Three Page Preview Of IDW Transformers Issue #7

Damn, [redacted] hits that hard?

So can we start taking bets this is getting cancelled for being boring and uninteresting? Honestly, I think we're done with TF comics for a while. They had their run. Put 'em to rest for now.

Dude I don’t think that was a rant at all that was a thoughtful take on it. Well put and not unreasonable at all.

Well, I liked 7 a great deal more than 6. Hernandez needs to improve fast or sit on the bench for a bit, their art is distracting when it has to sit next to the work of a legend like Griffith.

Full review later, or maybe tomorrow. Staff is stretched pretty thin so shoot me a PM if you're an active board member in good standing interested in coming on to do comics reviews.

I'm really digging the story so far. I agree that I would like to see more character moments for the main cast, but that can be challenging when advancing the plot. Bumblebee has been tied up in most of the major story beats, and we're seeing him react to those, not develop an independent emotional arc. By contrast, we're seeing a lot of Orion's personality, and he has been more of an observer than participant.

There are two elements in the new series that I really like: the increased presence of female Transformers and a much deeper context for the coming war. In addition to Siege toys Chromia and Greenlight, there's also mainstays Arcee and Elita-1. Add in Nautica and deep cuts like Road Rage and Flamewar, and it's clear that gender diversity is here to stay. Hopefully we'll continue to see more neuro-atypical characters like Geomotus. There is no reason that robot bodies can't be every bit as diverse as organic ones.

I was a little underwhelmed at the worldbuilding at first. I loved the moon energy elevator thing and the Cybertronian wastes, as well as the organic enclaves in the cities, but the planet still basically seems like the same one that's appeared in other media. I now feel like I was taking "worldbuilding" too literally - it's not primarily the physical structure of Cybertron that's changing, but the social and cultural structure, which in turn informs the nature of the core conflict. Issue 6 was not just a great character study of two leaders destined to lead a horrible conflict, it also rooted that coming conflict in practical systemic concerns. IDW and even other continuities have played at that with the Senate and social strata, but issues like Energon rationing and population control provide additional justifications for character choices and conflict.

I mean, at the end of the day, do you really need something more complex and less binary than good versus evil to sell kids' toys? Maybe not, but I get more sucked into the drama and personalities when there's more complexity, which deepens my relationship to the characters.

AcademyofDrX wrote:I'm really digging the story so far. I agree that I would like to see more character moments for the main cast, but that can be challenging when advancing the plot. Bumblebee has been tied up in most of the major story beats, and we're seeing him react to those, not develop an independent emotional arc. By contrast, we're seeing a lot of Orion's personality, and he has been more of an observer than participant.

There are two elements in the new series that I really like: the increased presence of female Transformers and a much deeper context for the coming war. In addition to Siege toys Chromia and Greenlight, there's also mainstays Arcee and Elita-1. Add in Nautica and deep cuts like Road Rage and Flamewar, and it's clear that gender diversity is here to stay. Hopefully we'll continue to see more neuro-atypical characters like Geomotus. There is no reason that robot bodies can't be every bit as diverse as organic ones.

I was a little underwhelmed at the worldbuilding at first. I loved the moon energy elevator thing and the Cybertronian wastes, as well as the organic enclaves in the cities, but the planet still basically seems like the same one that's appeared in other media. I now feel like I was taking "worldbuilding" too literally - it's not primarily the physical structure of Cybertron that's changing, but the social and cultural structure, which in turn informs the nature of the core conflict. Issue 6 was not just a great character study of two leaders destined to lead a horrible conflict, it also rooted that coming conflict in practical systemic concerns. IDW and even other continuities have played at that with the Senate and social strata, but issues like Energon rationing and population control provide additional justifications for character choices and conflict.

I mean, at the end of the day, do you really need something more complex and less binary than good versus evil to sell kids' toys? Maybe not, but I get more sucked into the drama and personalities when there's more complexity, which deepens my relationship to the characters.

Sweet Christmas what a thoughtful review sheesh that makes me want to check it out even more now. Thanks!

All of it except for a few of the Dead Universe era one shots basically everything that came with the Humble bundle package offered a few months ago. I collected the old G1 comics and still have most of those even that funny 3D comic with Imperious Delirious, the G2 comic, and some of the Dreamwave books but not a lot.

Happy Tuesday Seibertronians! Just in from IDW's homepage we have a quick detail summary of issues #8 and #9 of IDW's Transformers!

Here's the summary for #8:

"As Megatron seeks to bring about change to Cybertron, he meets with Termagax, a living piece of Cybertronian history and founder of the Ascenticon movement. Will she set him on the path to peace, or lead him to an unrepairable rupture with the Senate?"
AVAILABLE: June 2019
CREATORS:
Brian Ruckley (Author) • Cachét Whitman (Artist) • Beth McGuire-Smith (Artist) • Anna Malkova (Cover Artist)
IMPRINT: IDW
COLOR: FC

And here's the summary for issue#9:

COMING SOON!
"Time is running out! Orion Pax, his friends, and the Autobot security forces have to get a grip on their murder investigations as their superior, Sentinel Prime, makes his return to Cybertron!"
AVAILABLE: July 2019
CREATORS:
Brian Ruckley (Author) • Cachét Whitman (Artist) • Beth McGuire-Smith (Artist) • Umi Miyao (Cover Artist)
IMPRINT: IDW
PAGE COUNT: 32
COLOR: FC
CATEGORIES: (2019) Transformers , Transformers , Upcoming Releases

Then Thanks to a few posts from IDW Manager, Creative Development / Senior Editor Tom Waltz at #Transformers on Twitter we have this nice preview page showing the introduction of the new character Termagax! Per Mr. Waltz's summary:
"In #Tranformers #8 (in stores, we finally meet the enigmatic #Termagax! Turns out she likes to talk smack about #Starscream behind his fuselage just like everyone else."

Sounds like she just may be the mother of all Decepticons, literally!
Is she the new Fallen?
Is she the new Terminus?
Will she help Megatron finally find his love for violet chest mounted iconography?

Mr. Waltz also posted this nice image of Cyclonus from issue #8 on his own Twitter account with the tag line:
"In #Transformers #8 #TheCracksBeneathYourFeet Part 2, #Cyclonus has some serious #Flamewar issues he needs to tackle. Literally."


And lastly also from Mr. Waltz's own Twitter page he's also provided a nice black and white preview image of Chromia from issue #9 with the summary:

"Join #Chromia to find out what dangers lurk in the shadows below #Cybertron in #Transformers #9."