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Incredible Change-Bots #2.5
Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something
The bestselling author of Darth Vader and Son and Jedi Academy presents the latest installment of his shape-changing robot parody series. Collecting rare and never-before-seen material, Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something includes short stories, gallery art pieces, game and toy designs, artwork created for fan club members, interviews with almost every Change-Bot, and more.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2014
4 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Brown
188 books1,384 followersJeffrey Brown was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up reading comic books with dreams of someday drawing them, only to abandon them and focus on becoming a 'fine artist.' While earning his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brown abandoned painting and began drawing comics with his first autobiographical book 'Clumsy' in 2001. Since then he's drawn a dozen books for publishers including TopShelf, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, McSweeney's and Chronicle Books. Simon & Schuster published his latest graphic memoir 'Funny Misshapen Body.' In addition to directing an animated video for the band Death Cab For Cutie, Brown has had his work featured on NPR's 'This American Life' His art has been shown at galleries in New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Paris. Jeffrey's work has also appeared in the Best American Comics series and received the Ignatz Award in 2003 for 'Outstanding Minicomic.'
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 18, 2015
Jeffrey Brown’s hit upon a million-dollar idea: robots that transform into other objects, like trucks and planes – it’s brilliant! But some robots – in disguise – are good and some are bad. They fight each other with laser guns and junk. NOBODY has ever seen anything quite this original. Robots that transform – they need a catchy name… how about Incredible Change-Bots! Genius – why isn’t EVERYONE talking about this ORIGINAL, AMAZING comic?!
Oh that’s right, Transformers exists and has done for several decades now.
Well, this comic is just garbage! And I don’t mean because it’s a crap homage to Transformers, a concept that works well as the toy line it was designed as and not at all in any other medium; no, this sucks robot donkey balls because it’s so unbelievably tedious.
It doesn’t help that I’m not a Transformers fan to start with but I generally like Brown’s comics and thought his take might be interesting in some way – satirical, maybe, or clever somehow. Nope! Watch as Brown shows us one interchangeable, unfunny robot (he transforms into a microwave!) shooting lasers at another (he transforms into a tape deck!). Then watch it again with dozens of forgettable robots, again and again, for an obnoxious 250 pages!
The tone is a bit weird. The only audience I see appreciating this drek is kids because they’re dumb. But I wouldn’t rec this to any parents because Brown includes some dull relationship-type stories here that, I think, are intended to be winks at the kind of comics he used to make (Clumsy, etc.). And then the robots get “rust, down there”, a thinly veiled reference to STDs which isn’t appropriate for kids who wouldn’t understand it anyway. And it’s not funny for adults either. So, suckage all round!
Brown tries for comedy in some one-on-one-type interviews with the Change-Bots which are beyond excruciating to read because the back and forths are so uninteresting. “Do you like being a robot or a vehicle?” is asked repeatedly and their opinions on fighting – some like it, some don’t.
Fuuuuuuuucking hell!
Like I said, Brown’s a pretty good cartoonist and I’ve enjoyed his other books like Funny Misshapen Body, A Matter of Life, and the Darth Vader series. Incredible Change-Bots though is multiple kinds of terrible. Absolute boring shit in book form that even fans of this cartoonist will struggle with.
Oh that’s right, Transformers exists and has done for several decades now.
Well, this comic is just garbage! And I don’t mean because it’s a crap homage to Transformers, a concept that works well as the toy line it was designed as and not at all in any other medium; no, this sucks robot donkey balls because it’s so unbelievably tedious.
It doesn’t help that I’m not a Transformers fan to start with but I generally like Brown’s comics and thought his take might be interesting in some way – satirical, maybe, or clever somehow. Nope! Watch as Brown shows us one interchangeable, unfunny robot (he transforms into a microwave!) shooting lasers at another (he transforms into a tape deck!). Then watch it again with dozens of forgettable robots, again and again, for an obnoxious 250 pages!
The tone is a bit weird. The only audience I see appreciating this drek is kids because they’re dumb. But I wouldn’t rec this to any parents because Brown includes some dull relationship-type stories here that, I think, are intended to be winks at the kind of comics he used to make (Clumsy, etc.). And then the robots get “rust, down there”, a thinly veiled reference to STDs which isn’t appropriate for kids who wouldn’t understand it anyway. And it’s not funny for adults either. So, suckage all round!
Brown tries for comedy in some one-on-one-type interviews with the Change-Bots which are beyond excruciating to read because the back and forths are so uninteresting. “Do you like being a robot or a vehicle?” is asked repeatedly and their opinions on fighting – some like it, some don’t.
Fuuuuuuuucking hell!
Like I said, Brown’s a pretty good cartoonist and I’ve enjoyed his other books like Funny Misshapen Body, A Matter of Life, and the Darth Vader series. Incredible Change-Bots though is multiple kinds of terrible. Absolute boring shit in book form that even fans of this cartoonist will struggle with.
February 22, 2015
This is a fun, silly, deleted scenes/hidden bonus track/making of/retrospective of Jeffrey Brown's fun, silly Transformers parody series Incredible Change-Bots, but would probably mean the most to people who have read and enjoyed the previous Incredible Change-Bots comics. While I never was a fan of the Transformers growing up, Brown's affection and feel for the giant robot cars genre is infectious, and his kind of absurdist take on the daily lives, relationships, and emotions of such characters as Balls (a golf cart), Shootertron, Siren (a squad car), her lover Honkytonk, and Microwave (with his little buddies Soupy and Popper) is always a funny read, good for kids, adults, and adults who are kids. This send up of this seminal tv cartoon genre is nuanced and his art great for the action packed mix of epic gravitas and droll comedy; this mix showcases all of the weirdness and wit of the series. On the other hand, for those unfamiliar with the Change-Bots, there would not be much to go on in most of the collection- the character roster provided in the first volume, for instance, is missing, which would make much of the names of the bots opaque, let alone their motivations and emotions.
Featuring various hard to find bonus comics gleaned from magazine appearances, fan art from Pendleton Ward, and other Change-Bots ephemera, it is best read after the other Change-Bots comics by those who enjoyed them. These comics may, as suggested by the summary, be "unnecessary," but they are certainly not unappreciated!
Featuring various hard to find bonus comics gleaned from magazine appearances, fan art from Pendleton Ward, and other Change-Bots ephemera, it is best read after the other Change-Bots comics by those who enjoyed them. These comics may, as suggested by the summary, be "unnecessary," but they are certainly not unappreciated!
November 7, 2014
Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review.
For something that's supposed to be a parody, it's not very funny. This was just trying too hard to be funny.
For something that's supposed to be a parody, it's not very funny. This was just trying too hard to be funny.
April 6, 2015
Supplemental material to the main series. Skimmed much of it. There's some cool big color spreads, though, and the reason for the 2 star rating.
December 13, 2019
Some neat little tidbits and a couple out loud laughs.
October 20, 2014
'Incredible Change-Bots Two Point Something Something' by Jeffrey Brown isn't so much a cohesive story as a collection of short stories, gallery art, and other ephemera.
I wasn't as familiar with the Change-Bots, but they are robots that transform into everyday objects like cars, microwaves, and cassette tapes. One of the robots is a golf cart. It's all a take off on another famous series with changing robots. Some of it's funny, some less so. This volume includes some toy and video game prototypes and interviews with most (?) of the Change-Bots. There is also some information about fan clubs and special editions of the comic that came out.
I would have liked something more complete, but I didn't have much description going into it for review. I've liked other work by Jeffrey Brown and I liked this too. Just not as much as other things he's done that I've read. I'm thinking I need to hunt down some earlier Change-Bots stuff and give that a try.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
I wasn't as familiar with the Change-Bots, but they are robots that transform into everyday objects like cars, microwaves, and cassette tapes. One of the robots is a golf cart. It's all a take off on another famous series with changing robots. Some of it's funny, some less so. This volume includes some toy and video game prototypes and interviews with most (?) of the Change-Bots. There is also some information about fan clubs and special editions of the comic that came out.
I would have liked something more complete, but I didn't have much description going into it for review. I've liked other work by Jeffrey Brown and I liked this too. Just not as much as other things he's done that I've read. I'm thinking I need to hunt down some earlier Change-Bots stuff and give that a try.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
January 8, 2015
ARC provided by NetGalley
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I mean I’ve had fun and enjoyed the other Change-Bots books. But this one? While it features the same great artwork, there is no story. It’s more if...well if the Change-Bots had been a real group and this is a book that covers bios, short stories, fan art, and their toys. And while it sounds OK in reality, it comes off as boring and just not fun at all. For me, the equivalent would be if I picked up a coffee table book on N’Sync. Boring, not fun, and just something that was there. I can’t really recommend this one at all and will instead say go and read the other Change-Bots books. Enjoy those. Forget this one is out there. 2 out of 5 stars.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I mean I’ve had fun and enjoyed the other Change-Bots books. But this one? While it features the same great artwork, there is no story. It’s more if...well if the Change-Bots had been a real group and this is a book that covers bios, short stories, fan art, and their toys. And while it sounds OK in reality, it comes off as boring and just not fun at all. For me, the equivalent would be if I picked up a coffee table book on N’Sync. Boring, not fun, and just something that was there. I can’t really recommend this one at all and will instead say go and read the other Change-Bots books. Enjoy those. Forget this one is out there. 2 out of 5 stars.
January 12, 2016
I picked this one up because I thought the title was hilarious. Not having read any of the other books in the series, this one was a major disappointment. The first quarter or so of the book is pretty good with some plot and jokes about robots. Unfortunately, the latter part of the book is almost entirely extras -- fan art, posters that were printed for promotions, single strip comics, and concept art. The art is good, but it gets old very quickly. I suppose for a massive fan of the series, this book is a must have for one's collection, but for someone new to the series, it's really boring.
September 7, 2016
If you've read the other Incredible Change Bots books and enjoyed those, this one is pretty good, if non-traditional. It's definitely got a behind-the-scenes aspect to it but I enjoyed it all the same.
November 29, 2014
Couldn't finish this one. Not even the Transformers really deserved such ugly, unfunny pastiche.
December 20, 2024
Honestly I think this little collection of “bonus features” is better than the first two actual books in the series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews