With Shattered Glass, King Grimlock and Wreckers – Tread & Circuits each approaching the end of their respective runs, prepare your February 2022 pull list for a new Transformers title waiting in the wings: the four-issue War’s End whose creative team includes author Brian Ruckley, editor David Mariotte and artists Jack Lawrence, Angel Hernandez, and E.J. Su.
“War’s End is about unfinished business: for both the characters and for Cybertron as a whole,” says Ruckley. “It’s the return of Cybertron’s traumatic past to upend its present… and answers the question: If your planet has at its core the collective Spark of your entire civilization, just how vulnerable might that make you?”
Check out an early look at issue #1 cover artwork after the jump, then sound off on the 2005 boards!
SPLIT LIP
My point was more the conflict we do get is already at the global scale, rather than starting with a small slice of a bigger war or a small-scale conflict. Infiltration already had the war raging on a galactic scale, but all we saw to start with was a small offshoot branch on Earth without the main leaders involved. It made it feel more digestible (despite how it would escalate, no pun intended) and starting with more compelling intrigue that was a far more effective hook. We knew there was more going on, we just weren't privy to it. (similar to how TFA and Prime start with a small cast and gradually expands the larger picture and history, instead of starting at the beginning of the Great Wars, but this is just one way of doing it)
IDW2 starts with the politics and global issues out of the gate and it's very, very boring. There's no humanizing, down-to-Earth element (though there was an attempt with the mentorship angle allowing the reader to learn along with a "newborn" who was being inducted into society, only problem is it was still very slow and boring) or a simple, bite-sized piece of the action we can consume and think "ah, so this is basically how it is." It took a long time to explain a lot, and it resulted in most of the book being robots standing around and talking. The actual Transformers element feels completely divorced from the story being told… though a large part of that is my own bias against Cybertron-focused stories for the simple fact that it's completely irrelevant to the entire point of the brand as "Robots in Disguise." You have this amazing concept of giant alien robots with all these gimmicks and abilities and they can all change into vehicles and objects form our world to hide and spy and wage a secret war… only to put them all in rooms scaled to them and have them just talking for pages at a time. (though again, that bit is my bias entirely)
And the thing is, that slow-burn buildup with social-political plots and broader sci-fi elements such as interplanetary relations? That's perfectly valid as well, but it feels so much like what IDW1 did and frankly it's not that well written at all. Many characters feel voiceless and generic or simply leave little impression as they're all forced to fit along this story path. Again, this is purely my appraisal and speculation as to why IDW2 is not hooking audiences like IDW1 did, it doesn't mean it's unlikable or that people shouldn't read it or anything like that. But think of it this way: a beleaguered fan who grew tired of IDW1's constant made-up space politics and books predominately structured around characters sitting around and talking and little action (and I don't mean fighting, just momentum and energy) hears the series has been rebooted and picks up an issue of this new universe and finds… most of the same characters standing around and talking with little action. And this is before you get into the more technical aspects of art, writing, dialogue, and pacing, which IDW2 certainly has issues with as well but that's getting more into particulars.
It's just hard to look at IDW2 and think "this is new and different" even if it technically is. It needed to have some kind of hook or surge of electricity to really grab attention, a style and consistency all its own. Instead it more or less continued on as normal, walking a superficially unique path but at the same pace and direction. It's not bad per-se, but if you didn't like what IDW1 became there's little to entice you to what IDW2 so far is.
Lucas35
For those who want to know better how sales are doing, read this thread:
Transformers (2019) comic by the numbers.
DocSeth81
I'm in the camp of it moves too slow. I didn't pick it up and now I am reading it online. SOOOOOO boring
THE-TRANSFORMER
And then they dumped it all in the bin by trying to merge it with the other Hasbro properties.
Let's face it Micromasters and Actionmasters were toy gimmicks designed to keep up with competition and reduce costs, respectively. I'm okay with both being normalised to provide greater opportunities.
That said, Treadshot has already been shown to be mode locked and the Micromasters could always be downsized in the future… however I hope they aren't.
UndeadScottsman
See, I can't agree with this. IDW2 has added a lot to the potential canon of Transformers; the mentorship idea alone is one of the best ideas the franchise has seen since the early MTMTE/RID era. Making cybertron a interstellar hub of trade and culture was a fantastic idea that finally put the bed the question of "Why do they have windows and seats on cybetron" as well as providing cover for the more traditionally organic elements of Transformers that we all just kind of accept even when they make no sense. Even the idea of "going imersant" provides for a bit of Transformers lifecycle that hasn't been touched in that matter before; a natural end without being destroyed by damage or disease.
In IDW1, the crux of the war was based in classism (or functionism, as it's referred to), wherein a corrupt and dogmatic regime oppresses it's people to the point of revolution (both from the opposing Decepticon faction, as well as a dissident Autobot movement within their own ranks.)
This is not the confict in IDW2. Here the inception of the war is between the main government who, after a costly war in their history, chose a conservative path of living within the means of the planet, rationing energon and denying expansion; while the opposition comes from those who feel that edict is stifling to the advancement and destiny of the cybetronian race. IDW1 is basically about domestic policy while IDW2 is about foreign policy, to put it generically.
They didn't begin with that conflict though; that was one of the big complaints. It took them 30 issues to set the backdrop for the war before starting it. I think that was a smart move that allowed them to paint the picture of the world before the war starts to burn it down. Your milage may vary there, of course.
SHIELD Agent 47
I guess Ruckley does not have plans for an energy crisis inducing Micromasters in his worldbuilding, and thus he employed more Micromasters to have a larger cast.
I like it. Expansive casts are cool.
Thundershot
Wait, they made all the Micromasters full size Transformers? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of them? Unless they plan on downsizing them at some point…
Shawney McPrime
Hmm. I don't have firm numbers on what the 3 local comic shops I frequent in Dayton are doing, but I know that there were about 5 shelf copies in each store, and if I couldn't get there within the first week of release, it was usually sold out and I'd have to go to eBay to find them. Until I got busy at work and couldn't always make it to the store on time, I'd assumed this was a lower selling title, and figured it'd be no problem to pick it up later, and I was quite wrong. I've since gone with a subscription through Atomic Age so I never have to worry about either.
I'm sure they've dropped off since the MTMTE era, for sure though. How could they not? That is the golden age of TF comics (or TF media in general), and will likely remain so. It was just a perfect storm of artists, writing, and era that added up to such a great comic. Especially the writing, it was wildly original with plots and more importantly characterizations.
I am still enjoying this new continuity, though, and am hoping it will get better at the same time. They're clearly doing all kinds of world-building, which is kind of necessary in a new continuity and a property with a cast as large as TFs. Now, they just need to make a few tighter narratives and focus on some characters we can follow for awhile. I'm a big fan of the MTMTE style, take what is essentially the 'B' team characters and split them off so you can do more original stories.
omegafix
My LCS went from ordering 20 copies per book during the MTMTE/LL and RID/OP era (15 for reservists and 5 shelf copies) to 3 copies (3 for reservists and 0 shelf copies) for this new continuity
Senator Magnificus
Anybody else hoping the resurrect IDW \'05?
At least give us a 10 issue mini series madeto tie up loose ends. I want my Grimlock & Swoopreunion, damnit!
THE-TRANSFORMER
I feel that Ruckley is getting a bum deal.
Yes he started slow, killed
in the first issue threw in two annoying new characters…. Buuuuuuutttt…. He's structured a good story built a new world and continuity and has shown that he's a bit of a fan by including a whole swath of under used characters, even if its only with a line here or there.
It was especially noticeable upon reading the spin-off series he wrote and how the tales intertwine.
If the artwork was passable at the beginning I feel that a lot of the angst would have been mitigated and more people would be on board.
Seriously though guys, Give me more Flywheels (skytread), Sureshot, Backstreet and Micromasters as regular sized transformers like the Battle Patrol Team, Mudslinger, Roughstuff… it's awesome.
Megastar
It didn't begin amazingly Eva and fact I would say the series finally got its legs when the characters return to Cybertron.
Beast_Megatron
I’m a diehard fan and can find something to enjoy in even the weakest Transformers fiction, but even I gave up on Ruckley. His writing is boring, his characters and dialogue are weak, and the story has meandered for two years.
IDW’s other Transformers books are honestly great right now. But Ruckley’s stuff is… not.
Lucas35
I agree that some people may not like the IDW2 comics but you may not have read the IDW2 comics, as the actual IDW2 origin of Decepticons is not equal to that origin and the origin of IDW1 at all, and too is not equal the origin of Autobots in IDW1 and IDW2. The origins is completely different from the IDW1 comics that Prime and Cyberverse were based on. It's the first time in over 10 years that we've had a completely different origin for Decepticons and the war.
Treadshot 2.0
My guess is this will be the true end of the War of the Threefold Spark, and that the Bots and Cons will team up to end Exarchon. After all, many of them were fighting together against Exarchon in the first place. My guess is that Skywarp will play a pivotal role. Not sure what's up with Shockwave's new look though. (It DOES bring it in line with the bad future we saw from Jumpstream, but I'm just wondering why he's in a new body? Does he get jacked up somewhere along the way? If so, it must be pretty soon)
Girl Pants
Yeah, I'm thinking the same. The solicits even specifically mention that this is more about restarting/finishing the Threefold Spark war than a wholly-new war.
I fully expect the arc after this to basically be something like "one war ends and another begins". Although it would be pretty amazing in a way if the book decided to actually end the war after this arc (either have it be a short war, or do a timeskip) and then move straight on to post-war.
Shawney McPrime
I own this book, read it to my son every few months. If I remember right, the written words in the book actually have Starscream instead of Skywarp, so its even more out of line, haha. And it has Ultra Magnus as the Autobot leader, but Galvatron as Decepticon leader. This is definitely a different continuity.
The artwork in all these books is great! A lot of it shows alternate early ideas. They still have black helmet Megatron and Optimus Prime with lips. The characterizations hold mostly consistent, though.
I think this Threefold Spark/Exarchon problem that's building to will supersede the war. Like the Autobots and Decepticons will have a cease-fire to team up to fight this larger threat, temporarily 'ending' the war. Or something like that.
I, for one, have really liked IDW's new continuity. Not even half as much as MTMTE/Lost Light, but more than the early IDW1 continuity. It did start really slow, and still is a bit sometimes. It's gotten way better about this since issue 25, but it's still juggling too many plotlines. It does feel like you don't get far enough into the story in each issue, because of how many different plot threads are being managed at the same time. But overall, I do like it. The Exarchon stuff is entirely new, and it seems they're going to explore it now. They've hinted at some multiverse/time travel stuff coming. And personally, I'm really interested to see where the Sunstorm subplot is going; it seems to be inspired by the Dreamwave arc, which is one of my favorites in all TF media.
Shattered Glass is just plain good. I expected to think it was ok (I never particularly liked the Shattered Glass idea), and was really buying it because I thought the G1 Marvel homage covers were awesome. But, its been absolutely fantastic. The tight narrative really helps. Conversely, I highly anticipated Tread and Circuits, and issue 1 wasn't as great as I'd been hoping. I'm hopeful that the next few issues will bring this back around.
PhantomMenace
Wars End could refer to the resolution of the Exarchon problem, the true fall of Cybertron/Exodus, or both.
Thundershot
I bailed on IDW2 after the first 12 issues. I have, however, been thoroughly enjoying the new Wreckers book. Fortunately I don’t need to know what’s going on in the main book to understand. The main book was just too slow for me and didn’t grab my attention. I wish the Wreckers book was an ongoing (with same writer and artist).
Nemesisprime1975
I may be the only one interested in this. Could be very interesting. I love all the negativity about a title that hasn't come out yet. Typical. Ruckley is capable of writing a good story, see the recent annual with milne as proof he can write an engaging story.
Let's give it a chance. It could be good