IDW Beast Wars Sourcebook TPB, Looking... better Options

[Chris McFeely]

Hi-ho all, just standing in work here unpacking this week's order of comics and couldn't resist a quick flip through the trade paperback edition of the BW Sourcebook that's out this week. In brief - generally, the layouts haven't changed in any particular way that I can see (ie: they still look terrible, with huge amounts of whitespace and odd motto placement), but spellings are fixed (eg Wolfang), there's *loads* of colour corrections, (eg Blackarachnia, BB) and some characters have new art (Dinobot), and additional art of the modes that were missing the first time around (Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Optimus Primal, but... not Megatron). Additionally, characters who were completely undeserving of two page spreads (Corahda, Bigmos) have been bumped back down to one, and characters like Blackarachnia have now got two. The promised glossary is also included.

Right, back to work!

[lastmaximal]

oh yeah. buying this then. thanks for the heads up!

[The Walky]

But have they rewritten everything to be good?

[Bass X0]

Mmmmm.... Yeeessss.....

[Chris McFeely]

But have they rewritten everything to be good?

Well, Nick Roche was in my town last weekend for a comics festival, and I questioned him about it, and he said that he *thought* he'd heard there actually had been some re-writes, but glancing through the book, nothing jumps out at me (Hardhead is still not dumb, for instance). Perhaps he was just referring to the removal of some of the typographical errors.

[Chip]

They didn't even bother reinstating all the art that was supposed to be in there? Why can't IDW hire and retain competent editors?

[Echowarrior]

Well, this'll definitely be a purchase...I just hope my local comic shops still have it by the time I get there.

[Chris McFeely]

They didn't even bother reinstating all the art that was supposed to be in there? Why can't IDW hire and retain competent editors?

Well, I've just listed a few examples up there. I'm sure there are more articles with extra art. Let's see... *flip* ...Gigastorm. There's art of his scout car now.

[Bass X0]

Did Hellscream get new beast mode artwork? The original was a poorly drawn messy blob.

[Chip]

It amazes me that people who paid good money for the first version will pay good money again for the second. It only encourages failure; if they can make more money by not trying to get it right the first time, why try?

[Bass X0]

Its because everything can be bettered if they have another stab at it and know where they went wrong the first time.

Why should some poorly produced crap remain crap if the option is there to better themselves?

[Ursa Magnus]

They also admitted that elements of this project had slipped past them the first time, through various circumstances. While that's unfortunate, they're looking to try to correct that mistake by fixing many things that were wrong. Something that for all intents and purposes, they're not required to do. They're expending the extra time and effort as a courtesy. And we should be thankful for that, and support them in this effort. Negative thinking and holding grudges on 'our' part would be counterproductive.

I'm glad to give them the opportunity, and thankful they're doing it.

[callandor]

Are there any good online places to order this? Amazon does not seem to have it in stock and the comic shops around me don't carry much in the line of TPB.

[Chip]

Its because everything can be bettered if they have another stab at it and know where they went wrong the first time.

Why should some poorly produced crap remain crap if the option is there to better themselves?

Partly because it's still crap. They know where they went wrong, and they only fixed a few things.

Partly because there's making mistakes, and there's choosing to release something that was produced without a goddamn editor. That's obscene.

And partly because even with the errors fixed, even with the basic level of competence that any publisher should be held to, and without which we've had to focus primarily on errors rather than on content... this still wouldn't be a good book. It wouldn't be as poor as Micromasters, but it wouldn't be good.

[Chip]

They also admitted that elements of this project had slipped past them the first time, through various circumstances. While that's unfortunate, they're looking to try to correct that mistake by fixing many things that were wrong. Something that for all intents and purposes, they're not required to do. They're expending the extra time and effort as a courtesy. And we should be thankful for that, and support them in this effort. Negative thinking and holding grudges on 'our' part would be counterproductive.

I'm glad to give them the opportunity, and thankful they're doing it.

...Wow. I hadn't realized they were entitled to both my money and my praise. I thought the point of improving a product was to sell more of it, which an unimproved TPB of this crap would absolutely not have done; or maybe it would have, since we're clearly supposed to be supportive no matter what. Jesus, your line of thinking is offensive to me.

I'm not exactly known for being negative about things. I'll be negative about this, because it's a negative thing.

[The Walky]

If they rewrote the whole thing to be good and got rid of the most offensive art, then sure. I'd pay them money for it.

Frankly, I'm still a little pissed that I paid money for the first two terrible, terrible issues. It is something I will regret and hate until I die.

This post has been edited by Universe Walky: Jun 18 2008, 02:54 PM

[Chip]

If they rewrote the whole thing to be good and got rid of the most offensive art, then sure. I'd pay them money for it.

Frankly, I'm still a little pissed that I paid money for the first two terrible, terrible issues. It is something I will regret and hate until I die.

I'd like to note that I bought Megatron: Origin twice. I'm a sucker for Transformers stories. I just need them to at least try to earn my money.

[DrSpengler]

But have they rewritten everything to be good?

Well, Nick Roche was in my town last weekend for a comics festival, and I questioned him about it, and he said that he *thought* he'd heard there actually had been some re-writes, but glancing through the book, nothing jumps out at me (Hardhead is still not dumb, for instance). Perhaps he was just referring to the removal of some of the typographical errors.

Yeah, if Hardhead is still R. Lee Ermy, Mantis is still Mr. Rogers and Diver is still Rambo, then count me out.

I could suffer all the terrible art, spelling errors and wasteful layouts, but Yee going all fanfictiony on the Japanese characters, trying to "fix" them? No thank you.

That, to me, was the worst offense of the entire project.

[The Walky]

Yeah, but Megatron Origin was only kinda boring and pointless and incomprehensible. And if it ruined anything by association, it is only G1, or at least just IDW's version of it. No big. But BW Sourcebook was just downright insulting to my sensibilities and counter to every feeling I have about Beast Wars, which for ten years was the best single thing about Transformers.

This post has been edited by Universe Walky: Jun 18 2008, 03:10 PM

[The Walky]

Yeah, if Hardhead is still R. Lee Ermy, Mantis is still Mr. Rogers and Diver is still Rambo, then count me out.

I could suffer all the terrible art, spelling errors and wasteful layouts, but Yee going all fanfictiony on the Japanese characters, trying to "fix" them? No thank you.

That, to me, was the worst offense of the entire project.

I thought so too, until I saw Silverbolt's art.