Transformers!

[RoIIo Tomassi]

So. You're buying the floppies AND the Trades of ReGen1?

I checked to see which issues I picked up on Saturday. Back when I first restarted collecting, both the DreamWave TF series and the DDP GIJoe series had just started. I missed out on the first TF series and at that time the back issues were retarded high prices due to demand. Like $5-7 a pop (I know, right?) so I made due with the TPB for the first series. And got mostly the Autobot covers for the second series(it's been 10 years now, I can't remember everything).

Anyway, after checking, I got from the first series,
Issue 2 Autobots(Mirage, Prowl,Jazz)
Issue 2 Seekers
Issue 3 Autobots(all the minibots)
Issue 3 Insecticons
Issue 5 Blaster + cassettes
Issue 5 Soundwave + cassettes
Issue 6 Autobots (Red Alert and Inferno)

From the second series I got

1 Autobots fold out
1 Decepticons fold out
2 Autobots (Ultra Magnus and friends)
2 Decepticons (Ramjet and Dirge)
4 Springer, Arcee, and Sharkticon
5 Starscream and Ratbat

Considering they were marked $4 each and I got them for 17 cents apiece, I'm happy. The covers alone are bitchin' enough to display. I especially like the MiniBots one.

[anarky]

The second series was when it got readable. Not great, but readable. That first series was utter shit.

And, yeah, getting RG1 in both. I want the trades because that's what I lean toward now. But waiting five months, I'm too worried about spoilers. And (unlike even G.I.Joe, where I'm missing a few of the insanely overpriced later issues), I have a full run of TF. Okay, I'm missing issue #2 of the movie adaptation, but it was non-canon in the US comic.

[anarky]

BTW, looking at other founts of negativity forums, it appears that you're supposed to hate RG1 and love MTMTE/RiD, or vice versa. The two of us are apparently anomalies that should not exist.

[Tom Foolery]

I don't think it's physically possible to hate MTMTE. As in, the body would reject any attempt to do so with its own white cells.
And I can see enjoying one continuity over the other. But hating either/or?! Naw, man. If you're gonna hate a TF continuity, hate the Bayverse.

[anarky]

Nah, don't even count the Bayverse as Transformers. Hate that convoluted mess that was the Robots in Disguise TV cartoon. I'm not into any of the variant versions, but that show was very obviously a rank turd from the bits and pieces I've seen.

I'm at the point where I actually think MTMTE/RiD is slightly better, but RG1 is the original series, so it holds a spot in my heart that can never be replaced, being the first comic I got into as a kid and the one that got me into serious collecting as a teen. And, besides, we're talking about the three best series out right now, and there's stuff like Hawkeye and G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero and Fables, so that's hardly disrespecting RG1.

And two unrelated things:

First, finally got a response to my FB question: "There are no plans for this at the moment, though you will definitely be seeing some events that predate the war in the book before the end..."

Second, another reason methinks Grimlock is alive: the death scene mirrors the Holmes/Moriarity "death" scene, where Holmes wound up just fine a while later. Furman loves his literary allusions, and I think he's a Sherlock Holmes fan. Given that the character in question was the one who defeated the Liege Maximo in the unofficial G2 wrap-up (which I consider canon since Furman wrote it), and Liege Maximo was intended to be one of the Thirteen, I suspect a triumphant return in #100.

[Tom Foolery]

Also, how fucking cool is the name "Grimlock"?
I mean, complete and total kudos to whatever Hasbro peon coined that one.
It's just exceptionally sublime in its badassness. The name alone suggests its someone you don't want to fuck with.
Somebody names Huffer? Powerglide? Springer? I'll fuck with those guys.
Grimlock? Hell no sir and thank you very much. I'll be walking the other way. And that's even before I know he's a giant robot AND a metallic dinosaur.

Grimlock = Not to be Fucked With.

[anarky]

No shit. I'm not sure who coined the name; I'm going to guess Bob Budiansky, Jim Shooter, or Denny O'Neil. I've tried to do some research on these names, and found very little. Until I know for sure, I'll assume O'Neil--it not only doesn't fit with most TF names, but he has a penchant for digging up really, really obscure shit. (I'm sure you knew it, but O'Neil basically created Optimus Prime, possibly created Megatron depending on who you believe, and coined at least two names that were too cool to remain unused forever, Ultra Magnus and Fortress Maximus. Oh, and Prowl, which seems a bit odd.)

There is a Dungeons & Dragons monster called a grimlock, which is kind of a subterranean relative of orcs and goblins, IIRC, and it debuted sometime in the 80s. Given that it's unlikely that Grimlock would've been iconic enough for TSR to steal his name, and it's pretty much certain Hasbro wouldn't have stolen a TSR name that only existed in the game, there has to be some sort of legendary precedent. Since 99% of D&D is lifted directly from Tolkien, I wouldn't be surprised if it came from the same sources Tolkien used (since I've never found any evidence of Tolkien actually using the word).

Trouble is, when searching for "grimlock," all you can find are things related to giant badass robots who turn into Tyrannosaurus rexes.

[anarky]

Wikipedia says the D&D grimlocks were based on H.G.Wells' morlocks. It was based on a reader submission and first published in the Fiend Folio in 1981.

I'm thinking there must be more to it. I cannot imagine someone at Hasbro or at Marvel saying, "Okay, we've got these five Japanese dinosaur robots that are going to be 'Dinobots' allied with the Autobots. They need names. The Pteranodon can be Swoop, nice and simple. One of them, let's say the Stegosaurus, is Snarl. Maybe we should stick with the one-syllable words starting with 'S.' Slag and Sludge both have cool rings to them. Sludge sounds like a stupid guy, and Slag implies molten metal. The Apatosaurus is probably dumb, so Sludge fits, and we can say the Triceratops has a flamethrower in his mouth, so he can be Slag. Now the Tyrannosaurus is going to have to be the leader. Let's give him a totally different name. Hand me that Monster Manual, would you? Let's pick some name no one's ever used before for anything that's probably trademarked by TSR. Oh, 'Grimlock.' That sounds cool. So long as we don't use 'Rust Monster' or 'Beholder,' I think they'll never wise up to it."

If nothing else, the guy who made up the name, or one of the people who published it, would remember. And, being geeks, there's no way they could not have been exposed to the Dinobot at some point and brought it up, y'know? Plus, as insanely fearful of trademark infringement as Hasbro has become, they wouldn't be using the name. They wouldn't call Straxxus by his name (even tossing in a "Lord") because apparently there once was an alien called that who was mentioned once in a Dr. Who comic no one remembers. The packaging never says "Dinobot Grimlock" or anything like that. It's straight-up "Grimlock."

[Tom Foolery]

You what other name is cool?

Guido Guidi.

That shit sounds made up doesn't it? Like he was a Spidey villain from the Ditko/Lee era. Not like a costumed villain, but like the main henchman for a crime boss. Shit doesn't get more eye-talian than Guido Guidi.

It's fun to say. Try it. Now say it again. Keep saying it. See? Fun. You're having fun. GWEE-DOHHH...

[anarky]

Dammit, I'm pretty sure I came across a spoiler about the deaths in MTMTE from perusing the TFWiki page about Trailbreakcutter. [Yeah, I'm going with "cutter" for this version, since he changed his own name. Wanna make something of it?] (They're usually good about spoiler warnings, but not here. I can say with 99% certainty that I'm not mistaken.) That makes me sad. Because I wanted to be surprised. And also because they finally made the little cassette likable here. (But I'm glad that, so far, I can at least pretend Swerve and Tailgate are okay until I actually read it.)

Also, it looks like it's going to be really tough to avoid RiD spoilers until the paperback hits in October. From the mass of artwork and the sheer "oh shit!" it would create, not to mention that Devastator can even be around, I'm thinking his leg is a police car who died like a bitch in the only TF movie. Though, if so, I can't figure out the motivation and am dying to see if I'm right and, if so, why.

Please to not be confirming or denying. I want my confirmation to come from the official source.

[anarky]

I think I might have to unlike or hide TF on FB. They posted a preview for the new MTMTE, and the description contains what sounds like a pretty big spoiler regarding Starscream. Also, some asshole put the first comment that confirmed who Devastator's new leg is, so it's right there as I try to scroll past it quickly. Mother fuck.

At least I don't know how or why it happened, yet.

[Tom Foolery]

What the...Starscream isn't even IN MTMTE. Why would that series be talking about 'Scream? He's not aboard the Lost Light. Dummies.

Also, that guy isn't Devastator's leg. So whoever said what they said is full of shit. Both Dev's legs are Constructicons. Yes, I realize Scrapper was the leg, but however they sussed it out, there's still a Greenie down there.

Oh, besides hiding or unliking TF on FB, theres a third option. Man up and buy the floppies and don't Tradewait, bitch. It's not like you don't know the books are going to be consistently awesome.

[anarky]

C'mon, you know the sort of person who reads comics is the sort of person who wants a matched set.

[Tom Foolery]

I didn't say you couldn't buy the Trade later on.

[Tom Foolery]

One Autobot whose name rhymes with 'FumblePee' gets an upgrade so he's more like a 'Rolled Jug'.

Innerestin'. It's been previously established that Gold Bug was a separate character in the IDW-verse. Of course, it's also been established that multiple Cybertronians may share a name (Prowl).

He doesn't actually change his name(yet). Bee collapses after...the previous events. They take him into the infirmary, or whatever it is on Cybertron. The Jiffy Lube?

"Fixit brought the left over parts from when he changed out of the alt-mode he used on Earth.
He's basin' the repairs on THAT. Bee's face was bad off, but Fixit at least had some kinda 'Goldfire Shieldin'. That's what he called it."

And then when 'Bee wakes up his G1 face has been covered with a 'Bug style facemask. But everyone is still callin' him Bumblebee.