Since we won't have any new Transformers comics for some time, and since Gobots sometimes crosses over with Transformers, it doesn't seem inappropriate to discuss the Gobots comic. Issue 1 ends ... abruptly. So much so that I think the digital edition might be missing a page? Either that, or it's just Scioli's style to cut out mid-way through a conversation. The rest of this issue was quite charming in a fan comic kind of way. All the main six Gobots from the show are introduced (though Crasher isn't named, and Cop-Tur doesn't do much), plus a bunch of cameos (Rest-Q turns up in a slide presentation) and much of the Renegade faction are present and correct. I have no idea what AJ's professor is meant to be keeping in his basement, or why he wanted to feed AJ to it - that part very much reminded me of the kind of comics I used to draw when I was 10 or 11. Something dramatic happens! "Oh no!" "Wait, let's escape." "Argh, I can't belief it." I don't have much of a stronger reaction than that. Not groundbreaking or particularly brilliant, but decent fun.
Loved it as an alternate take on the franchise with no ties to previous mythology (other than using new but similar-looking versions of the tv cartoon human cast). Which is a weird way to go, considering Scioli included ties to ALL original mythologies for both TF and GI Joe in his previous series. He even had a reference to the old Konami GI Joe arcade game in there. Whatever the Gobot equivalent of G1ers is, this won't be what they're looking for. And it's not Machine Robo-ish either, other than the coloring they gave Crasher (whoops). It's like a weird combination of the movie Ex Machina along with some old concepts appropriated from old Transformers stories. Odd approach. But fun. And dense. It's like he's attempting a world record for most panels crammed into a comic book page sometimes.
I did find it funny that on the day IDW ends the Transformers universe they begin the GoBots Universe. I enjoyed it. Don’t remember too much about GoBots so I’m able to go in with a bit of a blank slate. I enjoyed Sciolis TF/Joe so this is right up my alley. Plus, as Focksbot stated, this is the closest thing to TF were going to get for quite some time. I’m here for the ride!
As an unabashed fan of both Go-Bots and Sciloi's older work in TF vs GI Joe, this did not disappoint. I quite like where he's going with this, having the gobots transition from their more toy-accurate/Machine Robo looks to their appearances in the Gobots cartoon, as evidenced by Leader-1. Compared to TF vs GI Joe the plot of this appears to be pretty straightforward, but who knows, maybe Scioli will get out a bag of cocaine, huff the entire thing and pull off something completely bonkers in the later issues. I cannot wait to see where this goes.
Not that I want to read it, but I was kind of curious, because I was not aware this exists. And I cannot find this online. Is this not by IDW?
It is. Go-Bots Digital Comics - Comics by comiXology And you should absolutely read it. It is glorious.
You may be in a country where it is not available on comixology, I'm assuming because of licensing technicalities. It doesn't appear on comixology for me, either (Japan). No Transformers books, either. GI Joe is fine for whatever reason, and a couple of the crossover minis were available in the past, but none of the regular series. In fact, there are a lot of books (mostly manga) advertised on the comixology front page, but if I click on them, they send me to an "Oops, that book is not found" page. If you have (or can get) a US ip address, the books will show up for sale. But outside the US, it depends country by country. IDW bought the license, but not worldwide. Transformers, I understand, but I was not expecting Gobots to have a problem. I don't know if it's due to Machine Robo or because Gobots are considered to have been folded into the TF franchise. Yeah, that link doesn't work for us. We're sent to: Only it's not an error and they'll never repair it.
It's just unavailable in EU. And people still wonder why piracy exists... Good job on the licencing part there, IDW! Well, sooner or later I could download it, but meh. Something tells me that I can live without reading it just fine.
How is it IDW's fault? They got the rights they got. In some other territories, the rights may already be held by some other publisher since before IDW made their deal (Japan, for example). Or they didn't predict digital comics would be a thing back when they started. Whatever deal they made gives them specific publishing rights in specific territories. It's not permission to freelance the globe.
I'd been wondering how they'd arranged the use of the likenesses of the Bandai toys - I wonder if the specific licensing agreement that means the comic can't be available in Japan is connected to the explanation.
As I suspected, I found this more engaging than TF/Joe, since I'm not really as attached to the Gobots, and so can accept a different take a little easier.
I really enjoyed the issue. I seriously can't think of a thing this issue did wrong or turned me off of it. The characters all felt interesting. More, please.
I want to like it, but I find it difficult to take Gobots seriously. It's like the 80s marketing of Transformers > Gobots is burned into my brain. "Transformers Good. Gobots Bad." It's hard to shake. //Panjumanju
Thanks for sharing this here. Very cool interview. I love this man's work. It was especially satisfying to hear him react to TF5 and its use of the concepts he introduced in TFvsGIJoe. I'd observed that transference of material too & wondered whether behind the scenes he had any awareness of when/how those concepts had been absorbed by the Paramount crowd. It sounds like Scioli is equally in the dark, but he didn't shy away from taking some credit in pollinating that sphere. (I really like issue #1 of Gobots, I'll probably type up some thoughts when I've had a chance to do a second and third reading.)
