G2 comic series - retro review thread

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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andersonh1
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G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by andersonh1 »

I started reading my old G2 comics last night. I haven't cracked these open in a few years. I'd enjoy seeing this series printed in trade format by IDW, perhaps with the GI Joe issues leading up to the series included. I'm guessing most of you have read this series as well, but if not, there will be plot spoilers. Just for fun, I think I'll also include a list of slaughtered characters per issue, since G2 is infamous for killing off lots and lots of both generic and prominent Transformers.

Generation 2 comic series

Issue 1


About two years after the original Marvel Comics Transformers series ended, I was pleasantly surprised to find a brand new first issue of Transformers: Generation 2 at my local comic book shop, sporting a foil-stamped, bullet-filled Optimus Prime’s face on the cover, along with the words “this is not your father’s Autobot”. Author Simon Furman was returning to write the new series, and since he had greatly improved the stories in the original comic, I was looking forward to seeing what he did with this one. New artist Derek Yaniger gave a blocky and energetic style to the art. I was enthused.

G2 picks up where the original left off. The war is over, and the Autobots are victorious. But some have had a hard time accepting peace. A small group of Autobots, led by Grimlock, is traveling around the galaxy picking fights with Decepticons. The ‘Cons they’re after have been converting planets into replicas of Cybertron while killing off the native populations. As it turns out, these Decepticons are not remnants of Megatron’s old army, but a second generation who arose on Cybertron during the time that Optimus Prime and Megatron’s forces were dormant on Earth. There are untold numbers of these Decepticons throughout the galaxy, and they vastly outnumber the Autobots.

Furman introduces two new characters that will go on to play a role throughout this series. The Decepticon commander is named Jhiaxus, a Transformer who dismisses Decepticons like Megatron as “petty tyrants”. Jhiaxus is calm, rational, and not only physically powerful, but in command of a massive army. His lieutenant Rook is a minor character in most ways, but he at least merits a name and a role as advisor. Most of the G2 Decepticons we see are nameless grunts and cannon fodder to be slaughtered en masse. And as we’ll see in future issues, even prominent named characters aren’t immune from this trend. Far from it. G2 will ultimately end up killing more prominent Transformer characters than any other series that I’m aware of, but more on that in the relevant issues. I sometimes wonder if the casual and quick death of so many G2 characters in IDW’s comics written by Furman are an inside joke referring back to the slaughter that took place in the actual G2 comic.

The second major subplot is briefly introduced as Optimus Prime has apocalyptic visions of something dangerous and lethal to Transformers that will be encountered in the near future. His thoughts on the final page indicate that it is ‘far worse than the Decepticons’, after the ‘Cons have been set up as a ‘boundless’ problem to deal with. Very little is revealed about the threat at this point in the story, but it will play a major role in future.

Derek Yaniger’s art trends toward cartoony and blocky rather than the more realistic naturalism we see with E. J. Su, for example. It works very well, with clear and easy to follow action scenes along with easily recognizable characters. About the only thing I don’t care for are the mouths sported by some of the characters, particularly Hot Rod. Yaniger’s Transformers are loaded down with ammo belts and sport massive and numerous guns. This fits with the whole violent tone of G2. Sadly, this will be the only issue completely drawn by Yaniger, as he apparently was unable to keep up with the pace of a monthly comic. The quality of his successors is highly variable, to say the least. Some were good, some not.

This issue does what any introductory story should do. It successfully introduces the main characters, recaps the past and sets up the main conflict. It also sets up the grim tone that will pervade the story. I’d love to see IDW reprint this series in one of their collected volumes. I’ve grown used to the glossy paper used in modern comics, and it’s hard to go back to the old newsprint and flat colors. Still, it’s a strong beginning for the series.

Dead characters: mainly generic unnamed G2 Decepticons. Just wait...
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

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Issue 2

Fort Max gets the Axe. Ouch.

Issue 2 is split into a primary and back-up story, as most of the remaining G2 issues will be. To really make sense, the primary story requires some knowledge of both the original comic series and the events in the G.I. Joe storyline leading up to G2, though narration and dialogue make it easy enough to pick up on what’s generally going on without having read either.

The story deals with Megatron, who has control of the Autobots’ old spacecraft, the Ark. On board are both Fortress Maximus and Skydive. Spike, who is the headmaster unit for Fortress Maximus, merges with Fort Max and attempts to stop Megatron, who fights him off with ease, severely damaging Fortress Maximus in the process. Rather than let Megatron retain control of the Ark, Fort Max and Spike sacrifice themselves to destroy the ship, while Skydive escapes with a captured G.I. Joe scientist. Meanwhile Hot Spot is badly injured trying to destroy Transformers technology that’s in the hands of Cobra, and rather than let himself be captured, self-destructs.

The art takes a downhill plunge with this issue. Yaniger draws the first few pages, so they’re good, but then the musical artists begin. Andrew Wildman contributes a few pages, so those are good if very different in style from Yaniger. But sadly we’re introduced to Manny Galen in this issue as well, and while he attempts to copy many of Yaniger’s stylistic choices, he doesn’t have the skill to pull it off. His pages are full of inconsistent character models, and generally amateurish artwork that really drags the story down. Sadly, he’ll essentially be the regular artist for the remainder of the series.

The backup story shows Optimus Prime and his unit fighting Bludgeon and his followers for control of an ancient cache of superweapons. Both groups are prevented from obtaining their goal by a massive alien guardian, who drives the Transformers away. Geoff Senior provides a very welcome improvement in the quality of the art for this backup story, which is only tangentially connected to the main storyline. It does serve as yet another connection to the original series, with Bludgeon confirmed to still be leading the Decepticons, and both Octopunch and Stranglehold, among others, still part of his army.

After a strong first issue, this one is a disappointment. It serves to tie up loose ends and storylines started in other series, establishes Megatron as a major threat, and starts the trend of slaughtering prominent Transformers. It also does nothing to advance the main storyline set up in the first issue. And the art takes a nosedive. It’s still a necessary chapter since Megatron will play such an important role later on. And the cover is great, as all the G2 cover art is.

Dead characters: Hot Spot, Fortress Maximus, Spike Witwicky, and a generic Decepticon following Bludgeon
Last edited by andersonh1 on Wed Dec 02, 2009 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by Dominic »

The art in G2 was uneven, ranging (sometimes in the course of a few pages, if not panels), from stylistic to awful.

This is one of my favorite TF stories though. As much as I hate IDW Jhiaxus, G2 Jhiaxus is a great character. (I like him because he illustrates the idea of the story nicely.)


After the summaries, we need to talk plot points.

Dom
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by andersonh1 »

Dominic wrote:The art in G2 was uneven, ranging (sometimes in the course of a few pages, if not panels), from stylistic to awful.
It depends on who is drawing. Manny Galan is a poor artist, while Derek Yaniger or Geoff Senior are far stronger. Usually any given book is divided between Galan and one of the other two, in the form of the main story and a backup. So it seems like at least half of every issue has good art, and half doesn't. Issue 2 is the exception.
This is one of my favorite TF stories though. As much as I hate IDW Jhiaxus, G2 Jhiaxus is a great character. (I like him because he illustrates the idea of the story nicely.)

After the summaries, we need to talk plot points.

Dom
-no, really.
I'm planning to re-read and review all 12 issues, so I'd be glad to discuss the plot after that, or during. And I prefer G2 Jhiaxus to the IDW version as well.
Last edited by andersonh1 on Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

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Loaded down with guns and ammo belts. And Sideswipe even had spikes attached to his wheels because he was a killer death Lamborghini. Ah, the 90's. Nothing was safe.

I was so in love with that first issue, though. G2 showing up was crazy exciting for us, we straight flipped out when Megatron's tank body showed up. That was amazing. Felt terrible for Ratchet, though. He makes the ultimate sacrifice (again) and finally takes out his nemesis at the end of the G1 series (again, but c'mon) and it didn't amount to much, Megatron and Starscream got right back up out of it, Ratchet never showed up again. Sigh.

But anyway! Man, was that first issue great looking, or what? I loved that so hard, and I would just go ape for a poster of that Grimlock splash page. Amazing stuff.
Dominic wrote: too many people likely would have enjoyed it as....well a house-elf gang-bang.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

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Issue 3

Primal Fear

I appreciate this story quite a bit more than I did when I first read it. At first glance, it’s a fairly standard “alien possession” sci-fi story, of the sort you might find in Star Trek for example. An alien influence brings out the violent tendencies in passing space travelers, with tragic results. But the story serves to illustrate and develop the character of both Optimus Prime and Jhiaxus, and as a character piece it’s very strong because of what it reveals about both faction leaders.

Jhiaxus reminds me of IDW Cyclonus, though of course it’s the other way around since Jhiaxus came first. Both believe in the supremacy of Cybertronian life, and both maintain a calm and reasoned persona, while suppressing a dark and brutal nature that revels in violence and carnage. But while Cyclonus ultimately embraces who he really is, Jhiaxus is deeply distressed by the memory of what he is deep down, and he very much wants to maintain the façade of calm, icy control. In so doing, he can continue to convince himself that he is morally justified in his attitude towards “lower” life forms. He wants it so much that he, along with Prime, ends the fight and allows the Autobots to go on their way, even while vowing to destroy them as soon as possible. As long as they exist, they are a reminder of what Jhiaxus truly is, and he won’t stand for that. It’s a motivation that will affect the character for the rest of the series’ run.

In the case of Optimus Prime, I’m sure I’m not the only one who wonders why he appears so weak at times, and why he doesn’t just unleash all of his considerable fighting prowess on his enemies. We certainly see that in “Primal Fear”, as Prime gives as good as he gets, and really takes it to his opposite number. This story provides the answer about Prime’s “weakness”, as Prime has spent centuries fighting against the impulse to revel in violence. Unlike Jhiaxus, he isn’t in denial about the tendency for violence that exists within him, and his calm and reasonable nature isn’t a façade. Prime truly is what Jhiaxus pretends to be, and it all boils down to a respect for life, something Jhiaxus realizes at the end of the story, but refuses to accept. Admitting it would mean that his life has been a lie, and he won’t make that admission. It’s ironic that Jhiaxus characterizes the Autobot resistance against his empire as “fleeing from reality”, when it’s Jhiaxus himself who is doing just that.

Most of the other characters in the story are involved in the fighting but get no real characterization. Surprisingly for a G2 story, Hound gets a good role, as he does what even Optimus Prime can’t initially do, and fights off the effects of the alien parasite. He serves as the narrator, catching the reader up on what’s happening through the plot device of sending out a warning beacon to other space travelers to stay away from the region.

Old Evils

Derek Yaniger draws this backup story, as the activities of Bludgeon’s Decepticons since they left Klo in defeat are revealed. The Decepticons have built a “Warworld”, a massive, apparently moon-sized spacecraft, which they use to attack passing ships and strip them for parts and supplies. Bludgeon also has plans to create new Decepticon warriors, but to do that he needs the creation matrix that Prime carries. Bludgeon decides that the best way to draw Prime out where he can be attacked is to attack Earth, so that the Autobots will come to defend the planet. This particular story is light on character, but sets up any number of plots for future issues to develop.

Dead characters: plenty of nameless G2 Decepticons die. Of course, that happens every issue…
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

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138 Scourge wrote:Loaded down with guns and ammo belts. And Sideswipe even had spikes attached to his wheels because he was a killer death Lamborghini. Ah, the 90's. Nothing was safe.
Maybe he'd been reading the Bloodlines crossover from DC. Or had that happened yet? :lol:
I was so in love with that first issue, though. G2 showing up was crazy exciting for us, we straight flipped out when Megatron's tank body showed up. That was amazing. Felt terrible for Ratchet, though. He makes the ultimate sacrifice (again) and finally takes out his nemesis at the end of the G1 series (again, but c'mon) and it didn't amount to much, Megatron and Starscream got right back up out of it, Ratchet never showed up again. Sigh.
It's amusing that for a G2 series promoting the G2 toyline that very little G2 product appears in the series. Megatron's tank body turns up of course, and Sidewsipe with the black deco, and eventually we get some rotor force characters and one panel of Darkwing. Jazz has the musical note deco instead of his stripes. But so much of the series are the standard G1 characters and decos.

It's interesting to me that at the time I didn't really know who a lot of the characters were. I grew up with the G1 toys and cartoon, but characters like Prowl or Sideswipe just weren't on my radar, so I didn't really realize who that was in the first issue. And when characters like Mirage or Smokescreen get killed, it was no big deal. I was a fan of Hot Rod and Starscream, and they lived through everything so it was all good. It's so odd to go back now, after all this time, and see so many prominent top tier G1 characters either get little more than cameos or act as cannon fodder. It's all about Prime, Grimlock, Megatron and Starscream.

So yeah, poor Ratchet. I don't think he'd have fared well if he had turned up, given how his compatriots were treated.
But anyway! Man, was that first issue great looking, or what? I loved that so hard, and I would just go ape for a poster of that Grimlock splash page. Amazing stuff.
I love the covers for this series. I'd love to have a poster of the cover of issue #8, with Prime and Megatron standing back to back ready to fight. Good stuff.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by Dominic »

Anderson, thanks for starting this thread. I have wanted to see one, (but never got around to posting it), for some time.

Issue 2 is the exception.
Yeah, issue two is what I was thinking of.

I do not dislike Galan's art as much as some people. But, it is an acquired taste.

Loaded down with guns and ammo belts. And Sideswipe even had spikes attached to his wheels because he was a killer death Lamborghini. Ah, the 90's. Nothing was safe.
I think it was Gomess who pointed out that Sideswipe is a Nazi-mobile. His initials, (clearly visible on the toy) are "SS", and his colors are those of the German flag from the 30s and 40s.
Felt terrible for Ratchet, though. He makes the ultimate sacrifice (again) and finally takes out his nemesis at the end of the G1 series (again, but c'mon) and it didn't amount to much, Megatron and Starscream got right back up out of it, Ratchet never showed up again. Sigh.
I actually think Ratchet shows up in issue 3 or 4, in a crowd scene. Not sure though.
Maybe he'd been reading the Bloodlines crossover from DC. Or had that happened yet?
I think Bloodlines was '93. (Damage played a role in "Zero Hour" in '94, so I am thinking Bloodlines was the '93 annuals.) There would have been some over-lap.


I did not mind the character deaths. I am no fan of "kill of the c-lister to prove you mean business" type writing. But, in this case, it worked. Many of the characters died in skirmishes that one would expect attrition to play a role in, rather than obvious "house-cleaning" or "look how bad-ass the monster is" type scenes.

IDW's G1 generally does a good job of this as well, though they get a bit muddled in places.

Dom
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Dom
-one of use should probably track down Gomess. He would like this thread. (Scourge?)
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

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Dominic wrote:-one of use should probably track down Gomess. He would like this thread. (Scourge?)
Why would Scourge know? 86 and I were his bestest friends. :(
andersonh1 wrote:I love the covers for this series. I'd love to have a poster of the cover of issue #8, with Prime and Megatron standing back to back ready to fight. Good stuff.
I have Issue #5 on my wall, actually. ALAS, POOR BLUDGEON!
BWprowl wrote:The internet having this many different words to describe nerdy folks is akin to the whole eskimos/ice situation, I would presume.
People spend so much time worrying about whether a figure is "mint" or not that they never stop to consider other flavours.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by Dominic »

Good catch. I thought Scourge talked to him recently for some reason. Feel free to contact him. I have not heard from him on MS in months though.

Dom
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