I'm unsure. I honestly hope Skids stay s dead and he was my favourite character of MTMTE. Having an issue to say goodbye and properly mourn his death will be good if Roberts pulls it off. Even me saying that is a sign of the times as I have little faith he can recreate the magic. It was a nice twist with the eye though, genuinely pleasing.


Anode and Lug ruin it for me. I don't care about them, I don't care about their story but it's so clear I'm supposed to, it's so clear they're supposed to be that zany fun person who in reality is just annoying. If they fell into a smelting pit I'd cheer.

The art really hurt this issue with how generic all the background bots looked too.

I'm seeing this as the rest break issue(s) before we move onto the new main plot but when compared to issue 9 of Optimus Prime, this was terrible, this was fan fiction. Op9 was mtmte season 1 level of amazing.

 

It seems like this quite small issue covered absolutely loads of storylines.

The art still grated on me and made that montage scene at the start pretty hard to follow among others but I think it was a mostly positive story.

it's the first issue in a while that has given us plenty to make conspiracy theories about as so many questions;

What are those new coffin transformers all about? New but different life, could it have anything to do with that spark less transformer thing from sins of the wreckers?

Are this new mysterious faction tied with shockwave in some way given they have flame as a member who was likely in prison with shockwave?

Five members of the guiding hand plus five symbols related to the Knights, what does all this mean?

I think it was a good move to give us a story focused primarily on the newer characters as I would say one of the reasons as to why so many of the characters introduced in seasons 2 and 3 have struggled to win support is because the season 1 lot have had way more panel and story room for us to get to know them well dominating the stories in all three seasons whilst newer characters have only had limited time for us to get to know them.

The issue did something that I thought no issue would ever attempt again and that is actually address the gender issue. Given the insane backlash after the arcee thing years ago Roberts is pretty brave even going near this and the resulting diologue works well in an infusy kind of way and doesn't fall into the trap of overthinking it so props to Roberts for that.

 

I quite liked the bits about Nautica and Velocity (who got a bit of background) but I dislike Anode. And not in a "what a well-written and compelling character who I'm supposed to dislike" way, but in a "your presence in this book takes me out of the story in such a pronounced and obnoxious way I just skim read or skip" way.

We lost Ravage, Skids and Megatron.

We gained Anode.

What did I ever do to J-Ro?

 

Oh, I hadn't made that connection. Could they be related?

And may I point out that we finally got an appearance from the Black Box Consortia.

 

So we finally get some progress on the quest that this whole thing hinged on and it's with characters who only recently joined.

 

What I think came into thought in Robert's mind: Hmmm, I guess since I wrapped up the Dissolution arc, I guess its time to go back to the Lost Light? PSYCHE! I am going to add this issue in.

Sorry Roberts, but if nothing happens in the next few issues just like what Barber has, my interest may be lost again.

 

Wow, so much hate here. I have to say I hate Lug and Anode and I thought for sure I was going to hate this issue. I was wrong, I really liked it!! I thought it was fun and I like the relationship between Velocity and Nautica.

 

I am a little surprised that the response here is moderately positive, especially since people are citing advancements in the quest as the reason for this. I guess I was always in the "it's the journey, not the destination" camp, and when I think about why I was so riveted by early MTMTE, it was all to do with the fuses set on various interactions.

But I have to concede that there is material in this issue that advances the remaining central mystery, as well as introducing some new intrigue. I just wish it was being discovered by characters who still fizzed with internal tensions.

 

I thought both the myth arc advancement and the character stuff were both fantastic this issue. Granted, I've always been a big fan of Nautica, so an issue focused on her is pretty much ensured to be good for me.

 

Also, for the first time since the IDW continuity began, we now have a canonical explanation for the art errors in earlier comics which depicted female transformers on Cybertron after the civil war.

 

Yeah I agree with this. Skids was my favourite character in MTMTE but I don't want him to come back either. Reviving dead characters is problem a lot of comic book series tend to do. And with MTMTE/LL there have already been two characters who have come back from the dead: Rewind (in a way) and Lug. I don't think Nautica will succeed in reviving Skids or at least I hope not. What Roberts should do is have Nautica attempt to bring him back but fail miserably. So that subplot would be more about Nautica coming to terms with Skids' death and learning to move on from it despite her efforts.

 

I have also always been in the journey, not destination camp too! Personally, I have never thought that they were going to find the Knights until almost the end of the series (a little before MTMTE #100). I would almost guarantee that when they find the Knights they are NOT going to be in Cyberutopia. I feel like the theme of this entire series has always been "the law of unintended consequences." It will probably be big, and terrible, and hell-bent on destroying (maybe devouring?  ) the universe. That may just be me though.

 

Skids won't come back. I'm rather certain the entire lead-up to the point of the planet being called the "Howling Town" is moreso based towards coming to terms with death than preventing it.

As it pertains to the "trans" topic; it was handled well here. And it not only explains its inclusion with the Cybertronians, but with why we're all the sudden seeing female transformers across the comic franchise despite them previously being so sparse. But, just like how Wonder Woman's recent film helps women see a true hero to identify with and gives young girls a hero to aspire to, bringing trans characters into the Transformers mythos, as absolutely harmless as it is, is a big positive step forward in not only being inclusive, but progressive. It helps build the fanbase for - what many here are likely to consider - the "tumbler crowd", but building the fanbase is good anyway. There's literally no negative to it. And before anyone starts in with the caliber of that crowd, the "caliber" of grown men on this forum board who complain about literally anything under the moon doesn't lend itself to much to stand on.

Little girls need characters to look up to as much as many here once looked up to Prime. Trans people are actual people that exist, so they deserve that to. Even if it IS someone as one-dimensional and shoved down our throats as Anode, it's hardly Roberts' problem, nor is it theirs. I see it as a plus and an invitation for countless new fans to help line the pockets of Hasbro in the continued efforts to keep getting cool toys.

As for the rest of the show? Boy, I couldn't care less about the characters. Nautica is as close as I get, and even then it's barely a damn to give. BUT, we did get some progress on the Knights and a LOT of hints about their involvement in past events;

Five Clans of the Knights of Cybertron - Five members of the Guiding Hand. Coincidence? Possibly... but not to be disregarded.

Flame- possibly the "Grand Architect", and it certainly fits his past. Wearing the cog-like glyph, and all! Like others have pointed out, he likely would have ended up in Garrus-9 after the Aequitas trials- the same prison Grimlock was nabbed from.

I don't have the issue with Grimlock's return in front of me, but I wouldn't be shocked if the petrified robots in that downed Worldsweeper were some form of concealment from the Black Block Consortium (Necrobot used similar "organic" concealment for his pods, though not the lifeforms inside, nor to the degree the ship had) but were either shot down, or a raging Grimlock took them down from within before sealing himself up for healing. Pure speculation, of course... but ultimately, the tie to Garrus-9 shouldn't be overlooked.

I get the hate for the derived narrative and lack of emotional attachment for the new characters, but this issue is RIFE with connecting tissue that goes not only back to the heart of the plot, but to the beginning of the MTMTE series itself. While it's another sidestep from the more immediate plot of getting Getaway got, it's a stride forward in the overarcing one.

Also... ew, Nautica. Skids' brain in your eye socket? Not only kinda gross but very unnecessary. Would anyone have fought you if you said "I might have a way to bring him back/say goodbye!"?

 

I am amazed that James just ignores part of the fanbase completely

James Roberts on Twitter

 

Yo J, there is a reason why some people are critical of your comic as of late.

 

Roberts writes an issue which brings representation for an underserved group to Transformers and then talks about the love and support that move generated

"I can't believe he's ignoring us fans who think his pacing is shit and his characters are annoying"

Time and place friend, time and place.

 

I get the impression that Roberts is entirely okay with writing for an audience that wants nothing more than a pat on the head.

 

That's on you. He's getting new readers into a franchise where old readers might drop the comic but will keep buying toys.

 

not talking only about this issue, mate

this is the stuff James just retweeted

 

"Spiritual Lay Lines" + Skids' brain + the symbol the floaty bit spoke at him being all over the guys in the Symbol Ship = something significant I imagine.