#idw issue 58 spoilers

[playertwotails]

I've been super busy lately with a work schedule change, family getting surgery (they're fine now), and a foster puppy but I'm finally gonna talk about issue 58.

Adding a cut because it gonna be long and also spoilers.

Firsts thing first..the ones I found funny

Return of the Tails bleep

Blaze made a robot cry

LETS GO LESBIANS!!!

But for real I loved this issue

Poor Tangle she's felt so bad when all she wanted was to make Whisper happy. She was just so sad for the first half. And like this mistake lines up so well with her 'no thoughts head empty just action' personality.

And just Whisper finally reuniting with her friends made me so happy (the pink one is getting SMUSHED help them!! (also SEGA name them please)) She just really went through it these last few issues (so did Sonic cause you know the bitey bath he took) but still she already lost her friends once and it almost happened again she gonna need a minute.

Once again Tails and Blaze are the only ones who have a brain cell in the group. (also I love Blaze's face in these panels she just looks so done with Sonic's shenanigans lol)

Also rip to part of my other headcanon about the chaos emeralds and how Eggman hasn't really tired to recreate a fake one like Tails did in the Adventure 2 game. But also it still holds because even Tails said it's a "cheap replica(s)". (also of course Tails still has to get a burn in there towards Eggman and him having shit tech) This still means that somehow Tails made an replica that was the size of a chaos emerald and worked well enough Sonic teleported so Tails canonically still has made a better fake than Eggman.

But my mind also immediately just jumped to " *bangs fists on table* DARK SONIC * DARK SONIC * DARK SONIC" (they probably aint gonna do it but we got fake emeralds so I'm holding out hope we get a dark Sonic arc)

Give it up to my girl Amy for being a menace and a bad ass

DO YOU EVEN LIFT THOUGH!!!! (Silver i feel like is now a little afraid of her) Also Tails just knows she did something cool cause he knows how awesome Amy is. It's also such a little kid moment of "aww i missed something cool the older kids are doing"

I just think these panels are so cute, they're really just such brothers look at them having the same facile expressions and reactions.

Eggman just somewhere in his base right now thinking "Why do I suddenly hear the boss music from Doom???"

But hell yeah we got team dark being a group of badasses lets goooo!!!!!!! I'm so excited for the next issue.

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

Oh I missed seeing these guys all together. They show similar levels of old high school/ college buddies that haven’t seen each other in a while and immediately just pick up where they left off,

complete with the urge to cause some destruction to the place without any hesitation unless being told no otherwise just because it’s fun to do.

[pocketscribbs]

I’m nothing crying…

…someone’s just cutting diamonds…

[scribbsrambling]

Despite popular(or more vocal) opinions, I think this realization was very in-character for Sonic when paired with the context!!

Sonic's mindset in IDW Issue 57 wasn't "go solo," because he was already with the Diamond Cutters, but rather that Sonic didn't want to stop, regroup, rally folks, and do it the long, safe way like Lanolin wanted.

Sonic didn't care the odds were against them (nor does he ever), but once everyone came to his aid and he saw how much faster they got things done, his realization was more-so him reminding himself of how a little patience and planning can go a long way.

It was never about Sonic remembering teamwork, but remembering patience

Don't expect this to be the last time this problem occurs either, it's one of the blue blur’s majors flaws. Sonic's impatience is a trait that's going to cause some issues over and over and over, that's how flaws work.

Not "Oop! I learned my lesson! Never gonna make that mistake again!"

The point of a character flaw is to challenge who the character is, and not all characters will develop past their flaws. Sonic is an example of that and it makes sense.

As long as Sonic the Hedgehog is the quick-footed, quick-thinking, and quick-to-act hero we know he’ll always be, his impatience will always be part of him too.

[shirubae]

They’re doing that thing again where they’re always really close without directly addressing each other... 👀

[infinitetrainss]

i am. experiencing emotions

[elizabeths-dumbassery]

IDW Sonic 58 spoilers!!

I loved this issue, I especially enjoyed the portrayal of Whisper and Tangles relationship.

Don't go past this line if you don't want spoilers, I suggest reading the issue yourself!

___________________________________________

Whisper dealing with her trauma this episode and finally starting to heal???? Right in the damn feels holy shit.

I was a bit worried on how they used Tangle out of character last issue and how it would affect Whisper and Tangles friendship. I dont want them to be forced to fight to continue the plot, that's just really dumb and both characters deserve better than that.

With that I was super happy with how the problem Whisper had with the new team being named Diamond Cutters wasn't left to stay quiet and the duo actually communicated?

Once Tangle realizes "Oh no, I messed up" we see her physically cover her mouth and process what she did, only to break down crying. She meant well and Whisper sees that, they both know the pressure they both put on their own shoulders.

I see people saying that Whisper forgave Tangle way too easily but I think that's why Whisper didn't mention her problem with it earlier on. Whisper processed, thought about it and when they finally got to have a breather to talk as a group she brought it up knowing that she already had her clarity over it.

Things people don't mention are Whisper has come a huge way since when we first saw her, this issue marks the first we ever see her talk so much in the main comics. And that just shows how she's emotionally grown. When we first saw her she wouldn't bring up what was bothering her. She wouldn't know how to bond with others like we have seen her start to bond with Lanolin and Tangle.

Like this is just? So healthy?? They talk it out, she asks them to be patient and they say likewise what has been worrying them in this trip.

All three of them have been through shit, I may write about Tangle and Whispers mentality because I absolutely adore IDWs ways of showing different kinds of trauma and minor insecurities through its characters. Especially through the comic original cast.

Even Sonic and the main cast have started to show some minor character growth! Underline the word minor but we are getting there.

[qitty-qat-quorra]

Finally caught up on the latest issues of Sonic IDW and maaaaan I really love this series ❤ please excuse my while I gush for a bit

SPOILERS FOR ISSUES 57, 58, & 59

I'm so happy Lanolin gets some time in the spotlight. It's been so interesting go from a meek background character, to a prominent member of the cast, love that for her.

I love seeing a bad bitch put in that work 💅🏾💖

Guys... please just let her be happy. She's had enough. 🥲

She's such a dork, she's so precious 💗

I really do love that these two are basically confirmed by the writers that they'd be a couple if Sega allowed them to let it happen. Definitely my favorite new characters since the IDW run of these comics started. (Surge and Kit are a very close second)

I love seeing a bad bitch put in that WORK 💅🏾💅🏾💅🏾💅🏾💥💥💥

[calzonepoacher]

GOD spoilers ig for sonic idw #58 idk how much everyones caught up to that one but hogghgohgo putting this all under a readmore. also hi hello i forget to use this blog for other things than reblogging whispers. how are yall.

WHISPER HAS A GOOD DAY THE COMIC

screw everyone who said they were having a Divorce Arc she realized how awesome it is to have friends and is great now. she SMILED how often do we see that. this issue ruled for so many reasons but ogoughgugog.

actually super happy whisper n tangle got to talk about this. i was worried the writing would have them just bottle stuff up and argue n bicker the whole rest of this bit but NO.

also rouge at the end hiiiii rouge

[obligatebureaucrat]

God IDW Sonic 58 is fucking PEAK! I have to scream into the void about this, so beware spoilers!

I get so much unspeakable joy from seeing so much of the cast get to just banter and be cool. Maybe I’m just riding the high, but Silver helping Amy demolish a badnik with a hammer 10x her size while Sonic just watches like it’s the coolest thing ever is easily one of the top moments in the series for me. I haven’t had this much fun with the series since the Battle for Angel Island.

Plus I love how Eggman’s funky crystals are actually giant fake chaos emeralds. That’s a really fun way to expand on that underutilized element from SA2.

And that’s not the only underutilized thing making a comeback! Getting to see Eggman’s VR world being used again, now in a major arc, is very nice. I particularly appreciate how it’s both a major problem and massive opportunity for the Diamond Cutters (though I’m sure their scouting mission won’t be as clear-cut as Lanolin hopes).

Oh yeah, the Diamond Cutters! While they didn’t put me into the same frothing hype that the game characters did, their stuff was still excellent. Lanolin continues to be a great character. The perspective of someone who’s competent but in way over her head is appreciated.

The Tangle and Whisper resolution was really nice! I’ve seen a few people say that Whisper didn’t need to apologize or that it shouldn’t have wrapped up this quickly. I absolutely see where they’re coming from and it would’ve made sense if Whisper had stayed pissed for the whole arc, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed that as much, personally. This might be the most important moment of Whisper’s character arc: the moment when she’s finally able to start looking forward more than looking back. And I’m a sucker for that shit.

So yeah, it’s a breezy issue all about friendship and being cool as hell, which is enough to make me feral. I love these rainbow rats so much

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

In honor of the end of Lost Light today, I’m posting an essay that I wrote for one of my writing courses last fall, where the assignment was to write a persuasive review about something we feel passionately about. I’m always trying to sell these giant robot comics to everyone, so if nothing else, I made all my peer reviewers read about Transformers - but if you’re at all ever wondering what More than Meets the Eye and Lost Light are about, more than just “canon gays”, like “what’s the plot even?” or “how much do I need to know about Transformers if I wanted to read this”, take a gander.

(This review contains spoilers for several plot arcs throughout these comic series.)

Mentioning the Transformers franchise usually elicits one of a few common reactions: an eye roll, a sardonic remark about children’s action figures, or an admittedly-deserved rip on the Michael Bay films (“Have you seen the Rotten Tomatoes score?”). And while nerd culture and mainstream culture overlap more and more, to announce interest in reading comic books is still a mark of fringe-level geekery, never mind the big-budget blockbusters that much of the general public flock to at each new release. So to say that one of the most engaging pieces of media I have engaged with in the past several years is the currently-ongoing comic book series Transformers: Lost Light, I find myself bracing for any of the expected reactions with qualifiers: “It’s good, for Transformers!” or “It’s a good comic book!”

But really, it’s just good.

The publishing company, IDW Publishing, is not the big two of Marvel or DC Comics, but it is sizeable, with several current Transformers series and many more past, creating the labyrinthine continuity that plagues most comics besides small independent creators and publishers or brand new properties. Transformers and IDW Publishing are neither of these; the Transformers comics continuity of today began in 2005, and I have not read a majority of the comics published since then. Lost Light provides just enough backstory and context to understand the necessary, major points (sometimes assisted by footnotes “*See Issue #X of Series: Y”), and from its beginning spins a new plot that stands firmly on its own.

Transformers: Lost Light’s tenth issue just released in October [2017] but it exists as a direct continuation of Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, which contains 55 [correction: 58? it’s complicated, and even in his end note for the final issue, the author acknowledges officially 55, but several more un-sequenced] issues from 2012 to the end of 2016, and it was rebranded as part of a publication company-pushed effort to provide new readers with a good starting point. (While I understand that seeing “Issue 55” may scare some readers away, I admit to being disappointed with the rebranding, having wanted to see how high of a number the series could reach. Most of the “Big Two” (Marvel and DC) series that I have followed only reach around 20 before being cancelled, wrapped up, and the characters passed off two new writers.)

This kind of executive meddling in the course of the books is common in comics and IDW is no different. They have pushed “crossover events” where all of the ongoing Transformers books come together for the same story, using all of the characters, with writing alternating between the writers of each series from one issue to the next, and they have insisted on inclusion or seeing more of a certain character; Transformers is, at its heart, a toy line, and if the parent companies want to see more of Megatron in this particular comic to push a new toy that is being released, then Megatron will be placed in a main role in that comic.

In spite of the whims of IDW and Hasbro (the toy company which ultimately owns the Transformers license), the writer of More Than Meets the Eye (MtMtE) and Lost Light, James Roberts, who maintained his position across the rebranding, has plots which have a remarkable coherency and cohesion. Mysteries from the first issue of MtMtE come into play in a big way in the mid-30s, the 50s, or even finally culminate in Lost Light. If my memory serves me correctly, all but one of the questions posed in the first issue have finally been answered, but if experience serves me correctly, I will again find myself flipping back through the very first pages to follow a new trail that Roberts will next reveal in the narrative. The one question not answered is the driving force behind the plot, a simple enough question: “Where are the Knights of Cybertron?”, the mythical founders of the Transformers’ home planet who the crew of the ship the Lost Light hope to find and gain their assistance in rebuilding Cybertron after its destructive civil war. Along the way, the crew find themselves waylaid and misdirected by wartime tensions that have followed them on their quest away from the ruins of Cybertron into space, interpersonal relationships of the friends, rivals, and nemeses who are all part of the crew, and by the individual histories, goals, and machinations of characters with their own agendas.

While Roberts’ attention to detail is remarkable, and his plots and mysteries compelling, his greatest strength lies in his character writing. The crew of the Lost Light is large, and while he does have a core group that the narrative most often focuses on, that group consists of around a dozen characters, all of whom he juggles smoothly enough to give compelling personalities and motivations to each, and minor characters as well are distinctive and memorable. The relationships between characters can be touching, funny, intense, and sometimes all of the above.

There are moments throughout the series that feel “comic book”-y: cliffhangers that are more misleading than not at the end of issues to carry the reader’s attention to next month, deaths that are debatably shock value, fake-out deaths, and characters brought back from the dead. Most of the time, though, even the back-to-back plots about stumbling across the dead bodies of apparent clones of most of the crew, the ship and almost all of the crew disappearing into thin air, and time travel, feel remarkably grounded. It is the characters and their reactions that sell these most outrageous plots, because in each of them there lies a heart that is deeply human. The mad scientist Brainstorm carries a briefcase everywhere, even to the funeral of his best friend’s husband (the Transformers-equivalent term for spouse is “conjux endura,” a term Roberts introduced to the franchise), and refuses to open it or tell anyone what it contains. It happens to be the key to his time machine, which he spent centuries inventing, intending to return to the past and stop the war from ever happening. Because he was created after the war began, as a disposable foot soldier, he would undo himself from existence, and this is a price he means to pay to save the life of a fellow Transformer that he loved. Ultimately, Brainstorm cannot bring himself to pull the trigger to kill the Transformer who started the war, because for all of his time spent building weapons, he has never personally taken a life.

The war is over at the onset of MtMtE, but its reverberations echo through the story as the characters try to understand for what, exactly, they destroyed their planet and nearly their entire species. In flashback, Roberts returns to the origins of the war – and not just during the crew’s time travel misadventure – and its onset because of deeply stratified social classes. An oppressive government enforced the belief that the alternate mode (vehicle, microscope, gun, USB stick) a Transformer was constructed with at their time of creation determined their life trajectory. A microscope would be part of the intellectual class; a truck, a miner; and a USB stick was what was known as one of the “Disposables,” who were built to die after the fuel they were supplied with at creation ran out. This classism and discrimination by circumstance of “birth” is made more concrete by the mechanical nature of the Transformers, but it is not an issue unfamiliar in our own lives. The Functionists are portrayed as unequivocally bad, and their religious extremism lingers in villains who the Lost Light encounter, but at what point did the revolution against them step too far into the destructive war that ruined Cybertron, and then Earth when the Transformers met humanity?

As one can follow the political thread of Roberts’ writing, the social issues highlighted are just as, perhaps even more, timely. Roberts is given freedom to build off of the continuity created by other writers before him, one aspect of which is the concept that Transformers are all only male. A prior writer of Transformers books have said this limits the kind of emotion that the Transformers can have, lacking love because they lack women, but Roberts invented the term “conjux endura” mentioned above. He first applies it to the quiet, committed romance between the characters Chromedome and Rewind, two Transformers who use male pronouns, say “I love you,” and hold hands, both as the main focus of a panel and unremarked upon in the background of other action. (Neither of them have mouths, so kissing is out of the question.) Brainstorm creates time travel in an attempt to save his crush, Quark, who is also a male robot.

Roberts is not the only current writer who has found the inability to write female characters without breaking established canon limiting. Another Transformers series, Windblade, named after its titular (female) character, published during MtMtE’s run,, introduced a number of lost colonies of Transformers who all have robots who use female pronouns. Suddenly their main planet of Cybertron and its male-only robots is no longer the norm – it is in fact an anomaly in Transformers culture – and its sole female character who has a convoluted backstory to justify her gender now has company who do not need their gender explained. Since the Windblade series, MtMtE has added several female Transformers to its core group, and many more on the sides. In one issue, at a dance party, the robot Skids is remarked to have been “flirting” with “that hothead,” a female Transformer named Firestar whose head looks as though it is on fire. Later Nautica mentions Firestar to Skids and Skids refers to her using the pronoun “he”; Nautica corrects him, telling him that Firestar is a “she.” Skids apologizes, calling his use of “he” a “force of habit,” and the fact that he assumed himself to be flirting with a male robot is not remarked upon as a big deal in the narrative; neither are Chromedome and Rewind, nor is the gender of Brainstorm’s crush (the real matter there being, of course, his nearly erasing four million years of history). Later, in the first issue of Lost Light, the characters Lug and Anode are introduced, a pair of female conjux endurae who encounter an old acquaintance who refers to them both as “he.” Anode corrects him to tell him that both she and Anode now refer to themselves as “she,” saying that after the two of them had explored the galaxy, and encountered other species with more genders than Cybertron had, that “It’s just a better fit.” [They two do have mouths, and do kiss on-panel.]

For a story about giant alien robots who can transform into planes and cars (though they rarely do transform within the pages of this comic, and a reader could be forgiven for forgetting that this is what “Transformers” refers to) and are so long-lived that they fought a war for four million years, their politics and social issues feel timely to humanity today. Interwoven with memorable characters, and plots that leave wide room for the reader to theorize where it will go next and enough clues to predict it, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and Lost Light always leave me eagerly awaiting the next issue.

[I would be remiss, as this is a comic book, not to acknowledge the artists who work on the book and truly bring the series and the characters to life. Comic books are not always known for having the best art, but the creative team deliver time and time again. Know that there are far more than Roberts whose presence in making the series should not be understated - Alex Milne and Jack Lawrence as the main artists; Josh Burcham, Joana Lafuente, and Josh Perez as the main colorists; and numerous guest artists. Their work is a far cry from the difficult-to-parse designs and muted colors of the Bay films, and while I’ve focused on the writing, the art cannot be taken for granted.]

Addendum: November 2018.

Today, Lost Light came to a close at issue 25, after a nearly seven-year-long run between it and More Than Meets the Eye. Earlier I spoke of the troubles of executive meddling, and this ending is no different; Roberts has spoken on Twitter, his primary platform for communicating with fans, about how he had hoped for a longer run and still had stories that he wished to tell and indeed had planned for. In the world of comics, though, MtMtE and Lost Light have had a remarkable run, and the IDW Publishing’s Transformers universe an even longer one. I can understand wanting a fresh start and a new jumping-on point for readers, but I will mourn the stories that weren’t told and hope that JRo (the fans’ affectionate nickname for Roberts) will dole out some more tidbits about what was to come.

Given this truncated length, the pacing of the plot of Lost Light overall does suffer in some places, especially towards its close. Knowing the broader context as I do, I find it hard to fully blame Roberts - he does his best with what he has, and his best is very good. At its close, Lost Light turns its focus to what made it great: even with the final mysteries solved, the heart and payoff of the series is in its characters. After so long following the crew and watching them grow and change -- sometimes for worse, often for the better -- I feel almost proud to see the end of their personal and relationship development. The real culmination of the series lies in issue 24, in a speech that Rodimus, captain of the Lost Light, makes to his crew; heartwarming and heartwrenching both, it is genuine and heartfelt and unprepared, a far cry from other speeches he has made. It shows Rodimus’ growth as much as it showcases that of the crew he has led, and it speaks to the reader as much as it does to the characters. Issue 25 is more an epilogue than anything. I cried. Of course I did. It’s hard to end the journey. It’s hard to say goodbye.

I hope that this won’t be the end of the Lost Light and its crew. I hope that the story will find itself new readers in its complete, finished form, in full collections that I hope will be compiled so that I can own about half of the run in double. And I hope that some of the final words of issue 24 rings true for the entire series as well: Don’t forget me.

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

OH MY GOD TEAM DARK IS HERE TOO?!?

They’re bringing everyone into this current arc aren’t they? Are the Chaotix gonna end up popping in anywhere? (I’m half joking cause I would love to see them included in this somehow as well)

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

Looks like this lemur is a bit….TANGLED up.

Am I right?

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

I was so worried they wouldn't have shown Whisper reuniting with her Wisps, so you can only imagine how happy I was seeing a brief flashback of it happening (the Blue Wisp is even crying! they're literally just babies!!!)

I was concerned too that they skipped ahead to not show their reunion, but I’m glad that they gave us that little snippet of her being reunited with her babies after that frightening experience with Surge.