Dull surprise

2010-02-19T00:08:48Z

24.215.166.162: /* See also */

[[Image:Lazarusdurr.jpg|right|175px|thumb|This is supposed to be "shock and horror" as a supposedly-under-control [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] looms menacingly over [[Lazarus]], but in reality...'''DULL SURPRISE!''']]
"'''Dull surprise'''" has become a popular term in the ''Transformers'' fandom to sum up the range of a character's facial expressions when drawn by [[Pat Lee]] (or people who were made to draw in his style, like [[Rob Ruffolo]] or [[Alex Milne]]).

The expression in question is a vapid, kind of empty look where you can just ''hear'' the character in question going "Guuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" while waiting for the next neuron to fire.

==Origin==
The term originated in a skit from [[wikipedia:Mystery_Science_Theater_3000|''Mystery Science Theater 3000'']]'s showing of the movie ''[http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/Alien_from_L.A. Alien from L.A.]'', where Mike Nelson was playing the "[[wikipedia:Kathy_Ireland|Kathy Ireland]] Fabulous Range Of Emotions Acting Guessing Game by [[Hasbro]]-bro-bro!", in which he had to guess the emotion the supermodel and attempted-actress was portraying in a scene...and the correct answer was invariably "''Dull surprise!!''".

The ''MST3K'' episode that had the skit in question originally aired on [[November 20|November 20th]] of 1993, and there's certainly a sizable ''[[MSTF|Transformers/MST3K]]'' audience/fan crossover (speaking of ''dull surprise!!''). So when the era of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] comics began in 2002, the fandom realised they had the perfect term for describing Pat Lee's take on expressiveness in the new Transformers comics.

==In the wild==
[[Image:Devastator-dullsurprise.jpg|left|175px|thumb|A range of emotions from horror and despair to fury and triumph is here summed up by a single, slack-jawed facial expression.]]
A particularly notorious example may be found at the end of [[Prime Directive issue 4|"Prime Directive" #4]]. [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] has been [[Triangle formation|defeated]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] looms above all the other combatants, holding one of Superion's components in his fist. Several of the Autobots and Decepticons gaze up at him.

[[Image:Lazarusfrozen.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Imagine going through eternity with this "expression" on your face.]]
The [[Autobot|Autobots]] are supposed to be shocked and horrified, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] should presumably be elated, and Devastator himself is apparently intended to be roaring in furious triumph. Yet all of the characters, including Devastator, have the ''exact same expression''—staring slack-jawed off into the distance.

The page left quite a few fans wondering if this was some kind of twist ending. Was everybody looking at something? Had [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] or some other towering threat arrived off-panel? To compound the problem, "[[Prime Directive issue 5]]" was weeks late, so fans spent nearly two months arguing over what the nature of the cliffhanger was.
{{-}}

==Universe==
[[Image:Prowl-universe2008-packageart.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Fighting Decepticons to a stand-still.]]
2008's ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' toy line brought a resurgence in the popularity of the term in the fandom due to the style of the [[Box art|packaging artwork]] used. At the request of Hasbro, the artists aimed for a stoic, static, neutral facial expression. Unfortunately, in the final product, the characters are standing with arms to the side, looking into the middle distance, their mouths slightly agape. Rows and rows of robots all gaping in vague zombie horror at nothing.

The "guuuuuuh" expressions are made even more noticeable by the artwork's [[Movie (franchise)|live-action-movie]]-inspired touches, mainly making their lower jaws a whole separate piece from the rest of the face. This is in stark contrast to the concurrent ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' packaging's lively, action-oriented artwork... which was probably the point, but it's still ''dull surprise''.

Later in the line, though, although the poses remained largely static, the characters' expressions got more and more... well, expressive. This was mainly in the realm of "snarling", but it was a marked improvement over "Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh...".

{{-}}
==See also==
[[Image:GuessIronhidesEmotion.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ironhide demonstrates his emotional range from D to D.]]
* [[Energon (cartoon)#Production_flaws|The ''Energon'' cartoon's ever-so-wonderful CGI]]

==External links==
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DullSurprise Dull Surprise on TV Tropes]
* [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/aa0bbeb726edddd/e27a77f1298c43b4?lnk=gst&q=dreamwave+devastator+%22omega+supreme%22#e27a77f1298c43b4 Confusion over the end of "Prime Directive" Part 4 ending] at alt.toys.transformers

[[Category:Fandom]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Dull surprise