First off, I grew up on G1 and love the show greatly despite it's many faults. I started out on board with IDW version and loved it at first, but lately there are way too many hanging storylines and it's slowed down for me. Then Animated came out and I fell in love with it right away. The characters in that toon have more depth than any of the IDW universe characters. And the last straw for me was reading the reviews about how Arcee was a male and now female? What the heck is that? I don't mind fembots but that's the worst idea ever. I really like Animated and have decided not to finish collecting the IDW series. The characters are way off to me ( The Autobots seem cold for the most part and the whole Arcee thing is horrible). Animated has made me excited for Transformers like when I was kid back in the 80's. The characters are deep and there isn't 500 different hanging threads going on. Which do you prefer?
Frankly, I enjoy both, but again each has their own merits. Also, as an aside, please put spoiler tags for those of us who haven't picked up or have read the Arcee spotlight.
I like both but for me, IDW edges Animated. I like how the stories are getting more complex and interesting though to be honest, I haven't read Spotlight: Arcee yet.
IDW. I was skeptical of the comic reboot going in but am completely sold. The dangling plot threads don't bother me b/c there's no reason to think they won't be resolved. Especially since Pat Lee isn't involved whatsoever. I always preferred the G1 comic over the toon precisely because of the ongoing story and larger sense of scale. The IDWverse may score even more points on both fronts. The characters don't seem 'off' to me either. Animated just doesn't do it for me. The designs are a turnoff and while I freely admit after watching the premiere that it's massively better written and characterized than A/E/C (and RiD), it's just not for me.
I vote Animated, but I've always found the cartoons more entertaining than the comics in all iterations, so I've obviously got a bias going. Though comparing IDW comics to the Animated show strikes me as a bit on the "apples-and-oranges" side to me.
They're both great universes with their own points. For characterization I prefer Animated sadly it's a lot more then what we've got in IDW. In terms of scope and scale IDW so far takes the cake. You get a real sense of TFs being extraterrestrial.
both (the OPs bias is telling based on his avy). but i think TFA is better. its a lot tighter, if in part due to the format. you could jump in at any point in the cartoon and get hooked, which is more likely compared to IDWs which is, arguably, a bit too spaced out.
Eh, I like them both. And mind you, I'm pretty picky when it comes to Transformers - the only cartoons I really like are G1, Beast Wars, and Animated, the I haven't really liked the comics until IDW (with the exception of War Within). Animated is more about character development, but IDW is more about a story on an epic scale. IDW is closer to G1 in the fact that they squeeze hundreds of characters in there, but as a result, characterization gets sacrificed.
They both have good points, but they are both too flawed to totally recommend them. Beast Wars is still the Transformers entertainment KING story. (At least the show.) I am honestly VERY close to dropping IDW's comics though. Outside of the Spotlights the main books have been kinda.. dull. And for 4 dollars for 22 pages IDW isn't trying very hard. (Ive already decided their prices preclude me from buying any of their Trek or Doctor Who projects.) Lovely art though. Animated is very kiddie, though its not stupid if it makes any sense. (Ok, Sari's dad is a complete idiot, but everyone else is okish. But its not that kind of stupid I mention.) Its got that damned lesson of the week built in thing to deal with, but it is free on the TV I would be paying for Dish anyhow.
I have to go with IDW mainly for the look of the Transformers. When I am reading IDW I can tell they are robots. Animated has good stories but they don't look like robots or Transformers at all. Still it is a personal call.
IDW and Animated are as different as G1 cartoon and marvel were back in the day, they're not really comparable. Cartoons are (generally) aimed at a younger audience and constructed in a way which alllows episodes to be standalone and showable out of order. Comics are (generally) aimed at a slightly older audience and constructed in a way which focuses on longer epic storylines with diverging and converging subplots and storylines. I like both myself, but have a slight preference for Animated at the mo, probably because I have easy access to it and can get into it. The comics are a bit harder for me to get into because there are no comic shops in my town and I can only really follow the plot by reading synopsis' and checking out art previews etc.
i beg to differ, i think its a valid discussion. TF, while not entirely dependent on other media promotion, has always been abt the cartoon/comic linkage and as evident from past discussions, some can be overzealous in supporting either the comic or tv show. they may not compete in terms of the line they support (IDW has yet to do TFA so the point is currently moot) but for some, they tend to fall back to either one media, especially when the other doesnt fit their taste. in other words, you can say that the IDW stuff is a boon to those turned off by the kiddie orientated TFA cartoon.
I agree completely! Perhaps instead of 'not really comparable' I should have aimed more for 'catering for different tastes'. I was all about the Marvel UK run back in the day, because I could get that easily and it became my main source of fiction, the cartoon wasn't on telly much that I remember. Now I'm all about the new cartoon coz I can watch it when I want, but it isn't easy for me to get the comics. Maybe I'm just a whore who likes everything whilst being lazy and only devouring what is offered to me on a plate. I've stopped making sense even to myself at this point so I might just stop...
I like both. Animated is the best cartoon since Beast Machines and IDW is the best comic continuity since G2, so I see no reason to criticize either.