Sneak Peek - IDW Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #53 iTunes Preview

Commandeering the DJD's ship? Sounds like something Rodimus would do...

Did Ratchet really mean to say "hands closed and eyes tied behind my back?" cause if he did, that's funny.

At least we now know the messages are Drift's idea, and I feel something has to go wrong, like stormshield failing and DJD at the ready for the messages to actually be read.

I'm also still waiting to see the effects of Tarn killing Kaon. I think Deathsaurus will abandon Tarn and Overlord will just ignore him.

So. Tailgate is going to give them all a power boost.

Ironhidensh wrote:So. Tailgate is going to give them all a power boost.

I don't think he really can just being there. I'm thinking it means that when he went supernova, he gave everyone nearby a boost. This is what kept Cyclonus alive and also made the security team sick as they weren't prepared for a boost like that, similar to us crashing after drinking lots of energy drinks so to speak. And Chromedome is ill because he injected right after, also boosting him in a similar manner.

At least, that's my original thought. Subject to change and most likely wrong anyway.

So is this implying the Pet is sentient? Or is Rodimus just stupid?

Microraptor wrote:So is this implying the Pet is sentient? Or is Rodimus just stupid?

I think he just assumed The Pet was a Ravage-type Transformer.

(The fact it's not actually a Sparkeater supports the idea that the only 'real' Sparkeater was the one made through time travel + Brainstorm's odd gun.)

RevTibe wrote:

Microraptor wrote:So is this implying the Pet is sentient? Or is Rodimus just stupid?

I think he just assumed The Pet was a Ravage-type Transformer.

(The fact it's not actually a Sparkeater supports the idea that the only 'real' Sparkeater was the one made through time travel + Brainstorm's odd gun.)

It's a mutated/rabid turnofox. They've been regarded as none sentient. Similar to animals. There's alive but no sparks, they can't pass the Ambus test

I have a feeling that killing Kaon was harder on Tarn than he's letting on right now. It seemed rather out of character for him, considering the good working relationship he seems to have with the rest of the DJD. It was as if he just did it to get Overlord to shut up and take him seriously.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:I have a feeling that killing Kaon was harder on Tarn than he's letting on right now. It seemed rather out of character for him, considering the good working relationship he seems to have with the rest of the DJD. It was as if he just did it to get Overlord to shut up and take him seriously.

I'd agree on that. Not much for the out of character - I don't think it was that much, he's done worse, much worse to others - but for the rest of the comment. The point, though, is whether Overlord actually cares enough to take anyone seriously. I mean, they're both ego-tripping Megatron fanboys. It would almost be funny if they weren't horrifying murderers.

Wouldn't call offing Kaon out of character, just a surprise. Although Tarn isn't a perfect fit for the archetypes we normally associate with moody characters, he certainly has a mercurial streak a mile wild - almost tearing Tesarus's face off for questioning him, the suddenness of his switch from trying to take his own life in reaction to Megatron's betrayal to organizing an army in reaction, his little performance with Blip...

It's funny, Tarn and Overlord are quite distinct personalities, love/hate thing with Megatron aside, but they do share that fickle nature.

I can see what you mean with tarn. I am just so fed up with him I'm losing something interest in the DJD and Tarn. I don't even care about who he tuned out to be anymore. He's a walking contradiction of every word that comes out of his mouth and I'm just done with this story arc. Megatron getting blasted at point blank only for ratchet to fix him like new and that fact the first page showing his vitals as fine made me go "well what was the point of that now?"

I'm going to be bummed if part 4 is everyone just sitting in a room AGAIN only for the issue to end with the shield going down and everyone charging to the sanctuary and it's a finall panel of surprised and grim faces on everyone in there. Remain in Light all over again.

Yeah, agreed that everyone regrouping and recovering (well, except Kaon) in their respective bases gives a "1 step forward, 1 step back" vibe. Although the returns of Ratchet, Drift and Overlord weren't necessarily expected, they didn't provide much dramatic weight to the story, so it seems like a bit of a waste that a portion of the past two issues was arranged to give a dramatic setup those two moments.

Dr Va'al wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:I have a feeling that killing Kaon was harder on Tarn than he's letting on right now. It seemed rather out of character for him, considering the good working relationship he seems to have with the rest of the DJD. It was as if he just did it to get Overlord to shut up and take him seriously.

I'd agree on that. Not much for the out of character - I don't think it was that much, he's done worse, much worse to others - but for the rest of the comment. The point, though, is whether Overlord actually cares enough to take anyone seriously. I mean, they're both ego-tripping Megatron fanboys. It would almost be funny if they weren't horrifying murderers.

Maybe not out of character, but still a surprise to not only the readers, but Nickel and the rest of the DJD as well. But I will in turn agree that Overlord either doesn't care enough to take Tarn seriously, or he knows that Tarn did it just to get him to take his seriously, and still doesn't care. Either way, he doesn't care so I guess the distinction is moot. But isn't his ability that he knows what makes a person tick? So maybe he's using it on Tarn.

Overlords return will only make me happy if he's actually playing the DJD and he's actually going to help the autobots. Far f&$@ing fetched but at least it'd be interesting.

Let's be honest this still a complete no win scenario. 4 DJD members, 500+ decepticons and a phase sizer who had the complete capacity to kill an army and has. The DJD have already murderd almost everyone in that room once.

I'm looking at the whole picture here and all I can say is "this is stupid. This is a stupid story." I really wish I could find enjoyment in this story but I don't see how it's going to end in the autobots favor because for all intended purposes, for everything getting thrown at them they can't win. This story should end with everyone dying but we know it doesn't.

RevTibe wrote:Yeah, agreed that everyone regrouping and recovering (well, except Kaon) in their respective bases gives a "1 step forward, 1 step back" vibe. Although the returns of Ratchet, Drift and Overlord weren't necessarily expected, they didn't provide much dramatic weight to the story, so it seems like a bit of a waste that a portion of the past two issues was arranged to give a dramatic setup those two moments.

It just comes down to the fact that James is writing this like a tv series and not a comic book. The pacing of a comic book is not the same as a show. It's not. That is why sometimes MTMTE can fall flat because it's pacing is just all over the place. Sometimes a two issue story should just be one or be spread it to three or four.

I can see what you mean with tarn. I am just so fed up with him I'm losing something interest in the DJD and Tarn. I don't even care about who he tuned out to be anymore. He's a walking contradiction of every word that comes out of his mouth and I'm just done with this story arc. Megatron getting blasted at point blank only for ratchet to fix him like new and that fact the first page showing his vitals as fine made me go "well what was the point of that now?"

I'm going to be bummed if part 4 is everyone just sitting in a room AGAIN only for the issue to end with the shield going down and everyone charging to the sanctuary and it's a finall panel of surprised and grim faces on everyone in there. Remain in Light all over again.

Overlords return will only make me happy if he's actually playing the DJD and he's actually going to help the autobots. Far f&$@ing fetched but at least it'd be interesting.

Let's be honest this still a complete no win scenario. 4 DJD members, 500+ decepticons and a phase sizer who had the complete capacity to kill an army and has. The DJD have already murderd almost everyone in that room once.

I'm looking at the whole picture here and all I can say is "this is stupid. This is a stupid story." I really wish I could find enjoyment in this story but I don't see how it's going to end in the autobots favor because for all intended purposes, for everything getting thrown at them they can't win. This story should end with everyone dying but we know it doesn't.

Yes, yes to both of these. Initially, I was quite fond of him, but this is just exhausting, and the introduction of overlord, at first shocking, made me roll my eyes once he decided to buddy up with the djd. The deck is so stacked against the lost light crew here that it's hard not to imagine some deus ex machina dancing in during the finale to take care of everyone's problem. The one way I can see this getting interesting, save overlord pulling a double cross, is if Deathsaurus, everyone remembers him hanging around right?, gets fed up with tarn and turns on him. I remember him saying that the only reason he joined the djd in the first place was because Tarn didn't treat his underlings as expendable the way Megs did. Heck, maybe this could turn into a commentary on how Tarn is making the exact same mistakes Megatron did. However, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Dr Va'al wrote:they're both ego-tripping Megatron fanboys. It would almost be funny if they weren't horrifying murderers.

This made my day.

Anyway, as for the outcome of this confrontation, it does look like no way out for the Autobots, but doesn't Megatron still have 1 of Brainstorm's briefcases? Also, I think the outcome will hinge on the big reveal of Tarn's identity. It will either stun the rest of the DJD and maybe even Overlord enough for the Autobots to take the upper hand, or Tarn will actually turn on the DJD, because has Va'al pointed out, he's a Megatron fanboy. He will follow Megatron, even if Megatron crosses over. So this might end up the Autobots and Tarn (and possibly the rest of the DJD) against Overlord. Now, THAT would be a hell of a fight, as well as a Hail Mary twist by Roberts to save this quickly-deteriorating story arc. Or, very far-fetched, the Newly-Duly-Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, Fortress Maximus, shows up out of nowhere to finish his payback to Overlord for what he did to him in LSoTW. Also a Hail Mary, and possibly total cop-out. Either way, I think the outcome will be overshadowed by the revelation of Tarn's true identity, even if we all have a good idea who it might be.

We keep saying that the autobots are very outnumbered and basically should be dead.

But, what if this is not meant to come to a big all out fight? What if, with the hint in the preview, it comes to the autobots essentially sneaking around in the dark to find the ship, steal it, and escape, picking up the organics along the way? that is far more reasonable than the fight, and it would place more emphasis on individual confrontations rather than total war.

Just a thought

Randomhero wrote:It just comes down to the fact that James is writing this like a tv series and not a comic book. The pacing of a comic book is not the same as a show. It's not. That is why sometimes MTMTE can fall flat because it's pacing is just all over the place. Sometimes a two issue story should just be one or be spread it to three or four.

I dunno, I've often got the impression that the storytelling styles of episodic TV and episodic comics share a lot in common (this being part of what contributed to season 1 of Walking Dead's success). They seem to share similar strengths, tropes and failings, and unfortunately the past two issues have fallen on the limp "This Changes Everything!" cliche to try and add a bit of drama - surprise character appearances that don't influence the balance of power, severe injuries that are quickly fixed etc.

I agree that the TV series-comparable moments are weaknesses, but I think those weaknesses are par for the course in comics too.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Anyway, as for the outcome of this confrontation, it does look like no way out for the Autobots, but doesn't Megatron still have 1 of Brainstorm's briefcases?

You knowwww, the only reason Swerve was able to make the Swearth projection was due to his tampering with the briefcase creating a timey-wimey loop that supercharged his holomatter wotsits. Could theoretically give a 'bot a boost...

Rodimus Prime wrote:Or, very far-fetched, the Newly-Duly-Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, Fortress Maximus, shows up out of nowhere to finish his payback to Overlord for what he did to him in LSoTW.

We saw Fortress Maximus on Luna 1, Prime's Earth Autobots, Starscream on Cybertron, and the Scavengers all receive the crew's distress signals three weeks after they were recorded. Unless the conflict on the Necrobot's planet drags itself out for three weeks, we won't be seeing any of them interfere.

That said, Firestar and the Vis Vitalis are still out there. The choice to not have them join the Lost Light was odd, the author's justification a bit flimsy, Drift/Ratchet have showed us that nearby ships can received distress signals in a timely manner, and Nautica's expressing regret over not addressing some form of relationship specifically when mentioning the process of moving from Best Friends to Robot Married...

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:We keep saying that the autobots are very outnumbered and basically should be dead.

But, what if this is not meant to come to a big all out fight? What if, with the hint in the preview, it comes to the autobots essentially sneaking around in the dark to find the ship, steal it, and escape, picking up the organics along the way? that is far more reasonable than the fight, and it would place more emphasis on individual confrontations rather than total war.

Just a thought

I don't know man. This is the DJDs swan song. This is the confrontation everyone has been waiting for for 4 years? 50 issues? This is the "finale to season two". I don't see the DJD surviving this and coming back again. They don't belong in this era anymore. The war is over and it's time to get rid of this group of monsters because their cause is gone. We know that Tarn is all about the Decepticon idealism but here's the thing: There's no actual Decepticons anymore. That's the big picture about this era now. There's hundreds on Cybertron either living in peace with everyone or living in a ghetto bitter over losing. Or you have galvatrons handful that wants to just conquer earth OR you have soundwave's group who are kind of in denial and believe in the cause but just want to be left alone. Technically the entire Decepticon faction would be on 'the list'


Seriously I just want the DJD gone and forgotten and get back to the original DJD that Simon Furman created back in the -ation. Remember them?! BANZAITRON AND THE DECEPTICON SECRET POLICE! Where the hell are they?!

Seriously if there's one Decepticon that could actually rally the cause and possibly return as a legitmare threat and not some over powered contradiction that leads of group of characters that don't even have character themselves its Banzaitron.

So far, Banzaitron has only ever been shown to direct the Secret Police. Has he even showed up since Revelation way back whenever? And what leads you to believe he has the clout to lead the Decepticons? Just because he has files on everybody, doesnt mean he can take over.

This is looking hopeless and the more I try to figure out how it might play out the less I have any idea of where it might go... And that bring my attention to the organics. "Nautica's checking on the organics." There have been little things here and there in the last few issues mentioning that gear symbol that seems on the back burner. Megatron decided to stay to protect them. We saw other pods recently. Censerre seems to have some connection to the operation. If he interfered with the message to the Lost Light, did he have time to contact anyone else? I'm really starting to wonder who ever they are could be on their way to check in their project and maybe that's the deus ex machina (HA!) this story clearly needs for the heroes to survive. And it seems like maybe it's time after fifty plus issues that the underlying quest start to come more to the forefront.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:So far, Banzaitron has only ever been shown to direct the Secret Police. Has he even showed up since Revelation way back whenever? And what leads you to believe he has the clout to lead the Decepticons? Just because he has files on everybody, doesnt mean he can take over.

He is the head of the secret police. He organized and a successful attack on Garrus 9 even had the Combaticons under his command. The dude is a high ranking Decepticon

Earnest questions, would the spark eater be the transformers equivalent of a Wendigo?

Randomhero wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:So far, Banzaitron has only ever been shown to direct the Secret Police. Has he even showed up since Revelation way back whenever? And what leads you to believe he has the clout to lead the Decepticons? Just because he has files on everybody, doesnt mean he can take over.

He is the head of the secret police. He organized and a successful attack on Garrus 9 even had the Combaticons under his command. The dude is a high ranking Decepticon

Yeah, seven yeRs ago, sure. Now I will comers that it's not impossible. But until I see it, I remain to be convinced.

I hope they use the annoyingly over powered Tailgate to sacrifice himself to cover the others escape.

God I hate him so much he should be in John Barbers comic where all the others annoying tfs like Rattrap, Kup and Windblade are.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Earnest questions, would the spark eater be the transformers equivalent of a Wendigo?

yeah pretty much. Alex's design for the original spark eater was based more on the Xenomorph from Alien

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Earnest questions, would the spark eater be the transformers equivalent of a Wendigo?

Sparkeaters have some generic cannibal monster qualities, but I don't think they have anything specifically tying into the Wendigo legends. They're as similar to Wendigos as they are to vampires, ghouls etc - the basic "monster that eats people, was once rational being" archetype.

The most standout thing a Sparkeater's done would be to immobilize someone in a hypnotism-ish manner, then use that thrall over them to force them to vomit out their brain. Don't know if that fits into existing human tales, though.

Tarn may be Sentinel Prime. Turning a Prime to the Decepticon cause would prove a huge point.
I thought spark eaters were supposed to be Cybertronian vampires or zombies or boogie men that were drawn to the brightest sparks (Rung).
Glad to finally see transformations and action in the comic.

misfire19d wrote:Tarn may be Sentinel Prime. Turning a Prime to the Decepticon cause would prove a huge point.
I thought spark eaters were supposed to be Cybertronian vampires or zombies or boogie men that were drawn to the brightest sparks (Rung).
Glad to finally see transformations and action in the comic.

Except Sentinel is currently dead - and will be revived for Titans Return!



http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... ght/35189/

The tfwiki only states sentinel prime's "barely functional" body was dropped at the feet of Prowl by Megatron. Does "barely functional" mean dead?

misfire19d wrote:The tfwiki only states sentinel prime's "barely functional" body was dropped at the feet of Prowl by Megatron. Does "barely functional" mean dead?

It really means that he could be alive or dead, as the series did not want to decide his fate then and there

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:

misfire19d wrote:The tfwiki only states sentinel prime's "barely functional" body was dropped at the feet of Prowl by Megatron. Does "barely functional" mean dead?

It really means that he could be alive or dead, as the series did not want to decide his fate then and there

That is true, yes. Though he was immediately replaced, we see the armour used by Megatron straight after, and we never go back to him at all. Plus, he looks like this, on that page:



And you know what? I'll give you this: the solicit says 'left for dead'.

THE LAST AUTOBOT! Once he ruled CYBERTRON with a brutal (and literal) iron fist... left for dead four million years ago, SENTINEL PRIME is back. But in a world where STARSCREAM rules CYBERTON, OPTIMUS PRIME has invaded Earth, and MEGATRON is an AUTOBOT—SENTINEL doesn’t like what he sees!

I still don't think it's Tarn but hmmmmmmmm.

Our next comics preview from IDW Publishing (and Newsarama) continues the arc of The Dying of the Light, with Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #53, found in full below - again, with potential spoilers for the issue, so tread lightly, and art assist by Hayato Sakamoto! Check it out, start talking the talk in the Energon Pub, and head back here on Wednesday to read the Seibertron.com review to continue the conversation.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #53
James Roberts (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)
THE DYING OF THE LIGHT part 4! Twilight’s last gleaming! The end is nigh. No chance of escape. No last-minute reprieve. But nothing loosens the tongue like imminent death, and the crew of the Lost Light use their final hours to say what—until now—was unsayable.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
Winner: Comic Alliance Best of 2015: Continues Excellence in Serial Comics!
Winner: Comic Alliance Best of 2015: Outstanding Writer—James Roberts!
Variant cover by Priscilla Tramontano!

HA! They just got friend-zoned!

Awww, Nautica! I guess this means you can have more than one Amica Endura. Otherwise, she would have broken off her friendship with Firestar.

She's, ah, flashing everybody...


Did they leave out an artist credit? "Incentive Cover Artwork by: Priscilla Tramont and"
And who?

Noideaforaname wrote:She's, ah, flashing everybody...

That was my first reaction. I mean, when a girl really likes a bunch of people, isnt that what she does? Maybe?

Not that I'd know...

Did they leave out an artist credit? "Incentive Cover Artwork by: Priscilla Tramont and"
And who?

Ahem...Priscilla Tramontano, I believe. It's an O, not a D.

Did they start drawing Brainstorm like his TR figure this issue or have they been doing it for awhile? I can't remember and my tablet isn't handy.

Mr Skram wrote:Did they start drawing Brainstorm like his TR figure this issue or have they been doing it for awhile? I can't remember and my tablet isn't handy.

Nope, that is the same body he's had for the entirety of MTMTE

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:

Mr Skram wrote:Did they start drawing Brainstorm like his TR figure this issue or have they been doing it for awhile? I can't remember and my tablet isn't handy.

Nope, that is the same body he's had for the entirety of MTMTE

I think his head changed though. This one looks like the TR head. Others seemed much closer to his Generations fig.

Mr Skram wrote:

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:

Mr Skram wrote:Did they start drawing Brainstorm like his TR figure this issue or have they been doing it for awhile? I can't remember and my tablet isn't handy.

Nope, that is the same body he's had for the entirety of MTMTE

I think his head changed though. This one looks like the TR head. Others seemed much closer to his Generations fig.

I just scanned my comics I have here, that is the same head as he has had.

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:

Mr Skram wrote:

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:

Mr Skram wrote:Did they start drawing Brainstorm like his TR figure this issue or have they been doing it for awhile? I can't remember and my tablet isn't handy.

Nope, that is the same body he's had for the entirety of MTMTE

I think his head changed though. This one looks like the TR head. Others seemed much closer to his Generations fig.

I just scanned my comics I have here, that is the same head as he has had.

I guess the TR hype has been getting to me

Mr Skram wrote:

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:

Mr Skram wrote:

D-Maximus_Primal wrote:

Mr Skram wrote:Did they start drawing Brainstorm like his TR figure this issue or have they been doing it for awhile? I can't remember and my tablet isn't handy.

Nope, that is the same body he's had for the entirety of MTMTE

I think his head changed though. This one looks like the TR head. Others seemed much closer to his Generations fig.

I just scanned my comics I have here, that is the same head as he has had.

I guess the TR hype has been getting to me

Not you're fault. Can't blame you either!

Just read it, and well, didn't see that coming! These issues are just way too short. Luckily, MTMTE you can reread plenty and find new details or ways of looking at things.

Synopsis
THE DYING OF THE LIGHT part 4! Twilight’s last gleaming! The end is nigh. No chance of escape. No last-minute reprieve. But nothing loosens the tongue like imminent death, and the crew of the Lost Light use their final hours to say what—until now—was unsayable.



Story

The Light keeps dying, slowly, inexorably, irreparably, and we are witnesses to the events as they unfold, as James Roberts allows them to, and we are left without choice (other than not to read the story, of course) - in a manner very similar to the characters in this issue, faced with choices, the illusion of such, and a lot of emotions.



And with a lot of emotions, come a lot of storylines: we have Nightbeat's intrigue with the hollow planet, and his co-opting of Rung, we have whatever Minimus Ambus and Brainstorm are doing, we have Ratchet and Velocity, Nautica and her group, Chromedome recovering, Megatron being repaired, the DJD just waiting, Whirl and Cyclonus. I could go on.



Don't get me wrong, though, there are some stellar character moments for pretty much all of the cast members in the book. And it also manages to deal quite nicely, and deeply (and on multiple fronts) with big themes such as addiction, the overwhelming fears running through the whole cast of the issue, friendship and love, and the pain that the latter two can bring as side effects.



There's ..a lot in here. And not all of it necessarily meshes that well together. We see it in the opening preview, with Nautica's otherwise very touching moment as she sees the end coming - a moment which feels too short taken within the frame of the whole issue, and that is a real shame. But more below.

Art

Alex Milne is the main artist on the book, though the Whirl/Cyclonus sequence is actually the talented hands of Hayato Sakamoto, and it shows. Not just the parallels, but the issues that come across in the script in terms of pacing are visually redeemed (for me at least) by punching the 'meanwhile' technique is a truly spectacular way. And one panel, that one panel, THAT PANEL, is almost painful.



Joana Lafuente's gradual transition in colour palettes, from the arrival on the beautifully lit Necroworld to now



Tom B. Long takes the letters and makes sure we know exactly where to look, what to hear, and how loudly (or softly). In a text that so much unsaid finally spoken, the indication is needed, welcome, and part of the emotional package. The covers, on the other hand, do very little to hint at anything happening inside this book, though great they are! Priscilla Tramontano brings a much happier Swerve memory (thumbnail), as Josh Burcham and Sakamoto show off the threat that awaits, and Milne and Josh Perez look at that thread from our side of the fence.


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Reader, I cried. Much like the issue in this series that provided the template for the culprit image, I felt the same build up on the page, in the characters, and inside my emotional chamber, as I was led to the resolution of that particular arc. It doesn't end there, of course, but if I have to talk about one moment, that is the one that stuck. The art, as I said above, is mostly to blame.



There are, I repeat here, some severe pacing issues, trying to fit in a number of personal narratives that just do not survive the composition, either coming across as rushed, disjointed or even shoehorned in - which the visuals do wonders with. It's a collection of character moments, beautiful, each unique in their own way, and well-done taken separately. But we need the climax. It is time.

Well, I was wrong about Dominus, but not really in an expected way. At least I was fairly close, him actually being there in the DJD. Also, that section with Dome and Rewind, that was the highlight of the issue. That was a great story part.

And oh yes, Maximus Ambus!!

Two thoughts:

Dominus as the first Vos/the Pet provides Tarn with a bit more motivation to do what he did to Kaon. It wasn't just the weakness of emotions a attachment, it was sympathy towards an Autobot.

I guess the last Scavengers story was some sort foreshadowing with the Roboids. I wonder if Demus learned his trade from the DJD?