Forget Spike and Carly - I wanna know when Buster, Jesse, and "O" are going to get some love.
Beast Wars was boring because it took so long to do the setup. But the complaint against this one issue is that you wanted more exposition and dragged-out introductions? There's a spaceship crashed on Earth with two warring factions of deactivated robots on it. A couple bad robots and a couple good robots are reactivated before the computer that rebuilds them is destroyed. And we're clearly shown (not told) which are good and which are bad. (Though apparently depicting the evil robots as *this* evil is controversial.) We don't need to know what the Ark is. (Is it even named?) We don't need to know anything about Teletraan that we weren't already shown. Obviously character introductions/motivations/etc. will be made later to Spike/Carly, et al, I'm assuming with issue 2...I read this earlier in the week. It really reminded me of IDW's Beast Wars ongoing... practically everything is the same, and what's different isn't interesting.
I also get the impression the writers really assume that you've watched MTMTE, so they don't need to explain what Transformers are, who Bumblebee is, what the Ark is, how Teletan 1 is waking robots up (at random?), etc.
Teletran 1 was sure as heck shown to be reassembling transformers from many small parts, so when Starscream shoots that one random robot or that OTHER one random robot who maybe sorta dies at the end... we know they're not really dead, which makes his actions inherently futile.
I hate to say it, but this issue felt MEAN and SLOPPY; like they were so sure of their extended cinematic universe they pulled a Batman V Superman... assumed you knew who the characters were and fast forwarded to the good stuff, "good stuff" here being Starscream squishing a human being?
Ratchet Kicking and Optimus running towards the panel are neat visual nods, but you can't build a universe off of 'memberberries and sloppy writing.
Nah, sorry. I agree with Salt-Man Z. It was an effective way of "show don't tell." Even if you knew NOTHING about Transformers (and statically at least a few people who read this issue wouldn't have) the scene tells you a few things.According to DWJ, Hasbro was pretty on board with blowing Bumblebee's face off because they felt he was played out as well.. which, like..
Just don't use him? You can just not use him! It's not like when they got tired of Windblade they just started treating her like a Cy-kill cameo from the 2000's... they just stopped using her as much. It was real easy!
It just comes accross as way too edgelordy, hur hur we shot the kid appeal character in the face. Especially when it was done in such a way that it won't seem outlandish when they inevitibly bring him back later.
Like, he was already offline; just make it so Prime can't recover the body and boom, done, he's out of the picture until you change your mind (which someone will do, whether it's DWJ or whoever comes after.)
Between this and RotB it really feels like Hasbro wants to stop doing Bumblebee stuff but also knows he sells so they keep doing it. They want to have their cake and shoot it too.
If you shoot a generic there's less weight for the people who do know the franchise. Ironhide? You could shoot him, but Bumblebee works because he's that evergreen kid appeal character.You don't need to shoot and disfigure the kid appeal evergreen character to show the Decepticons as bad guys. there's a lot of Ark crew that aren't going to be utilized anytime soon. Shoot Ironhide to homage the '86 film. Shoot a generic. Shoot someone who isn't on such a level that he's 100% guarrenteed to eventually be brought back.
But no, they picked Bumblebee to blow the face off of, and the only reason to do that is for shock value.
I'm not over-simplifying anything. I'm saying that Bumblebee getting shot in the face doesn't even scratch the Top 5 grimdark edgelord crap this comic franchise has done, and that's JUST counting SB and IDW.That's why it's edgelordy. Not because someone dies (which is a silly oversimplification of what I'm saying, also I don't think Bee is dead), but because of the context of who got shot and how.
If you shoot a generic there's less weight for the people who do know the franchise. Ironhide? You could shoot him, but Bumblebee works because he's that evergreen kid appeal character.
Like Hasbro wanted to use him less because of over-saturation and DWJ wanted to kill someone to set the stakes, it seems like it was a perfect confluence of creativity and corporate mandates where everyone got something they wanted.
I'm not over-simplifying anything. I'm saying that Bumblebee getting shot in the face doesn't even scratch the Top 5 grimdark edgelord crap this comic franchise has done, and that's JUST counting SB and IDW.
To me the two are almost synonymous.I never mentioend grimdark, which is a seperate thing from being edgelordy, though I think we might have different definitions of what being an edgelord is so we may have to agree to disagree here.
And when he does, make it IDW?Until Megatron joins the Autobots, make mine Marvel.
Bee was shot in the face, they're low on energon but Ratchet survived, so I'm just assuming he'll save him but won't be able to repair Bee and we'll have Mute-Bee for awhile (ugh).
DWJ has stated he doesn't like the live action movies, so hopefully they'll avoid that little bit of cross continuity inspiration.Bee was shot in the face, they're low on energon but Ratchet survived, so I'm just assuming he'll save him but won't be able to repair Bee and we'll have Mute-Bee for awhile (ugh).
Ah, so it'll be beeping Bee from Prime instead.DWJ has stated he doesn't like the live action movies, so hopefully they'll avoid that little bit of cross continuity inspiration.