by JazZeke » Mon Nov 23, 2009 12:05 am
- Motto: "Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind."
- Weapon: Shoulder Mounted Rocket Launcher
I'm not bothered by the artwork. I like seeing different takes on things, artistically, and the faces were one of the few things done right in the movies. Mechanically speaking they just make more sense than a magic flexible metal that can bend in every ay a human face can.
The story is what disturbed me. I was sorely disappointed by the characterization. The story being set up is interesting, but it's all for naught if the characters don't behave the way they should. After IDW touted how much passion Costa has for the Transformers characters, I was expecting a better understanding of them.
After reading the previews, I was hoping against hope there would be a rational explanation as to why Prowl would go completely against the grain and break cover. To save a Decepticon, no less. A Decepticon who was threatening human lives. Prowl is the cold, analytical guy, the one who berates and punishes anyone who pulls stupid stunts like that. No... just, no. Literally anyone else would have been better for this. Heck, even Streetwise would have been better for this.
Optimus Prime. WHY? Once again, we have the return of Emo Prime who would commit seppuku over a Nintendo game. Hot Rod is right, there's no sense to stay on Earth, and THE REAL OPTIMUS PRIME WOULD KNOW THAT. He should be out there in space, kicking Decepticon skitplates and taking names and dealing with the Decepticons while they're fractured. I can understand why that wouldn’t sell as many issues because you want to keep the stories grounded on the Earth, but we need a logical reason for the setting, otherwise they risk alienating more readers than their trying to bring in.
To sum things up. Interesting setup, but character-wise it makes no sense. Characters should not be sacrificed or manipulated as the author's pawns to advance the story. Then no matter how cool the plot is, it can not be carried! I’m trying to keep an open mind and I will follow this to the end of the story arc, but unless the characters stop acting stupid for the sake of the story then there’s no point. The reason Transformers have endured for a quarter of a century is because the franchise has genuinely interesting characters that people want to follow. We want to read about THE Transformers, not about transforming robots.