As the title says, and boy has it been a wild but fun ride. Make no mistake, I've really, REALLY enjoyed this series. But Series just suffered a couple of pretty big pratfalls in the last couple issues. Despite having a few great moments, these were really frustrating for me to leave off on.
So from a list of least offensive to worst, here are grievances so far.


Oh yeah SPOILERS for those who haven't read yet.

#1. The death of Ravage-
This is really more of a personal thing as it was actually written well and least got the respect he deserved. I really enjoyed having the presence of a proper decepticon on board the lost light, one who was for the most part "friendly", and I always read him with his beast wars voice. So that plus the fact that he was the only beast transformer on board and my favorite cassette bot made him kind of special to me, so I was sad to see him go. But I admit it felt properly done.
Unlike this next offender.


#2. The death of Skids-
Okay this is where the ranting starts properly. What pisses me off about this is the fact that he was an obscure character with a really strong stride in this comic. But then he's needed as a deus ex machina and oh suddenly releasing that energy means he almost dead- wait never-mind make that completely dead. The fact that he was so prominent and then just goes out with a whimper just frustrates me. And worst of all, it was just when I realized that skidsica was a legit thing.


#3. The death of the ENTIRETY of the DJD (sans Nickel, thank goodness)-
Considering how built up these comic specific characters have been it's really sad to see ALL of them die so soon. I know they've been around for a couple years now, but for me reading the comics all in one go it felt that way. Sure they were complete psychos and sure dying by Megatron's hand was EXTREMELY appropriate, but I still liked their threatening presence being felt in so many scenarios. So yeah, gonna miss this guys. If I wasn't trying to be so money conscious, I'd try and pick up all their mastermind creations toy releases.


#4. Tarn's identity (HUGE SPOILER WARNING)-
Okay lets get this straight first, I KNEW roller was probably gonna be a red herring. I knew Roberts probably was gonna make it a surprise instead. What I was HOPING was he would expect us to think that and make it Roller anyway. THAT would have been satisfying. Hell, establishing ANOTHER plausible character with for him to be would have been satisfying. But no. He's really just some random genericon who had like one line. All that built up tragedy at the thought of Optimus Prime's best friend becoming one of the most vile villains in all of transformers history, all of that thrown out the window so Roberts could go, "What a tweeest!"
And in the end Tarn didn't even go out with a whimper- but with the sound of a whoopee cushion.


#5. This is interruption of this DUMB story so we at Hasbro could bring you this way cooler story! Actually we've got TWO stories-
Seriously Hasbro? You want to do this now? Right now?


And last but certainly not least


#6 Getaway. Just Getaway-
Fuck this guy. Just- just fuck this guy alright. I'm seriously considering buying a titan's return Getaway figure just so I can melt I hate this guy so much right now. I mean he started out as a decent albeit somewhat creepy character, but I didn't think he was that bad. And then he along with MOST OF THE CREW FOR SOME REASON decide to fuck over their supposed friends. Look, you hate Megatron, I get it. That's normal. But his complete lack of regret and complete snarkishness in doing all this is making prowl look tame by comparison. Maybe I'm offended by him because he reminds me of real life people in today's political climate; I don't know. But seriously just fuck this guy.



Anyways after all that I might as well acknowledge the few good things that happened recently. Like pretty much all the stuff with Megatron (especially the scene where he reunites with terminus), Nickel realizing the DJD are terrible, Deathsaurus having a heart, Overlord being Overlord- All good which is something I've come to expect. I just hope the comics in the future make up for all these missteps.

I'm curious who else agrees and disagrees with me and what all you guy's thoughts are on the recent events so far.

 

Here's 86 pages of discussion on these topics.  

www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers...entity-revealed-massive-mtmte-55-spoiler.html

 

I think that's more of 86 pages of thread derailment, arguing, pale threats to leave the book, snide remarks towards other users, and unwavering hate towards Roberts more than any sort of actual constructive discussion.

There are a few genuine posts in there discussing the issue peacefully, but its about 90% hate filled crap.

 

No disagreement from me.

Op - I think skids' death disappoints me because there is a lot more to do with him. But I'm also intrigued to see the repercussions for nautical and rung in particular.

The djd ultimately stood for nothing and died for nothing. Appropriate. I hope we get some glitch backstory sooner than later. I felt like roller was the best choice but I'm also excited to have roller back.

Ravage.  

 

On Getaway, in his defense, he thought he was selling them out to the Galactic Council, not DJD or Overlord.

But yea, seriously. Hate him soooo much.

 

I look forward to his inevitable comeuppance.

 

What worries me the most is this rumor going around that MTMTE will be no more as hasbro forcibly soft-reboots the series. I really hope this doesn't end up being the case but I have my reservations just in case I end up horribly disheartened by another corporate decision.

 

?

Mtmte is being renamed "lost light" but it's still James Roberts and Milne. Same as tf xrid is now Optimus prime under Barber.

Roberts has stated many times that lost light is mtmte season 3.

 

Well that's good to hear at least. *breathes sigh of relief*

 

I felt there was more I wanted from the Skids death. It felt anti-climatic. Ravages death hit me harder than I thought it would. The Tarn reveal at first frustrated me then I went back and reread all the Glitch appreances and looked up what Damus, his original name, meant and was pleasantly surprised that it did fit. Now I was yelled down in the Tarn thread and the usual Roberts bashing began again, and I really can't argue with all of the complaints leveled against his choices, but it gets to such epic proportions that sometimes it's just better to stay a lurker.

 

Ehh, I've hated him since he BETRAYED, MANIPULATED, AND TRIED TO HAVE POOR LITTLE TAILGATE KILLED!!!! so whether or not he truly meant for everyone else to die is a mute point.

 

I think this is probably the only point where I'd say you're off base. I have re-read MTMTE recently and Glitch is in two major flashback arcs and is even recommended to read Megatrons writings by Optimus.

Frankly, it's the one fact that I really like; the idea that someone who is part of Optimus' original "crew", is recommended to read Megatrons writings and becomes an absolute fanatic, rejecting Optimus and embracing Decepticonism so hard that he has himself literally rebuilt in that image.

Well, you're supposed to hate him.

Yes, it sucks that Skids (and moreso for me Ravage) have passed, but at the same time, that kind of death and loss can open the door to other stories and gives a sense of weight and consequences to the characters. Not every character always has a lot of plot armor to protect them. What is important is what happens due to those losses. If they're just ignored, then yes, their death loses relevance, but if it means something more later, then there will be that. I really don't like either of them dying, but Skids doesn't feel so bad because there wasn't much more to him to be told; he's a great character, but his mysteries have been solved. Ravage on the other hand I loved as a counterpoint to the crew and a confidant of Megatrons, so I feel the loss of that dynamic more acutely.

Roberts has made no secret of framing a lot of MTMTE like a TV show, so consider a cast shakeup also part of what happens between seasons.

 

Huge big fact honking agreement with the bolded text. I was so invested in the growing friendship between Rung and Skids, as well as exploring the amica bind with Nautica. And while I will miss that, I am excited to aee how these two characters in particular react to his death in the long run .

Rung especially because he was so invested in Skids' mental well-being. Their final words together- "later eyebrows- will also rub some salt into the wound.

 

Out of all the points you list, it's the crews reaction and acceptance of Getaways plan than sits the heaviest.

If you haven't heard this then please give it a go - it's long but I thought it was amazing!

Orbital Director’s Commentary – James Roberts on Transformers: MTMTE #50! [Audio] | Orbital Comics

Several times James Roberts is asked 'Do the rest of the Lost Light really agree with Getaway?' to which he replies 'Everyone.' Not being deterred someone even says exactly what I was thinking: 'Even Thunderclash?' To which the reply is again: 'Everyone!'

I know we don't know everything and after listening to that and then reading the Dying of the light it is clear that Roberts had to protect and maybe even lie a teeny bit to make sure the story and plot didn't explode before it ran it's course.

I would like to think that there is more to this, I really enjoyed the entire season 2 but the only thing that didn't make sense is why Thunderclash who is regarded as the Ace Rimmer of robots could be happy with the mutiny. It would seem to me like he would want to be involved, that's even if a great Bot like him was okay with a fellow crew mate (and Captain) being handed over for death. I know people have said the same of Perceptor but I recently read LSOTW again and he's actually a pretty cold mother!

 

I agree that Skids should've had some more focus lately. He wasn't that prominent in season 2. Ravage I could definitely buy. Someone with a lot of recent development like Brainstorm or Nautica. But yeah. I dunno why Roberts teased Nautica x Skids a little, especially prior to her Amica Endura deal. It's certainly tragic if he died and she only just realizes she should've made him her Conjunx too late. I will say it still hit me.

No, the fact he left them for the Galactic Council doesn't make him much less of an asshole. He's still a slimy, stuck-up jackass who lacks almost any empathy and tried to get Tailgate killed. He's certainly got a point that Megs has been more or less let off easy, and Rodimus is a shitty captain especially since he hasn't developed at all since Tyrest despite promising to do so. But yeah. I still would love to kill him.   and the Galactic Council are known technophobes, even if Getaway didn't know that they were becoming hostile towards the crew after Millarum.

As for the rest of the crew, they've gotten a bit more of a free pass from me since we now know they weren't sending them to the DJD. Everyone had every reason to believe they'd be treated fairly by the GC, and Megs would get killed. Thunderclash still strikes me as odd, though. I guess Getaway just has that silver a tongue, but it's not like we really know TC that well anyway. When I thought it was the DJD, I was really angry at Perceptor because I thought he would've objected on behalf of Brainstorm if no one else, considering his reaction during the latter's trial. But, whatever.

Still want Getaway to burn in hell.  

 

I can agree with that. I liked that he was actually there all along.

I just wish they hinted a bit more with him, I mean looking back after the reveal I can see it but beforehand....not really.

I still believe Thunderclash really is a fraud and a phony.

Perceptor I admit, I have no idea what he thought of things, though he is rather impersonal in this continuity probably didn't care much as long as they weren't bothering him or something.

 

I just got caught up myself. My favorite part of the arc was seeing just how strategic Megatron really is. I am really glad that he survived this arc.

That being said, I share some of the same grievances. I was sad to see both Skids and Ravage die because I just don't feel like we saw enough of them over the course of Season 2. Ravage's death was well done, although it does not seem like Ratchet or Velocity were doing enough to actually save him. I'm sure his death will have some lasting effects on Megatron, so I suppose it will serve the story in the future. I felt that the death of Skids was unnecessary. It seems like a natural end to his story arc, but I feel like it was wasted on the temporary outlier effect which did not seem to do anyone any good. I definitely "felt" the loss of both Skids and Ravage, so Roberts succeeded in that aspect.

I was disappointed to see the entire DJD die. Since their introduction, I was intrigued by the possibility that they could be interesting villains over the course of the series. I really loved their designs, especially Kaon's, and was hoping to see more of them. It was definitely appropriate that Megatron would be the one to take them down, but I was very underwhelmed by their portrayal in this arc. I suppose that may be my fault to some degree. Since their intro, I've had a long time to build up certain expectations as to how this story arc would resolve. They've been built up for so long, I guess I was just expecting... something else. It seemed like whatever characterization they received in the past was tossed aside. In the end, it didn't seem like they could be the same guys that took down Phase Sixers or drive Pharma insane.

The big Tarn reveal did not bother me. I was hoping he would be Roller. I feel that would have brought some context to Megatron's statement about hurting someone. I was a bit disappointed that the DJD appeared to just keep their original alt modes though. I thought it would have been interesting if they underwent a lot of modifications after becoming a DJD member. One thing that I do wonder though is who was Kaon. I'm sure he was just another unknown character, but we even found out who the Pet really was. I'm not sure why Kaon was excluded.

I hate to go on ranting, so I will conclude on a positive note. I definitely enjoyed seeing Megatron in action. I also enjoyed seeing Rodimus saving Megatron. I felt it was a great way to show how a friendship evolved between the two of them. I hope we get more interaction between those two in the future. Also, I'm really glad that Brainstorm survived. I definitely hope to see more from him in the future.

 

It was.....

Why must all shipping related things I like end horribly?

 

Just realized I can read through this thread, since I don't intend on reading #56 (tho it turns out nobody's brought up anything from it). Anyway, now that I've had time to recover from how drained of any sort of enthusiasm for anything #55 left me, I've decided to more properly join in on some discussions of it.

Ravage's death: Sadly, I clicked on this thread before reading the issue, so I new that was gonna happen. Still, it was an OK death scene for a character that every single IDW writer has utterly wasted. I guess Roberts actually handled him OK, but after season one, I just expected so much more. Plus, Ravage's death really didn't add anything.

Skid's death: His death was OK, I guess. I really felt like Roberts was struggling to do anything with his character towards the end. I've never been that invested in his character, but it was kinda anticlimactic that all the mystery of what happened at Grindcore was just a means to magic up a way for the main characters to fight the DJD a few moments, which in of itself served little purpose.

The DJD: Nothing about them lived up to the three years of hype they got. We learned almost nothing about any of them, outside of Tarn, before they were all killed. I'm left wondering why we needed so much hype for them. This is probably the worst part of Dying of the Light for me. They spent so long building up the confrontation in this arc, only for the first three issues to be further build-up for the confrontation that only really lasted two issues. Plus, what the hell was the point of dragging in Deathsaurus' army? Overlord I now understand, as he's linked to a larger story that Getaway, the person who initiated this arc, seems to also be linked to. Deathsauraus' army, however, was pointless. Were they just there as a reason why the Galactic Council didn't attack? Because considering that the DJD have already fought off organic armadas, their presence alone surely could've sufficed. It might've been a stretch, but it would've been better than writing in an army for no reason.

Tarn's identity: Also a letdown. If who he used to be was never going to mean anything, why pose that question in the first place? Then again, the mystery was never that big in the actual comic. Maybe it always was just the fans over-hyping everything.

Getaway: IMO, he was the only truly good thing to come out of the Dying of the Light arc. He's a villain, but he also has a very good point. If the rest of DOTL wasn't such a letdown, I'd perhaps want to keep reading just to find out how his story plays out.

 

It was. Tarn's identity never really mattered besides being the leader of the DJD. If he was Roller...so what? None of Roller's friends or companions ever interacted with the DJD or had any sort of meaningful antagonistic relationship with Tarn, so why would it be "fitting" for him to be Roller?

The DJD were nothing more than faceless boogeymen. The fact that they died so pathetically really fits in my opinion. You have these five legendary almost demonic-like entities that nearly all Cybertronians fear and you have them die like those they themselves killed. It's almost...I hate to use the word "poetic" but I'm struggling to find a suitable substitute. Ironic, I guess?