A.ma.zing!

 

...That was the best IDW TF comic yet.

 

Possibly my favourite Spotlight. I loved the art.

A number aspects didn't quite sit right with me. The cannon fodder autobots in the armour seemed very fragile or Kup was really strong. Either way Kup totally destroyed them despite being in a state of disrepair.

And Outback, poor Outback, was he dead to start with? The amount of damage he had sustained and his silence would imply he was, but his working holo-emitter would imply he was not. It's a shame they used Outback rather an earlier more visible and well used minibot like Cliffjumper to kill off, the later minibots never seem to get much character development.

 

Outback got good characterization in the UK. Prime was stranded in the slums of Cybertron and he chummed with Outback against the Wreckers. I forget the name of the series but it's in the TPBs.

 

Yeah, but after Xaaron realised Prime was Prime, Outback was forgotten again.

TPB you're thinking of is Prey by Titanbooks.

 

I'm gonna say flat-out dead. Springer said that he was the one who hacked into the holo-emitter, and the art backs that up.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the art or the redesign either, but it does work. Kup's new design physically embodies old, worn, and broken-down. It's creepy, but it works.

As for sending off tons of Autobots to their deaths ... Kup is obviously a much bigger character to a LOT of Autobots in the IDW-verse than he was in any previous continuity. My impression is that at least some of the Autobots who volunteered for the suicide mission did it willingly, KNOWING it was probably suicide, but also knowing it was Kup. Even Springer admits that his emotions towards Kup got in the way of his judgment (explaining why he didn't wait for the "specialist", which would've spared a bunch of deaths). Even Prowl understands, and he's a dick.  

That said, there better be a HUGE payoff in the backstories and explanation -- because otherwise, Kup just looks like a villain.

-XCN-

 

Hmmmm maybe it would explian why "Kup" is named,,, well, Kup.

I know the original argument was that it stood for "picKUP truck", but it's a really odd name.

I wonder if it's some sort of ancient cybertronian name? Most of the other TF's have kind of "code names", maybe there's some reason for that.

 

just got it. methinks some of you are over-rating the writing a tad. due to the scope and direct effect on the IDW continuity, the shockwave spotlight still edges this one.

also, as of this issue, nick roche is now the best damn artist to draw a TF story, period. he may not be the best transformers artist - don is still king - but as far as storytelling/composition/mastery of style goes, roche is prolly the finest to have graced the pages of a TF book.

 

Wow, what a ride. and definitely a comic that's better the 2nd time around. I'm very glad to see them taking characters in new directions...how many times can we watch Kup alternate between telling Hot Rod stories and clipping him in his ear?

 

I picked this up the other day on impulse, I thought I would regret it, but I was wrong.

This seemed really dark, moreso for the fact that Kup threw more or less every Autobot code out the window, killing an unarmed neutral, slaying scores of his fellow Autobots. etc.

Im with the 'Kup better have some really pivotal role in later IDW storylines' crowd.

I really cant see why Springer would allow tens of Autobots to be slaughtered for the sake of one broken, battered, most likely irrepairable old 'Bot.

Even more surprising is that Perceptor seemed to have voiced the idea, that or Springer was just trying to pass the blame.

Even though Kup did break almost every 'Bot rule in the book, you can't help but feel sorry for him, Roche really makes Kup have a level of emotion similar to a human.

Anyone else agree that Kup yelling at Outback's corpse during the fight is one of the most powerful scene in any modern IDW comic.

This was my third Spotlight issue (Soundwave and Six-shot are the others), and I have to say, I intend to pick up the entire series now, Im really ticked I missed most of these.


One question though, why did the Autobots armour look more like the demons from the old Marvel G1 comics.



One more thing, Why are the scenes with Springer, Perceptor, Prowl, Trailbreaker and the 'Bot that got his arm ripped off look completely different to the bits with Kup, was it a different artist?

 

Now, those pages were Nick's usual style, he used a different style on the planet as a contrast.

 

Holy crap holy crap holy crap. Best TF fiction....well....Ever!!!

I can't belive how twisted the whole thing was!

I can't belive how great the art was!

I can't belive what the writer did to Kup!

Spoiler:






I can't belive they plucked Kup from his personal senile paradise to strand him in an eternity of hell.


End Spoiler.


And I love IDW Prowl. He's such a dick.  

 

First off, there's an IDW encyclopedia? Point me in that direction.

They definitely got SIren and Hosehead confused if the encyclopedia says that's hosehead. The bot's head is nearly identical to Siren in the old Marvel comics.

http://www.tfu.info/1988/Autobot/Siren/siren.htm

 

I only found out he HAD an accessory a few years ago... mine didn't come with one  

I did enjoy this comic a lot... I've quite liked the Spotlight issues, apart perhaps from Nightbeat... but it's been a while since I last read it, and I liked it at the time, so maybe it's memory playing tricks on me.

I'm just miffed they offed Siren/Hosehead, because they're two of my favourite characters, design-wise... only have Hosehead, though, but they're both cool enough.

 

They didn't off Siren. He makes it back to the ship, albeit missing an arm.

 

Truth.

Kup's design just embodied "old". His expressions perfectly conveyed the maddness. Outback's corpse was so damn creepy. So good...


As for the people being pissed that Outback is dead without a word: It really made the whole story. Kup's companion is a burnt-out husk with an expression of pain and horror frozen on his face. Talk about mentally losing it...

And c'mon. It was Outback. What other contribution would any of you honestly expect him to make to the story? Especially with no Outback toy for Hasbro to sell.

 

Yeah, the look on Outback's face is so perfectly disturbing. He must've died quick AND in pain. I love that ol' Kup hears Outback joking around with him.

And hey, there's still a 1 million-to-1 chance Outback will be brought back/reformatted into Fallback from the 2005 Botcon set. Maybe a specific harmony generated by the crystals at the time of the accident somehow caused his spark to be transferred and preserved in a crystal and that's why Kup still heard him along with the music. Wow, my first fanfic  

 

prowl to Tf is what cyclops is to x-men.

 

Best story of any IDW comic so far! Normaly the art just wouldn't cut it, but..... it really fits this issue. Very well done!