Cover Art for IDW Transformers: Till All Are One #11 by Priscilla Tramontano, James Raiz
Thursday, June 1st, 2017 4:28AM CDT
Category: Comic Book NewsPosted by: Va'al Views: 11,736
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With Elita One’s influence closing in around Starscream, he’s desperate to make any alliances he can. Turns out, a powerful ally might already be within his grasp. But is he willing to risk his own sanity to reach them?
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Posted by Rodimus Prime on June 1st, 2017 @ 4:32am CDT
As for the comic itself being cancelled, and the reasons for it? The writer might have her side of it, but in the end, it all comes down to money. If it has been profitable, IDW would have found someone else to write it and they would have continued with the title. Unless Scott herself legally owns the title of "Till All Are One" and they would have to call it something else. Bottom line is, the comic wasn't selling well enough to justify continuation, and that usually has to do with the quality of what's on the page. (I'm not saying in every case, but most cases.) So maybe Scott should look in the mirror before blaming anyone else. Again, I'm not saying this is a certainty, but it's a possibility. Just because some of us on these boards think the story is amazing, the majority of comic readers might not think so, thus skip buying the issues, leading to it being a financial failure.
Posted by BATTLEMASTER IIC on June 1st, 2017 @ 5:52am CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 1st, 2017 @ 5:55am CDT
Rodimus Prime wrote:Well, now I'm kinda glad I held off on all 3 of the ongoings. I was going to get the LL TPBs, but now I have my doubts. I never cared for the OP comic, so that's an easy pass. But TAAO really had me curious. It seemed to go in a different direction, giving some characters their long overdue attention. After the initial interest, though, I kinda mellowed on it, and was gonna get the TPBs. But now? Not sure. Depends on how the entire story plays out.
As for the comic itself being cancelled, and the reasons for it? The writer might have her side of it, but in the end, it all comes down to money. If it has been profitable, IDW would have found someone else to write it and they would have continued with the title. Unless Scott herself legally owns the title of "Till All Are One" and they would have to call it something else. Bottom line is, the comic wasn't selling well enough to justify continuation, and that usually has to do with the quality of what's on the page. (I'm not saying in every case, but most cases.) So maybe Scott should look in the mirror before blaming anyone else. Again, I'm not saying this is a certainty, but it's a possibility. Just because some of us on these boards think the story is amazing, the majority of comic readers might not think so, thus skip buying the issues, leading to it being a financial failure.
Sure. But also, EVENTS.
Posted by Big Grim on June 1st, 2017 @ 7:56am CDT
ScottyP wrote:Absolutely gutted. This was a great Transformers story that I wanted to see evolve even further and it's a shame that it appears it won't get the chance.
Agreed. This has overtaken MTMTE/Lost Light for best TF ongoing.
Kurona wrote:So while it's of course very sad to see the cancellation of an excellent ongoing - arguably the best ongoing of the three IDW comics this year - it's fantastic to know that that ending is coming about for legitimate reasons that come from a place of passion and reason rather than mandates and profit. This has been an incredible story to follow for the past almost-year, and I will adore seeing how it all culminates in the end
Oh definately! Her post about it was really rather lovely concerning her team, her achievements and that sign off to the fans. I wish her well!
Posted by Coptur on June 1st, 2017 @ 10:11am CDT
Yes Arachnid is clever but this is/has been a close knit unit for millions of years with their combined/merged minds something will have to slip and Swindle and Vortex might be Onslaught's saving grace...can't say Blast-Off will fair well upon ultimate revelation.
Other means of finding out..another mind surgeon (i'm not spelling nmennonononm!?!?)!?!?
A scramble city style type combination!?!?
Soundwave mind scan?!?
Three ongoing titles for transformers was always too many imo
LL for me now is not what i want from a Transformers comics 'Friends in space' isn't my cup of tea, i'm happy for those that do like it though. i'm not here to bash anyone else's tastes just voicing(venting) my view on it.
OP i now find quite boring.
Revolutionaries i actually don't mind tbh i find myself switching/caring more about gijoe/action force than TF.
It's high time we had another TF only event love it or hate it like AHM to really relight a dimming fire.
Posted by Targetmaster Kup on June 1st, 2017 @ 10:30am CDT
OP is dull and the coloring makes it ugly.
LL is horrible.
REVOLUTIONARIES was great but is done.
This upcoming annual seems like a good time to jump off Transformers comics.
Posted by Kurona on June 1st, 2017 @ 10:49am CDT
Posted by snavej on June 1st, 2017 @ 11:56am CDT
Windblade might be still alive due to her mind link with the Liege Maximo: her mind could be lodged in his brain.
Posted by Va'al on June 1st, 2017 @ 2:33pm CDT
snavej wrote:Onslaught / Blast Off romance?! [Cringe, shudder] Awkward! It seems to go against their natures.
Not if you read the entirety of the TAAO books. It's always there.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 1st, 2017 @ 3:02pm CDT
A Seibertron.com somewhat Spoiler-Free review
Synopsis
As Starscream faces down the encroaching machinations of Elita One, he enlists Blast Off to help him bring Bruticus back!
The story so far
When it comes to the Transformers comics at the present time, Till All Are One is right there with Optimus Prime as the front runners for the comics in terms of quality writing, suspense, action, and art. There is an air of suspense, an air of uncertainty, and an air of political maneuvering as you read the comic. You can feel the situation reaching from the pages to pull your eyes back down to the page and read on.
This is a genuinely awesome comic, and one that attracts a lot of attention in several different arenas. This comic does not hesitate to dive into the politics and the debates. It is not afraid to admit what some characters truly are deep down, and even goes so far as to have them completely embrace it. Bumblebee has come to be the face of the fangirls reading the book, seeing the good, only to have everything just not go as you'd wish. This book tackles big ideas and big issues, and it manages them wonderfully.
With that said, I really want to add that Airachnid is an excellent addition. As soon as I saw the solicitation for this book, I was excited. Airachnid was that Prime character that creeped me out (and probably creeped many of you out too) and to see her returning here as a mnemosurgeon seemed fitting. And Scott handled her inclusion well, giving a good backstory and still making her a great character to have. I could hear Gina Torres voice as this Airachnid spoke. Every. Time.
Now if only I could read this Starscream with Steve Blum's voice.
Speaking of which, this is a great Starscream, and Scott deserves praise for how she has handled this character. He's enjoyable, sometimes unpredictable, and just so... Starscream-y and perfect for the story. This is Starscream in peace time and without a Megatron. This is a great rendition of the character and he deserves all the praise he gets.
To round things off, let's just talk about Blastoff for a second. Or how about a few minutes? Yeah, we'll go with that. If there is one thing other than Starscream that Till All Are One got right, it was the Combaticons. It's amazing how 10 issues, 5 of which didn't even have the Combaticons appear, managed to give them some personality, some meaning, most specifically Blastoff. The guy who before this was mainly known as "the space shuttle on the army guy team" or "that one dude who is a right arm on a combiner that is generally not give much attention" is now a great character in every regard. A character who actually cares, someone who isn't as dark as the rest of his team, someone who was able to stop Bruticus long enough to keep him from doing even more damage. He is a main player in this comic, and it is incredible what they have done with him. His relationship to Onslaught is really good too. And it is not without grounding: look through Till All Are One, going all the way back to issue 1. There are little clues there leading to this exact issue; you just gotta look for them.
Simply put: the characters in the story are true characters, and they truly kill it.
Art
The art team for the ongoing continues to be led by the wondrous work of Sara Pitre-Durocher, and once again the art is perfect. The art done in this issue is very well done, with just enough detail to keep you interested but not so much as to over complicate things and not too little as to appear bland. The linework is spot on, the visuals are very well done, and the expressions, oh the expressions. This is where Durocher is really good: all 4 combaticons that aren't/weren't braindead have faceplates and visors, and yet they are as expressive as those with full faces. It takes talent to make characters with no eyes and no face expressive, and yet artists like Durocher with the combaticons and Milne with Whirl have made it happen again and again.
Joana Lafuente complements the line work and expressiveness of Durocher's work very well here, not that the colors haven't been really good the whole time. I love the shiny/gloss-like feel and how well the lights are playing with the scenes. Little details like the stained glass really shine through, as does the coloring of the anger one character feels when a dream is violated.
Tom B. Long finishes off the pages with some nice text boxes and speech bubbles. While there wasn't any major action sequences for him to show off his battle lettering, the bubbles he did use were nice and went well. They were placed well, and everything appeared as it should. Nothing spectacular, but there wasn't a need for any lettering spectacle; just enough to compliment the major plot points moving through the issue.
Final Thoughts
With the sad news that Till All Are One only has 2 issues left, it appears as though the series is setting up to go out on a high note. This issue was very good, and it continues to show that Till All Are One is one of the best ongoings at the moment. This is a high-quality comic, and this issue only furthers that. I love the fact that we have a Cybertron-based storyline that has so many different worlds and types of characters involved, and it all comes to a head with tension and good storytelling at the forefront. Airachnid made a great addition, and the combaticons and Starscream are proving to be some of the best characters IDW is using right now. I cannot stress enough how good this issue is, and how good this series has been.
If you're on the fence about reading Transformers at the moment, give this story a try. Give this ongoing a try. It is all working out splendidly, and I am thoroughly loving the read. While you're at it, give our Till All Are One Database a peak, in case you want to look into some extra details about the comic and the team.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 1st, 2017 @ 3:03pm CDT
and if you don't get the captions, you are dead to me...
Posted by Va'al on June 1st, 2017 @ 3:06pm CDT
D-Maximus_Prime wrote:Y'all better love this and laugh. 4 hours trying to get things right and properly give me feelings on the subject!
and if you don't get the captions, you are dead to me...
We live, we learn, we lie
For the price of love you
That was majestic.
Posted by snavej on June 1st, 2017 @ 3:12pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 1st, 2017 @ 3:13pm CDT
Posted by Kurona on June 1st, 2017 @ 3:23pm CDT
... then again if I was doing the review I would have actually given it 4 1/2 out of 5 because I'm too scared to say something deserves full marks
Blast Off's become my favourite character in the entire comic and one of my favourite Transformers characters ever. He's up there with quite a few Lost Lighters. And Soundwave. And Cosmos. And Thundercracker. ... you know after focusing on MTMTE/LL for so long it's kinda nice to wake up to the fact that the other two ongoings are also pretty friggin' good with some pretty friggin' good characters.
Posted by Va'al on June 1st, 2017 @ 3:31pm CDT
TAAO #10, The Musical.
Posted by Ironhidensh on June 1st, 2017 @ 6:15pm CDT
Of course, upon reflection last night, I have to wonder if I genuinely dislike this book, or just the storyline.
Posted by ScottyP on June 1st, 2017 @ 10:18pm CDT
I love it but I also think it's fair to say it's not for everyone. If I dishonestly play devil's advocate, I could see characters feeling wooden at times, dialogue not feeling genuine, plot points being thin, rushed, or repeated, the overall story not moving too far in any one direction for too long, and an occasional lack of focus.Ironhidensh wrote:I wish I could see the good that you guys do in this book.
Of course, upon reflection last night, I have to wonder if I genuinely dislike this book, or just the storyline.
You know what though, you clearly gave it a chance and thought hard about it. Still don't like it? All good, it's ok to not like things!
Posted by X3ROhour on June 1st, 2017 @ 11:10pm CDT
ScottyP wrote:I love it but I also think it's fair to say it's not for everyone. If I dishonestly play devil's advocate, I could see characters feeling wooden at times, dialogue not feeling genuine, plot points being thin, rushed, or repeated, the overall story not moving too far in any one direction for too long, and an occasional lack of focus.Ironhidensh wrote:I wish I could see the good that you guys do in this book.
Of course, upon reflection last night, I have to wonder if I genuinely dislike this book, or just the storyline.
You know what though, you clearly gave it a chance and thought hard about it. Still don't like it? All good, it's ok to not like things!
For me
it's a little fast
and under developed
like a show that tries to cram a ton of stuff
into a few episodes
so you get a lot
but feel a need for a more in-depth version
more character development as well
perhaps splitting it into multiple titles
for example...
the primary story
concerning politics and intrigue
STARSCREAM
& THE WORLDS OF CYBERTRON
then
te tales of law and order
on the streets of New Iacon to
the dark alleys of Néo-Kaon
IRONHIDE PROTECTION
AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
and
the adventures of a ßmall band of rogues
as they take the law iñto their own hands
CHROMIA &WINDBLADE:
WRECKERS REDUX
just a thought
Posted by ebonyleopard on June 1st, 2017 @ 11:17pm CDT
Posted by X3ROhour on June 2nd, 2017 @ 12:25am CDT
Ebonyleopard wrote:Wait..what? 2 issues left? They're ending Till All Are One?? Seriously?
Posted by Rodimus Prime on June 2nd, 2017 @ 8:11am CDT
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic and/or condescending or you're trying to actually tell me something through shorthand internet speak (which I do not understand. I am an educated adult human, I require logically thought-out sentences in order to coherently communicate).Va'al wrote:Rodimus Prime wrote:Well, now I'm kinda glad I held off on all 3 of the ongoings. I was going to get the LL TPBs, but now I have my doubts. I never cared for the OP comic, so that's an easy pass. But TAAO really had me curious. It seemed to go in a different direction, giving some characters their long overdue attention. After the initial interest, though, I kinda mellowed on it, and was gonna get the TPBs. But now? Not sure. Depends on how the entire story plays out.
As for the comic itself being cancelled, and the reasons for it? The writer might have her side of it, but in the end, it all comes down to money. If it has been profitable, IDW would have found someone else to write it and they would have continued with the title. Unless Scott herself legally owns the title of "Till All Are One" and they would have to call it something else. Bottom line is, the comic wasn't selling well enough to justify continuation, and that usually has to do with the quality of what's on the page. (I'm not saying in every case, but most cases.) So maybe Scott should look in the mirror before blaming anyone else. Again, I'm not saying this is a certainty, but it's a possibility. Just because some of us on these boards think the story is amazing, the majority of comic readers might not think so, thus skip buying the issues, leading to it being a financial failure.
Sure. But also, EVENTS.
Posted by Sunstar on June 2nd, 2017 @ 9:37am CDT
It was fantastic. Loved it. Loved it more! sad times will be sad.
Posted by o.supreme on June 2nd, 2017 @ 11:04am CDT
For me, I have always been more of a classic fan. Autobots vs. Decepticons. Mostly attached to the 84-87 characters (though many of them were in MTMTE/TLL unfortunately with greatly changed personalities). I really enjoyed RiD/TF, and to a lesser extent the Windblade series (I don't care about Windblade herself, but what's been going on otherwise is pretty interesting)...The last few issues of TAAO have taken an odd turn however, perhaps this is all for the best.
I would really like there just to be something for us classic fans of Autobots vs. Decepticons, the every day goings-on of Cybertron, but alas that has been deemed as *boring* and sow now we have.....well, we have what we have...and none of it really sparks my interest.
Optimus Prinme is ok...but I'm really I guess just waiting for something to happen. CW showed signs of greatness but was cut short, TR even more so in favor of the "Revolution" event. I mean the last time I was legitimately excited about Transformers comics was prior to Revolution. TAAO had an *ok* arc issues 5-8, now its just...bad fan fiction is all I can think, and I really hate to go there, because nothing published should be given that insult.
Redemption gives me hopes, but again it is a one shot. sadly, after supporting IDW since the beginning, and being unimpressed with 75-80% of it, this may be my jumping off point unless we something that goes back to basics, and doesn't try to be different just for the sake of being different.
Posted by snavej on June 2nd, 2017 @ 11:20am CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 2nd, 2017 @ 11:45am CDT
snavej wrote:Cancellation: on the bright side, we won't have to see so much machine-on-machine humping. There are other places to see that, I'm sure.
We have seen literally none of that.
Posted by Ironhidensh on June 2nd, 2017 @ 7:34pm CDT
Va'al wrote:snavej wrote:Cancellation: on the bright side, we won't have to see so much machine-on-machine humping. There are other places to see that, I'm sure.
We have seen literally none of that.
Well, we having looked hard enough then, have we? Let's just go to Google and do a quick image searc......
DEAR SWEET BABY JESUS WHY??? MAKE IT STOP!!! I TAKE IT BACK, I TAKE IT ALL BAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKK!!!
Posted by Va'al on June 3rd, 2017 @ 2:16am CDT
Ironhidensh wrote:Va'al wrote:snavej wrote:Cancellation: on the bright side, we won't have to see so much machine-on-machine humping. There are other places to see that, I'm sure.
We have seen literally none of that.
Well, we having looked hard enough then, have we? Let's just go to Google and do a quick image searc......
DEAR SWEET BABY JESUS WHY??? MAKE IT STOP!!! I TAKE IT BACK, I TAKE IT ALL BAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKK!!!
Not in the comics.
Posted by Ironhidensh on June 3rd, 2017 @ 4:36am CDT
Va'al wrote:Ironhidensh wrote:Va'al wrote:snavej wrote:Cancellation: on the bright side, we won't have to see so much machine-on-machine humping. There are other places to see that, I'm sure.
We have seen literally none of that.
Well, we having looked hard enough then, have we? Let's just go to Google and do a quick image searc......
DEAR SWEET BABY JESUS WHY??? MAKE IT STOP!!! I TAKE IT BACK, I TAKE IT ALL BAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKK!!!
Not in the comics.
Very true. The comics have been very reserved and tasteful in all depictions of romance.
I was trying to make a funny. I failed.
Posted by Rodimus Prime on June 3rd, 2017 @ 7:46am CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 3rd, 2017 @ 11:54am CDT
Ironhidensh wrote:Va'al wrote:Ironhidensh wrote:Va'al wrote:snavej wrote:Cancellation: on the bright side, we won't have to see so much machine-on-machine humping. There are other places to see that, I'm sure.
We have seen literally none of that.
Well, we having looked hard enough then, have we? Let's just go to Google and do a quick image searc......
DEAR SWEET BABY JESUS WHY??? MAKE IT STOP!!! I TAKE IT BACK, I TAKE IT ALL BAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKK!!!
Not in the comics.
Very true. The comics have been very reserved and tasteful in all depictions of romance.
I was trying to make a funny. I failed.
Posted by Burn on June 4th, 2017 @ 6:11am CDT
Ironhidensh wrote:I wish I could see the good that you guys do in this book.
I'm glad I don't.
Thank fuck it's ending. It's a tad on the boring side and my favourite giant war machines don't need romance.
Posted by Va'al on June 4th, 2017 @ 6:19am CDT
Burn wrote:Ironhidensh wrote:I wish I could see the good that you guys do in this book.
I'm glad I don't.
Thank **** it's ending. It's a tad on the boring side and my favourite giant war machines don't need romance.
I knew you'd hurt me one day, but not like this.
Posted by Kurona on June 4th, 2017 @ 6:21am CDT
Posted by Burn on June 4th, 2017 @ 6:33am CDT
Va'al wrote:I knew you'd hurt me one day, but not like this.
To be perfectly honest I could say a lot worse.
Posted by Va'al on June 4th, 2017 @ 6:44am CDT
Burn wrote:Va'al wrote:I knew you'd hurt me one day, but not like this.
To be perfectly honest I could say a lot worse.
Posted by SW's SilverHammer on June 6th, 2017 @ 9:06pm CDT
Posted by Vince Kramer on June 7th, 2017 @ 7:26pm CDT
I've been waiting for this book to get cancelled since the first issue. I knew it would be. And the writer saying her heart wasn't in it to continue anyway, that is the WORST. Thanks for wasting everyone's time, dude. Stay out of the Transformers universe, good riddance!
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 21st, 2017 @ 5:17pm CDT
Posted by Kurona on June 21st, 2017 @ 5:22pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 21st, 2017 @ 7:58pm CDT
I was so taken by the emotional punch of last issue that it didn't fully hit me until later. But yes, thoughts?
Posted by Kurona on June 21st, 2017 @ 8:04pm CDT
Va'al wrote:Ok ok ok, this is something I did not touch on in previous discussions or reviews, so: can we take a moment to consider how the mind tinkering deal is essentially creating a non-consensual dynamic between Blast-Off and Onslaught?
I was so taken by the emotional punch of last issue that it didn't fully hit me until later. But yes, thoughts?
That's pretty much the crux of it and why it's so heartbreaking - it's clear Blast Off really doesn't want to do this. Oh sure he doesn't outright say it but it's pretty obvious that he'd either prefer to reach a relationship with Onslaught naturally or just hide away his feelings forever and ever and my god I'm projecting
But it's the only way to save Onslaught from becoming a friggin' vegetable because Starscream's that much of an ass. It's quite honestly a deal with the devil; he gets what he wanted but not at all how he wanted it and with huge negatives. Complex stuff.
Posted by Sunstar on June 21st, 2017 @ 8:09pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on June 21st, 2017 @ 8:18pm CDT
Sunstar wrote:what seemed indicated was they were simply going to get onslaught to notice Blast off, not automatically fall in love. I think its in such a position, it could go easily either way.
Perhaps, but my reading of the behaviour and body language and hand holding and change in dialogue indicates that it's very much in one way rather than the other.
And yes, Kurona, I agree. Deals with devils all round, buying myself into more and more Madoka Magica territory - even with Windblade's progression.
Good lord Mairghread...
Posted by Windsweeper on June 22nd, 2017 @ 4:10am CDT
That doctor's design is interesting. The symbol on his chest looks familiar. I know it's based on a cross but I can't help but feel it or something similar was in the franchise before.
Posted by Bounti76 on June 22nd, 2017 @ 4:14am CDT
If IDW doesn't do another series set on Cybertron, as sort of a spiritual successor to TAAO, I hope the characters here get treated well in another book. Scott and Pitre-Durocher have done such a phenomenal job on this whole series. I'm genuinely sad that it's ending.
Posted by Insurgent on June 24th, 2017 @ 5:44am CDT
Shame. I was really enjoying it. Ll hasn't grabbed me story wise so far, but the characters were enjoyable. This series was great for the plot and more 'transforneryness' of it. So i was getting everything i wanted from these two books.
Now, I'm conflicted. On one hand, I'm all for combaticons having relationships. But part if me feels not with each other. Not that group. They're a military unit. But at the same time, it's being written well and is forced on onslaught. It's not by choice. Which brings up all sorts of moral questions. So i want tonsee what happens if onslaught finds out the truth. Which we won't now. I also love how starscream is being written. What happens when he wins? He still schemes. I will miss this book. Guess I'm just down to one story a month now. Well, it was a good run while it lasted.
Posted by Va'al on June 24th, 2017 @ 6:02am CDT
Insurgent wrote:But at the same time, it's being written well and is forced on onslaught. It's not by choice. Which brings up all sorts of moral questions. So i want tonsee what happens if onslaught finds out the truth.
Yes, what I was asking earlier in the thread! And..
Which we won't now.
There's the rub.
Posted by partholon on June 27th, 2017 @ 5:05pm CDT
cancelled at issue twelve.
told ya.
Posted by Va'al on June 27th, 2017 @ 7:25pm CDT
Scott is writing First Strike, but did not want to shove that story back into the storylines she had developed so far in TAAO. You can see it as cancelled if you want, but that's not what's happening.