#he kind of reminds me more of G1 OP in this book

[saxandviolins88]

Since you and I both have such a bone to pick with John Barber's writing and I rarely see people criticize the actually offensive things he wrote, I wanted to send you an ask about this thing that has bothered me for ages: one of the issues by him I especially hated was RID #32, where he wrote Prowl thinking it was a good idea to point a gun to Jazz's head to get his attention (!) but then Barber also tried to tack on some kind of friendship moment at the end of the issue anyway? How he think he could have both? I mean, that's obviously ridiculous and racist (and Barber making it so that Jazz was also once a cop does not improve it).

But there's another minor thing—um. Why did Barber also have Jazz making fun of Prowl's weight in that issue??? What was that? And isn't it extra weird when RID Prowl is a character with a distressingly THIN waist??? There are tons of amazing fat Autobots like Ratchet, Ironhide, Inferno, Grapple, and Trailbreaker, so this felt extra disrespectful. How could anyone look at Jazz and be like, you know what would make this character better? If he made fatphobic jokes! —arceespinkgun

Oh! RID is Gr8! Except when it's not.

It's so odd, there WAS actual good character work in JB's work... But when there wasn't, you get someone like Jazz.

Jazz, for me, in the hands of John Barber is really a lost character, he tries to cling on his G1 personality while still adding that gritty John Barber grime of his, but I feel it doesn't work. Especially when he brings in Costa's god-awful writing, yeah, I know JB's thing is building on what came before (take a shot every time AHM comes up), but the cop murder stuff was egregious and brought Jazz's character down imo.

Let's go to the beginning of RID, shall we? Jazz after the war basically becomes a NAIL, which I loved actually! The whole theme of RID is moving on from the war and the past! It does get derailed a little when issue #15 comes in and we have Jazz saying Sky-bite (Decepticon turned NAIL) should help the injured because all he has been is a stone-cold killer (not murder-hobo levels of fanon, but eh). But his "moving on" arc is quickly(?) resumed when he DOESN'T join the Autobots in exile and joins Starscream... as security? OH-KAY!

This whole "NAIL" Jazz doesn't last, as RID #31 makes a point to have a flashback scene to remind us of the JUSTIFIABLE cop murder and have him back in the Autobots after he's doomed to the cop purgatory.

Granted, I'm making my way through the "Optimus Prime" comic book, I tried to read those but got bored(I get bored easily sorry) - I'll make an addendum if I have anything to say about that.

What really bothers me with JB's RID Jazz is that he seems really locked in that role, but I don't have any suggestions that wouldn't be awfully anti-Barber, yk? Like 'forgetting that dog-shit Costa plot point' isn't something he'd do. Hey, but imagine Jazz helping rebuild Cybertron along with Wheeljack or something idfk.

Also, having THE black Transformer be associated with violence, cop violence more specifically, is sure a decision ig.

LOL that bit in RID #32 is SO CLUNKY!! It's a shitty pay-off to a cliffhanger on RID #31!! The cliffhanger that was just made to make the reader wonder: "Is Prowl betraying the Autobots?!" This was the game JB was playing in the Earthfall arc, which was the arc that made it clear that Prowl really is JB's favorite character...

WDYM? I LIE AWAKE WANTING ALL MY FAVES TO BE FATPHOBIC??!? sigh... John Barber is my greatest enemy.

But take my opinion with a grain of salt, maybe when I finish OP it all makes sense and it was just a long game.

[loveandscience]

*grabby hands* Give me some angry OP!