New Interview with Transformers: More than Meets the Eye Writer James Roberts - Transformers News - TFW2005
I always liked the UK TF comics. Nice to know they inspired a new generation of TF comic writers and artists.
Thiats what gets me about people hating on Furman. They ignore that he was directly resposible for influencing the great talent we have working on the books today. Great interview here. Interesting that the whole direction that set the books up was decided by Costa/Abnett/Lanning.
Sure, back then (and even then things like "Prime's Rib" existed), but right now he's done a pretty good job of being a bit of a fool and making himself extremely and justifiably dislikeable. Plus, while you get exceptions (James Roberts is a fantastic author and definitely comes across as an awesome guy), a good author does not a good person make. He's like Chris Claremont.
That is the best comparison I've ever seen. He was great back in the day, but I'd rather read his old stuff than his new stuff.
Yeah, this. I'm good with his writing (mostly) but he lost me quite a bit with his response to Mairghread Scott.
"First and foremost, MTMTE is supposed to be fun. ‘Fun’ doesn’t mean it has to be lighthearted all the time, and it doesn’t mean we can’t have moments of real horror. We can, at times, be bleak and shocking and terrifying. But underpinning it all – and acting as a sort of narrative rocket fuel – is a sense of adventure and – dare I say it, in these grim-dark times? – joy. The main crew are all emotionally damaged, but, by and large, they face the universe with a smile on their face – a crooked smile, a thin-lipped smile, a mad-eyed grin, whatever. But as awful as things get at times, they brush themselves down and hope for the best. Building a likeable (if flawed) cast is key to infusing the title with a sense of fun, I think. The whole point of the series – the fact that they’re heading off into the stars on a weird, potentially open-ended adventure – also helps keep things bright. It’s not like Rodimus has set out to hunt down the people who killed his race or anything like that. It’s not a revenge fantasy. And the set up (while allowing for lots of action-packed incidents, mysteries, heroism and derring-do) does not lend itself to endless stories about killing. No, in MTMTE world, the war’s ended (sort of) and the crew of the Lost Light are looking for the promised land, essentially. It’s an optimistic quest, and optimism is at the heart of the book. True, you might sometimes have to dig through layers of cynicism and even nihilism to get to it, but underpinning the broader story arc, as unfashionable as it may be, is that sense of hope. Most of us are a bit misshapen, personality wise; we’re scuffed around the edges and (even if it’s only deep down) we don’t think too much of ourselves. But we recognize that the world around us is more good than bad, we keep faith in other people, and we soldier on. And that’s the (probably cheesy) message at the heart of MTMTE, and what, I think, encourages readers to really connect with – and become concerned for the safety of – the likes of Rodimus and Tailgate and Swerve and Whirl." I didn't even realize there was a message to MTMTE. This is pretty amazing.
