Preview for IDW Transformers: Lost Light Volume 1 TPB

Bullet points:
2017 promises to be the year of Transformers with the release of Transformers: The Last Knight.

What... does this... mean?

william-james88 wrote:

Kurona wrote:

Bullet points:
2017 promises to be the year of Transformers with the release of Transformers: The Last Knight.

What... does this... mean?

Nothing

My guess is that at the time, whenever this blurb was written, they were banking on Transformers: the last knight being such a massive cinematic hit that 2017 would forever be known as the year of Transformers. Somehow, I guess, this was meant to also make the comics successful. Maybe? I dunno.

Ugh. Anode. I almost forgot.

Anyway, I haven't read any of the Lost Light issues, for 2 reasons: I learned my lesson with Dying of The Light that Roberts has been exposed as mediocre at best, someone who can't keep a coherent story together from issue to issue, never mind keeping a complex character like Getaway on the same level from issue to issue. Also, Dying of The Light was pretty decent as a TPB, even with the garbage ending, but it has to be read all at once. So I am willing to give Lost Light one chance, by reading the Volume 1 TPB. If I don't like it, I'm done with this crap, and I will never again waste a minute of my time reading or a penny of my money buying anything with Roberts' name on it.

WreckerJack wrote:

MagicDeath wrote:Anyone here collect in this format? Any thoughts on it?

I like volumes but they can be kinda pricey. I will say that 20 bucks for 6 issues is a good deal. I also really like how volumes fit on a shelf. Kinda hard to collect because I wind up buying the paper issues so its harder to justify buying the same issues over in a collection. So it has its ups and downs, depending if you are patient or not.

Honestly, I recommend getting the digital versions on Comixology over the trade. Over on comixology, each individual issue drops in price by 50% after a month or so. Right now, you can buy all 6 volume one issues for $12 online rather than $20 in a trade. IDW is also one of the few publishers on Comixology that lets you download a pdf of their comics, so you can have a drm free version if you're so inclined. A much better deal imo.

WreckerJack wrote:

MagicDeath wrote:Anyone here collect in this format? Any thoughts on it?

I like volumes but they can be kinda pricey. I will say that 20 bucks for 6 issues is a good deal. I also really like how volumes fit on a shelf. Kinda hard to collect because I wind up buying the paper issues so its harder to justify buying the same issues over in a collection. So it has its ups and downs, depending if you are patient or not.

I only pick up trades, as Italy does not get single issues of a lot of comics (so I have to ship them from UK shop where I have pull list). But the aesthetic reasons that WJ points out here are good - plus, easier to share with other potential readers as a collected arc!

The first 6 (7, really, but they don't do 7 issue TPBs these days) issues of Lost Light read way better in a collected format than they did as a serial. Maybe that will help, maybe it won't though. Sounds like you've made your mind up?

So, yeah, I know that individual issues (not digital) get pricey in the long run, so I’ve gotten some of the larger hardcover collections. Seems that it has basically the same advantages: ~$50 for ~2 smaller collections (Amazon usually lowers that price a bit), plus story organization, and looking good on a shelf.

I got the big compendium (first two hardcover collections), then finished up those arcs digitally.

Seems like you all have similar observations as I did, so I’ll keep my methods the same. Thanks for the help!

Rodimus Prime wrote:

ricemazter wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Ugh. Anode. I almost forgot.

Anyway, I haven't read any of the Lost Light issues, for 2 reasons: I learned my lesson with Dying of The Light that Roberts has been exposed as mediocre at best, someone who can't keep a coherent story together from issue to issue, never mind keeping a complex character like Getaway on the same level from issue to issue. Also, Dying of The Light was pretty decent as a TPB, even with the garbage ending, but it has to be read all at once. So I am willing to give Lost Light one chance, by reading the Volume 1 TPB. If I don't like it, I'm done with this crap, and I will never again waste a minute of my time reading or a penny of my money buying anything with Roberts' name on it.

Good luck with that. The first volume of Lost Light is basically an arc that exists solely to get rid of Megatron, introduce a couple of new characters, and set up a whole ton of plot points that won't be resolved or explored until much later.

The series, as it is now, would have worked so much better if Megatron had died in the explosion, done away with Functionist Universe entirely, and just started with the mutineers plot line.

I'm in a weird position where I stopped reading since issue 7 but am vaguely interested in the mutiny. I want to read about Getaway's shenanigans, yet I won't pick it up because I am dreading the moment when that's over and the story gets mired in everything that was set up in the 1st volume.

So they might as well have kept the series named MTMTE because nothing drastically different has happened, it's just a continuation of the same story with mostly the same characters? I guess maybe IDW thought if it was renamed it would renew waning interest in the series. But unless they get a better writer, it's going to stay the same boring and unsatisfactory garbage. I'm still going to give it one shot, maybe I end up being interested in some of the new plot points you mentioned. I do think the mutiny story is interesting, I just hope it doesn't drag out and end with a whimper like Dying of The Light did.

It's odd because the series is 10 issues in and only now are we actually getting to the lost light. The new series basically introduces a couple of new recurring characters (Anode, Lug, Roller) and focuses the story and a smaller and obvious core group. So far the list is basically Hot Rod, Ratchet, Velocity, Swerve, Cyclonus, Tailgate, Nightbeat, Anode, Lug, Nautica, Rung, Drift, Chromedome, and Rewind (I'm sure I'm forgetting some), as opposed to having a wider range of characters aboard the eponymous ship. Granted, that could change since we've only just reached the Lost Light, but not having the ship around and the hundreds of crew members was a turn off for me, as well as the general bad taste in my mouth after 7 issues.

Kurona wrote:I'm pretty sure Jro's said on his Twitter, but yeah, the name change and numbering restart was purely a business decision. It was always intended to just be MTMTE all the way through; so Lost Light #10 is essentially MTMTE #67.

Then why bother? Personally I like Lost
Light better as a title, they should have had that from the beginning.

Kurona wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Kurona wrote:I'm pretty sure Jro's said on his Twitter, but yeah, the name change and numbering restart was purely a business decision. It was always intended to just be MTMTE all the way through; so Lost Light #10 is essentially MTMTE #67.

Then why bother? Personally I like Lost
Light better as a title, they should have had that from the beginning.

I agree on the latter, and as for the former I think it's generally to do with Revolution. They were hoping for a big huge sales boost and #1s tend to get better sales.

But if it was common knowledge that LL would be a continuation of MTMTE then it wasn't really a #1 issue. Or does IDW think its readers are that stupid?