Comics Addendum, alternate source

[dvandom]

     Dave's "Diamond Comics Distribution Can Bite Me" Capsules Special
                         February 19, 2009

     Okay, "normal" Diamond errors tend to involve the little companies, from
Antarctic on down in size.  I'm used to that.  But lately, they've been
neglecting to ship stuff from Marvel, DC, Image and IDW, all supposedly major
companies.  And they haven't shown any real sign of reshipping to stores that
got shorted.

     Hastings, a regional media chain (i.e. books, music, movies, etc) has a
decent newsstand comic section, and since they buy directly from the
publishers (as far as I know) they don't have to worry about Diamond.  On the
other hand, they don't do pulls or order a given title every month.  Still, I
was able to make a dent in my missing stack.  Sadly, by the time I decided to
do this, they'd already sold out of TF:RotF Alliance #2, so I'm still missing
that.  I read it from the rack last month, though, so I'm caught up.

     Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Prequel: Alliance #1 (of 4):
IDW - One of two prequel minis.  Both presumably four issues, but being IDW
they don't say so anywhere on the comic...wait, what's this?  On the inside
front cover they actually say "of four," wow.  Also, henceforth, "TF:RotF"
will stand for everything before "Alliance" so I don't have to keep typing
it.  Maybe Diamond's computers simply choked on the title, explaining why
they never shipped it or its companion series.  Anyway, this series picks up
from the end of Reign of Starscream and takes some of the threads laid down
both there (the human-built Landmine et al, Starscream's faux AllSpark) and
in the first movie's prequel comic (Wreckage, who got horribly jobbed, is
back).  Of course, to do all this, it actually starts a few months before the
main action of the movie, since there's a lot of Wreckage retconning to do.
And Dispensor, perhaps the most sinister of the AllSpark Babies, gets a brief
appearance.  :)  The Dispensor scene makes it clear that the Legends of the
AllSpark miniseries is not in the same continuity, since that had a different
fate for Dispensor.  And a lot more of this issue involves establishing how
the end of the first movie wasn't necessarily what it appeared to be, thereby
opening up some wiggle room for the sequel to go in slightly different
directions.  Mowry's writing and Milne's art are both passable, although I'm
starting to think that no one can really write Ratchet without it sounding
like they're trying way too hard to be funny.  Mildly recommended.  $3.99.

     TF:RotF: Alliance #3 (of 4): IDW - Well, Wreckage got shelved again in
#2, too bad.  He served his purpose, however, of showing how an AllSpark
fragment can Do Stuff, like in TF: Animated.  Also, it gave a better reason
for Sector 7 to be officially disbanded...namely, Wreckage busting loose and
wreaking havoc.  This issue finally catches up to the end of the first movie
and the deep sixing, then moves into intermezzo territory.  The coloring
drifts into murk, although several scenes are at night, so it's excusable.
Loads of toy-but-not-movie characters show up and start trouble, so I think
it's safe to say that #4 will rack up something of a body count.  Again, the
writing and art are okay, and they do a decent job of stitching together the
gaps.  Mildly recommended.  $3.99.

     TF:RotF: Defiance #1 (of 4): IDW - The other prequel series.  And this
is VERY prequelly, being set before the Autobot/Decepticon split, at least
initially.  A new threat is introduced, along with implications of a sort of
proto-Decepticon culture lost in archaeological history.  Mowry writes this
series too, with Khanna on breakdowns and Griffith on finishes.  There's
definitely a different sort of Cybertron here, and it seems like the friction
between Megatron and Optimus Prime would have remained merely that save for
the introduction of a Plot Device.  Given that this is billed as a prequel to
Revenge of the Fallen, it's not too big a stretch to posit that this plot
device involves the Fallen.  :)  The writing tends towards the expositiony in
places, with characters relating to each other what they already know, and
the visual blocking is more in the style of pinups than storytelling much of
the time.  Mildly recommended.  $3.99.

     REBELS #1: DC - This is actually the second REBELS series, the first
being a followup to LEGION, which also started with Vril Jr. on the run from
his own organization.  Some of the people on the cover haven't shown up yet,
and most of the ones who have spend this issue fighting each other or running
from each other.  So, we're looking at a team of rivals, I suppose.  :)  Much
of the issue leads up to a sort of Rube Goldberg where way too much effort is
taken just to deliver a message, suggesting two possibilities: 1) Bedard was
too in love with a clever idea to see the overwrought nature of it, 2) the
gizmo has other functions that will be revealed next issue, and therefore the
simple way wouldn't have been enough.  Still a bit excessive even in case 2,
though.  Bedard's one of those writers where I'll generally cut some slack,
but I've been burned before...so this had better improve markedly in the next
couple issues or I'm gone.  Mildly recommended.  $2.99

     Invincible #59: Image - A done-in-one story told from the POV of the
antagonist as he drifts from the role of misguided hero to that of tragic
villain.  A nice breather before the big crossover thing coming next month,
to be sure, and a good examination of the sort of fallout Invincible's high-
power adventures can have.  Recommended.  $2.99

Awards:

"Brand Loyalty" Award to TF:RotF Alliance #1 (of 4)

"What, Exactly, Made Fracture Think That Was A Good Disguise?" Award to
     TF:RotF Alliance #3 (of 4)

"The Shadow Over Cybertron" Award to TF:RotF Defiance #1 (of 4)

"But Can He Toast Muffins?" Award to REBELS #1

"The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions And Conductive Plating"
     Award to Invincible #59

   Dave Van Domelen, "You know, the last thing I expect from you is sanctimony." - Querl Dox, showing an astonishing lack of self-awareness about his genepool, REBELS #1

Comments

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Querl's act was more akin to a case of "Don't pull this crap with ME. I know JUST how far my apple fell from your particular tree."