no I didn’t. I like big action splashes.

I will call out big empty splashes devoid of action. The empty pages of Last Bot Standing #1 do deserve to be called out.

The big action splash page of the war in Last Bot Standing #2 was actually decent and well drawn with a lot to look at. And the preview of #2 had some intrigue that the preview (and the whole issue) of #1 was missing.

I will reiterate that #1 should have been condensed and some of #2 should have been in #1. That would have made for a better issue overall.

 

I know I’ve complained about the writing in the Beast Wars comic before, but that page with Cheetor and Blackarachnia’s banter perfectly encapsulates my issue with its verbosity. The action shows a fast paced fight with Cheetor moving at high speed and Blackarachnia webbing up Rockbuster, but because of the lengthy dialogue the scene would have to last close to thirty or more seconds if spoken at even a brisk pace when the action should last at most half that length. The effect is that the characters are moving in slow motion whilst speaking at normal speed, especially Cheetor’s uppercut if Insecticon where he apparently can squeeze out almost a whole paragraph.

This comic is coming to a close, I get that, but the writing is still so off it’s hard to not notice, especially when you have this really punchy, high-energy art telling a different story.

 

I like the "Animorphs-ish" Cheetor cover. Feels very meta.

 

Tarantulas invading Cybertron? That looks like Earth to me. And I don\'t get why Maximals and Predacons seem to be randomly fighting each other - Did Blackarachnia defect already like in the toon? Why is she fighting Polar Claw and Primal fighting Tigatron when Megatron and his forces are also there? Surely they are allies no?

 

It's all quite curious, indeed, I wonder if perhaps the comic provides the context for all those things?

 

The answer is in the last 2 issues. Maximals and Predacons are fighting Vok. Tarantulas made some deals with Vok, and they transformed other people in the stasis pods into their minions, such as Inferno, Tigatron, Airazor, Polar claw and Saberback. It looks like Tarantulas has made more minions in this final chapter.

 

Once you guys have read the issue feel free to spoil me with a summary. I tried checking TFWiki but it didn't work lmao

 

Didn't you say you were reading the comic, albeit for free? All of these things you're confused about were established over the last 2-3 issues.

Did sorta tell on themselves, didn't they?

Final issue isn't out yet. At least, if it is TFWiki likely wouldn't be updated for a few days while the editors put together the writeup.

 

Hey so I read the Kings of the Wild Frontier and while comparisons are hard to do (it’s a relatively self/contained story vs an ongoing one), the only commonalities between it and last bot standing is that they both have western/cowboy traits. both are telling very different stories. To reiterate, there was plenty going on during last bot standing #1 and I’d argue there were no “wasted pages”, simply pages you didn’t like because it didn’t go quickly enough for you.

Also telling that the big splash page in last bot standing #2 stuck out to you because it was essentially a glorious bit of fanservice and at this stage I’d argue you’ve never been interested in stories, you’re simply interested in having your nostalgia appealed to, and that’s it. Hardly makes you a good judge on these things really

 

♫
Thus saith Primus
Let my people go!
♫

 

So the five page preview. The other three pages thankfully had some satisfying action.

The point I was making earlier is that when they give us a two page preview, they should give us pages that make us sit up and take notice of the book to get us interested. It would have been better if the two page preview was the second and third pages, or the third and fourth pages; and the five page preview would be the first five pages. It doesn’t have to be, or shouldn’t be, the first two pages of a two page preview.

 

Maybe, and just maybe, it isn’t worth worrying about. There is zero reason for anyone to care.

 

This has been an ongoing argument for years. A preview is supposed to get people interested in a comic or a movie or a game etc. Unless it's particularly spoilery it doesn't have to be the first 3 pages. I remember issue 85 of regeneration one preview didn't show the first few pages because it was showing a key moment so the preview started in a few pages.

A few action scenes are more interesting then a couple of bots arguing. Even if it is prime and megs.

 

But there is reason to care and it is worth worrying about; or showing concern for at least. The preview exists to get people to want to buy your book. If the preview is boring, some people will lose interest in buying your book. A publisher needs to hand pick pages for a two page preview from the first five pages to arouse potential buyers and not just put out the first two pages. For a five page preview, the first five pages of a book is acceptable.

 

At this stage the argument can be made that previews are merely a formality and if you’re already x many issues into an ongoing, you’ve likely got the audience you’ll be finishing up with, and the purpose of a preview is then to just tease the next issue that is being bought. Additionally, unless circumstances require (ie the author expresses an explicit desire to have a certain scene previewed), a preview should default to the first few pages because an author should be allowed to have a story told as they intended and (unless they choose to) shouldn’t be compelled to write to fit a 2-5 page preview.

finally a preview for IDW2 ought to have bots arguing. It’s been clearly established for a few years now that this is what the people who like IDW2 want.

 

IDW2 as an ongoing is 43 issues plus however many extra issues and has, as far as I know, never been selective about their previews. If it wasn’t doing well (not simply in terms of sales, but in other areas of performance) then you might have a point worrying about the preview and it’s impact. But as far as we can tell IDW/Hasbro are fine with it and it hasn’t mattered. There was nothing stopping them pulling it after 12-24 issues if it wasn’t doing something right. The only people who have ever cared are people who were never going to be interested in it and who likely aren’t buying it anyway.

tl;dr: your concern isn’t necessary because it neither has relevance or value

 

Why did they use the orange-grey Generations Jhiaxus design for him, when the new toy is just out and likely Hasbro told them well in advance (as we saw with the Wreckers comics having Hauler and Leadfoot).
Plus, he is just some grunt here?

Thanks. I dropped this comic like 2 issues in and have not read it since then, did not like either the art or the writing. I only kept track via previews and it just felt weird where this has gotten when originally it seemed to be just a retelling of the show with two new OCs dropped on the teams.

For free is how I read ALL comics. I buy a TPB or collected edition AFTER I know they are good. 'cause I am not gonna spend money on things without knowing they are good. Hence why I only go to theaters for movies that I have ascertained from trailers and my knowledge of the writer/director that I will likely will like.
And no, the BW comic was so mediocre I stopped reading it early on. I kept up only via previews and synopses here and there but this whole thing with new characters appearing left and right seemed like a new development, the last new character I saw in this series in the previews was Razorbeast.