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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Dominic
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by Dominic »

I would have been interested in seeing the state of Earth post G2.

I was hoping for a similar situation post-AHM. But, we are not likely to get that.

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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by Onslaught Six »

The funny thing is that the events directly preceeding G2 quickly quantify it taking place in the same universe as GI Joe, but the Joe world acknowledges exactly none of the events portrayed in G2.
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 »

If not for the fact the TFs appeared in "GI Joe", I would call it a one-way cross-over. As I recall, Hama was all too happy to be rid of the TFs in his own book though.

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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by andersonh1 »

Dominic wrote:I would have been interested in seeing the state of Earth post G2.

I was hoping for a similar situation post-AHM. But, we are not likely to get that.
In some ways we are. The lingering hatred and resentment of Transformers we've seen post AHM could possibly have been the same had G2 continued. Apart from the too-rapid rebuilding of destroyed cities on Earth, we may well have a very similar situation here and be able to explore many of the same themes.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by andersonh1 »

Issue 12 – Final issue of series
A Rage in Heaven
The Swarm has arrived over Earth, along with a huge contingent of Jhiaxus’ Cybertronians. I note that when the Swarm destroys the second battleship that’s there alongside the Twilight, Furman gave it a crew compliment of 16,000. They all bite the dust. That’s brutal, even for this series.

Jhiaxus loses it. Unable to accept the reality of the situation, that the Swarm is unbeatable, he orders an all out attack against it. When Prime rather foolishly tries to reason with him, he attacks and severely damages the Autobot leader. Jhiaxus’ world has collapsed around him, and he lashes out in fury. He believed in the absolute power and control of the Cybertronians over anything they chose to confront, and it costs him his army, his flagship and his life. Jhiaxus has been an interesting character, a Decepticon who had all the base instincts and love of violence and power found in the standard Decepticon character, but who actually wanted to rise above that. Rather than embrace life, he constructed a world where only Cybertronian life was important, and essentially withdrew from reality. We’ve seen that type of characterization of Megatron from time to time, but it was far more interesting to explore with Jhiaxus, because he wasn’t so much insane as simply in denial. A fascinating and effective character.

Starscream gives up the Matrix and thus his power, all because he didn’t want it to rewrite his nature. In such a bleak story, Starscream’s anguish over being forcibly made to do good things is exactly the right kind of humor needed to lighten things up. He rescues Prime from space at one point, and then tosses him a canister of Rheanium before getting out of Dodge. I love his worried look as he leaves and thinks, “I hope that Matrix didn’t do any permanent damage!” I’d love to have seen future stories with Starscream fighting his unwanted impulses to do good. That could have been fun.

Megatron impresses with his focus and determination, and by having enough control not to just kill Starscream on the spot. Knowing that time is short, he puts him to work and then heads to Earth to distribute the gas to the rest of the Transformers. His wit is on display when he tells Grimlock that planetfall without a shuttle is not recommended. Megatron is in his element here, fighting against impossible odds, reveling in his own power. One wonders where he would have gone from here, had the series continued. The “ridiculous, fragile” Autobot/Decepticon alliance would have been good fodder for future stories.

Last but not least, there’s Optimus Prime. He really should have known that Jhiaxus was beyond reason at this point, but he tries anyway and gets beaten up badly for his efforts. Had the Swarm not arrived when it dead, Jhiaxus would have killed him. And it’s not that he couldn’t fight back, as issue #3 proved. Prime’s a heavyweight and can hold his own in a fight, but his nature is to avoid violence. His desperate plan to contact the Swarm is undeniably dramatic, but I can’t help but wonder if letting himself be eaten alive was the only way to accomplish that. However in a story and series filled with violence, it’s refreshing that in the end, Prime’s appeal to the Swarm’s better nature actually wins out, as the Matrix gives it peace and knowledge of its origins, and it returns Prime to life.

The Generation 2 comic has become one of my favorite Transformer series. The main weakness is poor art for most of the issues, but at least Manny Galan’s art is serviceable and tells the story in a clear manner. Derek Yaniger and Geoff Senior deliver some excellent visuals whenever they contribute. The story itself takes the “Generation 2” tagline and runs with it, giving us a literal second generation of Transformers who present a massive threat to Prime and our familiar Autobot heroes. It’s a creative and original idea, and we haven’t really seen anything quite like it since. Certainly not with Dreamwave’s updated cartoon universe, and not with Furman’s reinvented G1, which has some good new ideas of its own but is far removed from the tone and scope of the Generation 2 series. I’ve regretted on several occasions that the series ended after only 12 issues, leaving only the final glimpse of the alliance and the Liege Maximo to hint at future stories.

Issue 12 dead: G2 Decepticons in droves (17 battalions according to Rook, with at least 16,000 dead at the hands of the Swarm), Jhiaxus, Prime (temporarily), Razorclaw, Ramjet, Frenzy, Slag, Slingshot, Nightbeat, Dirge
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by Onslaught Six »

Incidentally, I'm getting around to finishing the Titan reprints of the old G1 Marvel run. They just killed Unicron! And now Grimlock's getting all Nucleonified.

I'm interested in why the Neo-Knights didn't show up in G2, although that's probably because the early running story on Earth included GI Joe characters in their stead.

One thing I think was interesting was how many of the covers outright say that a character is going to die in this issue. FORT MAX GETS THE AX! ALAS, POOR BLUDGEON! And even Issue 12 features Prime being ripped apart by the Swarm.
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 »

I still credit Rob Tokar for much of the best parts of Furman's career at this point.

I get the feeling that the Autobot/Decepticon alliance would have crumbled in the absence of a common threat. Memories get fuzzy over time after all.

I wonder if IDW would consider a series picking up old threads from previous iterations of TF? Anderson, do you still have your contacts there?

Dom
-thinking some letters are in order.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by andersonh1 »

Onslaught Six wrote:One thing I think was interesting was how many of the covers outright say that a character is going to die in this issue. FORT MAX GETS THE AX! ALAS, POOR BLUDGEON! And even Issue 12 features Prime being ripped apart by the Swarm.
At least the covers accurately depict the contents of the story, generally speaking. :lol:
Dominic wrote:I still credit Rob Tokar for much of the best parts of Furman's career at this point.

I get the feeling that the Autobot/Decepticon alliance would have crumbled in the absence of a common threat. Memories get fuzzy over time after all.
Oh yeah, it was definitely just barely holding together. The question is, would the G2 'Cons have continued to target them, thus pressuring them to keep fighting together? Jhiaxus and his troops were a tiny fragment of the empire, according to the Liege Maximo.
I wonder if IDW would consider a series picking up old threads from previous iterations of TF? Anderson, do you still have your contacts there?

Dom
-thinking some letters are in order.
My contact was Josh Van Reyk, who, despite his writer's credit, isn't an IDW employee. Still, he's worked with the editorial staff, so he might have a good idea of what they're interested in. I'll find the contact e-mail for him and the other guys who run the Mosaic project and post it if you want to get in touch with him and see what he thinks.

However, the question about picking up story threads from old continuities comes up from time to time, and I honestly get the impression that IDW editorial intends to stick with their G1 universe and the movie universe, and that's it at this point. I think Schmidt said as much in his recent interview. I'm not sure what the best bet for getting a follow up to G2 would be.
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Re: G2 comic series - retro review thread

Post by Onslaught Six »

Yeah, Schmidt implied that between all the G1 stuff they're doing and the Movie books, there's just not any 'room' for any other books right now. And the DW stuff is entirely off-limits legally, apparently.

Plus, the last time IDW tried to pick up on an existing series...well, we got The Gathering.
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 138 Scourge »

I enjoy Furman's note in the letter column in issue 12. I hope I'm remembering it right, I wanna say that it was basically "Okay, remember when I said 'For me, personally, it never ends!'? Yeah, I waaaaayyyy did not mean that like you guys do. So now, for me, it's ended, okay?"

That did not work out well for him at all.
Dominic wrote: too many people likely would have enjoyed it as....well a house-elf gang-bang.
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