Yes, but if Chaos doesn't grab me, I might be too brutalized by the past 2 years of Costa's run to even give them the benefit of the doubt.

The very CONCEPT of MtMtE suggests a "planet of the week" format. Just you wait and see. If they manage to dodge that tedious convention, I'll be surprised.

Has it been revealed exactly who will be responsible for which title? Because I read the opening news portion, and all of those details were still up in the air, along with talk of "rotating creative teams" or whatever. From the sound of it, Roberts would be better suited for the Cybertron storyline, though I'm pleased enough by both his and Roche's past work that I'd be willing to give either one a shot.

Wait, are you arguing that Nick Roche DOESN'T use a cartoony style? Because absolutely he does. It doesn't matter who is getting grotesquely skewered and splattered... the style of the art is still cartoony.

It actually bugs me too... I'm usually pretty tolerant of distinct or unconventional art styles in TF comics, but Roche's work always feels like it needs to be toned down. Those cluttered rubbery lines of his need to be reigned in. I prefer him as a writer in fact.

zmog

 

Until #100.

 

I don't mean to deny Roche's talent... he's done stuff that works for me. His Prowl short story seemed a bit more tightly controlled, and his exaggerated style worked well for Spotlight Kup's oneiric story.

The Looney Tunes comparison is more fitting than you might think. Superficially Roche's work doesn't look like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but his distortion of shapes, volume and perspective belongs to the same "stretchy-squishy" school of animation (which has roots back to pioneer animator Heath Robinson). The difference is really that Looney Tunes style generally knows where to simplify and where to distort... they understand the economy of detail and line in cartooning, in ways that are not so evident in Roche's work.

I won't deny the guy can draw robots. For him, I find that a lot of the time, his cartooniness lapses into being a cover for sloppiness. When it gets messy, it starts to fall apart. Drawing transformers requires different techniques than drawing people. I really like Ryan Ottley's stuff on Invincible, and while I'm not sure if he'd be my first choice for a Transformers series, I think it'd be interesting to see. I think he has a more tightly controlled style, with a better sense of essential lines than does Roche.

I'd really like to see Roche explore and evolve more (EJ Su's work looks different every time he comes out with something new... that guy is always evolving!). I definitely think he has the potential... he just need to step back a bit and fine tune it.




flat, flat, flat...

zmog

 

I'm interested in this, though I wonder where Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper, Hound and the other Autobots are going to be (probably on Cybertron)

 

If they can keep an artist on a single title for a year I might pay more notice.
Otherwise IDW is to frenzied and to excentric for me to pay much attention it's Transformers Comics, they seem made for someone other than me ; mostly when it's got IDW on the Cover.

 

I think IDW should realize who their audience is. It isn't kids. You can't get a TF comic outside a comic store. Marvel/DC can still be bought in regular stores. TF readers are adults who obviously prefer storylines based on a 30 year old version of the franchise considering no non-G1 based comic has ever had enough readership to warrent an ongoing series. Resets are likely loosing more people then gaining readers. Also, if they consider these new books 'jumpin on' points, why do that when the main character (Prime) is dead? I know if I didn't read TF & thought of picking it up, I'd want Prime to be in it.

 

I got all excited thinking that we were getting an RID comic for a second. What a let-down.... I know it's not the best series out there, but it was still pretty good.

 

OK, I'm intrigued. However, I don't follow the comics closely enough... this looks like the fork in the road for the story that the TPB "For All Mankind" started... can anyone point me anywhere I can find info about the books in the series? Or... hell, just list em?  

I prefer to collect TPBs... read the whole thing at once. Unfortunately, I get a whole ton of awesome all at once... then between finishing the book and the release of the next, I'd end up losing track.  

 

sounds really good just might have to pick it up.especially bee being a leader.

 

Regular stores would be grocery stores, Barnes & Knobels, Walmart/Target/TRU (ones around here have a limited selection). They always have DC/Marvel & some have Star Wars Dark Horse titles.

Sounds like you don't fit my statement & you have been reading TF books for awhile so you are fine with no Prime. A NEW buyer will probably not give a crap about 8th tier characters like Bludeon or Overlord and will be expecting characters he knows. AKA Prime/Megatron/Starscream. If you decide you want to read an X-Men comic for the first time, wouldn't you want to see Wolverine or Cyclops? I'm betting you wouldnt be happy finding out the top character in the issue was Morph.

 

Agreed, although I wonder how long it takes before they slip back into Autobots vs. Decepticons over energon and protection/destruction of Earth/some other place.

 

Roberts, Roche, and Milne all on one book? It's like a dream come true! And after what John Barber did to the Movieverse continuity, I'm really looking forward to his work, as well.

Things are looking up for IDW!

 

Man, I'm still in awe at how IDW can make Prowl look so good using his crappy Universe toy as a base.

 

i put this together when i was trying to figure that all out...

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/comic-books-graphic-novels/429493-help-idw-tpb-run-order.html

Here is my best definitive IDW TPB list

1. Infiltration
2. Stormbringer
3. Spotlight, Vol 1
4. Escalation
5. Spotlight, Vol 2
6. Devastation
7. Spotlight, Vol 3
8. Revelations
9. Maximum Dinobots
10. All Hail Megatron Vol 1 - 4
10.5. Last stand of the Wreckers
11. For All Mankind
12. Bumblebee
13. Ironhide
14. International Incident
15. Revenge of the Decepticons
16. Heart of darkness

 

I agree with Lumpy for everything than Optimus, I can read about him a million more times..but other bots with Optimus are a good thing too.  

Ah, Prowl looked pretty good even then, but I must agree he looks even better now!!  

 

^Because it's Prowl!  

 

Not impressed with the colors on the Robots in Disguise cover. Looks like some mall shop airbrush artist got ahold of it