TFW2005 is back, providing another early Transformers comic review! Today, we review Transformers #11! Transformers #11 is out tomorrow – Wednesday, September 15th – from IDW Publishing. Check out the review and a few new images from the issue by reading on. Ironhide #2
Credits
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Written by: Mike Costa
Art by: Guido Guidi
Colors by: J. Brown
Letters by: Neil Uyetake
Editor: Andy Schmidt
Associate Editor: Carlos Guzman
Covers
Cover A – Art by Don Figueroa and Colors by Andrew Dalhouse
Cover B – Art by Guido Guidi and Colors by J. Brown
Retailer Incentive – Art by Don Figueroa
Review
By the end of Transformers #10, the select group of Autobots suffered defeat in South Korea against the Combaticons who were employed on behalf of the emperor of North Korea. Due to the need to keep the secrecy of the mission hidden from the US government and the world, the Autobot remained in vehicle mode for the entire battle. The battle not only resulted in defeat but resulted in severe injures to two Autobots when Jetfire crashed into Broadside. To combat the aerial supremacy of the Combaticons and Vortex, Bumblebee reaches out to Thundercracker at the end of Issue #10. Transformers #11 opens up with Bumblebee attempting to convince Thundercracker to assist the Autobots in the specific Korean mission. Back at in the US, the Autobots left behind bicker while working in close quarters. Round 2 of the battle against the Combaticons moves to North Korea, with the Autobots taking a new and more effective approach against the Combaticons.
Ongoing writer Mike Costa turns in his best effort yet in Transformers #11. The opening dialogue between Bumblebee and Thundercracker was well written. While not asking Thundercracker to join the Autobots, he asks for his assistance in battle because of the nature of the Combaticons’ mission. In trying to convince Thundercracker to assist the Autobots in this battle, Bumblebee touches upon the regard Seekers are held in as well as the honor of being a warrior. Costa mixes a little humor into the conversation to keep it light, referencing television phrases and finding a means to actually use the phrase “emo” without making it seem forced. Costa also reminds the readers that not everything in a-okay back home. There is still some dissatisfaction in the Autobots ranks and between certain Autobots and Skywatch over Ironhide’s death in Transformers #1. The final act of the issue, the second showdown between the Autobots and Combaticons, kicks the issue into high gear. While injecting a little humor into the battle, the reader definitely can feel the intensity and stakes of the battle. Costa also satisfies groups of fans by giving time to several underutilized fan-favorite Mini-Bots!
Guido Guidi continues on art duties for this issue and also turns in a spectacular effort. His artwork continues to blend in aspects of new designs from the first arc of the ongoing, Classic/Universe designs, and movie characteristics while keeping the look of the character as identifiable to long-time fans. Quite a few close-ups of characters give Guido the chance to portray emotions through facial expressions, and he succeeds in doing so. Action sequences are also drawn well, retaining the detail in the characters while illustrating destruction around the battle.
Transformers #11 is a result of top-notch efforts by both the writer and artist. The issue is a perfect mix of dialogue and action with highly detailed and familiar art. Transformers #11 is a nice long read, which is refreshing in a comic world nowadays where the issue feels like it ends before it beings. If you haven’t picked up the ongoing in awhile, this is an issue to return to the fold. Given the cliffhanger at the end of the issue, it appears that there is more of this effort to come!
Infosaur
Oh yeah, I forgot about that point. Really hated that phase in the Marvel run. Delbo's art has always been a low point for me, and Budanski just seemed tired at that point. Too much toy promotion and not enough characters.
Wasn't really his fault though.
SMOG
Kickback, if you want a smooth talker. Soundwave, if you want a manipulator and a blackmailer.
Heh… yeah, for the most part, he just came across as a buffoon or a thug, rather than the aloof, meticulous, intellectual, calculating type he's supposed to be.
No… Marvel dumbed him down. A lot. He went from being a stubborn maverick anti-hero to being an idiot and a clown (much like the cartoon, especially Season 3). It was one of the reasons I dropped Marvel's TF series in the 80's, right around the time the Headmasters made it to Earth, and Grimlock duelled Blaster for leadership of the Autobots.
Grimlock only regained any of his dignity when Furman came to Marvel USA.
That's fine. I like Grimlock that way. The cave-man voice, stupidity and comic-relieve status are what bug me.
Over time, I grew fond of big, dumb, silly Grimlock and his dino-antics in the cartoon. It served to make him a much more distinctive character… but let's face it, it's really not the same character. I can leave clown Grimlock in the cartoons. In the comics, I want to see REAL Grimlock.
About the most merging I can accept is Dreamwave's "persistent error in his vocal module" explanation, where he speaks in a halting, awkward way, but is every bit as competent as he is supposed to be.
zmog
Infosaur
Perhaps it's someone like Ratbat? Someone with the authority to order the preds around but diplomatic enough to negotiate a deal with a human government? RatBat and Swindle come to mind but after that? I can't think of any other Decepticons that are very good negotiators.
Onslaught is supposed to be a "lead from behind" tactician. Oddly enough so is Razorclaw. (just noticed that actually). Looks like with no immediate long term plan Onslaught is "taking it easy", and figured taking a short term job for a human would handle his fuel needs while he figured out a longer term strategy.
Or maybe the Dear Leader spiked his drink and he's just not thinking clearly
As for Grimmy, I like his caveman voice, it's just part of his charachter to me just as Peter Cullen is Optimus Prime, and Starscreem is Chris Latta. Marvel at least didn't dumb him down, they just copied his speaking style.
Grimlock is more of an Anti-hero Autobot, maybe even a fallen Decepticon than any other Autobot. He does things his way. And although he was unusually weepy in Max-Dinos, they did establish his squad as being something of a rouge element.
Still we haven't seen him since Garrus-9,,, what the hell?
SMOG
It's because they feel poorly conceived. Onslaught is a bumbler, and the Combaticons are useless without Swindle's guidance? Really?
I think new twists on characters can be interesting, provided that they seem like interesting, relevant re-interpretations of the core personality or concept. In all honesty, as much as he has been crucified by some fans, Shane McCarthy was able to do this. Some of his TF portrayals differ from their G1 origins somewhat… but usually follow a sort of logical progression. Furman, when he actually bothered to give his characters any more juice than his usual-blank slate/plot-mouthpiece, also seemed to be using the original personality as the guide for his reinterpretations…
With Costa, most of the characters feel like very flat characterizations… which is a shame, because the richness of the TF canon is the wide cast of characters. Without respecting that, you're really missing the point. Costa really has to get on board, in that respect.
I wonder if I'm more critical now than I was in the "old days"? I mean, now nostalgia is certainly my main reason for reading the comics… they're certainly not very good if one compares the quality of the storylines to some of the better series out there right now.
But back in the Marvel days, did it bug me that Blaster always seemed so humourless and devoid of rock n' roll? Did it bother me that Ratbat went from a voracious fuel scout, to resource manager for all of Cybertron?
In the end, no… because those were interesting takes on the characters. They became enriched, rather than undermined. Looking back, I was very critical of characterization, and for these reasons, I was often pretty fussy about how the Cartoon often deviated from the Comic portrayals. When the Marvel team started writing Grimlock cartoon-style, as a monosyllabic imbecile with no mastery of personal pronouns, I was crestfallen.
Ah well… wonder how much time Costa still has on his contract? I'm starting to get fidgety.
zmog
Coeloptera
This is still really bothering me. From where is he drawing his characterizations? Here's the thing: if he's using the basic Tech Spec and older encylopedia entries, he's way off. However, if he's making them up wholesale, then he needs to spend more time in setup. You can't just toss Onslaught out at the reader, assume they do know who he is, then just make up an entirely new personality that doesn't relate or hearken back to anything anyone has seen or read before. Is he supposed to be a tactical genius? If not, why is he the leader? Do we know anything about his personality at all aside from what we have gotten in the past?
This isn't just something that can be handwaved, either. Transformers has an exceptionally large cast of characters, almost all of whom have some basic source for what they should be like. Discarding that is going to leave a reader adrift because whenever a character is introduced into this continuity, we'll have no idea what they're supposed to or going to be like. It's like reinventing the whole thing all over again.
Sometimes that can be good, but in this case it just doesn't seem to be working.
– Coeloptera
MilkManX
I am 2 issues from dumping IDW all together. I have hung with them since issue 0 of the last ongoing but ever since they dumped Simon Furman I just do not care for these stories. Also the schizophrenic artist shuffle is annoying.
ORIO
Dug the issue. Only thing that is making me scratch my noodles is that in an earlier issue they had a count of how many Decepticons were in China. I want to say it was six. Gotta go reread and doublecheck. I had assumed one to be Blast Off, but now I'm not sure.
SMOG
This issue was… well, not bad. I've been pretty hard on the ongoing lately, but every now and again, it steps up a bit.
Now, honestly, saying that this issue was "not bad" is still a far cry from it being "good", but I believe it's a step in the right direction.
The art is getting better… it feels like Guidi is getting a bit more comfortable overall, and I'm thinking that with someone else inking, and maybe a different approach to the colouring, his pencils could really come alive. As it is, it still comes across as a bit stiff, sometimes sloppy, but the compositions and bots are looking more dynamic. Some characters seem more coherent than others, but it's starting to click. Even his humans, who felt a bit clumsy in earlier issues, are feeling more natural.
Bumblebee's new design still sucks though. I see what they're trying to do, brining it closer to the movie model, but it feels like the elements are not going well together.
The story… hm. I actually really liked the dialogue-heavy opening pages. It was nice to see more of an attempt at character development and interaction. I say "attempt" because in execution, the dialogue itself still feels a bit awkward, a bit forced…
The nerd in me still grumbles about inconsistencies in characterization but it was nice to see background guys like Brawn and Bluestreak get some screen time. That said, I still think Costa totally fumbled the depiction of the Combaticons (and many of the Autobots) in the last issue, and I'm worried he may do the same with the Predacons. It seems like he's setting Rampage up as the spokesman and stand-in leader for the team, since Razorclaw is tied up on Charr… which would be sort of like putting the Tazmanian Devil in charge of the team.
Most of the Predacons are little more than berserkers… maniacs with only the most tenuous grasp on restraint or common sense. Divebomb is probably the one most suited to discourse, since guys like Rampage and Tantrum can barely string two words together without wrecking something. But of course, putting a TIGER-themed ninja Transformer front and center, when working for the Chinese was just too much of a temptation, wasn't it?
These days, when Costa actually portrays a character properly, I tend to chalk it up to accident, sadly.
And while I'm roasting Costa, let me make another observation… he has to stop opening scenes with Transformers sitting around knocking back Energon brewskis. I mean, just STOP. I'm not even sure if he's aware that he's doing it, but every damn scene with TFs that he's written lately opens with them lounging and drinking from TF-sized shot glasses. It looks stupid, and it's starting to get repetitive.
Maybe Costa is a high-functioning alcoholic, and spends all his time in bars, and it's starting to come through in his work. Maybe this is a cry for help?
IS the guy with the blond hair at the Skywatch headquarters supposed to be Spike? His lines sound like Spike dialogue, and since he changed his haircut, I can't help wondering if the colourist just got his hair colour wrong.
Cosmos! Nice to see another beloved Autobot show up. Guess that's ANOTHER guy who could have helped in the Korean op, eh? Do you really think he needs that fishbowl space helmet? Or is that just Guidi's little design touch? What's next? A cop hat for Prowl? A stetson for Ironhide? A Kangol cap and headphones for Jazz? Oh… right.
zmog
Soundwave3k
LOL! I actually thought the Predacons working for China was the best twist in a while. The colors and the animal forms really have a much better explanation from that angle. Good job IDW!
Rodimus Major
I just hope Japan doesn't get Piranacon, and have an issue dedicated to Tentakil rape.
KA
Cool issue if a bit talky. Liked the exchanges between bb n tc but the following scene was also a talky so felt a bit dialogue heavy. Cool to see the other bots tho and predacons allegiance to china made me lol
Predacons, combine to form predaking…in the name of the peoples republic of china!
Maybe australia gets abominus and the germans get computron, et cetera et cetera
And kudos to guidis homage to old school tf manga style.
tusko
Excellent art!
It captured some of the campiness of the G1 cartoon. I always chuckle when the autobots are standing around in the arc watch "as the kitchen sinks" soaps. This had some of that in it.
SharkyMcShark
Something I've liked since the beginning of AHM and through the Ongoing is the development of the role of the Seekers – I found it especially poignant when BB referred to Thundercracker as the most dangerous Transformer on Earth. It really illustrated what it means to be a Seeker (not just a high ranking officer, but an immensely skilled warrior who can change the tide of a battle).
I'm not against various groups of Decepticons working for different governments but I don't like that is seems exclusively along combiner lines. For doing a fragmented and multi sub factioned Decepticon empire see War Within: Dark Ages, which was brilliant.
McBradders
A little eductation for you; some members here work very hard on these books and, like them or not, you can at least show them enough respect to keep your boasts of stealing their work to yourself in future.
Allsparky
OOH since the Preds are in China, I'll wonder if they'll fight using animal kung techniques. In any event, I hope the matchup between Prime and Rampage really happens in #12. Then Prime can take yet another face….sigh.
Fit For natalie
You know, I thought Pennington (the blond guy Brawn and Bluestreak talk to) was Compologno (the OTHER blond guy with Spike and Joe), making me wonder how he got back to America so quickly.
TfAnimatedfan
The speech he gave Brawn and the Art made me fall in love with Bluestreak(In a Very Manly way). I really liked that "scene".
I chuckled at the "Communist" Predacons. But, really I'm kind of tired of the whole deal with Combiner teams working for countries. At least we've started to move away from the poor story & pacing of the earlier ongoing stuff.
Infosaur
First off since BB & TC were my first two TF's (Waaaaaaayyyy back in '84) Not only to have them featured, but to have such a good interplay was better than chocolate!
TC always has been "on the bubble", all BB needed to do was remind him what a bunch of jerks he works with. (who hasn't had to deal with obnxious co-workers? For SEVEN MILLION YEARS!!!) Looks like they both do their fair share of watching TV.
Brawn, Blue (yes BLUE) streak and Red-Alert. Sure it was filler, but it was all in charcter (okay maybe someone spiked Red Alert's drink with prozak)
As for the Preds in China,,, I have to admit can you think of a better reason why they all have Beast forms all the sudden? And they're red. Wow. Very clever guys.
Probably the best issue yet.
GogDog
It is kinda hilarious, but we need to move somewhere else.
G1Wheeljack
But…but communist Predacons…