Just saw this over at Ript. Exclusive Retailer Cover for "Optimus Prime" Issue 1 by RIPT Apparel Revealed.
The homage doesn't ...quite work... without 'The Transformers' as the title. But, lovely artwork all the same.
I will jump om the hate train and say that 'Optimus Prime' logo is about the worst I've seen. I've been meaning to mention that. The IDW design department deserves a collective slap across the jaw for that one. Never mind the fact it's unimaginative and boring. The even bigger problem is that red doesn't read well against dark gray and black, you dummies. Ever heard of a little thing called "contrast"? Look it up.
Okay, what happens when you have a great transformers #5 issue with shockwave being creepy with all are dead, and make it abou optimus, you get this unoriginal, great artwork for optimus, that\'s kudos who made it, but the shockwave covers have to stop.
They tried to do a nostalgia thing right here? Well, if that was the intention, they suck at it. As others said, it doesn't fit with Optimus. Nice drawing BTW.
And it isn't like this is the only cover. It's an exclusive. Nobody is bound to having to own it to get a copy. I'm quite happy with it and if I can get one I will try to find a double frame to have it side by side with my TF #5 Shockwave issue. It's an alternative cover people. Not a run of 5 Michael Bay movies that defy everything good about Transformers yeesh
I think it's OK. The only mark really that I have against it is that "Are All One" obviously doesn't work grammatically with the existing logo/title of the book.
...I feel the edge from here, with what doing this sort of cover tries to imply. then again, I tend to feel a lot of edge out of IDW's TF stuff in general, so... uh. what a coincidence, neither do bay's movies. just because you personally doesn't like them doesn't make them the worst thing since actionmasters.
I think this cover might be something that was ordered before the ongoing was renamed to Optimus Prime, given how awkward the title and art reads now.
I actually dig the the design quite a bit. Well, aside from the weirdness of Prime's grill-abs (ab-grills?) It looks like he has two sets. Now I'm not too intimately familiar with modern big rig designs, but even if they are sporting that type of look it just doesn't work from a bot-standpoint. It just looks wonky. The homage itself to the iconic cover of TF#5 is appreciated, but the syntax just dudn't work. Optimus Prime Are All One. Optimus Can Has Cheezeburger? It's kind of maddening because an easy solution to that would have been just adding some extra wall etching above that to say "The Transformers" and then follow it up with "Are All One." Then again the space required for the logo wouldnt really allow that without some re-kajiggering, but Taking that into consideration I'd have been happy with just "ALL ARE ONE." Quality art, though. Just two odd choices that detract a little bit from the finished product. A poster release minus the Optimus logo with The Transformers logo in its place would be just prime.
