Thanks to Newsarama, we’ve got the full preview up for your viewing of More Than Meets The Eye #46 (releasing on November 4, 2015). If you want a head start on this issue, continue on after the jump for the full preview!
Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #46
James Roberts (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)
What does it mean to be a DECEPTICON in a postwar universe? Was MEGATRON’s rise to power the inevitable consequence of configurative determinism? Is it possible to “disprove” an ideology? Who decided that all the badges should be purple? In this issue, the Scavengers ponder at least one of these questions.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet Points:
– The Scavengers continue to return!
– The countdown to issue 50 begins here!
– Part of IDW’s Artist’s Edition Month promotion!
Rakzo
Pfft! Star Saber wishes he had as much character as Frollo.
User_93049
Oh my god Red Alert and Fort Max think the Autopedia entries are legit and were not edited by the Scavengers at all
Pumpkin latte
Oh no. Dammit man, if Star Saber meets up with Deathsaurus and displays any of the typical comicbook archenemy vibes that usually comes with the medium I'm going to be forcibly reminded of Frollo's gross obsession for Esmeralda and it'll be all your fault.
Autovolt 127
Very true. I mean remember how we thought the DJD were only just scary boogeymen before issue 39 of MTMTE. I'm hoping that their is more to Star Saber than just being a fanatical nutjob.
Now that you mention it. Tony Jay would have been cool as IDW Star Saber, even though i read him as George Newbern doing Sephiroth.
Noideaforaname
Pumpkin latte
Star Saber's boss is said to represent the dark side of the law and Star Saber was personally tasked by Tyrest with apprehending all violators of the Accord. When Minimus Ambus acted as Tyrest's enforcer, Ultra Magnus served under a mech who wasn't religious and the original agreement was theoretically religion-neutral. I don't believe Megatron would've been inclined to agree to sign off on a legal document that wasn't irreligious. After Tyrest had his accident, the role was rewritten with an aggressively religious-bent, and, in addition to flipping a kill-switch on the CC Cybertronians, part of the task called for the arrest and punishment of people who had committed "crimes against creation". Tyrest's actions were motivated by religion and so is his. It's just an opinion but I'd argue he qualifies as Church Police.
Starscream Gaga
"The Fundamentalist" is pretty close to him, but he's not really a "Church Police" because he's not working as a cop for a religion, he's a religious cop.
Pumpkin latte
Yes, Star Saber's personality is generic. There's a list of tropes to help fine tune it, but this: The Fundamentalist – TV Tropes essentially him. And this is his occupation: Church Police – TV Tropes If you watch media with religion as a theme you will always find someone like him. Roberts now has a potential to play with a cliché, but he has used one.
His role as Tyrest's enforcer makes his possible tie-in with Deathsaurus the Decepticon MTO interesting to me but I'd have liked it better if JRo and Milne had chosen to create and design an original character like they did with Tyrest, Pharma, and the DJD.
Starscream Gaga
That's exactly what I was thinking. Perhaps IDW has yet to be given much depth, but I can't really think of any other fictional character with a similar personality or role within a story, especially within a Transformers fiction. He's not exactly cliche.
MatrixOfWumbo
Oh people would be livid if the Scavengers got a book. There's already too much "space-filling" humor as it is, the Scavengers do nothing but fall into absurd antics that would drive them up the wall.
Anyway, why is all this stuff about Star Saber still going on this much later? I think we all need a Spotlight: Starsaber before we continue fighting about his dozen pages of characterization.
SPLIT LIP
Is that generic, though? I mean, do we really see "religious nutjob villain" so much, especially in Transformers, that it's in equal amounts to a typical, flat hero character?
Also, IDW Star Saber has appeared all of twice, very briefly with little dialogue. Victory Star Saber had an entire show.
Napalm
The scene last issue between Misfire and Grimlock was uncomfortable. It was also relatable. And Misfire clearly cares about the big fella in spite of being an 'Evil Decepticon'. He wasn't gonna sell him out.
I could see Grimlock defending the lot of them based on his relationship with Misfire and the fallout allowing Max to take a step back and see bigger picture. The whole fracas maybe being the catalyst for bringing Max, the Scavengers and The Lost Light together for the seaon finale against the DJD and co.
colky7
Fair points. To be fair though whilst many of IDWs characters have shared some personality traits with their previous incarnations, others have been very different to the point of being new characters. Sometimes i've liked those new takes, sometimes i haven't. Perhaps some of it comes down to personal taste? Star Sabre also only had limited page time so maybe there wasn't time in Remain in the Light to go into his backstory as some have suggested and this is something we might see in future appearances where he's granted more page time? I realise I'm using a lot of supposition here so think it probably more comes down to me quite liking the character and liking watching him get his arse handed to him by Cyclonus. I personally wouldn't have a problem with someone portraying batman in the fashion you mentioned IF the comic/story itself was good, though to be fair whilst i liked batman, i'd never consider myself anything like a hardcore or knowledgable fan. Perhaps thats another reason i don't have a problem with Robert's Star Sabre portrayal is that I did think MTMTE was REALLY good at the time he appeared so my enjoyment of the story stopped me having a problem with it.
I'll also admit i was never a big Victory fan and whilst i've been aware of the character for years i'd never really bothered with any of the Japanese cartoons as i found the voiceovers and dialogue just too distracting to make it watchable. Again I guess this comes down to personal choice as I'm not saying it was rubbish, just not to my taste.
Finally, I did wonder if any folks might be offended by the religious nutter stereotype. Personally having never believed in or taken any religion seriously there was no chance of that for me. Having no experience of having those beliefs though I've no idea if they could be offensive to those who do.
gregles
Given how Tyrest introduced Star Saber as the replacement to the house of Magnus he could very much be an imposter but even if this is the case the original Star Saber did try to organise a atheist death camps.
Never personally been that bothered by the original Star Saber so any new interpretation is welcome to me but I can understand as to why it might bother those emotionally invested in the original.
I suspect one day we may see a very different side to a Star Saber or at least I hope we do but for now can we all agree that it was an awesome moment when Cyclonus comprehensively owned his ass.
As for the actual comic, really looking forward to this and suspect we all might feel a little different about Fortress Maximus's actions after he has said his piece.
Nocturne
Very true. I demand an entire issue of Optimus playing basketball just so we can see his sweet moves.
JudgeDeliberata
IDW Star Saber as as much reason to act like his Victory self as IDW Megatron has to ride a giant purple griffin around.
Bring on the zealotry, I say.
G1StarSaber468
That nut killed dai altas…. Plus his personality is nothing like star saber I WANT HIM TO BE A IMPOSTER I hope at some point idw could make it where that star saber was an imposter and the real one was kidnapped and crap happens and they somehow bring victory leo in it at some point and we get see victory saber
Rakzo
The problem with Star Saber's characterization is not really that he's now a religious maniac. The problem is that such portrayal came from nowhere.
It would have been nice to see what were the events that produced such behavior. Some kind of backstory that would show the development of the character that made him end-up like this. However, that didn't happen and we just ended-up simply with the antithesis of a pure hero with barely any more depth beyond that.
And that's not the only complaint about it since the whole "religious nutjob villain" has been played out to death already. In fact, I'm pretty sure that religious people consider it offensive.
To be fair though, in recent years Hank Pym has moved out from the "wife beater" characterization and went more to the "mental illness" one which I believe is the more accurate and interesting portrayal.
Haywired
Yes, this one.
It's pretty much the laziest and the most obvious route for a writer where a templar knight = religious nutjob. Far too stereotypical these days. Then you have a writer who's usually writing religious characters this way, so… It gets old.
Windblade got her series because she's a fan-voted bot. To sell toys and everything.
ZeroiaSD
Misfire both rose a fist as if he was about to hit him and yelled at him after the spill. So, there's some warning flags there.
Also, they shot him during the rampage.