IDW Transformers: Lost Light #13 Full Preview

UGH. After reading that preview, I'm glad I canceled my subscription to Lost Light. After last issue, and the way super-powered super strong Star Saber took out Defensor like a chump (where was his forcefield??) and sliced Mirage to pieces....not to mention Rook being blown to bits......we go in this issue with Anode and she's back to being annoying as all hell. Does Roberts genuinely think he's so hilarious making everything that comes out of her mouth so "clever" and "witty"? The way she's being written, I seriously hope she meets up with Star Saber, too. An extra head up her robo-a**?? Are you KIDDING me?? It's almost over-the-top embarrassing to read her dialogue and storylines because the way it's written is so cringeworthy.

Bounti76 wrote:UGH. After reading that preview, I'm glad I canceled my subscription to Lost Light. After last issue, and the way super-powered super strong Star Saber took out Defensor like a chump (where was his forcefield??) and sliced Mirage to pieces....not to mention Rook being blown to bits......we go in this issue with Anode and she's back to being annoying as all hell. Does Roberts genuinely think he's so hilarious making everything that comes out of her mouth so "clever" and "witty"? The way she's being written, I seriously hope she meets up with Star Saber, too. An extra head up her robo-a**?? Are you KIDDING me?? It's almost over-the-top embarrassing to read her dialogue and storylines because the way it's written is so cringeworthy.

Seconded. I still read the synopsis on TFWiki though, because I guess I LIKE punishment...

BeePrime wrote:

Bounti76 wrote:UGH. After reading that preview, I'm glad I canceled my subscription to Lost Light. After last issue, and the way super-powered super strong Star Saber took out Defensor like a chump (where was his forcefield??) and sliced Mirage to pieces....not to mention Rook being blown to bits......we go in this issue with Anode and she's back to being annoying as all hell. Does Roberts genuinely think he's so hilarious making everything that comes out of her mouth so "clever" and "witty"? The way she's being written, I seriously hope she meets up with Star Saber, too. An extra head up her robo-a**?? Are you KIDDING me?? It's almost over-the-top embarrassing to read her dialogue and storylines because the way it's written is so cringeworthy.

Seconded. I still read the synopsis on TFWiki though, because I guess I LIKE punishment...

I do, too. I can skip the far-too-clever dialogue and still get the gist of the story, but I'm convinced Roberts has lost his touch, and is now making his original characters do and say the most over the top crap..... if it turns out that there's some spectacular story he's building, and I just can't see it, I'll eat my words gladly, LL is too silly, over the top and all over the place with story to earn my money.

Va'al wrote:

Daniel Adkins wrote:

misfire19d wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Targetmaster Kup wrote:That coloring on the B Covers is horrendous!

How so?

How is it not horrendous?

shill

It would help if you actually described your problems with it.

Indeed! I was just asking to see if I understand the misgivings, whether I accept them or not.

Lack of depth.

I didn't think she was annoying, but I guess my humour aligns quite well here in what is supposed to be the lighter half of the tf comics. Also not all the blame falls on Roberts as there is someone above him, checking all these ideas. The editor is someone who seems to never get the blame I'm these circumstances, I wonder why that is...

The star saber thing, I've got a couple of theories:

1# he's received a power up to make him more of a threat, he was injured in his last fight so it makes sense that tryest would repair him and make him stronger.

2# this is based on the theory that getaway is stuck in a memory loop as well. Now starsaber was only able to do that to Defensor due to getaway believing that would be the result, basically, starsaber is as strong as getaway thinks he is. Although starsaber would have no trouble with mirage at all.

ZeroWolf wrote:I didn't think she was annoying, but I guess my humour aligns quite well here in what is supposed to be the lighter half of the tf comics. Also not all the blame falls on Roberts as there is someone above him, checking all these ideas. The editor is someone who seems to never get the blame I'm these circumstances, I wonder why that is...

The star saber thing, I've got a couple of theories:

1# he's received a power up to make him more of a threat, he was injured in his last fight so it makes sense that tryest would repair him and make him stronger.

2# this is based on the theory that getaway is stuck in a memory loop as well. Now starsaber was only able to do that to Defensor due to getaway believing that would be the result, basically, starsaber is as strong as getaway thinks he is. Although starsaber would have no trouble with mirage at all.

Or option three: bad writing.

You’re giving way too much credit and thinking way too hard

Well at least the artwork looks good.

Randomhero wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I didn't think she was annoying, but I guess my humour aligns quite well here in what is supposed to be the lighter half of the tf comics. Also not all the blame falls on Roberts as there is someone above him, checking all these ideas. The editor is someone who seems to never get the blame I'm these circumstances, I wonder why that is...

The star saber thing, I've got a couple of theories:

1# he's received a power up to make him more of a threat, he was injured in his last fight so it makes sense that tryest would repair him and make him stronger.

2# this is based on the theory that getaway is stuck in a memory loop as well. Now starsaber was only able to do that to Defensor due to getaway believing that would be the result, basically, starsaber is as strong as getaway thinks he is. Although starsaber would have no trouble with mirage at all.

Or option three: bad writing.

You’re giving way too much credit and thinking way too hard

No, he isn't. Robert's is probably the greatest Transformers writer we've ever had. I may not like the direction the story is going, but that does not make it a bad story.

Ironhidensh wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I didn't think she was annoying, but I guess my humour aligns quite well here in what is supposed to be the lighter half of the tf comics. Also not all the blame falls on Roberts as there is someone above him, checking all these ideas. The editor is someone who seems to never get the blame I'm these circumstances, I wonder why that is...

The star saber thing, I've got a couple of theories:

1# he's received a power up to make him more of a threat, he was injured in his last fight so it makes sense that tryest would repair him and make him stronger.

2# this is based on the theory that getaway is stuck in a memory loop as well. Now starsaber was only able to do that to Defensor due to getaway believing that would be the result, basically, starsaber is as strong as getaway thinks he is. Although starsaber would have no trouble with mirage at all.

Or option three: bad writing.

You’re giving way too much credit and thinking way too hard

No, he isn't. Robert's is probably the greatest Transformers writer we've ever had. I may not like the direction the story is going, but that does not make it a bad story.

Did you read Till all are one? In my opinion Scott wrote circles around Roberts last year. Ever since John Barber stopped editing him, James has continued to make bad decisions and add poorer dialogue.
I don't know if Barber was holding him in check, or he's lost his touch, or what, but Lost Light feels like a poor shadow of mtmte.

"Noggin" has to be going somewhere, this is altogether too far-fetched to just be a bizarre joke.
The cloak though, now *that* interests me. The Benzene cluster is roughly where the LL is, and the Warren, which is presumably the cause of the cloaks inaccuracy. If this is a thread to bring Max, Red, Outrigger/Beak and (most importantly) Cerebros into the main plot again, I am super on board.

Ironhidensh wrote:No, he isn't. Robert's is probably the greatest Transformers writer we've ever had. I may not like the direction the story is going, but that does not make it a bad story.

If Transformers greatest write is James Roberts then that just means Transformer is always a horribly written franchise.

The only decently written parts of MTMTE was the first season right up to Remain in Light after that is when things started to fall apart narrative wise.

Lost Light is miles wide but has the depth of a puddle.


He can get a story and characters going but he sure as hell can't stay on course and it doesn't help that his ego has been fed by the rabid fans who clamor for more silly random crap.

ArmadaPrime wrote:"Noggin" has to be going somewhere, this is altogether too far-fetched to just be a bizarre joke.
The cloak though, now *that* interests me. The Benzene cluster is roughly where the LL is, and the Warren, which is presumably the cause of the cloaks inaccuracy. If this is a thread to bring Max, Red, Outrigger/Beak and (most importantly) Cerebros into the main plot again, I am super on board.

I'm going to guess that "Noggin" is just velocity playing a joke an Anode. Probably the next page will start with her smiling and saying gotcha. The whole other head thing is too stupid to be real.

LE0KING wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I didn't think she was annoying, but I guess my humour aligns quite well here in what is supposed to be the lighter half of the tf comics. Also not all the blame falls on Roberts as there is someone above him, checking all these ideas. The editor is someone who seems to never get the blame I'm these circumstances, I wonder why that is...

The star saber thing, I've got a couple of theories:

1# he's received a power up to make him more of a threat, he was injured in his last fight so it makes sense that tryest would repair him and make him stronger.

2# this is based on the theory that getaway is stuck in a memory loop as well. Now starsaber was only able to do that to Defensor due to getaway believing that would be the result, basically, starsaber is as strong as getaway thinks he is. Although starsaber would have no trouble with mirage at all.

Or option three: bad writing.

You’re giving way too much credit and thinking way too hard

No, he isn't. Robert's is probably the greatest Transformers writer we've ever had. I may not like the direction the story is going, but that does not make it a bad story.

Did you read Till all are one? In my opinion Scott wrote circles around Roberts last year. Ever since John Barber stopped editing him, James has continued to make bad decisions and add poorer dialogue.
I don't know if Barber was holding him in check, or he's lost his touch, or what, but Lost Light feels like a poor shadow of mtmte.

Ditto on Scott and TAAO. It's a shame that book was canceled. At the least the annual was a beautiful send off. I really wish the rest of IDW would catch up and confirm "lord" Windblade and nice Starscream.

Gentle reminder (before we get to that point) that criticism of people - be they users or creators or anyone else - is fine, but also to make sure we don't fall into name-calling and uncalled for insults.

@Randomhero you may consider it bad writing but I don't, it's more you don't like his story choices which is fair enough. Not everyone will agree with story direction, I mean look at the last jedi.

@Deadput not to be that guy but G1 is hardly good writing so yeah...the franchise has been all over the place in terms of writing, even Simon Furmans run on the marvel G1 comics was patchy in places. Beast wars was good writing, and again with Beast Machines (though, again you can argue about direction)

I’m trying to avoid LL spoilers here (although MTMTE has pretty much been entirely spoiled due to my own fault), but I have a question. On a purely objective level, is James Roberts, in general, a good writer?

For example, while not everyone is a fan of Charles Dickens or William Shakespeare, they were most definitely good writers (Not that someone in the comic book industry could live up to that level).

Thanks in advance!

ZeroWolf wrote:@Deadput not to be that guy but G1 is hardly good writing so yeah...the franchise has been all over the place in terms of writing, even Simon Furmans run on the marvel G1 comics was patchy in places. Beast wars was good writing, and again with Beast Machines (though, again you can argue about direction)

Never thought G1 had good writing ever but it was still entertaining sometimes, to me the only good written things in the whole franchise is Beast Wars, Animated, and some comic issues from some of the comics we have gotten over the years. (No I do not think Transformers Prime had good writing)

I don't consider writing to be everything that makes something good (I love the Room) but it has to be the number 1 most important thing...

if it is entertaining

This is why I've liked the Bay movies over the years, they are written horribly on the most part and some parts were bad but there were plenty of things that were very entertaining which is all that matters to me.

MTMTE in the beginning had some good writing but it was also entertaining to read as well with great art, good characters, some good world building and presenting some mysteries and questions.

But Over time we either lost things such as Alex Milne's great art (Although it's nice to see him back) which is a big part of MTMTE being replaced by overly cartoony or just bad looking art, the characters are now either stale, don't do much and are just there or have had their character development dropped and forgotten such as the obnoxious Rodimus, the story no longer went to other places and was very self confined compared to before, things were either not answered or if they were they were they had lackluster answers such as Tarn's identity being a red herring and the actual answer having little build up.

Oh yeah and we keep on getting obnoxious oc's like Anode that are just annoying as hell and take page time away from other characters, there are other people on the Lost Light like Inferno and Smokescreen who have done nothing why not use them or bring more obscure characters from the franchise instead of having to come up with characters nobody likes?

So I'm not entertained anymore and the only reason I'm sticking around is in the hopes the end of Lost Light is good...not that I'm optimistic about those chances.

Thank you for explaining your views deadput. Im still entertained and I was never bothered by the reveal about tarn as it was clear given Roberts writing that it was never who everyone thought it was.

ZeroWolf wrote:Thank you for explaining your views deadput. Im still entertained and I was never bothered by the reveal about tarn as it was clear given Roberts writing that it was never who everyone thought it was.

Yeah I'm not mad about who Tarn was but there wasn't enough evidence and build up to who he actually was, could of made about two or three other guys who could of been Tarn to keep viewers guessing.

The reveal kinda felt out of left field.

I'll admit I read LL mostly for the characters that I like but, I am looking into reading some other TF comics since LL can be such a coinflip at times.

Ironhidensh wrote:Robert's is probably the greatest Transformers writer we've ever had.

Okay, I can't tell if you're sarcastic or serious. In case it's the latter, it's an opinion with which I vehemently disagree. In my opinion, Roberts is mediocre at best, and a hack most likely. Barber and the other artists around him were able to cover up his lack of talent for a long time, but with Lost Light his shortcomings are finally reaching the surface.

I may not like the direction the story is going, but that does not make it a bad story.

Isn't that exactly what makes it a bad story for you? If you don't like it? If I read or watch something and don't like it, to me that makes it a bad story. It's only my opinion, but when it comes to my preference in stories, that's the only thing that matters. I figured that's how it is (or should be) with everyone else. If I don't like a story I don't approve of it, regardless of who else likes it.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:Robert's is probably the greatest Transformers writer we've ever had.

Okay, I can't tell if you're sarcastic or serious. In case it's the latter, it's an opinion with which I vehemently disagree. In my opinion, Roberts is mediocre at best, and a hack most likely. Barber and the other artists around him were able to cover up his lack of talent for a long time, but with Lost Light his shortcomings are finally reaching the surface.

I may not like the direction the story is going, but that does not make it a bad story.

Isn't that exactly what makes it a bad story for you? If you don't like it? If I read or watch something and don't like it, to me that makes it a bad story. It's only my opinion, but when it comes to my preference in stories, that's the only thing that matters. I figured that's how it is (or should be) with everyone else. If I don't like a story I don't approve of it, regardless of who else likes it.

Not getting into debate yet, but worth pointing out: not liking something doesn't make it technically bad.

Short addition: Roberts is a very good serial storyteller, with a flair for dialogue and long-game plots - but I do think he's more of a TV series format writer than a comics writer, particularly in this second branch of his series. And yes, we should be acknowledging editorial influence throughout both MTMTE and LL.

But then isn't your opinion about Roberts writing based solely on if you like the story? Ironhidish opinion is that roberts can write good just that the story he's telling isn't one for him. You can separate writing ability from the story, for example I'm not into literature fiction that regularly wins the awards but I'm not going to call them bad writers for doing what they wanted with the story.

Again, I point out, with all these talk of Roberts failings, shouldn't the editorial staff bare some of this blame? After all their job is to edit and keep oversight, unless of course they have no problems with the story which means it's down to personal perspectives. I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because you don't like their story decisions doesn't mean that you can call them a hack or anything like that. It just means that they've took the story where you don't think it should go.

ZeroWolf wrote:But then isn't your opinion about Roberts writing based solely on if you like the story? Ironhidish opinion is that roberts can write good just that the story he's telling isn't one for him. You can separate writing ability from the story, for example I'm not into literature fiction that regularly wins the awards but I'm not going to call them bad writers for doing what they wanted with the story.

Again, I point out, with all these talk of Roberts failings, shouldn't the editorial staff bare some of this blame? After all their job is to edit and keep oversight, unless of course they have no problems with the story which means it's down to personal perspectives. I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because you don't like their story decisions doesn't mean that you can call them a hack or anything like that. It just means that they've took the story where you don't think it should go.

I feel this was a response to Rodimus, rather than me - correct?

Va'al wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:But then isn't your opinion about Roberts writing based solely on if you like the story? Ironhidish opinion is that roberts can write good just that the story he's telling isn't one for him. You can separate writing ability from the story, for example I'm not into literature fiction that regularly wins the awards but I'm not going to call them bad writers for doing what they wanted with the story.

Again, I point out, with all these talk of Roberts failings, shouldn't the editorial staff bare some of this blame? After all their job is to edit and keep oversight, unless of course they have no problems with the story which means it's down to personal perspectives. I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because you don't like their story decisions doesn't mean that you can call them a hack or anything like that. It just means that they've took the story where you don't think it should go.

I feel this was a response to Rodimus, rather than me - correct?

Indeed, it posted later then I actually wrote it as I'd forgot to click submit.

Indeed, it posted later then I actually wrote it as I'd forgot to click submit

I hate when I do that.

ZeroWolf wrote:But then isn't your opinion about Roberts writing based solely on if you like the story?

Yes, it is. In my opinion the quality of the story is what determines the quality of the writer. Of course, writers can write good and bad stories, their entire body of work is what they should be judged on. And that's where I can't let Roberts have a pass. I have the entire run of MTMTE and I find it to be decent. It has good parts and boring parts. It was better toward the beginning, and seemed to get progressively worse, and ended with a disappointing arc. (Dying of the Light was atrocious, considering how good it could have been.) This is a trend that seems to be carried into Lost Light, and the lack of proper editorial supervision only highlights it more. Now, I understand that Roberts didn't start writing with MTMTE, but that's where the reboot occurs, so that's where I begin my evaluation. I should also clarify something else: I should specify that I don't think Roberts is a good comic writer. Maybe he's much better at other types of fiction. And again, all of this is just my opinion based on my history of being an avid reader of all forms of written literature. I wasn't trying to tell Ironhidensh that he shouldn't like Roberts just because I don't. If it came off that way, my mistake.

Again, I point out, with all these talk of Roberts failings, shouldn't the editorial staff bare some of this blame? After all their job is to edit and keep oversight, unless of course they have no problems with the story which means it's down to personal perspectives. I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because you don't like their story decisions doesn't mean that you can call them a hack or anything like that. It just means that they've took the story where you don't think it should go.

If that's my opinion of him as a professional writer (which it is) then I absolutely can call him a hack. You don't have to agree, but my opinion is just that: mine. You think he's great? Okay. I will disagree, but I won't tell you that you can't call him great. It all depends on how one qualifies Roberts' work. What do you look for in his stories? If he meets those expectations for you, then you should consider him a good writer.

As for the editors taking some of the blame, I agree. But is MTMTE a typical Roberts story with better editing? And Lost Light is typical work without close editing? If so, then Roberts is still mediocre at best, except now there's no one there to correct his mistakes before the story makes it to the pages of a book. And that's where the responsibility of the editor is. My favorite story from the last 5 years is Dark Cybertron. It was a well-told and interesting arc. Whatever collaboration took place to get that written is what should be happening all the time.

Let me reiterate: these are all my opinions, in no way am I trying to force my point of view on anyone else. I'm just very disappointed in Roberts' work lately and it's giving me a bitter outlook.

I think Robert's talents are wasted with comics, I do agree that he would be much more suited writing for T.V

He's just not writing the comic as a comic to me.

Deadput wrote:I think Robert's talents are wasted with comics, I do agree that he would be much more suited writing for T.V

He's just not writing the comic as a comic to me.

That's probably why I love him.

Ironhidensh wrote:

Deadput wrote:I think Robert's talents are wasted with comics, I do agree that he would be much more suited writing for T.V

He's just not writing the comic as a comic to me.

That's probably why I love him.

Ever since MTMTE hit "season 2," I haven't understood why people keep saying that Roberts writes as if this were a TV show. This was something that was true at one point but clearly isn't anymore.

Back when the book first started, there were miniature story arcs that normally resolved within one or two issues, maybe three. Each miniature story carried small connecting threads that either led into the next arc or "episode" or carried into the finale. You would get a more or less complete package in a short amount of time that still led into the next story to keep you going.

The easiest comparison for this kind of structure is the relaunched Doctor Who, which operated basically the same way. The reason, I thought, Roberts' was TV-esque was because it harkens back to when TV shows had to have complete episodes with the occasional multi-parter or cliff hanger to leave audiences satisfied, since they would have to wait a week to see the next episode. Now this is largely irrelevant thanks to online streaming, so episodic shows can draw out their plotlines as long as they want.

In MTMTE, this started to break down during season 2, where individual plots started stretching out, and completely fell apart in season 3 where the first story took an entire 6, some would say 7, issues to complete.

Now the series is written more or less like any other comic series where it takes about 5 issues to get a complete picture. I guess you can make the case that it's similar to modern drawn out shows, but comics have been like that, in my experience, since at least the early 2000s.

Maybe someone else who understands this better can explain, but I don't see how this has been different from any other comic format for at least a year and a half now. If anything, it's written like a graphic novel since everyone keeps insisting it's better to read the trades over single issues.

Nobody specifically answered my question, but I think I get the gist. I’m glad we can all express opinions without getting upset. I’m gonna go now before the conversation veers back towards stuff I haven’t read yet.

MagicDeath wrote:Nobody specifically answered my question, but I think I get the gist. I’m glad we can all express opinions without getting upset. I’m gonna go now before the conversation veers back towards stuff I haven’t read yet.

He can be a good writer. When the story is relatively small scale, Roberts can craft interesting and likeable characters that interact in equally interesting ways. I fully credit him with crafting some of my favorite transformers personalities at this point.

With proper editorial oversight, one might even call him great. However, as the story has gotten bigger and more sprawling, he's had a harder time keeping things together. I've explained in detail before, but one of the big issues with the current series, IMO, is that it's structured to basically fix "mistakes" in the story while setting up convoluted plot points and twists that'll only pay off later. He also has a tendency to insert himself in the story and editorialized on the comic in a way that can be grating, the whole "Swearth" and "Tarn" thing. That's just my 2 cents.

Ironhidensh wrote:

Deadput wrote:I think Robert's talents are wasted with comics, I do agree that he would be much more suited writing for T.V

He's just not writing the comic as a comic to me.

That's probably why I love him.

It feels like a manga, he just needs someone else to draw it. He knows what he wants and what he wants it to look like. No "Marvel Method" going on in MTMTE/LL, but I think that's fine.

Not replying to the above, or any specific posts, but I think some of the folks here are teetering on "irrational over-negative reaction mode" every time a piece of media from this book comes up. If that's how it makes you feel, consider waiting for a trade? I don't feel like anyone can geek out and speculate here anymore, it's just haters everywhere.

Va'al wrote:

Targetmaster Kup wrote:That coloring on the B Covers is horrendous!

How so?

SEALIONING

misfire19d wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Targetmaster Kup wrote:That coloring on the B Covers is horrendous!

How so?

SEALIONING

Nah, actual curiosity! I really like Burcham's colours, and was wondering what made you dislike them.

Va'al wrote:

misfire19d wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Targetmaster Kup wrote:That coloring on the B Covers is horrendous!

How so?

SEALIONING

Nah, actual curiosity! I really like Burcham's colours, and was wondering what made you dislike them.

Maybe it's just the Lee Sullivan homage in general not getting through? Marvel UK is still practically a lost antiquity to many fans.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:But then isn't your opinion about Roberts writing based solely on if you like the story?

Yes, it is. In my opinion the quality of the story is what determines the quality of the writer. Of course, writers can write good and bad stories, their entire body of work is what they should be judged on. And that's where I can't let Roberts have a pass. I have the entire run of MTMTE and I find it to be decent. It has good parts and boring parts. It was better toward the beginning, and seemed to get progressively worse, and ended with a disappointing arc. (Dying of the Light was atrocious, considering how good it could have been.) This is a trend that seems to be carried into Lost Light, and the lack of proper editorial supervision only highlights it more. Now, I understand that Roberts didn't start writing with MTMTE, but that's where the reboot occurs, so that's where I begin my evaluation. I should also clarify something else: I should specify that I don't think Roberts is a good comic writer. Maybe he's much better at other types of fiction. And again, all of this is just my opinion based on my history of being an avid reader of all forms of written literature. I wasn't trying to tell Ironhidensh that he shouldn't like Roberts just because I don't. If it came off that way, my mistake.

Again, I point out, with all these talk of Roberts failings, shouldn't the editorial staff bare some of this blame? After all their job is to edit and keep oversight, unless of course they have no problems with the story which means it's down to personal perspectives. I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because you don't like their story decisions doesn't mean that you can call them a hack or anything like that. It just means that they've took the story where you don't think it should go.

If that's my opinion of him as a professional writer (which it is) then I absolutely can call him a hack. You don't have to agree, but my opinion is just that: mine. You think he's great? Okay. I will disagree, but I won't tell you that you can't call him great. It all depends on how one qualifies Roberts' work. What do you look for in his stories? If he meets those expectations for you, then you should consider him a good writer.

As for the editors taking some of the blame, I agree. But is MTMTE a typical Roberts story with better editing? And Lost Light is typical work without close editing? If so, then Roberts is still mediocre at best, except now there's no one there to correct his mistakes before the story makes it to the pages of a book. And that's where the responsibility of the editor is. My favorite story from the last 5 years is Dark Cybertron. It was a well-told and interesting arc. Whatever collaboration took place to get that written is what should be happening all the time.

Let me reiterate: these are all my opinions, in no way am I trying to force my point of view on anyone else. I'm just very disappointed in Roberts' work lately and it's giving me a bitter outlook.

I apologise if my post sounded too aggressive, it really wasn't my intention I understand they are your opinions and I thank you for taking the time it took to write that post to explain them. My thing was just trying to separate the idea that because you may not like where he's taking the story, it doesn't mean he's a bad writers as even the worst plots can still be brilliantly written. I'm a aspiring writer and at the very least if no one likes my ideas, I hope they can say "well at least it was written well".

Looking back at what you've written you've got a different way of looking at things and grading them which is should be more open to.

2nd head: you may also like 'How to Get Ahead in Advertising' (1989), 'Men in Black II' (2002), 'Total Recall' (1990) and probably many other movies.

Edit: I just realised that OP is at issue 15 while LL is only at issue 13. Someone needs to crack the whip, to speed up work on LL! (Only joking. They're under no obligation. Anyway, rushed work is often substandard.)

Daniel Adkins wrote:Its said in issue #8 that she learned about gender from the Primal Vanguard, so she had already transitioned prior to going to Caminus. Same thing easily could've happened in the FU.

But wouldn't it rank, ya know, important to note that she found and moved to Caminus? Mind you, Thunderclash found it too without telling anyone about it, but still. It all feels very forced and weird.

Ironhidensh wrote:so Anode literally has a Eads up her ass. Dmax is gonna be thrilled.

Hello! yeah, um, yeah. I read the review copy Friday, and I have meant to get Scotty my thoughts, but um, yeah.

%(# ^$#*$ @#$^*# @*^$@! Anode

Roberts is a good writer. But after the name change, something about it makes me very unhappy. The story direction is not that good, I don't like the new characters or the art, and overall it feels off.

The highlight of the series so far for me was the final page of issue 9. And 12 was the absolute worst

Artist extraordinaire Alex Milne has been busy on his Twitter page recently, showing off some of his impressive work for Lost Light issue 13! The first part of this post covers his uncolored lineart for the 5 page preview that we have seen previously. Not only is it cool to see the original lineart, but it also enables us to view certain things are covered up by speech bubbles, such as the fact that Fort Max takes down Fangry in front of Skid's statue.

The 2nd thing that Milne has been showing off are some of his redesigns. Several characters were set to get new designs during and after Dying of the Light, with Drift and Ratchet being the 2 characters shown in that story in their new bodies. Milne here shows off his new Red Alert design, which to him is his new "stop messing with my head" look. He also shows off his design for Cerebros, whose only previous appearances were drawn by Priscilla Tramontano. While Cerebros' design is not new, it is still the first time we have seen his original design.

Check out all the beautiful artwork from Milne below, and stay tuned for Lost Light 13, out this week!

So #LostLight 13 is out this week. The full preview has gone up, so I will share the line art for those 2 pages That Velocity face on panel 5 of page 5 is probably one of my favs. Can anyone spot the Star Trek reference I put into page 5? #transformers #IDW

Unrelated note to any of the Bigger discussion going on, but GOD I love Cerebros. Always loved the design (that head! ~swoons~) from even his few half-panel mid-transformation appearances in the old marvel comics; Titans Return gave him an actual bit of personality and now seeing Milne take the new design to such heights makes me a very happy lad.

seriously, I wish I knew why I loved him so much. I seriously considered getting a £100+ toy I have no space for just for the smaller toy that turns into its head...

ricemazter wrote:

MagicDeath wrote:Nobody specifically answered my question, but I think I get the gist. I’m glad we can all express opinions without getting upset. I’m gonna go now before the conversation veers back towards stuff I haven’t read yet.

He can be a good writer. When the story is relatively small scale, Roberts can craft interesting and likeable characters that interact in equally interesting ways. I fully credit him with crafting some of my favorite transformers personalities at this point.

With proper editorial oversight, one might even call him great. However, as the story has gotten bigger and more sprawling, he's had a harder time keeping things together. I've explained in detail before, but one of the big issues with the current series, IMO, is that it's structured to basically fix "mistakes" in the story while setting up convoluted plot points and twists that'll only pay off later. He also has a tendency to insert himself in the story and editorialized on the comic in a way that can be grating, the whole "Swearth" and "Tarn" thing. That's just my 2 cents.

I wasn’t expecting it, but that is exactly the answer I was looking for. Thanks!

thats definitly not your fathers Red Alert

ZeroWolf wrote:I apologise if my post sounded too aggressive, it really wasn't my intention I understand they are your opinions and I thank you for taking the time it took to write that post to explain them.

It wasn't, we're just having a discussion.

My thing was just trying to separate the idea that because you may not like where he's taking the story, it doesn't mean he's a bad writers as even the worst plots can still be brilliantly written.

Yes, that happens with most writers. My issue with Roberts is that it's been happening with him quite a bit lately, since the end of Dark Cybertron, and it carried over into Lost Light. He may have been brilliant when he started with IDW, but sooner or later the law of averages has to kick in. Even a good writer can write only so much substandard material before he loses his status as 'good.' For me, Roberts passed that point a while ago. If somehow he pulls the proverbial rabbit out of the hat and ends Lost Light with a bang (instead of a whimper, like Dying of the Light), he'll most likely redeem himself, or at least break even. Like the saying goes:'Give them a good beginning and a great ending, and they'll forgive a lot in between.'

I just hope he stays away from Transformers for a while after that. He's been doing it for over 10 years, time for a fresh style of writing. ZeroWolf, you said you're an aspiring writer, maybe you can take a shot at it.

As for the new designs, I like Cerebros, but not Red Alert. There's just too much going on with him.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I apologise if my post sounded too aggressive, it really wasn't my intention I understand they are your opinions and I thank you for taking the time it took to write that post to explain them.

It wasn't, we're just having a discussion.

My thing was just trying to separate the idea that because you may not like where he's taking the story, it doesn't mean he's a bad writers as even the worst plots can still be brilliantly written.

Yes, that happens with most writers. My issue with Roberts is that it's been happening with him quite a bit lately, since the end of Dark Cybertron, and it carried over into Lost Light. He may have been brilliant when he started with IDW, but sooner or later the law of averages has to kick in. Even a good writer can write only so much substandard material before he loses his status as 'good.' For me, Roberts passed that point a while ago. If somehow he pulls the proverbial rabbit out of the hat and ends Lost Light with a bang (instead of a whimper, like Dying of the Light), he'll most likely redeem himself, or at least break even. Like the saying goes:'Give them a good beginning and a great ending, and they'll forgive a lot in between.'

I just hope he stays away from Transformers for a while after that. He's been doing it for over 10 years, time for a fresh style of writing. ZeroWolf, you said you're an aspiring writer, maybe you can take a shot at it.

As for the new designs, I like Cerebros, but not Red Alert. There's just too much going on with him.

You flatter me by just suggesting I have a shot at best I just have idea for mini series and maybe an idea for a universe. I would find it daunting to have to step into another writer's shoes to continue a series like ll or op.

Hi kids!

Your weird Uncle Va'al wanted me to pop my thoughts in here on Lost Light issue #13. Well ... he wanted me to give them to him, but hey, why deny you guys and gals my sunny thoughts on a once great book!

I'll cut to the chase before you "IDW-can-do-no-wrong" folks start coming at me with torches and pitch forks.

I enjoyed this issue.

It felt like a return to the light heartedness that I use to enjoy, sure, there was still the more serious moments, but it was a great balance light and serious.

Cyclonus and Ultra Magnus? Absolutely loved their interaction. Magnus is Magnus, he's so stiff, such a stickler for the rules, and sure he's showing signs of being a despot, BUT.IT'S.MAGNUS. For some reason we can always over look how much of a control freak he is, BECAUSE.HE'S.MAGNUS.

And on the flip side, is Cyclonus, who is clearly hurting and all Magnus can offer is "I'm just going to sit over there". I guess I can relate ... because it's the sort of thing I would do, not too good if someone starts awkwardly pouring their heart out to me.

Of course with Magnus being no help whatsoever, Cyclonus continues to hurt, and this, to me, is good story telling. It of course leads into Whirl and Cyclonus having a moment. IDW's Whirl has always been a fascinating character to me, so much so I set out to replace Stinky Whirl the toy because of his appearance in this comic (that subsequently lead to Slightly Less Stinky Whirl).

Where Magnus is a stickler for rules and often distant, Whirl is just a cunt with a heart of gold. He comes across as a tough bastard, desperate to keep everyone at arms length, except when it comes to Cyclonus, and that "relationship" is one I've always found interesting, again, because I see aspects of myself in Whirl.

The bulk of the book seems to revolve around Swerve and Anode, and it's light hearted fun. In fact, at least 75% of the book is light hearted fun, with the remainder taking the more serious tone to help propel the story line all to the final panel of the issue, ending with a "HOLY CRAP!" moment and an interesting cliff hanger.

TL;DR - Good book, grab it worth the read.

Burn wrote:Hi kids!

Your weird Uncle Va'al wanted me to pop my thoughts in here on Lost Light issue #13. Well ... he wanted me to give them to him, but hey, why deny you guys and gals my sunny thoughts on a once great book!

I'll cut to the chase before you "IDW-can-do-no-wrong" folks start coming at me with torches and pitch forks.

I enjoyed this issue.

It felt like a return to the light heartedness that I use to enjoy, sure, there was still the more serious moments, but it was a great balance light and serious.

Cyclonus and Ultra Magnus? Absolutely loved their interaction. Magnus is Magnus, he's so stiff, such a stickler for the rules, and sure he's showing signs of being a despot, BUT.IT'S.MAGNUS. For some reason we can always over look how much of a control freak he is, BECAUSE.HE'S.MAGNUS.

And on the flip side, is Cyclonus, who is clearly hurting and all Magnus can offer is "I'm just going to sit over there". I guess I can relate ... because it's the sort of thing I would do, not too good if someone starts awkwardly pouring their heart out to me.

Of course with Magnus being no help whatsoever, Cyclonus continues to hurt, and this, to me, is good story telling. It of course leads into Whirl and Cyclonus having a moment. IDW's Whirl has always been a fascinating character to me, so much so I set out to replace Stinky Whirl the toy because of his appearance in this comic (that subsequently lead to Slightly Less Stinky Whirl).

Where Magnus is a stickler for rules and often distant, Whirl is just a **** with a heart of gold. He comes across as a tough bastard, desperate to keep everyone at arms length, except when it comes to Cyclonus, and that "relationship" is one I've always found interesting, again, because I see aspects of myself in Whirl.

The bulk of the book seems to revolve around Swerve and Anode, and it's light hearted fun. In fact, at least 75% of the book is light hearted fun, with the remainder taking the more serious tone to help propel the story line all to the final panel of the issue, ending with a "HOLY CRAP!" moment and an interesting cliff hanger.

TL;DR - Good book, grab it worth the read.

I just came to literally post the same thing.

This issue was fun.

Loved it. Also since I had some days to process it already, here's something fun from MTMTE 29 to think about that I don't think is a spoiler if you haven't read it:

Burn wrote:IDW's Whirl has always been a fascinating character to me, so much so I set out to replace Stinky Whirl the toy because of his appearance in this comic (that subsequently lead to Slightly Less Stinky Whirl).

Despite your love for the character, you can't catch a break with the toy it seems which actually fits his sense of humourin a way.

ArmadaPrime wrote:Unrelated note to any of the Bigger discussion going on, but GOD I love Cerebros. Always loved the design (that head! ~swoons~) from even his few half-panel mid-transformation appearances in the old marvel comics; Titans Return gave him an actual bit of personality and now seeing Milne take the new design to such heights makes me a very happy lad.

seriously, I wish I knew why I loved him so much. I seriously considered getting a £100+ toy I have no space for just for the smaller toy that turns into its head...

I want to quote this because I feel the same way. After getting the toy and finding Cerebros to be an amazing toy with so much cool stuff going on, and then him showing up in MTMTE, he is a great character that I do like for no real reason.

And I fully agree with Burn on Cyclonus and Whirl. They have truly been the best characters of the book, and seeing them develop over time, it's awesome. They are 2 of my favorites from the overall IDW-verse, and really transformers in general