Interviewing James Roberts: how the Transformers found peace and same-sex partnerships
20 replies, posted
I know that the guardian might have some people turning heads here, but hear me out when I say that they got the right people to do this article. The guy conducting the interview knows what he's talking about, and the guy he got, James Roberts, has put out some of the best comic books in recent memory. This article, along with the comics themselves, are a must read.
Source: [url]https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/02/transformers-lost-light-comic-same-sex-partnerships[/url]
[IMG]http://news.tfw2005.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/JamesRoberts.jpg[/IMG]
-snip- because the article posted a stupid example of the whole outlook-
[QUOTE]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.
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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.”
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[T]https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/225453bd97ab1ba119b3d7a6d17b438d1360c75f/0_0_2063_3129/master/2063.jpg?w=1920&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&[/T]
are there any trans-formers
does that mean robot anal is canon
can we not? there's no room for romance in my giant fighting robots.
[QUOTE=Pops;51465354]can we not? there's no room for romance in my giant fighting robots.[/QUOTE]
On one hand it provides a deeper look into the society of the robots, which is cool for a lore nerd like me.
On the other hand, they're giant fucking robots that fight each other...
The idea of genders, relationships, and sex in regards to giant robots is really fucking weird.
[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;51465342]are there any trans-formers[/QUOTE]
In a twisted forced sort of way? Kind of.
[url]http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Arcee_(G1)/IDW_Generation_1_continuity[/url]
Keep in mind that this is all in a new continuity. IDW Transformers has no ties or bearings to Michael Bay's Films, the new show on TV, and even the old comics. Most of the references are from the '86 film and the old UK comics, which I hear is pretty gritty. I like the idea that this is in a all new universe since they started in 2006 and could put a ton of new ideas into the franchise that no one tried before for the brand. It actually works because it makes people want to buy the toys because the ideas are fresh and the new take on the characters is interesting rather than relying on a nostalgic factor.
[QUOTE=AaronM202;51465384]The idea of genders, relationships, and sex in regards to giant robots is really fucking weird.[/QUOTE]
Who says anything about sex in Transformers? They reproduce through the sparks formed in the wilderness of Cybertron when it sends out an energy pulse and new bodies form around them. When Cybertron stopped giving out these pulses, the government before the rise of the Decepticons "bled" the Matrix of its energy to produce new sparks and hand-made bodies.
[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;51465342]are there any trans-formers[/QUOTE]
The current angry girl boss used to be a guybot back in the day.
[QUOTE=TornadoAP;51465381]On one hand it provides a deeper look into the society of the robots, which is cool for a lore nerd like me.
On the other hand, they're giant fucking robots that fight each other...[/QUOTE]
that's my point. autobots and decepticons have one purpose: war. no time for love. i usually am down for expanding lore as well, but G1 did about as much world-building as was needed. i'm still waiting/hoping for quintessons to show up in the movies, i don't want them to push it to the side of their cinematic universe and just shove it into another show or comic.
this is basically shipping on a semi-canon level.
[QUOTE=Pops;51465488]that's my point. autobots and decepticons have one purpose: war. no time for love. i usually am down for expanding lore as well, but G1 did about as much world-building as was needed. i'm still waiting/hoping for quintessons to show up in the movies, i don't want them to push it to the side of their cinematic universe and just shove it into another show or comic.[/QUOTE]
Well, this may came into a shock but [sp] The war's over. The Autobots win and Starscream rules Cybertron through a prophecy but Optimus is there to keep him from turning Cybertron into a totalitarianism much like its older days. Now Optimus wants to form Galactic Council ala Mass Effect's council in order for planets like Earth to never be harmed in another conflict. Or so he thinks. Now that the Autobots and Decepticons are done fighting, we have the organic lifeforms who are fighting back after what their war did to the entire universe.[/sp]
Homosexual transformers.
I feel like this is being forced a little bit too much.
[QUOTE=Araknid;51465502]Homosexual transformers.
I feel like this is being forced a little bit too much.[/QUOTE]
How is it forced? Transformers never had a female Transformer until the first movie in '86 because Hasbro wanted a girl transformer to cater to girls.
[QUOTE=Araknid;51465502]Homosexual transformers.
I feel like this is being forced a little bit too much.[/QUOTE]
Airazor was a guy in the Japanese dub of Beast Wars.
[QUOTE=Ryo Ohki;51465353]does that mean robot anal is canon[/QUOTE]
Maybe, but robot dick is cannon.
[img]http://www.therobotsvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/r_megatron048.jpg[/img]
[sp]geddit? Cannon?[/sp]
I dare anyone to look me in the eyes and tell me gay robots are wrong
[QUOTE=maddogsamurai;51465517]How is it forced? Transformers never had a female Transformer until the first movie in '86 because Hasbro wanted a girl transformer to cater to girls.[/QUOTE]
I mean hell, in ancient Sparta warriors were actually encouraged to engage in homosexual behavior in order to strengthen their bonds during combat. How is it that robots which are pretty much made to fight might not do the same shit?
[QUOTE=maddogsamurai;51465500]Well, this may came into a shock but [sp] The war's over. The Autobots win and Starscream rules Cybertron through a prophecy but Optimus is there to keep him from turning Cybertron into a totalitarianism much like its older days. Now Optimus wants to form Galactic Council ala Mass Effect's council in order for planets like Earth to never be harmed in another conflict. Or so he thinks. Now that the Autobots and Decepticons are done fighting, we have the organic lifeforms who are fighting back after what their war did to the entire universe.[/sp][/QUOTE]
interesting stuff, i might give those comics a read after all.
[QUOTE=Mellowbloom;51465710]I dare anyone to look me in the eyes and tell me gay robots are wrong[/QUOTE]
i can't look you in the eyes because you aren't in front of me
but gay robots are wrong.
I know people here are gonna not read the article be like "hurr gay robots are dumb" but the comic, More than Meets the Eye, is legitimately fantastic and justifies pretty much every concept used in it. The series mainly focuses on interpersonal relationships, the origins and effects of the Autobot-Decepticon war, the culture of an effectively immortal race. It's a really fun read.
The meta-origin of the gay robots is pretty great, too. Basically Transformers had this writer that had been working on the series since day 1, Simon Furman, and Simon Furman does not care for women to put it lightly. His official stance was "no girl robots because robots dont have gender, except my robots which are all male because male isn't a gender." That writer left IDW Comics recently, and James Roberts took this opportunity to establish same-sex romantic relationships. After all, if Transformers are immortal in the sense that they don't die unless they are killed, and Transformers are sentient creatures with personalities capable of forming inter-personal relationships, it makes sense that they'd fall in love.
So, basically, one guy's sexist writing got turned in to an entire race of gay robots.
Later, after the fanbase widened from the comics, IDW realized that having the series only female character be someone that was driven insane by a forced sex change wasn't exactly the brightest idea, and they introduced female characters with the only reason given being "shh they've always been there."
Anyway the TL;DR is that MTMTE is really good and don't let your gut reaction to the idea of serious storytelling from something with the word "Transformers" on it stop you from reading it.
Also I'd like to say that the picture in the OP is probably as poorly choses as it could have possibly been. Nobody, not even the long-time fans of the series, liked that piece of dialogue. It was bizarrely out of place and the only real reason it seemed to be there was to explicitly spell the characters' relationship out for people still trying to play it off as "just bros." That piece of dialogue is not a good example of the series' writing.
[QUOTE=Pops;51465488]G1 did about as much world-building as was needed[/QUOTE]
lol ok
[QUOTE=Pops;51465978]interesting stuff, i might give those comics a read after all.
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For that stories I mentioned in the spoiler tags you will want to pick up the ones with the name simply "Transformers", but starting in January the series will be re-titled "Optimus Prime" because Hasbro marketing purpose but the story remains unaffected.
"More than Meets the Eye" or "The Lost Light" is the one James Roberts is working on if you're more interested in a more exploration type epic. Like what Calzone said, there's more to that series than "gay robots", and I do apologize if the picture the article had was...blunt.
Now THIS is the reason why love is non canon in Bionicle.
[QUOTE=HL_Tentacle;51466463]Now THIS is the reason why love is non canon in Bionicle.[/QUOTE]
I think you, and some of the people here, missed the whole point of the article. Re-read Calzone's post or, better yet, re-read the whole article because there is more to it than robots in relationships. I'm surprised that no one's mentioned my favorite part of the article/ the whole IDW series; Megatron's origin story of being a slave to his form only to try to pursue equality with a movement on a corrupt Cybertronian Council before becoming the very thing he swore to overturn. All of this stems to mirror the rise of communism before diving back into totalitarianism and turning his Decepticons into a Fascist faction. If we were to refer to popular fictional characters, one could argue that Megatron mirrors the ideals and motivations of Darth Vader or Big Boss from Metal Gear.
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