Transformers #25 preview. Options

[Mako Crab]

Just saying; trying to create a moral principle out of a Micheal Bay action movie is asking for trouble.

ROTF should not form the basis of anyone's moral axis.

Agreed.
But by that same token, I'm reminded of a particularly meaningful movie review by Martin. R. Schneider, wherein he said,

Too often we tell ourselves that if a movie is made for kids, we shouldn't analyze it too hard, and that is insane. We should take an ever closer look at films designed to entertain our children. Children are impressionable, and what they see in their programming leaves a mark on their development, whether we want to admit it or not.

Taken from his review of "Mars Needs Moms."

[G1MarvelBlaster]

Any reason this didn't make it to the comics subforum other than pure apathy? I can't wait til Costa's off the book just because of the pacing of these things. This run on the ongoing's had some interesting ideas for a standard 6-issue TPB. Unfortunately this is issue 25. I like some of the plot threads with the Children of Earth and even Spike's execution of Scrapper, but they've taken to long to do anything and until this issue Costa's really gone nowhere with them. I'm hopeful that Chaos eventually makes all the build up and build and build up lead to something, but so far it's been two issues of set up on top of a prior twenty or so issues of set up. I want to see stuff actually happen.

[Nanite]

Lots of talking, and things happening without anything really happening. Ok, I guess.

I am sort of confused as to why LSOE exists. Are there threads that need tying up? Because this was just creating new ones.

This post has been edited by Nanite: Sep 21 2011, 02:07 PM

[Magnusblitz]

Well, the potential is here for an interesting direction, but we've been down that road before with Costa. You can see coming a mile away the Autobots will find out about Spike killing Scrapper, and the Autobots will be pissed about it. (Wouldn't it be amazing if the Autobots actually just said "oh, you killed Scrapper? Meh, good job." That's obviously too much to hope for). Okay, so there's probably some more shadowy faction out there trapping Prowl in or trying to cover it up, but eh.

Still kinda tweaks me that guys like Streetwise and Jazz feel written so out-of-character. Jazz feels like he could be any Autobot like Brawn, Cliffjumper, etc - it's really hard to see him as the guy who is quietly frustrated and seething since he's so laid back. And Streetwise is supposed to be anything but "dumb muscle". HIS NAME IS HUGGING "STREETWISE".

This post has been edited by Magnusblitz: Sep 21 2011, 11:22 PM

[BB Shockwave]

I don't even get why the Autobots care that Spike killed Scrapper. Scrapper killed countless humans on his own and as part of Devastator. And no doubt he killed many Autobots in his time too. He goes into hiding at a construction site. Just sitting there in alt mode, minding his own business, not bothering anyone. Then Spike weeds him out and takes him on single-handedly. Scrapper tries to *kill* Spike, but Spike throws some acid on him and uses his wits to get the upper hand. Scrapper, crippled and offering to surrender, has his head blown off by Spike.

I didn't make the connection until now, but this is the exact same thing that Optimus did at the start of RotF! Demolishor is similarly in hiding at a construction site. Once detected, he makes a run for it and kills many people in the process. Optimus and co. hunt him down, cripple him, and as he laid there sputtering his last words, Prime shot him in the face.

So who's wrong? Who's right?

There's a difference. ROTF depicted a military operation, fully authorized by two governments minimum (US and maybe UK sending in the troops, China allowing them in), with Optimus killing a defiant enemy in a situation where he really didn't have any other options (where was he gonna imprison Demolishor anyway? Detroit?). Issue #8 had Spike operating on his own, without authorization, and specifically hunting down and killing Scrapper where other options were at least possible; we were clearly shown that Cybertronians (Autobots and Decepticons) were captured rather than killed. If Spike's actions were part of an authorized military operation, then we wouldn't have a problem here. As it stands, he's existing in a morally grey area at least.

I'm just saying.

AHM has shown us Thrust, and (possibly) Ravage killed by the humans the same way. Heck, Thrust had his LEGS BLOWN OFF and was covered by debris. No Autobot ever batted an optic sensor covering about their fates.

Which just goes to show how much of a desperate need this IDW TF franchise is for a reboot. I was hoping, after AHM, that the original Furman-verse could still be salvaged, but too much harm was done since than. Let Roberts/Nick start over, hire Furman for story editor and occasional writer, and sign a contract with Chris Ryall that if he changes writers in 2 years time, they will cut his fingers off, jakuza-style.

I consider it the bane of current comic storytelling, ever since 2000 or so, that hardly any single writer team can stay on a comic for more then a year.

Just saying; trying to create a moral principle out of a Micheal Bay action movie is asking for trouble.

ROTF should not form the basis of anyone's moral axis.

I'm sure many would say the same about using Transformers at all to form the basis of anyone's moral axis.

There is a difference between a 27-year-old franchise that produced memorable characters and epic storylines as well as a wise and just leader character in Optimus Prime whom many compare to the likes of Superman or Captain America despite being much "younger" - and a campy summer blockbuster movie which's script was cobbled together in 2 weeks during a writer's strike by a guy who's basically a giant 10-year old with an explosion fetish.

BB Shockwave - I considered Optimus Prime (Marvel G1) a moral role model when I was a kid, and I am proud of it.

This post has been edited by BB Shockwave: Sep 29 2011, 09:12 AM