So, I've been out of things for a while, focusing on other life issues, but I've still been collecting the IDW comics. I noticed recently that the story was getting a little... odd, and that AHM was by a different writer, so I decided to check up on what was going on. Let me see if I've got this right. So, AHM is not only by a different writer, but will not be taking into account any of the previous storylines, yet is still somehow "in continuity". How does that work? Simon Furman isn't doing anything past Maximum Dinobots, but they're not ruling out having him do something over a year down the line, and they could care less about resolving any of the dangling plotlines. I checked up on IDW's boards, and all I really found was Chris Ryall, Editor-in-Chief, being utterly dismissive of any concerns raised at the abrupt change in direction for the line, and trying to couch his dissembling in terms of "I won't reveal upcoming storylines". Is this guy for real? When asked if all of Furman's storylines were going to be "obliterated" he responded with, "Obliterate? Not at all. Move beyond them? Yes." So basically he's going to try to have it both ways and ignore what's come before without having to admit to a reboot. Great. So what happened? Were sales on the line really that bad that they felt the need to start over? They claim there was no falling out with Furman, but it sure seems like there has been. Do they seem to think they can boost sales with the reboot to the point that it overrides the ill-will that seems to be on the IDW boards? Perhaps more importantly, can anyone give me a single good reason not to cancel my subscriptions to all their books immediately? I've enjoyed the line, but I don't think I'm going to put up with this garbage.
He and Quesda must get along well. It's basically I'm the editor I don't have to explain my self. If comics sales increase he was right if they don't he was wrong. That is basically the bottom line.
I'd have to say "Devastation" more or less sets up fairly well for AHM actually... Most of the Autobots end up leaving Earth to deal with other issues in the universe which pretty much leaves Earth in Decepticon hands. So basically AHM shows us the Decepticons overrunning the Earth while the Autobots are busy elsewhere.
The reason for the change is sales for Transformers comics weren't doing very well, so they hoped a new writer with a new perspective and a more crowd-pleasing, less impenetrable storyline would boost sales. Unfortunately, I don't think IDW ever achieved Dreamwave-style sales, even though IDW's stories on average are better. I think its quite possible Simon Furman was informed of what was coming and adjusted his stories accordingly. Look at the RUSHED RUSHED RUSHED conclusion to his storyline with Revelations.
Precisely. It feels like most of his Dreamwave miniseries all over again, which does not leave me a happy camper. Gotta say, IDW really has lost a lot of points with me for the way this "One Year Later" approach has been done. I loved them for actually having a near-ongoing continuity via the "-ation"s and Spotlights, and AHM has managed to jink everything a half-step off-balance for me by inserting a storytelling gimmick I've rarely enjoyed.
In theory it does but most the dialouge and characters would lead you to believe this series isn't set in the continuity as any other series. From Soundwave turning monosyllabic all of a sudden, unlike his other IDW appearances. The fact Shane said he's never going to address Ore-13; which was the only reason the Decepticons ever showed up on Earth. Them getting downgraded alt modes(I don't care what explanation the books gives us, there's no reason for the seekers to down grade). There's also a ton of shit that was mentioned over in the AHM thread that I won't drudge up. The reason for the change is because of poor sales. Which is pretty shitty considering what we got AHM instead of Expansion. : /
This. I loved the "-ations" and still love the Spotlights, and I haven't read AHM yet, but from what I've read and the synopsis' I've read online it's probably best I didn't. I still want to get the next Spotlight Trade Paperback, though. More because I collect them.
I haven't read anything from IDW yet other than a bit of the BW stuff and a couple of Spotlights. I really want to love AHM because the writer is from here and I just met him on Saturday at a comic book shop and he's a pretty cool guy.
*exasperated sigh at IDW* I used to type long, detailed posts about IDW's transformers series. The summary is: What was happening for the last few years was the best TF fiction I have ever seen. From Infiltration to the beginning of Devastation, we got what was (in my opinion) the best treatment that the TF series will probably ever receive anytime soon. But it was still heavily flawed. I had many, many reasons, and I'm sure digging up my post history will show you a lot of stuff. But I'll just be content to say that I was thrilled with the good, and I forgave the bad. I'm on the same page with the people who think "WTF? All Hail Megatron? HUH?" I still think AHM is a well-illustrated book with writing that is...uh...well, it's not what I wanted. Doesn't take away from the earlier "-tion" stories, and it doesn't take away the fact that we're still getting 12 issues of Guido's art and Decepticons blowing shit up. It's a near-unforgivable error to force Simon to wrap up all these stories in four friggin books. But after Dreamwave, Michael Bay, and now the unceremonious jettisoning of years of continuity, I've decided that being a TF fan will be very difficult if I don't start seeing the cup as half full. Again, it's not my cup of tea, but I still enjoy AHM. Give it a chance: it's still leaps and bounds better than Pat Lee & friends' work at Dreamwave. It's become clear to me that Chris Ryall's dismissive attitude towards his fans was intended for the best of the company, and, well, he's a grown man and has the right to do what he wants. I can either enjoy what IDW produces, or I won't.
I haven't been keeping up too much with the IDW TF stuff lately, since I've been reading the stories in trades and didn't want to be spoiled (due to money issues, I'm only up to the end of Escalation). However, I've really been enjoying this continuity and it's a shame to hear that the ending to Furman's story arcs, when I finally get to it, is going to be rushed (is that why he included 'Jhiaxus'/'Gee, axe us' again?). I don't keep up on the IDW boards, but have they considered at all that the low sales are due to the fact that the individual issues are going for $3.99 instead of the $2.99 that seems to be standard for most mainstream titles? I don't recall off-hand the reason for the increased price, but that's the main reason I haven't been getting the monthly releases for this continuity: It's far cheaper to just be patient and wait for the trade. For instance, the "Devastation" TPB is $14.00 on Amazon, compared to $24.00 for the singles (ditto the AHN v1 trade); that's the price of a Deluxe TF, right there. If the single issues were only $2.99, it would still be more expensive than the trade, but close enough to be worth just picking up the floppies each month to get the story right away. For me personally, the direction the story goes is irrelevant; I'm not picking up the IDW TF monthlies until it works out better economically.
Price is why I dropped the IDW stuff halfway through the second mini. Just too much other stuff I need in my life that isn't a $4 comic book. Sounds like I made the right decision if things are going downhill.
If sales continue to decline and IDW grows disinterested in the Transformers franchise will Transformers Comics officially be a thing of the past? It would be sad to see them go considering the number of years we had the Marvel Comics run for, but considering that until Dreamwave came along there hadn't been a single Transformers comic book produced outside of Botcon would it be so bad to see Transformers off the comic shelf entirely again? Personally I'd miss going down to the comic shop and picking up my latest dose of Comic Crack, but if it meant we wouldn't have to deal with continual reboots and junk I think I might be able to handle it.
The lack of autonts is the main reason I´ve been skiping AHM. That and I liked the pacing before AHM.
The market is slowly dying. Sad for a long time fan like myself. The US comics need to do something different. I have been saying for years that they need to copy the Japanese system. Giant cheap weeklys on newsprint. Try new stories/artists/ideas. The ones that take off get reprinted in trades. I think alot of the sales is due to the prices. Im a diehard so I buy em all except the IDW UK reprints since I have the Titan Trades but I dont buy any variant covers anymore and I have dropped other comic addictions to keep my monthly TF habit. Its a sad fate.
How well do IDW's other monthly titles sell (they don't have anything in the Top 100 on the most recent list I could find)? And how does the decline in sales of the TF line compare to the month-to-month decline of IDW's other titles? That $3.99 price tag is almost certainly a factor keeping IDW's entire line down; it may not be something that applies to the TF comics specifically, but can't be ignored as a factor in their weak sales. We can't know for sure, of course, but how much better would TFs and IDW's entire line sell if they weren't a buck more expensive than most titles? Given the exposure TFs have gotten with the movie, the upcoming sequel and Animated, I'd be surprised if someone didn't snap up the franchise very quickly if IDW let it drop.
