New Avengers/Transformers #1 of 4
Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Tyler Kirkham
Companies: Marvel Comics & IDW
Welcome to Transformers fever, people. The new live action movie has hit theaters this past week, so really it makes sense, with fans already geared up for that event, that there should be no better time to see the release of a giant fan-pleasing crossover between The Transformers and the uber-popular team The New Avengers than now, right? Well, yes and no. Yes to the theory that the idea is a sound one, as it’s a neat idea that will no doubt all but fly off the shelves of your local comic book store. No to the execution of that sound idea, which is where things are either made or broken, and you know that something is wrong when the battle cries that comes to mind after reading this are:
“Transformer fans. Transform and…Run Away.”
“Avengers fans…Disassemble!”
And as bad as that makes this book sound, that’s where the dust settles with this one. The whole thing, from story to art, carries a very generic, almost bad 90’s like feel to it that there’s really no escape from. The story, a story that could have been seven different kinds of awesome robot action, instead feels weak, underwritten, and has some of the worst dialogue imaginable.
This fiasco begins with a group of heroes (Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man & Luke Cage) dropping into Latveria, special ops style. The reasons behind this are sketchy but it has something to do with an anomalous radiation reading and the slim idea that Dr. Doom may be playing around with a new sort of technology that is alien in origin. Sounds okay so far and honestly with Stuart Moore, who’s done some good work on things like Wolverine and the Punisher X-Mas Special, at its helm this could have been perfect. It would have been fitting and more interesting to see this rag tag group of heroes just stumble across an all out battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, then have to decipher what the hell is going on and join in on the mayhem. That of course, being a cool and very Transformers-like idea that would certainly fit into the retro feel that the book seems to be going for, doesn’t happen.
What does is that the group of heroes come upon a giant ship or perhaps a base (one that resembles the Terrordrome from G.I. Joe even) that in no way looks Doom-ish to any of them. If you can’t tell, this is where the book starts its steady decline. And really, it only gets worse as the team decides to investigate into the mystery further, all the while not noticing that the closer they get to the ship and the longer that they’re in its vicinity, the more at each others throats and violent they get. It’s a cheesy idea that is paired up with the even cheesier notion that Spider-Man’s biology is somehow important to the Decepticons.
Beyond those lovely and interesting plot points, are you seeing any flaws yet? Something missing, perhaps? Something substantial even? If you haven’t guessed it yet, the biggest draw to the book and the biggest misstep of the entire issue is that the Transformers themselves (Autobots and Decepticons) are Awol. In fact, they don’t even make a full out appearance until the very end, which seems strange and almost cheap. But can the art save the story, as sometimes is the case with things such as these? Nope. Tyler Kirkham is a decent artist, one heavily influenced by Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and other Top Cow artists, but this go around his work feels inconsistent and almost too pretty for the material. His Transformers, which are more in line with the Dreamwave style, look a little ho-hum too as they feel off in regards to their proportions (Bumblebee actually looks pregnant) and in their scale with one another (Optimus should be taller than the other Autobots). Yes, these could be considered small nit-picks from a rabid Transformers fan but they still detract and take you out of the story, which is never a good thing.
All in all, New Avengers/Transformers had the potential to be an action packed and entertaining first issue that could sate the appetites of fans of both parties in a new and pleasing way. It didn’t deliver on that potential in any way, which is just sad considering the possibilities.
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Yeah..ouch….quite a stinker. Extreme buyer’s regret.
TF movie on the other hand? Incredibly dumb. Also, INCREDIBLY entertaining.
09 Jul 2007 at 11:12 am
QuoteThis made the film seem like high art. Pretty sure that defies some fundamental law of nature.
09 Jul 2007 at 11:36 am
QuoteFF Transformers sure,Wolverine Transformers…maybe but NEW AVengers? Thank you no
09 Jul 2007 at 1:04 pm
QuoteWhy is it that I know, not even deep down, that the movie was bad…yet I had an absolute blast at it. Maybe shallow toy movie is the bar at which the Bay-meister’s skills are set and he finally reached it. No more Pearl Harbor scale war movies movies by Bay unless it involves Nazi’s scheming with Decepticons to foil D-Day, only to have all the landing boats turn out to be Autobots in disguise and it ends the war at that moment and lives are saved and wheeee!! That is a Bay movie. That said, he should retire now with all the good will he is likely to get.
On a side note, I came to the Transformers only sideways. I had juuuust aged out of comics/toys/cartoons in the 80’s, enough to miss first round of Transformers, GI Joe, etc. It would take Dini’s Batman and later The Tick to make me realize cartoons were golden, again. Anyway, I had to have a translator at the movie with me to explain things that were from the show, like characters, in-jokes, etc. So, are any of the bajillions of Transformer comic lines worth reading or trades worth picking up? Also, do the cartoons hold up at all?? I mean, in a cheesy 80’s way hold up?
09 Jul 2007 at 7:15 pm
QuoteFirst of all, the Decepticon/Autobot World War II idea? Golden.
Second, I’m the wrong guy to ask about the old stuff, as I’ve got only a mild fondness, but I will say that the current IDW stuff (Infiltration, Escalation and Spotlight) are all well worth dropping the money on the trades. Dave F. has taken to calling it the “Ultimate” version of Transformers, ala Marvel’s Ultimate universe, and that’s about right. Good stuff.
We’ll have more on this in the next podcast, going up on Saturday, which is all about Transformers.
09 Jul 2007 at 7:28 pm
QuoteNew Avengers/Transformers was so bad even I didn’t buy it. ME. I’ve been dreaming about this for over 20 years and Moore and Kirkham didn’t just drop the ball, they threw it at the button marked “self-destruct”.
Well, Dave F.’s correct on calling it “Ultimate” since “Ultimatization” was one of the first terms IDW threw around in the early press. I’m pretty hit or miss on the comics these days. I loved Stormbringer, I think the Spotlight stories are excellent, but find the earth-bound adventures lacking.
But I’m the Transformers Expert here, and here’s what I think you should get if you be interested in collecting the comics:
Generations Vol. 1- a random collection of the Marvel issues, with one story featuring inks by, of all people, Kyle Baker! Budiansky’s storytelling was utterly atrocious, but these early stories, particularly “Shooting Star!” aren’t too bad. Titan Books has collected the Marvel series in their line fully, but trust me, you don’t want to read it.
The War Within Vol. 1- Simon Furman and Don Figueroa chronicle the first few days of Optimus Prime’s leadership of the Autobots. There’s a neat, non-Unicron twist on the origin of Cybertron here, and Figueroa’s artwork, his big debut series, is mindblowing in its geekery. But what remains central is Optimus as a character, and Furman’s handling of him is, as usual, terrific.
Primal Scream
Matrix Quest
All Fall Down
End of the Road
Collecting the entirety of Furman’s brilliant 25 issue run on the American title, featuring Optimus Prime chokin’ a (robotic) bitch, Megatron throwing down with Galvatron, The true origin of the Transformers, a horrible alternate future where the Decepticons have won, and great art by Wildman, Senior, etc. All wrapped up nicely by the end.
Aspects of Evil!
Earth Force
The strongest of the B and W digest collections, these were the five pagers that were near the end of the UK series’ run. Furman and co really got creative here, and it shows. All of them are recommended, however.
Fallen Angel
The Legacy of Unicron
Space Pirates
Time Wars
While all the UK big size albums (with the exception of two) are pretty neat, these are also the strongest, melding the 2006 and 1986 continuities quite well for an epic story thread about Galvatron, Unicron, and a whole lotta excitement.
Spotlight Vol. 1- a bunch of fun, Furman written side stories that help add to the new continuity. Shockwave, Hot Rod, Sixshot, Nightbeat, Ultra Magnus are featured. Nice art by Nick Roche, Robby Musso, Rob Ruffolo, and- what the- MD Bright!
Transformers/G.I. Joe Vol. 1- a weirdly epic, sad little saga, with wonderful Jae Lee/June Chung artwork, and a decent script by John Ney Reiber.
G.I. Joe Vs. The Transformers Vol. 3-4- don’t worry Seeley, I didn’t forget ya! While the first two are okay, Seeley’s scripts just go pleasantly absurd with the whole concept, and are all the better for it.
09 Jul 2007 at 8:38 pm
QuoteInteresting… I actually found Stormbringer nigh-unreadable, but really love the earth-bound adventures. We can agree that the Spotlight stories are fun, though.
Y’know, I bought most of these when they came out, and I gotta say, I don’t think they live up to the hype. For one thing, I think Figueroa is a bit overrated, flashy but not always a great storyteller, and for another, I didn’t think these were notably great stories. Maybe I was just in the wrong mood, or maybe, like Hama’s G.I. Joe, I just needed to read them when I was younger to get their hooks in. But I remember being really hyped up for great Transformers stories, beloved by even the Brit hipsters who usually hate everything but stuff that Warren Ellis writes, and I found these kinda dull.
Maybe now that I’m in Transformers mode I should go and reread.
Sadly, I think all of these are out of print, or at least unavailable through Diamond. Never got around to reading most of them, but I heard good things about Vol. 3-4 and wanted to give them a try. The Titan reprints of Furman’s stuff seem to be out of print as well. Not impossible to find, but definitely the province of Ebay/Amazon used at this point, more than comic or book shops.
10 Jul 2007 at 10:40 am
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