Comic Review...

Transformers Spotlight
Blaster

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Emiliano Santalucia
(Cover by Emiliano Santalucia)


Synopsis: Blaster floats through space with a large wound in his chest. He is rescued by some aliens who return him to the Autobots. Thanks to his internal monologue, we learn he was the "voice of the resistance" for the Autobots, cheering them on and keeping their spirits up--until he was betrayed by one of their own and left for dead, floating through space for years. He reviews old data tracks and attempts to recall who it was that tried to kill him... in the end, he sets up a trap for the killer and confronts them when they return to finish the job.

Comments: Another pretty good spotlight issue (I think Spotlight is my favorite of IDW's various TF efforts). This version of Blaster is both the free loving cartoon personality (at least on the surface for his brethren) and the Marvel comic's devout Autobot persona--a good meshing of the two. The art is good--I've never heard of/seen Santalucia's art before but it's a good match for the IDW stuff. The story is a simple "who tried to kill" me tale but it works fine.

Recommended.


***
Transformers: Devastation #4

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Robby Musso
(Covers by E.J. Su and Nick Roche)

Synopsis: Prologue: In Skywatch Headquarters, the secret government facility discover they've lost control of Laserbeak and Ravage because a counter-signal has asserted control of them (guess who? :) Elsewhere, Sixshot and the Autobots fight it out with Sixshot being large and in-charge. Meanwhile, Wheeljack and Hot Rod reach the junkyard begin their search for Ironhide--but it's a big yard and they don't have a lot of time before the Sunstreaker clones find them again. At Machination H.Q., Hunter decides the only thing he can do is undergo the full Headmaster process himself to help out the Autobots. He steps into the machine and is in pain as it begins... The Autobots and Sixshot fight it out some more... Verity and Jimmy realize the area is to be bombed by the government and realize they must warn the Autobots before it's too late. The junkyard owner arrives later and call the cops because there's been a break-in. The clones pick up the signal on the police scanner and go to intercept them. Verity and Jimmy steal a powerboat and go to warn the Autobots... the Autobots and Sixshot fight some more while Sixshot brags about how powerful and unstoppable he is. The humans arrive and tell Ratchet what's going on and he warns Optimus. Prime contacts Nightbeat and tells him to beam the Autobots out--which he does. Upon arriving on Ark-32, Ratchet is shocked to realize the orbital jump was too much for Verity and Jimmy--they're both dead! In Oregon, the Reavers(?) arrive and begin to attack the Decepticon base. Megatron has Sixshot recalled and he flies off just as the bombardment by the planes begins... Prime is beamed out in the nick of time too. Epilogue: The Decepticons are scrambling to repel the attack... Astrotrain sneaks off to talk to Starscream, who says he sees an opportunity here and this time, he'll be the one standing when the dust settles.

Comments: Not a bad issue... one thing I noticed in there right away was when they initially ask Nightbeat how long it will take, his exact words are a quote from Aliens (the thing about prepping the drop ship, etc. is an exact quote of what Bishop says). I thought the entire issue was fairly good overall but as I've previously said, I'd like to see a bit more resolution to some plot threads in play (although I think we're slowly getting there). One thing that shocked me was the apparent casual deaths of Verity and Jimmy. I admit they didn't have much to do story-wise but they could've found something for them to do (or even ignored them for the time being). This coming after all the initial "we need humans to show the scale of the war/relate better to the Transformers" stuff from the company. At Botcon 06, IDW brought up the idea of killing all the human cast off to appease a small vocal percentage of the fandom. Personally, I feel this is an easy cop-out--if you're going to introduce a story element like humans then have something for them to do in the story and stick by your guns instead of listening to a bunch of whiny fans that don't know what they ultimately want. I hope their deaths aren't permanent but if they are then IDW wasted a good story opportunity with them. The art was pretty good and I look forward to the next issue.

Recommended.

let's vote !!!!

Hi guys,
I got a drawing up with the "next transformer comic artist" competition
vote here: http://idwpublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3178

thanks,
Johan

Xmas Special Comic

Well, here's the issue as it is:

Transmasters Christmas 2007 Special Comic

It's short, only about 6 pages total. Read the comments. Have a happy new year.

Me on deviant art

I finally made the step, Warlog now has a place on deviant art !
click here to check it out. there are only a few pages now but that will chance soon enough I think. take care ! gr johan

Review: KO Mirage

(There are several versions of Mirage on the internet right now. One is the classic blue color scheme; one is Diaclone red; one is clear and one is clear black).


Mirage

Price: $70 Usd (purchased from www.agesthreeandup.com. The price varies depending on color scheme and where you purchase it from. Prices go anywhere from $50 - $75).



The Good:

- Sturdy mold for a KO.

- All parts included (rifle, missile launcher, three missiles, sticker sheet and instructions).

- Box came in pristine shape.

The Bad:

- Toy was loose from cardboard backing inside box. (I'm starting to think this is due to cheap glue on the card).


(The above review was of the red Mirage toy KO. I also have a blue one but haven't opened it. The Blue one is on it's card inside the box fine but the outside box isn't in as good shape--like some idiot folded the top over or something).

Conclusions:

- Seems like a decent KO toy to me. I would recommend it if you don't have an original or want something newer to display (remember it's a knock-off though--they're only so good quality, no matter how good they may be).
- Btw... apparently, the original red Mirage (from the Goodbye Convoy set) had yellow eyes while the reissue has blue ones. This does not bother me at all, though since I just wanted a Mirage toy.
- Be careful who you buy these from. Reputable dealers like Agesthreeandup.com or digital-toys.com are okay but some of the ebay dealers don't care about the condition of the box--0ne guy explicitly stated in his auction that he would fold the top flap over for shipping (like with my blue one--although that dealer did *not* put that in the description or send it that way. But the box flap had previously been bent before he sold it to me. I can see the stress marks on it).
- Even though red was reviewed, I presume it's safe to apply this to the blue one as well. I can't see there being much of a difference between the various versions.



(Picture credit: Pictures taken from the agesthreeandup.com website).

Review: KO cassettes

(There are several sets kicking around the web. One is of Frenzy/Laserbeak; one is Frenzy/Ratbat and one is Rumble/Ravage.)


Frenzy and Ratbat

Price: $15.99 Usd on ebay (price fluctuates wildly. I got mine decently priced but I've seen them for as much as $40).



The Good:

(Frenzy)

- A pretty good representation of the original G1 toy.
- Sturdy (given his size and the mold's fragility).
- Weapons fit well into back.

(Ratbat)

- Has eyes on his head (my original G1 Ratbat didn't. Or they'd worn off already when I got it likely).
- Metal chest like G1 toy.


The Bad:

(Frenzy)

- Stickers are cheap. Arm ones came off easily (which is okay--I never liked those anyway. They don't help the toy's look in robot mode).
- No diecast feet (not a big thing either since the original G1 toys didn't always have those either).
- Paint on eyes is a little sloppy with the paint going off to the right on head a little bit. (Actually... didn't the original toy just have silver eyes? These have red ones! Maybe that should be under "good"?)

(Ratbat)

- Loose wing joints right off the bat (er, pun not intended :).
- Lost one of his ears immediately upon transforming him (I think this was a problem with the real thing too, though, as my original never had ears to start with).
- Left gun doesn't stay in chest hole as well as it should.

- Also, the card's plastic bubble was very slightly coming loose in the middle when I got the toys (I chalk this up to cheap glue).

Both toys have silver weapons, btw (some had gold in G1 and some had silver).

***

Rumble/Ravage

Price: $19.99 USd (boughten from www.agesthreeandup.com)



The Good:

(Rumble)

- Same notes as Frenzy.

(Ravage)

- Diecast legs.

- Missile launchers fit tight into body (I have never, ever had a KO Ravage do that before! It was always one tight, one loose.)

- Card for both toys was in pristine shape when I received it in the mail.

The Bad:

(Rumble)

- Same critiques as Frenzy.

(Ravage)

- Actually, I didn't find anything bad about him.


Conclusions:

- Frenzy, Rumble and Ravage are fairly solid KO toys. Ratbat is the worst of the four but even then, his original G1 toy wasn't that great either. (I don't own a KO Laserbeak so I have no opinion on him.)
- I would mildly recommend buying these if you need some replacements or just want extra cassette-like toys to play with. (Just remember: they are KOs, so don't expect superb quality).
btw... my very first TFs were KOs of Condor (Laserbeak), Robot (Frenzy) and Jaguar (Ravage). They were cheap but fun so to have new KOs of them is extra cool.


(Picture credits: Frenzy/Ratbat pic from ebay auction I won. Rumble/Ravage pic from agesthreeandup.com website).

Review: KO Dinobots

As you may be aware, there has been a recent influx of Knock off Transformers from China. Some are of the mini-cars, cassette Decepticons, G1 Mirage, Metroplex (really!) and the Dinobots. I've bought a few and here's my thoughts...


Sludge

Cost: $69.95 USd at www.digital-toys.com



The good: A nice toy of G1 Sludge. I never had an original, official Sludge--just a KO from about 15 years ago (ironically). Unlike KO #1, this one has facial details (read: paint apps). He transformed fine and seems relatively sturdy (my old one had the arm snap off when I transformed him one time so I was really careful with this one).

The bad: For some reason, I keep getting these damn KOs with the toy separated from the cardboard backing (essentially, open within the package). The box itself is in pristine shape but the toy is loose inside it. I don't know if the original seller is doing this, customs or what. Maybe the glue holding the bubble on is cheap? (If you'll recall, the original G1 toys mostly had styrofoam inserts--these KOs have a bubble on a cardboard backing inside the box).
- Sludge is also missing his rifle. He technically is supposed to come with a long black rifle, short missile launcher gun and a sword. His rifle is nowhere to be found. The pics online have him with one so I assume this toy's gun is MIA. Was it stolen? Did it fall out somehow (unlikely)?

***

Swoop

Cost: $69.95 USd at www.digital-toys.com



The Good: Really, nothing...

The Bad: What a flimsy toy! I can only assume the original toy was a flimsy piece of crap too (design-wise). This has the addition of cheap plastics to compound the problem with standing up straight. The lower arms are snapped together and if you use too much force start to come apart (but can be pushed back together).

- Lousy toy and quality. Epitomizes the term "knock off".

- Gun and sword won't stay in right hand or right wing. They literally won't fit down like they're supposed to (but the left side's just fine).

- Missile won't stay in one launcher (springer/launcher piece loose).

- No stickers (should be there but missing).

- Loose from card in box.

***

Slag

Cost: $69.95 USd at www.digital-toys.com



The Good:

- Toy on card properly. Stickers included.

- Decent quality plastic on figure (despite tail piece breaking).


The Bad:

- Hand holes not drilled all the way through on top. I had to pry at them with the gun butt to open them up so I could put the gun in.

- Flimsy sword. Should be hard plastic but is soft plastic instead.

- One tail piece broke off on first transformation (can be reattached, I think).

- Launcher won't hold missile. Launcher piece loose.


Conclusions:

- Stay the hell away from Swoop!

- Sludge is probably the best of the three...

- One great thing is that the boxes are nearly indistinguishable from the original G1 toys! Great for nostalgia and use for tech specs, box art, etc. (just be careful someone doesn't sell you one and pass it off as the real deal).

Unless you never had the Dinobots as a kid (me) and need something vaguely resembling the real thing, I'd pass on all of them and save some money. For about $15 these *might* be worth it but not for $70. All they're good for, for certain, is a diorama with junked Dinobots and Shockwave/Devastator standing triumphantly over them.

(Note: The pics in this review were taken from the agesthreeandup.com website. Some are not 100% accurately representative of the final products).






(Three KOs and a G2 Grimlock)

Adding my fanzine to the fray... :)

After being delayed for over a month (due to my parents being in the hospital mainly), BOP #34 is finally done and now available!

At 22 pages, the physical issue costs $3/US issue for those who want the whole thing. Email me at tkphoton@hotmail.com to get a copy!
(BOP #33's story will be up on my website soon).



BOP #35's story is still not written but parts of the issue are done already. Barring any unforeseen delays, I expect to have the FINAL ISSUE of Balance of Power done by late January! Afterwards, I also hope to either have all the stories collected together as a file or, if that's too big, do them up on CD-ROM (in their entirety--covers, intro columns, profiles, stories--the works!)

Transmasters Magazine Issue 5

Well, it's finally done. Here's the link to Mag issue 5:

http://transmasters.fortunecity.com/tmmags/tmmag05/index.html

Let me know if any of you have problems with the G1 Cartoon goofs pages. I made them in MS Publisher 2007 and they may not work right in browsers other than IE.

I hope to get the xmas special comic done before the 25th, but it will depend on free time. I've done up a few drawings for it already. I start work on Monday for my new job as a iTunes email tech support-seasonal but I've got to start somewhere if you know what I mean. Take care and I wish you all happy holidays.

Warlog Volume 2, Issue 3 OUT NOW !

Hi,
Finished the issue yesterday and thought I'd put it up today.

Features:
New Cover,
4 colored pages instead of black and white.
some new dialogue put in.
and the Never seen in print Cover for Warlog 2. (back in the time I wanted
to make an 2000AD style mag, but never happened. this has been sitting in the archive for some time.)

Facts:
Warlog Issue 3. (Trial of Superion part 3 of 5)
10 pages.
3.4 Mb size
cbr format
Next issue 04 April 2008 !

I will adapt the warlog site later on.
If any of you read it, could you please give comment/remarks so I can make it a better issue ! via mail or below this box....

DOWNLOAD (yes it's free)

greetings johan