Comic Review...

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Transformers Regeneration One #99

Writer: Simon Furman
Artists: Guido Guidi (breakdowns), Stephen Baskerville (finishes)



Summary:  THE WAR TO END ALL WARS! Can the Autobots prevail against JHIAXUS’ New Cybertronian Empire? The disastrous invasion ends in dramatic and shocking fashion with twists, shocks and surprises galore, and STARSCREAM right in the thick of things. Dark forces are stirring for the final chapter of the original TRANSFORMERS epic!

Comments:  One thing really stood out in my mind about this issue: it felt rushed. Starscream is apparently possessed by the Underbase and it uses him to track down and absorb Jhiaxus. Why? Who knows... Elsewhere, events seem to imply that either Primus has gone evil or the dark Matrix monster from before has taken control of him (which itself was an aspect of him). And is Galvatron now possessed by Unicron?
   Also, like all other storylines in this series up to this point, Jhiaxus' empire is abruptly over. We didn't get much of a sense of his personality (beyond preferring order and going to any means to get it). In the space of three issues, his empire attacked, was retaliated against, got the upper hand and is abruptly stopped by Shockwave and Starscream (with some help from the Wreckers).
   I blame IDW's "write for the trade" style for this. In the old Marvel series, stuff could percolate for ages in the background. While this series has had some of that, it hasn't had enough. I wish we could've gotten an issue from Jhiaxus' stand point. Discussing his imperative to create his empire and why he chose the whole "Hub" style for it. At best, we get snippets of this but not a true reason in the story that makes sense. Furman only had twenty issues and he doesn't really explain it beyond "genetic imperative" to create order.
    On a related note, we don't get much fallout from the other storylines either. Megatron is dead; his zombies are destroyed. Bludgeon's ship is destroyed and his play for power is done. Scorponok is apparently killed and we get barely a mention of the after effects. It all feels rushed to me and it could've been integrated much better overall. Instead of just "five issues and done", I would've preferred more story lines bleeding over and into each other, then wrap it all up at the end of the series. The way it's been done, it makes the overall story feel a bit, well, hollow.
   I still look forward to seeing the final issue next month and seeing exactly what Furman is going to do to end it all off. I just wish more planning had been put into the overall arc of this series.


Verdict: Good

Retailer Incentive Cover by Geoff Senior

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Review: Intrada Transformers: The Movie soundtrack

Transformers: The Movie soundtrack
        
Studio: Intrada
CDs in Set: 1
Price: $19.99 USd
Available: Now
(Buy it here: http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.8506/.f?sc=13&category=22848 )

Album artwork images courtesy the Intrada website

     At long last, those who have wanted to own a copy of the instrumental soundtrack to Transformers: The Movie are able to do so. And unlike the very limited BotCon releases from the late nineties/early oughts, this version should be more widely available.
    If you already own one of the BotCon releases, there really isn’t anything new here. In fact, this release is strictly instrumental music only. The title theme isn’t even on here (either version).    
    The sound quality on this release is noticeably crisper then the BotCon versions. I’m not a sound technician so I’m not entirely sure what the difference is on a technical level but this is definitely better sounding then its predecessor releases.
    The CD comes with a color booklet with several pictures of the animation (as one would expect for such a release) as well extensive liner notes detailing the lead-up to the creation of the movie and thoughts on Vince Dicola’s scoring talents as well as some comments from the man himself and Flint Dille (it’s standard CD soundtrack stuff. Interesting reading to some, irrelevant to others, depending on their interest level).
    The actual packaging is much nicer then the older versions as well. The front is the movie poster art of the Autobots shooting up at Unicron while the back has several head shots of the characters and the track information. The disc itself is black labeled with orange titling and white supporting text.
    Of note, they’ve rearranged some of the tracks, merging them together by theme and outright renaming others. For example, the track called “Autobot/Decepticon Battle” merges together the original “Autobot/Decepticon Battle” and “City Under Siege” into one track (they do go back to back in the film, but this is technically a difference). Another example is “Optimus Prime vs. Megatron” which takes the older “Showdown”, “The Death of Optimus Prime” and “Witness to a Funeral” and merges them into one track (all the music is still there, it’s just all on one track now instead of however many the original had).
    Some tracks have been renamed. “Pursuit” is now “Closing In” (I preferred the symmetry of “Escape” and “Pursuit” better). “Unwelcome Visitors” is now “Twisted Planet” (actually an improvement). “Their Darkest Hour” is now “The Fight Continues”. And so on.
    Again, depending on your level of interest, this might infuriate you or leave you indifferent. It annoys this reviewer because I got used to the original track names on the 1997 BotCon release and it would be confusing discussing the tracks someone who might not possess the various iterations.
    Another thing that has occurred to me about this soundtrack in the recent era: It has no real ending. It ends off with the battle inside/around Unicron. The final track is “Legacy”, Dicola’s demo track for the audition to get the job in the first place. Over time, I really wish he’d done up an end title of some kind for the overall suite. He went into the movie knowing it would have a rock song to wrap the film so he apparently didn’t bother to compose anything and I think that’s a shame. Especially since we have never ever had a complete release of the soundtrack together (that is, instrumentals and songs in one release. It falls to the listener to track down the various discs so they can assemble the complete soundtrack on their own). Some films--Batman (the Tim Burton film), for example, have an end title while the finished film uses songs to wrap it up instead. I wish Dicola had elected to do the same here.
    On a related note, I wish someone would’ve done an “Ultimate” version of the soundtrack with two discs, if need be, and every song and instrumental together on it. The CD is copyright “Sony Music”, who did a songs disc back around the 25th Anniversary of the movie so it stands to reason they must either have the rights to everything–or easily possess the power to license them. As cool as this release is, imagine how much cooler that would’ve been!


Verdict:  Very Good. A must-buy for those who don’t already own an earlier release.

New and nifty!

At long last, the Fall 2013 issue of the Transmasters Magazine is now available! Check it out in all its glory here:

http://transmasters.angelfire.com/tmmag/issue19/index1.html




I had hoped to get a bit more in this issue (a few more reviews, my story), but next time, I guess. :)
Next issue will be out in February 14!  Feedback is always welcome.

- Thunder

Winter is Coming!

The Fall 2013 Issue of Transmasters Magazine is in the works! Submissions (art, stories, articles, etc.) are always welcome (stuff should be sent in any common, easy to open format). I hope to have the issue ready sometime in December. As always, submissions can be sent to tkphoton at hotmail.com

Titan Transformers UK issue 4.17, Nov/Dec 2013.

Titan Transformers UK issue 4.17, Nov/Dec 2013.

 

"BeastHunters are here !" 

Hi all ! 
Arriving yesterday the 15th of October through the mailbox, another issue of the Titan series of Transformers comics !
(and yes, I've stopped doing the video reviews, experiment not succesfull. maybe i'll pick it up later 'down the road' )

Now let's go to the Issue! 

Page 00: cover consist of PRIME art of well...Ratchet, Raf and Predaking! Free toy is a "Bumblebee car disc shooter !" far from original since it's still another variant of the disc shooter/blaster weapon ! 



Page 02-03: Index Page. 
Page 04-05: All you wanted to know about Predaking but were afraid to ask because he might eat ya !

Page 06-10: Part one of the the strip begins. 

"Collider Scope"
Script: Robin Etherington Art: Horacio Domingues Colours: Nestor Pereya Lettering: Comicraft 

Earthquakes are occuring in Switzerland and France which baffles experts because those areas are not prone to seismic activity. Agent Fowler informs the team that they've lost contact with a base containing a top secret particle accelerator. Prime, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Arcee take the groundbridge to the base to find Decepticons ! Meanwhile, we find out that the source of the quakes is Shockwave, testing out the accelerator while trying to convert it to a spacebridge. The Autobots engage the Decepticons until....Predaking !.....to be continued on page 20  Great art by Domingues. 

Page 11: Titan Magazines - Transformers subscription - offer advert.
Page 12-13:Soundwave's Stumpers-Puzzles and Quizzes.
Page 14: SpyNet Competition.
Page 15: Plants VS Zombies Magazine advert .
Page 16-17: the BEASTHUNT- more puzzles and brainteasers.
Page 18-19: Bumblebee Poster. 



Page 20-22: Part 2 of the strip! SPOILERS !

Predaking attacks the Autobots with his firebreath while Bulkhead has a brief homesick moment when seeing Cybertron through the Spacebridge(this is a nice idea) not noticing Predaking.
Prime orders Bulkhead and Wheeljack to keep Predaking busy while he tries to shut down the powercore.
Sadly, Predaking goes after Optimus who does not dare go further in fear of sparking a nuclear explosion!
So after planning a very familiar third doctor moment from Prime



(see also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLD03bU5R5M   )

Predaking fires wrong and and destroys the powercore unintentionally. The Decepticons flee and the Autobots live to fight another day.



Page 23: Bulkheads wordsearch.
Page 24-25: The TransFiles: The Forge of Cybertron. information about the ancient artifact.
Page 26-27: Hunter or Hunted ? Find out what Beasthunter you would be. choose from Optimus, Starscream, Bulkhead or Raf. I ended up with Optimus.

Page 28-30: The letterpages, hosted by Megamouth Megatron(HAIL!) (PRIME version) with a little help from Arcee (also PRIME version). 
Page 31: Ballistic Brain Busters ! - more puzzles. 
Page 32: Spot the Difference - Help agent Fowler ! 
Page 33: Next issue blurb which looks like an Bumblebee centric XMAS cover. On Sale 12 december ! 
Page 34: LiteBrix advert.
Page 35: ESCAPE ! Escape from Darkmount castle !
Page 34: Bumblebee's Beast Blaster - Cut out.be careful with scissors.



Conclusion: 
Good Comic strip scriptwise, art a little better than last time, just fun! I don't understand why Optimus refers to Predaking as 'The Predaking'? You would have thought that it's his name and not it's title ?

score: 7.5 out of 10 

Review: SXS Continuously Variable toy...

R-01 Continuously Variable (aka "not Gears") 

Manufacturer: SXS
Price: $70 USD
Available: Now 
(http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SXS10004&mode=retail)


Comments:  I never had a G1 Gears and he hasn't gotten the Classics treatment (so far) so I sprang for this third party guy (there's also a iGear version out there, btw).
   As a toy he's comparable to the Deluxe class size that Hasbro puts out. He comes with two hand guns (same mold, different colors). Contrary to the BBTS website, the toy does not have swords (no idea why they're pictured).
   He's not bad... my only real complaints are that his head seems a bit flat. It turns 360 degrees but they could've added a little bit more "bulk" to it, made it more rounded out (like I always pictured Brawn being). Also, his backpack in robot mode (i.e. car rooftop, wheels, etc.) doesn't really lock down as well as it could. They really should've made a piece to clip it together instead of hoping it would more or less stay where it is (some of Hasbro's Classics toys also have this problem though).
   His SUV mode is pretty good overall. It does lock together fairly well and looks quite good. I suppose they could've made some holes for his weapons to store on the vehicle mode (but it's not a big deal really. I'm just nitpicking now).
   The price is...iffy. Honestly, this toy should be a bit cheaper. I realize all third party toys are expensive and they're a very small run compared to what Hasbro or Takara do, but part of me wonders why a Deluxe sized toy is so much money. Couldn't they have sold it for, say, $50 instead?

Verdict:  Good. If you love Gears and don't mind the price, pick this guy up. He's not perfect (what is, though? :) but he's fairly decent overall.

Blurr appears to be next...

A bit flat headed...

Comic Review...

Transformers Regeneration One #0

Writer: Simon Furman
Artists: Casey Coller. Geoff Senior, Jeff Anderson, Jose Delbo, Nick Roche
Covers: Andrew Wildman (A), Guido Guidi (B), Geoff Senior (RI), Casey Coller (RE)

Summary:  ZERO POINT! Adventure in the time stream, as HOT ROD desperately attempts to identify the rogue elements that are leading him, and the entire CYBERTRONIAN race, inexorably towards the catastrophic end of time itself. What hidden stories do the DEATHBRINGER, BOLTAX, BUSTER WITWICKY, and GALVATRON have to tell, and what—if any—solutions are there? Or is it already too late?

Comments: This was a cool gimmick issue, utilizing past popular TF artists to portray eras they were known for (Geoff Senior for the Deathbringer flashback, Jose Delbo for the Buster/Jesse story, etc.) The art styles clash and the differences are quite noticeable but I can see what they were trying to do here so I'll give that a pass. 
   We're not really given a clear reason in-story for why the timeline is fracturing. One would assume that it would be clearly "drawn" for the reader but instead all the reader gets is hints... something to do with the evil Matrix residue, Spike's guilt over the loss of family, Jhiaxus existence and plans, the alternate timeline where Galvatron and his Decepticons triumphed over the Autobots. It will be interesting to see how Furman draws these disparate plot points into something coherent in the final five issues that remain of this series (I hope we're not disappointed).
   I would also like to see some real explanation in-story for why Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime resembles Primus. Is he the ultimate Prime? Perhaps created to unite their kind once and for all, ending war for all time? If not... frankly, I'd be disappointed if he ends up being another Prime "just because".


Verdict: Very Good.


 

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Retailer Incentive cover by Geoff Senior

The Time Has Come...

The Spring/Summer 2013 issue of the Transmasters Magazine is now available! Check it out TODAY! Feedback is always welcome (as are submissions toward future issues).


http://transmasters.angelfire.com/tmmag/issue18/index1.html


(My Crimson Destiny story is not ready yet but I didn't wish to wait any longer so I'll post it when it is. Also, the next issue will be out in November, assuming all goes to plan).


- Thunder

TM Mag, Spring Edition in the works...

The Spring 2013 Issue of Transmasters Magazine is in the works! Submissions (art, stories, articles, etc.) are always welcome (stuff should be sent in any common, easy to open format). I hope to have the issue ready sometime in mid-July (which is technically the summer, but oh well. :). As always, submissions can be sent to tkphoton at hotmail.com

The Pinball Machine

Gary Stern's pinball machine at CES 2013 by CNET