Introdump

2012-06-01T01:15:22Z

24.58.215.201: /* Transformers Animated */

[[Image:Decepticonpretenders-behold.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The buying public will never suspect their TRUE NATURES as commercial products until it is TOO LATE!]]
An '''introdump''' (also known as name-dropping, name-checking, forced introduction, or "really awkward self-exposition") is a scene in which new characters are introduced, and the dialog goes out of its way to give each character's name. It is particularly prevalent in certain portions of ''Transformers'' fiction.

Sometimes the characters give their ''own'' names (referring to themselves in the third person). On other occasions, the characters will work each other's names into the dialog. The classic [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|G1 Marvel Comic]] was particularly guilty of this, not least because they introduced on the order of 200 characters across only 84 issues (counting ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]''). In '''that comic''', it was '''usually signified''' by the '''writing''' of '''each new character's name''' in '''bold typeface'''.

Because most ''Transformers'' fiction exists [[to sell toys]], it seems likely that [[Hasbro]] required the writers of the comic to make sure every new character was explicitly named, so the readers could then go out and ask the toy store employee for 'em by name.

Though the G1 comics were particularly notorious for it, introdumps pop up across the whole spectrum of ''Transformers'' fiction. In egregious examples, the characters also describe their "selling points" (weapons, etc.)

Here are four examples, from most graceful to least:

==''Transformers Animated''==
* Here, the [[Decepticon]]s bicker, giving their names and at least one important fact per character:

: '''Lugnut''': Megatron is wise! Megatron is bold! Megatron will return the Decepticons to Cybertron and...<br>
: '''Blackarachnia''': ...and wipe our homeland clean of the stench of Autobot tyranny, blah-dee blah blah blah! Did you memorize that speech, Lugnut? Or is it just hardwired into that thick, one-track processor of yours?<br>
: '''Blitzwing''': ''(as Icy)'' As usual, Blackarachnia, your demeanor is as unpleasant as that accursed organic mode of yours.<br>
: '''Blackarachnia''': Blow it out your actuator, three-face.<br>
: '''Blitzwing''': ''(switches to Hothead)'' Ze name is Blitzving, insect! Remember it! Cause it's ze last thing you're going to hear before I-''(switches to Random)'' express my feelings in song!

==''Beast Wars''==
{{listen
|Introdump bwep1 thepain.ogg
|Painful Introductions
|The Maximals introduce themselves.
|350 KB
}}
* In the sound clip at right, from [[Beast Wars (Part 1)|the first episode]] of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', the writers at least have the justification that the characters are adopting new names at that moment.
** Though the opening two parter, we also get extended, individualized transformation sequences where the characters shout their names.
* Why did... why did they ''need'' new names?

{{-}}

==Marvel Comics ''G1''==
[[Image:MarvelUS22 Stunticons.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Mouseketeer roll call!]]
* At right, the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] introduce themselves in "[[Heavy Traffic!]]". Bonus points for [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]], who goes the extra mile by indicating his personality, too.

{{-}}
[[Image:Introdump decepticons marvelus01.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Ten characters, nine color schemes, and only six molds.]]
* A ''particularly'' heavy example, from [[The Transformers (issue)|the first issue of the US comic]]. (Note [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]'s ironic comment of "Can the speeches.")

{{-}}
==IDW Comics==
By contrast, the IDW comics seem to go out of their way to avoid introdumps, meaning that sometimes a character with an all-new design will go unnamed for several issues, forcing readers to guess who they are. And the occasional new character is tossed in (and left unnamed) just to make things even more of a challenge. (For instance, [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], who isn't even named in his first appearance except on the retailer incentive cover.) The [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing IDW series]] occasionally uses captions to identify some (but not all) characters by name rather than dropping these names in dialogue.
* The exception to the rule is IDW's ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie|Animated Movie Adaptation]]'', in which writer [[Bob Budiansky]] gives characters whose toys had been available 20 years earlier (!) ''more'' blatant introdumps than in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' itself. Old habits, probably.
{{-}}

==External links==
* [http://theswordreview.com/item.php?sub_id=1289 A parallel coining of "introdump", in the context of prose SF.]
* [[wikipedia:Infodump#The_Plot_Dump|"Infodump", a broader term, at the Wikipedia.]];

[[Category:Media]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Introdump