While the "Optimus and Megatron are old friends" concept is certainly becoming a tired song and dance, I'm honestly just glad to see a pre-war Cybertron that isn't terrible. Every other portrayal of Cybertron before the war ranges from being a crumbling society plagued by discontent to a repressive theocracy. It's nice to see that, while it isn't perfect, Cybertron is a functional utopia (with problems hidden beneath the surface, but as I said before, at least it isn't a chrome-plated dystopia).


...It doesn't mean much at this point to talk about how I'd approach it, but I'd like to see a "average bot rises to greatness" take on Orion/Optimus again. And I mean truly great. IDW-1 Optimus was plagued by his self-doubt and well-intentioned but sloppily handled moral ambiguity, so I'd like it if we got a "back to the basics" Orion who becomes, unambiguously, a hero. But I'll wait and see what "Senator Orion" brings to the table, I guess.

 

I haven't bought a TF comic since Dreamwave's G1 and Armada. If this is what IDW has to offer these days, I don't see myself getting back into the comics anytime soon.

Here's to War for Cybertron being developed into a G1 'prequel' in the form of an excellent animated series for Netflix next year.

 

I've always wanted to see a TF series where their war costs them Cybertron (ie literally destroyed/no saving it) and they take to the Titans to roam the galaxies looking for a new home. So pretty much your setup but with a bit more Macross.

 

That's pretty much JG1 if they'd followed Rodimus instead of the weird detour where Fortress Maximus takes over and things become increasingly nonsensical.

I'll never quite grasp what happened with JG1 at that point. You never see Autobot City again. Spike and Daniel sort of stop showing up. Cybertron get blown up and Rodimus goes in search of a new home -- which sounds like a story -- except then everything seems to focus on popular characters having grudge matches with a detour into human piloted mechs.

For my money, JG1 has the most interesting storylines but is concerned with showing us the dumbest things instead of the actual SAGA of the Transformers.

 

I'd already pushed post when i realized it but i meant to add in there excluding JG1.  

JG1/Headmasters was cool but I did think that the remainder took Cybertron's destruction a bit too glib/lightly. Not to mention Rodimus just up and leaves the HMs to clean up the mess. I thought Ultra Magnus was supposed to be the one that can't deal with things?  

It was clunky but it was pretty much doing what the 86 movie did, ushering out the old and bringing the new.

Tho i agree, they had the chance right there to follow Rodimus and co instead. Heck, why not take Fort Max with them?

 

That’s my beef with this whole approach. It all seems written like a bad 50s or 80s comic, or sci fi novel, where utopias somehow magically breed future despots and their armies grow out of a vacuum to topple worlds. History doesn’t work like this. It will never work like this.

Narratives caught up in this brain dead black hat vs white hat nonsense usually fade quickly past their prime, forcing readers through a course correction reboot where a more substantive narrative is then shoehorned into the current continuity leaving everything a mess. I know this sounds tired, stupid even, but yeah, even I could have written a more solid narrative than this. Ascenticons my left foot.

 

I admit, I never got to read the beginnings of IDW and so far only bought the comics of the time where Megatron was an Autobot. Might jump into this, but I'm gonna mess Autobot Megs. Who knows, maybe we'll see him here on one his infinite journeys after the Lost Light.

 

Not really feeling the art in the first three pages. Also, the dialogue feels a bit stiff.

 

hmm reserving judgement. Interesting to see Orion and Megatron as senators as opposed to the dockworker/archivist/police officer and the Miner/Gladiator of previous continuities. That being said while I hate the "siege" inspired designs (I'm guessing Megatron didn't want to sit because of his huge backpack) This is no different from IDW's first regular TF series which started out with with "bayverse" designs, and later needless character designs (ie; "stealth bomber" Megatron, and "Goldfire" bumblebee)
I just hope it allows IDW to evlove over time.,characters like Drift and Minimus Ambus would never have gotten action figures otherwise, and Swerve Tailgate would never have seen new comic-inspired releases (still holding out for a"samurai" Cyclonus)

...That being said, glad to see some carry-overs from the old continuity....seems like Prowl is still flipping tables

 

Easier said than done.

 

i really struggled to find the later IDW stuff such as Lost Light and Optimus Prime interesting ... sadly this looks like more robots standing around talking and politics . 
I\'ll probably buy the first few issues to give it a chance but these pages really don\'t excite me about them . 

 

This says a lot about the hacks we’ve come to accept in comics. Many of us do difficult things everyday work. If the writers can’t do what @Focksbot said with some level of success they should look for a new job.

 

Not for the right talent.

 

Yes and no. To succeed at that is tricky.

At the same time, something like DC Rebirth or even Peter B. Parker from Into the Spider-verse shows value is eshewing novelty with successful properties except to... hang more ornaments on the tree.

Invest the novelty into spinoff characters or new developments.

I’m reminded of a quote by St. Augustine regarding religious doctrine: "in essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity."

Now apply that to fandom and reboots. Unify essential brand characteristics. Do not reinvent. Reinvent only that which fails or is un-established. If there’s dispute over a point like say what Optimus Prime’s job is, gloss over it. Let everybody assume they’re right.

I think Hasbro or IDW to some extent will find acrimony in attempting to present anything as definitive — even if they have the absolute right to. Much better in my opinion to be evasive and just say, “These are the characters you love and you know them; we’re done trying to surprise you with who Optimus Prime IS. Instead, we’ll put the surprises into the new characters and situations.”

To some extent, the 2019 reboot is more classic than the Infiltration continuity (why don’t we call IDW 1.0 that since TFWiki refers to all other continuities by their original storyline?).

But honestly, the Star Trek and especially the Ghostbusters crossover seem to be generating more buzz. And I think there’s good reason for that. It’s much more about “what situation is next?” Nobody expects to walk out of those seeing Optimus or Megatron in a wholly new light. Though you DO get some new characters like Decepticon Blackarachnia (EDIT: Airachnid; still fairly new to G1) or Ectotron or Fortress Tiberius.

 

I have a feeling “the right talent” you’re describing is well outside of IDWs current budget, especially now.  

 

I know some aren't feeling this, but I think it's pretty interesting so far. In with the new.

 

Same. Plus, it's 4 pages, out of context. I for one don't mind this slow take. The war is inevitably going to blow open so I'd much rather slow burn this, show us Cybertron so that when things start going to hell in a handbasket, there's enough contrast for the stakes and what could be lost.

 

Anyone know what online stores will stock the new comics?, I'm eager keep up with everyone and discuss

 

I was trying to put my finger on what looked weird about the art... Then spotted the too-perfect perspective on the pipes on prime's back in the first panel. I think these aren't drawn, they're posed 3d models that are coloured over.

 

Or alternatively they just got hold of the 3D models for the toys and are posing them to make a comic?