The UK TF:ROTF Comics Thread

Ratchet2007 · 11-09-2009, 10:34 AM

Ok so I thought it'd be better to have just one topic instead of the little threads.

So my Issue #6 arrived and at least the story is getting somewhere now, the introduction of Wheelie was quite nice and I now want to know where the story goes.

The mail section had more then 2 mails this time !

And next issue we can win a Devastator !

Gingerchris · 11-10-2009, 10:49 AM

I totally forgot this was already out so I nipped and grabbed one this morning.
Glad the story with the Twins is finally going somewhere, but the magazine still has a lot of the same old problems. Maybe if I hadn't already bought AHM from IDW I might not feel so cheated that something like fifteen pages are devoted to reprinting it. And we'll be stuck with it for months more too.

I still wish profiles were limited to a single page, and I wish the competitions didn't take up a whole page each, although I suppose some deal had been struck to get as much page for the product as possible. Also those puzzles really don't need a whole page each either.

I dunno... why am I still buying it apart from OCD? It has none of the charm the Marvel UK TF comics had. It just seems to want to fill the maximum pagecount with the minimum content.

And really, enough with the disc launchers already. Every other bloody issue has a disc launcher...

Black Oracle · 11-11-2009, 05:39 AM

I can guess what the Twins are up to in apparently allying themselves with Soundwave: they'll betray the Decepticons later thus proving their innocence to the Autobots! It's so obvious!

Plus i have to agree with Gingerchris about the disc launchers. Too many of 'em. I just wish they could scrap the free gifts altogether and give us more pages of original comic strip instead.

Magnus' Mate · 11-11-2009, 09:35 AM

The comic is awful IMHO. It's just been handled so badly.

I'm probably going to sell my comics, so if anyone wants in on this series with some back issues, PM me!!

Gingerchris · 11-11-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Oracle

I can guess what the Twins are up to in apparently allying themselves with Soundwave: they'll betray the Decepticons later thus proving their innocence to the Autobots! It's so obvious!

Yep - I think anyone with a brain can see it coming. Been done a thousand times. For one they're good guys and part of the Autobot team again in the movie so you know it won't last. Although perhaps we'll see them take on the ice cream van mode in this strip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Oracle

Plus i have to agree with Gingerchris about the disc launchers. Too many of 'em. I just wish they could scrap the free gifts altogether and give us more pages of original comic strip instead

As much as I'd love that, especially as when they dump some extra gift on the cover the price of that issue jumps from £2.70 to £2.99, covermounted gifts have become inseparable from UK kids comics. I think you'd be hardpressed to find a kids comic on stands that doesn't have a gift of some kind taped to it or stapled within it. Kids these days look to the gift, not the content, to decide if they want a particular comic, so a comic without any gift at all would probably be passed over and eventually fold through lack of sales. So I'm afraid we're stuck with them.

rodster6 · 11-13-2009, 02:52 PM

Back when I were a lad, I didnt need a free gift to make me buy a comic, I actually wanted to read the stories! Kids today......
Like Gingerchris said, I think I only buy it now out of OCD as I loved the old UK comics and want to try and have a complete collection of UK released TF comics. Same with the terrible UK annuals.
I have already read the AHM stories and didnt like ROTF so the stories based in that continuity dont interest me especially as they focus on those two annoying bots who are not even in their ice cream truck mode. Why would they downgrade to an ice cream truck then back up again to cars? Or were they forced to as some kind of punishment for being stupid? Even though this would effect their combat effectiveness.

Gingerchris · 11-14-2009, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodster6

Back when I were a lad, I didnt need a free gift to make me buy a comic, I actually wanted to read the stories! Kids today.....

And it wasn't even just that - I remember the early UK Marvel TF comics had articles about robots in real life and fiction ('Robot Roundup' I think it was called). I really can't see kids of today being interested in or probably even understanding something like that because slapdash strips and pages taken up with just a few sentences are what they're exposed to now. I recently bought some Doctor Who comics from back in 1979 (issue #1 cost just 12p!) and compared to the Doctor Who ones I see these days it's just amazing how less complex comics are for today's kids. I suppose simplicity is the norm now, but it's a real pity that youngsters are missing out on a worthwhile product that a few decades ago was the norm. But hey, they get a free disc launcher so it's all good, right?
And the comic strip artwork in those old Who issues is pretty damn cool, like the Star Fleet strip artwork they had in the old Look-In magazine.

rodster6 · 11-14-2009, 05:10 PM

The thing with these cheapo toys they give away free is that no child is going to play with it more than once or twice before getting bored with it and throwing it aside forever. Thats how I was anyway and especially now that toys are so much more advanced, surely a cheap little disk launcher is redundant. Especially as they give them away so often.

Gingerchris · 11-15-2009, 11:06 AM

I'm sure somewhere they have a couple of those disc launchers locked up and are farming them to make more. Like how coathangers seem to breed in your wardrobe.
If they wanna give away something cool then how about some TF trading cards?

Okay, I've been negative enough. Name five good things about the UK TF comic.

1) It's a UK TF comic back on shelves that's lasted more than a few months, unlike the last few efforts.
2) It isn't entirely based around BayFormers.
3) Erm...
4) Sometimes they have sweets on the cover.
5) I... like Transformers.

Difficult.

Bumblethumper · 11-15-2009, 01:10 PM

I haven't seen this in months. I bought occasional issues.

How's the circulation holding up? It was something like 45,000 in 2007, and then fell to about 24,000 around 2008.

11-10-2009, 10:49 AM	#2
Gingerchris Telly-headed Tyrant Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 11,639 Location: Beside the seaside, beside the sea... Collection Count: Probably more than my fair share	I totally forgot this was already out so I nipped and grabbed one this morning. Glad the story with the Twins is finally going somewhere, but the magazine still has a lot of the same old problems. Maybe if I hadn't already bought AHM from IDW I might not feel so cheated that something like fifteen pages are devoted to reprinting it. And we'll be stuck with it for months more too. I still wish profiles were limited to a single page, and I wish the competitions didn't take up a whole page each, although I suppose some deal had been struck to get as much page for the product as possible. Also those puzzles really don't need a whole page each either. I dunno... why am I still buying it apart from OCD? It has none of the charm the Marvel UK TF comics had. It just seems to want to fill the maximum pagecount with the minimum content. And really, enough with the disc launchers already. Every other bloody issue has a disc launcher... Autobloke in everything but name.

11-11-2009, 05:39 AM	#3
Black Oracle Black Convoy's Dark Angel Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,750 Location: Huddersfield, England UK News Credits: 6	I can guess what the Twins are up to in apparently allying themselves with Soundwave: they'll betray the Decepticons later thus proving their innocence to the Autobots! It's so obvious! Plus i have to agree with Gingerchris about the disc launchers. Too many of 'em. I just wish they could scrap the free gifts altogether and give us more pages of original comic strip instead. I call him Black Convoy! My fanfiction Animated: Eulogy to a Fallen Hero, Glimpses; Prime: TFs: Prime Shorts

11-11-2009, 09:35 AM	#4
Magnus' Mate Herald of Unicron Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 2,134 Location: United Kingdom News Credits: 1	The comic is awful IMHO. It's just been handled so badly. I'm probably going to sell my comics, so if anyone wants in on this series with some back issues, PM me!! Want a great read? Check out Showdown: A Darker Evil Rising at Amazon now http://www.amazon.com/Showdown-Darke...er+evil+rising

11-15-2009, 11:06 AM	#9
Gingerchris Telly-headed Tyrant Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 11,639 Location: Beside the seaside, beside the sea... Collection Count: Probably more than my fair share	I'm sure somewhere they have a couple of those disc launchers locked up and are farming them to make more. Like how coathangers seem to breed in your wardrobe. If they wanna give away something cool then how about some TF trading cards? Okay, I've been negative enough. Name five good things about the UK TF comic. 1) It's a UK TF comic back on shelves that's lasted more than a few months, unlike the last few efforts. 2) It isn't entirely based around BayFormers. 3) Erm... 4) Sometimes they have sweets on the cover. 5) I... like Transformers. Difficult. Autobloke in everything but name.

11-09-2009, 10:34 AM	#1
Ratchet2007 Neither Here Nor There Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 4,009 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Collection Count: 117 News Credits: 15	The UK TF:ROTF Comics Thread Ok so I thought it'd be better to have just one topic instead of the little threads. So my Issue #6 arrived and at least the story is getting somewhere now, the introduction of Wheelie was quite nice and I now want to know where the story goes. The mail section had more then 2 mails this time ! And next issue we can win a Devastator !

11-13-2009, 02:52 PM	#6
rodster6 Insecticon Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 913 Location: Norfolk, UK Collection Count: 600+	Back when I were a lad, I didnt need a free gift to make me buy a comic, I actually wanted to read the stories! Kids today...... Like Gingerchris said, I think I only buy it now out of OCD as I loved the old UK comics and want to try and have a complete collection of UK released TF comics. Same with the terrible UK annuals. I have already read the AHM stories and didnt like ROTF so the stories based in that continuity dont interest me especially as they focus on those two annoying bots who are not even in their ice cream truck mode. Why would they downgrade to an ice cream truck then back up again to cars? Or were they forced to as some kind of punishment for being stupid? Even though this would effect their combat effectiveness.

11-14-2009, 05:10 PM	#8
rodster6 Insecticon Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 913 Location: Norfolk, UK Collection Count: 600+	The thing with these cheapo toys they give away free is that no child is going to play with it more than once or twice before getting bored with it and throwing it aside forever. Thats how I was anyway and especially now that toys are so much more advanced, surely a cheap little disk launcher is redundant. Especially as they give them away so often.

11-15-2009, 01:10 PM	#10
Bumblethumper old misery guts Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 6,806 News Credits: 5	I haven't seen this in months. I bought occasional issues. How's the circulation holding up? It was something like 45,000 in 2007, and then fell to about 24,000 around 2008.