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IDW Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #29 Review

Date: Wednesday, May 14th 2014 3:53am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Va'al

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Views: 42,367

Synopsis
STAND-OFF! While the crew of the Lost Light react to MEGATRON’s arrival with characteristic maturity (calling him names behind his back and ignoring him when he speaks) one AUTOBOT is convinced that a more direct approach is needed. Guess what happens when a one-time tyrant is told he’s not wanted? Yeah, exactly.



Story

Only a couple of weeks after the last comic, and in fact, the last MTMTE it was too, here we are again back on the Lost Light! Last we saw of space was the floating coffin with Autobot insignia just outside the ship, and it seems as thought captain Megatron decides to bring it on board pretty quickly. Meanwhile, Tailgate (completely absent for pretty much the entirety of Dark Cybertron) is reunited with Cyclonus, and everyone else on the ship.



In another six month flashback, we return to Megatron's planet-wide trial, too. But the centre stage is taken by some behind the scenes Rodimus action (well, more or less) and the prosaic, verbose, eloquent, melodramatic, narcissistic duly appointed ruler of Cybertron itself: Starscream. Who gets even further excellent characterisation, along with the big M himself. He looooves to talk, but he does know what to say. Usually.



But what is really impressive in this issue's writing, as has been for the series pre-Dark Cybertron too, is James Roberts' attention to detail. Or to disseminating details, references, clues, scraps of information about where the story might go, where it came from, with the coffin and Skids and Nautica, Riptide, Nightbeat and the rest of the crew. Add to that a number of little nudges towards other series, shows and lores. Seriously, it's riddled with them.



In terms of actual action, there is probably even less than last issue, but my oh my is there still a lot going on. Chromedome's mourning, Nightbeat's solving, Trailcutter's drinking/forcefielding, THE TRIAL. If anything, it can at times still feel a little cramped if you are trying to pay attention to all the details on the first read.

Art

We get Alex Milne on artwork, confirming and earning his post as the main artist for the series. And it really really works with the tone of the stories being told. And the expressions, especially with Rodimus' reactions during the trial. And Starscream's. But the best parts are some of the perspectives in the ship, around the ship, outside the ship (there's a double page spread that is breathtaking), and Cybertron again, with some excellent montage styled panelwork for the trial scenes.



It's also the first issue with Joana Lafuente on full colours! And she delivers amazingly. There are some plays on light and shadows in the conversation between Nightbeat and Chromedome that really set the tone, and some excellent hues for Trailcutter's scenes and other snippets around the issue.



Lettering is once more a brilliant Tom B. Long, who does some serious fonting and captioning of scenes, with some truly excellent touches to the already stellar visual components. And the covers are brilliant, too: Milne and Priscilla Tramontano stand-off on A, a smug Nick Roche/Josh Burcham B, and a throwback Marcelo Matere and Tramontano incentive (thumbnail).

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Some of my concerns from #28 return here, in terms of multiple storylines. But there is definitely more of a focus and a bringing together of events, causes and consequences. The ending is a ridiculous cliffhanger or three, there may be ghosts, and it all looks absolutely amazing, with some priceless expressions around characters. It feels less like it's building up, and more like a sustained tension of suspense.



As I said above, in some parts it feels as though there is even more cramped into this issue than the previous one, but give it time. And if, on the other hand, it feels like something is missing, maybe it's just Roberts making it so. Read the issue more than once, take your time, and if it's still gone.. then it's definitely an intentional loss. Just ask Nightbeat.

Seibertron.com Editorial - The Truly Thrilling Thirtieth of The Transformers

Date: Thursday, May 8th 2014 5:30pm CDT
Categories: Cartoon News, Comic Book News, Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: Va'al

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Views: 124,864

Thirty years ago on this day, 8th May, the very first issue of Marvel Comics' The Transformers #1 appeared in shops, with Bill Mantlo and Ralph Macchio plotting and planning the war on Cybertron, Frank Springer, Kim DeMulder and Nelson Yomtov bringing it to vivid page life, sounded out by Michael Higgins and Rick Parker (all overseen by the watchful Bob Budiansky). The cover? A gigantic Bill Sienkiewicz-drawn Optimus Prime.




That was all the way back in 1984, and that was in the US. Across the pond, Jerry Paris created a different cover for the first issue of something that was going to be a much longer and tortuous series, reaching 332 issues in total (compared to and including the 80 of the US run).



A series which eventually introduced British writer Simon Furman to the Transformers universe, after Bob Budiansky on writing and other duties since issue 5, left with issue 55. A series which was initially so badly received it was only meant to reach four issues. A series that introduced the Autobots and Decepticons to pop culture around the world, taking a handful of toylines and creating a loosely hanging narrative that would increase their sales. A series that was flanked by its TV counterpart in the animated The Transformers cartoon.



Fast forward to two years later, 1986, when the Transformers appeared on the big screen for the first time, still in their animated selves. Leaders were killed, moons were eaten, planets became robots, hearts were broken, fanboys and fangirls started complaining, and even more toys were produced. And comic adaptations, of course.



Marvel Comics resumed its robot stories in 1993, with Furman's revamping of the Transformers in Generation 2, as Hasbro sought to bring back the toyline again. Across the other side of the other pond, meanwhile, Japan was hard at work with the vaguely mecha-style stories of the Transformers, continuing the cartoon series where the US left off after Generation 1: The Headmasters, Super-God Masterforce, Victory, Zone. Which also had their comics and manga adaptations!



Skip forward again to 1996, and we reach a massive overhaul in the concept: the Transformers no longer become vehicles, but animals - in Beast Wars. Cue outrage, cue new influx of fans, cue growing fondness, cue cartoon series and even more toys, cue the two Japanese sequels, Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo. And yet we're still in the universe set by that 1984 series, both TV and comics wise.

Enter Dreamwave Productions in 2002, with a complete (well, sort of) reimagining of the Transformers universe, trying to combine elements of the Japanese manga and the well-loved Marvel and Sunbow fictions, both aesthetically and story-wise. And it included a prequel! We saw what Furman thought of what was happening on Cybertron before 'bots and 'cons disappeared into the universe, with the War Within storylines and Don Figueroa's designs and Andrew Wildman's take on them.



Dreamwave unfortunately did not end well, and stories were interrupted mid-issue in some cases. It's 2005, and IDW Publishing picks up the license from Hasbro. We have another redesign, retake and reimagining, once again at the hands of Simon Furman and his universe spanning -ations, Stormbringer and Maximum Dinobots, followed by Shane McCarthy and Guido Guidi's earth-bound, politically paced All Hail Megatron and the arrival of the first live-action Transformers full-length cinematic feature in 2007, with Michael Bay in the director's chair - and John Barber, Andrew Griffith and Alex Milne adapting it into its comic counterpart and expanding it, too.



Come 2010, another live-action film in the bag, IDW Publishing continues its Transformers storyline more or less succesfully, redesigning its characters to capture the Michael Bay and Paramount aesthetics and potentially new readers, in Mike Costa's The Transformers ongoing series. Something clearly worked, as the series brought into the franchise talent such as James Roberts, Nick Roche, Mairghread Scott, Mike Johnson, Andrew Griffith, Alex Milne, Sarah Stone, E.J. Su, Joana Lafuente, Robby Musso, Josh Burcham, John-Paul Bove, Josh Perez, Casey Coller, Priscilla Tramontano, Ken Christiansen, Chris Mowry, Brendan Cahill, Tom Long, Shawn Lee, Matt Frank, and many many many more, all under the watchful eye of editors John Barber, Carlos Guzman, Chris Ryall, and after the 2011 final (or so we thought) film in the Bay trilogy, Optimus Prime died. Again. But not really.



Two ongoing series spawned from that moment, neither involving Earth: More Than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise. We looked at Cybertron's past again, after Chaos Theory, after Megatron Origin, after the Spotlights, Flint Dille, one of the original cartoon series writers, Chris Metzen, and Livio Ramondelli dug deep into the past of the planet and its leaders with Autocracy and Monstrosity, as IDW Publishing ventured into digital-first and motion comics.



Now, thirty thrilling years later, here we are. A fourth live-action movie opening in June, innumerable toys based on the same and reinvented core cast, three currently (more or less) ongoing comics series with IDW publishing with the addition of Transformers: Windblade, the last issue of the original Marvel US run hitting last March under ReGeneration One and, as far as we can tell, many many more stories to come.



This was a celebration of the Transformers comics. This was the abridged, incomplete story of some the Transformers fictions. We may have left out parts, some intentionally, some less so. There is a lot more to be found in the Transformers 30th Anniversary Collection edited by Jim Sorenson.

But all of these are also just facets of the whole story - what is yours?

Till All Are One
-The Seibertron.com team

IDW Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #28 Review

Date: Wednesday, April 30th 2014 3:49am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Va'al

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Views: 42,839

Synopsis
CERTAIN DEATH, HERE WE COME! MEGATRON assumes control of the quest to find the Knights of Cybertron—a quest that has never before been so urgent, so personal, and so likely to end in tears. An incredulous Lost Light crew is left asking the same thing you are: how exactly did it come to this?



Story

This week in the third beginning of Dawn of the Autobots, we finally get back to the Lost Light ship, and the events between Megatron becoming its new captain and the defeat of Shockwave in Dark Cybertron - though we flit between the two settings, taking a look at how Cybertron reacted to buckethead donning the red instead of the purple, and the beginning of his trial.



James Roberts shakes up the crew of the ship, too, adding some new faces like Nautica and Riptide to old friends like loudmouthed Swerve (who actually appears to have toned down a little, or has he?) and dutiful Ultra Magnus. Dynamics have changed, there is very expected tension on board, but not as much really, as everything seems to have solved itself in the time since the trial - more or less.



Swerve and Rodimus still hold some of the best lines, or at least some of the best dialogue happens around them. Nautica is a really interesting addition to the crew, and one that speaks to my linguist self, but as expected, it's Megatron that holds centre stage - in his sessions with Rung, in the preparation to the trial, in his reflections and in his actions, there's definitely a lot more than mee-- fine, sorry.



The issue definitely does a lot of packing of multiple threads and plots. A lot of them. In terms of action, nothing actually happens except for one brilliant scene over a number of pages, because everything has happened in the six months leading to this issue and moment, and the six million odd years before that. But in that void of action, a lot happens.

Art

As far as the art is concerned, Alex Milne returns to pencils and inks, and in something that seems almost impossible, increases the amount of detail we were used to seeing in the pre-Dark Cybertron run of the series! The double-page spread with the beginning of the trial is astonishing, and the panelwork between the multiple time frames excellently executed.



Everything is helped by colourist Josh Burcham, who makes sure the linework really pops or shines where needed. There are some amazing sequences, one in particular, where the colours prove that red is not a single hue at all, and each character really comes through with their own deco - and again, that trial scene is ridiculous.



Tom B. Long continues on the legendary lettering, from fonts to effects, to graffiti to captions and more fonts - it's always a good thing to get good lettering, especially non-intrusive, art-complementing lettering. Word. Three excellent covers, too, with Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente on A, Milne and Josh Perez on B (thumbnail) and Livio Ramondelli on interlocking RI!

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

All the packing I mentioned earlier? That's both the strength and, for lack of a better word, weakness of this issue. Flitting between time frames can be distracting, though both the storytellers do it well, and the plotting has seeded so many different things that you will have to read it multiple times. Including the whole first season, too.



The art team have upped their game in terms of everything, and Roberts has gone all the way back to the very first issue of More Than Meets the Eye, and picked up some unanswered questions from there. Will we finally see answers to them though? Eventually? Maybe? Perhaps? ..please?

Seibertron.com Feature Article: To Parts-form or Not to Parts-form

Date: Thursday, April 24th 2014 5:25am CDT
Categories: Toy News, Site Articles
Posted by: Burn | Credit(s): Burn

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Views: 26,014

One of the things I saw being discussed in the Takara Tomy Transformers Masterpiece MP-22 Ultra Magnus thread was the fors and againsts of parts-forming.

For those unsure of what parts-forming is, it requires one or more parts to be removed from a Transformers mode and reattached to create the other mode. G1 figures are the main example, from having to attach fists (Seekers, Optimus Prime), a complete disassemble and reassemble (Omega Supreme) or feet, fists and chest pieces (gestalts).

Modern engineering aims to do away with parts-forming with all the necessary bits and pieces incorporated into the final toy with weapons often being the only loose parts. Some people like that, parents especially would like it as it means fewer parts to lose.

But if I were to pick a camp, I'd be pro-part-former. Why? Maybe nostalgic reasons, though I do not like modern gestalts where they try to incorporate everything. A few add-on bits wouldn't go astray. Which is the main reason I like them. Sometimes, not having things incorporated can make the figure better.


To illustrate my point, I present to you a semi-modern figure that is part-former, but in my opinion, one of the best figures of all time.

Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime

Here we have his alt mode, ignoring the chest part hiding there on the back, we have a good looking fire engine



And then comes the fun part. Taking him apart!



Not a very practical mode of transport that's for sure! But look what it becomes.



A very basic Optimus Prime robot mode. But what about the rest of his parts?





And this is where it gets fun.

Remove the ladder/upper chest/head from the trailer. Slide the chest of the smaller robot up to cover up its head, the fold the large robot chest over the top of it with the ladder hanging down behind. The forward part of trailer comes apart and unfolds to form larger forearms which fit over the smaller robots forearms. The middle part of the trailer comes apart and clips over the shoulder of the smaller robot. The rear part of the trailer also comes apart with panels on top opening up to clip over the smaller robots feet.

And all of that, results in this.



Sure there's a lot of cheating involved, but what makes a good figure?

Good looking alt mode - Check!
Good looking robot mode - Check!

And let's not forget, if you have RiD Ultra Magnus, you can do this!



So in this particular case, is parts-forming such a bad thing? For me, no, it's not. What do the rest of you think?
(And feel free to use the Seibertron.com Toy Galleries for example images!)

IDW Transformers: Robots in Disguise #28 Review

Date: Wednesday, April 23rd 2014 2:08am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Va'al

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Views: 58,996

Synopsis
EARTHFALL! The AUTOBOTS return to Earth—with OPTIMUS PRIME in command! But what brought them back—and what terrifying secret do the humans hold? A bold new era begins here!



Story

Here we are again, on this blue planet of ours. This round, blue, beautiful, peaceful planet of ours: Eart(h). Which is not that peaceful, or round for that matter, or happy to see any more robots after what happened last time robots were around - yes, All Hail Megatron and the 2009 ongoing. Bit of a mess for everyone, really.



John Barber goes back to wearing his writing hat, and back to the Robots in Disguise cast as they see their ranks shifting a little. We get Optimus Prime leading a new team of Kup, Prowl, Jetfire, Arcee, Skylynx, Jazz, Cosmos and Sideswipe - so maybe not entirely the same cast, but it's one with good tensions and chemistry so far. And Prowl being his usual. As usual.



The dialogue seems to have lightened up from pre-Dark Cybertron RID, and there is definitely more action, a lot more action, even in the flashbacks scattered throughout the issue, taking place after the first few pages. Pages that feature some glorious fanfiction screenplays written by none other than the only (?) Cybertronian left on Earth last time round: Thundercracker.



Good dialogue, nice selection of cast and interactions, really nice set-up with both the Cybertronian past, Alpha Trion showing up as a potential goal for the cast, Thundercracker's presence and Earth's inevitable hostility towards incoming Cybertronians. The mix so far is actually pretty good, and everything has freshened up a lot since the Cybertron days!

Art

The artwork duties, for both pencil and ink, flashbacks and present-day settings, are with Andrew Griffith. And my, do his robots and Earth shine. The -ation styled Thundercracker is impressive, and there are so many full page panels in this issue that I'm left in awe at the likes of Skylynx, spaceships, planets, cities and.. well, you'll see. Though I am left a little wondering about some strangely shaped human faces, especially in a couple of Marissa's shots.



Colour duties, on the other hand, are split between past and present, between Joana Lafuente and Josh Perez. But they both equally shine their own glossy, refracting, shaded light on their own respective sections. Lafuente's Cybertron looks gritty and grainy, with lasers pewpewing through everything, while Perez' Earth has the right amount of ominous shadows and glorious natural hues.



The lettering duties fall with Tom B. Long, and dutifully and sparingly does he deliver sound effects and fonts. There are some really good WRUNCH and RUUUUNCH sounds later in the issue. We get three covers again, too, with Griffith and Lafuente on B, Casey Coller and Lafuente on A, and the RI interlocking variant cover by Livio Ramondelli - most of which featuring the big blue face of Optimus Prime.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Starting again almost afresh after Dark Cybertron? In my opinion, it works. It gives Barber and the Autobots a new playing field, a credible threat, complex negotiations with Earth and the possibility to make the running joke of robots being unable to pronounce trills and fricatives (you try, without lips or teeth or tongue). And it's still connected to what has just happened with Dark Cybertron, and some nice references to earlier stuff (and Megatron's trial, which we'll finally see in MTMTE #28).



The art crew do some impressive teamwork, too, with Griffith's art only slipping a couple of times, but showing off some amazing skill everywhere else. Add Lafuente and Perez' colours to all of that, with their slightly different hues and tones, top it off with good lettering - it's a comic worth reading, looking at and definitely buying. I am not concerned about the Earth setting at all, if this is telling of what will happen.

IDW Transformers: Windblade #1 Review

Date: Wednesday, April 16th 2014 12:15am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Va'al

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Views: 44,770

Synopsis
WHO IS WINDBLADE? In the aftermath of DARK CYBERTRON, WINDBLADE takes the planet by storm! But where did she come from—and what does her secret mean to the future of the TRANSFORMERS? A powerful new chapter in the TRANSFORMERS saga begins here!



Story

So, that was it for Dark Cybertron. Things happened, characters died (for now), and other, new names showed up across the Transformers board. Make sure to check out the latest Twincast Podcast for some further thoughts on all of that too! Somewhere along the line, we encountered three apparently gendered, and of female gender, characters, introduced by John Barber and James Roberts during the crossover: Nautica, Chromia and Windblade. And here begins the story of the latter two, and their coming to terms with the new Cybertron, eons after their departure.



Mairghread Scott is at the writing helm for the first issue in the (as yet) mini-series of four, and she shows the same flare for dialogue that early issues of the Prime: Beast Hunters comics run had. The main cast, Starscream, Windblade, Chromia, Ironhide, Rattrap, even Metroplex and Blurr to an extent, all have their own voices, and interact actually quite well - good humour, nice set-ups and overall decent action, too.



I've seen complaints about Windblade's naivete towards Starscream in particular, but I believe that is what makes the comic work so well. The readers, mostly, *know* what everyone on Cybertron is already like. We know them, all of them. Chromia and Windblade have yet to learn, and believe you me, by the end of the issue they have an idea of what awaits them.



As a first issue with entirely new characters dealing with an unknown scenario, it definitely hit all of the buttons I wanted it to. It does world-building with Caminus and the home and roles of Windblade and her companions, links it all in to the current continuity, and it doesn't feel stretched or shoe-horned in. Add to that the good dialogue and actually good monologue too, and you've got me very interested. And oh the bar scenes.

Art

Now, the artwork. We knew it was going to be quite different from what we've seen so far in the franchise, and we saw how good it could be from the covers - but newcomer Sarah Stone hits it so far out of the park that it comes all the way back and slams you in the head. Artfully. There's character expression, and excellent panelwork, good personality to the designs and the art really fits Scott's storytelling.



The colours, you might ask? It's still Stone, working her magic through lighting, shading, gloss and darkness. The blackouts running through, the different environments, the switches between settings and moods - Stone gets them all perfectly in her colours, with some amazing stuff happening while inside Metroplex and during the random power cuts. And that one page. Wait for that page.



Really exceptional lettering work by Chris Mowry too, with some particularly creative and poignant effects in the 'after' sequences (you'll see when you read it). Other than Stone's subscription cover, we get some excellent stuff from Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente on A, and Livio Ramondelli on the interlocking incentive one too!

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

So, is it a buy? Yes. Gods yes. You will not regret picking this one up, especially after the strange feelings that came with Megatron's return all the way back in Robots in Disguise #12. Transformers: Windblade in this one issue has done what RID wanted to when it started: political intrigue, games of exhaust fumes and chromed steel, one of the sexiest, most devious Starscreams to this day, and all with *two* entirely new characters added to the mix.



And then, just to top Scott's writing off, we get the icing of Stone's artwork and colours, with some nice little decorations from Mowry. The story is frustrating, anger-inducing, enticing, funny, intriguing and full of excellent moments of backstory without hamfisting it out or sledging in hammers. You'd do yourself a disservice by not picking it up, it's a beautiful piece of work.

Creative Roundup, April 13, 2014

Date: Sunday, April 13th 2014 12:20pm CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Transtopia
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): Transtopia

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Views: 56,350

We have not been resting on last week's amazing Transformers customs and artwork, fiction and builds - we're simply a little behind on posting this weeks's roundup. But fear no longer! Check out below all the recent output from the Transtopia section of Seibertron.com, make sure to comment on what you like, and send us a PM if you think we've missed something.


CUSTOMIZATIONS

Gladky - Pixel Camo Cybertron Skywarp




hinomars19 - G1 style Fansproject Onslaught, Vortex, Brawn




BUILDING BOTS

Zeek99g - Epic Layer of Epic - Custom Lego Builds




BezeeTron - Lego Transformers Masterpiece Red Alert




familyman - Life size G1 Ravage




SHAPEWAYS STUFF

GlauG - Shapeways Thread




Tresob - Kreon Upgrade Parts




zoso1900 - Fansproject/ROTF Bruticus Brawl Upgrade kit (WIP)




FAN ART

JDD SEALAB - TF Fanarts




M3Gr1ml0ck - Combination Act 2




FAN FICTION

Henry921 - Scorponok: The Reckoning - Chapter 7

Stormtalon - Dragons vs Dinos Part 2


PHOTO BLITZ

Henry921 - Revenge of the Photocomic: Act One




Madeus Prime - Autobots and Decepticons Living Together




keelo1027 - Funny Pics

IDW Transformers: Dark Cybertron Finale (DC 12) Review

Date: Wednesday, March 26th 2014 2:23am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Va'al

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Views: 51,049

WARNING: While the review does not contain spoilers for the issue at hand, it may reveal previous plot points from previous RiD and MTMTE issues.

Synopsis
IT GETS EVEN BIGGER! Okay we lied when we were talking about last issue… but this issue is as big as they come. It’s all come down to this moment—every scheme, every lie, every moment of heroism, every relationship, every rivalry… if CYBERTRON falls, so falls the universe!



Story

As March comes to an end, ReGeneration One concluded, Conspiracy is over, it's also time for the IDW ongoing Transformers crossover to do the same: the culmination of Dark Cybertron is here, after months of plotting, scheming, stalling and more scheming on behalf of Shockwave, James Roberts and John Barber. And by months, I mean all the way back in Spotlight: Shockwave, Shadowplay and Shockwaves - so years, really.



If I were to do a summary of where we are in order to get to this issue, I'd be writing for ages, so make sure to check out the Previously page to make sure you're caught up on all that has gone down. But we are here, on Cybertron again, with all the cast in one place - including the dead - the Ammonites attacking en masse (70 billion is a big masse) and Shockwave collapsing time, space, reality, the universe and everything into his giant, one-eyed purple 42 self.



Take Barber's penchant for continuity issues and their stitching, Roberts' flare for dialogue and their overall plotting skills, and this is what you get. Jhiaxus, Starscream and Metalhawk deal with each other in not entirely surprising ways. Brainstorm and the Dead Universe survivors (sort of) banter and bicker. Punches are thrown, blows are received. Dialogues and monologues abound.



But the overall, overarching main big bad and true protagonist of the story has been, and is up to this issue the once fabulous senator Shockwave. Seeds were scattered way way back, and the reaping comes now - with a conclusion that is actually really satisfying for a number of plots. Not all of them, but more on that below.

Art

Phil Jimenez returns to work on layouts as he did all the way back on Dark Cybertron #1, with pencil work this time by Brendan Cahill and inks by Brian Shearer. And I like it, I really do! They handle very big shots really well, and the panelwork is astounding in some places. They also manage to imitate, without copying, Milne and Griffith's styles in some particularly impressive splash pages, too (see above).



It does help that the colour work is once again attended to by the technimagicolourist Josh Perez. There is a sense of continuity with prior styles while still retaining the differences where needed (mostly in softer hues and lines in faces). And there is a lot of light(s) in this issue, natural, artificial, explosive, fiery, timey - he covers them all well, as expected.



Tom B. Long does a marvellous job with lettering, too. A lot of explosions, fizzes and particularly noisy moments are well worked by him, and there's some nice nifty font work going on in dialogues too. The covers are fewer, but by now means lees impressive: Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr tackle both cover A and the massive Metroplex wraparaound retail incentive, with a gorgeous Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente Shockwave cover B (in the thumbnail).

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

I said above that, while the issue does conclude the Dark Cybertron arc and storyline really quite nicely, it does not show an actual conclusion. Is this a bad thing? No. These are ongoings. The issue has set up the next three (two plus one) series very very nicely, while rounding off what had to be done. We get Megatron's change of ..everything, Optimus' return as a Optimus, the Decepticons a bit at a loss, and a reluctant Cybertron in the hands of a Starscream again.



If the initial issues of the event were a bit slow in build up, the later section of the run definitely picked up, quite nicely too. There wasn't the usual feeling of rushed endings from MTMTE or the lull from RID, and the pivotal role played by everyone's favourite purple cyclopic robot was, well, pivotal, but also nicely, at times movingly, executed. I feel both satisfied about the run and intrigued about Dawn of the Autobots. Bring on next month!

Seibertron.com Interviews Sarah Stone

Date: Friday, March 21st 2014 6:30am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Site Articles, People News, Interviews
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): Sarah Stone, Va'al

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Views: 83,076

Thought we were gone for long? We are always here, lurking, waiting, and pestering IDW Publishing creators until they agree to sit down and graciously talk to us about what they're doing with the Transformers! We have a really recent newcomer to the franchise, comics and Seibertron, so please extend a warm welcome to the artist behind the soon to appear Windblade mini-series: Sarah Stone!



Va'al - Sarah, it's a pleasure to be able to have a chat with you, thanks again for agreeing to do this! My first question, as has been with everyone we've interviewed, is the following: where did it all begin? What was your first encounter with our favourite Robots in Disguise?

Sarah - Hello Va'al, it is my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me!



It all began with Beast Wars for me. I was a little too young to experience G1 in all its glory, so by the time I was old enough to watch TV on my own, Beast Wars was what was on. I remember that it was absolutely incredible for me because I was obsessed with dinosaurs so it played right to my interests. I had just seen Jurassic Park so dinosaurs were my world. I wanted to be an archaeologist or draw dinosaurs for the rest of my life, so robot dinosaurs just blew my mind. Actually come to think about it, maybe this was the beginning of my love for the 'cons since I clearly preferred the Predacons.

Va'al - Another of my generation! I had no idea what Transformers really were in terms of fiction, other than the Beast Wars series. Was that your only exposure to the franchise though? Were you interested enough to track down older comics, did you spring for some of the toys?

Sarah - I never heard anything about the comics back then unfortunately, and didn't do much looking into it, though I kind of randomly remember having a Dinobot toy. He probably had lots of fun with all my other dinosaur toys (poor dude was all alone).



Transformers sort of dropped off of my radar after Beast Wars, I'm sad to say. The Michael Bay movies put them back on my radar, but I was left sort of wanting. I was considerably more interested in the robots than the human characters, so sadly even after the movie I fell off the Transformers train again. It wasn't until I discovered Transformers Prime that I fell off the deep end and rediscovered my intense love for the world again. Through the Prime fandom I ended up finding out about IDW's More Than Meets the Eye, and Robots in Disguise and well... now I'm ruined forever.

Va'al - This is getting eery now, that sounds very similar to my own experience - though I had a few more toys back then! Before we move into the comics, though... What was it in particular about the Transformers: Prime animated series that caught your eye? The stories, the artwork/animation, the characters, something else?

Sarah - Haha, that's crazy! Hmm, It was a combination of a lot of things I think. The sort of more organic designs, the darker tone, great writing, really expressive animations... it was like a quadruple combo to everything I didn't even know I wanted.



I think after watching one episode I ended up marathoning every episode I could get my hands on in a single night. The team did a fantastic job sucking me into the world and I was insatiable. I wanted more - I had to know more about these characters and their history.

Va'al - Binge-watching is apparently a good thing, under some aspects. Do we endorse it? Not necessarily. But still... So where did you head to find more? Was it the two ongoing series by Barber and Roberts and the respective artistic teams, or did you go via some other fiction first?

Sarah - Yeah, the ongoings were my next target. I had some friends that were kind enough to lend me some trades to read while I was traveling, and honestly it was becoming a little hard for me to go anywhere on the internet without bumping into awesome fan art (read: spoilers) of both series, so I knew I had to get on board fast or else I was going to get everything second-hand.



But outside the comics I started retroactively checking out the other series like Transformers: Animated and G1 just out of growing fondness for all of the characters. I'm also currently mid playthrough on Fall of Cybertron but I'm stuck because it makes me so motion sick! It's really the saddest thing.

Va'al - So you did effectively branch out as much as possible! That is impressive, even I haven't got into the games yet. Too focused on the comics. And life, I suppose. Who would you say your favourite character, present or past, in any part of the fiction, would be? And why?

Sarah - Gosh that's hard, I have so much love for so many of them. I guess I always end up having a soft spot for Starscream in almost any incarnation. I just have a thing for the really slimy, insufferable ones.



He's such a fascinating mix of horrible yet sympathetic, but always entertaining. He'll stir up trouble anywhere you inject him, and I love him for that. I really can't choose. I'm loving the IDW Robots in Disguise/Dark Cybertron one right now.

Va'al - I think a lot of fans have a soft spot for Starscream, to some extent. Voice actors notwithstanding. So now we know about you as a fan, let's find out about you as an artist! How did you start out, personally? How did you first venture into artistic endeavours?

Sarah - I've always been drawing, at least as long as I can remember holding pencils and crayons. As a kid I always drew my favorite video game characters and cartoons, before I even knew that was a thing. I grew up with so many animated movies, especially Disney movies, I dreamed of working for them and being an animator. I was fortunate and my parents were always extremely supportive and provided me with Photoshop and even a Wacom tablet at an early age.



It only took a few forays into dabbling with hand drawn and 3d animation before I realized that I am actually a terribly impatient person. Working on a few seconds of animation could take weeks, and an illustration I could finish in an evening or two, so I started slowly gravitating toward illustration as I got older.

Va'al - And if Disney was your influence and aspiration for the animation that never was, what would you say the influences are in your illustration work?

Sarah - That's a tough one, I always feel like I have a hard time pinpointing influences because I'm honestly inspired by so much. Concept art for games and movies have always found space on my shelf in art books, and there are just so many amazing illustrators putting their work up on the net, and I've had the privilege of working with many -- I'm constantly inspired. But I also love taking cues from some more classic work, like J.C. Leyendecker and my recent discovery of Richard Macdonald.



When it comes to illustrating Transformers though, some of the concept art that comes out of Jagex for Transformers Universe has really inspired me to push the rendering of metal and the different materials the bots are made of. And when it comes to the comics, I have to admit being a huge fangirl for Milne and how expressive his bots are. I can only hope to be able to bring life to them in a similar way.

Va'al - Well, I think the time has come to ask *the* question -- how did you make it to not only IDW, but your own mini-series with Mairghread Scott? Did you pitch? Were you selected?

Sarah - I really believe it's because I'm the luckiest girl on the planet, it's really kind of a crazy road. Mairghread had actually messaged me once on Tumblr to tell me that she loved the human Soundwave [see above - V.] illustration I did, which, knowing that she was a writer for Prime and being a fan, was enough to just make my day. Or week. I was really happy.

It wasn't until I was tabling at a comic convention over a year later that the stars aligned and Mairghread and her husband actually bumped into my table, entirely by accident. I tried not to freak out at her too much, and they both actually invited me to help out on a project pitch that they were looking for an artist for. I very excitedly obliged and kept in touch with them over the next month or so while we worked together, and one day Mairghread gave me a call and said something like, "Hey we're kind of looking for someone to work on something Transformers related... would you like me to throw your name in the hat?"



I said yes, of course, and I submitted some work and did a test page, and I suppose they liked it enough to take a chance with me. I'm eternally grateful to Mairghread for putting me under the eyes of the powers that be, and also to all the guys at IDW for giving me this chance.

Va'al - Wow, that does sound like a really lucky set of coincidences - but from what we've seen, they are working with the skills and output which is already of a really high standard. What's the most exciting part of working for IDW, on Transformers, and for a new character?

Sarah - Aside from the obvious of just working of something I absolutely adore (I used to draw this stuff just for fun, you mean I get paid to do it now?), I think it's just such an incredible time to be involved with what IDW is doing for Transformers. The stuff that Barber, Roberts, and Mairghread are doing is just really exciting, and it is crazy to be a part of it, even in the smallest way.



Windblade is just a puzzle piece (but hopefully a really cool puzzle piece) of an awesome picture they are painting, and I'm just really humbled to be working on it. It seems like kind of a cheesy answer, but I really am stoked.

Va'al - Surely you're the one painting it, and they're setting up the canvas! Sarah, may I say personally I am really looking forward to the new mini-series, and I know quite a few our readers are too. Before we let you get back to making art, and me to hunt down another creator to question, any final words to round off your first interview for the fandom?

Sarah - And thank you too, Va'al! It was really a pleasure, thank you for having me. I just want to say thank you to everyone who's been supporting and pre-ordering the mini-series, It means the world to me and I hope I don't let you down. If anyone's interested in seeing more of my stuff, you can check me out on my blog or DeviantART, or say hello on Twitter!


We will find out more of Sarah's work as Transformers: Dawn of the Autobots - Windblade hits. If you want to make sure you get your hands on this, and the other two ongoings - check out how to preorder the issues here! Thanks again for sticking with us for another interview on Seibertron.com, keep your optics tuned in, as there is still much much more to come.

IDW Transformers: Regeneration One #100 Review

Date: Wednesday, March 19th 2014 2:47am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW Publishing, Va'al

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Views: 48,831

Synopsis
THE GREATEST ENEMY... the greatest challenge... shall come from within. And there will be an ending. This is it, the battle the TRANSFORMERS must win, and yet dare not. The original and founding TRANSFORMERS comic comes to an epic and giant-sized conclusion, with all-out battle on CYBERTRON. Or should that be “Cybertrons”? Shocks, surprises, guest stars and more. It may be a cliché, but this one really does have it all.



Story

30 years in the making, the final, 100th (sort of) instalment in what was supposed to be a 4 issue limited series is here. This week, today, it actually, well and truly, ends. Over, finished. Even the best ones do not want to live forever. How many more furmanisms can I slide into this review, you ask? Well, you'll have to read on to find out!



So it's a bumper issue, and it follows Rodimus Prime as he travels, more or less figuratively, across Cybertron and the universe to figure out what exactly is going on with all the recent Jhiaxus/Matrix/Underbase/Primordials/Primus/Unicron?/42 business. And we finally see all the major players that have shown up in the last couple of years meet again, too.



But something's a little off, here. I can't exactly place my finger on it, but discussing it with other reviewers we all share the same sense of ..something not quite right. Simon Furman's writing has nothing to do with it, the dialogue flows nicely, the captions work, the exposition works. But I was not a fan of the story.



There are redeeming qualities, definitely, with the multiverse concept showing up again, some good character moments with favourites, some nice dialogue between key players and loose ends, mostly, tied up. And yet..

Art

What do we have in terms of art for this special issue? Three artists: the one who started it when it ended, Andrew Wildman; the one who did things in betweem, Geoff Senior; the one who did the end when it bagan, Guido Guidi. And while the latter and first do an amazing, as expected job, I had some minor gripes with Senior's take on some characters. I like his art, but for some reason it did not work over an extended sequence in here. It fit some of the parts, but not others - the Dark Matrix creature in his touch was great though!



And you know the ridiculous part? John-Paul Bove is colouring all three of them, again. Yes, Stephen Baskerville does the inks for Wildman and Guidi, and does them well, but still, three different styles, same magistry of colour magic - just as he's been doing for the entire run. It's seriously impressive, even with the help of unsung heroes like Ed Pirrie, who had a hand in some of the issues.



Chris Mowry is on letters one last time, too, and there's definitely a lot to work with, between explosions, lasers and punches - he does it well. The usual suspects make up the cover roster, with Wildman and Jason Cardy on A, Guidi on B, Senior and Josh Burcham on RI (thumbnail), Robert Atkins, Juan Castro and Romulo Fajardo Jr on the Subscription variant and a special edition with Wildman, Baskerville and Bove. Take your pick, they're all pretty good!

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

And so we're left here, with the final issue of a 100 (and a little more) strong run of Marvel then IDW comics, starting all the way back in the 80s, ending on the 30th anniversary of the franchise - and I feel sad. Sad because it lacked the bite of some of the later issues in the ReGeneration run. Sad because it probably could've done more. Sad because, good or bad, it's over.



It's a conflicted book, and I'm conflicted in my opinion. In fact, so conflicted that I won't give this a grading at all. In the overall run, I don't think it was the best ending possible. But it was a decent ending in terms of closing down and burning all bridges (except one, at the very very end..), and it touched upon a lot of themes that are being discussed with other IDW titles, as its legacy. It addressed some of them, glossed over others, but it tried dealing with it.



What was really nice to see and read were the single extras by most of the creative team, from Simon Furman's Foreword to the afterwords by Furman, Bove, Wildman, and the art by Bove, Cardy and Baskerville. The dedication that the team, including editors John Barber and Chris Ryall, has put into this has been impressive to behold, and touching, from beginning to end. And it's worth remembering that. You wouldn't believe the things they did, but they did them. Round of applause.