The Dark Key line is cancelled

I'm finding as I have been buying new comics over the course of the past year and a half that comics don't move along like they used to. They plod along with lots of words making the whole tale confusing. Even fight scenes have long winded word balloons. Its almost like an entire conversation takes place between each punch. Comics are taking too long these days to get to the point. To progress. I guess again in the form of a TPB, this may be okay because it's only 1 story trying to be stretched out over 4-12 issues and we need filler. But that's what I am finding most of the text is...filler. I'm really getting about 3 or 4 scenes in a comic where nothing much happens and a lot of confusing text that assumes I've been reading the story for the past 50 issues.

I swear, I still miss the old days where I could jump in at any point and be able to understand most everything going on within 2 issues. Of course, these were stories that didn't end. They'd keep going and going and going. But as a result a lot more happened in 2 issues than happens in 8 issues today and far less confusing too.

It is the sad part. Everything about what I seen looked exactly like all the other crap comics of today. The covers were pose covers or non insight to what was inside covers. They overused the hell out of that one cover artist who drew basically with the same 5 shades of color on every cover. The stories were not epic. The art was terribly weak. I think this further hurt Shooter's name. The characters had no pizzazz. There was no sense of wanting to know more. And from all appearances, Shooters scripts weren't followed. Dark Horse didn't market it and the whole thing was flat by time each first issue came out. I never seen any buzz about these comics other than the usual Valiant mob. If anything I wonder where Shooter goes from here. One thing I hope is he doesn't have anything further to do with Valiant. He doesn't need another half assed attempt like this.

Tell me about it, DF1.

Even at official company boards the same holds true. Go to the The Transformers forum at the official IDW boards and you will find under dozen of sticky review and interview threads about 4 threads filled with posts by about 6 or 7 people dedicated to getting IDW to restart the Marvel Transformer series even though IDW has had done their own version of the original (or G1) Transformers characters for 6 years!

What is really sad and pathetic is that some of these people are generally the ones that have piled on nothing but sheer hate the current G1 Transformers series and are now pimping the current big storyline/event believing that if it does well IDW will restart the old one.

Writer Simon Furman who I think started this crap wants to do it (because that is only Transformers series he hasn't fucked up yet) and penciler Andrew Wildman who finished the Marvel series with Furman (and the Marvel Transformers series is all Wildman is really known for which is really sad I think he's a great artist) has agreed to draw it again.

The closest thing from IDW to a promise that this could happen is a tweet from Chris Rydall, IDW's Chief Creative Officer (I think that is his title; it's the same title that Queasda got when got promoted at Marvel) saying that if they get 10,000 pre orders #125 and/or signatures from an online petition that one them started he will commission a special alternate cover for IDW's Transformers #125 coming in December.

They also think that just because IDW is releasing new collections of the Marvel series that they are testing the waters. That might hold up if IDW hadn't ALREADY done that years ago. It's more likely that IDW wants to sell more TPBs of the old books because of the upcoming movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Just as DC is releasing a ton of Green Lantern TPBs and like Marvel is releasing a ton of Thor, Captain America, and X-Men to tie-into their respective movies.

One would think from reading the posts from these fools one would think there must be a HUGE groundswell of supporters if the online petition is any indicator there isn't it's close 1,900 and they are almost begging people to sign it. Even if everyone them bought a copy of the book it doesn't take an expert in math to see it wouldn't make enough money to go beyond 2 issues.

And to top it off none of them don't understand history has proven time and time again that this kind of stuff doesn't last. I've been called a troll and a fear monger because I try to tell them that it won't work and/or last and will hurt the franchise more in the long run than help it in short term.

IDW could have continued the Marvel series when they first got the linecne or last year when they restarted G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero where Marvel left off and IDW knows damn well that a continuation of the Marvel Transformers would sell for a while at least.

Personally I'm beginning to think it's either one of the most brilliant and cynical marketing plans ever done in comics or just a sad cry for attention by creators whose time is over and fans just way too pigheaded and stupid to accept that things must change if they are too survive.

It's really very sad they are too stupid to see that they're being used to promote a book that most of them don't like just for a special alternate cover that has nothing to do with the book that they are trying to bring back and a bunch of new printings for some TPBs.

Anyway fiction is not my problem it's the dumb ass fans.