IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review
Wednesday, October 17th, 2018 7:17PM CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site ArticlesPosted by: D-Maximal_Primal Views: 37,070
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Rebirthing
A Seibertron.com Spoilerish Review of IDW Transformers: Unicron #5
A Seibertron.com Spoilerish Review of IDW Transformers: Unicron #5
Synopsis
THE END IS HERE! The Transformers make one last, desperate stand against Unicron, as Optimus Prime plunges deep into the monster—and into the dark history that spawned them both.
I need a way out
I don't believe that it's gonna be this way
The worst is
The waiting
In this world I'm suffocating
Story
So here we are once more, with the issue before the end, the final non-final issue. And as a windup to the ultimate climax, did the book deliver? Well, see below.
Feel Your presence
I take You in
So here's the thing about this particular book: the pacing felt much better in this issue and it feels the more cohesive compared to the other issues so far. While it was not particularly full of action, it wasn't supposed to be, as it is the calm after the destruction of Cybertron and before the final confrontation before the universe truly ends. And Jetfire and Prowl even say as much.
It also takes place following the Optimus Prime 24 comic that came out a week later (see the review from earlier today!), so it was spoilerish to review, hence the review waiting to give people time to access and process that book.
It was also cool that this book managed to make itself a Hasbro Universe book, more so than really any other book done so far. And unlike past Hasbro U events, this one finally has a proper team up across the board, even if the events feel a bit rushed, pushed, or forced. But hey, at least we got a large part of this mad universe together in some fashion!
Breathe for the first time now
I came alive somehow
But the main issue I find in the story is the personalities of the people involved at times, as with little action and mainly setup, it feels like we got some big personalities that are clashing with each other more so than in previous issues. And with a grand total of 3 issues left in this Universe period after today with Optimus Prime 24, it feels like some of those characters may not get the ending of the story that they need or deserve. Slide is one that particularly bothers me, Spike is sort of there but not really, Prowl returning with a protege of sorts in Stardrive, and while Stardrive does play off nicely and her wraith moments are good, especially with other wraith-infected members, her taking a sort of Prowl approach doesn't really sit well with me, and it's kind of a bummer.
Shockwave is sort of still doing stuff, and the final standoff between masters of logic are set up, but I can't help but feel that this doesn't feel as rewarding as it should. The same way with the Maximals: we have memorable faces and names, but they have a small amount of lines between them, and nothing really to back them up beyond their mere recognizable appearance.
One thing the book definitely did get right though was Thundercracker, and as his story nears completion, I love the character that was made, and I love how he, Marissa, and Buster are a nice little family that loves and trusts each other. I also appreciated Trypticon and his direction, and the new generation and the protection so many feel over them. Well done there.
I wanna break out
I found a way out
I don't believe that it's gonna be this way
But again, overall I felt there was a little bit more clashing than there could have been with different characters, and the story reads a bit less cohesively as it could, but the pacing here felt good as a pseudo-breath catcher. We got good moments, just maybe not as powerful as they deserved to be.
art
Art duties fall for the second-to-last time to Alex Milne and David Garcia-Cruz, and once again they do a masterful job. The art for the series has been fantastic, but seeing the different parts of Unicron looming over Earth, and really getting a good idea of the scale of the robot mode Unicron compared to the Earth is pretty awesome. We finally get a good scale done right for Unicron.
Scale does seem to be a good strength of the book too, as we get Titans involved as well, and the background scenery is very well done considering we jump from the US to a destroyed Canadian cityscape to the African jungles to space. I appreciate the level of detail and the coloring that went into each shot as well. The colors are dark and foreboding where they are needed, vibrant and bright when action is intense or Unicron's glow is present, space is beautiful, and it does a good job of mixing together the darkness (figurative and literal) of the end while still bringing some natural beauty and properly expressing the mood of the series.
Tell me when I'm gonna live again
Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside
Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive
If there is one complaint I would have, it would be that the Decepticons in Africa almost appear too lightly colored compared to what we see later and are used to, but it's a minor nitpick.
Letters are handled by Tom B. Long, who does his level best (and succeeds) in making sure those previously discussed lines and colors are enjoyed to the fullest extent to give us proper scenery and people on screen while still delivering the dialogue. Kind of a cool thing to note too is Bludgeon and his speech bubbles. He continues the "God of Death" black bubbles for most of the issue, but there is a particular moment where he loses that, and he falls back to regular Bludgeon, and the lettering pulling that off was a neat touch.
Final Thoughts
When writing up this review, it was hard to give this book a score and proper credit. It's a pretty good book, a decent read, and fun to look at. But while it is a good book, it's not necessarily a good Transformers book. It tries its hardest, but ultimately, I think the overall series needed a little bit better pacing to make it a proper and good Transformers book, especially when this book showed that proper pacing can allow you to better grasp what is happening and allow you to breath for a second and take in what you are reading.
Rebirithing now
I wanna live my life
Wanna give You everything
Make no mistake though, it's still not bad. It is fun, dark, has some good character moments, some questionable characters, kind of a lot going on to the point of a bit too much, but also clever, and it even managed to make "Titan-Mastering" a verb.
So should you read this? Yes, I think you should. Is this Lost Light 22 good? Not quite. Is it Wreckers Trilogy good? Not by a decent amount. But is it still worth your time and effort? I'd say yes. Unicron himself may not be everything we wanted him to be, but he looks amazing, and his story ultimately fits in with what the Mythos is for this universe.
Take it like that, and you can enjoy this issue as a whole.
out of As has become the theme for the Unicron reviews, this week's issue anthem is Rebirthing by Skillet!
Credit(s): IDW, D-Maximus_Primal
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Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1989852)
Posted by ScottyP on October 19th, 2018 @ 8:50am CDT
Posted by ScottyP on October 19th, 2018 @ 8:50am CDT
Based on this issue I don't see most of the remaining '84 cast surviving. Guess we'll see! I do wish this and OP 24 had been wrapped into one book with the final battle actually starting with this chapter. There is a metric ton of plot to resolve in Unicron 6 now.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993444)
Posted by william-james88 on November 10th, 2018 @ 8:02am CST
Posted by william-james88 on November 10th, 2018 @ 8:02am CST
We have two pieces of news concerning the final chapter of the Unicron mini-series. Firstly, Scotty P has made us aware of a five page preview over at Comic Crusaders. For those unaware, this final issue is a double issue and Alex Milne will be accompanied by Sara Pitre-Durocher, Andrew Griffith, and Kei Zama for art duties.
The preview is below but before that we wanted to share a variant cover sent to us by artist John Paul Paras who also wrote to us the following:
The preview is below but before that we wanted to share a variant cover sent to us by artist John Paul Paras who also wrote to us the following:
I've been a Transformers fan all my life and when I heard they were doing a Unicron Mini Series, I knew I had to be apart of it. I wanted to do a cover homaging the Classic "Infinity Gauntlet" Issue 4 George Perez Cover. IDW and Hasbro approved of the concept and I was off into the creative phase. I wanted to show that although Unicron was small compared to vastness of space, he was ready to conquer it. KRSComics.com are taking Preorders for the Release date of November 14th. The Variant is limited to 500 copies and is only available their online. I'm proud to be apart of Transformers history and hope you guys enjoy my cover to Transformers Unicron issue #6.
Transformers: Unicron #6 (of 6)
Cover A: Alex Milne / Cover B: James Raiz
John Barber (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)
FC • 48 pages • $7.99
November 14 2018
This is it! The end of an era! Finishing off 13 years’ worth of continuity with a bang!
EARTH WAR!
With Unicron’s ultimate goal revealed, the shaky alliance of Autobots and Decepticons is all that stands between Earth and the planet-eater. Heroes will rise—and fall—as Optimus Prime journeys into the dark heart of Unicron for the final confrontation with evil. At stake: the soul of a universe.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993445)
Posted by Nexus Knight on November 10th, 2018 @ 8:18am CST
Posted by Nexus Knight on November 10th, 2018 @ 8:18am CST
Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993459)
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 10:42am CST
I don’t think anyone is suppose to like Slide but I can understand her. She believed in optimus. Saw him as a god and he indirectly got her brother killed. Not brother in arms, her actual brother, but not just her brother but her entire ability to transform. Her entire life has been ruined. She reminds me a lot of Prowls views on Megatron by the finale of Lost Light. It didn’t matter how much good he does he ruined lives and you can’t get passed that.
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 10:42am CST
Nexus Knight wrote:Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?
I don’t think anyone is suppose to like Slide but I can understand her. She believed in optimus. Saw him as a god and he indirectly got her brother killed. Not brother in arms, her actual brother, but not just her brother but her entire ability to transform. Her entire life has been ruined. She reminds me a lot of Prowls views on Megatron by the finale of Lost Light. It didn’t matter how much good he does he ruined lives and you can’t get passed that.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993461)
Posted by Nexus Knight on November 10th, 2018 @ 11:24am CST
No, she has the right. OP took advantage of their faith and basically used it to build his army to take Earth. Oiler died because of Prime. The thing that makes her species unique was yanged away because of it. She has every right to be pissed. I'm talking about the time and place. People are literally dying around her and she is hesitating trying to help because she has a beef with the person leading the charge.
Anyways, who thinks Thundercracker is gonna bite Unicron's bullet?
Posted by Nexus Knight on November 10th, 2018 @ 11:24am CST
Randomhero wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?
I don’t think anyone is suppose to like Slide but I can understand her. She believed in optimus. Saw him as a god and he indirectly got her brother killed. Not brother in arms, her actual brother but not just her brother her, but not just her brother but her entire ability to transform. Her entire life has been ruined. She reminds me a lot of Prowls views on Megatron by the finale of Lost Light. It didn’t matter how much good he does he ruined lives and you can’t get passed that.
No, she has the right. OP took advantage of their faith and basically used it to build his army to take Earth. Oiler died because of Prime. The thing that makes her species unique was yanged away because of it. She has every right to be pissed. I'm talking about the time and place. People are literally dying around her and she is hesitating trying to help because she has a beef with the person leading the charge.
Anyways, who thinks Thundercracker is gonna bite Unicron's bullet?
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993465)
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 11:42am CST
I kinda wonder is she’s just snapped. Like her brain has and she just can’t truly fathom what is happening around her. Thy does happen and not defending her really but it’s how I’m interpreting it.
I hope thundercracker doesn’t. I don’t wanna day he’s got a survival bubble on him but he’s been in my top five transformers since he saved everyone in All Hail Megatron 12
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 11:42am CST
Nexus Knight wrote:Randomhero wrote:Nexus Knight wrote:Holy crap, Slide. You're... you're a special kind of idiot, aintcha?
I don’t think anyone is suppose to like Slide but I can understand her. She believed in optimus. Saw him as a god and he indirectly got her brother killed. Not brother in arms, her actual brother but not just her brother her, but not just her brother but her entire ability to transform. Her entire life has been ruined. She reminds me a lot of Prowls views on Megatron by the finale of Lost Light. It didn’t matter how much good he does he ruined lives and you can’t get passed that.
No, she has the right. OP took advantage of their faith and basically used it to build his army to take Earth. Oiler died because of Prime. The thing that makes her species unique was yanged away because of it. She has every right to be pissed. I'm talking about the time and place. People are literally dying around her and she is hesitating trying to help because she has a beef with the person leading the charge.
Anyways, who thinks Thundercracker is gonna bite Unicron's bullet?
I kinda wonder is she’s just snapped. Like her brain has and she just can’t truly fathom what is happening around her. Thy does happen and not defending her really but it’s how I’m interpreting it.
I hope thundercracker doesn’t. I don’t wanna day he’s got a survival bubble on him but he’s been in my top five transformers since he saved everyone in All Hail Megatron 12
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993476)
Posted by Deadput on November 10th, 2018 @ 1:05pm CST
Posted by Deadput on November 10th, 2018 @ 1:05pm CST
God Slide is the most annoying character that isn't a Visionary in IDW
I honestly doubt that, I just chalk it up to Slide being a terribly written character.
Randomhero wrote:
I kinda wonder is she’s just snapped. Like her brain has and she just can’t truly fathom what is happening around her. Thy does happen and not defending her really but it’s how I’m interpreting it.
I honestly doubt that, I just chalk it up to Slide being a terribly written character.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993487)
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 1:33pm CST
A terribly written character in the same book as IDW Thundercracker, Needlenose Tracks and Acree...
Yeeeeeeeeah no. She’s written that way for very specific reasons. The people who continue to complain about her character constantly are really wearing their Captain Obvious costumes real well.
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 1:33pm CST
Deadput wrote:God Slide is the most annoying character that isn't a Visionary in IDWRandomhero wrote:
I kinda wonder is she’s just snapped. Like her brain has and she just can’t truly fathom what is happening around her. Thy does happen and not defending her really but it’s how I’m interpreting it.
I honestly doubt that, I just chalk it up to Slide being a terribly written character.
A terribly written character in the same book as IDW Thundercracker, Needlenose Tracks and Acree...
Yeeeeeeeeah no. She’s written that way for very specific reasons. The people who continue to complain about her character constantly are really wearing their Captain Obvious costumes real well.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993494)
Posted by Deadput on November 10th, 2018 @ 2:09pm CST
I mean there are people who would say that those characters aren't written well either. (Not me but some people would, although I do think that Thundercracker having a dog is stupid...not bad writing but stupid)
Slide's character could work but the way she is written is completely stupid.
And this is the same comic with other badly written idw characters like Pyra Magna and Optimus himself. (Optimus just straight up sucks as a character in the last few years in IDW)
Posted by Deadput on November 10th, 2018 @ 2:09pm CST
Randomhero wrote:A terribly written character in the same book as IDW Thundercracker, Needlenose Tracks and Acree...
Yeeeeeeeeah no. She’s written that way for very specific reasons. The people who continue to complain about her character constantly are really wearing their Captain Obvious costumes real well.
I mean there are people who would say that those characters aren't written well either. (Not me but some people would, although I do think that Thundercracker having a dog is stupid...not bad writing but stupid)
Slide's character could work but the way she is written is completely stupid.
And this is the same comic with other badly written idw characters like Pyra Magna and Optimus himself. (Optimus just straight up sucks as a character in the last few years in IDW)
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993499)
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 2:44pm CST
Why because they arent devoted to him? Both never fought side by side with him for millions of years. Pyra is the way she is because she grew up around the devotion of Primes and witnessed first hand a Prime murdering her leader. She doesn’t believe in him because she doesn’t think he has the right to be followed by someone like Mistress Flame who also witnessed the evils of a Prime but chose to pretty much ignore that incident.
Slide again lost everything because she believed in him and at this point OP 24 happened where he fully admitted to her in ways he’s a fraud and manipulated people. What’s she’s saying right now is literally an hour or so after her conversation with Optimus from issue 24 where he admits to doing pretty bad stuff for the greater good.
I legitimately believe John is wrote her like this due to her having post dramatic stress and post partum because when you have that you’re not always thinking properly
Posted by Randomhero on November 10th, 2018 @ 2:44pm CST
Deadput wrote:Randomhero wrote:A terribly written character in the same book as IDW Thundercracker, Needlenose Tracks and Acree...
Yeeeeeeeeah no. She’s written that way for very specific reasons. The people who continue to complain about her character constantly are really wearing their Captain Obvious costumes real well.
I mean there are people who would say that those characters aren't written well either. (Not me but some people would, although I do think that Thundercracker having a dog is stupid...not bad writing but stupid)
Slide's character could work but the way she is written is completely stupid.
And this is the same comic with other badly written idw characters like Pyra Magna and Optimus himself. (Optimus just straight up sucks as a character in the last few years in IDW)
Why because they arent devoted to him? Both never fought side by side with him for millions of years. Pyra is the way she is because she grew up around the devotion of Primes and witnessed first hand a Prime murdering her leader. She doesn’t believe in him because she doesn’t think he has the right to be followed by someone like Mistress Flame who also witnessed the evils of a Prime but chose to pretty much ignore that incident.
Slide again lost everything because she believed in him and at this point OP 24 happened where he fully admitted to her in ways he’s a fraud and manipulated people. What’s she’s saying right now is literally an hour or so after her conversation with Optimus from issue 24 where he admits to doing pretty bad stuff for the greater good.
I legitimately believe John is wrote her like this due to her having post dramatic stress and post partum because when you have that you’re not always thinking properly
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993534)
Posted by DerrikDGreat on November 10th, 2018 @ 8:08pm CST
Posted by DerrikDGreat on November 10th, 2018 @ 8:08pm CST
“A place to call our own.” Where you gonna live if Unicron eats your universe slide?
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993736)
Posted by Big Grim on November 12th, 2018 @ 8:19am CST
Posted by Big Grim on November 12th, 2018 @ 8:19am CST
Wait, was Trypticon just taken out there? Jeez-o!
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993761)
Posted by ScottyP on November 12th, 2018 @ 11:18am CST
Posted by ScottyP on November 12th, 2018 @ 11:18am CST
Right? She's a selfish heel. Basically IDW Spike in robot form.DerrikDGreat wrote:“A place to call our own.” Where you gonna live if Unicron eats your universe slide?
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1993763)
Posted by o.supreme on November 12th, 2018 @ 11:34am CST
What's funny about this is, wayyyy back in 1986, just prior to the release of TF:TM, my friends and I were speculating how Metroplex and Trypticon were going to be a part of the film (I mean their toys had just come out, so of course they'd be in the movie right...
)
We only knew there was a *monster planet* (It's name wasn't revealed in the trailers), and envisioned how Metroplex and Trypitocn would be part of this grand battle. Only took 32 years to see it (sort of) actually happen
Posted by o.supreme on November 12th, 2018 @ 11:34am CST
Big Grim wrote:Wait, was Trypticon just taken out there? Jeez-o!
What's funny about this is, wayyyy back in 1986, just prior to the release of TF:TM, my friends and I were speculating how Metroplex and Trypticon were going to be a part of the film (I mean their toys had just come out, so of course they'd be in the movie right...
)We only knew there was a *monster planet* (It's name wasn't revealed in the trailers), and envisioned how Metroplex and Trypitocn would be part of this grand battle. Only took 32 years to see it (sort of) actually happen
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994001)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 13th, 2018 @ 9:39pm CST
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losin' my faith today
Fallin' off the edge today
And so the story ends. The finale comes, and the universe shakes, rocks, rattles, and rolls. But the question is, did the conclusion finally bring the show to justice?
Well, let's discuss this shall we?
I am just a man
Not superhuman
For starters, let's talk about our main cast. Aileron is here, and she does her part, but there is nothing really spectacular. Arcee is her typical badass self, but really doesn't need to do much to be a part of the action. She's there, and she does what she does best. Windblade and Bumblebee are also sort of just here, not really doing too much to the overall story despite previous prominence. Which is OK, all of the named characters have had some moments to shine, so their lack of doing much is forgivable.
Especially when you consider our big 3: Soundwave, Starscream, and Optimus Prime. To me, this story finally got Starscream back in line with what Till All Are One had set him up to be, and finally seems to shake loose from the later Barber runs and revert back to what IDW appears to have wanted him to be, and that is a good thing. He and his seekers got some really nice moments together and individually, so I appreciate this. Soundwave continues to pull the heart apart, and I love his part in the conclusion of this story, very well done. And Optimus is not quite Optimus. His retraction of the faceplate and the fact that he never wears it again after he gets ready to go to orbit to fight Unicron is very telling, as is the (near) conclusion of his storyline. He is Orion once more, the masks, as he puts it, are gone. He is who is he is, and he helps smooth a few of his bumpy points.
It's just another war
Just another family torn
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
We also had some other nice character moments, from all corners of the Transformers and the Hasbro Universe in general. Action Man gets in a good shot, the seekers are great, the Dinobots do a nice part, the return of a fan favorite character by Mount Rushmore was awesome to see, Prowl, Stardrive, and Rhinox with their moments of light, and even some Sharkticons and Junkions. The wind down pages in particular, with several important character interactions, was done very nicely as well, a good bookend to the series.
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
We're in the fight of our lives
And we're not ready to die
But for every good moment we had, there seemed to be a dim bulb preventing the light from fully shining. Slide is without a doubt the worst part of the book, and the worst part of IDW's Optimus Prime run if I'm honest. She ended up as such an unlikable character that I feel didn't deserve the storyline she ended up getting. The continued random cameos of Maximals that don't really do anything and don't really get any development besides Rhinox in any way was disappointing. Unicron himself and how he relates to his creator, and indeed his creator in general were lacking. The way Bludgeon, Monstructor, and the Dinobots resolved felt like a bit of a mess.
But most importantly, several moments in the book that were supposed to be huge just didn't ring. They sort of thudded. Starscream, the Maximal's victims, and Unicron's creator fall heavy in this category. They needed some more oomph. And the climatic finale itself needed some extra bits in the final resolution, as I feel the true climatic moment was with Soundwave, not with Unicron or Orion.
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I've got a hero (I've got a hero)
Livin' in me
Art duties were very heavily scattered with this book, bringing in artists from almost all the main IDW ongoings over the past few years, including Alex Milne, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Kei Zama, and Andrew Griffith. While there were noticeable shifts between most of the artist changes, with Zama using her more monstrous features, Milne his pointy-ness and detailings, and Griffith's and Pitre-Durocher's smoother and less complicated look, there was never a feeling of real disconnect, thanks to the efforts of David Garcia Cruz and Joana Lafuente. While they did give some coloring liberties to pages with certain artists, calling back to said artist's previous books and color stylings, such as Zama's pages having a more dark, metal look while Pitre-Durocher's was more clean, smooth, and bright, They did a pretty good job of keeping the look and feel of the book consistent while still giving each artist that special spice of uniqueness. Tom B. Long also continues his work of letting the art be enjoyed to its fullest extent while giving us the important dialogue needed for the story.
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me just in time
So in conclusion, this story fell somewhere in the middle ground. The story wasn't particularly bad overall, but it certainly felt like it lacked the excitement factor, the big push, that big wow moment that it really needed to be spectacular. The characters in the book and their screen time were handled pretty well, we just needed some characters to shine more in their moments (Starscream) and others who really needed to be given fewer pages and didn't feel like they got more than they deserved (Slide). Soundwave for me was the shining point of the book, which says a lot seeing as what role others played in the grand scheme of things. We also needed more of that expanded universe, the little shots were nice, but I feel we could have used a bit more of the Hasbro Universe itself, especially seeing as how ROM has played such a small role in this issue considering he started out the book as one of the seemingly more important characters.
But most importantly, we got a new take on Unicron, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. The destruction he caused and the look were impressive, but what he ended up being was a bit disappointing. I feel like we could have gotten a lot more from this badass villain who was the end. I feel like the moments inside him would have done very well for a personality of his own to shine through, but we did not get that. And considering how big of a deal he was, I wish we could have gotten a bit more from him.
And the series itself feels like that overall. It had potential, but for some reason, the big moments just never got quite the flare they needed. It needed something more, a bit more life to it, and maybe a bit less of the Main Cast and a bit more of the small moments, like Blurr's moment, but for others. It also needed a bit more of Unicron, and maybe a bit better executed finale. But overall, again not bad, just not quite up where I wish this book could overall have been.
1/2 out of
This final Review of Unicron #6 features the Skillet song Hero, a personal favorite of mine, and the fitting end to this book.
As I tried but ended up not being able to work it into a single issue review, I decided to make my personal favorite song of all time the theme song for the series itself, and I feel this song in a way encapsulates how several characters felt in the series, never giving up in spite of overwhelming odds, and keep their faith. The theme song for the Unicron series is: Feel Invincible, also by Skillet. As it is the theme, I have also linked the video below for listening without leaving this page:
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 13th, 2018 @ 9:39pm CST
I Need a Hero (to Save Me Now)
A Seibertron.com semi-spoilerish review of IDW Tranformers: Unicron #6
A Seibertron.com semi-spoilerish review of IDW Tranformers: Unicron #6
EARTH WAR! With Unicron's ultimate goal revealed, the shaky alliance of Autobots and Decepticons is all that stands between Earth and the planet-eater. Heroes will rise-and fall-as Optimus Prime journeys into the dark heart of Unicron for the final confrontation with evil. At stake: the soul of a universe.
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losin' my faith today
Fallin' off the edge today
And so the story ends. The finale comes, and the universe shakes, rocks, rattles, and rolls. But the question is, did the conclusion finally bring the show to justice?
Well, let's discuss this shall we?
I am just a man
Not superhuman
For starters, let's talk about our main cast. Aileron is here, and she does her part, but there is nothing really spectacular. Arcee is her typical badass self, but really doesn't need to do much to be a part of the action. She's there, and she does what she does best. Windblade and Bumblebee are also sort of just here, not really doing too much to the overall story despite previous prominence. Which is OK, all of the named characters have had some moments to shine, so their lack of doing much is forgivable.
Especially when you consider our big 3: Soundwave, Starscream, and Optimus Prime. To me, this story finally got Starscream back in line with what Till All Are One had set him up to be, and finally seems to shake loose from the later Barber runs and revert back to what IDW appears to have wanted him to be, and that is a good thing. He and his seekers got some really nice moments together and individually, so I appreciate this. Soundwave continues to pull the heart apart, and I love his part in the conclusion of this story, very well done. And Optimus is not quite Optimus. His retraction of the faceplate and the fact that he never wears it again after he gets ready to go to orbit to fight Unicron is very telling, as is the (near) conclusion of his storyline. He is Orion once more, the masks, as he puts it, are gone. He is who is he is, and he helps smooth a few of his bumpy points.
It's just another war
Just another family torn
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
We also had some other nice character moments, from all corners of the Transformers and the Hasbro Universe in general. Action Man gets in a good shot, the seekers are great, the Dinobots do a nice part, the return of a fan favorite character by Mount Rushmore was awesome to see, Prowl, Stardrive, and Rhinox with their moments of light, and even some Sharkticons and Junkions. The wind down pages in particular, with several important character interactions, was done very nicely as well, a good bookend to the series.
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
We're in the fight of our lives
And we're not ready to die
But for every good moment we had, there seemed to be a dim bulb preventing the light from fully shining. Slide is without a doubt the worst part of the book, and the worst part of IDW's Optimus Prime run if I'm honest. She ended up as such an unlikable character that I feel didn't deserve the storyline she ended up getting. The continued random cameos of Maximals that don't really do anything and don't really get any development besides Rhinox in any way was disappointing. Unicron himself and how he relates to his creator, and indeed his creator in general were lacking. The way Bludgeon, Monstructor, and the Dinobots resolved felt like a bit of a mess.
But most importantly, several moments in the book that were supposed to be huge just didn't ring. They sort of thudded. Starscream, the Maximal's victims, and Unicron's creator fall heavy in this category. They needed some more oomph. And the climatic finale itself needed some extra bits in the final resolution, as I feel the true climatic moment was with Soundwave, not with Unicron or Orion.
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I've got a hero (I've got a hero)
Livin' in me
Art duties were very heavily scattered with this book, bringing in artists from almost all the main IDW ongoings over the past few years, including Alex Milne, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Kei Zama, and Andrew Griffith. While there were noticeable shifts between most of the artist changes, with Zama using her more monstrous features, Milne his pointy-ness and detailings, and Griffith's and Pitre-Durocher's smoother and less complicated look, there was never a feeling of real disconnect, thanks to the efforts of David Garcia Cruz and Joana Lafuente. While they did give some coloring liberties to pages with certain artists, calling back to said artist's previous books and color stylings, such as Zama's pages having a more dark, metal look while Pitre-Durocher's was more clean, smooth, and bright, They did a pretty good job of keeping the look and feel of the book consistent while still giving each artist that special spice of uniqueness. Tom B. Long also continues his work of letting the art be enjoyed to its fullest extent while giving us the important dialogue needed for the story.
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me just in time
So in conclusion, this story fell somewhere in the middle ground. The story wasn't particularly bad overall, but it certainly felt like it lacked the excitement factor, the big push, that big wow moment that it really needed to be spectacular. The characters in the book and their screen time were handled pretty well, we just needed some characters to shine more in their moments (Starscream) and others who really needed to be given fewer pages and didn't feel like they got more than they deserved (Slide). Soundwave for me was the shining point of the book, which says a lot seeing as what role others played in the grand scheme of things. We also needed more of that expanded universe, the little shots were nice, but I feel we could have used a bit more of the Hasbro Universe itself, especially seeing as how ROM has played such a small role in this issue considering he started out the book as one of the seemingly more important characters.
But most importantly, we got a new take on Unicron, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. The destruction he caused and the look were impressive, but what he ended up being was a bit disappointing. I feel like we could have gotten a lot more from this badass villain who was the end. I feel like the moments inside him would have done very well for a personality of his own to shine through, but we did not get that. And considering how big of a deal he was, I wish we could have gotten a bit more from him.
And the series itself feels like that overall. It had potential, but for some reason, the big moments just never got quite the flare they needed. It needed something more, a bit more life to it, and maybe a bit less of the Main Cast and a bit more of the small moments, like Blurr's moment, but for others. It also needed a bit more of Unicron, and maybe a bit better executed finale. But overall, again not bad, just not quite up where I wish this book could overall have been.
1/2 out of This final Review of Unicron #6 features the Skillet song Hero, a personal favorite of mine, and the fitting end to this book.
As I tried but ended up not being able to work it into a single issue review, I decided to make my personal favorite song of all time the theme song for the series itself, and I feel this song in a way encapsulates how several characters felt in the series, never giving up in spite of overwhelming odds, and keep their faith. The theme song for the Unicron series is: Feel Invincible, also by Skillet. As it is the theme, I have also linked the video below for listening without leaving this page:
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994012)
Posted by ScottyP on November 13th, 2018 @ 10:45pm CST
Posted by ScottyP on November 13th, 2018 @ 10:45pm CST
I agree in almost every way with this review. There's so much good stuff in this book! There's also so much dull surprise. John Barber at his best, coupled with moments of overbooked, meandering plots elsewhere. Maybe if they'd kept some cards off the table after their removal this would've been a little cleaner.
Anyway I don't want to be too negative. This is a fun story that I enjoyed a lot and I think everyone on a TF website like this will at least like it, and some of you will love it and think me and D-Max have gone loopy
Anyway I don't want to be too negative. This is a fun story that I enjoyed a lot and I think everyone on a TF website like this will at least like it, and some of you will love it and think me and D-Max have gone loopy
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994027)
Posted by Daniel Adkins on November 14th, 2018 @ 12:12am CST
Posted by Daniel Adkins on November 14th, 2018 @ 12:12am CST
Anyone who says LL has a better ending than this book is crazy.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994038)
Posted by Randomhero on November 14th, 2018 @ 6:10am CST
Second.
Both were cluster f$&@s but one was as cluster f$&@ because the amount characters while the other was due to the writer not self editing and jamming everything possible in a handful of issues because he wouldn’t change stuff and abandon ideas that didn’t matter (omega guardians) and using the final issue as post story instead using it to really wrap stuff up.
Said it before, people are too bias to James Roberts and overly critical of John barber
Posted by Randomhero on November 14th, 2018 @ 6:10am CST
Daniel Adkins wrote:Anyone who says LL has a better ending than this book is crazy.
Second.
Both were cluster f$&@s but one was as cluster f$&@ because the amount characters while the other was due to the writer not self editing and jamming everything possible in a handful of issues because he wouldn’t change stuff and abandon ideas that didn’t matter (omega guardians) and using the final issue as post story instead using it to really wrap stuff up.
Said it before, people are too bias to James Roberts and overly critical of John barber
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994039)
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 14th, 2018 @ 6:20am CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 14th, 2018 @ 6:20am CST
You know the proverb "Never Dare a Fool"
I'm a fool, so I'll say it:
I gladly prefer lost lights ending. But it's worth a caveat that it will all hinge on the true unicron finale, which is op 25#. I do prefer James writing, I appreciate your mileage may vary and there's nothing in existence that has 100% approval rate with zero dislikes. For me though LL was the best ending...At least so far.
I'm a fool, so I'll say it:
I gladly prefer lost lights ending. But it's worth a caveat that it will all hinge on the true unicron finale, which is op 25#. I do prefer James writing, I appreciate your mileage may vary and there's nothing in existence that has 100% approval rate with zero dislikes. For me though LL was the best ending...At least so far.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994040)
Posted by X3ROhour on November 14th, 2018 @ 6:29am CST
Posted by X3ROhour on November 14th, 2018 @ 6:29am CST
A CHRISTIAN ROCK BAND!
oh well
THAT JAM ROCKS!!!!
oh well
THAT JAM ROCKS!!!!
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994043)
Posted by ScottyP on November 14th, 2018 @ 7:17am CST
Posted by ScottyP on November 14th, 2018 @ 7:17am CST
Alternate take: I could have told both of you this would be your opinion before reading either. You guys are Barber fanboys, I'm a Roberts fanboy (this is an actual reason Va'al reviewed as many issues of LL as he did), it's all good and I'm glad there are these different approaches for different fansRandomhero wrote:Daniel Adkins wrote:Anyone who says LL has a better ending than this book is crazy.
Second.
Both were cluster f$&@s but one was as cluster f$&@ because the amount characters while the other was due to the writer not self editing and jamming everything possible in a handful of issues because he wouldn’t change stuff and abandon ideas that didn’t matter (omega guardians) and using the final issue as post story instead using it to really wrap stuff up.
Said it before, people are too bias to James Roberts and overly critical of John barber
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994048)
Posted by Randomhero on November 14th, 2018 @ 8:53am CST
Exactly. You are a Roberts fanboy and you shouldn’t have been the person to reviewed it because you gave it a complete bias review. Va’al should have reviewed it because that’s someone who reviews it unbiased. The fact that it got a perfect score is appalling. The final arc to lost light is a giant mess and makes Revelations and Maximum Dinobots look like a masterpiece in comparison.
And I wouldn’t say I’m a Barber fan boy. I think he’s a better writer because he knows he’s writing a comic and knows how to structure one. Plenty of Roberts writings I’ve loved and I admitted months ago the reveal of Rung got me choked up pretty bad but doesn’t change the fact that it was a train wreck as a whole
Posted by Randomhero on November 14th, 2018 @ 8:53am CST
ScottyP wrote:Alternate take: I could have told both of you this would be your opinion before reading either. You guys are Barber fanboys, I'm a Roberts fanboy (this is an actual reason Va'al reviewed as many issues of LL as he did), it's all good and I'm glad there are these different approaches for different fansRandomhero wrote:Daniel Adkins wrote:Anyone who says LL has a better ending than this book is crazy.
Second.
Both were cluster f$&@s but one was as cluster f$&@ because the amount characters while the other was due to the writer not self editing and jamming everything possible in a handful of issues because he wouldn’t change stuff and abandon ideas that didn’t matter (omega guardians) and using the final issue as post story instead using it to really wrap stuff up.
Said it before, people are too bias to James Roberts and overly critical of John barber
Exactly. You are a Roberts fanboy and you shouldn’t have been the person to reviewed it because you gave it a complete bias review. Va’al should have reviewed it because that’s someone who reviews it unbiased. The fact that it got a perfect score is appalling. The final arc to lost light is a giant mess and makes Revelations and Maximum Dinobots look like a masterpiece in comparison.
And I wouldn’t say I’m a Barber fan boy. I think he’s a better writer because he knows he’s writing a comic and knows how to structure one. Plenty of Roberts writings I’ve loved and I admitted months ago the reveal of Rung got me choked up pretty bad but doesn’t change the fact that it was a train wreck as a whole
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994052)
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 14th, 2018 @ 9:49am CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 14th, 2018 @ 9:49am CST
Va'al couldn't of reviewed it, a general marches to war with whatever army he has. Plus how can someone review a series ender without bias?
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994059)
Posted by Coptur on November 14th, 2018 @ 10:29am CST
Posted by Coptur on November 14th, 2018 @ 10:29am CST
Ok I've now read it and I didn't like it.
I genuinely hope that a fresh team and company will be given the reigns for the next comic continuity.
I genuinely hope that a fresh team and company will be given the reigns for the next comic continuity.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994060)
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 14th, 2018 @ 10:37am CST
Fresh team yes, fresh company no.
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 14th, 2018 @ 10:37am CST
Coptur wrote:Ok I've now read it and I didn't like it.
I genuinely hope that a fresh team and company will be given the reigns for the next comic continuity.
Fresh team yes, fresh company no.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994090)
Posted by Skritz on November 14th, 2018 @ 4:46pm CST
Posted by Skritz on November 14th, 2018 @ 4:46pm CST
Well that was a big clusterfuck which, to me anyway, ended as a big pile of rushed nothing and empty nonsense. A wet fart of an ending. Sue me.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994098)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 14th, 2018 @ 5:57pm CST
Oh well? What does "oh well" mean here?
@Random, yeah, Va'al is gone, so it was pretty much Scotty to do the review.
I worked on that review for a good while, trying to articulate thoughts. Slide really wasn't good, and the character deaths were many, but most were killing the remnants of a war that looks to finally be gone.
Also, the spirits of the dead page was lacking Starscream and Stormclash, which are pretty big misses considering Scattershot and the Clones were apparently in there. Starscream could be deliberate though
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 14th, 2018 @ 5:57pm CST
Z3ROhour wrote:A CHRISTIAN ROCK BAND!
oh well
THAT JAM ROCKS!!!!
Oh well? What does "oh well" mean here?
@Random, yeah, Va'al is gone, so it was pretty much Scotty to do the review.
I worked on that review for a good while, trying to articulate thoughts. Slide really wasn't good, and the character deaths were many, but most were killing the remnants of a war that looks to finally be gone.
Also, the spirits of the dead page was lacking Starscream and Stormclash, which are pretty big misses considering Scattershot and the Clones were apparently in there. Starscream could be deliberate though
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994142)
Posted by Coptur on November 15th, 2018 @ 2:47am CST
Posted by Coptur on November 15th, 2018 @ 2:47am CST
what happened to Va'al?
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994144)
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 15th, 2018 @ 2:59am CST
He retired, and went to pastures new.
Posted by ZeroWolf on November 15th, 2018 @ 2:59am CST
Coptur wrote:what happened to Va'al?
He retired, and went to pastures new.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994155)
Posted by Sunstar on November 15th, 2018 @ 7:51am CST
Posted by Sunstar on November 15th, 2018 @ 7:51am CST
As a Starscream fan, who is usually disappointed in how his inevitable end is handled, I was pleased he went out with honour and as a hero. I was surprised he would sacrifice himself in that manner, yet not surprised. I know that he loves his world and his people - I was happy he did not shy away from the responsibility that was thrusted upon him. I guess he was indeed the chosen one, the saviour of Cybertronians. I agree his scene was rather short and felt a little lacking. But at least he died with an impish smile, as opposed to terror. I know he was at peace with the decision. The bitchy character, Slide I guess it was, had too much - this I also agree with. I am glad Thundercracker was reunited with buster.
I was disappointed in the lack of Starscream there. I wondered if the talisman obliterated his spark.
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Also, the spirits of the dead page was lacking Starscream and Stormclash, which are pretty big misses considering Scattershot and the Clones were apparently in there. Starscream could be deliberate though
I was disappointed in the lack of Starscream there. I wondered if the talisman obliterated his spark.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994157)
Posted by YoungPrime on November 15th, 2018 @ 8:27am CST
Or anyone who feels it necessary to even make this a topic is likely a bitter, annoying, troll.
By right a modern IDW-verse book about UNICRON should be better BUT because majority of Barber's cast in this book and OP are so darn annoying I haven't bothered reading a single Unicon book yet. Whereas with LL I've bought both the physical and digital copy of each of the last 10 issues and miss that series already.
A book about 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier characters that has become memorable that you desperately have to force take a back seat to a book staring OP, BB, Starscream and many other A-lister's speaks for itself!
The main reason that I'm eventually going to read Barbers remaining books is in hopes that it properly ties in with the LL.
Posted by YoungPrime on November 15th, 2018 @ 8:27am CST
Daniel Adkins wrote:Anyone who says LL has a better ending than this book is crazy.
Or anyone who feels it necessary to even make this a topic is likely a bitter, annoying, troll.
By right a modern IDW-verse book about UNICRON should be better BUT because majority of Barber's cast in this book and OP are so darn annoying I haven't bothered reading a single Unicon book yet. Whereas with LL I've bought both the physical and digital copy of each of the last 10 issues and miss that series already.
A book about 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier characters that has become memorable that you desperately have to force take a back seat to a book staring OP, BB, Starscream and many other A-lister's speaks for itself!
The main reason that I'm eventually going to read Barbers remaining books is in hopes that it properly ties in with the LL.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994158)
Posted by Stormshot_Prime on November 15th, 2018 @ 8:39am CST
Don’t get your hopes up on that one. Besides homages and brief visions the series kind of end on a weirdly separate note, as if everyone in both series forgot their friends.
Posted by Stormshot_Prime on November 15th, 2018 @ 8:39am CST
YoungPrime wrote:Daniel Adkins wrote:Anyone who says LL has a better ending than this book is crazy.
The main reason that I'm eventually going to read Barbers remaining books is in hopes that it properly ties in with the LL.
Don’t get your hopes up on that one. Besides homages and brief visions the series kind of end on a weirdly separate note, as if everyone in both series forgot their friends.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994172)
Posted by Cyberstrike on November 15th, 2018 @ 11:33am CST
Maybe because the creators involved didn't want to write or draw it, because it supposedly means the end of a 13 year old comic book universe because some trolls didn't like it or wanted to see it end, because they just hate filled trolls, and now they got their wish.
So yeah I wouldn't give my time and energy to give a great book under those conditions either.
Posted by Cyberstrike on November 15th, 2018 @ 11:33am CST
Skritz wrote:Well that was a big **** which, to me anyway, ended as a big pile of rushed nothing and empty nonsense. A wet fart of an ending. Sue me.
Maybe because the creators involved didn't want to write or draw it, because it supposedly means the end of a 13 year old comic book universe because some trolls didn't like it or wanted to see it end, because they just hate filled trolls, and now they got their wish.
So yeah I wouldn't give my time and energy to give a great book under those conditions either.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994175)
Posted by Big Grim on November 15th, 2018 @ 12:06pm CST
Posted by Big Grim on November 15th, 2018 @ 12:06pm CST
Honestly, I felt very little during this book. Only Thundercracker and Skywarp's moment had me happy. The rest was just....there I guess. Honestly, I miss Lost Light more than I miss the Optimus Prime series and Unicron.
Ah well. To each, their own.
Ah well. To each, their own.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994189)
Posted by snavej on November 15th, 2018 @ 2:38pm CST
Posted by snavej on November 15th, 2018 @ 2:38pm CST
For once, this issue showed one picture of the area where I work. 'Action Men' were fighting in King's Cross, Central London. It's about 1 KM from my place of work! 
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994195)
Posted by Coptur on November 15th, 2018 @ 3:57pm CST
Or they're just outspoken people that just want to read good stories and not social justice point scoring. The poor sales have spoken for themselves.
Posted by Coptur on November 15th, 2018 @ 3:57pm CST
Cyberstrike wrote:Skritz wrote:Well that was a big **** which, to me anyway, ended as a big pile of rushed nothing and empty nonsense. A wet fart of an ending. Sue me.
Maybe because the creators involved didn't want to write or draw it, because it supposedly means the end of a 13 year old comic book universe because some trolls didn't like it or wanted to see it end, because they just hate filled trolls, and now they got their wish.
So yeah I wouldn't give my time and energy to give a great book under those conditions either.
Or they're just outspoken people that just want to read good stories and not social justice point scoring. The poor sales have spoken for themselves.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994196)
Posted by o.supreme on November 15th, 2018 @ 4:19pm CST
Posted by o.supreme on November 15th, 2018 @ 4:19pm CST
Whether you like the end, or not, one thing we can agree on it was a good run. 13 years, nearly double Marvel's length and 5X as many books printed in that time.
Personally I was never a fan of MTMTE/LL, but I know it had it's fans. And if your sad its over...I'll tell you what all the LL fans told me when lamenting about the loss of more traditional TF comics -You'll always have this, nobody can take it away from you. My favorite period was probably from AHM up until before the split between MTMTE & RiD. In the past 6 or so years, there have been some glimpses of greatness, but there have been some things I really didn't care for as well.
At this point, as far as I'm aware, we have no idea what the new TF series will look or feel like. Honestly though, after the communication I got from IDW today, I'm not so sure there will be any TF series, at least not for a while.
For those worried it may be even a more radical departure, I sympathize, but a t least I don't feel any obligation to purchase it. For those fearing it may go back to something more old fashioned and thus "boring" all I can say is:
Personally I was never a fan of MTMTE/LL, but I know it had it's fans. And if your sad its over...I'll tell you what all the LL fans told me when lamenting about the loss of more traditional TF comics -You'll always have this, nobody can take it away from you. My favorite period was probably from AHM up until before the split between MTMTE & RiD. In the past 6 or so years, there have been some glimpses of greatness, but there have been some things I really didn't care for as well.
At this point, as far as I'm aware, we have no idea what the new TF series will look or feel like. Honestly though, after the communication I got from IDW today, I'm not so sure there will be any TF series, at least not for a while.
For those worried it may be even a more radical departure, I sympathize, but a t least I don't feel any obligation to purchase it. For those fearing it may go back to something more old fashioned and thus "boring" all I can say is:
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994216)
Posted by Flashwave on November 15th, 2018 @ 8:43pm CST
Posted by Flashwave on November 15th, 2018 @ 8:43pm CST
I will say this: anyone trying to compare LL's finale to this is missing the whole point of one or both books.
This felt like a Transformers ending, with a big climactic (gimmicky) battle and a happy ever after. Lost Light wasn't that, but it wasn't SUPPOSED to be that. Its a Buddy Comedy t
With Robot Hijinx, this was flippin' UNICRON coming to kill us all. I think I liked this better overall as an ending to its own stpry, but most of my gripes with LL was how that stpry was edited and displayed.
I really liked Prime's confrontation with the Creator at the end. That gelt like a Prime way to do it and paid homage to what the Magrix did in the movie that made sense wand was still kinda its own thing. The stpry was busy, and I definately need to go back and reread it boq that I am not being interuppted at work, but in the end enjoyable. Part of me wanted this to be it. The End. Last Book, turn out the light. I'm nervous at what is still to bmcome in OP 25. An Epilogue? Not sure we need one. A chapter begore Unicron 1? Tired of backpedaling. What more can be offered by the story, unless it ties Prowl into the last book of Lost Light, but again, do qe need that? We'll see
This felt like a Transformers ending, with a big climactic (gimmicky) battle and a happy ever after. Lost Light wasn't that, but it wasn't SUPPOSED to be that. Its a Buddy Comedy t
With Robot Hijinx, this was flippin' UNICRON coming to kill us all. I think I liked this better overall as an ending to its own stpry, but most of my gripes with LL was how that stpry was edited and displayed.
I really liked Prime's confrontation with the Creator at the end. That gelt like a Prime way to do it and paid homage to what the Magrix did in the movie that made sense wand was still kinda its own thing. The stpry was busy, and I definately need to go back and reread it boq that I am not being interuppted at work, but in the end enjoyable. Part of me wanted this to be it. The End. Last Book, turn out the light. I'm nervous at what is still to bmcome in OP 25. An Epilogue? Not sure we need one. A chapter begore Unicron 1? Tired of backpedaling. What more can be offered by the story, unless it ties Prowl into the last book of Lost Light, but again, do qe need that? We'll see
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994366)
Posted by X3ROhour on November 16th, 2018 @ 8:23pm CST
HERE, HERE!
i love LL
and miss it
OP has been a jumbled up mess day one.
okay read
but never grabbing deeply to much.
they tried too hard too cover too much.
but thats mostly because of the roller-coaster collapse of the Hasblow-Verse.
Posted by X3ROhour on November 16th, 2018 @ 8:23pm CST
YoungPrime wrote:Daniel Adkins wrote:Anyone who says LL has a better ending than this book is crazy.
Or anyone who feels it necessary to even make this a topic is likely a bitter, annoying, troll.
By right a modern IDW-verse book about UNICRON should be better BUT because majority of Barber's cast in this book and OP are so darn annoying I haven't bothered reading a single Unicon book yet. Whereas with LL I've bought both the physical and digital copy of each of the last 10 issues and miss that series already.
A book about 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier characters that has become memorable that you desperately have to force take a back seat to a book staring OP, BB, Starscream and many other A-lister's speaks for itself!
The main reason that I'm eventually going to read Barbers remaining books is in hopes that it properly ties in with the LL.
HERE, HERE!
i love LL
and miss it
OP has been a jumbled up mess day one.
okay read
but never grabbing deeply to much.
they tried too hard too cover too much.
but thats mostly because of the roller-coaster collapse of the Hasblow-Verse.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994402)
Posted by Sunstar on November 17th, 2018 @ 10:12am CST
Posted by Sunstar on November 17th, 2018 @ 10:12am CST
Just one comment, I'll spoiler shroud it, something which is unclear to me...
When Skywarp takes the sword for Thundercracker, he was saying to take the talisman and go, but thunder remained behind. what confuses me Skywarp is saying "but we're Seekers" as if there was an omitted line of text that would make it make sense. Can anyone clarify it for me? I've sat staring at that page for 30 minutes last nihgt trying to decide how it should be read.
When Skywarp takes the sword for Thundercracker, he was saying to take the talisman and go, but thunder remained behind. what confuses me Skywarp is saying "but we're Seekers" as if there was an omitted line of text that would make it make sense. Can anyone clarify it for me? I've sat staring at that page for 30 minutes last nihgt trying to decide how it should be read.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994407)
Posted by Flashwave on November 17th, 2018 @ 11:05am CST
That line is Thundercracker's. Its, "But we're seekers, we dont leave a brother behind
Posted by Flashwave on November 17th, 2018 @ 11:05am CST
Sunstar wrote:Just one comment, I'll spoiler shroud it, something which is unclear to me...
When Skywarp takes the sword for Thundercracker, he was saying to take the talisman and go, but thunder remained behind. what confuses me Skywarp is saying "but we're Seekers" as if there was an omitted line of text that would make it make sense. Can anyone clarify it for me? I've sat staring at that page for 30 minutes last nihgt trying to decide how it should be read.
That line is Thundercracker's. Its, "But we're seekers, we dont leave a brother behind
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994422)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on November 17th, 2018 @ 1:54pm CST
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on November 17th, 2018 @ 1:54pm CST
Returning once more from ..beyond, this book arrived today. Positives? The size of the book was quite impressive. I read the previous review and largely agree with it. My own take, having not really been a follower of Robert's or Barber's series previously, instead focuses on the matter at hand objectively.
This book was called Transformers: Unicron. He should have been the star. After 13 years of IDWverse, in light of such interesting reimaginings as Overlord and Thunderwing, my curiosity was piqued as to what new and exciting direction they could take him. He wasn't exactly a character with a whole lot of depth previously. Ultimately we have potentially the most hollow and superficial Unicron to date. The reimaginings previously noted, I realised, were from a different time in the life cycle of IDWverse. Wherein the series was more faithful to the essence of its source material while still not afraid to take risks. I would have liked to see what might have been with -Ations era Unicron. Now any chance of something creative being done with Unicron rests in the New continuity.
Removed from the context of OP/LL, based purely as a standalone mini series, this fell completely flat to me. The premise squandered and the action lost to incoherent visual narrative throughout.
The finale itself didn't really amount to anything in the end and there was nothing within to elevate it from utter mediocrity (although the ridiculously trite 'love conquers' message, did cause a chuckle and have me roll my eyes at least). Much like the book as a whole. 4/10
This book was called Transformers: Unicron. He should have been the star. After 13 years of IDWverse, in light of such interesting reimaginings as Overlord and Thunderwing, my curiosity was piqued as to what new and exciting direction they could take him. He wasn't exactly a character with a whole lot of depth previously. Ultimately we have potentially the most hollow and superficial Unicron to date. The reimaginings previously noted, I realised, were from a different time in the life cycle of IDWverse. Wherein the series was more faithful to the essence of its source material while still not afraid to take risks. I would have liked to see what might have been with -Ations era Unicron. Now any chance of something creative being done with Unicron rests in the New continuity.
Removed from the context of OP/LL, based purely as a standalone mini series, this fell completely flat to me. The premise squandered and the action lost to incoherent visual narrative throughout.
The finale itself didn't really amount to anything in the end and there was nothing within to elevate it from utter mediocrity (although the ridiculously trite 'love conquers' message, did cause a chuckle and have me roll my eyes at least). Much like the book as a whole. 4/10
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994439)
Posted by Sunstar on November 17th, 2018 @ 5:47pm CST
thanks, Okay, but that makes sense.
edit: went back and barely noticed a bit of blue - I originally thought that was Skywarp. That's what happens when you've been sick for two days and kinda out of it.
Posted by Sunstar on November 17th, 2018 @ 5:47pm CST
Flashwave wrote:Sunstar wrote:Just one comment, I'll spoiler shroud it, something which is unclear to me...
When Skywarp takes the sword for Thundercracker, he was saying to take the talisman and go, but thunder remained behind. what confuses me Skywarp is saying "but we're Seekers" as if there was an omitted line of text that would make it make sense. Can anyone clarify it for me? I've sat staring at that page for 30 minutes last nihgt trying to decide how it should be read.
That line is Thundercracker's. Its, "But we're seekers, we dont leave a brother behind
thanks, Okay, but that makes sense.
edit: went back and barely noticed a bit of blue - I originally thought that was Skywarp. That's what happens when you've been sick for two days and kinda out of it.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994522)
Posted by partholon on November 18th, 2018 @ 5:49pm CST
Posted by partholon on November 18th, 2018 @ 5:49pm CST
well its all over.
thank god.
13yrs to come up with a unicron story and THAT was it. i cant believe this is the same writer that did the first 12 issues of "robots in disguise" way back when. his effort doenst even stack up as a coherent story in comparison to previous unicron stories- and im including the armada animated show here.
utter utter meandering trash that oddly acts as a nice exemplar to where these books have gone sooooo wrong the last 2 yrs or so (but to be honest prob has its origins way back to when furman got in that fight with scott)
characters NO one likes or cares about to the fore- who oftimes bring the action SCREAMING to a stop (Slide im looking at you) , an overt political agenda the audience likes even LESS, and an almost full on attack on the heroic journey and mythos the fecking IDW tranformers universe ITSELF was based on.
Seriously just look at the sandbox IDW was left with post furman and look at what theyve done with it.
so many story possibilies have been shut down by the deconstructive nature of
recent tales. in fact IDW seemed to be going out of their WAY to destroy stuff.
not to mention the absolute vandalism thats gone on with Megs and Op. just look at the former in the first story arc of inflitration and try not to cringe at how he's played out in Lost Lights conclusion, and the less said about stalin prime the better.
in fact thats a word that can be applied alot here. CRINGE. How we went from a story about a galaxy wide imperium covertly conquering worlds with characters that could literally kill entire planets , to one about fat lesbian chicks getting off with trans robots is beyond me but here we are.
im not surprised theres no word on a new book yet.
i dont think IDW have the culture to produce one that the broad readership want to read anymore.
the only one in this whole affair i feel sorry for is alex milne.
that lad gave his bloody ALL on the art front.
such a sad end to what was the best conceived iteration of this franchise.
thank god.
13yrs to come up with a unicron story and THAT was it. i cant believe this is the same writer that did the first 12 issues of "robots in disguise" way back when. his effort doenst even stack up as a coherent story in comparison to previous unicron stories- and im including the armada animated show here.
utter utter meandering trash that oddly acts as a nice exemplar to where these books have gone sooooo wrong the last 2 yrs or so (but to be honest prob has its origins way back to when furman got in that fight with scott)
characters NO one likes or cares about to the fore- who oftimes bring the action SCREAMING to a stop (Slide im looking at you) , an overt political agenda the audience likes even LESS, and an almost full on attack on the heroic journey and mythos the fecking IDW tranformers universe ITSELF was based on.
Seriously just look at the sandbox IDW was left with post furman and look at what theyve done with it.
so many story possibilies have been shut down by the deconstructive nature of
recent tales. in fact IDW seemed to be going out of their WAY to destroy stuff.
not to mention the absolute vandalism thats gone on with Megs and Op. just look at the former in the first story arc of inflitration and try not to cringe at how he's played out in Lost Lights conclusion, and the less said about stalin prime the better.
in fact thats a word that can be applied alot here. CRINGE. How we went from a story about a galaxy wide imperium covertly conquering worlds with characters that could literally kill entire planets , to one about fat lesbian chicks getting off with trans robots is beyond me but here we are.
im not surprised theres no word on a new book yet.
i dont think IDW have the culture to produce one that the broad readership want to read anymore.
the only one in this whole affair i feel sorry for is alex milne.
that lad gave his bloody ALL on the art front.
such a sad end to what was the best conceived iteration of this franchise.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994553)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 18th, 2018 @ 9:24pm CST
I can agree with you here, compared to past work, it feels like the end really didn't fit the beginning. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't his best.
What?
It's not really about characters no one likes and cares about, Lost Light proved you can use C-list characters and make a really good book, but this side of the IDW-verse made me like several C-list characters less than LL.
I still argue that they ended up with mostly good stories. There were many ways they could have gone, but I was mostly satisfied with the routes they took
I personally think that while this is probably one of if not the best Megatron we have gotten, I did not like what they did with Optimus too much. Did not like that path they took.
Now see, I was OK with talking with you until this point, because there was some legitimate and good conversation happening. But this is uncalled for. there were better ways to state your dislike, such as simply naming a character, instead of resorting to this sort of language.
i dont think IDW have the culture to produce one that the broad readership want to read anymore.[/quote]
They still have the rights, and they are still giving us some decent material for different things, but for a new "G1" based universe, there may be a simple wait involved.
I agree, Milne has proven himself to be spectacular time and again.
I will also agree that the ending didn't really fit into what the 14 year universe deserved. But I will talk about that more once OP25 comes out this week.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 18th, 2018 @ 9:24pm CST
partholon wrote:well its all over.
thank god.
13yrs to come up with a unicron story and THAT was it. i cant believe this is the same writer that did the first 12 issues of "robots in disguise" way back when. his effort doenst even stack up as a coherent story in comparison to previous unicron stories- and im including the armada animated show here.
I can agree with you here, compared to past work, it feels like the end really didn't fit the beginning. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't his best.
utter utter meandering trash that oddly acts as a nice exemplar to where these books have gone sooooo wrong the last 2 yrs or so (but to be honest prob has its origins way back to when furman got in that fight with scott)
What?
characters NO one likes or cares about to the fore- who oftimes bring the action SCREAMING to a stop (Slide im looking at you) , an overt political agenda the audience likes even LESS, and an almost full on attack on the heroic journey and mythos the fecking IDW tranformers universe ITSELF was based on.
It's not really about characters no one likes and cares about, Lost Light proved you can use C-list characters and make a really good book, but this side of the IDW-verse made me like several C-list characters less than LL.
Seriously just look at the sandbox IDW was left with post furman and look at what theyve done with it.
so many story possibilies have been shut down by the deconstructive nature of
recent tales. in fact IDW seemed to be going out of their WAY to destroy stuff.
I still argue that they ended up with mostly good stories. There were many ways they could have gone, but I was mostly satisfied with the routes they took
not to mention the absolute vandalism thats gone on with Megs and Op. just look at the former in the first story arc of inflitration and try not to cringe at how he's played out in Lost Lights conclusion, and the less said about stalin prime the better.
I personally think that while this is probably one of if not the best Megatron we have gotten, I did not like what they did with Optimus too much. Did not like that path they took.
in fact thats a word that can be applied alot here. CRINGE. How we went from a story about a galaxy wide imperium covertly conquering worlds with characters that could literally kill entire planets , to one about fat lesbian chicks getting off with trans robots is beyond me but here we are.
Now see, I was OK with talking with you until this point, because there was some legitimate and good conversation happening. But this is uncalled for. there were better ways to state your dislike, such as simply naming a character, instead of resorting to this sort of language.
im not surprised theres no word on a new book yet.
i dont think IDW have the culture to produce one that the broad readership want to read anymore.[/quote]
They still have the rights, and they are still giving us some decent material for different things, but for a new "G1" based universe, there may be a simple wait involved.
the only one in this whole affair i feel sorry for is alex milne.
that lad gave his bloody ALL on the art front.
I agree, Milne has proven himself to be spectacular time and again.
such a sad end to what was the best conceived iteration of this franchise.
I will also agree that the ending didn't really fit into what the 14 year universe deserved. But I will talk about that more once OP25 comes out this week.
Re: IDW Transformers Unicron #5 Review (1994556)
Posted by Burn on November 18th, 2018 @ 9:29pm CST
I would suggest that if you intend to continue posting on these forums you have a read of the rules, and learn how to voice your opinion without coming off so disrespectfully.
Posted by Burn on November 18th, 2018 @ 9:29pm CST
partholon wrote:How we went from a story about a galaxy wide imperium covertly conquering worlds with characters that could literally kill entire planets , to one about fat lesbian chicks getting off with trans robots is beyond me but here we are.
I would suggest that if you intend to continue posting on these forums you have a read of the rules, and learn how to voice your opinion without coming off so disrespectfully.
