ZacWilliam's TF:WWI #1 Review
ZacWilliam
God Bless Furman. God Bless Don.
Now *THIS* is the sort of book so many
Transformers fans were hoping for when
DW announced they were doing TF comics.
Well written, TF-centric, tons of characters
and tons of characterization, and awesome
art. There's a LOT to cover here, so lets
get going:
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Like I said, there's so much to cover here
it's hard to know where to start. I
guess I'll follow Lewis Carol's advice
and start from the begining, follow through,
and when I get to the end, stop.
So, the begining -
The cover looks great. It's an image
that's been around the web for a while
now, so no real surprises, but it's great
to be able to see it so large and get a
good look at all the tiny details. (Great
little details in the Art are Don's
speciallty and the book is PACKED with
easter eggs for TF fans. I LOVE having
a fellow fan for an artist!) So, that said,
let's move inside.
The first page is simply beautiful in
both composition and coloring. And the
first line is a winer too: "Sentinel Prime
is dead..." Great dramatic line and image
to open with. Those of you familiar with
the old TF comics likely know that the
name "Sentinel Prime" for Optimus's
predicessor comes from there. This is
also the first hint that, as expected with
Simon writing, this series will draw
strongly from the background stories he
created in the old Marvel series.
(Although there are definate influence
from other TF continuities at play as
well, as we will see).
On to Pages 2 , 3, and 4 - A wonderful
shot of Iacon (Cybertron's capital)
glowing with energy. The golden tint to
this pannel clearly recalling the G1
Cartoon series where Cybertron's
"Golden Age" was always depicted as
literally golden. (There's some very
interesting things that an observant
Transfan can spot in the Beast
Machines-inspired "Blade-runner"
writting as well.
It's great to see Bluestreak get a role!
He's one of my favorite underused TFs,
so I'm exstatic to see him. (also look
for a very cool and logical Beast
Machines cameo throughout these scenes).
We also learn that the war decended on the
Autobots from out of nowhere and the
Decepticons were a totally new, unknown
faction which again grounds the series
in the old Marvel Comics.
Optimus being an insulated data
archivist, issolated from the war in the
vaults below the capital, before being
chosen as Prime, was something I
wouldn't have suspected for him. (I think
somewhere in the old G1 material it
mentioned him having been training
to be a doctor. I suppose he could
easily do both though, after all, I'm a
bookseller training to be an english
teacher ). And we get some personal
history on Bluestreak before the war as
well, learning he used to be a merchant.
I would have loved to see some mention
of his villiage being destroyed and the
trauma leading to his hyper-talkative
shell-shock, as his old tech-spec/profile
described, but still, ANY history for these
charecters to flesh them out, make them
more real, is FANTASTIC, IMO, and as a
longtime fan it's wonderful to be getting stuff
like this at last. The job of merchant seems
to be a good fit for Bluestreak too.
Page 5 - The Orbital Torus State of Altihex.
Put this together with the similar state
of Kaon shown in the WWI Preview and
it looks like Cybertron had a number of
large satellite states back in the Golden
Age. Pretty cool. A nobody character
called Overhaul buys it (well this IS a
Furman story after all ) and we get to see
the Cybertronian versions of Grimlock,
Ironhide (love the toy influenced design, Don),
Kup, Wheeljack, and Skids? tring and failing
to hold off the cons while the place is evacuated.
Page 6 and 7- In another cool but very
logical twist we see that there are neutrals,
pacifists, appeasers, and protesters this
early in the war, making the Autobots
job difficult, just like there would be in
the real world. Something that brings
wonderful realism to the conflict.
WWI Tracks, Bumblebee, and Trailbreaker
show up running the evac-operation
(with what looks like a back shot of Deluxe
insecticon Venom, boarding the ship).
On the top of page 7 we get the only error
in the book, as the colorist accidentally
switched the colors on Skywarp and
Thundercraker, an easy thing to do which
wouldn't even be noticeable, except
the one colored like Skywarp is using TC's
sonic boom power and calls the other one
Skywarp in the panels. Doh!
Page 8 - I think this series gets across
wonderfully the desperation of the Autobot
situation at this point in the war. As
Bluestreak said earlier and Grimlock echoes
here, they're loosing, badly, and something
needs to change that, fast. We also get
our first hints towards the animosity that's
always existed between Prime and Grimlock,
Grimlock was definitely on the fast track
to Autobot leadership from the looks of it.
(Oh, and notice Shrapnel flying above the
explosions.)
Pages 9 and 10 - Wow. There's so much
to mention in just these two pages.
Let's start with the most obvious: Wonderful
art and designs at work here. I love the
Matrix motif in the floor and the hidden
message in the glyphs. It's also great to
see the Autobot Elders, long mentioned
but rarely glimpsed. I like the appropriately
more primitive, robotic looks to Gravitas and
the others, and the pseudo-mechanical
robes. These guys look GREAT.
Beyond the visuals, there are some very
interesting continuity things going on
here. There are defiante hints towards
the old comics where the Transformers
creator/god Primus lives within Cybertron,
but also hints of Beast Wars/Machines
guiding Matrix Dimension/Allspark. I also
like that Furman keeps Prime very logical
and skeptical about the existence of an
"enduring presence of a sentient lifeforce
within this mainframe." This fits with Prime's
portrayal in the old comic and I like how it
couches some of the more "mystical" parts
of the TF universe more in logic and science.
The light that envelopes Prime here is very
reminiscent of the way the Oracle worked in
Beast Machines as well.
Page 12 and 13 - Wonderful to get some
background on Prowl. (He was originally
from a city known as Praxus, home of the
Helix Gardens, all destroyed by the Cons.)
This scene is the sort of thing I would have
expected more for Bluestreak, given
(as mentioned) his previous backstory.
But given the massive destruction early
in the war it's not surprising many Autobots
experience the same sort of things. It's also
a bit more powerful to great to feel the
emotion burried just under the words of the
taciturn and ever logical Prowl. What Grimlock
proposes here is a bit shocking even knowing
him, just becasue of they ARE the Autobots
after all, but it's very in character. And it's
interesting to note that he's enough of a leader
and things are so dark that the Autobots gathered
appear ready to go along with his plan.
Page 14 - Guardian Robots! I *LOVE* you, Don! ;-)
Seriously, the G1 cartoon episode
"The Secret of Omega Supreme" is one
of my all time favorite TF stories, and I
was woried that since this series was based
more on the old Comic things like the Guardians
and Omega's origin with them and the
Constructicons would be totally absent. Even if
they don't play a huge role (or any real role)
in the story Don has my eternal gratitude for
working them in here as part of the WWI universe.
Also, of note is the Oracle Tank, where
Optimus goes to meditate and think is
another definate Beast Machines reference,
though thankfully striped of new-age mystic
mumbo-jumbo. Prime's thoughts here very
well presented and are very nice characterization
of his place at this point in the series.
Pages 15 to 18 - It took me a minute
to catch on to what was happening here
and that the pannels were cutting back
and forth between two locations. Once I
picked up on it, the art seems very clear
an obvious, but on my first read through
it stoped me for a second to get my
bearings. Notice Gravitas is holding what
looks to be the Key to Vector Sigma from
the Cartoon and uses it to activate the
matrix-motif set into the floor, which then
glows as Prime reaches in and comes up
with the Matrix of Leadership that transforms
him, alla Rodimus Prime. Some Great
continuity stuff going on there. Oh and I'm not
sure about the size of the assasin team,
something makes me want to say their
small, kind of like Micromasters, but you
never get to see them next to anyone but
Grimlock and Prime (who are abnormally
large for TFs) so it's hard to tell.
Pages 19 and 20 - Well small or not they
ARE powerful little guys (uh-oh, Skids
has been disarmed! ...Sorry. ;P ) And I
love that one of them turns into a gun. A
laser rifle by the looks of it, something we
havn't had before by way of gun TFs. The
fight pannels could be a little bit clearer in
terms of story telling but it's a small nitpick,
and on the whole they're fine. (Kup I can
buy, but I never pictured Hound as that
bloodthirsty, especially since Furman had a
story point in the G2 series that hinged on
him not being like that. Oh well, millions of
years of war *can* change a bot...). Notice
when Grimlock orders them to stand back
so they can see what Prime is made of
everybody listens. Yup, he definitely was
looking to be the new leader up till this point.
Pages 21 and 22 - The assasin's threats
here bring me to mind of some of the backstory
from the old UK comic. The City of the Dead
storyline IIRC. If Megatron is up to here what
was mentioned there, the bots are in major
trouble I think. Also the way the assassin
self destructs may be the single most gruesome
thing I've ever seen happen to a Trasnformer.
Gack!
Page 23 - Y'know I think Prime had them all,
maybe even Grimlock right here. Right
until he told them all that his plan was to
abandon Cybertron and run away. I think
this may be the exact point he earns the
contempt which Grimlock holds him in
for a very long time to come.
Pages 24 and 25 - I like the repetition
of "within" here and earlier in the book,
echoing the tittle and theme of the series.
Megatron looks pretty good. A little bulkier
and "meched" than I'd have envisioned
myself, but not bad at all (for those curious,
his helmet is silver like in the Cartoon rather
than black like the old Comics) and
definitely dangerous looking. His words
here lead me to wonder if the whole "assassin"
thing wasn't just bait, a lure to bring Prime to him...
And finally - I love the painted look of issues
#2's cover. Can't wait.
Overall - (Be warned in advance, this part of the
review is an absolutely disgustingly thrilled
and ecstatic piece of praise. I love this issue,
you have been warned. :) ) There is far more story,
characterization, depth and fodder for discussion
in this *single issue* than there has been in the
whole of DW's first G1 6 issue miniseries so far.
If you were turned off by that series I definately
recomend coming back for this. This is transformers
comics the way fans remember them.
Only Better. With great detail, fantastic art,
realism, characters, easter eggs, and a real
maturity and depth to it. If things stay at this
level I can easily see this as the start of one
of the greatest Transformers stories ever told.
( I know I'm being horribly possitive and upbeat,
but it's true) Brovo to Simon for another fantastic
job of topping himself and brovo to Don for
some of the best, densest, fan-friendly art in
a TF book history. An absolute A+ piece of
work in my book.
-ZacWilliam, Now if I only didn't have to
wait till next month for issue #2. :)
***SIX LASERS OVER CYBERTRON!***
Updated 9/28: Fanfic "Tigerhawk's Story is now online.
Visit 6LOC @:
http://members.aol.com/zacwilliam05/6Lasers.html
Dan Rohowsky
of the G1 series and Armada #1 and none of them really did it for me. This
book has restored my faith in Dreamwave. This is what a Transformers comic
should be. You're right though, it's going to be sooo difficult waiting a
month for #2.
Mako Crab
initial thoughts on all the messageboards I frequent. Here goes!
A couple of things I noticed; on page 2 there is a symbol on one of
the buildings that very closely resembles the Maximal emblem. That
opens up a whole new can of worms. Did the Maximals co-exist with the
Autobots prior to Beast Wars and if so, it would seem that they were
driven into near extinction and only resurfaced as one of the more
dominant sub-groups millenia later. Or it could be that the original
Maximals were driven into extinction and only later did some
cybertronians go about seceding from the Autobot whole and taking up
the name "Maximal" perhaps as a way to carry on the memory of a long
lost faction they deemed noble.
And I'm sure everyone noticed the couple of diagnostic drones hovering
around in the background. A nice nod to Beast Machines. Apparently the
cybertronians live by the motto, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it,"
because they're still in use millions of years later.
*edit*
I took so long writing this post that everyone else got first dibs on
pointing these two things out. Guess I wasn't the only one who saw it.
The mention of Sentinel Prime and the sight of his lifeless arm; this
shot instantly established that this war has been raging on for quite
some time and already I sense myself wanting to know what happened
*before* Optimus Prime's time. A prequel to a prequel perhaps?
Optimus as a data analyzer was a humbling way to present the soon to
be Prime and one of the most successful Autobot leaders. His attitude
and this approach worked perfectly for me. I'm also glad to see that
while the matrix has altered his body, Optimus's opinions remain
unchanged by the end of the issue. His detachment to Cybertron is
truly unique of every Prime we've ever seen and I can see his
reasoning behind abandoning their homeworld to the Decepticons. I
can't wait for issue 2 to see how Grimlock responds to this change of
strategy.
I was pleased to see Skywarp and Thundercracker taking the spotlight
for this issue since they almost never get to be the center of
attention. They function well as a two 'Con demolition team and it was
great to hear Skywarp's reservations about destroying non-allied
cybertronians.
Grimlock is the same old Grimlock we've always known. Always ready to
take charge and lead the way against the enemy. Prepared to remove the
new Prime from power if he deems him unworthy. It's great to see that
he doesn't put so much faith in the counsel or the "source" that he'll
accept just anyone as their new leader. Not only that, but he's got
the support of the other Autobots as well on the matter, since he's
already established himself as a battle-hardened and successful
warrior.
The Ancients look great as well. From their design they were
apparently constructed before transforming had become a widespread
technique. In fact, judging from their look and their title, I'm
assuming that these are more first generation models like Alpha Trion.
I like their look more than A3's for that matter too. Never did like
that old coot.
The artwork is absolutely fantastic. I love the look of Cybertron and
of all the characters, key and fodder. One thing I'm especially happy
with is the fact that Don didn't redesign the cybertronian alt modes
of characters like Wheeljack, Bumblebee, or the Seekers, since their
cybertronian modes have long since been established in the cartoon
itself. And until now, the only picture I had seen of Megatron was the
issue 2 cover which colors him much differently due to the lighting of
that particular shot. I was worried that they might actually give him
a purple face copper color scheme, but seeing him on the last page in
his traditional colors put a smile on my face. Megatron looks really
young in this comic, did anyone notice that! He doesn't have those
huge bags under his eyes. Instead he looks like a young, eager warlord
who has not yet fought many battles.
To all those involved with "The War Within", you're doing a great job
and I anxiously await issue 2. Any chance this could become a regular
series?
Scific1258
tomorrow after a good night's sleep, I'm gonna read it again!
Does anyone else besides me read this, as with the original G1/G2 saga, hearing
the voice actors in your mind's ear when reading the characters? It adds a LOT
to it!
Exatron
> Sorry if I repeat any of your comments, but I'm just posting my initial
> thoughts on all the messageboards I frequent. Here goes!
>
> A couple of things I noticed; on page 2 there is a symbol on one of the
> buildings that very closely resembles the Maximal emblem. That opens up
> a whole new can of worms. Did the Maximals co-exist with the Autobots
> prior to Beast Wars and if so, it would seem that they were driven into
> near extinction and only resurfaced as one of the more dominant
> sub-groups millenia later. Or it could be that the original Maximals
> were driven into extinction and only later did some cybertronians go
> about seceding from the Autobot whole and taking up the name "Maximal"
> perhaps as a way to carry on the memory of a long lost faction they
> deemed noble.
I'm thinking that most of the emblems on the buildings in that panel are
the sigils of ancient Cybertronian city-states. There's one on a later
page that looks like the outline of the Autobot sigil, possibly a variant
Autobot symbol that represents the Autobot ancients. I also noticed that
the sigils on Prowl and Grimlock are a bit simpler than the modern
Autobot sigil. It must be an earlier version of the sigil since it's
drawn that way consistently, even when there is plenty of room for the
modern sigil's detials.
> The artwork is absolutely fantastic. I love the look of Cybertron and of
> all the characters, key and fodder. One thing I'm especially happy with
> is the fact that Don didn't redesign the cybertronian alt modes of
> characters like Wheeljack, Bumblebee, or the Seeker
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that "Seekers" can now be considered an
official term for describing Starscream and his brethren.
> To all those involved with "The War Within", you're doing a great job
> and I anxiously await issue 2. Any chance this could become a regular
> series?
Perhaps Hasbro could be persuaded to make "The War Within" its next TF
toyline along with a cartoon based on the miniseries.
--
Exatron
"Do it with style or don't bother doing it." - Jazz
The important thing is not to stop questioning. - Albert Einstein
crazysteve
> Pages 19 and 20 - Well small or not they ARE powerful little guys
> (uh-oh, Skids has been disarmed! ...Sorry. ;P ) And I love that one
> of them turns into a gun. A laser rifle by the looks of it,
> something we havn't had before by way of gun TFs.
Did you catch the 'Microman' katakana on his leg? That was cool..
--
crazysteve take me!
http://www.scrambledcity.com
Derik Smith
>the old TF comics likely know that the
> name "Sentinel Prime" for Optimus's
> predicessor comes from there. This is
>also the first hint that, as expected with
> Simon writing, this series will draw
>strongly from the background stories he
> created in the old Marvel series.
Who actually was pictured in one pannel of the UK comic, and was indeed
orange. ;)
And I think he's drawing from EVERYWHERE. The UK comic showed Optimus
Prime recieving the Matrix under battlefield conditions when Sentinel Prime
died. This has Prime being chosen after the fact by the Matrix-- like RiD's
backstory.
>On to Pages 2 , 3, and 4 - A wonderful
>shot of Iacon (Cybertron's capital)
>glowing with energy... There's some very
>interesting things that an observant
>Transfan can spot in the Beast
>Machines-inspired "Blade-runner"
>writting as well.
Such as the japanese transformers logo spelled out in windows? ;)
What I like is... the BM diagnostic drones are flying around carrying what
appears to be analog spool casettes. Which makes perfect sense in the
archives, we know TF's use reel-to-reel technology.
>Page 5 - The Orbital Torus State of Altihex.
>Put this together with the similar state
>of Kaon shown in the WWI Preview and
>it looks like Cybertron had a number of
>large satellite states back in the Golden
>Age.
I'm strill trying to figure out what this terminology means. Iacon is a
hub, both these other things are satalite states? Is that liek suburbs? I'm
not convinced ANY of these are on the moon yet...
Speaking of the moon, you notice it's the moon from Beast Machines?
(Someone noticed this ages ago when the cover first came out online, though
it's mostly hidden behind the logo on the comic, the copyless cover shows the
BM moon clearly.) Cybertron is also gold ont he cover, though it's more a
dusty rose inside like the Armada comic. Also note that the red cheek-bands on
Prime's face ont he cover arent' present inside. Looks like they dropped that
feature of his color model.
>(Oh, and notice Shrapnel flying above the
>explosions.)
And what looks like... Runamuck?
>Page 14 - Guardian Robots! I *LOVE* you, Don! ;-)
> Seriously, the G1 cartoon episode
>"The Secret of Omega Supreme" is one
> of my all time favorite TF stories, and I
>was woried that since this series was based
>more on the old Comic things like the Guardians
>and Omega's origin with them and the
>Constructicons would be totally absent. Even if
>they don't play a huge role (or any real role)
> in the story Don has my eternal gratitude for
>working them in here as part of the WWI universe.
And they're a different color scheme than normal guardians. Elite
guardians for the Oracle tank?
I like that Shockwave's cybertronian redesign is IDENTICAL to his g1 one.
;)
And note- Prime calls out to 'Keeper,' this is the old cybermonk from US
#60/61 that bludgeon killed. Apparently in the TWW paradigm he guides
supplicants to the Oracle Chamber, since Primus lacks a pragmatic godhead.
>Pages 15 to 18 - It took me a minute
>to catch on to what was happening here
> and that the pannels were cutting back
>and forth between two locations.
Yeah, i wish the lighting schemes had been more distinctive.
>Notice Gravitas is holding what
>looks to be the Key to Vector Sigma from
>the Cartoon and uses it to activate the
>matrix-motif set into the floor, which then
> glows as Prime reaches in and comes up
>with the Matrix of Leadership that transforms
>him, alla Rodimus Prime.
Someone pointed out to me that givent he Oracle, et all, and the blue
glow, it looks like Prime is Reformatted here, thus why he keeps the form, vs a
simple powerup like Hot Rod. perhaps Hod Rod's situation was unique because
the matrix was passed to him under battlefield conditions and he didn't get a
chance to undergo a formal upgrade ceremony and reformatting?
'Gravitas' is a latin-root meaning 'of great importance' or of high rank.
Again- I don't view the use of Vector Sigma here as a G1 OR BM refrence-- but a
RiD ref. This ceremony PERFECTLY fits the double-recap of Optimus Prime being
chosen instead of Magnus, right down to beign selected by the matrix AND Vector
Sigma.
>Some Great
>continuity stuff going on there. Oh and I'm not
>sure about the size of the assasin team,
> something makes me want to say their
> small, kind of like Micromasters, but you
>never get to see them next to anyone but
> Grimlock and Prime (who are abnormally
> large for TFs) so it's hard to tell.
Though drawn the same size as, say, a deluxe TF car (Sideswipe) they do
give an overall impression of smallness. Their overall design reminds me of
Targetmasters, just the way they're put together. (Of course, we all know the
JP targetmasters were bleeping robots who were retroactively minicons...)
> I never pictured Hound as that
>bloodthirsty, especially since Furman had a
> story point in the G2 series that hinged on
>him not being like that.
Those story points were about him unwilling to shoot an unarmed opponent,
and his cowardice under the influence of psychic parasites, respectively.
Pasting a Decepticon infiltrator trying to kill the new Lama? A completely
different question...
I was blown away by TWW. I kept trying to psyche myself down, it couldn't
POSSIBLY live up to Furman's reputation- not evertythign the man wrote was
gold... but I was blown away, not just by the writing, but the art, by the...
texture of the universe. It took elements and put them in balance, and used
them tastefully. Notice that we never learned Optimus Prime's pre-reformat
name? (the Botcon 99 story affirmed he had one...) Why use it, and confused
casual readers? I'm DAMN impressed.
Just a note, if we assume that this does indeed incorporated previous
backstory, the battle of Jan-Ja (the 'never Surrender' scene in US #72) is in
this Prime's PAST, it occoured before he became Prime. (per Botcon 99) I
don't think he's quite the closeted data analyst you think he is... he's seen
battle.
-Derik
"You have zero talent. Give up writing." -Yuki Eiri, Gravitation
"I can't follow any of this. And I like nonsense crap!"-Chris Funaro, on
'Push Nevada'
I probably don't care what you think
Chris R Leazer
news:20021010022001...@mb-cl.aol.com...
> >(Oh, and notice Shrapnel flying above the
> >explosions.)
>
> And what looks like... Runamuck?
I was wondering about the other 2 Decepticons.
Shrapnel is obvious, and it looks like the Con to the left
of him should be obvious too, but I don't recognize him.
My first thought for the one to the right of Shrapnel was that
he looked like Huffer. Though its obviously not. Runamuck is as
good a guess as any. Any other guesses?
>
> >Page 14 - Guardian Robots! I *LOVE* you, Don! ;-)
Excellent.
> >Some Great
> >continuity stuff going on there. Oh and I'm not
> >sure about the size of the assasin team,
> > something makes me want to say their
> > small, kind of like Micromasters, but you
> >never get to see them next to anyone but
> > Grimlock and Prime (who are abnormally
> > large for TFs) so it's hard to tell.
>
> Though drawn the same size as, say, a deluxe TF car (Sideswipe) they
do
> give an overall impression of smallness. Their overall design reminds me
of
> Targetmasters, just the way they're put together. (Of course, we all know
the
> JP targetmasters were bleeping robots who were retroactively minicons...)
Quick question about the assassin-bots:
On the last panel of page 20, (the panel that says "And I ...am expendable")
is the assassin biting down on a little self-destruct capsule?
I found that image to be somewhat strange.
Do Transformers really need false teeth with little
cyanide capsules in them?
Overall, I'd say this book is excellent!
I thought Beast Wars was great, but now I think
that 2002 could truly be the second Golden Age of Transformers.
(Of course, I missed the last 2 eps of Armada, but it sounds
like they were showing minor improvement over the first 4.
If Armada TV continues to improve, then this will definitely be
a new Golden Age)
One last question about DW promo ads. On the Upcoming In November
page, it shows the TF G1 TPB. Is that the actual cover? If so, why does
it prominently feature an Autobot that hasn't even appeared once
in the limited series? I can't imagine that he'll show up at the end of #6
and heroically save the day. That's strange.
--
-cleazer
"Sky-Byte, that's me!"
Ethan Hammond
> One last question about DW promo ads. On the Upcoming In November
> page, it shows the TF G1 TPB. Is that the actual cover? If so, why does
> it prominently feature an Autobot that hasn't even appeared once
> in the limited series? I can't imagine that he'll show up at the end of #6
> and heroically save the day. That's strange.
Because Cosmos is fantastical. He sells comics in the same way that
girls in skimpy outfits sell videogames.
--
All Purpose Cultural Randomness
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/apcr/index.html
Quag Prime
> I was blown away by TWW. I kept trying to psyche myself down, it couldn't
> POSSIBLY live up to Furman's reputation- not evertythign the man wrote was
> gold... but I was blown away, not just by the writing, but the art, by the...
> texture of the universe.
I totally agree. This is why I love Transformers. This comic is
gold!
>Notice that we never learned Optimus Prime's pre-reformat
> name? (the Botcon 99 story affirmed he had one...) Why use it, and confused
> casual readers? I'm DAMN impressed.
It... did? What was that again?
>
> Just a note, if we assume that this does indeed incorporated previous
> backstory, the battle of Jan-Ja (the 'never Surrender' scene in US #72) is in
> this Prime's PAST, it occoured before he became Prime. (per Botcon 99) I
> don't think he's quite the closeted data analyst you think he is... he's seen
> battle.
>
It could just as well work if that scene is yet to occur. It's more
of a stretch to say it happened before TWW. I mean, Prime wants to
basically surrender now. That and in Jan-Ja he was leading the
battle. He dosen't strike me as a batalion leader here, not even the
Autobots on hand for his, er... Priming(?) knew what kind of fighter
he was yet.
-Quag
Derik Smith
>> name? (the Botcon 99 story affirmed he had one...) Why use it, and
>confused
>> casual readers? I'm DAMN impressed.
>
>It... did? What was that again?
[BeginQuote]
He was there, at the beginning, as Unicron roared his fury at the encroachment
of new life into the barren nothingness that was his kingdom. He stood on the
front line at Jan-Ja, as the warrior who would be Optimus Prime took up his
fallen Monark's banner and cried "never surrender" in the face of an advancing
Decepticon phalanx. He watched spellbound as Autobot City rose gleaming from
the ashes of the battlefields on Earth. Saw the Liege Maximo tear the Matrix of
Leadership from the shattered remains of Primon.
[EndQuote]
Quag Prime
> >>Notice that we never learned Optimus Prime's pre-reformat
> >> name? (the Botcon 99 story affirmed he had one...) Why use it, and
> confused
> >> casual readers? I'm DAMN impressed.
> >
> >It... did? What was that again?
>
> [BeginQuote]
>
> He was there, at the beginning, as Unicron roared his fury at the encroachment
> of new life into the barren nothingness that was his kingdom. He stood on the
> front line at Jan-Ja, as the warrior who would be Optimus Prime took up his
> fallen Monark's banner and cried "never surrender" in the face of an advancing
> Decepticon phalanx. He watched spellbound as Autobot City rose gleaming from
> the ashes of the battlefields on Earth. Saw the Liege Maximo tear the Matrix of
> Leadership from the shattered remains of Primon.
>
but dosen't tell us what that name was.
Unless you're reffering to Primon. I'm fairly certain that that's
someone else.
-Quag, loves that text story.
>
Quag Prime
> >>Notice that we never learned Optimus Prime's pre-reformat
> >> name? (the Botcon 99 story affirmed he had one...) Why use it, and
> confused
> >> casual readers? I'm DAMN impressed.
> >
> >It... did? What was that again?
>
another name, and no, it wasn't used in TWW #1, and yes, it was
impressive. :-)
> [BeginQuote]
>
> He was there, at the beginning, as Unicron roared his fury at the encroachment
> of new life into the barren nothingness that was his kingdom. He stood on the
> front line at Jan-Ja, as the warrior who would be Optimus Prime took up his
> fallen Monark's banner and cried "never surrender" in the face of an advancing
> Decepticon phalanx. He watched spellbound as Autobot City rose gleaming from
> the ashes of the battlefields on Earth. Saw the Liege Maximo tear the Matrix of
> Leadership from the shattered remains of Primon.
>
>
> [EndQuote]
>
However, I don't think the TF#72(?) flashback has happened yet.
As for the timetable for the Jan-Ja battle, while it appears that it
is reffering to the battle shown in the TF #72(?) flashback, but I
don't think it actually is. Feel free to set me straight and
highlight any past discussion on the topic I may have missed.
The only simularity between the two events seems to be the "never
surrender" battle cry and the charge against the Decepticons. There
was no taking up of any fallen comrades banner in the comic flash
back, only prime leading the troops with a surrender flag bound around
his wounded arm. Similar in a way, but taking up a fallen Monark's
banner is quite different than using a surrender flag as a band-aid.
That and the surrender flag wasn't taken from a fallen anybody, just a
scared Autobot soldier.
TWW may show Prime starting out as a pencil pusher, but I doubt the
high council would appoint someone without battle experience. So
yeah, Jan-Ja may have already happened, but I (don't know how to
phrase this) don't think Prime has the deep seated 'never surrender'
attitude he will later manifest. The Jan-Ja battle cry may have been
a more emotional outburst than decided resolve, being so early in the
war.
That make sense?
That's what I think anyway.
-Quag, who's brain is apparently on loan this week...
Chris McFeely
> Shrapnel is obvious, and it looks like the Con to the left
> of him should be obvious too, but I don't recognize him.
I'm tempted to say he might be Astrotrain. Got the colours, if nothing else.
> One last question about DW promo ads. On the Upcoming In November
> page, it shows the TF G1 TPB. Is that the actual cover? If so, why does
> it prominently feature an Autobot that hasn't even appeared once
> in the limited series? I can't imagine that he'll show up at the end of #6
> and heroically save the day. That's strange.
Who knows? I mean, all twelve covers for the mini-series have had nothing to
do with their content, but you think Lee would have the good sense to draw a
cover for the TPB that's in SOME way connected to the story.
Chris
Robert Powers
Behold! On 10 Oct 2002 06:20:01 GMT, Derik Smith <regen...@aol.com> did
speak:
Spoilers....
>>(Oh, and notice Shrapnel flying above the
>>explosions.)
>
> And what looks like... Runamuck?
Heh, yeah. And... Transmetal Terrorsaur?! /:]
>> and that the pannels were cutting back
>>and forth between two locations.
>
> Yeah, i wish the lighting schemes had been more distinctive.
Yeah. I was very confused on the first reading, that nobody noticed
these guys crawling out of the ground in the middle of the chamber. Heck,
at first I thought that they were somehow summoned by the whole Oracle
ceremony!
[G2 #1 and #3]
> Those story points were about him unwilling to shoot an unarmed opponent,
>and his cowardice under the influence of psychic parasites, respectively.
>Pasting a Decepticon infiltrator trying to kill the new Lama? A completely
>different question...
...cowardice? Not really. He was the only one whe remained sane and
calm... and that was because a random shot knocked him out just as the
infection or whatever was taking over everybody else.
> I was blown away by TWW. I kept trying to psyche myself down, it couldn't
>POSSIBLY live up to Furman's reputation- not evertythign the man wrote was
>gold... but I was blown away, not just by the writing, but the art, by the...
>texture of the universe. It took elements and put them in balance, and used
>them tastefully. Notice that we never learned Optimus Prime's pre-reformat
>name? (the Botcon 99 story affirmed he had one...) Why use it, and confused
>casual readers? I'm DAMN impressed.
I'm not blown away, somehow, but well pleased for sure. The fact that
it has this much to talk about speaks highly of it.
>backstory, the battle of Jan-Ja (the 'never Surrender' scene in US #72) is in
>this Prime's PAST, it occoured before he became Prime. (per Botcon 99) I
>don't think he's quite the closeted data analyst you think he is... he's seen
>battle.
...That's assuming that happened at *all* in this continuity. Remember
that this story can toss out previous story events as easily as it can
bring them in. For one thing, I don't see how he could reasonably go from
"We NEVER give ground and we NEVER, EVER surrender!" to "Eh, let's pack it
up, boys".
--
Robert Powers
repo...@uwm.edu ________________________________________
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