IDW’s core line of Transformers comics continues on from Infiltration in a trade paperback called Stormbringer. Though published later, the events of Stormbringer actually happen simulatenously as Infiltration, explaining what Optimus Prime and the Wreckers were up to while Prowl and company investigated the Decepticon forces on Earth. As a story set away from Earth, this story focused entirely on the robotic characters of the series. How did I enjoy this next installment of the series?
Hey folks and welcome to another edition of Food for Thought! Today we’re going to have a brief discussion on a literary device that may, or may not, help you out on your next big English paper. The Bildungsroman–AKA the “coming-of-age-story”–is a time-honored tradition that can be traced in literary history from myths, to epics, and to even modern novels that populate the average English class reading list. The Bildungsroman is also found in many of our favorite anime, films, video games, etc — because of its timeless and nearly universal plot structure. These stories feature a child (Or child-metaphor) taking a journey towards becoming an adult, with a focus on the psychological or moral growth of this child-like protagonist. Character development is integral to the success of the Bildungsroman, with the protagonist’s journey towards becoming a proper adult standing in as a metaphor for becoming a better person.
“Growing up sucks” is the theme of the reverse Bildungsroman, with a bitter-sweet end and hard lessons for our protagonist
But you know what, as much as we love when things work for our heroes, for them to successfully leave behind childhood and accept the “greatness” of adulthood… We also love it when their plans fail miserably, when the Bildungsroman is actually a recipe for disaster and instead of the triumphant growth of a character, we instead are privy to their failings and the ultimate realization that growing up actually sucks.
Transformers was a big part of my childhood, thanks to an older brother who owned many of the classic toys and VHS tapes, as well as the Beast Wars television series. My reaction in recent years to Transformers, however, was decidedly lukewarm: I saw the first and third Michael Bay movies which I didn’t hate, but didn’t love either. Luckily, IDW Publishing released some great Transformers comics, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on Transformers: Infiltration, the beginning of the well-regarded IDW-verse of Transformers comics. What did I think of this trade paperback?
Welcome to another edition of Give It a Shot, our bi-weekly column where Moarpowah’s staff tell you about cool but often overlooked aspects of popular culture. Today, I’m here to tell you about an absolutely awesome comic: James Robinson and Tony Harris’s Starman.
Though Valiant Entertainment revived less than a year ago, their five core series (X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Archer & Armstrong, and Shadowman) have all received critical acclaim. With very affordable trade paperbacks now on the shelves for most of these series, I’ve started reading more of Valiant’s work. This week I decided to tackle the first volume of Bloodshot, a hardcore military action story. Did I agree with the positive reviews this series has received since its launch in Summer 2012?
Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Mecha Monday! Today, I’m reviewing the first volume of Transformers: Regeneration One from IDW Publishing. This comic is a continuation of the original Transformers series (often called Generation One, or G1 for short) which ran from 1984 to 1991 and was published by Marvel Comics. In 2012, IDW decided to continue the original series, bringing back the team from the original comics including Simon Furman (writer), Andrew Wildman (penciller), and Stephen Baskerville (inker). Is this comic worth reading?
Hey guys Fenrir here with a pretty darn-late addition of Food for Thought, but sometimes things happen. And a very important thing that just happened recently was International Women’s Day, this last Friday the 8th! And amidst all the accolades for women writers, scientists, musicians, etc. I believe that we might have forgotten a few important female contributors to our society…
I’m talking about female webcomickers! If you haven’t heard me gush on and on about webcomics before, well here it is again: webcomics are a pretty unique playing field for the independent artist, and especially for webcomickers out trying to get their start or in a field that may not be catering towards female artists (But that’s another issue for another time). So without further ado, here is a selection of some pretty unique webcomics by or involving some pretty creative ladies!
Action, adventure, and a taste of the profane and horrific (With some dark humor) awaits!
Heya folks, Fenrir here with another exciting addition of Give it a Shot where we get to gush about things you probably never heard about! (Until now!) For this week’s addition, Starshine and I are here to let you convince you to try out some enlightening reading material in both physical book and webcomic form! (Woo!)
Once in awhile, a company comes along with legions of good ideas. Right now, that company is Valiant Entertainment, publisher of X-O Manowar, Shadowman, Harbinger, Bloodshot, and Archer & Armstrong. Recently, Valiant announced they’re releasing a free game for Android and iOS devices in mid-April as a tie-in to their upcoming crossover “Harbinger Wars.” In honor of this game, every Valiant title in May will feature a variant cover based on a classic video game. Take a look at them all after the jump!
I’d be lying if I said I read a fair amount of Indy comics. Heck, I’d be lying if I said I read more than a few! Luckily, a close friend of mine is a big fan of Atomic Robo, arguably one of the best independent comics released in the last half-decade. This same friend recently lent me Atomic Robo and the Flying She-Devils of the Pacific, the seventh and most recent volume in the franchise.
For those that don’t know, Atomic Robo is a story about a nuclear-powered robot designed by Nikola Tesla in the 1920s. Given the fact that Robo is, well, a robot, he doesn’t age and the series jumps through time from the early 20th century up to the present day, detailing adventures which craft an alternate history of our Earth. I thoroughly enjoyed the first volume of Atomic Robo when I read it, but did this latest installment live up to the hype?