#based on autocracy comic

[spectra-bear]

late night storyboarding

[decepti-thots]

do you have any thoughts on autocracy the miniseries?

Autocracy is kind of a fascinating blip to me. One thing I think gets overlooked in its existence is how it's an early attempt to do "digital first" in the 2010s: once upon a time, that wasn't just novel, it was a possible future for comics. (In its way, it half resembles the format Roberts originally pitched a bunch of his ideas in!)

It's a piece of canon that accidentally has interesting implications for things that come later. I wrote some thoughts on its specific, accidental influence on phase two Rodimus here (and why I love that element). On its own merits, it's utterly sterile, IMO: uninteresting thematically, terrible visually, no interest in the surrounding canon (bc it's basically an attempt to overwrite IDW canon to do a bland G1-inspired story that pointedly ignores all interesting work IDW did up to that point), and yet despite all that its underlying ideas echo inexorably. Its refusal to engage with what makes IDW1 interesting accidentally helps make IDW1 extra interesting. It is not a good comic. It has awful dialogue, terrible visual storytelling, no interest in making something once derided into fodder for good comics like both really early phase two titles. Frankly, it sucks absolute ass. The rest of the trilogy (including Autocracy, Monstrosity and Primacy) is even worse. But. But! Autocracy's specific unspoken influence on Rodimus in later stuff is undeniable; Roberts called out its influence in at least one panel when asked about Rodimus' relationship to bad coping mechanisms in early MTMTE. Its incongruence is somehow weirdly compelling, honestly. When you choose to deliberately read against the grain, it becomes interesting again. The version of IDW canon where Rodimus and Megatron met this way and Megatron fucked it for these specific reasons is, genuinely, fascinating.

Autocracy sucks. But it is inextricable from the IDW stuff that is good in a way that is not just canon based but formally inextricable from later ideas of characters like Rodimus, and for that reason alone I find it VERY interesting.

[lord-squiggletits]

I wish to love and appreciate idw optimus more too. But I also don’t want to read through the entirety of IDW 1.0. Can you please recommend me any specific issues/parts?

My best friend and fellow IDW Optimus lover made a post compiling all the comics with major story beats involving Optimus. Her list has a lot of the same things mine does, but also a lot more specific issues because she actually knows which specific issues of which series you can read specifically for ones focused on IDW Optimus. We don't agree on everything (I love some comics she dislikes and vice versa), but I would recommend her list simply because it's the most well-documented and thorough. Link I also have a lot of far less coherent but still genuine posts about IDW OP on my #idw op love tag.

As for specific parts I would recommend... since you don't want to read through all of IDW1, I'll go ahead and recommend you things based on in-universe chronological order rather than story release order, but if anything here interests you then I would recommend reading IDW1 in release order so that you get a better grasp of the story's context and how new lore was given out over time:

Chaos Theory and Police Action by James Roberts (The Transformers 2009 issues 22-23): I love love LOVE the way JRO writes Optimus talking to Megatron during the present day, it's very IDW-Optimus flavored because of how blunt, abrasive, and snappy Optimus is. There's a part in the comic where Megatron claims that he "knows [Optimus] better than anyone else," and he's right, but it's also true that Optimus knows Megatron well enough to see that he's bullshitting and it's very entertaining watching Optimus slowly lose his patience with him. I love the dialogue especially, no one (canon or fandom) has ever quite written the same IDW OP who's in this set of comics. It's also the most MegOP comic of all time because the sexual tension and the subliminal imagery of them doing BDSM together is unreal, plus it really captures their dynamic of two old soldiers who snap together with chemistry despite (or perhaps because of) being such long-time enemies. They just UNDERSTAND each other so well. Also, as a bonus point, Chaos Theory is where the pre-war lore for IDW1 began being published, so if you read Chaos Theory then the context for future pre-war lore makes a little more sense.

Shadowplay by James Roberts (More Than Meets the Eye issues 10-11): More pre-war lore that picks up where Chaos Theory/Police action left off. Important because it establishes a lot of IDW OP's character relationships, especially with "the Senator," Roller, and to a degree Ratchet and some minor side characters. I don't really know what to say about this besides it's just really fucking fun to read and features IDW OP getting to do cool shit like fight bad guys, investigate conspiracies, and do heists while also establishing one of his key character traits: being disastrously gay for suspicious men that he places entirely too much trust in to tell him what the right thing to do is.

Spotlight: Orion Pax by James Roberts: Okay, I'm really sorry for recommending JRO's stuff because it feels like favoritism and I don't even think JRO does the best version of IDW OP, it's just going in in-universe chronological order means that a lot of JRO stuff ends up first on the list. This one doesn't really have much of consequence in it and is honestly one of the weaker Spotlight issues, but like Shadowplay, it involves Orion Pax doing fun action shit and having way too much trust in a suspicious man (a new one from the suspicious man in Shadowplay).

The Autocracy Trilogy (Autocracy, Monstrosity, Primacy) by Chris Metzen: Oh my fucking god this is THE IDW Optimus to me, this trilogy is literally what made my ears perk up to even start liking IDW OP because it's what took me from "Optimus Prime, that's the guy who's the super awesome leader that everyone likes and is a paragron to everyone, yeah I know him" to "Oh.... holy shit this is such a good plot/worldbuilding, Optimus has so much CONFLICT and DRAMA with other people." It covers one of my favorite periods of the general Transformers formula, namely pre-war and early war plot events as conflicts come to a boiling point, there's political conflicts and personal conflicts, the planet is falling to shit and everyone is trying to escape and things are as depressing and scary as you would expect for a war that's literally about to consume a whole planet. I found the general plotlines to be gripping and intense (Autocracy is the weakest in this regard, but the writing gets better with each book) and I really like seeing how Optimus grapples with leadership. Especially the negative parts where people hate/fear him because of his association with Zeta's regime (the previous Prime, who Orion worked for), call his judgment into question, refuse his calls to action or waver in their faith in him, and so forth. I found it to be a really nuanced yet sympathetic view of IDW Optimus that made me fall in love with him. Because really, the thing that humanizes a character the most is making them flawed, and Autocracy trilogy Optimus is so incredibly flawed and conflicted. And also it shows him being shit on by other characters in a way that's well written in a plot that makes sense and doesn't feel like the entire plot is conspiring to shit all over him.

The Death of Optimus Prime by James Roberts and John Barber: This comic is basically the transition from phase 1 to phase 2, it establishes the branching plotlines of MTMTE and exRID, so this is another one of those comics that will help you understand IDW1 better if you want to read for more than just Optimus. Anyways, DoOP is great because it has a similar vibe to the Autocracy trilogy in that society is chaos and full of people who fucking hate Optimus' guts for the role he played in the war. You can also compare/contrast the way OP was before the war and early in the war versus the way he is after the war and see how much the war changed him (Chaos Theory also kind of is like this but it more shows bitchy Optimus specifically in his dynamic with Megatron). It also features a fair amount of Optimus Heroic Moments, Optimus Brooding, and Optimus being so fucking depressed he's literally sad when he wakes up and realizes he's not dead dude get some fucking therapy please I'm begging you--

Punishment by John Barber: This skips ahead quite a bit in the story but I think stands decently well on its own without having to understand the wider context. It's one of Barber's best-written stories and one of the only ones I've come back to reread for its own sake. It features Optimus trying to solve the murder-mystery of a bunch of Decepticons, featuring really cool plot conflicts like Optimus trying to navigate post-war society and the tensions that still linger from the Autobot-Decepticon war. I really like this one because it has that whole "not everyone loves OP and a lot of people hate him for justified reasons" thing that makes IDW OP a much more 3D character, PLUS it has some politics with the way Decepticons are treated post war. And I think it does really interesting things with Optimus in terms of showing how he DOES have this idealistic, merciful side that wants people to choose peace and letting go of vengeance, but of course it's not so easy to expect that of people after a 4 million year war. So when people inevitably choose violence, Optimus gets frustrated and angry and lashes out in a way that feels very real and understandable. It's a really good example of a comic that shows IDW OP in a nuanced way, showcasing both his virtues and flaws in a complicated situation that shows that there's no easy solution to these problems and no way for Optimus to escape without getting his hands dirty. Unlike future comics which involve OP being in complicated situations but instead the plot is super contrived and seems to overwhelmingly shit on OP without ever mentioning the very obvious ways that he could be defended, creating a story that's conceptually fascinating but incredibly mediocre in execution.

If I had to recommend any single one of these to read, I would recommend the Autocracy trilogy the most because it's literally the story that made me love IDW Optimus and made me realize "whoa, this guy is super nuanced and not what I expected of him." That's not to say that no other Optimi have depth and nuance, but I think the Autocracy trilogy was great for me personally as one of the first IDW1 comics I read. It struck a really good balance between "uh Optimus was part of some bad things that warrant being shit on" and "Optimus is struggling to overcome those bad associations he did, succeeding with some people and failing with others" and "Optimus is an optimist who has faith in others even when they don't have faith in themselves." Also, as a bonus, the Autocracy trilogy also features cunty murder-husband Megatron, an interesting character arc for Hot Rod, and the Dinobots as really interesting supporting characters (including their leader, Grimlock, having a cute veteran-rookie dynamic with Hot Rod that I wish we got more of).

[badass-at-fandoming]

Zero idea about the fandom interest in said supplement, but I think it would be cool to have a supplement of different types of Anarch government!

I know v5 has these different coterie types already, but I'm thinking something bigger, like a guide on how to build a government for vampires. You could even have the same group of Anarchs try different government types, to see which one fits for their community. In his diary, Beckett writes down two different types of Anarch government: one in LA and one in Libertatia. What if we had even more options! There could even be more based on real life government, though they'd have to be scaled down for a smaller population. What do you think? How would you design your vampire government? 🎵 It's fun to get together with your friends and write a constitution. 🎵

Some examples under the cut

Copy + Paste Real Life Government - Could be a state, city, or federal government taken from the real world. World Citizen Comics created this very fun book on different constitutions of the world. It's called RE: Constitutions: Connecting Citizens With The Rules Of The Game

Athenian Democracy - Everyone votes all the time on everything. More explanation here.

The Monty Python - the autonomous collective described in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This scene here.

Autocracy - This can go a lot of ways. One vampire has all the power. They could be called emperor, king, Ruler Supreme, the Big Cheese, or anything else. I was thinking of Imperial Russia and how the Tsar had to do everything, from processing name-change forms to leading the army. You could bring in a religious element. Whoever proves to be Caine's specialist little snowflake gets to sit in the biggest, comfiest chair. There could be "divine trials" to prove that Caine himself kisses you on the forehead. You could have a Pharaoh, who heads the government and religion.

The Bonpensiero - This is a spin on the Camarilla model to fit LA's needs at the end of my friends' hella long chronicle. Each LA neighborhood had an elected Baron, and all Barons sat on a Council. The Council resolved disputes, monitored LA citizen health, and investigated threats to the Masquerade. When it became time to stomp something into dust, the "Prince" would do the stomping.

Feudalism - Quentin King III modeled his government after medieval European feudalism, which shockingly worked for a long while. In exchange for protection during attack, the ruler receives food/taxes/tribute from others. That can be the entire extent of it, or there can be other government bodies that form laws and settle disputes.

The Eternal Senate - Collat's version, Camilla's version, or the real life one!

The Oligarchy - a group of people are in charge of everything! Can come in different flavors. Maybe it's a elders, maybe it's corporate bigwigs [shudders]; maybe it's everyone who has proven Caine loves them.

The Matriarchy - Female Kindred rule a territory, both as a government and keepers of culture. However, they don't have absolute power, and there are various counter-balances and law-making bodies

Three Departments and Six Ministries - the admin structure of medieval China, NE China (Manchuria), Vietnam, and Korea. Comes with an emperor. Read more here!

Communism - Comes in so many flavors I'm just linking the wikipedia article here. The society centers around the common ownership of the means of production. For example, every Kindred would have a role in the acquiring and distribution of blood.

Socialist Republic - Kindred vote for representatives to...represent them...in a government body, which then votes on policies. Including socialism means a focus on government programs providing Kindred with their basic needs, like blood, a haven, art, etc

This is SO incredibly nerdy. I would love to hear other people's ideas~!

[cszhu]

I was commissioned by Futurium Berlin for the exhibition „Zukünfte der Demokratie“: In this new exhibiton area, democracy is analysed through different angles and media.

I had the wonderful opportunity to create four short comics and murals: They present three different democracies and one autocracy of the future. Which (dis-)advantages does each one bring in order to fulfill political goals? How do social justice and climate justice play together? How do we want to live together? The worlds are

Westzentrien: A political system based on Western democracies, where marginalised groups of society feel out of touch with the politicians who represent them.

All-Inea: A political system based on everybody’s participation, in which a local community votes on solutions on how to handle threats to food security.

Planetaria: A decentralised, post-national world without borders, in which a natural disaster is maneuvered with the help of AI and experts around the globe.

Dictopia: An autocratic system, in which everything depends on the arbitrariness of an autocrat and in which critical voices and freedom of the press are eliminated.

Each comic has its own style, according to the characteristics of the particular society: this can be seen in the color palette, the typography, the stylization of the characters, storylines, and environmental backgrounds. For example, I chose a very loose panel arrangement, images blending into each other, natural color tones for Planetaria, whereas the Dictopia comic is completely black and white, with a very rigid panel grid and sharp edges.

Many thanks to  R. Babourkova, J. Minges, G. Zipf, C. Wong, S. Jackson, E. Schwis! Photo credit: David von Becker, Susanne Jackson, Christina S. Zhu

[quetzalpapalotl]

💚💛💕

@gaysontodd 👀

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Oh boy. Well, I'm the only person who understands IDW1 Optimus (I'm joking... but also) but I think the most commonly and easily disproven thing that fandom gets wrong about him is the idea that the narrative supports his choices and portrays him as unequivocally good.

And to be fair, James Roberts does portray him like that and I have a lot to say about it. But Barber does not, and I think the text alone is enough to understand that, but Barber himself says in an interview that he just writes what happens and is up to the reader to judge character's actions. But I feel that for a lot of people who read Mtmte first they retain that idea of how JRo writes Optimus and carry it to exRID/OP—which is much more explicit about Optimus being a jerk and a hypocrite—and think that we're supposed to still think of him as an ideal hero.

And also people blame the issues with his character on everyone but JRo, and look I basically only like how Barber writes him so I can't say the phase 1 writers did a great job but the most glaring issue, namely, the cop stuff, was all JRo. People attribute that to Metzen and Dille, but Autocracy is actually phase 2 and came out after Chaos Theory and this is not a good comic but it is far more honest about what being a cop entails. Orion does police brutality in both, but while Chaos Theory insists on portraying him as The One Good Cop, Autocracy openly depicts him lashing out and using unnecessary violence. And of course, the comic that bears his name opens his narration in issue 1 with "Before I was Optimus Prime, I was part of the problem" and dedicates half of an arc to put Orion's job as a cop under scrutiny.

I think people just don't know what to make of Optimus' character because Barber portrays him as someone whose primary motivation really, genuinely is "to do good" BUT this does not mean that he actually does good, and he's also influenced by his own temper, his biases, and that after all this time he doesn't trust anyone else to do the job. It seems that when people see his condradictions instead of figuring what makes him tick, they disregard his internality and reduce him to just a holier-than-thou jerk... and he's not not that, but there's a logic to it.

For example, in fandom, I often see his anger issue flare up when he's disrespected. But Optimus is disrespected many times in canon and he's not happy, but he often shrugs it or responds a bit rudely. Disrespetc alone is not enought to make him lash out and often results in violence is having his core ideals challenged. When he puts faith in the good in the world and the world dissapoints him, especially if it reminds him of his own shortcomings. Because he wants to believe in good more than he actually does and often doesn't even know what shape this good would take and he's angry at himself for it and the mistakes he has made because of it and he can easily externalize this anger.

I could go one but I should probably stop now, hehe, sorry, you know how it is that I get with my boy.

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

Jazzprowl. It's just... not based on anything?? Or more like, it's usually based on their fanon personalities and not in any particular canon so I feel there's nowhere for me to grab. And because it's so ubiquitous there's not an attempt to sell it despite the lack of basis, so every time it shows up it's like there's something I'm not seeing, I don't get it. It's also kinda annoying that's everywhere, but I have it filtered so it's fine.

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like?

Read my whirlop fic people. One of this days I will also have to write a rodibee fic-manifesto-

[kryptonitecore]

Re-Read: Autocracy, #1-12

Okay, how to respond to Autocracy… I will admit this is one of those books I had never read before. It’s a lot and I’m finding it quite difficult to decide whether I like it or not.

Ramondelli’s art works quite well here, with some shots being atmospheric, and I’ve always liked how he draws winged characters. The darkness and scale of his art suits the tone of the story, as I think this amps up the edge more than the previous instalments, and we see far more places. I also think this book does a more effective job of establishing the scale of the pre-war conflicts, especially recognising just how much of the population is ‘neutral’. The pace also means that there is always movement, without necessarily being frantic - the 12 issues gave this book more room to breathe.

It’s interesting character-wise for Hot Rod/Rodimus, though I’m going to have to keep an eye on how this is integrated going forward. His approach to leadership earlier on in the book, an opposition to ‘big picture’ idealism of the kinds practiced by Megatron and Optimus, is rather interesting - though that seems to drop off towards the end, as he falls in line with Optimus more. Starscream’s growing irritation with Megatron is a sudden jump from Origin, but also makes quite a lot of sense, as this is a fairly self-indulgent version of Megatron.

Some of the continuity issues were there even for me, though, and that’s with a fairly incomplete knowledge of the continuity. The little thing is Springer knocking about pre-war, but I think Roche’s Sins of the Wreckers backstory came later, so that’s not avoidable. No, the big thing is Starscream being a Senate delegate despite the… events of Megatron: Origin, which is very jarring. I think that could have done with a bit more explaining, also just when Starscream got into politics, as I don’t remember that coming up previously? (I’m starting to realise how little concrete backstory I have even for some relatively major characters…). I can probably find in-story reasons to justify it if I reach hard enough, but it would be difficult and I suspect it was just a miscalculation.

Speaking of characters, this book is a mixed bag. You get a lot of characters, but on the other hand if you were hoping for gradual character arcs happening on page, then this is not the story for you. By the time this book gets going both Megatron and Zeta Prime have gone off the deep end and Orion Pax is most of the way there, too. This is particularly bad for Megatron and Zeta in the sense that it cuts short the time they get to be more grounded characters, which could have been narratively valuable. Rodimus’ characterisation is interesting, but I also went back and forth about whether it’s going to add texture as my re-read goes or, or whether this is a characterisation that was largely dropped by later writers. In a way, it felt like I was reading a character who was already at the end of a character arc that we didn’t get to see.

This comic fell off for me towards the end, especially when the Matrix reappeared. I have very mixed feelings about the Matrix in IDW1, which might become a bit of a theme... The book shifted from the rather edgy tone it had earlier to go more optimistic (?), which I found a bit jarring. The jump from early story Orion Pax to Optimus Prime thinking it’s a good idea to line up all of Megatron’s challengers in a tightly-knit column outside the defended walls of Megatron’s new base, seemingly because of the symbolic value of those panels rather than any in-story decision, was weird, not simply because it makes the Autobots look silly, but also because it’s like I could feel the author’s hand trying to pull me towards a more hopeful version of the narrative. 

My feelings are still mixed, but it was certainly interesting. Spotlight: Wheelie comes next, and I think I I remember it being in rhyme?

[optimistpax]

M-dashes vs the Double Hyphen in Transformers Comics

Update on the quest for M-dashes vs double hyphens based on the transformers comics I have on hand:

Team M-Dash:

MTMTE/LL (IDW1)

RID (IDW1)

LSotW (IDW1)

Dark Cybertron (IDW1)

Optimus Prime (IDW1)

Combiner Wars (IDW1)

Unicron (IDW1)

Dinobots (IDW1)

Autocracy (IDW1)

TAaO (IDW1)

Windblade (IDW1)

IDW2 Main Comics (IDW2)

Drift: Origins and Empires (IDW1)

Team Double Hyphen:

Beast Wars (IDW2)

Transformers '84 (Marvel)

Regeneration one (IDW1)

Shattered glass (IDW2)

Last Bot Standing (IDW2)

[recentanimenews]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These's 4th Season Heads to Theaters in Late 2022

  Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These today announced the continuation of its longrunning space program with a new three-stage launch of theatrical releases, this time for its "fourth season" subtitled "Sakubo" ("Machination").

  A teaser visual was released, depicting Rubinsky and Dominique by Fezzan's skyline at night:

    The first part of Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These - Sakubo is set for a limited release in Japanese theaters from September 30 later this year, followed by Part 2 on October 28 and Part 3 on November 25. A limited edition Blu-ray will be available to purchase at participating theaters.

    RELATED: Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Season 3 English Dub Announced, Cast & Crew Revealed

    Based on the novels by Yoshiki Tanaka, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These is directed by Shunsuke Tada at studio Production I.G, with series composition by Noboru Takagi and character designs by Yoko Kikuchi, Iwao Teraoka, and Katsura Tsushima.

  If you're a fan of epic space operas, check out the first three seasons of Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These, right here on Crunchyroll!

Thousands of years into the future, humanity has advanced into space. Here it has divided into two countries and two different forms of government: the autocracy of the Galactic Empire, and the democracy of the Free Planets Alliance. The countries have been at war for 150 years. Near the end of the 8th age of the space calendar, the appearance of two geniuses will change history forever. The unstoppable genius, Reinhard von Lohengramm, and the unbeatable magician, Yang Wen-li. As heads of the Imperial and Alliance armies respectively, the two will face each other in battle over and over again.

  Source: Comic Natalie

    Der shy man behind @Shymander, Liam is a timezone-fluid Aussie with a distinct fondness for anime, Eurovision and creating odd stats projects despite hating math.

By: Liam Dempsey

[tfwiki]

I've been wanting to do some TF based art lately, but finding reference for the various cities and environments has been challenging! Can you recommend any resources that show pre - destruction or at least less ruined Polihex, Iacon and Praxus and it's crystal gardens?

Well, to answer the last one first, unfortunately, the Crystal Gardens have never appeared in a story as anything other than a blasted crater.

For Praxus itself, Dreamwave’s “The War Within: The Age of Wrath” mini-series contains really the only views we’ve seen of the city, which are limited and very… um… prison-camp-y.

The Marvel Comic is the place to go for Polyhex, as it was the primary Decepticon stronghold on the planet in that continuity. US issues #17-18 are largely set there: 

and there are some good views in the UK comic took, like this shot aerial shot from “Target 2006″:

Iacon’s a little easier due to it’s significance. Dreamwave’s first “War Within” mini has a nice view and Dorling Kindersley’s “The Ultimate Guide” supplements that:

They’re big on domes and round buildings. IDW’s Iacon appears in flashback stories like Autocracy, where it’s looking pointier:

And following MTMTE’s assertion that Bumblebee is from Iacon, we can probably extrapolate the that nice city-street scenes of ‘Bee’s youth from the recent 2017 Transformers Annual represent Iacon too:

Hopefully that helps! 

[blizzardinferno]

Hello friends and other fuckers! Welcome to Kegan Reads the IDW Transformers Comics! I've been meaning to get to these a while ago, but I have the attention span of a hyperactive puppy and occasionally get off track. So I feel it would be more motivating and engaging if I posted my reactions as I read!

Few things first:

1. I am going not by series or when they were published, but the order of events that occur. There have been several lists of the exact comic order online, so I'm using those. This isn't necessary for anybody else, but I'm a dramatic bitch who likes context.

2. I have already tried to read them, but I got sidetracked really easily. I think I just finished Autocracy when I stopped? For the sake of this thing, I'm reading them again.

3. I am very very stupid and sometimes find it hard to understand what's going on even with context. Because of that, if I don't understand what happened in the issue, I'm going to quickly look up a summary of it before moving on.

4. When I start reading something I have access to more of, I PLOW through it rather quickly. So based on the schedule I made, I think I'll be able to get through 10 issues a day. Depending on the time and day I might not read as much or not even at all, but according to what I've written, if I keep going this should end in March.

5. All my reactions will be under #Kegan Reads IDW!

Without further ado, let's dive into this crazy fucking series and destroy my social life!

[cbilluminati]

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION is Outright Geekery’s podcast dedicated to the Hasbro Comic Universe: IDW Publishing’s Hasbro line of action comics. Every week your co-hosts Gaumer, Adam, and Jules bring you news, reviews, previews and more for G.I. Joe, Transformers, ROM, Micronauts, M.A.S.K., Action Man, and the rest of the Hasbro Comic Universe. INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION – Episode 029: MASK Episode 1 “The Deathstone”.

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION – Episode 029

http://www.outrightgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/INSTRUMENTS-of-DESTRUCTION-Episode-029.mp3

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On this week’s show:

News

Marvel Files Opposition to Hasbro Dire Wraith Trademark

A while back Hasbro tried to register a trademark for the ROM villains known as Dire Wraiths. Unfortunately, there’s some question as to who actually owns the rights to the name. ROM is owned by Hasbro, sure, but the supporting cast was created by and within Marvel Comics. So we take it to court! We discuss it.

Image courtesy of Bleeding Cool

BUMBLEBEE Standalone Movie Director Announced

The Bumblebee movie has found its director in Travis Knight, the director of this year’s Oscar-nominated Kubo And The Two Strings, will helm the 2018 release. An animator by trade, Kubo was Knight’s first directorial work, but he does have movies like Paranorman, Boxtrolls, and Coraline under his belt. We’ll ask if any of the hosts have seen this movie, and if we even know who this guys it. Also, what does it mean to have an animator as the director of a Transformers film?

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Reviews

MASK MOBILE ARMORED STRIKE KOMMAND #3

Writer: Brandon Easton Artist: Juan Samu Cover Artists: Tommy Lee Edwards, Ron Joseph, Dan Schoening

As Matt Trakker struggles with the devastating bombshell about his true parentage, Miles Mayhem tightens his grip on the M.A.S.K. team, revealing he’s slowly poisoned their bloodstream with Ore-13 radiation! With Trakker’s team either captured or injured, is it too late for M.A.S.K. to stop V.E.N.O.M.’s nefarious operation?

Special back-up material in every issue written by Tommy Lee Edwards!

Part of IDW’s Artist’s Edition Cover Month!

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TRANSFORMERS AUTOCRACY TRILOGY HC

Writer: Chris Metzen, Flint Dille Artist: Livio Ramondelli Cover Artist: Livio Ramondelli

Before Optimus became a Prime he fought for order. Before Megatron became a conqueror he fought for freedom. In the early days of the war on Cybertron, two leaders-one Autobot, the other Decepticon-start down their own paths towards destiny. Collects the Autocracy, Monstrosity, and Primacy series into an oversized hardcover collection.

Previews

MICRONAUTS #10

Writer: Cullen Bunn Artists: Max Dunbar, Ron Joseph, Adam Markiewicz, Adam Riches Cover Artists: Max Dunbar, Ron Joseph, Adam Markiewicz, Adam Riches

As the Micronauts desperately search for the way back to Microspace, Microspace pays them a visit! A horde of Baron Karza’s forces invade Earth. Their mission: capture the Micronauts at all costs! But Oz and company are already being chased by shadowy agencies on Earth. Sounds like a clash between bad guys–with them ‘Nauts caught in the middle–is on the horizon.

#gallery-0-24 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-24 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 20%; } #gallery-0-24 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-24 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

REVOLUTION HEROES TP

Writers: Brandon Easton, Cullen Bunn, Chris Ryall, Aubrey Sitterson, John Barber Artists: Tony Vargas, Chris Panda, Ron Joseph, Giannis Milonogiannis, Paolo Villanelli Cover Artist: Brandon Peterson

The Revolution spreads across the world of M.A.S.K., Micronauts, Rom, G.I. JOE, and Action Man! The origin of M.A.S.K.! The Micronauts make a HUGE discovery that will transform everything! The Dire Wraiths stalk a lone stranger! G.I. JOE is back, led by Scarlett and joining the fray! And, the U.K.’s top field agent tracks down the mystery of ORE-13! Collects the M.A.S.K., Micronauts, Rom, G.I. JOE, and Action Man Revolution One-Shots.

#gallery-0-25 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-25 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 14%; } #gallery-0-25 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-25 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

REVOLUTION TRANSFORMERS TP

Writers: Mairghread Scott, James Roberts, John Barber, Nick Roche Artists: Andrew Griffith, Naoto Tsushima, Alex Milne, Corin Howell, Kotteri, Josh Burcham Cover Artist: Marcelo Matere

The Revolution continues in The Transformers! Thundercracker and Buster save the World! A White House under siege by Dire Wraiths! Windblade on Earth! And a date with destiny for Krok, Crankcase, Fulcrum, Spinister, and Misfire! Collects The Transformers, More Than Meets The Eye, and Till All Are One Revolution One-Shots plus the 2015 Holiday Special.

#gallery-0-26 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-26 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 14%; } #gallery-0-26 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-26 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

ROM #7

Writers: Chris Ryall, Christos Gage Artist: Paolo Villanelli Cover Artists: Will Robson, Andrew Griffith, Drew Moss, Jeffrey Veregge, Nelson Daniel

Other Space Knights have arrived on Earth… two warriors with ties to ROM’s past and who are determined to ensure that the DIRE WRAITHS have no future… even if it means destroying the planet along with them!

Part of IDW’s Artist’s Edition Cover Month!

#gallery-0-27 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-27 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 20%; } #gallery-0-27 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-27 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

TRANSFORMERS ANNUAL 2017 #1

Writer: John Barber Artist: Priscilla Tramontano Cover: Priscilla Tramontano, Andrew Griffith

GHOST STORIES! Optimus Prime returns to Cybertron only to be confronted by his rival for the Matrix, Pyra Magna! As Pyra’s origin-before she was part of Victorion is finally revealed, Optimus relives his own past-the first time he met Bumblebee!

#gallery-0-28 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-28 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-28 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-28 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The Other Thing

On this week’s The Other Thing segment the co-hosts all watched the very first episode of M.A.S.K. M.A.S.K., an acronym for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, was produced by the French-American DIC Enterprises, Inc and Kenner. It was based on the action figures, and was rolled into Hasbro proper in 2000 when Kenner was closed. M.A.S.K. is a special task force featuring an array of characters, led by Matt Trakker, with transforming vehicles engaged in an ongoing battle against the criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (an acronym for Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem), with an emphasis on super-powered masks worn by the characters on the show. It was basically a hybrid of G.I. Joe and Transformers, borrowing only the best parts, with a bit of its own flair too. In the series’ first episode, The Deathstone, V.E.N.O.M. steals a strange meteorite with healing powers using Switchblade disguised as a UFO. We review the episode, and discuss the merits of this 1985 hit.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Z1yLO9C-Q%5B/embedyt%5D

Thanks for checking out the show. Tell your pals and share it around, will ya? Till all are one!

Leave us a comment below, or find us on all social media @OutrightGeekery, or join the discussion at the Comic Book Illuminati

Email us at OutrightGeekery@Gmail.com

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION – Episode 029

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION is Outright Geekery’s podcast dedicated to the Hasbro Comic Universe: IDW Publishing’s Hasbro line of action comics.

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION - Episode 029 INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION is Outright Geekery's podcast dedicated to the Hasbro Comic Universe: IDW Publishing's Hasbro line of action comics.

[outright-geekery]

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION is Outright Geekery’s podcast dedicated to the Hasbro Comic Universe: IDW Publishing’s Hasbro line of action comics. Every week your co-hosts Gaumer, Adam, and Jules bring you news, reviews, previews and more for G.I. Joe, Transformers, ROM, Micronauts, M.A.S.K., Action Man, and the rest of the Hasbro Comic Universe. INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION – Episode 029: MASK Episode 1 “The Deathstone”.

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION – Episode 029

http://www.outrightgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/INSTRUMENTS-of-DESTRUCTION-Episode-029.mp3

Direct Download

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Also on iTunes!

On this week’s show:

News

Marvel Files Opposition to Hasbro Dire Wraith Trademark

A while back Hasbro tried to register a trademark for the ROM villains known as Dire Wraiths. Unfortunately, there’s some question as to who actually owns the rights to the name. ROM is owned by Hasbro, sure, but the supporting cast was created by and within Marvel Comics. So we take it to court! We discuss it.

Image courtesy of Bleeding Cool

BUMBLEBEE Standalone Movie Director Announced

The Bumblebee movie has found its director in Travis Knight, the director of this year’s Oscar-nominated Kubo And The Two Strings, will helm the 2018 release. An animator by trade, Kubo was Knight’s first directorial work, but he does have movies like Paranorman, Boxtrolls, and Coraline under his belt. We’ll ask if any of the hosts have seen this movie, and if we even know who this guys it. Also, what does it mean to have an animator as the director of a Transformers film?

#gallery-0-22 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-22 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-22 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-22 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Reviews

MASK MOBILE ARMORED STRIKE KOMMAND #3

Writer: Brandon Easton Artist: Juan Samu Cover Artists: Tommy Lee Edwards, Ron Joseph, Dan Schoening

As Matt Trakker struggles with the devastating bombshell about his true parentage, Miles Mayhem tightens his grip on the M.A.S.K. team, revealing he’s slowly poisoned their bloodstream with Ore-13 radiation! With Trakker’s team either captured or injured, is it too late for M.A.S.K. to stop V.E.N.O.M.’s nefarious operation?

Special back-up material in every issue written by Tommy Lee Edwards!

Part of IDW’s Artist’s Edition Cover Month!

#gallery-0-23 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-23 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-23 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-23 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

TRANSFORMERS AUTOCRACY TRILOGY HC

Writer: Chris Metzen, Flint Dille Artist: Livio Ramondelli Cover Artist: Livio Ramondelli

Before Optimus became a Prime he fought for order. Before Megatron became a conqueror he fought for freedom. In the early days of the war on Cybertron, two leaders-one Autobot, the other Decepticon-start down their own paths towards destiny. Collects the Autocracy, Monstrosity, and Primacy series into an oversized hardcover collection.

Previews

MICRONAUTS #10

Writer: Cullen Bunn Artists: Max Dunbar, Ron Joseph, Adam Markiewicz, Adam Riches Cover Artists: Max Dunbar, Ron Joseph, Adam Markiewicz, Adam Riches

As the Micronauts desperately search for the way back to Microspace, Microspace pays them a visit! A horde of Baron Karza’s forces invade Earth. Their mission: capture the Micronauts at all costs! But Oz and company are already being chased by shadowy agencies on Earth. Sounds like a clash between bad guys–with them ‘Nauts caught in the middle–is on the horizon.

#gallery-0-24 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-24 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 20%; } #gallery-0-24 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-24 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

REVOLUTION HEROES TP

Writers: Brandon Easton, Cullen Bunn, Chris Ryall, Aubrey Sitterson, John Barber Artists: Tony Vargas, Chris Panda, Ron Joseph, Giannis Milonogiannis, Paolo Villanelli Cover Artist: Brandon Peterson

The Revolution spreads across the world of M.A.S.K., Micronauts, Rom, G.I. JOE, and Action Man! The origin of M.A.S.K.! The Micronauts make a HUGE discovery that will transform everything! The Dire Wraiths stalk a lone stranger! G.I. JOE is back, led by Scarlett and joining the fray! And, the U.K.’s top field agent tracks down the mystery of ORE-13! Collects the M.A.S.K., Micronauts, Rom, G.I. JOE, and Action Man Revolution One-Shots.

#gallery-0-25 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-25 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 14%; } #gallery-0-25 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-25 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

REVOLUTION TRANSFORMERS TP

Writers: Mairghread Scott, James Roberts, John Barber, Nick Roche Artists: Andrew Griffith, Naoto Tsushima, Alex Milne, Corin Howell, Kotteri, Josh Burcham Cover Artist: Marcelo Matere

The Revolution continues in The Transformers! Thundercracker and Buster save the World! A White House under siege by Dire Wraiths! Windblade on Earth! And a date with destiny for Krok, Crankcase, Fulcrum, Spinister, and Misfire! Collects The Transformers, More Than Meets The Eye, and Till All Are One Revolution One-Shots plus the 2015 Holiday Special.

#gallery-0-26 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-26 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 14%; } #gallery-0-26 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-26 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

ROM #7

Writers: Chris Ryall, Christos Gage Artist: Paolo Villanelli Cover Artists: Will Robson, Andrew Griffith, Drew Moss, Jeffrey Veregge, Nelson Daniel

Other Space Knights have arrived on Earth… two warriors with ties to ROM’s past and who are determined to ensure that the DIRE WRAITHS have no future… even if it means destroying the planet along with them!

Part of IDW’s Artist’s Edition Cover Month!

#gallery-0-27 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-27 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 20%; } #gallery-0-27 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-27 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

TRANSFORMERS ANNUAL 2017 #1

Writer: John Barber Artist: Priscilla Tramontano Cover: Priscilla Tramontano, Andrew Griffith

GHOST STORIES! Optimus Prime returns to Cybertron only to be confronted by his rival for the Matrix, Pyra Magna! As Pyra’s origin-before she was part of Victorion is finally revealed, Optimus relives his own past-the first time he met Bumblebee!

#gallery-0-28 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-28 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-28 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-28 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The Other Thing

On this week’s The Other Thing segment the co-hosts all watched the very first episode of M.A.S.K. M.A.S.K., an acronym for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, was produced by the French-American DIC Enterprises, Inc and Kenner. It was based on the action figures, and was rolled into Hasbro proper in 2000 when Kenner was closed. M.A.S.K. is a special task force featuring an array of characters, led by Matt Trakker, with transforming vehicles engaged in an ongoing battle against the criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (an acronym for Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem), with an emphasis on super-powered masks worn by the characters on the show. It was basically a hybrid of G.I. Joe and Transformers, borrowing only the best parts, with a bit of its own flair too. In the series’ first episode, The Deathstone, V.E.N.O.M. steals a strange meteorite with healing powers using Switchblade disguised as a UFO. We review the episode, and discuss the merits of this 1985 hit.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Z1yLO9C-Q%5B/embedyt%5D

Thanks for checking out the show. Tell your pals and share it around, will ya? Till all are one!

Leave us a comment below, or find us on all social media @OutrightGeekery, or join the discussion at the Comic Book Illuminati

Email us at OutrightGeekery@Gmail.com

INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION - Episode 029 INSTRUMENTS of DESTRUCTION is Outright Geekery's podcast dedicated to the Hasbro Comic Universe: IDW Publishing's Hasbro line of action comics.

[kryptonitecore]

Reread: Spotlight: Blaster

Okay, another character I am wiling to admit I didn’t have a lot of strong feelings about going into this comic… I have encountered IDW1 Blaster before, as he features in Autocracy, I believe. Based on that, it’s sort of interesting to see him be the radio-based Autobot cheerleader, where he was more vocally critical and controversial in his appearances from later in the continuity. It’s the familiar pattern with IDW1, where Furman started off with a far more simplistic characterisation and then later writers tried to take things in different directions and disregard that earlier continuity, but there we go. An intriguing feature is how much of Blaster's rhetoric is based in an idea of inbuilt Autobot strengths - ‘big those ‘cons may be, but they’re not clever’, ‘that’s something imprinted in Autobot CNA’, etc.. The idea of appealing to a physical difference is certainly interesting from the perspective of someone who has read later IDW1 stuff. On the other hand, I can certainly say that Blaster’s broadcast would have driven a number of defections, considering how obnoxious Furman writes it to be.

The mystery element of what happened to Blaster, who tried to kill him and why, is actually quite interesting and gives the issue a natural structure. The art is perfectly good, and there are some slightly more subtle moments of characterisation, for example when Blaster acknowledges that his radio persona is an illusion and the disconnect between how he really feels and the persona generates a sort of disillusionment.

Getaway sighting!

Overall, the ending is a little weak. That tends to be my response to any mind control story where the trick to overcoming mind control is just… ‘power of will’ or trying really hard. Like, thanks, I’m sure no one ever thought of that. Admittedly, the idea of willpower and inspiring others to greater effort is relevant for Blaster, but even so, this kind of idea has been used in Autocracy and I don’t like it any better here.

Next one up is Spotlight: Arcee. Joy unbounded.

[recentanimenews]

Rivals Reflect in Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Visual

  A dramatic new key visual (above) has been revealed for Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Clash, the third season in the latest anime adaptation based on the epic science fiction novel series writthen by Yoshiki Tanaka about a pair of military commanders who shape the fate of a galaxy-spanning human civilization with their rivalry.

    Crunchyroll currently streams the first two seasons of Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These and describes the story of the series as follows:

  Thousands of years into the future, humanity has advanced into space. Here it has divided into two countries and two different forms of government: the autocracy of the Galactic Empire, and the democracy of the Free Planets Alliance. The countries have been at war for 150 years. Near the end of the 8th age of the space calendar, the appearance of two geniuses will change history forever. The unstoppable genius, Reinhard von Lohengramm, and the unbeatable magician, Yang Wen-li. As heads of the Imperial and Alliance armies respectively, the two will face each other in battle over and over again.

    Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Clash is directed by Shunsuke Tada and features animation production by Productin I.G. The series will receive limited theatrical screenings in Japan with the first part debuting on March 04, 2022, followed by the second part on April 01, 2022, and the third part on May 13, 2022.

  Source: Comic Natalie

  Copyright notice: © Yoshiki Tanaka / Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These Production Committee

    ---

Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.

By: Paul Chapman

[recentanimenews]

The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Previews More of Season 4 Ahead of Theatrical Debut

  The space opera saga of The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These is set to continue when the fourth season, Sakubo (Machination), hits select Japanese theaters in three parts. The first is set for a September 30 premiere, and you can see another quick preview in a new 30-second trailer.

  After the first part hits screens on September 30, Part 2 will follow on October 28 and Part 3 will close things out on November 25. A limited edition Blu-ray will be available to purchase at participating theaters.

  RELATED: Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These's 4th Season Heads to Theaters in Late 2022

  Check out the new promo:

    Based on the novels by Yoshiki Tanaka, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These is directed by Shunsuke Tada at studio Production I.G, with series composition by Noboru Takagi and character designs by Yoko Kikuchi, Iwao Teraoka and Katsura Tsushima.

  If you're a fan of epic space operas, check out the first three seasons right here on Crunchyroll!

Thousands of years into the future, humanity has advanced into space. Here it has divided into two countries and two different forms of government: the autocracy of the Galactic Empire, and the democracy of the Free Planets Alliance. The countries have been at war for 150 years. Near the end of the 8th age of the space calendar, the appearance of two geniuses will change history forever. The unstoppable genius, Reinhard von Lohengramm, and the unbeatable magician, Yang Wen-li. As heads of the Imperial and Alliance armies respectively, the two will face each other in battle over and over again.

  Via Comic Natalie

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine and the Editor-in-Chief of Sci Fi Magazine. You can read his comics at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: Joseph Luster