30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 30

What you love about MTMTE. What keeps you coming back for more?

You mean besides giant alien transforming robots? Ok. How about the humor, drama, great art and most especially, the easter eggs/subtle hints of things to come.

In issue #1, we got our fist clue. It wasn’t hidden. In fact, it was the last half of the last page. The list of don’ts

Warning from Issue #1

What was that last one again?

Then there was the whole “Nineteen Eighty-Four” mantra of the giant yellow robots that we find out later (much later) are actually Legislators, sent by Chief Justice Tyrest to apprehend Skids. We first meet Skids and the Legislators in issue #2.

Skids and Legislators

He has no idea that he is holding that gun.

Then we get another clue, dug up by Tailgate, in issue #5 that, perhaps, “Nineteen Eighty-Four” might refer to Section 19, Subsection 80, Paragraph 4 of the Tyrest Accord that is an unimportant section that Ultra Magnus glossed over, which is a HUGE indication of just how unimportant it is if Ultra Magnus skipped it.

Tailgate asks about 19 (80) 4

I think Tailgate is on to something here.

Then, it wasn’t until issue #20 that we finally find out that that Tailgate’s instinct was correct and that Skids was, in fact guilty of violating Tyrest Accord section 19 (80) 4.

Skids fires a thought bullet.

Now we know what thoughts sound like – PHUT!

That is 18 issues between the set up and the payoff. A time period of over a year! It’s things like this – the subtle clues and hints that you don’t even realize are important at the time that makes one pay attention to every little detail because you never know what is going to be important in a year and a half and what isn’t. This also make re-reading the series so much more satisfying because one can pick on these things during the second third or twentieth time reading the series.

It is truly a great series, arguably the best Transformers fiction ever, and I hope it continues for a long, long time.

This entry is part 30 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 26

A description or sketch for a human version of one of the characters

You know, I never really thought about this until I saw this day’s topic. Well, there was Cybertronian Homesick Blues, where the bots take on Super Intuitive holomatter Avatars which essentially answers this question for a few.

Super Intuitive Avatars

One of Brainstorms few non-weapon projects.

I thought the characterization was right on – Rewind has the video camera, Skids’ ID card is blank (like his memory), Rung and Swerve are unmistakable, Tailgate is a baby (since he has been offline nearly the entire 6 million years of his life) and Whirl has an eyepatch (so he only has a single useful eye) and guns. Bonus points for the eyepatch on Whirl’s Autobot badge!

I didn’t include Ultra Magnus here since his avatar was simply a representation of Verity Carlo and not of his personality. But you know, it would be interesting to see whether it would end up representing the Ultra Magnus we know and love or Minimus Ambus – the guy in the suit.

Finally, we were treated to Ratchet’s avatar back when he was on Delphi, albeit a corrupted version.

Ratchet's Corrupted Avatar

It’s actually pretty accurate since Ratchet was corroding at the time.

Of course, this is far from a new concept. We can go all the way back to the original G1 comics for the first look at holomatter avatars. Here’s a shot of mine from Transformers Issue #14:

Hoist's Avatar

After all these years, I still do.

This entry is part 26 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 23

Favorite Fandom Output

Without a doubt, it’s the art. Here are few of the many, many examples of fan art that I have enjoyed, mostly found on tumblr. Click the pictures below for links to the original art.

Windblade has been popular lately.

Love me some Fort Max!

Nautica had fan art within hours of making her debut.

I’m a big fan of Cyclonus and Tailgate, but mostly Cyclonus.

Skids and Getaway, purveyors of thought warfare!

 

This entry is part 23 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 20

Something You’re Disappointed With

I’m disappointed with the Circle of Light. The crew winds up on Luna 1 and manages to rescue what was left of the Circle and then they react like this:

Circle of Light Disappointment

Where did they get all those wrenches?

Talk about gratitude! If it weren’t for all those dysfunctional, cracked-in-the-head bots on the Lost Light, every single one of the Circle would have been melted down and used for raw material to build more Legislators. Then they go and act all holier-than-thou like this! I think even Drift would have been disappointed had he been there.

This entry is part 20 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 14

Favorite Character Design

Even though he was around before MTMTE, my favorite Design is Fortress Maximus. He’s not flashy. He’s not funny-looking. He’s a pretty straight-forward bruising hulk of an Autobot and that’s why I like him.

Bad Aft Fort Max

It’s not going to be a good day for those ‘Cons.

He was left in such a sad state in Last Stand of the Wreckers after being tortured by Overlord. It was great to see him get some redemption on Overlord himself and not just other ‘bots on the crew that share the same colors.

Fort Max and Overloard

Payback!

Now, he is the new Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, a position formerly held, and defined, by Ultra Magnus. He’s currently taking care of Luna 1 with Red Alert. Considering the symbols on the other side of Luna 1 and how they might play into the cryptic message the Skids received after going through Tyrest’s space bridge portal, I’m sure we’ll be seeing Max again.

 

This entry is part 14 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 8

A Badass Scene

How do you choose just one? How about pick the scenes that the other bots in the story thought were badass?

Bad Aft Orion Pax

When Orion Pax said he’d “drop by”, this is not what I expected.

Swerve and Tailgate are certainly fans of this one; Whirl, not so much. But then again it’s Whirl – he’s pretty badass himself. He’s just hard to impress.

“But wait,” you say, “that’s in a story being told by Chromedome! That doesn’t count!” Well I say it does! But to play by another set of rules in which flashbacks don’t count, try this on for size:

Bad Aft Rodimus

Sparkeater onboard? Cool.

Drift and Skids are clearly Rodimus fanbots on this one, though Rung seems unimpressed. Actually, I think he’s just in shock after having just been used for bait. You just can’t please everyone, even if you’re Rodimus.

This entry is part 8 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 6

Best Issue So Far

There are so many great issues in this series, it’s difficult to pick just one as the best. I’m going with issue #13 – Cybertronian Homesick Blues.

MTMTE Issue 13 Cover

Can you guess who’s who?

This issue is told mostly through flashback from the viewpoint of Swerve as he’s sending a message to Blurr, back on Cybertron. We first see some commotion coming from Cyclonus and Tailgate’s room and find out that it was just Cyclonus singing in Old Cybertronian.

Then the crew gets to go on shore leave to relax a little bit, even though Ultra Magnus doesn’t recognize that as a word. Naturally, hijinks ensue. We get to see their new Super Intuitive holomatter Avatars which are supposed to reflect the users’ psyches. For some it’s expected like Rung, Swerve and Rewind. I think the best, by far, was Whirl’s.

Whirl's Holomatter Avatar

A hyperactive child with an eye patch and guns -unmistakably Whirl.

Then, the combined efforts of Whirl (intentional) and Swerve (unintentional) get Ultra Magnus passed-out drunk! It’s great because of the reactions of everyone and the dialog between Ultra Magnus and Swerve. This is where we learn quite a bit more about both of these characters and what makes them tick.

As the night comes to a close and Ultra Magnus is passed out again, the crew needs to find a way to get him back and how they do is nothing short of hilarious.

Hopping on Ultra Magnus

I hope Rewind’s not recording this!

A special bonus prose story at the end of the issue describes what the others were doing while Swerve was left alone with Ultra Magnus – browsing in the gift shop – and a section with Rung talking with Ultra Magnus including the latter’s failed attempts at humor.

This entry is part 6 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge