IDW Publishing has released its 5-page preview of the next installment in The Transformers: Escalation series. Issue 5 should be hitting the stand March 28, 2007. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TRANSFORMERS: ESCALATION #5 (of 6) Publisher: IDW Publishing Writers: Simon Furman Pencils: E.J. Su Covers: E.J. Su, Klaus Scherwinski Released: 03/28/2007 Part 5 of 6 This is it! The all-out, no-holds-barred battle you've all been waiting for... OPTIMUS PRIME vs. MEGATRON! In the icy wasteland between Russia and Brasnya, the two titans clash for the first time in many millennia, and MEGATRON's playing for keeps. Empowered by Ore-13, MEGATRON wants nothing less than the AUTOBOT leader's complete and utter eradication. And the way things are going... he might just get his wish! By Simon Furman (Transformers: Stormbringer) and E.J. Su (Transformers: Infiltration), with a variant cover once again provided by Klaus Scherwinski. View: The Transformers: Escalation #5, Su Cover The Transformers: Escalation #5, Scherwinski Cover The Transformers: Escalation #5, Su Sketch Incentive Cover The Transformers: Escalation #5, Scherwinski Sketch Incentive Cover The Transformers: Escalation #5, Page 1 The Transformers: Escalation #5, Page 2 The Transformers: Escalation #5, Page 3 The Transformers: Escalation #5, Page 4 The Transformers: Escalation #5, Page 5 Source: IDW Publishing
Who's the Head of the Machination? Doesn't "sound" like Soundwave nor does the head look like Shockwave.
Oooh. Business is really beginning to pick up! Nice looking battle we have starting there. This series just seems to get better and better. I'm also really wondering who "The Head that Wouldn't Die" is. Doesn't seem to follow SHOCKWAVE's speech patterns, nor Soundwave's... though in honestly, I don't think we know exactly how Soundwave is being characterised in this universe. Almost looks like... a Dynobot...
It looks like Scorponok's head to me. When did UM's oneshot take place in relation to the current IDW timeline?
More of the same.... zzzzzzzzzz. Sorry. I just actually want some story to actually unfold here - Reading IDW's multiple story threads (from the main series and all the SPOTLIGHT's) is like watching the X-FILES; more & more convoluted plots and questions being raised with no resolution - By the time the resolution comes things have got so bogged down that I for one won't really care. And I hate the artist's insistance on mangling into a twisted blob every Transformer when they get shot (It was BLITZWING's turn in issue #4). A quick spell in a rejunanation chamber and hey presto, good as new. So, IDW ain't really doing it for me - I honestly prefer reading my old Marvel backissues. They may have been more simplistic, but they were so much more fun! With IDW making as equally big a mess of STAR TREK NG I have to wonder how they got these franchises. Still, just my opinion and I realise I'm in a minority here.
The Trek seems decent enough as well, although I'm more into the books (PAD, particularly) than TOS/NG. Seen the various series too many times over the years. Only big open questions I can think of in TF are whose the head is, and who has Nightbeat.
Dreamwave was the bigger culprit when it came to that. The cavern beneath the Earth in the Sunstorm saga raised the biggest questions - and that was never resolved! AGH.
I think IDW's been doing a WONDERFUL job. Their universe is a bit of a slow burn sometimes sure, but it's also a MUCH more thought out and mature/realistic take on TFs then we've ever had before. They manage to be new and intreaguing while still retaining the feel and characters of the classic G1 universe. And I'm loving all the hints secrets and plot threads developing. I'd be very surprised if this isn't leading up to Headmasters and following on the Ultra Magnus Spotlight threads. IDW feels like the early Marvel US run to me, just better and more realistically written. Which is very cool.
In their defence, that was hardly the fault of the writters, universe, or story. It was never resolved solely because Pat Lee was a @#$#% and the company bancrupted before they got to the payoff of the planned year-long story arc. I find it interesting that the DW books (especialy the ongoing which was leagues better than their minis) felt a lot like a reimagined G1 cartoon (with some comic influence tinting it) and the IDW book feels like a reimagined Marvel comic (with some cartoon influence tinting it). Interesting contrast. I like both for different reasons.
