probably the hardest part too was coming up with a good title.

Also, the Deathsaurus eyebrow raise to me was the best "personal" image shown. It was just too good not to show :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784543)
Posted by ZeroWolf on April 27th, 2016 @ 10:54am CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:So do Megatron and Tarn actually fight finally?

I haven't read the issue, but I'm calling it now: If Megatron survives Diying of The Light, he will become Rodimus's mentor, sort of a surrogate Optimus, teaching him how to not be such a...whatever Rodimus can be called, and be a serious, mature leader. Whenever MTMTE winds down, the final fight will be between Rodimus and Overlord, with everything in the balance, and Megatron deciding the fight by killing Overlord and saving Rodimus, if he makes it that far. Otherwise, I'm actually gonna go to my comic shop and read the issue. Not gonna buy it, gonna wait for the TPB, but now I'm very curious.

I like that idea a lot.

So I can't say I'm too surprised about the reveal given what has been teased for the toy line next year, but with the idea if organics helping, is this going to be a tease for the future introduction of power/god masters?

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784569)
Posted by Randomhero on April 27th, 2016 @ 12:26pm CDT

This issue I have with overlord is "what is he doing here? He's not dying in the next issue or two. He's all set up for later and while it's a bit bold we can probably conclude is his secret benefactors are the cog faction Cybertronians and if that's what it is than I find it kind of just more build up to something that's already getting pretty built up and will not have a pay off anything soon. The DJD is more than enough of a threat, throw in 500 more deceptions that's even worse. The DJD alone killed 200 autobots, adding overlord in this story is just stupid at this point to me.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784608)
Posted by RevTibe on April 27th, 2016 @ 1:26pm CDT

If we count the DJD's reveal in the beginning of this arc (debatable, I know), we've had a surprise character reveal in each issue so far. Wonder if the trend will continue

.

I think that the Titans Return stuff should fit in well - hopefully it'll take the form of a "break" between the Dying of the Light arc and the eventual return to the Lost Light, the delay making the return to the LL more dramatic.

That said, I think their eventual return has been fairly clearly telegraphed - the prior few issues put a surprising amount of ink into establishing that they had a subspace window thing that people on Cybertron/Luna 1 could use to mail packages to the LL. Rodimus squeezing through an interstellar mailbox to take the ship back sounds like an incredibly MTMTE thing to do.

I don't think the organics are a lead-in to power/god-masters - remember, these organics are of a similar height to TFs (hence their pods being too big to fit through the "Quantum door").

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784651)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on April 27th, 2016 @ 3:22pm CDT

RevTibe wrote:I don't think the organics are a lead-in to power/god-masters - remember, these organics are of a similar height to TFs (hence their pods being too big to fit through the "Quantum door").

What that made me think of was the Pretenders from the G1 comics. Their shells were "organic" to shield them from mecha-detection.

Also, after having read the issue at my comic book store, all I have to say is

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784659)
Posted by sabrigami on April 27th, 2016 @ 3:39pm CDT

Wow. A shocking issue.

wow. Overlord. I kinda sat there like a deer in the headlights for a few seconds while that one processed lol. But I have to say, is it kind of bad I'm rooting for him? I loved how he was trolling Tarn and co. I mean gosh, you know you're loosing it when a creep like Overlord has your number. I have a very good feeling that Tarn is going to loose his support system very very soon too. At the very least I imagine Nickel and Deathsaurus are going to have a change of heart very soon.

Poor Kaon (not!). Such an ironic death, and it was delicious. I may have missed it somewhere, but I kinda wish they explained why he is so attatched to that pet of his. oh well. Doesn't matter now.

It might just be me, but Rewind is giving me a lot of pause. I get why he is like that, he's lived through hell etc...but he is one cold son of a gun. It's almost like he doesn't really love Chromey. No fan of his, but I could almost imagine this rewind throwing him under the bus in a heartbeat if it meant he could have Dominus back. makes me sad and worried. this Rewind has no scruples about killing to get the job done either (he didn't hesitate with Megs after all). Dunno, feel some major red flags.

I also noticed that in the flashback they still didn't show Overlord's hands. Looks like Rewind #1 will be back too. though that would mean he is in the hands of Overlord's "benefactors". I can't imagine it will be pretty. Probably the same ones who stole Pharma's body...maybe even Tyrest now that I think about it. my money is on Quintessons.

Overall, I am stoked for the climax. It will be bloddy epic

Edit: I forgot to mention much I am loving Megs. I've never been a big fan, but damn I love him in this comic. he's the boss!

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784709)
Posted by BATTLEMASTER IIC on April 27th, 2016 @ 6:04pm CDT

Based on the look of Megatron's chest wound, maybe the spacebridge technology in his body saved his life? Doesn't look like there's much to damage in there.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784811)
Posted by Mr Skram on April 27th, 2016 @ 11:22pm CDT

More stalling. Nothing really happened, just some of Tarn's bluster between him and Megatron. And then again with Overlord.I wish I hadn't gotten impatient after reading all the previous trade paperbacks because I agree this will probably end up being pretty decent to great if read in a single sitting or two. Issue by issue, though, it feels like a whole lot of nothing with a bunch of potentially good interactions being glossed over for the sake of getting to the next one to the next, etc. Who knows, maybe the finale of this arc will save it for me.

But yeah, Overlord... I got the feeling the Quintessons were involved as well. No real reason for it, just the first thing that came to mind.

As far as the organics possibly being pretenders, well maybe they're also Titanmasters underneath all the tissue and junk and that's how it all ties into the upcoming line. They save Team Rodimus by pairing with and powering up Rod, Megs, and whoever else. Then after the day is saved the Titanmasters contact their people(another of the lost tribes, or a combination of a couple tribes) and they go back to Cybertron offering upgrades to anyone willing.

Could be why it feels like they're taking so long to wrap this up. Hasbro might have handed down the order and Roberts needed to adapt.

Just some wild speculation. I'd be more okay with that as a Mcguffin scenario rather than something else like someone teleporting and calling for backup.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784828)
Posted by Va'al on April 28th, 2016 @ 12:58am CDT

sabrigami wrote:Wow. A shocking issue.

It might just be me, but Rewind is giving me a lot of pause. I get why he is like that, he's lived through hell etc...but he is one cold son of a gun. It's almost like he doesn't really love Chromey. No fan of his, but I could almost imagine this rewind throwing him under the bus in a heartbeat if it meant he could have Dominus back. makes me sad and worried. this Rewind has no scruples about killing to get the job done either (he didn't hesitate with Megs after all). Dunno, feel some major red flags.

Yes. Yes. There was a lot of pause, emphatically so, on that scene. Something doesn't feel right here either. :-?

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784850)
Posted by Burn on April 28th, 2016 @ 4:00am CDT

I was bored. I'm now frustratingly bored with this story arc. It's just been drawn out too long. Wrap it up already. >:oP

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784852)
Posted by Mr Skram on April 28th, 2016 @ 4:14am CDT

Burn wrote:I was bored. I'm now frustratingly bored with this story arc. It's just been drawn out too long. Wrap it up already.

Sitting around in flowery fields for more than several issues isn't an interesting story arc?

I honestly couldn't believe nothing really happened yet again.
:BANG_HEAD:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1784872)
Posted by Burn on April 28th, 2016 @ 7:50am CDT

Mr Skram wrote:Sitting around in flowery fields for more than several issues isn't an interesting story arc?

Oh don't get me wrong, I really do love all the flowers ... they're awesome, in fact I wish they'd do an entire series on TF's gardening habits.
It would be awesome.
Totally awesome.
Gawd I wish this issue had gone somewhere.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785026)
Posted by Ironhidensh on April 28th, 2016 @ 4:41pm CDT

Overload was kind of a "jumping the shark". Moment for me. Totally came out of left field, and not in a good way. The further insight into Megatron's mind was good though.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785215)
Posted by Va'al on April 29th, 2016 @ 8:31am CDT

Burn wrote:
Mr Skram wrote:Sitting around in flowery fields for more than several issues isn't an interesting story arc?

Oh don't get me wrong, I really do love all the flowers ... they're awesome, in fact I wish they'd do an entire series on TF's gardening habits.
It would be awesome.
Totally awesome.
Gawd I wish this issue had gone somewhere.

Megatron: City Planner is in the works, as I gather.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785273)
Posted by snavej on April 29th, 2016 @ 10:49am CDT

If Tarn was so against Kaon and the others having a pet, he should have got rid of the pet before the DJD became attached to it. Tarn is a very experienced commander. He should know that affection leads to all kinds of problems in the ranks. Now, he has lost a valuable team member for no good reason. His judgment is seriously flawed and I would not be surprised if he and the DJD are in big trouble in the long run.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785302)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on April 29th, 2016 @ 12:00pm CDT

snavej wrote:If Tarn was so against Kaon and the others having a pet, he should have got rid of the pet before the DJD became attached to it. Tarn is a very experienced commander. He should know that affection leads to all kinds of problems in the ranks. Now, he has lost a valuable team member for no good reason. His judgment is seriously flawed and I would not be surprised if he and the DJD are in big trouble in the long run.

I think it's more like Tarn liked the pet, but after his talk with Megatron he realized emotion was an issue, so when Kaon's judgement was clouded by the captured pet, he got angry. He thinks emotion is bad now and wants rid of it :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785309)
Posted by snavej on April 29th, 2016 @ 12:20pm CDT

I can't believe that he only now realises that 'emotion is an issue'. He has been fighting for millions of years. He is very experienced, not a teenager.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785313)
Posted by RevTibe on April 29th, 2016 @ 12:32pm CDT

snavej wrote:I can't believe that he only now realises that 'emotion is an issue'. He has been fighting for millions of years. He is very experienced, not a teenager.

Well, he is kinda deranged. The whole torture-hobby, he drinks "blood" in his spare time, steroid-induced rages, hangs corpses on his wall, general intense zealotry etc. That, and after meeting the turned Megatron in person, only to have him slip away, Tarn's going to be even more unbalanced than usual.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785314)
Posted by snavej on April 29th, 2016 @ 12:34pm CDT

Who knows what extreme old age and battle fatigue do to Transformers, anyway? It is beyond our experience.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785456)
Posted by Gabrielizador on April 29th, 2016 @ 5:58pm CDT

It would be badass if Dying of The Light ended with Megatron fighting the DJD, Overlord and Deathsaurus troops on his own and rescuing the Autobots.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785526)
Posted by Massinissa on April 29th, 2016 @ 11:07pm CDT

"I can't believe that he only now realises that 'emotion is an issue'. He has been fighting for millions of years. He is very experienced, not a teenager."

Uh, being a veteran makes people MORE at risk of emotional and psychological problems, not less. >:oP

If anything, after a few million years of low intensity warfare, you would think there would be more Transformers with such problems :-?

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785529)
Posted by RevTibe on April 29th, 2016 @ 11:15pm CDT

I'd love to see more fiction delving into the psych aspects of millions of years of warfare, especially now that we have the colony TFs to act as a foil to the more warlike Cybertronians. Starscream's secret police etc. might just be a symptom of a culture that doesn't value individual lives that highly anymore.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785668)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on April 30th, 2016 @ 3:12pm CDT

I can't wait to find out who Tarn really is... (Unless it's been revealed and I totally missed it. Or am I just being paranoid?)

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785669)
Posted by Mr Skram on April 30th, 2016 @ 3:13pm CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:I can't wait to find out who Tarn really is... (Unless it's been revealed and I totally missed it. Or am I just being paranoid?)

I thought they were going to reveal it this issue during "the talk".

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785718)
Posted by Ironhidensh on April 30th, 2016 @ 6:15pm CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:I can't wait to find out who Tarn really is... (Unless it's been revealed and I totally missed it. Or am I just being paranoid?)

All we know of Tarn is he is, or was, very close to Optimus.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785844)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on May 1st, 2016 @ 7:07am CDT

Ironhidensh wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:I can't wait to find out who Tarn really is... (Unless it's been revealed and I totally missed it. Or am I just being paranoid?)

All we know of Tarn is he is, or was, very close to Optimus.

My jaw would actually dislocate it would drop so hard if Tarn turns out to be Elita. Or Dion from back when he was Orion Pax. (I just started reading the Transformers TPBs, so I don't know if they're in that series. I didn't see them in MTMTE.)

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785888)
Posted by Va'al on May 1st, 2016 @ 10:38am CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:
Ironhidensh wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:I can't wait to find out who Tarn really is... (Unless it's been revealed and I totally missed it. Or am I just being paranoid?)

All we know of Tarn is he is, or was, very close to Optimus.
My jaw would actually dislocate it would drop so hard if Tarn turns out to be Elita. Or Dion from back when he was Orion Pax. (I just started reading the Transformers TPBs, so I don't know if they're in that series. I didn't see them in MTMTE.)

Elita shows up in Windblade and will do again in Till All Are One.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1785969)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on May 1st, 2016 @ 3:32pm CDT

Dr Va'al wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:
Ironhidensh wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:I can't wait to find out who Tarn really is... (Unless it's been revealed and I totally missed it. Or am I just being paranoid?)

All we know of Tarn is he is, or was, very close to Optimus.
My jaw would actually dislocate it would drop so hard if Tarn turns out to be Elita. Or Dion from back when he was Orion Pax. (I just started reading the Transformers TPBs, so I don't know if they're in that series. I didn't see them in MTMTE.)

Elita shows up in Windblade and will do again in Till All Are One.

Ah. Thank you. Still would have been awesome if it was actually her...

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786044)
Posted by Gabrielizador on May 1st, 2016 @ 9:44pm CDT

Let's not forget that Optimus will be envolved with the "End of the Light", so he and Tarn might face each other.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786062)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on May 1st, 2016 @ 11:07pm CDT

Gabrielizador wrote:Let's not forget that Optimus will be envolved with the "End of the Light", so he and Tarn might face each other.

Wait, when did this information come out? I hadn't heard that.

And while Tarn has not been unmasked, I am still adamant it is Dominus Ambus. :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786099)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on May 2nd, 2016 @ 1:41am CDT

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:while Tarn has not been unmasked, I am still adamant it is Dominus Ambus.

Why? I understand that his fate is still a mystery, but why would Dominus have been so close to Optimus previously?

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786135)
Posted by MrBlack on May 2nd, 2016 @ 7:56am CDT

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:
Gabrielizador wrote:Let's not forget that Optimus will be envolved with the "End of the Light", so he and Tarn might face each other.

Wait, when did this information come out? I hadn't heard that.

And while Tarn has not been unmasked, I am still adamant it is Dominus Ambus.

I have a couple of issues with that theory, but the biggest one by far is that Tarn lacks the Ambus family's distinct facial insignia, from the one time we've seen him unmasked.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786143)
Posted by RevTibe on May 2nd, 2016 @ 8:33am CDT

Ironhidensh wrote:
Rodimus Prime wrote:I can't wait to find out who Tarn really is... (Unless it's been revealed and I totally missed it. Or am I just being paranoid?)

All we know of Tarn is he is, or was, very close to Optimus.

We're not certain on Optimus's involvement;

All we know is that Tarn was important to someone Megatron wanted to hurt. Optimus is a likely candidate, but not a certain one. I don't think we've received adequate explanation for Terminus being erased from Megatron's writings - perhaps that is involved, one way or another.

MrBlack wrote:
D-Maximus_Primal wrote:
Gabrielizador wrote:Let's not forget that Optimus will be envolved with the "End of the Light", so he and Tarn might face each other.

Wait, when did this information come out? I hadn't heard that.

And while Tarn has not been unmasked, I am still adamant it is Dominus Ambus.

I have a couple of issues with that theory, but the biggest one by far is that Tarn lacks the Ambus family's distinct facial insignia, from the one time we've seen him unmasked.

(That, and the 'stache has been referred to as an insignia of the House of Ambus, which has a vibe of nobility about it. A diehard Megatron fanatic would probably remove symbols of the pre-War power structure.)

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786146)
Posted by MrBlack on May 2nd, 2016 @ 8:45am CDT

I thought about that, but it would make for an incredibly ham-handed reveal.

*Tarn removes mask*

Crew: ...

Tailgate: Who dat?

That's ultimately my problem with a lot of these theories. I can't see it being Glitch or Proteus because, from a storytelling perspective, no one reading the book is going to recognize either of them, on top of the fact that there will be zero emotional resonance with the audience. Dominus has the emotional resonance, but would also be unrecognizable without his goatee. Also, per the last issue, I'm not sure who Megatron would want to hurt by turning Dominus to his side. It would be quite the coup to turn someone of his stature, except for the fact that no one knows who Tarn actually is. Plus, it is not clear who Megatron would be trying to hurt by turning Dominus. Rewind and Minimus are the only two cast members we know of who had a relationship with Dominus, and I can't see why Megatron would want to hurt either of them.

That's on top of the fact that almost every clue points to it being Roller. I know some folks have slammed that theory on the grounds that it's "obvious," but it's only "obvious" to folks who are actually paying attention to what's going on. If Roberts is trying to play a fair mystery here, he HAS to drop clues in so that the reader can figure out who Tarn is. If all of the evidence so far in favor of Roller turns out to be a pile of red herrings, it's just poor writing.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786150)
Posted by Ironhidensh on May 2nd, 2016 @ 8:55am CDT

So, just how powerful is Tarn, or has Overlord been severely weakened?

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786154)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on May 2nd, 2016 @ 9:07am CDT

Ironhidensh wrote:So, just how powerful is Tarn, or has Overlord been severely weakened?

Overlord was found and rebuilt by his mysterious "benefactors." I don't remember it being specified whether he was rebuilt to his previous physical specifications, but I do know that Tarn is very powerful, especially wielding double fusion cannons. How they didn't blow a hole straight through Megatron when Tarn shot him in the chest still baffles me. Maybe Tarn wasn't really 100% into killing Megs?

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786158)
Posted by MrBlack on May 2nd, 2016 @ 9:18am CDT

Rodimus Prime wrote:
Ironhidensh wrote:So, just how powerful is Tarn, or has Overlord been severely weakened?
Overlord was found and rebuilt by his mysterious "benefactors." I don't remember it being specified whether he was rebuilt to his previous physical specifications, but I do know that Tarn is very powerful, especially wielding double fusion cannons. How they didn't blow a hole straight through Megatron when Tarn shot him in the chest still baffles me. Maybe Tarn wasn't really 100% into killing Megs?

Considering that Whirl's arm disappeared when he tried to punch Megatron in the stomach, perhaps some of the blast was diverted elsewhere due to the mess of wormholes in Megatron's torso.

Thanks Shockwave.

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786221)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on May 2nd, 2016 @ 1:13pm CDT

Ok, so here is my theory behind Dominus.

1) Roller is too obvious. Remember back in Shadow play? It was looking like the senator was Magnus right? and then it was Shockwave and it was a huge surprise. And then with Minimus being Magnus, also a big surprise. there were subtle hints that people never noticed before until the reveal. Now here, Roller has had every thing point his way. Green spark, size, disappearance, damaged right side of the head, addictions, was encouraged to read Megatron's work, some of the head details, etc. But Roberts has never made something that obvious, and to be the hints have been absolutely telling us it's Roller, but with Roberts I doubt he would make it that obvious.

2) The load-bearer spark. Minimus has it, and if Dominus is his brother, it is not unreasonable to assume he had it too. Maybe he just never used it, much like minimus may not have until he was upgraded to Magnus. If that were the case, than the face we saw in issue 39 was the "Magnus" face and Dominus is actually inside like Minimus is. Also, load-bearers are special types of point-one percenters. And also, in issue 32 where the alternate Magnus was killed, Tarn knew that the right hand was a recall trigger, so he cut it off. And he knew Minimus was inside, so he drug his corpse out of the armor.

3) Rewind. On the alternate Lost Light, Rewind was the sole survivor. That would be a little part of Dominus speaking through, making sure his former love survived. And he may not have cared for Rewinds new love, hence the reason they tried to get domey to wipe his own memories and killed him when he didn't.

4) The whole scene from this past issue. Dominus was a well known figure on cybertron. He was someone who went on quests and could be figured to be one of the best of the best. That means, if Megatron could turn him, he could turn anyone. And Dominus being the academic and scholar that he is, would easily be able to memorize Megatron's writings and know stuff inside and out. (I will admit this last bit is a bit weak)

So I am still adamant that Dominus is Tarn, especially since Rewind is shown trying to figure out the statue of the disappeared which he is on. Roller's name is shown, again an obvious reference and one that goes against him being Tarn as it's just too obvious. :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786234)
Posted by MrBlack on May 2nd, 2016 @ 1:50pm CDT

I just don't buy it.

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:Ok, so here is my theory behind Dominus.

1) Roller is too obvious. Remember back in Shadow play? It was looking like the senator was Magnus right? and then it was Shockwave and it was a huge surprise. And then with Minimus being Magnus, also a big surprise. there were subtle hints that people never noticed before until the reveal. Now here, Roller has had every thing point his way. Green spark, size, disappearance, damaged right side of the head, addictions, was encouraged to read Megatron's work, some of the head details, etc. But Roberts has never made something that obvious, and to be the hints have been absolutely telling us it's Roller, but with Roberts I doubt he would make it that obvious.

Neither of those were proper mysteries.

There was nothing to indicate to the audience that the Senator was Shockwave until the reveal. No clues whatsoever. All we got was one color scheme to make people think it might be Magnus. It was meant to be a surprise reveal, not something the audience could figure out.

The Minimus Ambus reveal was a bit different, but again, it wasn't a proper mystery. There were hints spread throughout the series that put the reveal in a different light, but we had absolutely no reason to suspect that Ultra Magnus was anyone other than Ultra Magnus until literally the issue where Minimus showed up.

In other words, those reveals weren't obvious because the audience was never intended to figure them out beforehand.

Tarn, on the other hand, is a proper mystery. The question of his real identity has been built up for quite some time, and we have gotten several explicit clues pointing to his past. We are meant to be able to figure out who he is from what we have been given, and I think dismissing too many of the more subtle clues pointing to Roller as red herrings ruins the attempt at making a mystery.

2) The load-bearer spark. Minimus has it, and if Dominus is his brother, it is not unreasonable to assume he had it too. Maybe he just never used it, much like minimus may not have until he was upgraded to Magnus. If that were the case, than the face we saw in issue 39 was the "Magnus" face and Dominus is actually inside like Minimus is. Also, load-bearers are special types of point-one percenters. And also, in issue 32 where the alternate Magnus was killed, Tarn knew that the right hand was a recall trigger, so he cut it off. And he knew Minimus was inside, so he drug his corpse out of the armor.

What we know about Tarn is that he is a point one percenter and that his outlier abilities developed later in life. We know that such abilities can develop later in a bot's life due to stress-induced mutation made possible by exposure to radiation from quantum travel (see Tailgate). That fits Roller: Team Rodimus used the quantum powered time machine to teleport into his trailer (not to mention the radiation he'd been soaking up from the Senate ship), and he shortly thereafter was put in the very stressful situation of being grievously injured and abandoned by his friends. We do not have an analogous set of circumstances for Dominus, at least thus far. At best, you could argue that the Nuke was responsible, but it's clear that it was a very recent discovery (the DJD had not been able to tell Megatron) and Tarn has had his powers long enough for other Decepticons to fear him because of those powers.

As for the recall trigger, that does lean a bit more in favor of Dominus, but it would require that Minimus became Magnus before Dominus' disappearance, and I'm not sure the timing works out for that, as Dominus seems to have disappeared early in the war, and Minimus is the last in line of several bots who have worn the Magnus armor. It would also require Minimus to have told Dominus about taking Magnus' identity, as well as the fact that there is a recall switch in the armor's hand. The former may be unlikely given the brothers' less than close relationship, and the latter is an oddly specific piece of information to give to someone else.

Of course, there's no reason Roller would know about the switch either, unless Decepticon intelligence was aware of Ultra Magnus' true identity, which appears unlikely given that Megatron was not aware. I'll admit that this one goes a bit more in favor of Dominus.

3) Rewind. On the alternate Lost Light, Rewind was the sole survivor. That would be a little part of Dominus speaking through, making sure his former love survived. And he may not have cared for Rewinds new love, hence the reason they tried to get domey to wipe his own memories and killed him when he didn't.

That is a good piece of evidence, but given that the DJD wanted a "travelogue" of their attack, letting Rewind go might have been intentional, in order to spread their legend to anyone who found the ship.

4) The whole scene from this past issue. Dominus was a well known figure on cybertron. He was someone who went on quests and could be figured to be one of the best of the best. That means, if Megatron could turn him, he could turn anyone. And Dominus being the academic and scholar that he is, would easily be able to memorize Megatron's writings and know stuff inside and out. (I will admit this last bit is a bit weak)

Megatron said that he turned Tarn not only to prove a point, but to hurt someone. Turning Dominus doesn't hurt anyone Megatron cares about. Turning Roller does, and hurts someone that we know Megatron has tried to hurt psychologically in the past.

There is also the fact that Tarn's sophisticated persona is judged as largely an affectation by everyone who has encountered him, as a mask for his true, vicious persona. That doesn't fit Dominus: He was legitimately a scholar and a renaissance man. It does fit Roller, who seemed much more low brow and prone to violence in his few appearances (watching bad TV, eating junk food, taking the fight to retreating enemies).

So I am still adamant that Dominus is Tarn, especially since Rewind is shown trying to figure out the statue of the disappeared which he is on. Roller's name is shown, again an obvious reference and one that goes against him being Tarn as it's just too obvious.

I still think it's Roller just because the clues all fit for him in a way they don't for Dominus. The addictions, the affectations, the powers, and the motivation for creating him all fit. Although there is nothing that we know about Dominus Ambus that would contradict any of the clues given, and although there are a couple of clues that potentially point towards him, I don't think the evidence we have as a whole works as well as it does for Roller. Plus, it would require providing the audience with additional information after the fact to explain some things (particularly the outlier powers, given that we have a valid explanation for those with Roller). Again, if Roberts is trying to give us an actual mystery, the obvious choice should be the correct choice, as that is how a mystery works. We gather the clues and see who they point to. Otherwise, it is not a fair mystery.

As much as I think it is Roller, I will admit that Dominus is, by far, the strongest contender otherwise. I'd be willing to buy him as Tarn, especially from a story perspective for the devastation that it would bring to Rewind

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786243)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on May 2nd, 2016 @ 2:40pm CDT

I would say Roller but again, it just feels too obvious. And how many times has the obvious been wrong? Probably as many times as it is right. 2 more months and we should know though :MAXIMAL:

Re: IDW Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #52 Review #MTMTE (1786440)
Posted by snavej on May 3rd, 2016 @ 5:14am CDT

Massinissa wrote:"I can't believe that he only now realises that 'emotion is an issue'. He has been fighting for millions of years. He is very experienced, not a teenager."

Uh, being a veteran makes people MORE at risk of emotional and psychological problems, not less.

If anything, after a few million years of low intensity warfare, you would think there would be more Transformers with such problems

Well, if Tarn forgot basic things about commanding troops, why didn't the DJD fall apart a long time ago? I guess Megatron's capitulation has screwed him up royally.

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