Podcasts: Aquaman, the ESRB, and #Gamergate on "Nerds Without Pants"

A couple of times a year, I'm invited on Nerds Without Pants, a podcast hosted by my old friend Julian Titus for the video game website PixlBit. Most of the time, the conversation centers around gaming (with some great points made by all about the hot button topic of "Gamergate"), and while this episode (titled "You, Me, and the ESRB") is no exception, there's enough talk about how we satisfied our geekdoms in high school without a lot of access to the things we were interested in, as well as a long tangent about Aquaman and the differences between DC and Marvel superheroes that makes the show of interest to this site.

You can listen to the episode here or subscribe via iTunes.

Transformer Roll-Out: 'Robots in Disguise' #17 Explores the Origins of Shockwave

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise # 17, Dark Cybertron Prelude: “Shockwaves”

Oh, dear. I’m torn when it comes to this month’s issue of Robots in Disguise. On one hand, this is an interesting prelude to a new story arc. On the other hand, it’s drawn by my Transformers artistic nemesis: Livio Ramondelli.

This issue almost reads like a Spotlight, as it’s squarely focused on the origin of Shockwave, the Decepticon’s ever logical and pragmatic strategist/scientist. I found the story to be fascinating. Just as it was revealed in More Than Meets the Eye that Ultra Magnus was once a happy-go-lucky ‘bot we learn that Shockwave was once an impassioned member of the senate before the war began. Moreover, he was a completely different configuration than the iconic one-eyed, purple arm cannon-wielding Decepticon that we’re familiar with. I don’t want to give it away, but the way that Shockwave becomes the transformer he is today is the product of a shocking event that really colors Cybertronian society in a bad light.

This interesting tale is almost completely ruined for me thanks to Ramondelli’s artwork. I’m sure he has his fans, but I find his work on the Transformers to be confusing and lacking in power. “Senator” Shockwave looks far less distinctive than the Decepticon version, and I routinely confused him with other characters in the book, like Dai Atlus and Proteus. I suppose this is the best work he’s done for IDW’s Transformers, and it does look far better than the Chaos storyline. Still, I am not a fan in the slightest and his art really impacted my enjoyment of this issue.

Also on shelves is the trade paperback of the Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots limited series. I didn’t get a chance to read it in its entirety, but I reviewed the final issue in an earlier Roll Out. The art is solid, and if you enjoyed the recent Transformers video games from High Moon this continues the storyline of that series. It also leads in to the upcoming series, Beast Hunters.

Transformer Roll Out: Review 'Transformers: Regeneration One' #91

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest book from IDW...

Transformers: Regeneration One #91, “Destiny” Part One

I don’t like where Regeneration One is going.

Really, I haven’t been entirely on board with this book since it came back from the depths of cancelled comic book purgatory, as excited as I was for it when it was announced. I think bringing the story into the present was a misstep, as opposed to having a Transformers book that picked up right where it left off in the ‘90s. With only nine issues left, my expectations for this glimpse back into the original comic book universe are quite low.

In the aftermath of Scorponok’s failed plan to remake Cybertron in his image, the Autobots are left picking up the pieces. Many of them can’t come to grips with what they did when their moral compass was removed by Scorponok, and guilt pervades this issue. It’s all very dour stuff, and I’ve come to realize that Simon Furman doesn’t have any characters in this book to lighten the mood, or really display any emotion beyond depression and/or guilt.

Hot Rod is trying to come to grips with being placed in charge, but his little trek into the bowels of Cybertron during one of the worst events to occur since Unicron’s attack leaves him in a precarious position. Meanwhile, Galvatron seeks to claim his promised bounty from the slain world destroyer. This issue specifically references the bleak alternate future story from issue 67, and that bothers me. I get that Simon Furman has always preferred to write stories about Hot Rod and Galvatron over Optimus and Megatron, but the simple fact is that these characters are less interesting.

With not much in the way of action and a story nearly devoid of friendly faces, the beginning of the end of Regeneration One looks dire. I guess the silver lining is, for better or worse, it’s almost over.

Transformer Roll Out: Autobots Deal With Loss in 'More Than Meets the Eye' #16

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest book from IDW...​

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #16, "The Gloaming"

Welcome back to the Roll Out! After a week’s hiatus I’m back with the aftermath of Overlord’s rampage on the Lost Light.

One of the things that have made the Transformers stand out for me over the years is the fact that they are machines with the capability to feel the same range of emotions that we have. This, I believe, sets them apart from most other robots in science fiction. More Than Meets the Eye #16 takes this emotion to a new level, as the entire story centers on how different characters deal with grief.

​Variant cover for Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #16. Hasbro/IDW.

Simply put, Overlord did lasting damage to the crew of the Lost Light, and not everyone made it through. Writer James Roberts handles the survivors with care and really hits on their individual personalities. As expected, Swerve hides behind his humor, while Chromedome retreats within himself. The real standout though, is Tailgate. Easily one of my favorite characters in this series, I loved his perspective on the shocking events of last issue. Since he was out of commission for the entire 4 million year Autobot and Decepticon war he’s stunned at how he’s the only ‘bot freaked out by the pile of casualties from one battle. It really adds weight to an already somber story. This is one not to be missed.

Agustin Padilla doesn’t bring quite as much personality to the pencils as Nick Roche or Alex Milne, but to be fair he has to draw a lot of Transformers in this issue. He’s a new face in the Transformers universe for me, but if he sticks around for a few issues I won’t mind. Next month looks to be the start of something big, and I can’t wait.

Last week, Robots in Disguise volume 3 hit shelves. I...really don’t have much to say about this one. This trade opens up with a story revolving around Optimus Pri—sorry, Orion Pax, and it’s a jumbled and confusing mess of a story. This is compounded by one of my least favorite artists to grace a Transformers book: Livio Ramondelli.

Things pick up with the annual, which has some great flashback sections revolving around Nova Prime. These bits flesh out more of the IDW universe backstory, and the art is done in the old Marvel style from when the first comic was just starting off. I’d almost suggest this volume just for that, and if you wanted more information on the Metrotitans from More Than Meets the Eye vol. 3, this book has it.

Transformer Roll-Out: Scorponok Is Trumped in 'Regeneration One' #90

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met (besides Javier Fuentes, who argues this point with me when every Roll-Out article is posted) and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest book from IDW...​

Transformers: Regeneration One #90 - “Natural Selection” Part 5

Here it is, folks! The culmination of the past four issues of Scorponok’s grand plan to remake Cybertron in his image! This is for all the marbles!

…and it ends with a resounding thud.

Transformers: Regeneration One has been a book I’ve struggled with since its first (er, 81st) issue. It’s been a slog of a comic, moving at a glacial pace, and Andrew Wildman’s pencils don’t hold up to what other artists have done with these characters in the years since the original Marvel Comics ended. While I continue to hold up the “IDW Universe” books - Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets the Eye - I’m hard pressed to recommend this one. Two arcs are now completed in this return series, and so little has happened that I’m yawning as I write this.

Simply put, “Natural Selection” wraps up as neatly and as quickly as any ‘80s Saturday morning cartoon. Spoiler alert: the bad guys lose. That’s all fine and dandy, but a far more interesting scenario would have been Scorponok actually succeeding and taking control of Cybertron, as the scattered remnants of the Autobots try to fight back against increasingly difficult odds. It’s been proven in the past that the Decepticons need a strong leader to focus them into action, and with Megatron dead Scorponok seemed like a good candidate. However, with his defeat in this issue, the future of the Decepticons feels much like the future of this comic: directionless.

Transformer Roll-Out: A "Reluctant Specialist" Gets His Due in 'Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter'

Julian Titus is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest book from IDW...

Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter, “The Reluctant Specialist”

​Cover to Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter, art by Matt Frank. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

When I reviewed the recent Transformers Spotlight one-shot for Bumblebee, I complained that the story contained within held no weight because it was so far removed from the current storyline that it was no longer relevant. The same could be said for this story about Autobot Trailcutter, since it takes place between More Than Meets the Eye issues 5 and 6, but this story feels timeless. James Roberts has written a comic book that feels more like one of the older cartoons and can be enjoyed outside of continuity just as well as if you’re reading it right alongside the companion book.

The premise really is like something out of a cartoon - Trailbreaker is tired of being overlooked as the Autobot that generates forcefields and spends the first part of the book moping around Swerve’s bar. Whirl tries to bring the “specialist” out of his funk but only succeeds in bringing some incredible laughs to an already lighthearted story. Things go awry when Trailbreaker (now calling himself Trailcutter at Whirl’s suggestion) finds himself as the only functional Autobot on the Lost Light during a Deception attack.

This is a hilarious comic that is enhanced by the art of Matt Frank, who brings some wonderful emotion to the characters in this book. Trailcutter’s sour frown is priceless, and while this artist hasn’t done a lot of work on the IDW Transformers books, I’d love to see him do more with the MTMTE cast. There’s a great cameo by Lockdown from the Transformers: Animated series, and the book has a perfect ending. Wonderfully entertaining, perfectly stand alone, this is how a Spotlight book should be done.

(Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter arrives in stores and online on Wednesday, April 3, from IDW Publishing.)​