IDW Transformers: Lost Light #3 and #5 Variant Covers

Man, I love the Special Snowflake cover!

Figured I'd throw it out there, was anyone else able to pick up Lost Light #2 on the IDW app the other day? I did, and it downloaded to my iPhone, but when I tried to access it on the iPad it said "Release on 2/1"

Whoops.

Pretty good stuff though. I'm digging this storyline.

itscramtastic wrote:Figured I'd throw it out there, was anyone else able to pick up Lost Light #2 on the IDW app the other day? I did, and it downloaded to my iPhone, but when I tried to access it on the iPad it said "Release on 2/1"

Whoops.

Pretty good stuff though. I'm digging this storyline.

I did. I stated it a couple days ago it showed up for a probably 15-30 minutes Tuesday night.

Randomhero wrote:

itscramtastic wrote:Figured I'd throw it out there, was anyone else able to pick up Lost Light #2 on the IDW app the other day? I did, and it downloaded to my iPhone, but when I tried to access it on the iPad it said "Release on 2/1"

Whoops.

Pretty good stuff though. I'm digging this storyline.

I did. I stated it a couple days ago it showed up for a probably 15-30 minutes Tuesday night.

I picked it up around noonish EST on Wednesday (hooray new comic book day!!). That's crazy if it showed up on Tuesday too!!

Screenrant has published a Transformers-related list in the form of a Top 15 reasons why Lost Light is the greatest story in the franchise! As many of us remember, More Than Meets The Eye was a very good book that was highly praised and awarded during its run, and the story continues on as Lost Light with issue 2 coming out next week.

You can read the whole list by going to the above link, and we have quoted part of the list below for you to read. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Transformers sometimes get a bad rap, but historically, the breeding ground for great storytelling in the world of Autobots and Decepticons has been in comic books. Bob Budiansky and Simon Furman conceived the lion’s share of what have become the basic cornerstones of the Transformers universe through Marvel’s Transformers comic in the ’80s and ’90s.

The current Transformers comics are produced by IDW, and while every series they’re currently producing is at the very least good, there’s one that stands head and shoulders above the rest: James Roberts’ Transformers: Lost Light.

Originally titled More Than Meets The Eye, the recently rebranded series tells the story of a ragtag group of post-war Cybertronians ostensibly on a mission to find the mythic Knights of Cybertron. That’s not what the book is really about though; it’s a story of freedom, redemption, romance, and family. It is equal parts hilarious and terrifying. It’s the best fiction ever associated with the franchise, and it’s not even a close race.

.....

13. DEVELOPMENT OF D-LIST CHARACTERS INTO FAN FAVORITES

Remember when you were a kid, desperately scouring Toys ‘R’ Us for the newest Grimlock or Starscream figures only to find shelves overflowing with the mediocre toy of some character you’d never heard of? The affectionate term coined for such toys is “pegwarmers.” The Lost Light is practically overflowing with pegwarmers.

Part of Roberts’ genius early on was making a conscious decision not to lean too heavily on the established icons of the Transformers mythos. A lot of those characters are compelling, but they have decades worth of storytelling baggage and expectations. Taking obscure, little-loved characters that had largely been ignored by the pre-existing fiction and grafting complex, surprising personalities onto them provided the crew of the Lost Light with a genuine breath of fresh air.

There’s Tailgate, a diminutive, endlessly enthusiastic Autobot who accidentally slept through the entire war; Brainstorm, an absolute genius inventor who is just a bit too amoral to be wearing that Autobot insignia; and Skids, a highly skilled theoretician with some alarming holes in his memory. It’s a sprawling, eclectic cast, though a few characters definitely stand out from the rest…

.....

7. THE SCAVENGERS

Imagine you’re a soldier in a universe spanning war that’s been going on for millions of years. You’re not a good soldier; there’s a decent chance you’re among the very worst. You’re in such a remote part of the universe that when the war ends, nobody bothers to tell you. You eventually figure out you’re on your own, and you were on the losing side of the war. What do you do?

That’s the scenario that faces the Scavengers, a group of absolutely anonymous Decepticon grunts. They have exactly one thing in common with the nightmarish Overlord: they have no real loyalty to Megatron or the Decepticon cause. They’re just trying to survive by whatever means necessary, dodging the gaze of more serious Decepticon outfits, and taking on surprising allies, like the brain-damaged Autobot warrior Grimlock. The book only periodically visits these Decepticon counterparts to the main cast, but the characters are just as fully realized and compelling as the crew of the Lost Light.

.....

5. THE REVOLUTIONARY ARTWORK

While James Roberts rightly fields the majority of the praise for the book’s success, Lost Light wouldn’t be what it is without its stable of artists. The book was launched with the sublime Nick Roche on pencils, and Jack Lawrence has recently taken the reins to great effect, but Roberts’ true partner in this endeavor has been Alex Milne.

Milne got his start working on Transformers during the infamous period when Dreamwave held the license, ghosting for that company’s owner and self-proclaimed “superstar” artist, Pat Lee. If anything positive came out of the embarrassing, litigious Dreamwave debacle, it was Milne. His work brims with painstaking detail, and no one has ever had the ability to infuse life into robots the way he can. He has the uncanny ability to let his characters emote without ever veering into cartoonish excess. The book is as defined by his visual flair as it is Roberts’ meticulous plotting. His future on the title is, at the moment, a bit unclear, but it’s difficult to imagine reading these characters for an extended period of time without his influence.

Gotta agree with this list, makes a compelling case.

Gotta love that they took a shot at the art and how Milne really is the star of the series. He is. His art is the legitimate best of the Transformers world

Sorry, I've tried multiple times to get into IDW stories but they just don't do it for me. Glad they're doing ok for most folk though.

Really?

MtMTE is enjoyable to read it really is but the greatest?

I don't really think it's the god tier Shakespeare story telling of the franchise especially since season 2 was overall disappointing for most of it.


Part of why it was great was because of Alex Milne's amazing art but with him mostly gone besides filling in for an issue for another series it becomes less enjoyable when they get sub par in comparisons artists that have a different tone.

Deadput wrote:Part of why it was great was because of Alex Milne's amazing art but with him mostly gone besides filling in for an issue for another series it becomes less enjoyable when they get sub par in comparisons artists that have a different tone.

I have to agree with you there. I enjoy Lawrence's work, but the style is a real step-in-a-too-cartoony-direction for my tastes, especially after Milne's detailed stuff. I could see Lawrence teaming with Sara on Til All Are One and really gelling with that book's vibe and look and really doing well there, but it's throwing me off a bit in Lost Light.

lowman_x wrote:

Deadput wrote:Part of why it was great was because of Alex Milne's amazing art but with him mostly gone besides filling in for an issue for another series it becomes less enjoyable when they get sub par in comparisons artists that have a different tone.

I have to agree with you there. I enjoy Lawrence's work, but the style is a real step-in-a-too-cartoony-direction for my tastes, especially after Milne's detailed stuff. I could see Lawrence teaming with Sara on Til All Are One and really gelling with that book's vibe and look and really doing well there, but it's throwing me off a bit in Lost Light.

It's an issue with me too. The art is what is throwing me off the book and making it not as enjoyable.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

lowman_x wrote:

Deadput wrote:Part of why it was great was because of Alex Milne's amazing art but with him mostly gone besides filling in for an issue for another series it becomes less enjoyable when they get sub par in comparisons artists that have a different tone.

I have to agree with you there. I enjoy Lawrence's work, but the style is a real step-in-a-too-cartoony-direction for my tastes, especially after Milne's detailed stuff. I could see Lawrence teaming with Sara on Til All Are One and really gelling with that book's vibe and look and really doing well there, but it's throwing me off a bit in Lost Light.

It's an issue with me too. The art is what is throwing me off the book and making it not as enjoyable.

Honestly, I think Alex Milne spoiled us rotten in terms of art, which makes it really hard to accept any substitutes. One thing I do appreciate is that LL isn't trying to emulate Milne the way some other artists tended to, but he was almost too good.

This might be a good opportunity to see if Robert's story telling can do most of the legwork, without relying on something beautiful to look at constantly.

ricemazter wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

lowman_x wrote:

Deadput wrote:Part of why it was great was because of Alex Milne's amazing art but with him mostly gone besides filling in for an issue for another series it becomes less enjoyable when they get sub par in comparisons artists that have a different tone.

I have to agree with you there. I enjoy Lawrence's work, but the style is a real step-in-a-too-cartoony-direction for my tastes, especially after Milne's detailed stuff. I could see Lawrence teaming with Sara on Til All Are One and really gelling with that book's vibe and look and really doing well there, but it's throwing me off a bit in Lost Light.

It's an issue with me too. The art is what is throwing me off the book and making it not as enjoyable.

Honestly, I think Alex Milne spoiled us rotten in terms of art, which makes it really hard to accept any substitutes. One thing I do appreciate is that LL isn't trying to emulate Milne the way some other artists tended to, but he was almost too good.

This might be a good opportunity to see if Robert's story telling can do most of the legwork, without relying on something beautiful to look at constantly.

I agree with you. I agree with the screenrant thing that Milne made the book memorable. His art was perfect and so detailed and well done. Roche did good for issue 1, and I think the best issue without Milne was #47 with Brendan Cahill.

But Milne will be coming back. He and Lawrence are going every other story arc, so we'll get him back again in a few months

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:
But Milne will be coming back. He and Lawrence are going every other story arc, so we'll get him back again in a few months

Is that confirmed?

I hope Milne is in good health. I remember a while back he was pushing himself too hard for a while. I really do enjoy his artwork.

lowman_x wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:
But Milne will be coming back. He and Lawrence are going every other story arc, so we'll get him back again in a few months

Is that confirmed?

Yes and no, differing sources, no hard confirmation. It just gets cloudier the further we go along.

WreckerJack wrote:I hope Milne is in good health. I remember a while back he was pushing himself too hard for a while. I really do enjoy his artwork.

My biggest worry is his diabetes and I really hope he's keeping that in check. I've had a friend lose a foot and another friend died because they weren't taking care of themselves and monitoring their diabetes.

Va'al wrote:

lowman_x wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:
But Milne will be coming back. He and Lawrence are going every other story arc, so we'll get him back again in a few months

Is that confirmed?

Yes and no, differing sources, no hard confirmation. It just gets cloudier the further we go along.

Yeah, everything I've heard from Milne (via Twitter mainly) is that he wasn't even sure why he was taken off the roster for MTMTE/LL. There's probably something going on in the background that we're not aware of... I *do* hope they alternate, that'd be good.

15) What's so interesting about peace time? It's been done already. G1 season 3 ended the war, and it wasn't that great then either.

14) Worst version of Rodimus ever. He doesn't have the maturity or the strength to be Rodimus Prime. He's too girly looking and immature to even be Hot Rod.

13) Transformers is not all about Grimlock and Starscream, but it's not all about Tailgate and Brainstorm either. 5 years worth of Roberts relentlessly focusing on the same characters = Stale.

12) Chromedome and Rewind = canon slashfic.

11) Hated Whirl ever since my parents got him for me with a bunch of cooler TFs like Grapple and Hoist for Christmas '85. I would have preferred getting 2 Hoists instead of them wasting money on Whirl. Just a stupid looking cornball character. Doesn't even look like a real Transformer.

10) Roberts couldn't get Bluestreak, so he re-purposed Swerve into Bluestreak and threw his tech specs out the window. Swerve is a Bluestreak KO.

9) MTMTE turned Ultra Magnus into a fraud.

Eight (keeps coming out as an emoji so i have to spell it) We didn't get enough of Overlord.

7) We didn't get enough of the Scavengers either.

6) Characters are too chatty.

5) Milne's alt-modes are the worst.

4) I don't like how IDW handled Shockwave at all.

3) Can't decide now if it's Milne's alt-modes that are the worst, or if it's Roberts world building.

2) DJD. Worst conclusion ever.

1) Megatron's redemption. So a guy murders your friends and acquaintances over a period of several years, and then one day you decide to go on a cruise with him? Does that make sense?

1984forever wrote:15)snippity a lot of negativity

I would say, if you could do a better story arc then please, do so. You have a right to your opinion though. I just feel if you can write or draw it better, then do so. Lots of people do their own comics these days.

I found this actually quite refreshing from the norm.

1984forever wrote:15) What's so interesting about peace time? It's been done already. G1 season 3 ended the war, and it wasn't that great then either.

12) Chromedome and Rewind = canon slashfic.

11) Hated Whirl ever since my parents got him for me with a bunch of cooler TFs like Grapple and Hoist for Christmas '85. I would have preferred getting 2 Hoists instead of them wasting money on Whirl. Just a stupid looking cornball character. Doesn't even look like a real Transformer.

10) Roberts couldn't get Bluestreak, so he re-purposed Swerve into Bluestreak and threw his tech specs out the window. Swerve is a Bluestreak KO.

Eight (keeps coming out as an emoji so i have to spell it) We didn't get enough of Overlord.

7) We didn't get enough of the Scavengers either.

6) Characters are too chatty.

15: Because consent war without end is also boring honestly most of the things done after the war are more interesting then the war itself which at this point was boring.

12: It's not even anything like slash dude the most they have done is held hands and sit beside each other and honestly their a better developed couple then the Autobot Girlfriends from season 2 of the G1 cartoon.

11: What kind of a compliant even is this what does it have to do with Mtmte is it just cause Whirl is in it? Whirl looks just as much as a Transformer as Shockwave their both one eyed robots and you seem to like Shockwave so your complaint about Whirl makes no sense and sounds like your complaining to complain I mean did you know him and Roadbuster would of been in season 2 of G1 if their toys did not originate from a different company?


10: Funny enough Bluestreak actually is in the book as a supporting character who acts like he normally would so it has nothing to do with not being able to get him.


8 and 7: Overlord and the Scavengers are not the main characters so that is why they lack screentime that and Overlord is way to powerful to keep him around so they have to get rid of him one way or another and since he was not dead he can and did return and will so again Scavengers have also been getting spotlight lately.


6: A Transformers comic book too chatty? Must be a Bayformer fan who likes it when a character only gets 2 or 3 lines a film and I remember the G1 Cartoon also being quite chatty but I thought people loved it.


Your posts and opinions are so completely odd and bizarre too me that I don't even get enraged when I see a post of yours anymore I just get confused now. (still feel compelled to reply though)

Some readers were able to get to the second issue of IDW Publishing's Transformers: Lost Light last week, as iTunes did not update its release date to the new schedule - but we now have the actual, full preview of Lost Light #2, definitely out this Wednesday in both print and digital formats! Check it out below, courtesy of CBR.

Rodimus and Co. find themselves in a dangerous place. Even more dangerous than on a planet that exploded from the inside. That’s already pretty dangerous. But where they are now? Oh boy.

Part of IDW’s Artist’s Edition Cover Month!
Variant cover by Joana Lafuente!

If ever there was a time for Megatron to cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of war....... Well, this is it.


If you can't tell, I really want to see some functionist get a healthy dose of flaming fusion cannon.

15) What's so interesting about peace time? It's been done already. G1 season 3 ended the war, and it wasn't that great then either.

14) Worst version of Rodimus ever. He doesn't have the maturity or the strength to be Rodimus Prime. He's too girly looking and immature to even be Hot Rod.

13) Transformers is not all about Grimlock and Starscream, but it's not all about Tailgate and Brainstorm either. 5 years worth of Roberts relentlessly focusing on the same characters = Stale.

12) Chromedome and Rewind = canon slashfic.

11) Hated Whirl ever since my parents got him for me with a bunch of cooler TFs like Grapple and Hoist for Christmas '85. I would have preferred getting 2 Hoists instead of them wasting money on Whirl. Just a stupid looking cornball character. Doesn't even look like a real Transformer.

10) Roberts couldn't get Bluestreak, so he re-purposed Swerve into Bluestreak and threw his tech specs out the window. Swerve is a Bluestreak KO.

9) MTMTE turned Ultra Magnus into a fraud.

Eight (keeps coming out as an emoji so i have to spell it) We didn't get enough of Overlord.

7) We didn't get enough of the Scavengers either.

6) Characters are too chatty.

5) Milne's alt-modes are the worst.

4) I don't like how IDW handled Shockwave at all.

3) Can't decide now if it's Milne's alt-modes that are the worst, or if it's Roberts world building.

2) DJD. Worst conclusion ever.

1) Megatron's redemption. So a guy murders your friends and acquaintances over a period of several years, and then one day you decide to go on a cruise with him? Does that make sense?

Your comment tilted me so much, I made an account just to refute all of your arguments.

15) Because the War's over. Unless you want a hard reboot of the entire continuity or Starscream/Megs to flip out and start killing people again.

14) That's just your opinion. Personally, I think it's enticing and unique to have a character who's so obviously flawed and unfit to rule in a position of such power. As for "girly"... if you're talking about his slender physique, remember that he turns into a sports car. Of course he will be sleek. It's just the way Nick Roche drew him, and the way he's gonna stay.

13) Then read Robots in Disguise/Transformers vol 2/Optimus Prime. That's why we have two options.

12) The Lost Light has a crew of 200+. There are two known pairs of Conjunx Endurae - Chromedome-Rewind and Cyclonus-Tailgate. This means less than 2% of the crew are Conjunx Endurae, and this isn't counting all of the members that have died, departed, or joined somewhere along the line.

11) That's your problem.

10) Like the other guy mentioned, Bluestreak still exists and he's still Bluestreak. Robers took a mediocre and obscure G1 character and turned him into a lovable key part of the mainstram TF cast. How you see that as a problem is beyond me.

9) Nope. G1 Magnus lives on in the original IDW Ultra Magnus. In fact, it was more of an upgrade than a downgrade. G1 Magnus completely screwed up his job of being the next Prime in TF: The Movie and got blown up in one shot. Roberts turned a mediocre character into a righteous justice-bringer.

Eight) Overlord was one of the most destructive things that happened in MTMTE, and he just keeps coming back even after everyone thinks he's dead. If anything there's too much of Overlord. And he'll be back.

7) They're side characters. MTMTE doesn't revolve around them - maybe a standalone comic series about them would be nice, but Hasbro/IDW probably wouldn't consider that a profitable move.

6) That's just the way the comic is, and the majority of the readers love it. Again, if you don't like it, go read RiD/TFv2/OP instead.

5) Personally, I love them. That's just your opinion, and it's an unsupported and trashy one at that.

4) Again, opinion. I think they made him righteously terrifying. Infinitely better than the G1 Shockwave.

3) Your opinions are killing me. Both Milne's art and Roberts's writing have so much work put into them and are beloved by so many fans.

2) I think their conclusion was fittingly ironic. They took such pleasure in giving their victims slow and painful deaths, and the way Megatron took them out just added insult to injury.

1) You're acting like everyone was completely okay with Megatron's so-called "redemption". Rodimus hated it, the majority of the crew hated it (and tried to kill him) - literally no one was pleased about it. The only reason he wasn't incarcerated/executed was because he tricked everyone with the Luna 2 maneuver.

TL;DR - go read the Optimus Prime (the other Transformers ongoing comic) instead.

Ironhidensh wrote:If ever there was a time for Megatron to cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of war....... Well, this is it.


If you can't tell, I really want to see some functionist get a healthy dose of flaming fusion cannon.

Hell YEAH!

Honestly, I think something interesting about this is that, like... this is kind of Megatron's chance to start over fresh. I don't mean this in a he'll-stay-there-this-is-the-conclusion-to-Megatron's-arc idea - which I personally don't believe in myself; at the very least on the merit that it would mean Megatron and Terminus would be shoved out of the gate before anything can be done with them - but in that... he is, essentially, reset to the sort of person he was before the war but with a whole boatload of guilt, and a whole boatload of experience; both in terms of militancy and how his freedom fighting went too far. With this in mind, this group getting sent to the functionist universe is essentially setting up a scenario where it's almost like we're seeing an alternate version of events where Megatron was allied with the right crowd and becomes a hero.
That's a lot of rambling and incoherency, but I just find it interesting that this is essentially us seeing an alternate pre-war scenario.

1984forever wrote:15) What's so interesting about peace time? It's been done already. G1 season 3 ended the war, and it wasn't that great then either.

14) Worst version of Rodimus ever. He doesn't have the maturity or the strength to be Rodimus Prime. He's too girly looking and immature to even be Hot Rod.

12) Chromedome and Rewind = canon slashfic.

11) Hated Whirl ever since my parents got him for me with a bunch of cooler TFs like Grapple and Hoist for Christmas '85. I would have preferred getting 2 Hoists instead of them wasting money on Whirl. Just a stupid looking cornball character. Doesn't even look like a real Transformer.

6) Characters are too chatty.

1) Megatron's redemption. So a guy murders your friends and acquaintances over a period of several years, and then one day you decide to go on a cruise with him? Does that make sense?

15) There are more stories than just fighting, war and killing. It's interesting to see something different once in a while.

14) Sorry that not every robot can be super macho and burly. I don't see how Rodimus looks feminine. If anything he just looks skinny and young.

12) They are a small part of the story. I don't see how it is like a slash fic. If it were there would be fan service which I don't really see. What I do see is representation for LGBT people that is done in a tasteful way. Not really a big deal.

11) There are plenty of characters I don't like but I don't talk mess about them because I know there are others who enjoy them. To each their own.

6) How? Reading what the characters are saying is how storytelling is done. I don't understand how this is an issue?

1) Well, I'll give you that one. It bothers me that they trust him too. Makes for an interesting story about functionalism though.

I think thar article was bang on the money myself.

I understand LL/MTMTE is immensely popular, but saying its the best TF comic ever still is only opinion that cannot be declared true, but I support it because I support IDW, but I have never really enjoyed it. I enjoyed RiD/TF much more, in fact for me IDW has kind of been a roller coaster. It started off way dull with Furmans series (though Stormbringer was better than all the "tion" ones), then it hit its peak with AHM (best IDW ever IMHO), then the next 2 years that followed were ok...but for the past 5 years its been odd with RiD/TF going up and down, and MTMTE just staying bottomed out as this quirky odd little series, about characters I mostly have no interest in, and ruining Japanese characters.

Synopsis
Rodimus and Co. find themselves in a dangerous place. Even more dangerous than on a planet that exploded from the inside. That’s already pretty dangerous. But where they are now? Oh boy.



Story

Well, where do I begin?

We'll start with this: we have some plot action moving forward, like a lot. We've wrapped up the DJD battles, and we have moved on and started to venture back into the quest, despite the fact that we aren't on the ship and no one from the ship even makes an appearance for yet another issue (it's been almost a year). Taking cues from Drift and another member of the cast, we are progressing towards something quest related. It also appears that another long standing plot point is set to be resolved, which is exciting and interesting the way that it will end up getting done.

A second point of contention for attention is Megatron. As revealed last issue, half of the storyline is now occurring in a universe where Megatron never existed. What can we expect out of this you may ask? Well, I can tell you that Megatron is an interesting character to watch. Seeing his reaction to his new surroundings as well as what has transpired certainly places Megatron in an interesting situation that, in this issue at least, receives a deal of interest from reader and characters in the story. Overall, the "Megatron in a universe where he never existed" arc is doing good, and is keeping with the established traits Megatron has started to show over the past year. While we have yet to see what will become of Megatron and the functionists, it is comforting to know that he is still sticking close and comfortable with his developed path thus far.



The parts of the story touching on Tailgate and Cyclonus are very well done as well, and it will be interesting to see how these 2, Rung, and Megatron come through the rest of the arc.

Art

Art duties are once again taken up by Jack Lawrence, and 2 issues in I have yet to be completely impressed. The artwork, while not bad, does not feel like it fits the narrative of the book. The artwork comes across as slightly too exaggerated, with certain characters that have mouths suffering some with expressions. Proportions and some poses do not appear properly either, and characters such as the the Functionists enforcers and Swerve suffer for it. The enforcers just don't look as intimidating as they were portrayed originally, while Swerve pulls off a very awkward looking pose considering his design.



Joana Lafuente takes up coloring duties once more, and she does some very good work with the different shades for the different settings of this book. The coloring of Cybertron is appropriately very dark and very dreary, and the mixes of the burning colors with dark reds and red mixes make for a very convincing dark age.



Meanwhile, the coloring of Necroworld is also well done, with the sunset painted in beautifully alongside the darkness of night when Cyclonus and Tailgate go for a stroll. It doesn't matter where it is, the colors work.



Once more, Tom B. Long delivers in his lettering. The various points in time when characters get thrown and slammed around are pronounced with very convincing and very entertaining lettering, and the dialogue is done very well. Once more, a bang up effort.

Final Thoughts



Since the ending of More Than Meets The Eye and the beginning of Lost Light, I have had a hard time getting into the new book/season 3. While I can definitely state some positives, such as continuing with the same characters, touching more on the Functionists universe-a real treat really-and bringing another long-standing major plot thread forward, there is a disturbance in the force. A few complaints that I have.

The main complaint would be the art. It doesn't feel like it suits the book, and it feels at odds with what was previously established. It makes some scenes just difficult to look at and enjoy while reading the commentary. It feels more rounded, less detailed, and more "Robots in Disguise cartoon" than "More Than Meets The Eye."

The other major complaint comes from characters both new and not seen in forever. It was last March where we saw the mutineers take over the ship, and we have yet to touch on them again, which is a real disappointment for me. I've been aching to see this part of the crew and see what's happening in the fallout of the mutiny. I've also not taken very kindly to the new characters introduced. Anode has put me off quite a bit as she has generally come across to me as an unlikable character. Lug is a bit better, but I am unimpressed by either. It feels like the new characters are hogging some spotlight from those that really need it AKA the mutineers.

Overall, the book is not bad, it really isn't. Megatron in the Functionists universe, Rung, and Cyclonus and Tailgate are all great positives for the current ongoing. But it doesn't have that magic that it used to. The writing is still quite good, but the art and storyline don't match up to my liking, and I hope that we can work towards reclaiming some of that harmony for me.

I had no idea the crowd scenes were filled with more Unicron Trilogy characters till the wiki article came up. I looked too but couldn't tell because everyone is the same color. I like the art I don't see it being more exaggerated than say Nicks art.

Like I mentioned last week when I got it this really doesn't feel like a story that's more than 3-4 issues but with the solicits from last week we know it's going 5-6 issues. It's going to be interesting.

Only negative I have is I'm not sure I like the idea of the mystery about what rung transforms into being revealed without our Rung being present. I actually hope it doesn't get revealed but it more than likely will.

With Rung, I feel the reveal will occur in 2 spots: you have the Functionists Rung reveal to the main characters, and then the guys back at the fortress will discover "our" Rung, who may have found out what he really is for

Randomhero wrote:I had no idea the crowd scenes were filled with more Unicron Trilogy characters till the wiki article came up.

Just want to preface this by saying that I understand why you'd use TF Wiki for this, I really do. That said, just want to point out that I'm trying to get our records here improved, and character lists are back for new books:
http://www.seibertron.com/comics/issue/ ... ht-2/1457/

Big backlog to work through as well as other improvements to that section to make, just pointing it out

I liked this issue. Quite a bit, really. Art is fine to me in almost all cases. Can't wait to see where this story goes!

I admit, the art style is not quite right to me either but it's pretty enough. I'm not particularly fussed that we've not returned to the mutineers just yet either.

I WANT to see what Megatron will get up to in a Functionist Universe.

I've also not taken very kindly to the new characters introduced. Anode has put me off quite a bit as she has generally come across to me as an unlikable character. Lug is a bit better, but I am unimpressed by either. It feels like the new characters are hogging some spotlight from those that really need it AKA the mutineers.

Wholeheartedly agree. Not only is anode unlikeable, they're taking space away from characters I'd much rather read about. Five pages of issue 1 were devoted solely to their introduction.

I see that some of the fans love them and whole normally I am into Roberts new bits, anode is like... All of his worst traits lumped into one incredibly obnoxious bot. She was more tolerable in issue 2 but it's a bad start. And I'd rather read about other established lost light crew members.

Agreed, also, on the art. It's fine, but it doesn't suit the story. The villains look silly, not scary of imposing. It's not bad, but it doesn't fit. His proportions are regularly off and take me out of the story. It looks amateur. The removal of Milne still stings.

All that said, I felt like this was a needed step in the right direction after a medicore first issue. they're cutting to the chase on rung, velocity/anode, tailgates power trip. It's nice. It's not rushed but the last thing this book needs right now is more long drawn out mysteries.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:With Rung, I feel the reveal will occur in 2 spots: you have the Functionists Rung reveal to the main characters, and then the guys back at the fortress will discover "our" Rung, who may have found out what he really is for

..or! They are the same/a multiverse constant, as well as a historical one. /tinfoil

RNSrobot wrote:

I've also not taken very kindly to the new characters introduced. Anode has put me off quite a bit as she has generally come across to me as an unlikable character. Lug is a bit better, but I am unimpressed by either. It feels like the new characters are hogging some spotlight from those that really need it AKA the mutineers.

Wholeheartedly agree. Not only is anode unlikeable, they're taking space away from characters I'd much rather read about. Five pages of issue 1 were devoted solely to their introduction.

I see that some of the fans love them and whole normally I am into Roberts new bits, anode is like... All of his worst traits lumped into one incredibly obnoxious bot. She was more tolerable in issue 2 but it's a bad start. And I'd rather read about other established lost light crew members.

Agreed, also, on the art. It's fine, but it doesn't suit the story. The villains look silly, not scary of imposing. It's not bad, but it doesn't fit. His proportions are regularly off and take me out of the story. It looks amateur. The removal of Milne still stings.

All that said, I felt like this was a needed step in the right direction after a medicore first issue. they're cutting to the chase on rung, velocity/anode, tailgates power trip. It's nice. It's not rushed but the last thing this book needs right now is more long drawn out mysteries.

This, this is actually how I was trying to say my thoughts in the review. I spent a solid 2 hours working on trying to work this thought into words, and I think you did better than I did.

RNSrobot wrote:

I've also not taken very kindly to the new characters introduced. Anode has put me off quite a bit as she has generally come across to me as an unlikable character. Lug is a bit better, but I am unimpressed by either. It feels like the new characters are hogging some spotlight from those that really need it AKA the mutineers.

Wholeheartedly agree. Not only is anode unlikeable, they're taking space away from characters I'd much rather read about. Five pages of issue 1 were devoted solely to their introduction.

I see that some of the fans love them and whole normally I am into Roberts new bits, anode is like... All of his worst traits lumped into one incredibly obnoxious bot. She was more tolerable in issue 2 but it's a bad start. And I'd rather read about other established lost light crew members.

Agreed, also, on the art. It's fine, but it doesn't suit the story. The villains look silly, not scary of imposing. It's not bad, but it doesn't fit. His proportions are regularly off and take me out of the story. It looks amateur. The removal of Milne still stings.

All that said, I felt like this was a needed step in the right direction after a medicore first issue. they're cutting to the chase on rung, velocity/anode, tailgates power trip. It's nice. It's not rushed but the last thing this book needs right now is more long drawn out mysteries.

Ok, my thoughts on Anode: she's not meant to be likeable.

That's it, really. There's more to her than we know, obviously, this issue makes it clear. There's something else going on behind her ties to the rest of the cast (and the Camiens in particular). And she's probably compensating/covering a lot of that with arrogance and snark (bordering on smartarseness). She's not that dissimilar from Rodimus, really - at all, actually. He's not likeable. At all.

And then you have the direct parallel with the Rodimus-Megatron interaction 'we meaning me'. What was that all about? Where do the parallels stop?

Va'al wrote:

RNSrobot wrote:

I've also not taken very kindly to the new characters introduced. Anode has put me off quite a bit as she has generally come across to me as an unlikable character. Lug is a bit better, but I am unimpressed by either. It feels like the new characters are hogging some spotlight from those that really need it AKA the mutineers.

Wholeheartedly agree. Not only is anode unlikeable, they're taking space away from characters I'd much rather read about. Five pages of issue 1 were devoted solely to their introduction.

I see that some of the fans love them and whole normally I am into Roberts new bits, anode is like... All of his worst traits lumped into one incredibly obnoxious bot. She was more tolerable in issue 2 but it's a bad start. And I'd rather read about other established lost light crew members.

Agreed, also, on the art. It's fine, but it doesn't suit the story. The villains look silly, not scary of imposing. It's not bad, but it doesn't fit. His proportions are regularly off and take me out of the story. It looks amateur. The removal of Milne still stings.

All that said, I felt like this was a needed step in the right direction after a medicore first issue. they're cutting to the chase on rung, velocity/anode, tailgates power trip. It's nice. It's not rushed but the last thing this book needs right now is more long drawn out mysteries.

Ok, my thoughts on Anode: she's not meant to be likeable.

That's it, really. There's more to her than we know, obviously, this issue makes it clear. There's something else going on behind her ties to the rest of the cast (and the Camiens in particular). And she's probably compensating/covering a lot of that with arrogance and snark (bordering on smartarseness). She's not that dissimilar from Rodimus, really - at all, actually. He's not likeable. At all.

And then you have the direct parallel with the Rodimus-Megatron interaction 'we meaning me'. What was that all about? Where do the parallels stop?

An interesting take.

Problem there is: a new, unlikeable character is taking screen time for characters I'd much rather read about.

Tailgate being a dick in this issue? It's clearly a development of his character, and he's a character I'm invested in. Cyclonus as well. I'm not invested in anode. Ah well.

Again, she was better in this issue, but I was prepared to drop the book if it was the same quality as issue 1 or kept force feeding me anode on 1/3 of the book. It was better, good steps, and wasted little time getting to multiple plot points.

But if I default to reading recaps on the wiki and MAYBE getting the trades. Well. I won't be sad.

Va'al wrote:
Ok, my thoughts on Anode: she's not meant to be likeable.

That's it, really. There's more to her than we know, obviously, this issue makes it clear. There's something else going on behind her ties to the rest of the cast (and the Camiens in particular). And she's probably compensating/covering a lot of that with arrogance and snark (bordering on smartarseness). She's not that dissimilar from Rodimus, really - at all, actually. He's not likeable. At all.

And then you have the direct parallel with the Rodimus-Megatron interaction 'we meaning me'. What was that all about? Where do the parallels stop?

Y'know, this probably explains why I'm the only one that likes her. I absolutely adore Rodimus and other characters like him; I can't help but fall for terrible people with crippling self-defeating problems. I relate to a depressingly large degree.

Kurona wrote:

Va'al wrote:
Ok, my thoughts on Anode: she's not meant to be likeable.

That's it, really. There's more to her than we know, obviously, this issue makes it clear. There's something else going on behind her ties to the rest of the cast (and the Camiens in particular). And she's probably compensating/covering a lot of that with arrogance and snark (bordering on smartarseness). She's not that dissimilar from Rodimus, really - at all, actually. He's not likeable. At all.

And then you have the direct parallel with the Rodimus-Megatron interaction 'we meaning me'. What was that all about? Where do the parallels stop?

Y'know, this probably explains why I'm the only one that likes her. I absolutely adore Rodimus and other characters like him; I can't help but fall for terrible people with crippling self-defeating problems. I relate to a depressingly large degree.

That would also explain why she's now your avatar.

It also explains why I can't stand her. She's overcompensatingly obnoxious. Try as she might, Lug isn't really helping to rein her in, metaphorically. One of my main issues with her is how over-the-top-witty she's being written. Her dialogue makes me cringe, and the fact that it's taking page-time away from characters I've liked and related to makes it worse. The one positive in her appearance so far is it seems we'll be getting more character development and backstory for Velocity, which is a welcome thing.

I think Anode is working because you're all spending entirely too long talking about a character that's distracting you from the massive amount of pieces that got moved around the chessboard during this issue while you were busy worrying about Anode for god-knows-what reason.

Did Rewind get the cycle wrong or was that actually a mistake in scripting and/or lettering? Look at Rodimus' face. Why is Shock's name so high up on Censere's wall when he would've only disappeared mysteriously to someone like Censere (melted into an engine block) a few years prior? What's up with Terminus playing coy when the AVL are getting demolished in a fight only to watch Megatron break free and pull that slight smirk? What'd Drift say about a fleet going missing in the Dark Nebula, didn't Crankcase mention Megatron steering clear of there because of the Dire Wraiths? Speaking of Drift, what triggered his vision that led them to go to Necroworld, or did I forget and need to re-read Empire of Stone? And "Trapped Light", "Threadbare Space", "Morality Lock", look I'm not Mr. Robot, I need sleep but just the concept of trapping light gets you into all kinds of crazy quantum physics. You know, quantum. Like the ship's engines. Oh, and then there's getting to finally find out about Rung next time? Plus maybe some thing about a Lighthouse, ok, I'll give anode that.

Wait a minute. Primal Sacrament? 12 council members? Messed up time? Multiple universes?

Balls.

Swerve was right, and we're over here worried about freaking Anode and our feelings and crying about Milne not drawing even though Lawrence is doing just fine.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:The main complaint would be the art. It doesn't feel like it suits the book, and it feels at odds with what was previously established. It makes some scenes just difficult to look at and enjoy while reading the commentary. It feels more rounded, less detailed, and more "Robots in Disguise cartoon" than "More Than Meets The Eye."

The other major complaint comes from characters both new and not seen in forever. It was last March where we saw the mutineers take over the ship, and we have yet to touch on them again, which is a real disappointment for me. I've been aching to see this part of the crew and see what's happening in the fallout of the mutiny. I've also not taken very kindly to the new characters introduced. Anode has put me off quite a bit as she has generally come across to me as an unlikable character. Lug is a bit better, but I am unimpressed by either. It feels like the new characters are hogging some spotlight from those that really need it AKA the mutineers.

I agree completely on the subject of the art; Milne should have stayed as the primary artist, and Lawerence should have been used occasionally or somewhere else. As far as the Mutineers go, I imagine that there's a reason that we haven't seen them yet. Roberts might not want it revealed what's going on at the Lost Light...

Bounti76 wrote:

Kurona wrote:

Va'al wrote:
Ok, my thoughts on Anode: she's not meant to be likeable.

That's it, really. There's more to her than we know, obviously, this issue makes it clear. There's something else going on behind her ties to the rest of the cast (and the Camiens in particular). And she's probably compensating/covering a lot of that with arrogance and snark (bordering on smartarseness). She's not that dissimilar from Rodimus, really - at all, actually. He's not likeable. At all.

And then you have the direct parallel with the Rodimus-Megatron interaction 'we meaning me'. What was that all about? Where do the parallels stop?

Y'know, this probably explains why I'm the only one that likes her. I absolutely adore Rodimus and other characters like him; I can't help but fall for terrible people with crippling self-defeating problems. I relate to a depressingly large degree.

That would also explain why she's now your avatar.

Nah, that's just avatrolling D-Max.

ScottyP wrote:I think Anode is working because you're all spending entirely too long talking about a character that's distracting you from the massive amount of pieces that got moved around the chessboard during this issue while you were busy worrying about Anode for god-knows-what reason.

Did Rewind get the cycle wrong or was that actually a mistake in scripting and/or lettering? Look at Rodimus' face. Why is Shock's name so high up on Censere's wall when he would've only disappeared mysteriously to someone like Censere (melted into an engine block) a few years prior? What's up with Terminus playing coy when the AVL are getting demolished in a fight only to watch Megatron break free and pull that slight smirk? What'd Drift say about a fleet going missing in the Dark Nebula, didn't Crankcase mention Megatron steering clear of there because of the Dire Wraiths? Speaking of Drift, what triggered his vision that led them to go to Necroworld, or did I forget and need to re-read Empire of Stone? And "Trapped Light", "Threadbare Space", "Morality Lock", look I'm not Mr. Robot, I need sleep but just the concept of trapping light gets you into all kinds of crazy quantum physics. You know, quantum. Like the ship's engines. Oh, and then there's getting to finally find out about Rung next time? Plus maybe some thing about a Lighthouse, ok, I'll give anode that.

Wait a minute. Primal Sacrament? 12 council members? Messed up time? Multiple universes?

Balls.

Swerve was right, and we're over here worried about freaking Anode and our feelings and crying about Milne not drawing even though Lawrence is doing just fine.

Scotty coming in with the saaaave! Lemme munch on those.

Something I forgot in that last post - there's all this consternation about The Quest not going anywhere, and then Clicker's all "oh hey let's go to Cyberutopia, y'all comin?"

I feel like an appropriate ending to The Quest, for this crew, would absolutely be to finish it on accident. Skids already did once anyway, maybe.

I like Rodimus but I think some of the things he says and does are immature. He wants to be a good person and have people admire him but he is just too impulsive. I think he will come around in due time. I couldn't stand Whirl at first but he proved me wrong later on.

ScottyP wrote:Something I forgot in that last post - there's all this consternation about The Quest not going anywhere, and then Clicker's all "oh hey let's go to Cyberutopia, y'all comin?"

I feel like an appropriate ending to The Quest, for this crew, would absolutely be to finish it on accident. Skids already did once anyway, maybe.

Maybe the Quest were the horrifying horrors we horrored along the way?

Va'al wrote:Maybe the Quest were the horrifying horrors we horrored along the way?

Swearth?

ScottyP wrote:

Va'al wrote:Maybe the Quest were the horrifying horrors we horrored along the way?

Swearth?

How dare you. We got hot daddy long Megs out of it.

ScottyP wrote:I think Anode is working because you're all spending entirely too long talking about a character that's distracting you from the massive amount of pieces that got moved around the chessboard during this issue while you were busy worrying about Anode for god-knows-what reason.

Did Rewind get the cycle wrong or was that actually a mistake in scripting and/or lettering? Look at Rodimus' face. Why is Shock's name so high up on Censere's wall when he would've only disappeared mysteriously to someone like Censere (melted into an engine block) a few years prior? What's up with Terminus playing coy when the AVL are getting demolished in a fight only to watch Megatron break free and pull that slight smirk? What'd Drift say about a fleet going missing in the Dark Nebula, didn't Crankcase mention Megatron steering clear of there because of the Dire Wraiths? Speaking of Drift, what triggered his vision that led them to go to Necroworld, or did I forget and need to re-read Empire of Stone? And "Trapped Light", "Threadbare Space", "Morality Lock", look I'm not Mr. Robot, I need sleep but just the concept of trapping light gets you into all kinds of crazy quantum physics. You know, quantum. Like the ship's engines. Oh, and then there's getting to finally find out about Rung next time? Plus maybe some thing about a Lighthouse, ok, I'll give anode that.

Wait a minute. Primal Sacrament? 12 council members? Messed up time? Multiple universes?

Balls.

Swerve was right, and we're over here worried about freaking Anode and our feelings and crying about Milne not drawing even though Lawrence is doing just fine.

Damn you.


I'm supposed to give a response to the Doc of Italy, but now I feel the need to go re-read the whole series. Again.

If someone new to the IDW comics were to start with issue 1 of Lost Light, would that reader need to go back and read at least MTMTE to understand what's going on?

Rodimus Prime wrote:If someone new to the IDW comics were to start with issue 1 of Lost Light, would that reader need to go back and read at least MTMTE to understand what's going on?

Short answer? Yes. There are some arcs specifically that feed directly into this not-new title, but because it's not a new title, just a different name for the same thing, yes.