More McCarthy thoughts on AHM

Again this was answered in the interview (and actually in just about every interview I've given) but AHM was always supposed to tie into main continuity. Always. It does tie in completely.

he might not have joined the Autobots if he hadn't run into Kup and his crew after all and I doubt it's what he was after, really.

Spot on.

I have one question. Can we confrim the status of the following as dead or alive? Dirge, Deluge, Turmoil? Or will this spoil #12?

MIA.

When Sunstreaker made the deal with Starscream, which from his point of view comes down to "the Autobots defeat Megatron, then leave the Earth to Starscream"... how did he expect the other Autobots to agree to that last part? (seeing as it was a solo act, the others would be under no obligation to honor that) Or was he so anxious to get rid of all the nastybad humans that he simply did not think that far?

A bit of both and in my mind I also think he was in such a state he really thought that, once he'd done it, the others would see it from this point of view.

"They might not see I'm right now but once I do this they'll see."

More McCarthy

On basing Megatron on historical tyrants:

Well, apart from the similarities that you mention (which, whilst they may be broad, they're still deliberate and still similarities) there's vision, method and belief. His rise from obscurity was something I tied in with Hitler. His 'warrior king' mentality I tied in with Khan. His 'might makes right' vision belongs to Hitler, Khan, Alexander. His experimentation to create the 'super soldier' at the cost of his moralities I tied in with Hitler.

The biggest and most specific link to history, being one to communism/Nazism is a feature of my next series.

On story revelations:

Omega was deliberate. When Hotrod made his comment in #4(?) I knew full well that OS would come in 'out of the blue'. I can get why people don't like it, I love it. But again, it was a deliberate out of the blue.

As for Streaker, it depends on how you class 'out of the blue'. Almost ever time he appears there's deliberate subtext going on that, when you reread the issues after the reveal in #8 they should be glaringly obvious. Right back to #1 where there's a split in the room because of Mirage and Streaker is looking at Sideswipe in the way he does because he's finding him particularly annoying. Why is Streaker looking so down in #4? Why is he "going crazy just sitting here"? Why is he so eager to get out and away from the others?

I'll admit for first time readers it'll be a bit of a jump (evidence has shown not too much of one...and it's encouraged people to buy the previous trades) but for long time readers you have to take into account everything that happened before.

I've been criticised time and again for ignoring Simon's work but this particular story point, more than any other, was written with the knowledge that long time fans would be asking a lot of questions concerning Sunstreaker and would be expecting something from him considering what he'd gone through.

I really don't see Streaker as out of the blue at all.

On the 'old' Perceptor:

The way I see it is, the intellect and 'old Perceptor' is still in there, buried for the moment. He didn't refuse and the assumption can be made that Ratchet would be able to handle it fine. But for now Perceptor has 'gone walkabout'. Does that mean he's a 'dick'? Maybe. It's not unheard of for people to be 'dicks'. However I don't think we can be judgmental until we're all shot in the face and chest, take a walk in his shoes Wink

Again this plays into the knowledge that I'm writing for a shared universe. I made the changes to Perceptor in response to the themes I was dealing with. Could I have spent more time on Perceptor? For sure, I could have easily written a six issue mini series on that alone. However the series is dealing with 30+ characters each vying for screen time. I gave Perceptor the amount I thought he was due knowing full well someone else would take up the journey after me.

Could I have explained more? Maybe. However I wanted readers to meet me halfway, I hate works that spoon feed and I wanted the readers to think, argue and debate.

There's plenty of works out there where the audience continues to wonder what the writer meant with any particular character. I'm not saying that makes it 'right' but that I thoroughly enjoy any work that causes an audience to have to think beyond the page.

Might not work for everyone, I know, but that's my thought process.

On Sunstreaker's death:

If it facilitates story then do it. In this instance it was the path the character (I felt) had to take. I don't force my characters into situations or decisions that only serve 'plot' (and my feelings on 'plot' are a whole other subject) I try to follow them 'organically' to their conclusion. Sunstreaker was on a abusive downward spiral that, in his mind, only had one possible outcome. Could there have been another? Maybe. But not from his point of view. We can all find alternatives from our comfortable positions but for him that was the way 'out'. Right or wrong, it was his decision.

Deluge and Dirge:

He sent them ahead to check the area and keep the Bots in check. What if the Swarm were there? Well there's a reason those two were chosen.

And yes, Megs was planning on following them through. Nothing like some good old fashioned gloating.

They're out there, somewhere. Think Castaway meets Thelma and Louise...

on foreshadowing about Sunstreaker:

This is where I'll stop you to point out that readers did. I've seen it posted online and I've received mail from people that called it and called it well. Hell, Hutch made a joke, "quick! change it!" when it was called early by someone.

I know not everyone did but I'm not writing Murder She Wrote where we need to keep it oh so simple so those at home can solve the murder before Jessica does.

Let me quote you from earlier: "but the build-up still has to be there on first read through, so that when the dramatic reveal happens, even if the reader doesn't see it coming, he gets the sense that the clues were all there."

And now I'll make a point of readers responding to the reveal with "argh! of course!" reactions to 'answer'.

There's plenty of times I'll watch movies with friends that didn't notice something was 'up' with a certain character whilst it was obvious to me. Does that mean it was bad 'mechanics'? No.

There's a difference between foreshadowing and beating someone over the head, "Hey kids, don't tell anyone but does anyone think something is up with THAT guy? Shhh."

Did I play it close to the vest? Yes. Too close? Debatable. I don't think so.

Again, it's all on the page.

On not picking up every plot thread from Furman's work:

And the "almost" is the clincher here. Why didn't I focus on every single thread? Because AHM is set beyond what Simon did. Why didn't I answer every question posed by the jump? Because that would take a series in itself, one that Simon went on to write.

The clincher is that there were definitely signs to show this was in continuity (apart from us saying it time and again in interviews and being called liars for it), signs that should lead readers to know that what happened before is still in play and, indeed, what happened to Sunstreaker is still a factor.

I should also point out those points weren't 'dropped', I focused on what was relevant to AHM. The lack of phases? Considering what the story is about I think it's very clear why he's moved on from phased infiltration; the move to do so is even seen as bad choice by Starscream. The change in tactics is referenced and plays a major part in the story.

On Prime's sudden return:

Nothing was cut.

We're told the operation won't be easy and that Kup should prepare himself for the eventuality that Prime might not make it, yes. It's established Ratchet and Wheeljack are hard at work on fixing him but the real point of the scene is the low morale and how important Prime will be to the outcome.

Several scenes later, after he'd been undergoing repairs off camera, Prime makes his 'triumphant' return at the moment he's needed most, when the morale is at its lowest.

I hate to be pedantic but it's not just a few pages later, it's one page off the final page in the book. It's half the comic later.

On the inclusion of Dropshot:

Hasbro sent us the new line of toys and asked if there were any in there we thought we could include for them. From that I thought came up with the idea of slotting them in in the background.

Drift's function in the story:

To represent another facet of the war and also to play into the themes of forgiveness (or lack there of). Even the heroes of the story (well, some of them) don't accept him or his place in their ranks. Regardless of how often he proves his worth (which he risks a great deal and goes to great lengths in order to do) he still isn't accepted by all (the reason he was asked to stay outside after carrying Ironhide to safety).

on continuity with the rest of IDW:

And the winner is...

DecepticonsRule wrote:
And just my two cents, but self-contained does not = out of continuity. I think that's where some confusion is coming from. I think of self-contained as meaning you don't have to have read previous series to understand what's going on in AHM. Everything you need to know about AHM is explained within the pages of AHM which = self-contained. That doesn't mean AHM is not supposed to tie into the overall continuity. Shane and IDW have always said from day 1 that AHM was a continuation of the overall continuity. For me, I've had no problem following it as such.

more McCarthy comments

http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=6022&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=105

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's relationship:

That was definitely a conscious decision. He'd been under Streaker's shadow for quite a long time and the events of AHM caused him to mature in his mindset considerably.

Alternatively it caused Sunstreaker to go the other way which had them in a position during AHM for the teacher to become the pupil as it were.

Both reacted differently to the situation (clearly Streaker had more going on though) but Sideswipe, initially, took the higher ground and realised they had to see the big picture due to what had happened.

Sadly Streaker had already fallen too far and, when he made the sacrifice on the bridge it forced Sideswipe to become somewhat bitter about their prospects and what their actions had brought about.

Sideswipe's connection to Streaker and his having almost become the conscience of this war factors into #12. Stay tuned...

On Cliffjumper:

Absolutely. I tend to see Cliffjumper as the weaponsmith of the Autobots. There's a reason he's the only Autobot with a gun in the original crew stranded on Cybertron. Take a closer look, he fashioned it out of spare parts. Face it, he's MacGyver.

That's also why he's chatting with Perceptor in one of the shots after the teams unite; the two gun guys are geeking out at what he'd built.

On Bombshell in Blaster's spotlight vs. his version:

The way I saw it was that the Bombshell we saw in the Spotlight was a prototype for the larger model we see later.

I think it's great and I think there should be more of it. Wherever possible I re-invented rather than reintroduced (Perceptor, Roadbuster, Blurr).

Who created the Insecticons?

That's open to any writer wanting to tackle that point. The current Insecticons were created by Megatron and Deluge, the previous ones? Hmmm...

[quote="Shane McCarthy"][quote="Mort"]Does that mean the praise Deluge gives out is directed at Megatron ('This was a stroke of genius [...] It's upsetting I didn't think of this myself' etc) or did I misunderstand you and the praise was for Soundwave's (or whoever else's) original creations?[/quote]

It was directed at Megs.

[quote="Mort"]Also, having had the time to listen to the interview now, I have found the relationship between Megatron & Starscream ambiguous all the way to #11, but you seem to be making it absolutely clear that Megatron is sincere in what he tells Starscream and Starscream is sincere in his change of heart. Would you just reconfirm that that's indeed what you meant for them and there are no additional layers to that conversation. [/quote]

I'm glad you found it ambiguous. People debating their motivations were exactly what I was hoping for. However, yes, to clear it up: Megatron is indeed sincere in what he tells Starscream (however he's also baiting him to 'trick' him into playing his hand) and Starscream's change of heart is...oh wait, #12 isn't out yet is it? Shhh then.

[quote="Mort"]And whilst on the subject, what was that final step that Megatron wanted Starscream to take to completely embrace the Decepticon ideal back in #3?[/quote]

To accept who he is and accept Megatron as leader...OR...to make his play for leadership and take Megatron out. That was basically Megatron saying "Sh*t or get off the pot."

[quote="Mort"]Regarding Kup as the traitor, I did think strongly it was him around the time of #6, particularly because of his speech to Prowl. Was any of it going to be part of his traitor persona had you gone down that route or was he going to be an entirely different personality altogether? The canvas must have been pretty blank after Nick's spotlight. Or did you never get that far at that stage?[/quote]

Let me be very, very clear on this (even though I have been but little things like this have a habit of running off to other boards and mutating into 'Shane changed his mind and blah blah!!', haha). My idea for having Kup as the traitor was something I threw out WELL before AHM #1 had gone to script. The Kup you see in AHM, all the way through, is a non traitor Kup.

As you say, I had a blank slate to play with and rebuilt him with 100% badass components, no shoddy workmanship there at all ;)

[quote="Mort"][PS: The cigar is brilliance - especially the scene where he picks it up in SL:Drift][/quote]

For all the cigar fans, it has two 'moments' in #12...other than that third moment where it takes on Megatron single handed and save the universe from evil and...stuff.[/quote]

Gleaned comments about All Hail Megatron by Shane McCarthy

With links!

Drift's comment was a lead into the reveal of Hunter on the next page. Hunter is the 'other' person.

Kup as the traitor was thrown out the door before I started scripting #1.

Regarding changes to Perceptor:

For the reasons I stated in the interview.

He fell in SP: Drift, was rebuilt and then appears in AHM. Not sure what Nick's doing but it was my theory that when these guys get rebuilt it's their chance to either remain the same or take on a new 'form' (kind of like the Doctor).

For the reasons I chatted to Dave about Perceptor alters his appearance.

[quote="Shane McCarthy"]You mentioned you didn't even know about Revelation until AHM was well under way, but I saw what seemed like a pretty clear reference to it in #10, when they discuss Sixshot 'bringing back' space bridge technology. This would seem to be a reference to him being Shanghaied by Galvatron to be a space bridge guard. Or it could something to do with his appearance in Spotlight: Metroplex, which came about even later than Revelation.

I don't recall exactly where I was in AHM when I heard about REV but it was definitely before #10. The story of AHM was never altered but it was great being able to slip in and change small things to allow it to fit in with what Simon was writing along the way.

So the question is, how much of the story was changed along the way to reflect other stories? Was Bombshell originally just going to build the space bridge from scratch?

You know, I'm not sure about that one. Maybe? I'd need to check my notes. The story wasn't changed in any significant ways, it was really more of a case of cosmetic changes to allow it all to fit in with what was happening elsewhere as I was writing it. Sometimes it made for some frantic changes, haha, but it's all part of working in a shared universe.

Also, could we get some clarification about what happened to Rumble in #9? People seem to think he was shot with the Shockwave gun thingy, but it looked like an ordinary rocket launcher to me.

Rumble was shot in the face by the rocket launcher, not the iShockwave. He was downed, Soundwave got pissed off and lost control of the radio waves for a short moment. Rumble was never supposed to be dead, however he was supposed to be damaged.

I'm extremely specific in my scripts about how I see a shot and how I'd like it done. I try to give my artists the clearest picture of how I'm imagining it to look so they're never at a loss for what I'm asking for. After that it's up to them to either follow it to the letter or improve on what I'm asking for with their superior knowledge of visual storytelling. The way I see it is, if they can see a way to improve what I'm asking for then they should go ahead and do it, it's only going to help the story.

The cinematic feel you mention was a deliberate attempt of mine to start the series off with a 'blockbuster' feel and to then slowly start to move in deeper. Scenes like Megs walking past the office windows and so on were all very clear in my head from the beginning.

Pacing:

Six issues won't change how I pace anything. The flaw in your logic here is to assume I'd 'filled' out the twelve issues rather than do it as a packed, six issue actionfest.

The pacing was exactly as I intended it to be and how I approach storytelling. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but others have enjoyed that side of it a lot.

Apples and oranges.

The scale of Devastator and Omega Supreme:

All of this was discussed at length. As I've said before, nothing happened in AHM as an accident. All of it was debated and talked about.

I wanted the giants to be bigger and so did Guido. And yes, it was for effect (and yes we threw in the cues for mass displacement to happen when they transformed in #2).

Yes they're made up of smaller pieces but when someone can change from a cassette player into a giant robot or a tape into a giant jaguar (not a dog Wink ) then I hardly think it's absurd for Devastator to be larger than the sum of his parts.

Again, we're having fun here, let's have a good time.

Shane, on the off chance you have a minute to answer- was there at any point a chance where you could've pitched a different story to Hasbro/IDW?

Well, I'm guessing the moment I pitched it it could have been a different story. AHM was the one I thought of and pitched though so...

Or was it always this exact plot?

This was always where I wanted to go, yes.

Did you have vaguer details from the off, or was it always set in stone that, say, Sunstreaker was going to be the traitor etc?

I knew how I wanted to approach it. I knew the Cons would take over, I knew there would be a traitor in the Autobots, I knew Starscream would become dissatisfied with Megatron but in doing so would learn Megatron's 'true purpose' and thusly regain faith in his leader.

Some specific moments were always in my head; Dropshot, Octane, Cliffjumper waiting for the red light...

Others came to me later; Megatron Vs Devastator, Sunstreaker being the traitor etc.

Did you, eg, hope to have more time spent with the Autobots etc?

No, I think we spent enough time seeing those guys depressed as it was ;)

review - Transformers #2

Nice. A definite improvement on the already good first issue. We’re moving away from the setup/establishment phase and into different stories as various characters choose the direction they want to go. I like where Costa is taking the characters.

With Prime gone, the Autobots have to choose a new leader. In a military unit, I’d have expected the second in command to step up and take the job, but I guess that’s not the way things work in the Autobot military. About half the group want to remain on Earth, while the other half, who follow Hot Rod’s example, want to blow the joint and go anywhere but Earth. Problem is, the only way they can leave is if Omega Supreme takes them, and he won’t go without Prime.

We get to see a few other Decepticons who are still on Earth, with Scrapper and Swindle among them. They attack the Autobots on sight, and the Autobots return fire, but ultimately the battle ends when Hot Rod and Swindle decide that with the war over, there’s no reason to fight. They all just want to leave Earth and go home, or whatever the equivalent is with Cybertron out of the picture. Plot wise, this could be a very interesting direction to go. I’ve often wondered just how certain militant Transformers could possibly adjust to peacetime, and if Costa actually takes some time to explore that type of situation, then I’m all for it. We’ve never really seen the Transformers post-war. There’s a lot of potential here.

Continuity looks good to me, though I’m sure the nitpickers will find plenty of faults somewhere. They always do. Cybertron is still uninhabitable so it’s not an option as a place to settle, Omega Supreme is still on Earth, Scavenger wants revenge on Omega Supreme (presumably after the events of AHM #12), Ultra Magnus still considers himself the enforcer of the Tyrest Accords… though with the war over, should the accords still apply? Prowl gives a bit of a justification for his defense of Breakdown last issue. And so on. A number of little details like that jumped out at me during my initial reading of the issue. I get so tired of reading “AHM isn’t in continuity” complaints, so I hope we don’t go through that all over again with the ongoing. It seems very apparent to me that attempts are being made to very visibly remain true to all that’s come before this story, so I have to applaud Costa for that.

And in the end, who gets voted leader of the group remaining on Earth? In any other continuity, it wouldn’t be believable, but here it’s entirely possible that Bumblebee is known and trusted to the point that he’d win such a contest. Hey, the US elected a senator with a paper thin record and no executive experience to the Presidency last November, so why wouldn't the Autobots elect a spy to be their leader? The Autobots at least know Bumblebee and know what he’s capable of, so he’s not entirely a shot in the dark. That being the case, it’s yet another interesting twist to throw at the reader. It’s not just a cliffhanger, it’s potentially a major bit of development for the character of Bumblebee, and that’s always welcome.

I have to end with Spike, the major who knows there are good and bad Transformers out there but doesn’t care. The guy who expects a counterattack after the capture of Prowl, and yet leaves his troops to deal with it on their own while he’s picking up chicks with his alien car. The guy who looks like he is indeed going to suffer some consequences for his irresponsible actions.

Making the main human character in a Transformers comic the very opposite of likable and heroic is an unusual choice. This is not good old familiar Spike; this is a jerk who I really don’t like. He’s also potentially far more interesting and has plenty of room for growth, if Costa chooses to take the character somewhere.

In the end, this issue leaves me wanting to know what happens next. That’s the type of feeling I’d like to have after just about any issue that I read. I’m calling it a success.