Weltall Zero
Member
As requested by Tizoc.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/02/transformers-lost-light-comic-same-sex-partnerships
To those of us who have been following this amazing comic, it's great to see it get some recognition. To those of you who don't, and are used to the teen-oriented Michael Bay movies and kid-friendly cartoons, it might surprise you to learn of an adult-oriented Transformers comic that tackles such unlikely issues in a toy-driven franchise as same-gender relationships and marriage, apartheid, post-war mental health, and much more, while managing to be side-splittingly funny and amazingly endearing.
Choice paragraphs:
Much more at the link. Also, if all of this intrigues you (as it should), by all means check Tizoc's comprehensive OT on the comic here.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/02/transformers-lost-light-comic-same-sex-partnerships
To those of us who have been following this amazing comic, it's great to see it get some recognition. To those of you who don't, and are used to the teen-oriented Michael Bay movies and kid-friendly cartoons, it might surprise you to learn of an adult-oriented Transformers comic that tackles such unlikely issues in a toy-driven franchise as same-gender relationships and marriage, apartheid, post-war mental health, and much more, while managing to be side-splittingly funny and amazingly endearing.
Choice paragraphs:
But, in another wing of the franchise, the shape-changing robots have been venturing into much less likely territory, exploring such weighty issues as social mobility, personal identity and various corrosive ideologies – while also establishing the world of Transformers as a homonormative society. Fans of Chromedome and Rewind may be touched to learn that the two are now in a romantic relationship.
As a fan of the clunky robots since childhood, Roberts has always had a sense of entitlement when it comes to messing with their core concept – specifically, the act of transformation. “In More Than Meets the Eye, I explored the idea that, millions of years ago, the Transformers existed in a system with a ‘functionist’ doctrine – meaning the thing you turn into determines your status. The more commonplace a device you became, the fewer privileges you had.
In a move that would doubtless intrigue Bay, Roberts brought in the concept of “municipal eugenics”: a type of Transformer could literally be made redundant, because there’s no longer a use for its newly shifted shape. “Maybe,” says Roberts, “there’s an analogy here in terms of how disabled people are treated in some quarters by governments. If they’re not producing, they’re not making the necessary contributions to society, and so they’re devalued.””
“Originally, Megatron was an incredible thinker who advocated non-violent resistance. He was in the Tony Benn mould, an international socialist. He campaigned for emancipation and equality, but eventually concluded the system had been engineered to withstand any form of dissent – other than force.
“As is the case with grand tragedies, he travelled away from the goals he had in the beginning and walked that well-trodden path from communism to totalitarianism.”
Much more at the link. Also, if all of this intrigues you (as it should), by all means check Tizoc's comprehensive OT on the comic here.