iTunes Preview for IDW Transformers vs Visionaries #3

Traitor!

ThunderThruster wrote:Traitor!

to be fair I think it's predictable what's going to happen here, these spectral knights are going to come into conflict with Leoric and his exiles and there will be heart to hearts all around...and guilt and shame...and possibly heroic sacrifice.

The only sacrifice I'm looking for is this story to be burnt from the records like a virginal offering to the Kraken.

Is this Prysmos or the Planet of the Bad Haircuts? Virulina with her "Fido Dido" hair, now "Mr. T C" Cryotek? And whatever the Tartarus they did with Leoric's hair. They made fun of the old design as looking like Burt Reynolds, but I ask, is THIS their idea of improvement to the appearance?

That aside, it seems like a neat storyline so far...

ThunderThruster wrote:The only sacrifice I'm looking for is this story to be burnt from the records like a virginal offering to the Kraken.

Isn't that a good way to offend the powers that be? By sacrificing rubbish like this?

ZeroWolf wrote:

ThunderThruster wrote:The only sacrifice I'm looking for is this story to be burnt from the records like a virginal offering to the Kraken.

Isn't that a good way to offend the powers that be? By sacrificing rubbish like this?

They'd be happy to see it's destruction.

The second preview from IDW Publishing for next week's releases comes via the regular Adventures in Poor Taste! website, and features the third issue in the new Hasbro Universe miniseries Transformers vs Visionaries, due out next Wednesday digitally and in print. Check it out below, and join the discussion in the Energon Pub!

The clock is ticking! Leoric finds himself exiled from New Prysmos by Virulina, who Merklynn has named the new leader of all the Visionaries. Can Leoric and his loyalists save Cybertron from being totally changed into a new homeworld for his people? Should they?

Bullet points:
· Variant cover by cover by Brendan Cahill!

Transformers vs. Visionaries #3
Written by: Magdalene Visaggio
Art by: Fico Ossio
Colors by David Garcia Cruz
Letters by: Shawn Lee
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Release Date: February 28, 2018

This defacement of Leoric has gone on quite enough. It's one thing to change his ethnicity, another thing to give him tattoos, but to brand him like a piece of Danish bacon? Have you no shame, IDW?

I still say that Leoric is one of the best things about this, I hope they keep his design in future. Maybe as a compromise, find him a way to coexist with the original design since that seems to still be a sticking point

I agree. It's the same with Matt Tracker. If they had found a way to simply acknowledge the originals and introduce the new versions, I'd have no problems whatsoever.

However, I wasn't actually bringing those point up. It's morning here in Japan, and I want BACON!

I have a feeling it might be a daft question but don't they sell bacon over there?

ZeroWolf wrote:I have a feeling it might be a daft question but don't they sell bacon over there?

Quickly, before the staff sees this,

YES. I've got a whole pack of Costco microwaveable frozen bacon in the freezer. I'm just trying to be healthy. However, that's the best quality bacon I can get for a reasonable price. It's either Costco, wafer thin Japanese ham pretending to be bacon or tiny, expensive slices of deli bacon. It's basically either Japanese, or American bacon. Actually decent REAL, Danish bacon is as rare as finding G1 Swoop in the UK.

Oh, sweet Primus, Zerowolf, here they come! What are we going to do, man? It's only 8 in the morning and I haven't had enough coffee to power my razor sharp wit! Quickly, hide under that flower pot!

That G1 swoop thing was harsh...it's okay we'll just get this back on point, what is IDW going to do with visionaries after this? There's been no word of a standalone for them and with all this talk of a rebout, it almost seems that this crossover is pointless.

...see back on topic and we're in one piece not bad for one of my cunning plans...

EDIT: I hate predictive text

Personally, I really think Hasbro and Takara missed the boat, with doing a tie-in toy line with these.

We've got Titans Return/POTP, Star Wars crossover and Diaclone toys, Zoids and even some Battle Beast vehicles with mini-figs; all these similar toys with similar play patterns of small "pilots" interacting with larger vehicles, robots and playsets. I would have thought that more would have been done to capitalize on this relationship (however unofficial). We could of had MASK vehicles similar to the "Mechtech" toys from the film line, Visionaries vehicles with smaller pilots and clear plastic vehicles (plus the figures could possibly sit inside their animal totems, "piloting" them as a play pattern to emulate turning into them. We could have had larger summoned spell creatures that also allowed the mini figs to "pilot" them too. Not to mention smaller GI-Joe vehicles with pilots, can alongside re-releases or new molds for the Star Wars Action Fleet series (the GI Joe line in a similar size could be called "Action Force", as an Easter egg). Micronaughts and Diaclone could be released, plus actual crossover figures, like a clear blue version of Alpha Trion, with metallic/matte blue details, as a Headmaster version of Leoric, just because.

Am I the only one who thinks that Virulina is the most hateable character that IDW has made so far? There is just something about her character and the way she is drawn that just makes my blood boil.

I almost never say that I hope a character dies but in this case that's what I hope here.

primalxconvoy wrote:Personally, I really think Hasbro and Takara missed the boat, with doing a tie-in toy line with these.

We've got Titans Return/POTP, Star Wars crossover and Diaclone toys, Zoids and even some Battle Beast vehicles with mini-figs; all these similar toys with similar play patterns of small "pilots" interacting with larger vehicles, robots and playsets. I would have thought that more would have been done to capitalize on this relationship (however unofficial). We could of had MASK vehicles similar to the "Mechtech" toys from the film line, Visionaries vehicles with smaller pilots and clear plastic vehicles (plus the figures could possibly sit inside their animal totems, "piloting" them as a play pattern to emulate turning into them. We could have had larger summoned spell creatures that also allowed the mini figs to "pilot" them too. Not to mention smaller GI-Joe vehicles with pilots, can alongside re-releases or new molds for the Star Wars Action Fleet series (the GI Joe line in a similar size could be called "Action Force", as an Easter egg). Micronaughts and Diaclone could be released, plus actual crossover figures, like a clear blue version of Alpha Trion, with metallic/matte blue details, as a Headmaster version of Leoric, just because.

I forgot they were bringing zoids back, that's something else to look forward to

I also agree with the other crossover lines, it's weird that they promote crossovers everywhere else but the toylines

Clearly whoever "redesigned" the Visionaries saw Mad Max: Fury Road instead of Medieval Knights, missing the point entirely


Let's also not forget Hasbro also have access to the garish Robotix. They could incorporate those things into this IDWverse too. Strange how they are largely ignoring crossing over Transformers with like minded properties.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Clearly whoever "redesigned" the Visionaries saw Mad Max: Fury Road instead of Medieval Knights, missing the point entirely

Agreed. It is very jarring.

Deadput wrote:Am I the only one who thinks that Virulina is the most hateable character that IDW has made so far? There is just something about her character and the way she is drawn that just makes my blood boil.

I almost never say that I hope a character dies but in this case that's what I hope here.

I actually kind of like her design as a concept, but it's used for the completely wrong sort of character. Out of all the visionaries, she's the closest to looking like a medieval warrior with a barbarian sort of thing going on with the shaved head and tattoos.

She doesn't act like a barbarian, though, and nothing about her character takes advantage of the design what so ever. She acts like a high and mighty lord, when her look suggests a carousing, over the top sort of person, which would actually be interesting if that sort of person were put in charge of a bunch of nobles.

Deadput wrote:Am I the only one who thinks that Virulina is the most hateable character that IDW has made so far? There is just something about her character and the way she is drawn that just makes my blood boil.

I almost never say that I hope a character dies but in this case that's what I hope here.

You know what? you are not the only one, I despise her.

Sometimes you think to yourself, "yeah okay, that was terrible, any follow up can't be worse"

And then you pick up issue 2 of this series, and yeah, it got worse.

"Oh FFS ... okay, fine, surely issue 3 can't be worse again!"

And it wasn't ... though that depends on your perspective. If you like reading Visionaries comics, then you might enjoy this one. If you like reading Transformer comics, then you probably won't enjoy this, given that TF's don't make much of an appearance.

Except ... for poor Waspinator, who may have been spared the fate of Kup, but has now been made into Virulinas bitch.

Yes, once again, Transformers are treated as second rate characters all in an effort to get over a bunch of character that ... does anyone actually care about them?

As far as the story goes, well ... good vs bad, but they're throwing in the moral conundrum of "do we put our species ahead of another?" which of course results in side swapping. "Good" becomes "bad", "bad" becomes "good".

Or does everyone become bad including Autobots who sanction the assassination of Virulina?

If IDW really believe they can use this mini-series as a launching pad for an on-going Visionaries comics, they're going to be sadly disappointed.

Yeah I can't see a visionaries series doing well, what's more annoying in a way is they are saying it's us or them when they could just ask for help into relocating...but no, the writers have thought of that apparently and decided to make them hate technology with zeal (are they trying to make a comment on extremism?)

I've said it before,they could have added visionaries into the hasbroverse with no problem had they just handled the introduction differently

the comic shop laughed when I said that visionaries makes me angry when I asked if they ever had a comic do that to them. They said, "it happens". They understand my hesitation in picking these up.

Sunstar wrote:the comic shop laughed when I said that visionaries makes me angry when I asked if they ever had a comic do that to them. They said, "it happens". They understand my hesitation in picking these up.

Why does it make you angry?

primalxconvoy wrote:

Sunstar wrote:the comic shop laughed when I said that visionaries makes me angry when I asked if they ever had a comic do that to them. They said, "it happens". They understand my hesitation in picking these up.

Why does it make you angry?

Have you read these comics?

Burn wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:

Sunstar wrote:the comic shop laughed when I said that visionaries makes me angry when I asked if they ever had a comic do that to them. They said, "it happens". They understand my hesitation in picking these up.

Why does it make you angry?

Have you read these comics?

I've read some of the stuff that's posted here (and even made a parody of it), but I'm not sure why v others might be angered by it.

primalxconvoy wrote:

Burn wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:

Sunstar wrote:the comic shop laughed when I said that visionaries makes me angry when I asked if they ever had a comic do that to them. They said, "it happens". They understand my hesitation in picking these up.

Why does it make you angry?

Have you read these comics?

I've read some of the stuff that's posted here (and even made a parody of it), but I'm not sure why v others might be angered by it.

It's an incredibly terrible series that treats Transformers like guest stars, amongst other things.

While I don't personally get angry about them (I read them, vent, move on), I can understand why others do. Feel free to track down electronic versions for yourself and discover the horror.

Oh, I already got that that impression from the free previews posted online.

With any luck, it'll go the way of MASK.

Honestly, this series biggest problem is that the Transformers are in it. All the book's biggest problems (the discontinuity with First Strike, Kup’s death, etc.) wouldn’t be here if the series was just a straight up Visionaries book.

Daniel Adkins wrote:Honestly, this series biggest problem is that the Transformers are in it. All the book's biggest problems (the discontinuity with First Strike, Kup’s death, etc.) wouldn’t be here if the series was just a straight up Visionaries book.

I agree. I honestly wish all of the new ideas; the racial changes, new armour, new direction was done in a new universe. That way, they could go nuts and it wouldn't impede on the existing TF universe and it might even be possible to have a more "G1" style Visionaries comic later on. The same thing should have happened with MASK, too.

primalxconvoy wrote:

Daniel Adkins wrote:Honestly, this series biggest problem is that the Transformers are in it. All the book's biggest problems (the discontinuity with First Strike, Kup’s death, etc.) wouldn’t be here if the series was just a straight up Visionaries book.

I agree. I honestly wish all of the new ideas; the racial changes, new armour, new direction was done in a new universe. That way, they could go nuts and it wouldn't impede on the existing TF universe and it might even be possible to have a more "G1" style Visionaries comic later on. The same thing should have happened with MASK, too.

No, Visionaries is fine as is. It just shouldn’t have been set on Cybertron. Other than that one thing, this is a fine addition to the Hasbro Universe.

I pride myself in being a (usually) very open minded person...

It's just parts of this series... it really grinds my gears. I do follow electronic versions of this comic because I have yet to decide if I actually want to pay my hard earned cash for it.

I think Burn actually nailed a few parts of what bothers me. The Transformers characters are basically incidental. Book #2 had 4 pages with Transformers in it out of about 22 pages. Its hardly a Transformers book. Its like watching some popular sitcom, lets say friends, and a news paper happens to have a news story of the happenings of the transformers in it - they're part of the world. Kinda like how transformers are second fiddle in the transformers movies, but I actually enjoyed the movies and it doens't piss me off(although #4 makes me sleep) I digress.

It could be good characterisation - because I want to punch virulina - or however that bint's name is spelled, I despise her lines, I despise her colours, to be honest, I really don't care for any of these characters and I would not shed a tear if they dropped a nuke on them and crushed every last one(I feel so Decepticon).

Kup's death was bad enough - the fact that these characters are essentially untouchable to the transformers, having some sort of power that can destroy them so utterly is over-powered.

Ultimately I am not entirely sure if the root of my anger is because it's ultimately good writing that makes me feel something (like how TAAO annual made me cry)or because I feel they are not doing any justice to the story, or anything that will further the story of the Transformers on Cybertron. I get the feeling I won't get my answer until after the last book.

Another way to look at it, it's Transformers vs Visionaries.

Unfortunately it's more Visionaries vs Visionaries with Transformers taking a back seat even though it's THEIR planet.

It still seems to be a bad decision to use transformers as their launching pad. Is transformers really the best selling comic of the hasbro titles? Aside from trying to argue it's magic vs technology (which could be pulled off better if it was visionaries vs gi Joe in my opinion as both are humans, just from different worlds)

Synopsis
The clock is ticking! Leoric finds himself exiled from New Prysmos by Virulina, who Merklynn has named the new leader of all the Visionaries. Can Leoric and his loyalists save Cybertron from being totally changed into a new homeworld for his people? Should they?




I'm going to do something different with this issue's review, as we're behind schedule, the series has a very thin connection to Transformers, but I still believe it warrants coverage (the database entry is here, in case) and review was due a couple of weeks ago as it stands, anyway! Namely, I'll let some of the commenting readers speak their thoughts on what is and isn't working, and coming in to cover aspects that haven't been addressed.



And we start with the major points:

Daniel Adkins wrote:Honestly, this series biggest problem is that the Transformers are in it. All the book's biggest problems (the discontinuity with First Strike, Kup’s death, etc.) wouldn’t be here if the series was just a straight up Visionaries book.

Burn wrote:Another way to look at it, it's Transformers vs Visionaries.

Unfortunately it's more Visionaries vs Visionaries with Transformers taking a back seat even though it's THEIR planet.

This is a comment that has often circulated in our previous reviews, and one that still applies, constantly, and viciously, to this third issue. The only saving moment, in this regard, is the appearance of a Transformers specific character which cannot exactly be called mainstream (to non TF fans, anyway) and some development of plot from the side of the Cybertronians.



But we also have a good point about Virulina and Visaggio's writing in general, that echoes some wider sentiments about the miniseries:

Sunstar wrote:Ultimately I am not entirely sure if the root of my anger is because it's ultimately good writing that makes me feel something (like how TAAO annual made me cry) or because I feel they are not doing any justice to the story, or anything that will further the story of the Transformers on Cybertron. I get the feeling I won't get my answer until after the last book.

---


Art wise, something that users haven't really touched other than once more to talk about Virulina, we still have Fico Ossio and David Garcia Cruz do some really, and I mean, really good work on pretty much the entire organic cast, including the more spectral or hologrammic (not a word) of it.

The issue, once more - though less so I thought compared to previous issues too - is with Cybertronians, and specifically with their faces. Ossio is working hard, and he's working into a style that makes the angular robotic physiognomy fit to his own.. but we're not quite there just yet, and it mostly shows in background shots, rather than close-ups.



And that last point circles back to the main ones made about the series above: arriving to the Transformers is always on the background, or backburner, be it with the fittingness of the artist's style to the characters or the writing that is still relying on not-exactly IDW characterisation of the cast (see previous reviews for more on this point).



Overall, the issue is an improvement on the previous two, though for the Transformers side of things that doesn't really amount to much, but it does build to more of the characters having more or less of an agency than initially seen - up to the final act of the book, at least. It's still unfortunate, but there may be a lot in this particular book that Visionaries fans will appreciate I feel, even more than previously in the series; it just comes at the (literal) expense of Transformers.



½ out of

Gotta love those pink dolphins

Do you know some humanoid series that could have meshed better with Transformers?

Centurions

Starcom

Jayce and The Wheeled Warriors

Why? Because they have a technological slant to them. Visionaries took place on a world made medieval again when technology crashed. That's not what this Visionaries comes across as. While I did like Visionaries back in the day, had a few of the toys too, I can neither endorse this series or the design aesthetic behind it.

Skeleton warriors Vs Visionaries...there we go.

As for transformers? Zoids. You know it makes sense

Zoids or Robotix would work. Then again so would Go-Bots but that option is lost in Rights Limbo...

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Do you know some humanoid series that could have meshed better with Transformers?

Centurions

This. Very much this! But then, MASK should have worked! How did they manage to mess that up?!?

Big Grim wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Do you know some humanoid series that could have meshed better with Transformers?

Centurions

This. Very much this! But then, MASK should have worked! How did they manage to mess that up?!?

My guess, much like Visionairies, trying to reinvent the wheel.

I never thought I’d look at a picture of Ironhide and be reminded of Stewie Griffin. Some things you just can’t unsee.

Just curious, the title to the article says #3, but isn't this a review for #4?

*edit* never mind, I just read the part about you being behind...sorry . I'm just not used to actually having my comics before they are reviewed here.

o.supreme wrote:Just curious, the title to the article says #3, but isn't this a review for #4?

*edit* never mind, I just read the part about you being behind...sorry . I'm just not used to actually having my comics before they are reviewed here.

You made me double doubt myself and triple check, well done!

^That certainly was not my intention. I know how busy you all are, without my interference. Again my apologies.

I know these comics have different covers, I should have just looked at the little #3 in the corner rather than just assuming it was a new issue because the cover was different from my #3.

Anyways, I'm really not *feeling* this new take on Visionaries. Sorry I'm stuck in the 80's on this one. Also I have all 3 issues, and admittedly I haven't read them in depth, just a few pages here and there. One of my favorite parts of the old show, as cheesy as it may seem now, were all the sayings they would utter to activate their totems/staffs. Has anyone said one of those yet? I don't need an exact reference , I'll dig and find it myself, just a yes or no would suffice.

The incantations for their staffs was one of the things that helped immerse you in the world of Prismos.

From memory, one of my favourites sounded something like:

By what creeps, what crawls, by what does not, Let all that grows recede and rot

All the incantations can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visionari ... ical_Light


I liked Witterquick's especially with how fast he could say it. Cryotek and Cindarr's were also pretty neat.

ZeroWolf wrote:It still seems to be a bad decision to use transformers as their launching pad. Is transformers really the best selling comic of the hasbro titles? Aside from trying to argue it's magic vs technology (which could be pulled off better if it was visionaries vs gi Joe in my opinion as both are humans, just from different worlds)

dont confuse bad execution with a bad idea.

i was thinking the reason this series is such a dumpster fire is down to the writer , but the more i think about it the more it seems to be the editorial decision to tie it into first strike/ revolutionaires set up/event.

THATS whats killing this as it makes no bleeding sense as a way of launching a visionaries book down the line. Worse its incredibly jarring with the two OFFICIAL TF books. as it is im ignoring it entirely and basically considering it an "elsworld/what if" story

TF / Visionaires makes more sense than GI JOE/ visionaires as aliens are more suited to TF lore and already a pre existing thing. pre the cataclysm prismos was a very advanced alien world so while they may use "magic" now theyre set up as sci/fi concept first. aliens in GI joe though? usually comes off as daft.

the template they SHOULDVE used was the one already tried and tested with ROM/TF.

if I was doing it id set it in the past during the war. have them meet as a TF exploratio/inflitration team seeks to asses the anti technology "magic" is starting up on a pre cataclysm prismos. make THAT the threat that endangers the universe as it threatens to go beyond their solar system as we watch it play out on prismos and its characters, and finally have the TF Bots and Cons work together to seal away the prismos sysetm behind a dyson sphere who's job it is to contain the effect.

mix and match as to the details on the whys and wherefores and who's responsible for what but at the end of the day youve introduced the concept , had the two franchises meet, and left them in a position where you can launch a self contained visionaires series from either where you left off, or in the "modern day" and jump straight into how things have changed over the years. all with the added bonus of not pissing all over tranformers in the process.

theres plenty of ways this couldve been done better and its sad to see it play out the way its being done. worse that with the sales figs the way they are i dont see a hope in hell of them getting their own book.

such a pity.

I don't know, I still think gi Joe crossed with visionaries would result better, besides gi Joe now has aliens like the tfs and any aliens in that series is in the gi Joe comics as per being in the hasbroverse. Still since I suggested it earlier, I know need a skeleton warriors Vs Visionaries series, they both have a lot in common. Plus zoids is set to make a return in Japan this summer so maybe idw will get to make a comic based on them and I'll get a zoids Vs Transformers miniseries after all