Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1

Monday, February 1st, 2021 11:37PM CST

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A Review of Beast Wars #1

There may be spoilers to those who never watched the first episode of Beast Wars

I often see older fans ask for a straight up G1 reboot that is as close to possible to the original and I always think it would serve of no use. We already have lots of G1 reboots (like Cyberverse and Netflix's WFC) and if that's not G1 enough for you, then the original show is still there. With this first issue of Beast Wars, all that is reinforced for me. I am a huge Beast Wars fan and I never needed a remake of the first episode's opening segment. And yet, now we have one. So yeah, if you watched the first 10 minutes of the first episode of Beast Wars, very little in the comic will feel new. And the fact that it has random new characters makes that even more odd. So it's a faithful retelling, only not, which just makes it feel off. To all the Beast Wars fans out there, let me know if this scene rings a bell?

Most of the characterizations are as you'd imagine, with Optimus Primal being the one with the biggest change. He is far more of a hot head here, hoping for something exciting to happen and a shoot first kind of guy. That difference was interesting, as was seeing Megatron get the golden disk (though fans had already seen the Club's take on that in the past as well). There isn't much in terms of story beyond that since as soon as they get their beast modes, the issue just stops. What we get in terms of story is not bad at all, but it is a complete retread so that we can proceed to more stories within the exact same premise. I am pretty sure that the following issues will be different stories than what we saw (at least not as identical) but the fact that we had to go through all the motions again wasn't exciting. Especially not with this art accompanying it.

So let's get to the art. As with the story itself, it is not bad, at all. As a sequential artist, Josh Burcham is a beast (ha!), and I really liked seeing all the characters in their Cybertronian bodies first. It's something I always wanted to see in the original show and it was fun guessing who is who.

All that good stuff aside, I just didn't feel this Scotty Young type art style was the right fit. It also feels very bare. The backgrounds themselves were rather bland in this comic. And the lack of detail simply does not work with the organic beast modes, some of which look terrible (especially the new Nyx character). There's a part dedicated to explaining the fur found on Primal's gorilla body and yet all we see is just black with some non contrasting flecks. It felt like the writing was at odds with the art or Burcham simply took too much on by providing every aspect of the art from "penciling" to colouring.

In the end, the issue was ok. Not great, but not bad either. Nothing new or exciting for me as a Beast Wars fan but I will definitely give it a chance since I can see how the repetition here could be a necessary evil to set up a similar premise to the show we all love. And the art is the same as the cover we have seen for months. If you were not on board then this issue won't change your mind.

I give this issue 3 gorilla hairs out of 5

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Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094168)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 1st, 2021 @ 11:44pm CST

In the spirit of fairness, the pilot episode of Beast Wars wasn't that spectacular either, with it mostly being about how Cheetor is an idjit, Rattrap is a jerk, and Optimus is a frustrated noob. And I say that as both a diehard BW fan and one whose favorite character as a child was Cheetor.

The show had to grow to get good, which I expect will be a similar case for this series.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094169)
Posted by william-james88 on February 1st, 2021 @ 11:59pm CST

Sabrblade wrote:In the spirit of fairness, the pilot episode of Beast Wars wasn't that spectacular either, with it mostly being about how Cheetor is an idjit, Rattrap is a jerk, and Optimus is a frustrated noob. And I say that as both a diehard BW fan and one whose favorite character as a child was Cheetor.

The show had to grow to get good, which I expect will be a similar case for this series.

Yes that's fair. And when this series gets good, I'll rate it as such.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094176)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on February 2nd, 2021 @ 3:22am CST

I gotta say, the art is a turn off. The angular style just doesn't work for organic characters. If they had stayed in their robot modes for the duration, it would be less distracting, but as it is, it just doesn't fit. Hopefully the quality of the story will overcome it in future issues. I really want to give this title a chance, but I'm cautious.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094177)
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on February 2nd, 2021 @ 3:30am CST

It’s like, if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.

Beast Wars is already pretty frikkin perfect, I don’t understand why we need a reboot series. Why not a sequel series that isn’t Beast Machines? That’d be rad.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094197)
Posted by angtre on February 2nd, 2021 @ 7:39am CST

The art style is a turn off, however I'll give it a couple of issues. Still for the time being, I feel like a Quintesson Judge.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094207)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 2nd, 2021 @ 8:29am CST

Nemesis Maximo wrote:It’s like, if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.

Beast Wars is already pretty frikkin perfect, I don’t understand why we need a reboot series. Why not a sequel series that isn’t Beast Machines? That’d be rad.

^ 100% this.

I did speculate earlier that this all sounded ominously like reruns. The fact that a cover for one of the later solicitations looks like 'The Web', but with Bat-Girl in place of Cheetor. That doesn't bode well.

I'd already pre-ordered issue one. I think I'll go to issue two before deciding to drop it, or not.

As most here have been saying for a while, this artstyle really doesn't fit with Beast Wars. That Gorilla Mode image, really hammers that home.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094211)
Posted by Immortal Starscream on February 2nd, 2021 @ 8:43am CST

I think it is a neat reboot, all things considered. my only criticisms here were already covered in the review, but I will echo them anyway. Primal feels off. Kind of how Netflix's Prime feels off, but not near as bad. The art style really bugs me. its not bad, not by a long shot. (this can be seen as facetious, given how... not great the original beast wars animation has aged) The art here is clearly brining the A-game, but it feels like the wrong choice for our beastie-bots. I get very "Transformers Animated" vibes from it. (I loved animated btw, so it's not a dig on that style)

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094214)
Posted by TulioDude on February 2nd, 2021 @ 8:50am CST

Not feeling the art.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094215)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on February 2nd, 2021 @ 8:56am CST

Just coming in to say that, as a long time fan of Burcham's art, I really do like it. clearly I am in disagreement with most here, but I do like the art. And honestly, gorilla mode Primal to me looks good and I like it, especially the fur in the fingers when he's rubbing his arm.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094216)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 2nd, 2021 @ 9:10am CST

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Just coming in to say that, as a long time fan of Burcham's art, I really do like it. clearly I am in disagreement with most here, but I do like the art. And honestly, gorilla mode Primal to me looks good and I like it, especially the fur in the fingers when he's rubbing his arm.

I agree with you D-Max, I was just coming to say the same thing. I enjoy this art, the resemblance to Animated, one of the best entries in the franchise, makes it all the better.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094218)
Posted by william-james88 on February 2nd, 2021 @ 9:25am CST

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:As most here have been saying for a while, this artstyle really doesn't fit with Beast Wars. That Gorilla Mode image, really hammers that home.

And you didn't see the worst one yet

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094219)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 2nd, 2021 @ 9:28am CST

william-james88 wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:As most here have been saying for a while, this artstyle really doesn't fit with Beast Wars. That Gorilla Mode image, really hammers that home.

And you didn't see the worst one yet

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094222)
Posted by ScottyP on February 2nd, 2021 @ 10:20am CST

I thought it was really darn good. Haven't had this much fun reading a Transformers comic in a long time now. The writing is expressive, the art elevates both the story and characters and the creative team's love really shines through. The beast forms are jarring at first, yeah. They're supposed to be. Cybertronians just got faux-realistic-animal alt modes, it's weird, yep, but also part of the charm.

Even if you're not crazy about the designs themselves, the art is more expressive and has better sequential work than anything in the Ruckley books. Not being tied down by toy designs really helps.

Just wanted to throw in my two cents as another staff member while leaving things a bit vague to avoid spoilers. I think anyone that enjoyed Beast Wars will really like this take on it, so far it's the same general story but with a lot more detail and some (so far) minor differences.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094223)
Posted by o.supreme on February 2nd, 2021 @ 10:38am CST

william-james88 wrote:I often see older fans ask for a straight up G1 reboot that is as close to possible to the original and I always think it would serve of no use. We already have lots of G1 reboots (like Cyberverse and Netflix's WFC) and if that's not G1 enough for you, then the original show is still there. With this first issue of Beast Wars, all that is reinforced for me.

There is a huge difference however in that The original Series was left unfinished. There are so many characters not introduced, and so many time periods to explore (War on Cybertron, 20 year gap between S2 and TFTM, post Rebirth etc...). Fans don't WANT a reboot, as that has been done, and each one is a splinter, still NOT the Original Series. What fans want is a continuation.

BW was a completed story. Beginning, Middle, End and was quite satisfactory , it even got a 2 year addendum in Beast Machines while not as well liked, still extended the lives of those characters longer. Yes we still have those original 98 episodes, and TFTM. Nothing will ever take that away. But in 37 years, no matter how many split universe "takes" have been made on The Original Transformers, we still have yet to return to that original universe, and we are still waiting.

For what it's worth I actually enjoyed The Gathering/Ascending series (IDW first attempt at BW), as it was different, and wasn't a retelling of the completed show. I can understand peoples resistance to this new series.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094225)
Posted by william-james88 on February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:11am CST

o.supreme wrote:Fans don't WANT a reboot, as that has been done, and each one is a splinter, still NOT the Original Series. What fans want is a continuation.

I can definitely get behind that. What I wrote does reflect what I have been reading online for years now with some G1 fans really wanting a modern G1 reboot, telling the same stories again but with modern animation, pacing ect.

Don't the G1 comics offer some type of continuation? You get a lot more stories taking place within the G1 lore with characters the show never had.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094226)
Posted by Randomhero on February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:15am CST

Scotty Young? Seriously. How is anyone comparing this to Scotty Young and not Geoff Senior? That’s exactly what Josh is doing. His art is very Geoff Senior.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094229)
Posted by o.supreme on February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:27am CST

william-james88 wrote:Don't the G1 comics offer some type of continuation? You get a lot more stories taking place within the G1 lore with characters the show never had.

IDW does offer more stories yes, however the personalities of those characters diverge greatly from the original animated series. So much so that again I call it a splinter, I can't even call it the thing you are calling it. It's not always a bad thing, however most of the time, the changes, for me, were in the negative. I actually read/owned every issue of IDW from November of 2006, until it's conclusion in November of 2018. By the end, I was just so sick of it, I sold my entire collection on eBay just about this time last year, and haven't even bothered to look at the new IDW continuity. The highlight for me will always be All Hail Megatron. But 12 Great issues in 400+ of everything ranging from dull-as-dishwater boring (furmans early stuff) to things I found to be outright offensive in later years I just cannot support. For all it's flaws businesswise DW offered a much more palatable version of the original characters in terms of the printed page for me. I was actually looking forward to their take on BW as well (Anyone remember the online vote BW vs RiD, which would get a new series?), alas, it never happened.

As I've not read (and wont) read this new BW series, I can't objectively give an opinion. Also, even when I vehemently dislike something, I do have to concede that if someone else is gaining enjoyment form it, then it is probably worth it for them. If they spend the money, and support it, more power to them.

If Transformers is always to be the 3 pronged self-promoting machine of Toys, Animation, and Print Media, things seem to be going in cycles. Unfortunately for me, all 3 cylinders haven't been firing at once in a long time. It's usually just one, or two, but never three. But as long as one still fires, I can still show interest. If ever a time comes that the machine completely fails for me, that will be a sad day.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094230)
Posted by william-james88 on February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:30am CST

o.supreme wrote:IDW does offer more stories yes, however the personalities of those characters diverge greatly from the original animated series. So much so that again I call it a splinter, I can't even call it the thing you are calling it.

I meant the actual g1 comics, from Marvel. They give you a lot more stories within the G1 lore.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094232)
Posted by o.supreme on February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:35am CST

william-james88 wrote:
o.supreme wrote:IDW does offer more stories yes, however the personalities of those characters diverge greatly from the original animated series. So much so that again I call it a splinter, I can't even call it the thing you are calling it.

I meant the actual g1 comics, from Marvel. They give you a lot more stories within the G1 lore.

I do enjoy those to a degree yes. As mentioned previously, I did sell all my comics last year. IDW I was happy to get rid of but Marvel and DW I just sold to make extra money. I wouldn't mind reacquiring all the Marvel and DW issues in digital format if they were readily available. I know IDW offers most of their stuff digitally now, just not sure about Marvel & DW.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094233)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:38am CST

The thing is G1 can be made into anything, as Sunbow was the most bare bones of all TF series. Plus when it comes to G1, most association is made with the cartoon, over the comics. So long as Prime is a truck, Starscream is a Jet etc the rest is extremely malleable.

Beast Wars was complete, it didn't need a "new take" of the exact same thing. A derivate rehash. It doesn't need to be turned into The Hobbit Trilogy or the Star Wars Special Editions. There is at least two thirds of the Beast Era cast that could be elevated and/or focused on. Beyond the show rosters. There is also the post-Beast Machines future I mentioned a few pages back.

For the record, Furman's run, upto and including The Last Stand of The Wreckers, was the only worthwhile bit of IDWverse. The rest, post-DoOP... You won't miss out on any great TF prose by skipping it.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094234)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 2nd, 2021 @ 11:39am CST

Greetings Seibertronians! Following on from our review of Issue #1 of IDWs newest Transformers comic, Beast Wars, we now bring you the full preview!

Check it out below!

IDW wrote:Celebrating 25 years of Beast Wars! In the future, the planet Cybertron belongs to the scientific-minded Maximals and the action-oriented Predacons! When a crew of Predacons, led by the successor to the Megatron name, steal a golden disk and a ship capable of traveling through time, it’s up to Optimus Primal and his Maximal crew—Rattrap, Rhinox, Cheetor, and new character Nyx—to catch them! A brand-new Beast era begins in an oversized first issue by Erik Burnham (Ghostbusters, Transformers/Ghostbusters) and Josh Burcham (Transformers, Transformers Galaxies), yesssss!

This issue is scheduled for release tomorrow.

Will you be picking up/ downloading this issue tomorrow? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094241)
Posted by Nexus Knight on February 2nd, 2021 @ 12:06pm CST

No matter how many times I see it, the "No Incidents" joke is still going to be funny for me.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094244)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 2nd, 2021 @ 12:11pm CST

I do like the look of the Cybertronian environments. Very Beast Machines.

Even got the scarred moon in there. Nice.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094249)
Posted by ScottyP on February 2nd, 2021 @ 12:37pm CST

Randomhero wrote:Scotty Young? Seriously. How is anyone comparing this to Scotty Young and not Geoff Senior? That’s exactly what Josh is doing. His art is very Geoff Senior.

QFT. Other than the faces and some of the ink work they're very similar styles, so it's weird how the reactions are so different.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094250)
Posted by Spider5800 on February 2nd, 2021 @ 12:44pm CST

Who's the seventh Predacon? The one with Waspinator and Tarantulus complaining about how loud it is? It's not Megatron, and Terrorsaur, Dinobot and Skorponok were getting the golden disk. New character, like Nyx?

I'm actually really digging the art, so kinda sad so many seem to dislike it. Will try to pick this up this weekend.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094251)
Posted by TheAmazingBrave on February 2nd, 2021 @ 12:55pm CST

I had to look up who Scottie Young was, and comparing him to Burcham is a disservice to that man. His art style is far more expressive, far more dynamic, and far more organic looking. I know Burcham has gotten a lot of flak and hate for his art style, but I can only be so delicate with my critique. It's stiff, flat, and I just can't empathize with a character when the only range of emotions they can express is sideways sonic the hedgehog mouth.
The only thing I can credit the guy with is his coloring. Holy cow, the coloring. When I think of MTMTE and Lost Light, I think of that muted, faded pastel palette he used during the first few issues of that series and the various Wreckers comics. It makes the colors pop without being too vibrant and cheerful, while also giving that worn and aged look without succumbing to the intoxicating levels of GRUNGE overlays that Livio Ramondelli likes to slap on their art. It kind of reminds me of sun damaged box art, and I suspect that was the inspiration behind those colors, which is honestly brilliant. He's probably on par with Sara Stone as my favorite colorist when it comes to comics.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094262)
Posted by Randomhero on February 2nd, 2021 @ 2:40pm CST

TheAmazingBrave wrote:I had to look up who Scottie Young was, and comparing him to Burcham is a disservice to that man. His art style is far more expressive, far more dynamic, and far more organic looking. I know Burcham has gotten a lot of flak and hate for his art style, but I can only be so delicate with my critique. It's stiff, flat, and I just can't empathize with a character when the only range of emotions they can express is sideways sonic the hedgehog mouth.
The only thing I can credit the guy with is his coloring. Holy cow, the coloring. When I think of MTMTE and Lost Light, I think of that muted, faded pastel palette he used during the first few issues of that series and the various Wreckers comics. It makes the colors pop without being too vibrant and cheerful, while also giving that worn and aged look without succumbing to the intoxicating levels of GRUNGE overlays that Livio Ramondelli likes to slap on their art. It kind of reminds me of sun damaged box art, and I suspect that was the inspiration behind those colors, which is honestly brilliant. He's probably on par with Sara Stone as my favorite colorist when it comes to comics.

That’s why I will disagree with anyone who compares Burcham and young. They’re apples and oranges. As I said if you want a solid comparison with Josh’s it’s Geoff Senior. They’re art styles are very similar and you can tell just by looking at Josh’s art he’s an avid fan of old school transformers comics by Senior and he’s an inspiration. Both are very flat(not a bad thing to me) and a sharp edges(also not a bad thing) and while being very VERY expressive but it also Josh’s art. You can tell it’s him. I’ll take that over several veteran artists. I’ll take this art over the terrible storytelling of Don Figueroa in the first couple beast wars comics of 13+ Years ago where Don couldn’t convey anything except standing around or posing in panels that just didn’t feel fluid.

If there’s any transformers artist to compare to Young it’s Roche. Especially his early work like Spotlight Kup.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094329)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2021 @ 10:25am CST

A brief fan review of the first issue:

First issue was a solid read. You get a real feel for many of the characters, and how they're going to differ from their original BW counterparts. This is a new take on Primal, which works very well. He's itching for adventure, and he's about to get it. The relationship between Rhinox and Primal gets more development in a couple panels than all the episodes of the first season combined. Rattrap is his old self.

Megatron is written flawlessly, and exactly as you remember him in his scene-chewing glory. The other Preds at least have some characterization in the brief panels they appear, but it's clear: Megatron is pushing this narrative forward. The seeds for Dinobots eventual face turn are in the preview pages, so I don't feel I'm spoiling anything there. And Waspinator is a pilot!

The Comixology version features sketches of the characters in their Cybertronian forms, both robot and vehicle. This was a neat feature that I assume the paper version will also have?

Similarities to the show: The planet the crew lands on has two moons, and floating mountains are implied in the background. There's a golden disc. They need to stay in beast mode largely for plot device reasons. And when the Axalon got pulled into the transwarp field, the '90s metal guitar riff from the show went through my mind.

If you liked the show, give this book a chance. If you like a fun narrative with well-defined characters, give this book a chance. The first issue shows promise.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094337)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on February 3rd, 2021 @ 12:36pm CST

Randomhero wrote:Scotty Young? Seriously. How is anyone comparing this to Scotty Young and not Geoff Senior? That’s exactly what Josh is doing. His art is very Geoff Senior.

Which is why it's a turn off for me. I never liked senior's style either. It's so lifeless. Always preferred Guido Guidi and Andrew Wildman.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094340)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2021 @ 1:04pm CST

Sabrblade wrote:A brief fan review of the first issue:

Found another one that's even more brief:

It was okay. Basically a retelling of the Theft of the Golden Disk and the first 6 minutes of the first episode. I don't like Primal's characterization so far. Getting a cocksure or reckless vibe from him and it's not sitting well with me. Not much to comment on story wise because it's just setting up the premise. We'll see where it ends up.

Also I forgot how much I hate the release schedule of comics. Once a month you get the equivalent of 10 minutes of TV for $3-5. I prefer trade paperbacks, but I don't want to wait.

That's basically what my review was too: it was ok.

But I didn't mind the changes to Primal. I didn't mind anything aside from the art, but nothing wowed me either. In the end, there's not much to go on in one issue that retells things we already know inside out for the most part.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094342)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 3rd, 2021 @ 2:37pm CST

Except those changes to Primal make him someone else. Primal only became reckless in his Beast Machines characterisation. He isn't some gung-ho cadet, like Animated Prime. His calculated and level-headed competence, demonstrated from The Pilot Part 1 to Nemesis Part 2, is what sets him apart from his contemporaries.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094343)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:00pm CST

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Except those changes to Primal make him someone else. Primal only became reckless in his Beast Machines characterisation. He isn't some gung-ho cadet, like Animated Prime. His calculated and level-headed competence, demonstrated from The Pilot Part 1 to Nemesis Part 2, is what sets him apart from his contemporaries.

That's Cartoon Universe Optimus Primal, this is Comic Universe Optimus Primal. This is the equivalent of G1 Cartoon Blaster (jammin' dude) vs. G1 Marvel Blaster (grim rebel), or G1 Cartoon Shockwave (Megatron's loyal yesman) vs. G1 Marvel Shockwave (logic-serving usurper), or Armada Cartoon Tidal Wave (big dumb juggernaut) vs. Armada Comic Tidal Wave (intelligent manipulator), or Energon Cartoon Ironhide (young doofus) vs. Energon Comic Ironhide (cautious scientist).

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094344)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:05pm CST

Except, this is supposed to be paying homage to the show and its universe. You would have thought if the writer was such a fan he would have gotten that much right at least.
IDW lowering the characterisation bar again...

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094345)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:05pm CST

Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Except those changes to Primal make him someone else. Primal only became reckless in his Beast Machines characterisation. He isn't some gung-ho cadet, like Animated Prime. His calculated and level-headed competence, demonstrated from The Pilot Part 1 to Nemesis Part 2, is what sets him apart from his contemporaries.
That's Cartoon Universe Optimus Primal, this is Comic Universe Optimus Primal. This is the equivalent of G1 Cartoon Blaster (jammin' dude) vs. G1 Marvel Blaster (grim rebel), or G1 Cartoon Shockwave (Megatron's loyal yesman) vs. G1 Marvel Shockwave (logic-serving usurper), or Armada Cartoon Tidal Wave (big dumb juggernaut) vs. Armada Comic Tidal Wave (intelligent manipulator), or Energon Cartoon Ironhide (young doofus) vs. Energon Comic Ironhide (cautious scientist).

Or in other words: an actual reboot

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094346)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:06pm CST

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Or in other words: an actual reboot

Is it still a reboot if it is a virtual play by play recreation :-?

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094347)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:10pm CST

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Or in other words: an actual reboot

Is it still a reboot if it is a virtual play by play recreation

Yes. This could start in a similar territory, and then dive off into new stuff suddenly. Besides, new characters, new characteristics, some different back story stuff = not the same.

Reboot doesn't mean literal hard reset from the get go everytime.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094348)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:11pm CST

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Except, this is supposed to be paying homage to the show and its universe. You would have thought if the writer was such a fan he would have gotten that much right at least.
IDW lowering the characterisation bar again...

"Paying homage" and "replicating everything exactly the same down to the smallest detail" are not the same thing.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Or in other words: an actual reboot

Is it still a reboot if it is a virtual play by play recreation

It's a reboot that's also a remake.

Beast Wars: Uprising, on the other hand, is a full blown reboot with an original premise (and which its naysayers only decried because it wasn't a remake with the same premise as the show, depriving themselves of something completely new and unique for Beast Wars).

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094349)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:31pm CST

Sabrblade wrote:"Paying homage" and "replicating everything exactly the same down to the smallest detail" are not the same thing.

I'll wait til I read it but, if Megatron (and Rattrap) reads note for note as he should. It seems odd that Primal doesn't? They should be considered equally important to get right, after all.

Primal isn't Prime. Nor should either be written as such.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Yes. This could start in a similar territory, and then dive off into new stuff suddenly. Besides, new characters, new characteristics, some different back story stuff = not the same.

I wish I shared your optimism. But I don't see it playing out like that. I'd love for a Beast Wars comic to do what the show couldn't - increase that roster. Not merely with Bat-Girl and Discount Snapper, but to really run with it. Wolfang and K-9 defending a Maximal Energon mine from Transquito, Jetstorm and Spittor. Cybershark & Claw Jaw, alone in the ocean, being ambushed by Razorclaw and Sea Clamp etc etc

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Reboot doesn't mean literal hard reset from the get go everytime.

IDW has a great track record of that so far. To the extent, I don't think they understand what 'reboot' means :lol:

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094350)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2021 @ 3:36pm CST

Sabrblade wrote:It's a reboot that's also a remake.

Yes, that's what it is. Not sure what to make of that though.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Always preferred Guido Guidi and Andrew Wildman.

I agree that Guido Guidi is a BEAST! My favourite is Alex Milne, followed by Casey Coller but Guidi is probably third. Love that guy and it's cool how he can be a cameleon.

As for the Geoff Senior comparisons to Bercham, I kinda get the idea with the very stylyzed proportions. But to me while it ends up being similar on paper, I feel they are coming from two very different ideas. The proportions and angles from Senior always seemed like an attempt to show perspective shots. Like Transformers themselves were so huge in scale that looking at a bot from any angle would required a change in perspective. Like the iconic shot below. With Burcham, that just looks like a robot design put through an animated filter. And since I always find faces to be one of the most indicative part of a character, the fact that the both their approach to faces is entirely different doesn't really make me think of them as similar.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094357)
Posted by sol magnus on February 3rd, 2021 @ 4:53pm CST

Picked up issue #1 on a lark. I liked it. I'll stick around for the time being.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094361)
Posted by Burn on February 3rd, 2021 @ 6:22pm CST

Just not a big fan of the art style. Story was okay, but it was hard to truly enjoy because of my dislike of the art.

Still, could be worse, could have been John Romita Jr.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094368)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2021 @ 7:59pm CST

Burn wrote:Still, could be worse, could have been John Romita Jr.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094376)
Posted by JazZeke on February 3rd, 2021 @ 10:22pm CST

The level of snark in here is rather disheartening. Beast Wars the show was damn near perfect. But it was a story that's been told. Every attempt to expand on it before has fallen flat on its face. Rebooting with an AU version gives us a chance to see these characters again, and at the same time potentially have a new, broader and deeper story. Even if the art was way too stylized for my tastes, the first issue put a big, giddy smile on my face and I'm feeling the same euphoric rush of anticipation that I felt at the end of "Beast Wars Part 2" when Primal shouted "Let the battle be called BEAST WARS!" and that gnarly guitar riff closed things off.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094383)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 3rd, 2021 @ 10:43pm CST

JazZeke wrote:The level of snark in here is rather disheartening. Beast Wars the show was damn near perfect. But it was a story that's been told. Every attempt to expand on it before has fallen flat on its face. Rebooting with an AU version gives us a chance to see these characters again, and at the same time potentially have a new, broader and deeper story..

Maybe that’s the reason why. A Beast Wars comic made during the Beast Era would have been more than welcome (especially using the art of the toy bios). That didn’t happen. So maybe the resistance to all the retroactive media is because the moment has passed and the perception is it is better to leave Beast Wars story as it is.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094387)
Posted by JazZeke on February 3rd, 2021 @ 11:34pm CST

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:
JazZeke wrote:The level of snark in here is rather disheartening. Beast Wars the show was damn near perfect. But it was a story that's been told. Every attempt to expand on it before has fallen flat on its face. Rebooting with an AU version gives us a chance to see these characters again, and at the same time potentially have a new, broader and deeper story..

Maybe that’s the reason why. A Beast Wars comic made during the Beast Era would have been more than welcome (especially using the art of the toy bios). That didn’t happen. So maybe the resistance to all the retroactive media is because the moment has passed and the perception is it is better to leave Beast Wars story as it is.

The moment's passed, agreed, but also the fact that the prequel and sequel comics all just... weren't very good. The Gathering/The Ascending, especially, dropped the ball HARD.

I wouldn't have minded a sequel comic that ignores Beast Machines and spins off to do its own thing, but at the same time, that would be impossible without filling in a lot of the backstory gaps Beast Wars intentionally left vague. Better to launch from a new starting point with better-realized backstories for the cast.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094390)
Posted by Burn on February 4th, 2021 @ 12:27am CST

The thing with the Beast Wars, and Beast Machines cartoon, is the story was told and finished.

Yes there was a back story to bridge the gap between G1 and BW, but it wasn't much of a story, and BM wrapped the story up.

Trying to shoe horn anything else into it was always going to be difficult, and hard to make work.

So giving it a reboot/remake was the only logical option. It gives the story tellers a chance to retell the old story that is loved by many, and giving them wiggle room to tell more tales. Issue 1 alone has left it open for the story to flip back to Cybertron and tell the story of what went on there during the events of BW.

Like I said, not a fan of the art style, but there is potential to this series if people give it a chance and just don't write it off based on issue 1.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094395)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on February 4th, 2021 @ 1:20am CST

I said back when this first came up, and I still stand by it, this comic should have been a prequel. Telling the story of how the Beast Wars characters ended up where they were in episode 1 of the show. I know we've had some vague references to events that led to Maximals and Predacons, but as far as I know there hasn't been a concrete story told, unless I missed out on some exclusive stuff, regarding the 2 factions' beginnings. It would have been a way to bring something new to the Beast Wars lore while still using well-known characters, and thus not having to spend page space on introductions, nor being forced to do a reboot or remake, or whatever this qualifies as.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094402)
Posted by ScottyP on February 4th, 2021 @ 7:42am CST

The extra material at the end, along with some of the press for the book, says that it's taking the Ultimate Marvel approach. Hasbro wanted time travel and the Golden Disk kept in place, probably for synergy with Kingdom/general branding reasons.

I thought this was plenty different while keeping the same beats, the show doesn't give us the cool Cybertron-set stuff or time on the Axalon before it encounters the Darksyde. Sure, Funpub did a little of that, but this issue does it better, imo.

We'll see how far the departure goes. Maybe Nyx is like Mari and by the end of the third arc a newly bi-curious Optimus Primal will accidentally get the Vok to trigger Third Impact ;)^

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094408)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on February 4th, 2021 @ 9:10am CST

The Beast War happens on an organic planet. So what happened onboard the Axalon, prior to the crash. Or Rhinox' younger days as a janitor in Iacon, are basically superfluous and somewhat irrelevant. Much like their previous Cybertronian Altmodes.

JazZeke wrote:The moment's passed, agreed, but also the fact that the prequel and sequel comics all just... weren't very good. The Gathering/The Ascending, especially, dropped the ball HARD.

100% agreed. I had high hopes for The Gathering/Ascending in light of Furman writing Nemesis and seeing those early splash covers with everyone from Beast Wars roster on it. Such a heavy focus on the Takara series' roster that I couldn't care less about, wasn't what I had in mind. Meanwhile Polar Claw and the rest of the toy-only cast were relegated to generic dialogue and visual cameos. Completely wasted opportunity.

- Post-Beast Machines
- Mini Comic Continuity
- TransTech?

These points of the Beast Era, I'd say have the most untapped potential. Each of them could literally go anywhere. Instead of homaging plagiarising someone else's work.

Re: Review of IDW's Transformers: Beast Wars 1 (2094419)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 4th, 2021 @ 11:24am CST

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The Beast War happens on an organic planet. So what happened onboard the Axalon, prior to the crash. Or Rhinox' younger days as a janitor in Iacon, are basically superfluous and somewhat irrelevant. Much like their previous Cybertronian Altmodes.

JazZeke wrote:The moment's passed, agreed, but also the fact that the prequel and sequel comics all just... weren't very good. The Gathering/The Ascending, especially, dropped the ball HARD.

100% agreed. I had high hopes for The Gathering/Ascending in light of Furman writing Nemesis and seeing those early splash covers with everyone from Beast Wars roster on it. Such a heavy focus on the Takara series' roster that I couldn't care less about, wasn't what I had in mind. Meanwhile Polar Claw and the rest of the toy-only cast were relegated to generic dialogue and visual cameos. Completely wasted opportunity.

- Post-Beast Machines
- Mini Comic Continuity
- TransTech?

These points of the Beast Era, I'd say have the most untapped potential. Each of them could literally go anywhere. Instead of homaging plagiarising someone else's work.

Then you might want to have a word at Hasbro who had a lost of requirements for what they wanted (got to have that synergy with the toyline like when Siege first launched...though I'm not thinking it very odd that Earthrise didn't get anything of the sort :-?