[IDW] Robots in Disguise #4 Options

[Sockie]

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=46208

Starscream makes the perfect politician. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

Nice to see further focus on Dirge, too.

[Wildwade]

"Always bet on the leader".

Skydive being one of Drift's old mates...

Man, is it nice to know that a writer has actually read the previous stuff.

[Octavius Prime]

Sunstorm's back. Wonder if we'll learn more about him. I really doubt he'd have much in common with DW Sunstorm if Starscream just let him languish around on that asteroid post-AHM.

Anyway, I can't wait until the TPBs for both this and MTMTE come out this summer.

[Devcon]

"Devisive"?

Nice use of a spell check there.

Hell, it's even spelled correctly when Bombshell says it on the last page of the preview.

Still, can't wait to get this. Will probably buy it (internet connection willing) on my stop-over to Botcon on Wednesday. Make some in-flight reading (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

[Cabooceratops]

Well hey there Generations Warpath.

Also I like how they highlighted the whole name reuse thing.

[Walky]

"Devisive"?

Nice use of a spell check there.

I think the title is a pun. You know. "Device." "Divisive." Because of the cerebro shells.

This post has been edited by Code of Walky: Apr 23 2012, 06:32 PM

[CORVUS]

Intrigue! Actual, INTERESTING intrigue! Keen (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

[Fenix Twilight]

"Bubble Bee" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif) If it wasn't for Dirge's correction I would have thought that was an actual typo.

Cool, Warpath has his Generation toy body, I shouldn't be surprised though.

Skydive the Predator, cool- oh he's dead.

Sunstorm, also cool to see, wonder what Bombshell has planed.

Lastly, I want the FoC Starscream toy more each time I see him in this, and if this keeps going I'm going to want the other 4 Seekers just as much. And I want a toy of Prowl.

[Repugnus]

Skydive! Noooooooo!

Wait, it's Sunstorm! Yaaaaaay!

"Always bet on the leader".

Skydive being one of Drift's old mates...

Man, is it nice to know that a writer has actually read the previous stuff.

I was thinking the exact same thing, especially with Swindle quoting Skywarp's old line from Spotlight: Ramjet!

[Cyoti]

Starscream is building his powerbase.

OP was right.

Once Megs comes back, this new government won't last a second.

This post has been edited by Cyoti: Apr 23 2012, 09:40 PM

[corgsopal]

Well hey there Generations Warpath.

Also I like how they highlighted the whole name reuse thing.

Skydive used to be named Prowl. All the good names were taken.

[Bass X0]

Skydive the Predator, cool- oh he's dead.

He's the kind of character whose only purpose in fiction is to be a casualty. He just wouldn't have appeared otherwise.

Skyquake - dead.
Stalker - dead.
Snare - dead.
Skydive - dead.

You better watch out Falcon and and Talon! Run!

This post has been edited by Bass X0: Apr 24 2012, 05:39 AM

[BB Shockwave]

I am liking this comic less and less by each issue. Barber still can't get past his urge to kill at least 2-3 cons per issue... And Prowl is getting way out of character. No, I don't mean the preview. A friend of mine told me what the rest of the issue contains...

Let me just say without spoilers, that things get really ugly really fast.

Maybe this comic is realistic, and shows us the ugly side of politics, that still doesn't mean I like it, though. Especially since MTMTE is so much more fun.

Also, I wish we would have dropped the silly idea Costa made up that Bombshell's cerebro-shells are tiny little evil weevils colored just like him. The point of the shell is to NOT to arouse suspicion that the Bot is mind-controlled. If you can see it on his helmet, it kinda ruins the plan.

Skydive the Predator, cool- oh he's dead.

He's the kind of character whose only purpose in fiction is to be a casualty. He just wouldn't have appeared otherwise.

Skyquake - dead.
Stalker - dead.
Snare - dead.
Skydive - dead.

You better watch out Falcon and and Talon! Run!

And yet, remember how memorable Nick and James made Snare? Here, he is just dropped into the body bag.
Skydive could have appeared alongside the many other predators in MTMTE (after all, they sort of have conquered a whole sector, if you read Snare's bio...) so yeah, once again... they could and should have rather used a generic like MTMTE did.

But trust me, after you have read the issue, his death will be the one that'll bother you the least, compared to the others.



This post has been edited by BB Shockwave: Apr 24 2012, 05:22 PM

[Bass X0]

I think the only reason Skydive is used was to make a joke about him having the same name as an Aerialbot.

[Sockie]

I am liking this comic less and less by each issue. Barber still can't get past his urge to kill at least 2-3 cons per issue... And Prowl is getting way out of character. No, I don't mean the preview. A friend of mine told me what the rest of the issue contains...

Let me just say without spoilers, that things get really ugly really fast.

Maybe this comic is realistic, and shows us the ugly side of politics, that still doesn't mean I like it, though. Especially since MTMTE is so much more fun.

Also, I wish we would have dropped the silly idea Costa made up that Bombshell's cerebro-shells are tiny little evil weevils colored just like him. The point of the shell is to NOT to arouse suspicion that the Bot is mind-controlled. If you can see it on his helmet, it kinda ruins the plan.

Hey now, Barber did confirm Dirge and Deluge as being alive. He could have easily said the Autobots axed them, but he didn't. So it's not like he's killing Cons, and nothing else.

Plus, there's a large downside to killing generics instead of actual characters: do you really care if it was a nameless Con who bit the dust...?

[Total Biscuit]

I am liking this comic less and less by each issue. Barber still can't get past his urge to kill at least 2-3 cons per issue... And Prowl is getting way out of character. No, I don't mean the preview. A friend of mine told me what the rest of the issue contains...

Let me just say without spoilers, that things get really ugly really fast.

Maybe this comic is realistic, and shows us the ugly side of politics, that still doesn't mean I like it, though. Especially since MTMTE is so much more fun.

Also, I wish we would have dropped the silly idea Costa made up that Bombshell's cerebro-shells are tiny little evil weevils colored just like him. The point of the shell is to NOT to arouse suspicion that the Bot is mind-controlled. If you can see it on his helmet, it kinda ruins the plan.

Hey now, Barber did confirm Dirge and Deluge as being alive. He could have easily said the Autobots axed them, but he didn't. So it's not like he's killing Cons, and nothing else.

Plus, there's a large downside to killing generics instead of actual characters: do you really care if it was a nameless Con who bit the dust...?

I cared about Barrelroll and most of the 'generic' origional characters in MTMTE. As long as they get a chance to express some personality, to become a character, not just a generic to be sacrificed, then having a toy at some point in the last three decades is neither here nor there.

However, given the number of pre existing near blank slate toys with an interesting but unexploited bio rich with storytelling potential out there, it's a huge waste to just keep wheeling them out for a hi then die cameo that will prevent someone using them to their full potential down the line, even if they still kill them off at the end of it.

And by 'someone' I mean Roche and Roberts obviously.

Also while Dirge survived, Deluge still dies offscreen, it's just changed to being eaten by the Swarm rather than beaten to death by vengeful autobots.

[Bass X0]

Not all the toy characters will appear in fiction. Neither is there time or space to give all of them meaningful characterisation.

So its preferable to sort them out into "use" and "kill off" piles. I care more about Skydive than I do a random generic. Being Skydive gives him instant backstory (being a Predator) without it being shown that a generic couldn't do. Skydive got to appear in two panels of a comic. Being dead is irrelevant. Its more than many toys get. Vroom is still alive but he only appeared in one panel and isn't likely to be used again, especially in any meaningful role.

Anyway, if I was writing the story then decided later I shouldn't have killed off Skydive, I'd use his Japanese counter-part Dark Jet instead. Identical appearance, different name, different character.

I'd also probably tease the readers by killing off Jazz at the end of one issue then have Jazz appear alive in the next issue saying how actually his twin brother Meister just died.

This post has been edited by Bass X0: Apr 25 2012, 04:33 AM

[Total Biscuit]

The only reason we have Skydives Predator backstory is because Snare, Stalker and Skyquake appeared in LSOTW, and fleshed out the subgroups back story. Of them, only Skyquake got immediately killed off, while Snare and Stalker got several issues before dying while generics took up the brunt of the death count. And even then, Skyquake at least died to get across just how dangerous and insanely ruthless Overlord was.

If the script needs a death that's of no importance for anything other than to have a death, then I think it's better to use generics. If you're going to kill of not only an existing character, no matter how minor, and thus all their potential o be more, it should really be a death that has impact and at least some importance to the plot, even if it is just to make another character more important to the narrative.

Plus, while there are loads of unused toy characters, there's not an infinite amount of them, and they are all different, even if not by much for some, and killing any of them will mean a smaller pool of unique characters to draw from for future writers.

Also, I find the suggestion of killing off Meister to trick the reader into thinking Jazz is dead is awful, and a cheap attempt to add false drama.

[Bass X0]

If the script needs a death that's of no importance for anything other than to have a death, then I think it's better to use generics. If you're going to kill of not only an existing character, no matter how minor, and thus all their potential o be more, it should really be a death that has impact and at least some importance to the plot, even if it is just to make another character more important to the narrative.

Nobody cares for generics. The death of a generic is meaningless. It just gives the main characters "plot armor" and reduces tension because we know they wouldn't kill off someone with a toy. They're also not allowed by the fans to kill off Gobots in place of generics.

If I were writing a story and wanted a death like Skydive's here, I would go through the Z-listers first. Say the Brazillian Mini-Bots, Diaclone color schemes that didn't get released as Transformers and others. Familar faces that the reader would know but not important characters that have stories. Unless you're going to tell me that Saltman-Z has potential as a character and shouldn't be killed off either.

Plus, while there are loads of unused toy characters, there's not an infinite amount of them, and they are all different, even if not by much for some, and killing any of them will mean a smaller pool of unique characters to draw from for future writers.

I don't see it as a smaller pool. IDW's run of Transformers comics isn't going to last forever and when it does finally end, there will still be hundreds of characters with toys who haven't appeared in even one panel during the entire run of their comics.

Take Snare. He's memorable for his character in LSotW. But it didn't have to be Snare. Roche and Roberts wrote a memorable character and assigned it to a blank slate. If it had been any of the four small Predator jets, nobody would have been able to tell the difference.

Unused toy characters are infinite as long as Hasbro keeps making Transformers toys. So I like it when they actually use some of those characters / toys in the comics.

[Sockie]

Also while Dirge survived, Deluge still dies offscreen, it's just changed to being eaten by the Swarm rather than beaten to death by vengeful autobots.

Huh, was that said? I didn't even realize that. My mistake.