History YMMV / TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise

* ContinuityLockout: Not as bad as its sister series ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', but it's still present. * DesignatedHero: Sideswipe is an Autobot, but he acts like a complete lunatic who constantly provokes fights and talks about how much he loves to engage in violence. On multiple occasions he's talked about shooting/beating up Decepticons and NAILs for fun and during the annual. No wonder the Nails hate the Autobots when they've got psychos like Sideswipe around. Likely intentional, though to what extent isn't clear.

* UncannyValley:
** When Nova Prime snaps at Dai Atlas in the annual he's drawn with humanlike pupils and his normally soft yellow eyes suddenly become blood red. The result is... unsettling and serves as a small crack in Nova's apparent "knight in shining armor" persona.
** The back-up story of issue 50 has Blackrock talking with Mindwipe. No biggie, except his face has been removed, and he's still talking through it. It's incredibly unsettling.

* ContinuityLockout: Not as bad as its sister series ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', but it's still present.
* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Quickly heading that way. The Autobots, Decepticons, and Nails are ''all'' assholes excluding a small few exceptions (Wheeljack, Sky Byte, Dirge, Scoop, and few others). Everytime the heroes seem to be getting anywhere, something comes along and bitch-slaps their victory away. Save New Iacon from [[spoiler: Megatron]]? [[spoiler: Starscream kills Metalhawk, screws over everyone, and takes control of the city]]. Orion and his team reach some of the ores before Jhiaxus and Bludgeon? [[spoiler: Jhiaxus and Bludgeon outwit them and get it anyways]]. Some fans have stopped reading simply because they think all the likable and sympathetic characters are getting killed off and ignored in favor of detestable and annoying DesignatedHero characters.
** Thankfully season 2 seems to have largely fixed this, with the jerkassery of the less likable Autobots being reeled back (making [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap Bumblebee and Metalhawk much more popular]]), the focus getting shifted from [[NominalHero Bumble]][[{{Wangst}} bee]] to [[TheHero Optimus]], and a more humorous tone being added, giving the comic [[{{Dramedy}} a tone]] more consistent with MTMTE and ''Windblade''.
* DesignatedHero: Sideswipe is an Autobot, but he acts like a complete lunatic who constantly provokes fights and talks about how much he loves to engage in violence. On multiple occasions he's talked about shooting/beating up Decepticons and NAILs for fun and during the annual. No wonder the Nails hate the Autobots when they've got psychos like Sideswipe around. Likely intentional, though to what extent isn't clear.

** A lot of people admitted to tearing up when [[spoiler:Sideswipe died]]

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: A minor example, but some fans felt that Starscream killing Metalhawk ruined a really interesting RedemptionQuest character arc that the comic seemed to be building up to. Somewhat subverted due to a) the comic still portraying Starscream as [[JerkassWoobie somewhat pitiable]] even after this and hinting that he may be remorseful for the act, and b) Metalhawk coming back to give Starscream grief..
* ToughActToFollow: While an excellent read in it's own right, it's overshadowed considerably by its [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye sister series]]. Thankfully, the series seems to be moving out of this, not least because of a strong run while MTMTE was suffering SeasonalRot.

* WhatAnIdiot: Likely due to her relationship with Barricade, Swift was willing to go along with the Decepticons, but then she's shocked at their willingness to kill the occupants of the Ark. While she can be forgiven for not knowing their murderous history, at present they're an angry mob of well armed former soldiers who just shot the Port Authority, and are lead by the bots who threatened to kick her face in a few issues ago for her religious beliefs, this shouldn't be that suprising.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The Monstructor Six. Was Jhiaxus lying when he said they volunteered for the procedure (considering his track record and Arcee, he may have been)? Were they willing accomplices to all of his plans, or are they just SlaveMooks with their free-will stripped in pursuit of the idea that "all are one?" Or is it a combination of that, with their minds destroyed or broken down, and them willingly following Jhiaxus as they can comprehend no other alternative? Bludgeon implies that it's the latter, but he's hardly the most trustworthy person. Galvatron inadvertently chimed in on this later on when discussing combiners he believes that those who combine have their personalities dilute themselves until their individuality rots away. This combined with the long period of time the Six have combined in addition with him being a flawed prototype, can also account for their mindset.

** Even after other colonies showed up and introduced more Female Characters, Arcee's gender reassignment still remained a sore point which several fans felt Scott and Barber should have retconned rather than used as a plot point. In issue 52, Arcee delivers a very definite statement of "I'm what I was always meant to be," showing that she is comfortable with who she is now. Depending on your perspective, this either solves the problem or adds a whole host of new ones (as up until this point, Arcee had very, very definitively been the PTSD stricken victim of a forced sex change.)

** The direction Optimus Prime takes near the end of season 2 being reimagined as more ruthless, pragmatic, and setting up a NotSoDifferent plot with him and the previous Primes. For some this was a great direction, much like Megatron's redemption, Optimus has been faced with new challenges and he deals with them in a darker way. It's a great way to show how Optimus is multifaceted and not TheParagon he always is. Others hate the new direction because they feel Optimus being a colonialist PragmaticHero is out of character and invalidates his arc in Season 1 where he ultimately rejects the corrupt legacy of the Primes and aspires to more. To these fans it's less of a compelling direction and more of a RonTheDeathEater scenario made canon.

** Issue 41 makes a case for Prowl being this, pointing out the horrible life he's had, with Optimus listing people who have betrayed him - [[CorruptPolitician the Senate, Zeta,]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist Megatron,]] [[ApatheticCitizens the Neutrals,]] [[CowboyCop the Wreckers,]] [[WildCard Arcee,]] [[TheOneThatGotAway Chromedome,]] and [[NotSoDifferent Spike.]] Prowl adds another one to that list - [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Optimus Prime.]]

* OvershadowedByAwesome: While an excellent read in it's own right, it's overshadowed considerably by its [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye sister series]].
** Thankfully, the series seems to be moving out of this, not least because of a strong run while MTMTE was suffering SeasonalRot.

** Slide takes the dubious honour of most hated character in ''Optimus Prime''.

* HolyShitQuotient:The entirety of the "City on Fire" arc, but a special mention goes to [[spoiler:Prowlestator.]]
** The later issues of the Optimus Prime comic, but the cusses really start flying once Onyx Prime shows up and turns out to be [[spoiler: Shockwave, displaced from time after the events of Dark Cybertron]]!

* AbandonShipping: Issue 44's cover featuring Tracks and Needlenose posing together in a selfie, and the solicit being: "LOVE AND HATE! Two emotions only inches from each other—and Tracks and Needlenose have felt them both. On opposite sides of an eons-long war, what happens when they meet again?" Lead to some fans seeing them in a relationship. Then the issue came out it establishes them as Spark Brothers (and also Canonizes Needlenose's relationship to Horribull), ending what little romantic speculation there was.

* RewatchBonus: With all the stuff that's revealed in issue 14 you'll slap yourself in the face for not noticing all the hints and foreshadowing. This applies to everything regarding Prowl, Bombshell and the Constructicons, the Dinobots' actions in issue 9, and the wilderness surrounding New Iacon.
** Following the revelation of [[spoiler:Onyx Prime's true identity]] from ''Optimus Prime'' issues 17 and 18, just about everything to do with the character - and more besides - takes on a new dimension.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: A minor example, but some fans felt that Starscream killing Metalhawk ruined a really interesting RedemptionQuest character arc that the comic seemed to be building up to. Somewhat subverted due to a) the comic still portraying Starscream as [[JerkassWoobie somewhat pitiable]] even after this and hinting that he may be remorseful for the act, and b) Metalhawk coming back to give Starscream grief.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Some fans feel that Bumblebee, Metalhawk, and a majority of the Autobots and Nails are this. This results in the Decepticons becoming UnintentionallySympathetic.

** Bumblebee and Metalhawk mature into ''far'' more likable characters during ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersDarkCybertron Dark Cybertron]]'''s run, where the former becomes a bona fide BadassInCharge and [[spoiler:Megatron's MoralityPet]], and the latter a psychotic undead servant of Shockwave's [[spoiler:who eventually manages to break free and join up with the good guys. [[AlasPoorScrappy Sadly, neither of them survived the crossover]].]]

** Original character Aileron is quickly headed this way, and not just for being a''GoBots'' shoutout. In particular, her quick thinking saves the day at the climax of Issue #50, she's the one who gets Optimus to finally take a stand, and she's generally just a decent sort.

* AwesomeEgo: Deconstructed. Nova Prime starts out as fully deserving his ego, but eventually this degrades into him thinking he's a gift to the damned universe and causing him to become a self-loving extremist.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Arcee and Aileron. Even those who did want them to get together admit to their relationship feeling forced.

* MagnificentBastard:
** Megatron is back in form as this; he was pulling the strings behind pretty much everything that happened in season 1. Shockwave managed to outpace him in this department though.
** Galvatron shows signs of this in issue 32, [[spoiler:murdering General Witwicky, ridding himself of an "ally" who proved too willing to use force to keep Galvatron in line. Then blaming Prowl to manipulate the EDC into upholding their alliance.]]
** As mentioned above, Shockwave. Holy freaking ''Hell'', Shockwave. First, Robots in Disguise reveals he played the Senate, then the Decepticons to advance his own agenda, the later for millions of years without anyone figuring what he was up to. Then ''Dark Cybertron'' adds he managed to manipulate Nova Prime and an entire half a species. And ''then'' several years later (major spoilers ahoy!), [[spoiler:''Optimus Prime'' and ''Unicron'' reveal he managed to manipulate '''''everyone'''''. And that's not hyperbole. Everything from season 2 onward - the Enigma, the legacy of the Primes, the events of ''Revolutionaries'', Starscream's rise to power, the Liege Maximo, Merkyln poisoning Cybertron's energon, the history of Cybertron itself - all part of his plan. And he manages to chump freaking Unicron into the bargain.]]

** Good lord, where to begin with Arcee? In an attempt to introduce gender into the species, she was given what amounted to a forced sex change. Even though she eventually realizes her new form is right for her, to have it forced on her that way was extremely traumatic. She eventually gets revenge on her tormentor and makes an attempt at getting on with life, at which point we learn she's quite bad in social situations. Her attempts at reaching out to other people have been met with mixed results.

** The human characters in general, mainly for taking screentime away from the robot characters.

** Good lord, where to begin with Arcee? In an attempt to introduce gender into the species, he was given what amounted to a forced sex change, and WordOfGod is he feels trapped. He eventually gets revenge on his tormentor and makes an attempt at getting on with life, at which point we learn he's quite bad in social situations. His attempts at reaching out to other people have been met with mixed results.

** Season 1 had it's fans, the continuity was much tighter, the cast had more of the big names in meaty roles, and Post-war Cybertron was ripe with new story ideas. It also had it's detractors, some felt the pacing was very slow, the Autobots and NAILS came off as too unlikable, and [[spoiler:Megatron's return]] while a fun arc made him seem too generic.

* BaseBreaker:
** Turmoil, surprisingly enough. Some fans think he's a cool original character, citing his design and intimidating nature. His creator, Shane [=McCarthy=] was actually surprised that people had latched on to him as Turmoil was just created as a one off villain in Drift's origin. Other fans think he's just a generic "high command" con who exists to look threatening and give brownie points to whoever kills him. Some think he was underused, others just didn't regard him as important. Issue 7 billed him as a fan-favorite character, people either disagreed as he was from [[CreatorsPet Drift's]] run, were glad to see his return or treated his reintroduction with a "meh."
*** Given that [[spoiler:his time machine]] is essential to Shockwave's plan in Dark Cybertron, it seems he was heavily promoted to avoid a ContinuityLockout.

* AwesomeArt: Livo Ramondelli's drawings aren't universally liked, but when they work, they ''[[NightmareFuel work]]''.

** Andrew Griffith himself deserves the title. Season 2 in particular sees some terrific character design and layout work, and the bulk of Issue #50 could very well be considered his own MomentOfAwesome.

* MagnificentBastard: Megatron is back in form as this; he was pulling the strings behind pretty much everything that happened in season 1. Shockwave managed to outpace him in this department though.

* MoralEventHorizon: Starscream murdering Metalhawk when no one was looking, then using his death to propel his own popularity and then win the population over to his side.

* VanillaProtagonist: Bumblebee is surrounded by a well-liked CoolOldGuy, a lovable MadScientist, a bot striving to find the best in people and make everyone equal, TheStarscream who is trying to change, a former criminal trying to make a new life, the BigGood and his ragtag crew on a quest to stop a madman, a NobleDemon on a quest to make the world a better place, and many other colorful characters. A generally agreed upon complaint in the comic is that Bumblebee is without a doubt the least interesting or likable character. While the entire story doesn't revolve around him like other examples, the audience is stuck with his POV as Autobot leader. The writer seems to agree given that, [[spoiler: Bee gets killed off abruptly in ''Dark Cybertron'' and gets replaced as protagonist from season 2 onwards.]]

** The final issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersTillAllAreOne Till All Are One]]'' ended with Windblade declaring that being constructed cold was unnatural and that Starscream might have been a much better person if he had been born in his "natural" forged body. This became an issue with fans because it had been repeatedly established that there was no inherit difference from being forged or constructed cold and anyone who said otherwise was either a villain or a bigot. Issue 16 of ''Optimus Prime'' reaffirms that the method of a Transformer's creation is unimportant and all of Starscream's poor choices were his own, not because he was denied a "god-given form."

** The final issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersTillAllAreOne Till All Are One]]'' ended with Windblade declaring that being constructed cold was unnatural and that Starscream might have been a much better person if he had been born in his "natural" forged body. This became an issue with fans because it had been repeatedly established that there was no inherit difference from being forged or constructed cold and anyone who said otherwise was either a villain or a bigot. Issue 16 of ''Optimus Prime'' reaffirms that the method of a Tranformer's creation is unimportant and all of Starscream's poor choices were his own, not because he was denied a "god-given form."