IDW Transformers: Robots in Disguise #32 Full Preview

morphobots wrote:

cor2879 wrote:

dragons wrote:I have always waonder about this g1 comics scorpnock same size as grimlock, optimus and all other bots does hetransform into small city/ battlestation?

Prettymuch. In the main series I don't think we ever saw him in city mode... and I never picked up Headmasters so I'm not sure if he did in that series or not. Fort Max I believe did transform to battlestation mode a couple times. Now he was larger than most 'bots but still not titanic like in the cartoon (or even the toy proportions).

Scorponok transformed only into scorpion mode in the Headmasters series, as well. The comics treatment portrayed him and Max as not having three modes, the omitted ones being the cities. I think this was because the scorpion and battle station modes implied mobility, hence action potential instead of just sitting in place. I don't know for sure, but I've always believed they were never given their full sizes because all the Nebulans were the same size, so how do you attempt to explain a normal man becoming the head of a city-sized robot? (Cerebros wasn't in HM, he was added later) And, yes, I believe Max was shown in battle station mode only twice in the comics, doing . . . basically nothing each time.

I think the reason they didn't make them huge in the comic was so they could have interesting interactions with the other characters. A city-sized bot is cool in concept, but difficult to write character driven stories about. Bringing them down to 'normal' size gave writers the opportunity to explore them, make them Autobot/Decepticon leaders for a while, etc. I actually liked the fact that they weren't city sized in the comics.

cor2879 wrote:

morphobots wrote:

cor2879 wrote:

dragons wrote:I have always waonder about this g1 comics scorpnock same size as grimlock, optimus and all other bots does hetransform into small city/ battlestation?

Prettymuch. In the main series I don't think we ever saw him in city mode... and I never picked up Headmasters so I'm not sure if he did in that series or not. Fort Max I believe did transform to battlestation mode a couple times. Now he was larger than most 'bots but still not titanic like in the cartoon (or even the toy proportions).

Scorponok transformed only into scorpion mode in the Headmasters series, as well. The comics treatment portrayed him and Max as not having three modes, the omitted ones being the cities. I think this was because the scorpion and battle station modes implied mobility, hence action potential instead of just sitting in place. I don't know for sure, but I've always believed they were never given their full sizes because all the Nebulans were the same size, so how do you attempt to explain a normal man becoming the head of a city-sized robot? (Cerebros wasn't in HM, he was added later) And, yes, I believe Max was shown in battle station mode only twice in the comics, doing . . . basically nothing each time.

I think the reason they didn't make them huge in the comic was so they could have interesting interactions with the other characters. A city-sized bot is cool in concept, but difficult to write character driven stories about. Bringing them down to 'normal' size gave writers the opportunity to explore them, make them Autobot/Decepticon leaders for a while, etc. I actually liked the fact that they weren't city sized in the comics.

True. Not having them at their "actual" sizes allows for many more story opportunities and solves many headaches. The very first one being getting both of them into their respective ships for leaving Cybertron. We've seen today's writers adapt Metroplex and Trypticon into ships in their battle station modes, but I'm not sure writers in the 80's would have considered that.

Someone dies in this


just saying


i got an issue yesterday that was given to me by a friend.

And the whole staff gets issues a week before they come out. Nonetheless, please avoid spoilers of any kind out of respect for other users, be they true, false, exaggerated or well-meant. Thank you.

Va'al wrote:And the whole staff gets issues a week before they come out. Nonetheless, please avoid spoilers of any kind out of respect for other users, be they true, false, exaggerated or well-meant. Thank you.

Well i never said who.



But yes i understand and also that's cool you guys get the issues a week before anyone else.

IDW Publishing has a deal with news sites and podcasts, from Newsarama and CBR to Seibertron and Full Metal Hero via The Underbase and more. We get access to watermarked review copies and preview pages, with embargo dates as to when we can post them publicly (usually the day before release). Most of us also then buy the digital or print copy when they're available too, to support the titles, creators and line.

The copies are usually available on the Thursday, so just under a week. Gives reviewers time to process the material, prepare posts and format images.

Speaking of which..

Va'al wrote:IDW Publishing has a deal with news sites and podcasts, from Newsarama and CBR to Seibertron and Full Metal Hero via The Underbase and more. We get access to watermarked review copies and preview pages, with embargo dates as to when we can post them publicly (usually the day before release). Most of us also then buy the digital or print copy when they're available too, to support the titles, creators and line.

The copies are usually available on the Thursday, so just under a week. Gives reviewers time to process the material, prepare posts and format images.

Speaking of which..

How does someone become part of the sites staff anyways.


Not asking to be part of the staff as cool as that would be but i'm just curious on how sites like these pick their staff.

Synopsis
AUTOBOTS VERSUS EARTH! OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS discover the humans’ secret—and they aren’t pleased with what they learn! Will the DECEPTICON’s alliance tear down the peace—and will the world learn the CYBERTRONIANs are back?



Story

The past of couple of issues of Robots in Disguise have slowly been building up to the Alpha Trion discovery and recovery, seeding lies and lines about Prowl's true intentions and feelings, Jazz and Arcee's discomfort in their new-and-old roles, Galvatron's connection to it all, the Witwickys, Soundwave, Optimus and the rest of the gang. Slowly.



And then, suddenly, giant spaceships. Stories that were heading one fearfully predictable way go in a direction so different it's almost inwards. Characters more or less established by now are truly revealed for what and who they are. Changes come about so subtly and quickly and yet still make sense with everything teased so far, that reading 28-31 again is almost required to get more out of it all once again.



John Barber does an excellent job at keeping all the threads close, weaving a pattern so intricate that three out of two of us on the comics staff have no idea as to where the story will go from here, but are loving the ride read. This is what RID promised in its initial issues, both seasons, and the heights it can accomplish with its twisted political and social narratives.



And on top of that, the entire issue is a series of well orchestrated, well paced, well placed action sequences, with Prowl and Jazz on one side, the Autobot team on another, and humans and Decepticons between and around the two. With exemplary stand-outs in Thundercracker, Buster and Marissa, as Barber does not forget the series' heart and humour, exactly when needed (the closing sequence is magnificently crafted).

Art

Andrew Griffith is the main artist, taking care of all the gigantic spaceships, stupidly amazing visual references, fights, perspective shifts, interactions and running plot, flashbacks included. The opening scene, the title page, just examples of what Griffith can do with a page, something hinted at in Dark Cybertron. And the amazingness is topped by Josh Perez' colour work on Griffith's pages, giving a grittiness and darker hue to a truly bleak situation - lighting it up by fire, laser and destruction.



Brendan Cahill is confined (I use the term loosely) to four pages in total - but whoah are they some pages! Focusing on the interactions between Prowl and Jazz, and an amazing double page, reader shifting spread that delves deeper into the human connection to the story, both Cahill and Joana Lafuente's colours put the sci-fi back into the Transformers, reminding us of one of the many genres the comics line falls under. And how adorably evil Prowl looks while smirking.




To top everything off, Tom B. Long dazzles in his lettering work, with some wonderfully placed sound effects mirroring the chaos and confusion that must be ensuing during the attack on the human base, and a gorgeous ending sequence caption group. Then add to that the amazing Coller and Bove cover revealed yesterday, and the Coller and Lafuente variant hinting at where the story may be headed (see thumbnail).


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Barber was able to take all my fears as to where this series was heading, and spin them completely around into something unrecognisable and impossible to figure out, nearing its sister series MTMTE for twistedness. Griffith and Cahill's collaboration raises the bar even higher, with some mind-boggling art in terms of perspective and layouts, with the excellent Perez and Lafuente giving a decidedly significant boost, and Long's designer eye operating from the shadows.



Robots in Disguise #32 has action, lots of it. It has mystery, it has scheming, it has humans and Cybertronians. Lots of them. It has a good story, excellent pacing, great dialogue, fantastic art, amazing colouring and letters, gorgeous covers and is reaching a level of comic book writing worthy of any other action series currently published in the industry. I cannot recommend this issue enough. Lots of it.

And again I have to wait a week before I can discuss it properly. Unless I read spoilers argh temptation!

Get it tomorrooooowww.... Spoilerrrsssss....

THIS IS SO GOOD YOU GUYS

Va'al wrote:Get it tomorrooooowww.... Spoilerrrsssss....

THIS IS SO GOOD YOU GUYS

Agreed i believe this is the best issue of RID.

Va'al wrote:Get it tomorrooooowww.... Spoilerrrsssss....

THIS IS SO GOOD YOU GUYS

You're not helping! can't get it tomorrow due to money hence why I get them all the same time. BUT I HAVE TO KNOW PROWL'S PLAN!

ZeroWolf wrote:

Va'al wrote:Get it tomorrooooowww.... Spoilerrrsssss....

THIS IS SO GOOD YOU GUYS

You're not helping! can't get it tomorrow due to money hence why I get them all the same time. BUT I HAVE TO KNOW PROWL'S PLAN!

If you really want to know a guy on TFW2005 made a thread about it its in the comics discussion.

The real aim of the game is to set up the MLP takeover event.

COMPONY WARS

Va'al wrote:The real aim of the game is to set up the MLP takeover event.

COMPONY WARS

I would pay my life investments and my soul to see that.

Via http://www.kongregate.com/forums/2-off- ... ?page=2094

There are no words to describe that...Even Poe and Lovecraft would choke...Is that my little apocalypse ponies? (YouTube it)

Enjoyed this one thoroughly and look forward to grabbing my print copy. They're going somewhere pretty interesting with this, and I can't wait to find out what. In the mean time, there's enough going on while the plot builds. That was one of my bigger complaints with the earlier arcs of RiD - they seemed to build and build without much truly happening along the way and gave very little payoff to character's development. I can't say that holds true for the book anymore, and that's awesome.

I didn't want more adventures of Optimus and I didn't want another generic Earth story. I was very sad at the beginning of the year to hear those were coming. I was wrong, because this book is neither of those things right now.

Looks like IDW regretted their Decepticon kill streak and decided to bring back some old favorites! The end reminds me of a scene out of Marvel Transformers #12.

I notice Jazz went from a 4 door Porsche to a possible Wildrider repaint. Hopefully we'll get him without the "stealth paint".

Why did Prowl mention Scrapper the Constructicon in bold letters? Page. 18, panel 4. Is that a mistake? Coming from Barber, I find that a little surprising.