Beast Wars Comic Thread

[Sabrblade]

I just read the annual. Three standalone stories written by guest authors and drawn by guest artists.

While the first is definitely set between issues #9 and #10 (since Terrorsaur is still alive while Blackarachnia is with the Preds), I can only guess that the second take places between #12 and #13 since it's implied by the start of #13 that some time and more battles have passed in between those two. As for the third, the writer confirmed on Twitter that it is set immediately after #14.

We get another new character in the first story (but who hasn't shown up in the main issues), and the annual contains a four-page preview of issue #16... despite #15 having not been released yet.

And, with this preview, the annual declares that it is Part 1 of the comic's two-part finale, confirming that #17 will be the final issue (most likely due to IDW's losing the Transformers license by the end of this year). 'Twas a short-lived run, but at least Burnham and Burcham get to end it on their terms (something not a lot of people in their position get to do in cases like this).


On a different note, I think I may have a guess as to who it was that Hasbro vetoed in Razorbeast's role, but I'll wait until the last three issues come out before saying who, just in case this person ever shows up before the end and potentially proves me wrong.

 

[Sabrblade]

Issue #15 and it's the Winston Chan art again.

In addition to the two newcomers from last issue, we get three more, for a total of five new faces.

The Vok have their biggest role to play here yet, and we really do get a better fix on their distinct personalities. Like the cartoon Vok, their experiment with the planet has been upset by the Maximals and Predacons and, in their arrogance, they seek to do away with the interlopers once and for all. and yet, Both Pakak and Tikaani still remain curious and intrigued by new possibilities offered by said interlopers, while Tonrar remains his usual hostile self, wanting the Maximals and Predacons disposed of immediately. But, Pakak and Tikaani are scientists above all else and, in their hubris, await to see what unfolds in the next few final issues, much to Tonrar's endless frustration over the experiment's continued contamination.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Spoiler

Tigatron and Airrazor being part of the Vok-aligned nature-loving group kind of makes a odd amount of sense.

And, yeah, the Vok's quibbling with each other is kind of unique to this version of the story. Shame we only get two more issues of it. It really didn't get a chance to go anywhere.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

The second to last issue is out.

Spoiler

Honestly, I think the best way to beat the Vok is to threaten to blow up the planet. I could see some of the Predacons doing that. The only thing they REALLY care about is their experiments, threaten to take that away and they're putty in your hands.

And at this point...they could actually DO it. I don't think this is Earth, and the series is ending, anyway. Why not just blow it all sky high? At least the series could end with a bang.

But, the most likely thing that's going to happen is Ravage will show up in his ship. Since Tarantulas sent that message to Cybertron and all. It would make a fun last page reveal...though kind of pointless at this point. BLOW IT ALL UP, I SAY!

Rhinox dissected a Kremzeek. Huh. How DOES that work?

Nyx and Skold actually seem to be bonding. That's kind of nice...a little worrying since we know Skold's got a bit of a temper problem, but for now it's nice.

It's a okay issue, but it's mostly set up for the finale. It's kind of bittersweet to see this series go. It had potential.

 

[Glitch]

From the preview Waspinator mentions he has two degree's in Anstromechanics.
I wondered what his role on the Darksyde was and it occurred to me he might have been the Darksyde's pilot and/or Engineer, assigned to it's construction and he conspired with Megatron for a cut of energon, at least in the original cartoon.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

The final issue is here. It's over...FINISHED! It was alright. Didn't blow me away, but it's a solid enough stopping point.

Spoiler

Didn't really expect them to actually be able to KILL the Vok. That..would probably have repercussions, if the series were to continue.

"You always want some sort of safety precaution on the moon"-This was a cute gag.

Also, cute that they kind of recreated the Animated version of the Predacon faction. With Blackarachnia leading them, and Waspinator and Inferno as her lackeys.

Not sure if the cave that Megatron's in at the end is supposed to be where the Ark is buried or not.

Honestly, I kind of wonder if the creators of the book are kind of hoping for Skybound or whoever to continue it when they get the license. I just have to wonder if they're holding out a little bit of hope for it coming back and them getting to come back with it.

It was kind of neat to hear a little about their unused plans. (See, Ian, this is all I wanted Lost Hedgehog Tales to be!) Rhinox suspected as a traitor, and eventually seeing Tripredacus and Magnaboss would have been neat. And HEY, they wanted to get the G1 Dinobots in here, just like I suggested way back when. They have good taste.

One minus, in my eyes...they never explain if this planet they're on is supposed to be Earth or not! I would have liked some clarification on that. Oh, well...too late now.

Overall, I think this series was...fine. Not great, not terrible, just...fine. I think they REALLY should have had some big THING in the first issue to get people excited about the new comic. A new direction, something new to explore. As it was, it was just a *little* too close to the old show, without bringing much of anything else to the table. And any changes they DID have (like Dinobot ending up crippled) were backpedaled pretty quickly. I blame Hasbro, not the writer or artist, they probably tried, but Hasbro likely wanted to play it safe. As it stands, Nyx and Skold *might* end up showing up somewhere in the future...but I don't think this comic will have much more of a legacy than that. It's a shame.

Overall the series gets a 7/10. C+. A good effort, but a little too similar to the old show.

 

[Sabrblade]

Spoiler

Not sure if the cave that Megatron's in at the end is supposed to be where the Ark is buried or not.

Spoiler

It's actually a cave containing the stasis pod of Protoform X.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Spoiler

*looks again* Oh...okay, I guess I just thought that was reflection off the ice. That's pretty subtle, actually. I kind of forgot about Rampage.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I had more fun playing the old PC Beast Wars game wandering around for hours wondering why nothing I did made the level END ALREADY than reading this comic.

What a shame.

 

[Magnusblitz]

I had more fun playing the old PC Beast Wars game wandering around for hours wondering why nothing I did made the level END ALREADY than reading this comic.

It's not THAT bad (lol) but this was a pretty dull thud of an ending. It does get some sympathy from me because I know it's always tough to wrap things up when you find out suddenly that the book is coming to an abrupt end, especially here where it was for reasons out of the creators' control (i.e., it wasn't poor sales).

That said, I do think this creative team just wasn't a good fit for this book. Hard to say (especially since the creators often post here, and seem like good guys), but, that's my honest impression. Burcham has a unique style but I think the sharpness/geometric feel of it is a bad match for organics. And Burnham's writing was just sorta dull... never really built up to anything, or had any real sense of climax or drama (example: Waspinator and Rattrap just build a gun that kills Vok, no problem). The biggest dramatic moment (Razorbeast's death) was also the biggest misstep IMO. Reading the list of plots they didn't get to do, well... some sound good (disappointed the spy plot went unresolved), some meh (Rattrap glitching on his fruit diet) and some bad (Quickstrike and Scorponok rivalry, G1 Dinobots, Magnaboss/Tripedacus). I do agree they were somewhat hamstrung from what I suspect was orders from above to use the main show characters... I'd really like to see a book that uses all the unknown guys who never got a chance for any spotlight time.

 

[Sabrblade]

I'm real curious about who it was that Hasbro was like "No, you can't use that character" and led to their using Razorbeast instead.

My guess is that it was originally going to be Tigatron, and that Hasbro stepped in and vetoed the initial use of him when they found out he was going to be killed off the way Razorbeast was. And that the rush to end the series at #17 changed plans enough for them to instead use Tigatron the way they did end up using him.

 

[Salt-Man Z]

I've had this on my Fire unread for almost a week now, and keep forgetting it even exists. It's a shame the series wasn't allowed to run a few more years, I feel like it was just getting to that point where a so-so comic starts to get a feel for what it wants to actually be. It could have been fun to see where it might have gone.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

The writing is the core problem. Nothing could have saved the book from this writing. It wouldn't matter if they used an all new cast and mixed up the premise a bit more. No cast could make this dialog sound normal. No plot twists could survive being so aggressively spelled out and talked to death like this. A more fitting artist would still be stuck drawing static poses as the characters yak at each other all day long.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

I'll admit, the book could have stood be a little more...quippy? A little bit more personality and friction between the cast would have been nice. I think a *little* bit of their personalities managed to shine through, but they all seemed a little watered down. They were all just so...reasonable, I guess. Dinobot especially.

I'm real curious about who it was that Hasbro was like "No, you can't use that character" and led to their using Razorbeast instead.

Part of me wants to guess it'd be one of the Japanese guys. Like Lio Convoy or something. Razorbeast kind of had a "noble mentor" air about him in this comic.

Other than that....maybe someone who's too "cute"? I don't know, maybe Break the Penguin or something. Hasbro probably wouldn't allow them to kill a penguin, right?