The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye

2014-10-28T19:44:41Z

Mslack: Added volume 6 ending issue. Listed on Amazon's image of back cover.

{{disambig3|More than Meets the Eye}}

[[File:MTMTE1 cvrE.jpg|thumb|300px|All of your favorite childhood heroes... and Drift.]]

'''''The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye''''' is an ongoing comic series published by [[IDW Publishing]], starting in January [[2012]]. This series follows the adventures of [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] and his team as they travel through space, hunting for the legendary [[Knights of Cybertron]] and having adventures along the way. But mostly it's about lonely nobodies hanging out pretending they have friends.

The series picks off from "[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]", the epilogue to the previous [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing]], and takes place at the same time as a second ongoing series, ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'', which together form the fourth major "act" of IDW's ongoing [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|Generation 1 continuity]].

In 2014, it was nominated for three True Believer Awards (formerly the Eagle Awards): Favourite American Comicbook: Colour, Favourite Single Story ([[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]]), and Favourite Continued Story (Remain in Light). <ref>[http://www.truebelieverscomicawards.com/nominees.html True Believers Comic Awards nominees]</ref>

{{quote
|"Everyone on board the ''Lost Light'' is '''cracked in the head!'''"

"Yeah, '''dysfunctional''' isn't the word! There isn't a '''normal''' 'bot among you!"

"And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually '''made progress'''—but as far as I can make out, all you do is '''argue''', crack jokes, and get '''sidetracked''' doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!"
|Various members of the '''Circle of Light'''
|"[[Little Victories]]"
|noquote=true
|center=true
}}

{{chapters|series=mtmte|style=3 |prev=Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|next=|align=left|content=
*[[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|#1]]
*[[Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|#2]]
*[[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|#3]]
*[[Life After the Big Bang|#4]]
*[[How Ratchet Got His Hands Back|#5]]
*[[Interiors|#6]]
*[[Rules of Disengagement|#7]]
*[[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|Annual 2012]]
*[[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]]
*[[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]]
*[[Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|#10]]
*[[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|#11]]
*[[Before & After|#12]]
*[[More than Meets the Eye issue 13|#13]]
*[[Remembrance Day|#14]]
*[[Under Cold Blue Stars|#15]]
*[[The Gloaming|#16]]
*[[Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|#17]]
*[[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|#18]]
*[[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|#19]]
*[[Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|#20]]
*[[More than Meets the Eye issue 21|#21]]
*[[Little Victories|#22]]
*[[Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|#23]]
*[[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|#24]]
*[[No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|#25]]
*[[Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|#26]]
*[[The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|#27]]
*[[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|#28]]
*[[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|#29]]
*[[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|#30]]
*[[Twenty Plus One|#31]]
*[[Slaughterhouse|#32]]
*[[slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|#33]]
}}

==Overview==
In contrast to the Cybertron-based setting of ''Robots in Disguise'', ''More than Meets the Eye'' is set predominantly within the walls of the ''[[Lost Light]]'', the spaceship captained by [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] that carries his crew on their expedition to locate the [[Knights of Cybertron]], a mythical group who left the planet ten million years prior to the present day to spread peace and enlightenment across the universe. The book features an ensemble cast, who come and go from the spotlight with each passing issue, made up in large part of characters who have been overlooked by past fiction.

The "main cast" at the series outset includes Rodimus himself, a daredevil egotist who could not be more ill-suited to command; his officious second-in-command [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], whose obsessive-compulsive traits make life on the ship difficult for everyone; third-in-command [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], now with a relentlessly positive outlook on life following a near-death experience; the talkative [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], who immediately became a fan favorite; ship's doctor [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]], now feeling his age and looking for something new in life; dangerously unhinged ex-[[Wrecker]] [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], who soon forms a murderous enmity with disillusioned ancient Cybertronian [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]; ship's security officer [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], even more paranoid then ever; timid psychiatrist [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], who slowly seems to be more than he appears; and diminutive archivist [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] and [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], who would come to draw much attention as the first truly official "gay" romantic couple in Transformers fiction.<ref>Quote marks around "gay" 'cause IDW has previously established that Transformers are genderless in their continuity, but let's not kid ourselves here.</ref> In short order, the crew is joined by [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], a naive Transformer who has been offline for the duration of the war and finds himself forced to choose a side, and [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], a long-missing Autobot who reappears with amnesia and a bad attitude. As the series progresses, more Autobots come into focus on the fringes of the story, like the over-eager, luckless [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]], and resentful, boozy, one-trick-pony [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]].

[[File:MTMTE28 subcvr.jpg|thumb|left|250px|All of your favorite childhood heroes... wait, what's ''he'' doing there?]]
''More than Meets the Eye'' uses its "quest" backdrop to tell multiple smaller adventures, throughout which are threaded many, ''many'' seeds for future stories, together forming a grand tapestry that has clearly been planned out ''very'' far in advance. Following an unexpected [[quantum jump]] upon launch, the ''Lost Light'' is hurled off into the depths of space, where the crew is joined by Skids and contends with a stowaway [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]]. A visit to [[Delphi]] by Ratchet to help cure a plague introduces the threat of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], who then feature in a Decepticon-dedicated story menacing a [[Scavenger (group)|band of misfit Decepticons]], and also brings the facility's surviving patients and staff onto the ship—including [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], whose post-traumatic stress causes him to snap and nearly kill Rung. Hoping to cure Rung's damaged brain, Rewind gathers a small group together to recount a shared story from their past about [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] foiling a [[Senate]] plot to discredit the burgeoning Decepticon movement in the days of Functionism. Unfortunately, the little archivist is soon badly wounded in battle, sending Chromedome into a grief spiral that allows Drift to manipulate him into carrying out a plan laid out by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]: using his mnemosurgery skills to tap the memories and learn the secrets of mass-murdering Decepticon [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], secretly hidden on board the ''Lost Light''. Unfortunately, Chromedome accidentally allows Overlord to escape, and Rewind has to sacrifice himself to jettison the monster from the ship. Ultra Magnus is also fatally wounded in the battle, but when his body disappears from the ship's Medibay, the crew track it to [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], where they discover and foil a twisted plot by [[Tyrest (G1)|Chief Justice Tyrest]] to wipe out all those Transformers he sees as tainted by original sin.

The book then goes into the [[Dark Cybertron]] crossover with Robots in Disguise with the More than Meets the Eye issues mainly dealing with the ''Lost Light's'' quest to find and revive Metroplex and Orion Pax's investigation into the relation of the Dead Universe to Shockwaves overall plot. The casts of both series finally meet again in [[Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|RID #26]].

After the conclusion of Dark Cybertron "Season 2" of the series kicks off with a three part story arc involving Megatron's trial and the events that lead to him captaining the ''Lost Light'' set in the six months between Dark Cybertron and Season 2 while the present day story deals with the arrival of a [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|coffin]]; disappearing objects and a mystery involving [[The Gloaming|Rewind's Message]]. The cast underwent a reshuffle, as tertiary crew members like [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] were moved to the main cast and new crew members like [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] were added. The new members included two new original characters, [[Nautica]] and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]].

{{-}}

==Creative team==
[[File:Milne roberts.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Series artist [[Alex Milne]] (left) and writer [[James Roberts]] (right)]]
The series is written by [[James Roberts]], fresh from the critical success of ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''. Roberts had already been assigned the series when he wrote the two-part "Chaos Theory" in issues [[Chaos Theory Part 1|#22]] and [[Chaos Theory Part 2|#23]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing series]], and seeded many early plot points for the series into those two issues, including [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] as the prison guard. Also furthering the link between the ongoing and ''More than Meets the Eye'', when Roberts co-plotted "[[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos]]" with [[Mike Costa]], Costa let him script all of the Kimia escape shuttle scenes, populated with characters who would be aboard the [[Lost Light]].<ref name="Everything">From the 'Everything You Didn't Realize You Needed To Know About More Than Meets The Eye' section of the TPB</ref>

[[Alex Milne]] serves as the series regular artist, with colors by [[Josh Burcham]]. The visual "look" of ''More than Meets the Eye'' that the pair have created is very unique, with slightly exaggerated, cartoonishly stylized character models unlike anything in Milne's past work, cel-shaded with a textured, muted color palette that combines to create something quite unlike any modern Transformer comic. So key is this "visual identity" to the book that almost all other contributors who have worked on the title have striven to emulate it, adapting their own lineart and coloring styles to match the expected look and tone of the book. Frequent Roberts collaborator [[Nick Roche]] provided art for issues #1 and #6, as well as "B" covers for every issue, while [[Brendan Cahill]] co-pencilled #12, [[Guido Guidi]] stepped in for #13, [[Agustin Padilla]] filled in last-minute for #16, and [[James Raiz]] drew the lineart for #22. [[Joana Lafuente]] and [[Josh Perez]] have also lent their colors to the book, while [[Marcelo Matere]] regularly provides retailer incentive variant covers for the series. Following the "Dark Cybertron" crossover event, Burcham stepped down as the book's regular colorist, and Lafuente took his place, bringing a new palette and gradiated shading to the series.
{{-}}

==Soundtrack==

In a unique touch, writer James Roberts would visit the [http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/index.php IDW Publishing forums] shortly before the release of each issue and offer up a "teaser" post containing one or more songs that served as a "soundtrack" that would set the tonal and/or emotional stage for the upcoming issue, usually tending toward the independent- and folk-rock genres. This began at issue #2, with the songs for #1 being provided later; TFWiki lists these songs on each issue's respective article. Non-issue-specific songs for the series and its characters in general include:

* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKmZRO8XzyY Lost Coastlines]'' by [[Wikipedia:Okkervil River|Okkervil River]] — an overall anthem for the series
* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLs3aLq8quw I've Got a Plan]'' by [[Wikipedia: My Friend the Chocolate Cake|My Friend the Chocolate Cake]] — theme song for Rodimus
* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7maZZOQ_hKA I Would Fix You]'' by [[Wikipedia:Kenickie|Kenickie]] — theme song for Chromedome and Rewind
* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYbgWDA2U-M Hello Cruel World]'' by [[Wikipedia:Mark Oliver Everett|Mark Oliver Everett]] — theme song for Tailgate
* ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcX_JleLsbk True Men]'' by [[Wikipedia:Jon DeRosa|Jon DeRosa]] — theme song for Ultra Magnus

Songs for Season 2
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Ae0TfhK8M Let's Make This Precious]'' by [[Wikipedia: Dexys Midnight Runners|Dexys Midnight Runners]]
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45vgN4F_6bk A Question of Trust]'' by [[Wikipedia: Their Hearts Were Full of Spring|Their Hearts Were Full of Spring]]
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPqsDU0j2I Mr. Blue Sky]'' by [[Wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|Electric Light Orchestra]]
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlX0Hfh1_3Y Let's Get Started]'' by [[Wikipedia: Frisbie (band)|Frisbie]]
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DpDxT2q9QE The Old Man's Back Again]'' by [[Wikipedia: Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]] - theme song for Megatron

==Collections==
* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1''''' ([[June 13]], [[2012]]) ISBN 1613772351 / ISBN 978-1613772355 
:* Contains issues #1 to #3, as well as the preceding ''[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]'' one-shot.
:* Bonus material includes art from most covers, 12 promotional images, "Meet the Crew" page, design sketches from [[Alex Milne]] for various characters and ship locations, and a 2-page editor's comment with "behind the scenes" information about the series.

* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 2''''' ([[October 17]], [[2012]]) ISBN 1613774982 / ISBN 978-1613774984 
:* Contains issues #4 to #8.
:* Bonus material includes art from most covers, "Meet the Crew" and "Meet the 'Cons" pages.

* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 3''''' ([[March 27]], [[2013]]) ISBN 161377592X / ISBN 978-1613775929 
:* Contains Annual 2012 and issues #9 to #11.
:* Bonus material includes "Meet the Crew", variant covers, and designs for the [[Guiding Hand]].

* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 4''''' ([[July 17]], [[2013]]) ISBN 1613776918 / ISBN 978-1613776919 
:* Contains issues #12 to #16.
:* Bonus material includes art from most covers, and the prose story ''[[Signal to Noise]]''.

* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 5''''' ([[November 13]], [[2013]]) ISBN 1613778023 / ISBN 978-1613778029 
:* Contains issues #17 to #22.
:* Bonus material includes art from most covers, and the prose story ''[[The Sound of Breaking Glass]]''.

* '''''[[Dark Cybertron|The Transformers: Dark Cybertron]] Volume 1''''' ([[April 16]], [[2014]]) ISBN 1613778910 / ISBN 978-1613778913
:* Contains issues #23 to #25, as well as ''Dark Cybertron'' issue #1 and ''Robots in Disguise'' issues #23 and #24.
:* Bonus material includes art from most covers.

* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1''''' (reissue) ([[May 21]], 2014) ISBN 1613779658 / ISBN 978-1613779651
:* Contains issues #1 to #3, as well as the preceding ''The Death of Optimus Prime'' one-shot.
:* New cover by [[Livio Ramondelli]].
:* Bonus material UNKNOWN

* '''''The Transformers: Dark Cybertron Volume 2''''' ([[June 11]], 2014) ISBN 1613779984 / ISBN 978-1613779989
:* Contains ''Robots in Disguise'' issues #25–#27, ''More than Meets the Eye'' issues #26–#27, and "Dark Cybertron: Finale".
:* Bonus content includes covers of each issue.

* '''''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 1]]''''' ([[September 3]], 2014) ISBN 1631400401 / ISBN 978-1631400407
:*Includes "The Death of Optimus Prime", ''More than Meets the Eye'' #1–5 and ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' #1–6.

* '''''The Transformers: Dark Cybertron''''' ([[December 23]], 2014) ''SCHEDULED by AMAZON'' ISBN 163140072X / ISBN 978-1631400728
:* Contains issues #23 to #27, as well as ''Dark Cybertron'' issue #1 ''Robots in Disguise'' issues #23–#27 and "Dark Cybertron: Finale".
:* Bonus content UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 6''''' ([[December 30]], 2014) ''SCHEDULED by AMAZON'' ISBN 163140184X / ISBN 978-1631401848
:* Contains issues #28 to #33.
:* Bonus content UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

<gallery>
Image:MTMTE vol1.jpg|Volume 1 cover by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
Image:MTMTE vol2.jpg|Volume 2 cover by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
Image:MTMTE vol3.jpg|Volume 3 cover by Alex Milne and [[Joana Lafuente]]
Image:MTMTE vol4.jpg|Volume 4 cover by Alex Milne and Joana Lafuente
Image:MTMTE vol5.jpg|Volume 5 cover by Alex Milne and Josh Perez
Image:DC vol1.jpg|Dark Cybertron Volume 1 cover by [[Phil Jimenez]] and [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]]
Image:MTMTE vol1 reissue.jpg|Volume 1 reissue cover by [[Livio Ramondelli]]
Image:DC vol2.jpg|Dark Cybertron Volume 2 cover by Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
File:IDWCollectionP2V1.jpg|IDW Collection Phase 2 Vol 1 cover by [[Sarah Stone]]
Image:DC HC.jpg|Dark Cybertron Hardcover cover by [[Casey Coller]] and Joana Lafuente
Image:MTMTE vol6.jpg|Volume 6 cover by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente
</gallery>

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:More than Meets the Eye, The Transformers}}
[[Category:Generation 1 comic series]]
[[Category:IDW titles]]

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The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye