Five-Page Preview of IDW’S Transformers: Beast Wars #1

Randomhero wrote:Scotty Young? Seriously. How is anyone comparing this to Scotty Young and not Geoff Senior? That’s exactly what Josh is doing. His art is very Geoff Senior.

TheAmazingBrave wrote:I had to look up who Scottie Young was, and comparing him to Burcham is a disservice to that man. His art style is far more expressive, far more dynamic, and far more organic looking. I know Burcham has gotten a lot of flak and hate for his art style, but I can only be so delicate with my critique. It's stiff, flat, and I just can't empathize with a character when the only range of emotions they can express is sideways sonic the hedgehog mouth.
The only thing I can credit the guy with is his coloring. Holy cow, the coloring. When I think of MTMTE and Lost Light, I think of that muted, faded pastel palette he used during the first few issues of that series and the various Wreckers comics. It makes the colors pop without being too vibrant and cheerful, while also giving that worn and aged look without succumbing to the intoxicating levels of GRUNGE overlays that Livio Ramondelli likes to slap on their art. It kind of reminds me of sun damaged box art, and I suspect that was the inspiration behind those colors, which is honestly brilliant. He's probably on par with Sara Stone as my favorite colorist when it comes to comics.

First issue was a solid read. You get a real feel for many of the characters, and how they're going to differ from their original BW counterparts. This is a new take on Primal, which works very well. He's itching for adventure, and he's about to get it. The relationship between Rhinox and Primal gets more development in a couple panels than all the episodes of the first season combined. Rattrap is his old self.

Megatron is written flawlessly, and exactly as you remember him in his scene-chewing glory. The other Preds at least have some characterization in the brief panels they appear, but it's clear: Megatron is pushing this narrative forward. The seeds for Dinobots eventual face turn are in the preview pages, so I don't feel I'm spoiling anything there. And Waspinator is a pilot!

The Comixology version features sketches of the characters in their Cybertronian forms, both robot and vehicle. This was a neat feature that I assume the paper version will also have?

Similarities to the show: The planet the crew lands on has two moons, and floating mountains are implied in the background. There's a golden disc. They need to stay in beast mode largely for plot device reasons. And when the Axalon got pulled into the transwarp field, the '90s metal guitar riff from the show went through my mind.

If you liked the show, give this book a chance. If you like a fun narrative with well-defined characters, give this book a chance. The first issue shows promise.

Randomhero wrote:Scotty Young? Seriously. How is anyone comparing this to Scotty Young and not Geoff Senior? That’s exactly what Josh is doing. His art is very Geoff Senior.

Sabrblade wrote:A brief fan review of the first issue:

It was okay. Basically a retelling of the Theft of the Golden Disk and the first 6 minutes of the first episode. I don't like Primal's characterization so far. Getting a cocksure or reckless vibe from him and it's not sitting well with me. Not much to comment on story wise because it's just setting up the premise. We'll see where it ends up.

Also I forgot how much I hate the release schedule of comics. Once a month you get the equivalent of 10 minutes of TV for $3-5. I prefer trade paperbacks, but I don't want to wait.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Except those changes to Primal make him someone else. Primal only became reckless in his Beast Machines characterisation. He isn't some gung-ho cadet, like Animated Prime. His calculated and level-headed competence, demonstrated from The Pilot Part 1 to Nemesis Part 2, is what sets him apart from his contemporaries.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Except those changes to Primal make him someone else. Primal only became reckless in his Beast Machines characterisation. He isn't some gung-ho cadet, like Animated Prime. His calculated and level-headed competence, demonstrated from The Pilot Part 1 to Nemesis Part 2, is what sets him apart from his contemporaries.

That's Cartoon Universe Optimus Primal, this is Comic Universe Optimus Primal. This is the equivalent of G1 Cartoon Blaster (jammin' dude) vs. G1 Marvel Blaster (grim rebel), or G1 Cartoon Shockwave (Megatron's loyal yesman) vs. G1 Marvel Shockwave (logic-serving usurper), or Armada Cartoon Tidal Wave (big dumb juggernaut) vs. Armada Comic Tidal Wave (intelligent manipulator), or Energon Cartoon Ironhide (young doofus) vs. Energon Comic Ironhide (cautious scientist).

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Or in other words: an actual reboot

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Or in other words: an actual reboot

Is it still a reboot if it is a virtual play by play recreation

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Except, this is supposed to be paying homage to the show and its universe. You would have thought if the writer was such a fan he would have gotten that much right at least.
IDW lowering the characterisation bar again...

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Or in other words: an actual reboot

Is it still a reboot if it is a virtual play by play recreation

Sabrblade wrote:"Paying homage" and "replicating everything exactly the same down to the smallest detail" are not the same thing.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Yes. This could start in a similar territory, and then dive off into new stuff suddenly. Besides, new characters, new characteristics, some different back story stuff = not the same.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Reboot doesn't mean literal hard reset from the get go everytime.

Sabrblade wrote:It's a reboot that's also a remake.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Always preferred Guido Guidi and Andrew Wildman.

Burn wrote:Still, could be worse, could have been John Romita Jr.

JazZeke wrote:The level of snark in here is rather disheartening. Beast Wars the show was damn near perfect. But it was a story that's been told. Every attempt to expand on it before has fallen flat on its face. Rebooting with an AU version gives us a chance to see these characters again, and at the same time potentially have a new, broader and deeper story..

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

JazZeke wrote:The level of snark in here is rather disheartening. Beast Wars the show was damn near perfect. But it was a story that's been told. Every attempt to expand on it before has fallen flat on its face. Rebooting with an AU version gives us a chance to see these characters again, and at the same time potentially have a new, broader and deeper story..

Maybe that’s the reason why. A Beast Wars comic made during the Beast Era would have been more than welcome (especially using the art of the toy bios). That didn’t happen. So maybe the resistance to all the retroactive media is because the moment has passed and the perception is it is better to leave Beast Wars story as it is.

JazZeke wrote:The moment's passed, agreed, but also the fact that the prequel and sequel comics all just... weren't very good. The Gathering/The Ascending, especially, dropped the ball HARD.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The Beast War happens on an organic planet. So what happened onboard the Axalon, prior to the crash. Or Rhinox' younger days as a janitor in Iacon, are basically superfluous and somewhat irrelevant. Much like their previous Cybertronian Altmodes.

JazZeke wrote:The moment's passed, agreed, but also the fact that the prequel and sequel comics all just... weren't very good. The Gathering/The Ascending, especially, dropped the ball HARD.

100% agreed. I had high hopes for The Gathering/Ascending in light of Furman writing Nemesis and seeing those early splash covers with everyone from Beast Wars roster on it. Such a heavy focus on the Takara series' roster that I couldn't care less about, wasn't what I had in mind. Meanwhile Polar Claw and the rest of the toy-only cast were relegated to generic dialogue and visual cameos. Completely wasted opportunity.


- Post-Beast Machines
- Mini Comic Continuity
- TransTech?

These points of the Beast Era, I'd say have the most untapped potential. Each of them could literally go anywhere. Instead of homaging plagiarising someone else's work.

Sabrblade wrote:Though, a term that this comic uses incorrectly as a carryover from the older IDW Beast Wars comics is the use of "techno-organic" to describe the material that makes up their new beast modes. That term, as originally used on Beast Machines (where it was just "Technorganic"), is supposed to refer to a molecular blending of the organic with the technological as a distinctly different concept from what was used in Beast Wars. It's not right for it to be used in this case, as the Beast Wars bodies of the Maximals and Predacons are not techno-organic.

Sabrblade wrote: Dinobot's honorable nature is on point and sets up his eventual defection to the Maximals (which the author notes in his interview at the end of the issue will NOT be executed the same as it was in the show, meaning there's no telling how it will play out whenever it does happen).

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I mean what has been said about Primal's characterisation already brings to mind he has been shoehorned into one of the Prime archetypes and not who he actually is. He isn't supposed to be 'Prime: The Gorilla'. Bringing him down to that level does seem to be missing the essence of the character himself.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I mean what has been said about Primal's characterisation already brings to mind he has been shoehorned into one of the Prime archetypes and not who he actually is. He isn't supposed to be 'Prime: The Gorilla'. Bringing him down to that level does seem to be missing the essence of the character himself.

I can't think of a single Optimus Prime who has this much zest and excitement for life that he's willing to take more risks and bend more rules for better results.

If anything, this Optimus Primal is the living embodiment of the mantra "Sometimes crazy works!"

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I mean what has been said about Primal's characterisation already brings to mind he has been shoehorned into one of the Prime archetypes and not who he actually is. He isn't supposed to be 'Prime: The Gorilla'. Bringing him down to that level does seem to be missing the essence of the character himself.

I can't think of a single Optimus Prime who has this much zest and excitement for life that he's willing to take more risks and bend more rules for better results.

If anything, this Optimus Primal is the living embodiment of the mantra "Sometimes crazy works!"

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I mean what has been said about Primal's characterisation already brings to mind he has been shoehorned into one of the Prime archetypes and not who he actually is. He isn't supposed to be 'Prime: The Gorilla'. Bringing him down to that level does seem to be missing the essence of the character himself.

I can't think of a single Optimus Prime who has this much zest and excitement for life that he's willing to take more risks and bend more rules for better results.

If anything, this Optimus Primal is the living embodiment of the mantra "Sometimes crazy works!"

Animated Prime I believe is the Optimus literally everyone on the last few pages has mentioned direct comparison with.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Also, ‘Crazy’ in that context is thinking outside the box. Not acting like Cheetor, who already has those character traits.

Sabrblade wrote: He's young, he's green, and he's ready to boldly go where no Maximal has gone before. I definitely still heard Garry Chalk's voice coming out of him, but 1980s Garry Chalk rather than 1990s Garry Chalk.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Anyway, hot-headed, risky and impulsive = Cheetor. Giving those traits to Primal basically makes Cheetor redundant. Much in the same way the emphasis on Nyx is pushing him into the background elsewhere.

william-james88 wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Anyway, hot-headed, risky and impulsive = Cheetor. Giving those traits to Primal basically makes Cheetor redundant. Much in the same way the emphasis on Nyx is pushing him into the background elsewhere.

I really think it's a bit nonsensical to write off this new series on an aspect of just one issue. I mean I had to give some kind of grade for review purposes but 1 issue isn't enough to write off any aspect about it, side from the art if one simply can't get past the style. I am curious of this take on Primal and it at least gives us something different. We can all judge it later if indeed it does not work or becomes a detriment to other characters.

I'm looking forward to seeing where all this goes, I'm a huge beast wars fan and I am glad this era is getting some more fiction for once, and from passionate creators too.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Anyway, hot-headed, risky and impulsive = Cheetor. Giving those traits to Primal basically makes Cheetor redundant. Much in the same way the emphasis on Nyx is pushing him into the background elsewhere.

Sabrblade wrote:So, by your logic, Optimus Primal has never been young, can never be young, and should never be young. He is only ever born as an middle-aged adult, already mature, and never has to grow up and learn to be a leader. And anything less than perfection from him is blasphemy. Got it.

william-james88 wrote:I really think it's a bit nonsensical to write off this new series on an aspect of just one issue.
I'm looking forward to seeing where all this goes, I'm a huge beast wars fan and I am glad this era is getting some more fiction for once,

Sabrblade wrote:He hasn't even read it yet.

william-james88 wrote:and from passionate creators too.

JazZeke wrote:Except Cheetor's even more hotheaded, impulsive behavior could be used as a mirror to Primal's own and provide a motivation for him to start leading more responsibly. That would be some good character writing, methinks.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

william-james88 wrote:and from passionate creators too.

That however, remains to be seen. As I'm pretty sure those behind IDW 2.0 said similar.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Though, a term that this comic uses incorrectly as a carryover from the older IDW Beast Wars comics is the use of "techno-organic" to describe the material that makes up their new beast modes. That term, as originally used on Beast Machines (where it was just "Technorganic"), is supposed to refer to a molecular blending of the organic with the technological as a distinctly different concept from what was used in Beast Wars. It's not right for it to be used in this case, as the Beast Wars bodies of the Maximals and Predacons are not techno-organic.

That continues to be an oddity within Beast Wars. Whereas it is specifically vocalised in Beast Machines, I always took the descriptive 'Techno-organic' to reference Transmetal 2. As that form is more of a blend than any of the others. But, that said. Without using that term, how do you describe their forms in Season One?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote: Dinobot's honorable nature is on point and sets up his eventual defection to the Maximals (which the author notes in his interview at the end of the issue will NOT be executed the same as it was in the show, meaning there's no telling how it will play out whenever it does happen).

To me, that says padding. It reminds me of The Walking Dead and how the character of Shane was handled in the original comic and unfortunately, within the TV adaptation. Or the last Robocop reboot. Wherein the lead actor remarked on how they would emphasise Murphy more than his alter ego aka The Titular Character.

A case of "We know what is going to happen. If you are still going to do it, don't drag it out and just get on with it."

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

JazZeke wrote:Except Cheetor's even more hotheaded, impulsive behavior could be used as a mirror to Primal's own and provide a motivation for him to start leading more responsibly. That would be some good character writing, methinks.

The thing is, it works for Cheetor because he is the youngest on the team. It is a weird take on Primal, because he is commander of his own ship and crew. For example, Star Trek TNG wouldn't have worked if Picard had the same characterisation as Wesley.

Sabrblade wrote:"Bio-mechanical" was the term used on the original toys' packaging. Though, Beast Machines pretty much grouped all of the Beast Wars body forms as different variations under the umbrella term of just "organic". I'd probably just call the Season 1 forms as robots merely wearing organic (or "imitation organic", I suppose) shells that aren't actually integrated into their inner structures like how the organic aspects of their technorganic bodies on Beast Machines were.

Sabrblade wrote:It's not like the cartoon handled Dinobot's defection that gracefully either. If anything, the pilot rushed it so as to get the series' status quo sooner than later.

He starts off believing that Megatron led the Preds to the wrong planet and throws a hissy fit at his leader, disrespecting him like a child who doesn't get his way. In his disgrace, he huffs over to the Maximals and only decides to join them because of his petty vendetta with Megatron. He then spends much of the first season acting like Maximal Starscream until he finally moves past his pettiness later and grows to become the phenomenal character that he's remembered as being. But those early episode appearances of his did him no favors.

Conversely, this new Dinobot has been given no reasons to even think of betraying Megatron anytime soon because, so far, everything that's happened in this first issue has apparently gone all according to Megatron's plan. He tells his crew that the Golden Disk will lead them to an energon-rich planet, and that's exactly what happens. In the cartoon, Dinobot and Tarantulas were the only Predacons who knew of Megatron's true plan for the disk, but which seems to not be the case here.

Sabrblade wrote:If anything, it would make sense for Dinobot to remain a Predacon for a bit longer if there's going to be any promotional tie-in with the Kingdom line since Dinobot's Kingdom toy is being sold as a Predacon. I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case since, according the interviews at the end of the issue, the decision to make this whole series a new take on the cartoon's premise seems to have come from on high at Hasbro for the sake of marketing consistency across the brand, meaning that any new Beast Wars comic couldn't have reinvented the wheel from the ground up even if they wanted to.

So, with the recycled cartoon premise having been an executive mandate, it's up to Burnham to take the story in whatever new directions he can within the confines of keeping things consistent for the brand. After all, Burnham mentioned that his original draft was "like 99% beat for beat" the same as the cartoon. Whereas the final version is riddled with tons of little differences in the details (the space battle's completely different, for one). He makes it clear that he wants to tell a new and different version of the story, but still has to adhere to what his bosses want from this series.

JazZeke wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

JazZeke wrote:Except Cheetor's even more hotheaded, impulsive behavior could be used as a mirror to Primal's own and provide a motivation for him to start leading more responsibly. That would be some good character writing, methinks.

The thing is, it works for Cheetor because he is the youngest on the team. It is a weird take on Primal, because he is commander of his own ship and crew. For example, Star Trek TNG wouldn't have worked if Picard had the same characterisation as Wesley.

Picard was the captain of the fleet's flagship. Primal is seen here relegated to almost a punishment assignment for his behavior. It's not a fair comparison.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

JazZeke wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

JazZeke wrote:Except Cheetor's even more hotheaded, impulsive behavior could be used as a mirror to Primal's own and provide a motivation for him to start leading more responsibly. That would be some good character writing, methinks.

The thing is, it works for Cheetor because he is the youngest on the team. It is a weird take on Primal, because he is commander of his own ship and crew. For example, Star Trek TNG wouldn't have worked if Picard had the same characterisation as Wesley.

Picard was the captain of the fleet's flagship. Primal is seen here relegated to almost a punishment assignment for his behavior. It's not a fair comparison.

The fact the "punishment" backstory had to be brought in to justify the new characterisation is strange in itself.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Naturally the meddling from Hasbro is the main difference between this book and the original show.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Conversely, the "99% beat for beat" script is not something I would have bought or wanted to read.