Dreamwave G1 read-through

The originals... ok, not exactly, but the original named "The TransFormers" anyway. Take THAT, Diaclone!
Generation 1, Generation 2 - Removable fists? Check. Unlicensed vehicle modes? Check. Kickass tape deck robot with transforming cassette minions? DOUBLE CHECK!!!
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

Post by Sparky Prime »

Some of the Micromasters were the first Transformers I owned as a kid. I remember having Rescue Patrol, Race Car Patrol, Battle Patrol, Off Road Patrol, Constructor Squad, Erector, Flattop and Overload. Still have them, but they're packed away somewhere.

I was really excited when this mini-series was announced. I've always wanted to see the Micromasters featured in a story, since they've largely been ignored in the franchise. Unfortunately, I felt this series was a little lacking. I remember seeing an interview back then that Rob Ruffolo reportedly didn't have good references for a lot of the characters. Not to mention, he's clearly trying to mimic Pat Lee's style.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

Post by Dominic »

I really liked "Micromasters" at the time. And, I disagree with some of the common complaints. (For example, knowing the names of individual characters is less important than what those characters are doing as a mob. It is a story about small, nameless, characters set against a larger story.)

But, this series has problems that a comic published after 2000 should not have had. Some of the breakdowns and inking are terrible. There are panels that look to have been hastily cropped a few minutes before deadline. Similarly, some of the lettering is abominable. (Lettering, breakdowns and inks should be "invisible". For good or ill, they are only noticed when they are exceptional.)

It was a good example of a licensed book that could have been excellent being diminished by easily avoidable problems.
Last edited by Dominic on Sat Apr 01, 2023 12:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

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Transformers Micromasters #2
July 2004

"The Gray Race"
Writer - James "Brad Mick" McDonough, Adam Patyk, Pencils - Rob Ruffalo, Inks - Erik Sander­­

The issue picks up with the ambush of the two Micromaster groups by the Deluxe Insecticons, and only the Decepticon Micros are armed. Seems like they're caught between a number of different agendas, from Groundshaker's, to Countdown's, to Shockwave's. Some of the discussion reveals that the earliest Micromasters are downsized Transformers, while the later ones began their lives at the smaller size. And this is what the story ultimately will boil down to: all Micromasters have to make a choice and either pick a side, or choose no side at all. They're getting the recruiting pitch from all sides.

When we get to Little Iacon, it's a club where all Micros mix and talk. The pages where we get four different conversations from panel to panel and page to page are a bit difficult to follow, but I appreciate the effort to depict the different concerns and conflicts that this subset of the Transformers population are dealing with, from Motorhead being shocked that he killed someone during the fight that opened issue 1, to Trip-Up and Roller Force getting into a fight. Big Daddy ends up racing Road Handler, which everyone wants to watch. Big Daddy loses the race, which considering that he's pretty much the main character, I'm not sure I expected.

The issue ends with Skystalker and Skyhopper returning to Cybertron. It's presented as a big deal, but considering that we've never seen these two before, the presentation doesn't quite have the "cool, it's these guys!" impact that it's meant to.

I know I sound like a broken record, and I'll say it again I'm sure, but the art is the big problem with this series. It's adequate to tell the story, but just barely, and it often lacks clear layouts or a good sense of depth and perspective. It's all just shapes on a page, and it doesn't help that the Micromasters are all so similar in size and shape, given the simple figures they're based off of. I hate to be critical of Rob Ruffalo, I'd rather be positive than negative, but I have to be honest about my reaction. And for once, the Dreamwave coloring that I normally enjoy so much is also a problem, because everything is so dark. I know that we're in a dreary, low on power era on Cybertron, and the coloring reflects that, but it's detrimental to the storytelling this time, in my opinion. This issue is a classic middle chapter, with nothing resolved and new story elements introduced. I still have a lot of good will towards this series and what it's trying to do. Good story, good setting, nice to see so many underused and unexplored characters, but the art hurts it, and not a lot of plot advancement happens this time around. 6 out of 10.

Transformers Micromasters #3
September 2004

"Recipe for Hate"
Writer - James "Brad Mick" McDonough, Adam Patyk, Pencils - Rob Ruffalo, Inks - Erik Sander­­

If only this whole book could look as good as Don Figeroa's cover....

It's interesting to me to see Shockwave dealing with Skystalker and Skyhopper as equals, considering the vast difference in size between them. We've already seen how the smaller size of the Micromasters makes them easy victims, so the whole thing seems off, even with the mostly friendly exchange, though Skyhopper gets sarcastic pretty quick. Skystalker is painted as murderous and cruel when he casually reveals that his crew killed an entire world to harvest energy. He's set up as a rival to Countdown, and we find that he's working with Shockwave to find Countdown to obtain an "artifact", which is of course the golden disk we saw on an earlier cover.

An Insecticon attack outside Little Iacon reveals continuing division among the Micromasters, a situation that Countdown and Groundshaker are monitoring, and which the Insecticons attempt to exploit and expand upon later in the issue. Countdown has the golden disk in his mobile base, and we get an explanation of his philosophy about how Transformers are destined to go out into the universe and help others. Seems like the writers are clearly setting up future stories here which we will never get to read. The mention of Paradron is a nice easter egg.

The scene with Blitzwing seems entirely unconnected with the rest of the plot. I'm guessing that it is again setting up future storylines, this time the idea that triple changers are different from the rest of the Transformers. It also reminds the reader about Shockwave's penchant for experimentation. Seems like Shockwave waited too long to recharge though, as his low-energy state allows Skystalker to defeat him in a fight, and to make a play for power.

This was a step up from last issue. I won't go over the art problems again, they're the same as last issue, but the plot picks up the pace, and we learn more about some of these characters. Big Daddy hasn't made his choice yet, but Barricade has. One of the problems with only having four issues here is that so many new characters are introduced and need fleshing out that it had to have been difficult to give them all their due. We see the potential of this group of characters barely realized, and despite the problems with this series, it does make me want to read more, so on that level it's a success. I'm going to go with 7 out of 10 for this issue.

Transformers Micromasters #4
October 2004

"Victims of the Revolution"
Writer - James "Brad Mick" McDonough, Adam Patyk, Pencils - Rob Ruffalo, Inks - Erik Sander­­

I bailed on the Autobots because I was tired of being their drone. Killin' each other over shreds of Energon and burned out chunks of Cybertron never felt like the right thing to do - but helping these Micros does.

Big Daddy and his group go to Countdown for help with the Insecticon problem. Meanwhile Skystalker is impersonating Shockwave and sending the Decepticons to attack the Autobot base. They removed his head (and they kindly reattach it when they're done according to the dialogue), and Skystalker gloats that he just sent all the "guzzlers" off to die. He considers all of them to be outdated and useless, treating Micros and slaves and using up too much energy. Once all the older Transformers are dead, the Decepticon Micromasters will inherit the planet and move on to further conquest, something Skystalker has already been engaged in, conquering "scores" of worlds already. Barricade gets some history here, and I get the feeling he was meant to be a co-lead with Big Daddy, but I think the sheer number of new characters being introduced here made that difficult to pull off.

The stealth rescue attempt by Countdown's group goes wrong, and a battle with the Insecticons ensues. The Micromasters prove pretty effective this time, killing all of the Insecticons or at least injuring them severely. Magnus and Maximus finally make the decision to go help the Micromasters and end up walking into Skystalker's attack. Countdown is apalled when he finds Shockwave's severed head and realizes that Skystalker "butchered his own kind". The two of them clearly have a history that's hinted at here, and which I would enjoy seeing more of.

The Micromasters under Countdown end up saving the Autobots and winning the battle by using Shockwave's severed head to kill Decepticon morale. Maximus is disgusted with the war and abandons the Autobots, and a dying Sidetrack wishes he had never agreed to help the Autobots. Big Daddy decides that everyone is all the same, from Shockwave to Skystalker to Magnus to Countdown, all trying to manipulate everyone for whatever cause each one believes in. And like Maximus, he strikes out on his own. End of story.

Overall, after this re-read I still enjoy the story and the exploration of all of these underused characters. But this could all have been so much better with a different artist, and maybe a few more issues to expand on the key characters. Too much is crammed into too few pages, and a lot of it is hard to follow. Nice ideas, less than stellar finished product. I still feel more positively than negatively about this series and I'm glad it exists. It's just sad that the potential wasn't fully realized. I'll go with 7 out of 10 for the whole thing. It's about on the level with the original Dreamwave G1 mini series for me, albeit with a better story but worse art.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

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Transformers #0

Writer - Brad Mick, Art - Pat Lee, Don Figeroa, Joe Ng, Inks - Elaine To, Rob Armstrong, Erik Sander

I don't think this issue gets a title, which seems like an odd omission. It's a setup and catch-all issue, where the plot so far and any new information the writers wanted to introduce is given some page time. And if it wasn't obvious that the writers had been drawing from the animated 1986 movie, the recreation of the destruction of Lithone from that movie in this issue should clear everything up. The sweeps being Unicron's first wave and Cyclonus part of the second clarifies a lot, as does the expansion on the encounter between Scourge and Shockwave that we saw at the begining of War and Peace. I don't know if all of this was planned from the start of that mini-series, or if we're seeing some retconning here to fit various different storylines together moving forward. Either way, it generally works. I appreciate that Superion and Devastator are accounted for from the first mini-series as well.

In some ways, this is a far better version of the summary issue that IDW attempted at one point, the one that was full of continuity errors and which was pretty much panned after it was published. This zero issue works far better, possibly because we have the same writers from the second G1 mini-series and the upcoming ongoing series, so they can keep their own storylines consistent. I like seeing the Quintessons and Unicron introduced to the series here. I don't feel like they had worn out their welcome at this point, and I would like to have seen where the writers were going with them.

Then there's the short four page Don Figeroa-drawn story at the end of the issue that started the trend of having Megatron speek in black speech bubbles with white text, I guess to show us how evil he is. Wreck-Gar gets his own speech bubbles as well. Looks like he's gathering some of the leftover drones from the Age of Wrath?

Overall: this is a summation/teaser issue done right. Catches the reader up on recent events and sets up future storylines at the same time.

Transformers #1
"Night of the Combaticons"
Writer - Brad Mick, Art - Don Figeroa Inks - Elaine To

I seem to remember being fine with the movie reference in the opening scene when I first read this, now I'm not so sure I think all that much of Starscream standing around, imagining himself being coronated. I do like that he knows how many Autobots are still on Earth, and has sent Bruticus to get them, showing some degree of planning ahead. The interaction between Brawn and Ratchet is enjoyable, because I honestly enjoy seeing two of the first year Autobots facing a challenge together. Brawn may well have been the first Transformer I ever owned, so he holds a fond place in my memories, and it's good to see him get some page time. Pitting him and Ratchet against Bruticus gives them an almost impossible challenge to try and overcome, and it's all good stuff.

Runamuck and Runabout feel like the go-to characters when a writer wants to kill off a couple of Decepticons early on. I like their trip through the lab with Diaclone Magnus, Stepper, Soundblaster, and some others. And of course, we get the introduction of a character here who isn't nearly as enjoyable as I remember, mainly because his dialogue is so cliched "religious fanatic" that it's hard to tolerate. I like the concept behind Sunstorm here, but I'm not enjoying his characterization nearly as much as I once did. It's been years since I read this series, so some of it is like discovering it for the first time, which can definitely lead to some reevaluations.

It's not until partway through the issue that it becomes apparent that we started in the middle of the story as Brawn relays the situation to the incoming Autobot shuttle, commanded by Bumblebee. Brawn throwing a piece of sheet metal into Bruticus's face and injuring him is great. I hate to see the Ark destroyed here, in a major departure from the cartoon series-inspired Dreamwave timeline. And though it does knock Bruticus offline and back into his component parts, it's a short-lived victory as Starscream captures Ratchet and Brawn. And just when things couldn't get any worse, Sunstorm arrives on Earth, promising agony for all who would stand against him.

It's a good first issue. I really enjoy the choice of focal characters and of course Don Figeroa's great artwork. Sunstorm does not make the same good first impression that he did years ago, before I became more sensitive to cliched character types. I do love all the easter eggs that Figeroa puts into the artwork, and the story certainly has me wanting to see what happens next.


Transformers #2
"Black Sunshine"
Writer - Brad Mick, Art - Don Figeroa Inks - Elaine To

Interesting to see that Sunstorm has gone after Starscream's company of Decepticons. They're no match for him, not even Bruticus, though we don't get to see a full fight between the two as the Autobot shuttle arrives and intervenes. Sunstorm drains the shuttle of energy, while Starscream seizes the opportunity to escape, abandoning his troops. That might seem to contradict last issue, where he made an effort to retrieve his captured troops, but maybe he only fights when he's sure the odds are on his side. I've never liked Starscream written as a coward, though that's just a personal preference. He did have a courage of 8 on his original tech spec after all, though how often does the fiction follow those?

On Cybertron, Prowl and Ironhide are trying to train new recruits and Hoist is repairing Optimus Prime, while Ultra Magnus is back up and running already, thanks to his armor. The Protectobots have found Shockwave's lab by following the energy readings created by Sunstorm. I was surprised to find that Runamuck and Runabout aren't dead, though they're in bad shape.

On Earth, Sunstorm follows Starscream to the underwater ship Nemesis, where he's activating his backup plan, which looks like Insecticons to me. But Sunstorm has caught up with him, and catches him, calling him "brother". While Bumblebee's crew helps Brawn and Ratchet, Starscream answers Sunstorm's question by filling him (and the reader) in on how they got to Earth and how they got to where we found them in issue 1. Starscream and Sunstorm have, shall we say, theological differences, and their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of Jetfire. The story cuts to the Autobots cloaking their shuttle when Starscream and Jetfire arrive, leaving us to wonder what went down between them and Sunstorm.

Not bad, not bad at all. A few bits of backstory filled in, the Cybertron plotline brought back into the storyline, and a lot of good character moments, though of course not every character can get a moment to shine given how many there are. I like that the plot just keeps right on barrelling along, with plenty of reverses of fortune for the various characters and groups. This does not feel like decompressed storytelling, which I appreciate. We still get G1 animated series references with the acquisition of Earth modes for the Combaticons and a seeming friendship between Starscream and Jetfire. Sunstorm is more interesting even if his dialogue is still irritating. I'm enjoying the ride here, even if what we're getting are chapters in a larger story rather than self-contained issues.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

Post by Dominic »

I recall the McDonough/Figueroa series as being good. And, I was going to read along with your reviews..... But, I do not seem to have the relevant issues anymore. (And, as they have never been compiled, I am unlikely to see them again.)

I recall Jetfire later balancing out the portrayal of Sunstorm. McDonough hit both the faithful and that atheistic with this story.


And, I planned to read through the sourcebook in some detail, and that is also no longer in my collection. (I am generally careful when purging. But, in the decade or so I have been diligently purging, I seen to have made a few mistakes.)
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

Post by Sparky Prime »

I was a little disappointed they destroyed the Ark in the first issue of the ongoing. I get the writers wanted to move on to establish Autobot City as their new base of operations on Earth, but it would have been nice to see some more of the Ark. We really didn't get to see much of it during the Dreamwave run. I liked that Don Figueroa threw in a Beast Wars Easter Egg, with the doors Ratchet and Brawn escape through apparently being the same blast doors the Maximals had constructed.

The clones discovered in Shockwave's lab was an interesting development. It's a shame we didn't see what became of them, besides Sunstorm, or what Shockwave's intentions for them was. Sunstorm's character was a bit much, but like Dom said, Jetfire later balances that out somewhat.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

Post by Dominic »

I am still sour about Dreamwave collapsing.

It was viable. It was an industry darling. The creative team was having a great time, on every damned book. And, Pat Lee ruined it for everybody.


I assumed there would be flashback series that would have shown the Ark in more detail, and explained where Megatron picked up the troops he had in the Summer Special. But, at the time, Dreamwave was clearly going to deliver on a one time opportunity to move the property forward in something resembling real time.

Unicron would have shown up. Galvatron would have replaced Megatron and likely other things would have changed. I was in for that.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

Post by andersonh1 »

I still regret how Dreamwave's series all ended. They had some good Transformers fiction ongoing, and for the whole thing to abruptly end in the middle of various storylines is a shame.

It's been a while since I did any sort of purge of my comics. When we were moving a few years back I went through everything to see if there were any books I wanted to get rid of, and I didn't find many. I think I've done a fairly good job over the years of only buying books that I wanted to keep, or at least stopping quickly when I changed my mind about a series.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

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Transformers #3
Writer: Brad Mick Pencils: Don Figeroa Inks: Elaine To

Voila... instant portable Decepticon. All the "evil" energy emissions, none of the annoying lip.

Sunstorm continues to be a stock "religious nut" cliche of a character. It didn't bother me on first reading, twenty years ago, but it irritates me constantly now, every time he opens his mouth. Like General Hallo, another cliched character from the first mini-series, maybe I've just seen too many of these in entertainment over the years. Too much circular feedback with writers maybe, where they just recycle what they watch or read over and over. I don't know. I did enjoy Jetfire's quips in response to Sunstorm's pompous pronouncements, and any writer who allows a character to use the thrusters in his feet or the guns mounted on his helmet is doing something right. So I'm giving Brad Mick mixed grades as a writer at this point. Most of his plot and characterization is good, but Sunstorm really should be something other than the one-note irritant that he's been written as.

Another point in Brad Mick's favor: the Autobots sitting around a table with Starscream trying to understand just what Sunstorm is, along with the mistrust of Jetfire by the other Autobots that we saw in War Within 2. Characters on opposite sides who have to band together to face a bigger threat can often make for interesting drama. Ratchet creating a lure for Sunstorm out of Starscream's "genetic sample" and Jetfire getting to be a scientist who figures out what makes Sunstorm tick are great scenes.

Back on Cybertron, the Autobots are in charge again, with Prowl finding it stressful dealing with the civilian population. The Kremzeek cola is a fun easter egg, and it's good to see Prowl, Ironhide and Kup sitting around discussing their status in the world. For me, nothing beats seeing members of the first year G1 cast as long-time comrades in arms, facing problems together, and Kup is always a good character to throw into the mix. The same applies back on Earth, where I love seeing Brawn get a prominent part in the storyline.

So the plan works, Sunstorm is lured in and despite some damage taken by the Autobots, including major damage to Jetfire's armor, the inhibitor is attached to Sunstorm in the hope that his energy can be drained and he can be handled. Plan formulated, plan executed successfully, at least up until now. The cliffhanger involves Sunstorm tracking the actual Starscream to Alaska, saying that he's dying, with a mysterious someone that Jetfire summoned making his presence known. Solid issue, 8.5 out of 10. Negatives for Sunstorm as a character, but positives for everything else.

Transformers #4
Writer: Brad Mick Pencils: Don Figeroa Inks: Elaine To

Nice Flashback to the first War Within to open this issue. I'm not sure it was necessary for the narrative, but it was nice to see why Starscream survived after how much he ruined Megatron's plans in that story. The real opening splash showing just how massive Omega Supreme is compared to Starscream is great. I love it. Omega Supreme another of my favorites, and I remember loving his appearance here. Brad Mick doesn't hold back with fan favorite characters, he just puts them in the story and makes them awesome, which is the right approach as far as I'm concerned. Sadly Starscream is more afraid of Omega than he is of Sunstorm, so he destroys the energy siphon that they worked hard to devise, build and put into place last issue. Starscream as written here comes across as someone who doesn't so much plan ahead as someone who is constantly reacting and trying to stay one step ahead of paying for his actions.

Prowl is investigating Sunstorm, though he doesn't realize who it is I think, just that it's an "energy anomaly". Seems like information from Vector Sigma is part of Sunstorm's makeup. It's as good an explanation for his extreme power levels as anything, and Prowl's attempted analysis is a good method of exposition for the reader. Seems like he and Jetfire need to get together and compare notes, they each have a piece of the puzzle, albeit unknown to the other.

So back on Earth Bumper and Warpath have retrieved Jazz and his crew, only to be arrested by Marissa Faireborne and the EDC. I had completely forgotten they were part of the story, so we have our first real major departure from the animated series-derived timeline, since these guys were twenty years in the future in that continuity. Don Figeroa's humans look very anime to me, with huge eyes, and I can't say I like them as much as I like his Transformers, but they get the job done.

And finally, back to the Sunstorm versus Omega Supreme fight, and it's pretty awesome. Even Omega Supreme is impressed by Sunstorm's power levels, if not his dialogue, which remains as painful to read as ever. Sunstorm does seem to potentially turn the tables on the last panel when Omega Supreme raises his visor to see better, but still... great six pages of flaming massive combat between two powerhouses, exactly the type of thing I enjoy seeing in a Transformers comic. I'll go 8 out of 10 for this issue, not quite as good as last time, but still a strong chapter in the story.

20th Anniversary Summer Special
"Welcome to the Jungle"

Story: Brad Mick, Adam Patyk Art: Pat Lee, Joe Ng, Edwin Garcia Inks: Rob Armstrong

Someone pointed out how rare it is that we get a look into Megatron's thoughts, but here we do as he has gone after the Predacons and is taking on Razorclaw, whose identity circuits have been damaged so that he and the other Predacons have forgotten who they are and are acting like actual animals. Megatron takes some major damage during the fight, but he's enjoying the struggle, and enjoying enforcing his will on Razorclaw. He even drops his arm cannon and heads into the jungle alone, without his drone escorts, which takes some backbone. Whatever else he is, Megatron is not written as a coward here, which is as it should be.

We never see the other Predacons over the course of the story, oddly. Not even when Megatron is apparently the one that engineers them with the ability to combine into Predaking. Again, nice to see these great G1 characters not held back and teased for some far future story (that we know will never happen since Dreamwave folded), but brought into the plot early. Sometimes a slow burn works, sometimes you just need to throw the cool stuff at the reader and let him or her enjoy.

The story is short and functional. I can't say I really enjoyed seeing Pat Lee's (and others!) art again after enjoying Don's so much, but it gets the job done. It doesn't feel like this rates a high score, not because it's poor, but because it feels like it should have been a subplot in a larger issue rather than a full story all it's own. All the other beasts appear for a panel and then vanish, so there seems to have been no point in them being there, and never seeing Divebomb, Tantrum, Rampage and Headstrong (except on the cover) feels like a major omission. I'm going 6 out of 10 for this one.

Transformers #5
"Original Sin"

Writer: Brad Mick & Adam Patyk Pencils: Don Figeroa Inks: Elaine To

The cover is a bit odd. We don't usually see characters reacting and not see what they're reacting to. It does feel like it leads right into the opening of the story, where Bumblebee, Cliffjumper and Jetfire find the fallen Omega Supreme with dismay. And who can blame them, because if their strongest can't stop Sunstorm, who can? Nice to see the story tie in with Micromasters and explain what Jetfire and Omega Supreme were doing and how they ended up on Earth. There is some nice backstory here (though I have to wonder how they have the time if Sunstorm needs to be immediately pursued) that also explains Scourge on Earth from the second mini-series (which looks more and more like the first six issues of the ongoing in many ways, since it's all part of the same ongoing storyline).

And on Cybertron, Prowl and Perceptor are figuring out more and more just what the missing clone that is Sunstorm actually is, and why he's fixated on Earth. Sunstorm, who was a blank slate of a clone mind, is operating as best he can on a highly simplified version of some of Vector Sigma's vast amount of information. When we cut back to Earth we find that there's another seaon there, no doubt meant to remind us of the seal of Primus from War Within 2. For some reason only Starscream can open it. Sunstorm understand why, but we only get hints before Jetfire attacks and the seal is opened, revealing a pit with a glowing purple energy that cannot be identified. Great fight sequence between Bumblebee, Jetfire, Starscream and Sunstorm, and I have to say that I think Brad Mick's Jetfire and Starscream are probably my favorite version of both characters. I really like the way both are written.

Good story progression, nice filling in of some of the missing backstory of whatever larger plot that Brad Mick's been writing all this time, and more great Don Figeroa art. The issue doesn't feel as big and epic as the last two have, but not every issue can be. I'll go with 8 out of 10 for this one. This whole storyline has been interesting with solid characterization, aside from Sunstorm himself.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through

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Transformers #6
Atonement

Writers: James "Brad Mick" McDonough and Adam Patyk Pencils: Don Figeroa Inks: Elaine To

Okay, we didn't need the cover to tell us that Sunstorm isn't dead yet, whatever Bumblebee thinks, but after five issues of nothing and no one managing to kill the guy, I sure didn't believe that Starscream had managed to do it. On Cybertron, Prowl is rallying the troops to pursue "the escaped clone" to Earth, fearing for the safety of the Autobots there since contact can't be established with them. Despite some objections and some discussion, in the end everyone is apparently agreed. Bumper, Warpath and Jazz's group are in the custody of the EDC. Omega Supreme and Cliffjumper discuss the situation (and there's two characters we've rarely ever seen interacting before!). McDonough touches base on all the ongoing plotlines before he dives into the finale of the Sunstorm storyline.

Starscream shows here that he can think things through and pick up on things that others miss. But even he can't believe that Sunstorm is still alive. Sunstorm's dialogue here indicates that he knows the plot, even if no one else does, but even he is surprised when he starts coming apart at the seams. So much of the dialogue here gives us glimpses of whatever this whole plot is about, and it really makes me regret that we never got the answers. I'm hopeful that it would all have made sense in the end.

Starscream gets one more layer added to his characterization as he actually saves Bumblebee by removing him from the pit, so his past friendship with Jetfire still means something, somewhere. It's a gesture that doesn't erase all the immoral, backstabbing things he's done, but it makes him slightly more complex as a character. It's a good choice in a book filled with mostly good character choices. In the end, Sunstorm self-destructs as a result of mixing with whatever that energy source underground is, taking Jetfire with him, though Jetfire has pushed him high enough into space that the Earth is spared. Bumbleebee has had enough, and drops his gun, walking away.

Overall, it's a good ending. It would be easier to judge if the way that was used to finally kill the unkillable Sunstorm was a good one or not if I actually knew what it was meant to be. I don't think I had ever caught just how Prowl's investigation explained a lot of Sunstorm's power levels and his view of the world, or else I had just forgotten that part of the story, so it's nice to see that the Earth and Cybertron-based plot threads were more closely related than I had realized. Excellent use is made of Jetfire and Starscream's past friendship, and I think this may be the best either of them have ever been written. Bumblebee gets his first command, long before he was elevated to the second most important Autobot in the franchise, as he has been in recent years. As far as it goes, if I look at this as the third G1 "modern day" storyline that Dreamwave published, the overall plot may not be as self-contained and as strong as "War and Peace", but it's a solid story with a challenging if cliched villain, that suffers mainly from the fact that answers were clearly meant to be given down the road, and with Dreamwave's collapse, we never got them. 8/10 for the issue, and for the Sunstorm storyline overall.
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