IDW Transformers: Lost Light #21 Geoff Senior Cover #2

Love Geoff Senior and his work always has so much style and energy to it but even he can't make that Rodimus design look good.

It looks like a coloured-in convention doodle.

I hope the reboot refrains from using nostalgia artists, with the possible exception of Don Figueroa. This isn't the same Geoff Senior who did Target:2006, Legacy of Unicron or Edge of Extinction. Whether he's out of practice (though he's been doing these guest spots off-and-on for a few years now) or the purse from IDW is miserly, it's starting to cannibalise his legacy a tad.

I don't think it's that bad, but I do want to see more fresh talent brought up through the ranks, same with writers. I still think they should have an anthology type deal where every few months they put out a book which is several one shot stories of tf fiction where a new writer and a new artist is teamed up and we see what the result is.

Carnivius_Prime wrote:Love Geoff Senior and his work always has so much style and energy to it but even he can't make that Rodimus design look good.

Agreed.

ZeroWolf wrote:I don't think it's that bad, but I do want to see more fresh talent brought up through the ranks, same with writers. I still think they should have an anthology type deal where every few months they put out a book which is several one shot stories of tf fiction where a new writer and a new artist is teamed up and we see what the result is.

Definitely agreed on bringing in New talent and New ideas. Hopefully they also refrain from the kind of art used in the Primacy Trilogy too. Certainly not a fan of any of that.

Yeah I wasn't a fan of that style either, but I'm sure there was some who liked it for what it was.

Geoff Senior is my fav classic TF artist. Met him at Auto Assembly years ago. Nice fella. Got a signed Death's Head print.

Stormshot_Prime wrote:

DarkEnergon wrote:Ok, I'm really confused, but kind of excited, too. Here is one spoiler question someone has got to be able to explain to me:

Why the @#$@ are Perceptor, Hound, etc. sparkeaters?

Did I miss something, or is it just implied that Getaway did something?

We can only assume. Remember the sparkeater gun that Brainstorm created? This seems to be playing off the vision that Drift has back in issue 1, so there’s also a big possibility that Pharma is at work here too. If his body was dragged to this medical facility, we can only assume he was repaired before his spark faded.

Which raises another question, was the place Skids saw through the portal this same “Cyberutopia”? What of those orbs of light speaking in symbols?

The TF Wiki has some general background information that might be helpful https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Sparkeater_(creature) - but as for who's now what and why...that's one of those plots left for the upcoming issue I suppose.

Still, maybe blame it all on Getaway?

As for Skids & the orbs...maybe it was some sort of Iconic Telepathy?

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Thanks to a Tweet from James Roberts himself, we have a new cover of Lost Light to show you, and this one is Geoff Senior's cover for Lost Light Issue 21! The cover features Geoff Senior's ever classic art styles utilized on the Lost Light crew, along with the Scavengers. The colors for the cover are done by Josh Burcham. This very team also did the flashback scenes for Requiem of the Wreckers, and they continue to showcase their talent here.

Check out the cover below, and let us know what you think of Geoff Senior's and Josh Burcham's cover below! Do you like the fact that Geoff is back in action, doing some panel work and some covers? Let us know as well!

Seeing Ultra Magnus and Rodimus being drawn by Geoff Senior has really slammed it home to me how much LL and other comics have changed the franchise and perceptions of the characters.

In comics from 1986-1991 these were serious characters who had some gravitas to them, now they are caricatures of themselves where Geoff's cover conveys a sense of urgency but the interior will be filled with cliches and other distractions.

I have enjoyed Lost Light and MTMTE before it but every issue I'm seeing it more far removed from the original serious action comic that I really loved as a child and later as an adult, Roberts does have his moments but more and more of late he is throwing in political statements that are less and less subtle. "Will of the people" "Fake news" and "Strong and Stable" to name a few, these were so blatant in his pushing his own political views onto others and done so in a mocking way that it takes over the story so it feels like I'm reading his own political views with some transformers stories woven in around them as opposed to the other way around.

With all that said he does write some good stories but I'm feeling that he is running out of steam and doing a bit of a lazy handwaving job to tie it all up in the end so much so that I don't feel much connection with the characters on an emotional level, that I did say when reading Marvel 80 or Armada etc. It feels far more like watching an episode of Friends which is comedy driven that tries to throw serious issues in for a change but never really pulls it off quite well so when you get to the end it just doesn't resonate with you.

Keen to get answers to where Skids went and the fate of Pharma and others such as Sentinel Prime, but fully prepared for the fact these will meet my expectations as well as the scheduled release dates of the issues...

Rant over

I don't think Roberts will touch on sentinel prime, in fact I don't think the titans returns stuff went down to well at all. So anything lingering will be completely forgotten. I also don't mind the characters being different as this is idw not marvel, the same that hot rod isn't rodimus from Energon. We also shouldn't want them the same, otherwise what's the point as their stories were concluded. What happens now doesn't take away from what's been done.

ZeroWolf wrote:I don't think Roberts will touch on sentinel prime, in fact I don't think the titans returns stuff went down to well at all. So anything lingering will be completely forgotten. I also don't mind the characters being different as this is idw not marvel, the same that hot rod isn't rodimus from Energon. We also shouldn't want them the same, otherwise what's the point as their stories were concluded. What happens now doesn't take away from what's been done.

While I agree in principal that we shouldn't ask for a total rehash, Transformers to be has been a primarily action themed story with other elements woven in.

It's moved along way away from that core premise to something that if done today as a fresh new show, probably wouldn't appeal to me as a child as it's too slapstick without much gravitas.

Guess in 20 years time our kids will be talking about this though as the golden era as we all do about Marvel's heyday

Nah they'll remember the bay movies as the golden age

Okay, I've heard variations on this a lot now: "This book too overt with it's politics", "Get politics out of my comic" etc I often ascribe this attitude to people who are new to comics. Because political satire and allegory have been a thing in comics since they started in Newspapers.

If you want nuanced, subtle politics I'd advise you to read an actual book, because comics are a dynamic and visual medium and throw their message at you. The younger the audience the book is aimed at, the less depth there is to the message. Yet the message does still exist, it is simply over their heads.

Let's be frank, nothing about the politics of this era is new in any way. The internet has just made the naysayers more vocal.

Transformers can be taken as a parable on Warfare and it's escalation. A large scale study on the cause and effect of something so deeply tied into the history of our own species. It would be fascinating to see someone try to humanise War through this series. To educate on the cost of war and the toll it takes on life, resources etc

Without two robots mindlessly smashing against each other and without patronising guffaws. It hasn't been done yet, the writer hasn't risen to the challenge. Stories have been tailored at selling the next wave of toys or a writer telling the stories they want with Robot skins over it. Both of these facets can still be integrated into a more fixed narrative, a commitment to an all encompassing serialised storyline would require a big ask of HasTak and a singular uncompromising editorial/creative vision. Which I'm not entirely sure is achievable long term with a licensed property. Yet I am hopeful the Rebooted Universe can give as something new. Unbeholden to out of date G1 and the other dated series that can after it. Time will tell.

I think a more in depth look at what it means to be at war like you put would be good but I think it would get naysayed by a few still, because theses small number of people want a guilt free war, sadly.

Not really related to IDW but I love these Geoff Senior pics on his site. Both for conventions and depicting Transformers at those locations where the conventions were held.

Megatron and a very blue (G2?) Grimlock battle at the Isle of Wight (that grass looks a bit too toxic with that choice of green but other than that and the super bright sky in both images I love this)


Unicron obliterating the seaside town of Brighton. I've always loved Senior's rather savage badass version of Unicron as opposed to the mostly immobile version depicted in the 86 movie.


Still by far my fave TF artist. There are those who do better defined details and shapes and such but none have the sharp kinetic style I crave from my Transformers comics (and I still far prefer the way he draws G1 faces than any other TF artist since... Roche is probably among my least favourite for that..too many weird goblin faces...)

Follow his Instagram for cool Transformers pics. https://www.instagram.com/senior.geoff/

Anyways i'll leave this topic now. Enjoy your idw comics, dudes.

That unicron pic is epic!

ZeroWolf wrote:That unicron pic is epic!

Agreed. I also agree with comic Unicron being more menacing than movie Unicron, even though the animation in the scene when he transforms is beautifully done.

Even though my all-time favorites are Andrew Wildman and Guido Guidi, I also like Senior's work a lot. I didn't care for his style when I was younger, but I appreciate it more now. Did he do the entire run of the Marvel UK comics?

Not all of them but he did do the majority. Never realised he did zoids either, loved that one as a kid.

Nah, he was used quite sparingly, usually for the first part of one of Simon Furman's epics.

It was quite a disappointment, even as a nipper, knowing that Legacy of Unicron was going to be his last UK interior.

However when he returned a couple of years later, it was a treat.

As for Lost Light 19... when was that pushed back??

Was looking forward to read it today

Fellow Seibertronian Spades has shared with us the full preview - courtesy of Comic Crusaders - for next week's new comic from IDW Publishing and their Transformers ongoing series: Lost Light #19! We return to recaps, to Scavengers, to Team Rodimus, and plenty of new challenges, with the art of Transformers comics veteran EJ Su - check it all out below, and join us next week for a review and more discussion as the final arc of the series begins here!

DEATH FROM ABOVE!

Years ago, the crew of the Lost Light fought a demonic Cybertronian mutant that fed on its victims’ souls. Years later, Rodimus and Co. are about to discover that the only thing worse than a sparkeater… is an army of sparkeaters!

Grimlock to the rescue!

Grimlock jumped off the ship in his T-Rex mode

I think a bunch of sparkeaters, and by extension Rodimus' mutinous crew, are toast. Not sure that they, especially Mainframe, can be saved.

Who’s that in the ship with Riptide, First Aid, and Thunderclash?

I'm guessing the guy with First Aid and the others is Wipe-Out. It sounds weird, but the designs more or less line up. It may seem unlikely, given that Wipe-Out's still (supposed) to be on Troja Major, but Grimlock just fell out of the sky and the Scavengers ended up on Mederi when they asked The Magnificence to take them to Garrus-9, so what's one more random party member for this last arc or two? I could be very wrong, but who knows?

Love that last line. This one looks like it'll be fun.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:Grimlock jumped off the ship in his T-Rex mode

I think a bunch of sparkeaters, and by extension Rodimus' mutinous crew, are toast. Not sure that they, especially Mainframe, can be saved.

I was going to ask if they could, since Brainstorm created a Sparkeater Gun that created the one on the LL, so maybe he has a way to reverse the effects?

Of course, with the world ending, it may not matter...

I love the panel of Magnus using Crankcase as a gun

And that very same section reminds me of Regeneration 1 issue 100, the whole "They're Autobots!" part and Grimlock slaughtering bots turned to monsters

Synopsis
Years ago, the crew of the Lost Light fought a demonic Cybertronian mutant that fed on its victims’ souls. Years later, Rodimus and Co. are about to discover that the only thing worse than a sparkeater… is an army of sparkeaters!




Story
Despite the scheduling issues, despite the digital vs print clashes, despite everything in-universe and out, we're here. We're actually here, at the end of The Quest, with a gaggle of questions still needing answers, and an army of sparkeaters at the proverbial door: Lost Light enters its last story arc, and we're here for it. Are you?



The question is obviously rhetorical, as you're reading the review - but there is a sense of dread even in the lighter moments that the comic tries bringing with the best new pairing (that was bound to happen, and now that it does, yes, very much so), hinting at several heavy moments if not in this issue then most definitely in the arc. So I ask again: are we ready?



The best character and related moments that stand out, ignoring the above for one moment, have to do with the dinobot that was told to wait - and obviously will not and didn't: Grimlock. He's powerful, he's sweet, he's charming and caring, and he gave fellow staffer ScottyP a fanboy blush* during his reading of the issue.



If, then, we consider all the plot propelling and thread gathering - and if this has been said before for a previous issue I realise I was very naive but we're here now - and the way in which those are done, used, and employed throughout the issue, I'll have really only one thing to say: this is very much a Roberts script, and a fine display of his skills.

Art
As we have known for a while now, art duties will be shifting across the final arc to ease the double monthly billing (ahem), meaning that we see an old flame of the Transformers comics make his return for this issue: E.J. Su! Many fans will be very pleased about this, and the lineart is indeed very very good - but I can't let one critique slide: the shading and crosshatching that shows up over a number of characters, scenes and elements of the otherwise great visual work overall, casting.. well, a shadow unnecessarily.



The colours provided by Joana Lafuente do attempt to ease some of the scratchier, more jarring linework, but with a base so dark already, even her impressive skills at keeping visual continuity and coherence with the regular art seen so far in the book cannot mask what can result very distracting indeed (see above for example).



Again, letterer Tom B Long ensures not only that the pacing of the interactions hit their mark, but also takes clearly a lot of pleasure and fun in some of the louder, wider pages of action and noises, with some of the best screams and KRUNCHes that I had seen in the series so far (see above!).

The main cover art, featuring Nick Roche and Josh Burcham displaying Team Rodimus ready to face whatever is thrown their way, is darkly mirrored by the duo's own counterpoint offered in the variant you can see in the thumbnail - and also found in our databse entry here - the two sides that used to be one has to tug at someone's strings hard.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

As I said in my opening remarks: we're here. And so is everyone else. Something that Roberts has unmistakenly been able to do since his first appearance as an official writer on the IDW comics, has been to seed (or retroactively make it so) plot points and details for the reader to almost entirely forget before bringing them back for a wider tapestry. And in this final arc, that skill is turned up to what seems to be at least a 12 - here's looking forward to a satisfying landing, with a run-up this sizeable.



All in all, it's a number of a series that will confirm to be liked by most readers who enjoy this style of script, will bring in fans looking for some official EJ Su Transformers artwork (my caveat above remains), and will not be liked by those who dislike the narrative techniques deployed in MTMTE and LL so far.




*I thought of many jokes involving dinosaurs and bones, be thankful I avoided them until this postscript.

Thanks for the review va'al, it's sad to see this ending but I'm happy he's getting to end it his way unrushed (personal opinion may differ) I've seen other writers fail to tell an end in a convincing manner (I'm looking at you Tite Kubo, bleach could have been saved...)

Looking forward to this. Heck, I've been rereading MTMTE and Lost Light and blimey. There's a LOT I missed last time round! It really has come together in a remarkable way.

This is a great issue! I don’t have anything be critical over. It’s fast paced, there’s actions, good use of exposition. If anything the only gripe would be that those sparkeaters really are just standing around letting stuff happen but I’d argue they seem domesticated so it’s fine.

It’s a bit predictable but that’s been LL for a while. I said the crew were the sparkeater army, Getaway and starsaber were more than likely the only ones not turned and Tyrest would be coming back as one of the Grand Architects lieutenants but I’m not gonna praise me figuring it out. There’s just loose ends and when you’ve only got 7 issues left it’s been easy to see what’s coming in sorts.’

No I liked this issue. It’s amping up. Wonderful to see EJ back and doing art. It may be more appropriate for OP but I’m just happy to see him back in transformers.

"Mutineer 1 and Mutineer 2, I'll get to you later" or something like that

Also, Swerve and Misfire are the perfect pairing here

Misfire (to Grimlock): Hows the Baby
Ultra Magnus: Nothing makes sense anymore.

Easily my favorite part.

I'm loving so much of where this is going. Though I'm hoping Thunderclash finally gets to shine. The guy has been stricken with an Illness, turned inside out, and cleaved in half. I want to see him finally live up to his rep.

Also I didn't expect to see Sporponok show up again. His and Rodimus's rematch should be interesting.

That’s the point. Thunderclash is a joke. He’s Ace Rimmer. Everyone talks about how amazing he is but you don’t see how great he is. He is literally a gag character.

Why would you think scorponok wouldn’t return? He’s behind so much with the Cog machinations .

Random...who's your post directed at? No one mentioned scorponok...

ZeroWolf wrote:Random...who's your post directed at? No one mentioned scorponok...

you don’t see it either?! WTF!? It’s not on the board but it’s on the article! I thought it was glitchy or something on my end! Go to the article on the site, not the board user ishin ookami has a post that Thunderclash and Scorponok.

Randomhero wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Random...who's your post directed at? No one mentioned scorponok...

you don’t see it either?! WTF!? It’s not on the board but it’s on the article! I thought it was glitchy or something on my end! Go to the article on the site, not the board user ishin ookami has a post that Thunderclash and Scorponok.

Well that's weird. You're right, it's there but not...

I really liked the line work!

ZeroWolf wrote:

Randomhero wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Random...who's your post directed at? No one mentioned scorponok...

you don’t see it either?! WTF!? It’s not on the board but it’s on the article! I thought it was glitchy or something on my end! Go to the article on the site, not the board user ishin ookami has a post that Thunderclash and Scorponok.

Well that's weird. You're right, it's there but not...

He's a brand new user, his forum post hasn't been approved yet. Burn or another mod will approve the post as soon as they are on. I can see it on here because I'm staff, so I do know it's here.

As for why it's visible on the front page, that's weird. But the swear filter doesn't work and lots of forum pics don't show up either, so there is that.

Also, wonder if Cyclonus is gonna take on just Star Saber and Rodimus the other 2? Still really hoping Getaway gets a triple pipe blast to the brain

I see, thanks for the explanation d-max as for getaway...death is too good for him, I really hope he breaks down and realises he's beat by someone better than him.

ZeroWolf wrote:I see, thanks for the explanation d-max as for getaway...death is too good for him, I really hope he breaks down and realises he's beat by someone better than him.

Pretty sure Next Issue will be Getaway hanging back and firing off taunts as Cyclonus fights Star Saber and Rodimus fights Scorponok

I'm also curious to see what he meant when he said his life had lost meaning.

ZeroWolf wrote:I see, thanks for the explanation d-max as for getaway...death is too good for him, I really hope he breaks down and realises he's beat by someone better than him.

That line about there’s little to live for makes me think he’s more a slave than a partner in all this. Please don’t victimize Getaway Roberts. Getaway has done some bad stuff and we’re too far in to sympathize him.

I agree, I like relatable villains but some times, we do need irredeemable scumbags who are in it just for themselves. They all can't be "I only did these mean things because some one else told me to do it"

ZeroWolf wrote:I agree, I like relatable villains but some times, we do need irredeemable scumbags who are in it just for themselves. They all can't be "I only did these mean things because some one else told me to do it"

Exactly, no one forced Getaway to use Tailgate as collateral damage, form a mutiny, murder 30+ autobots for Sunder. This is on him. I get a Lando vibe off him with that line. He made a deal to save his own skin at the expense of everyone else. For all intended purposes Tyrest would have had him executed right away when seeing him but it continues my theory Getaway has knowledge the Grand Architect needs or has some use for him. It seems like he(it) forces people into servitude. We saw that with Scorponok. Scorponoks obviously not loyal, he doesn’t wear the cog symbol and we know he’s been scheming against the grand architect from the final scavengers story.

Really makes me start to wonder who the Grand architect is. He(it)’s obviously that giant spark...could he be the knights of Cybertron all merged together not unlike what Megatron was planning in Beast Machines and gained omnipotence. I hope this isn’t an Ego from a guardians of the Galaxy vol 2 plan but I can see it going that way. They mention drilling...could it be some insane plan to merge all life into one being? I mean come one...”till all are one”

Randomhero wrote:That’s the point. Thunderclash is a joke. He’s Ace Rimmer. Everyone talks about how amazing he is but you don’t see how great he is. He is literally a gag character.

Why would you think scorponok wouldn’t return? He’s behind so much with the Cog machinations .

Yeah I see where you're coming from with Thunderclash, and that does work...

... Right up until the moment Thunderclash joins the crew and is demystified

As we near the crunch, so many big characters are seemingly demoted to de-powered peripheral players, such as Thunderclash and Tyrest; the latter's reveal didn't even warrant a final page panel.

Roller too, and he's a prime example of Roberts' sophomoric will to outwit the audience precluding narrative sense or value. Roller's basically just room meat, whereas he could have been so much more, albeit now-dead.

Nonetheless, as messy and frantically rushed as it all is, it's an entertaining read.

For all intended purposes Thunderclash should have died when he was shot in the head. I wouldn’t have said a negative thing if he hadn’t been with them and first aid said “we lost Thunderclash on the way to save him”

He’s been regarded as the greatest autobot ever. Someone even Optimus Prime looks up to and now he’s here and literally just a grunt to a point here he saluted to Rodimus and Magnus and yells “SIRS!” Someone will that large of reputation-guilty or not of participating in the mutiny- would be the guy you’d resign your command to. Not unlike prowl did so to Jazz and Kip in All Hail megatron. He’s the guy who’s said have lead the most successful campaigns out of anyone there.

It’s an issue with roberts and it’s been an issue through the entire run. Building character to be super powerful to stupid and ridiculous degrees. overlord, the DJD and Thunderclash. Characters who for reasons should just be background characters because they can’t be used properly. overlord was made indestructible so it’s literally “how do you defeat him?” The DJD wiped out phase sixers and over 200 quantum autobots but needed an army and high tailed it when they were coming for Shockwave when he called for backup. Thunderclash who is the perfect autobot and now he’s around you can’t really use him how you’ve built him up.

Little nitpick but it’s there and a minor issue.

Other minor issue - guess this means Defensor's death is real.

AlphaBass wrote:Other minor issue - guess this means Defensor's death is real.

True but we'll just mark that down now as wanting to make star saber a legitimate threat. Besides no one will be alive in this continuity soon

ZeroWolf wrote:

AlphaBass wrote:Other minor issue - guess this means Defensor's death is real.

True but we'll just mark that down now as wanting to make star saber a legitimate threat. Besides no one will be alive in this continuity soon

It’s so hard not to think that way. What is there? 20 issues left all together? It’s hard not to look at “we’ll the universe is closing so all bets are off” but shouldn’t have that mentality. It takes away depth but like I said it’s difficult not to think that way.

It’s like I’ve said before I don’t believe it’s all going to end with Unicron devouring the universe. I do think he’s going to be defeated and they will have a happy ended. There will be collateral damage but a 13 year old continuity deserves it a good send off.

Don't let allnewsuperrobot hear you say that, he thinks unicron needs to be allowed to destroy everything so he can be seen as a proper threat. My other post is in jest though a little as I can't see them not honouring the end of the animated movie and the marvel comics run. I also wonder still if they could segue from unicrons destruction to the new continuity ala transformers cybertron

ZeroWolf wrote:Don't let allnewsuperrobot hear you say that, he thinks unicron needs to be allowed to destroy everything so he can be seen as a proper threat. My other post is in jest though a little as I can't see them not honouring the end of the animated movie and the marvel comics run. I also wonder still if they could segue from unicrons destruction to the new continuity ala transformers cybertron

I’ve thought about that too. Not unlike what DC dieting new 52 where the universe gets remade.

It’s like I’ve joked before “EVERYONE INTO THE FUNCTIONALIST UNIVERSE! MEGATRON HAS BEEN PREPPING IT FOR US!”

There’s gotta be plans to bring him back to the comics someday. Years down the road he shows back up. It even make a miniseries of his tales there. If it wasn’t all concluding I would have liked to see James do that after LL ended.