Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

The modern comics universe has had such a different take on G1, one that's significantly represented by the Generations toys, so they share a forum. A modern take on a Real Cybertronian Hero. Currently starring Generations toys, IDW "The Transformers" comics, MTMTE, TF vs GI Joe, and Windblade. Oh wait, and now Skybound, wheee!
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andersonh1
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Re: Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

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Till All Are One #3

"Things We Said We'd Never Do"
Windblade and Chromia decide to find Swindle's body (though Windblade is doing it because Starscream is blackmailing her) and Ironhide trains his new recruits in a very drill-sergeant like manner. Both Chromia and Blast-Off find a picture of Wheeljack and Rattrap carrying an obviously wounded Swindle. The Combaticons capture them all and force Wheeljack to lead them to Swindle, who is on life support and apparently brain dead. The issue ends with Rattrap bringing Onslaught the enigma of combination, so I'm guessing we'll see Bruticus next issue.

I'll say one thing for this storyline, it's rare to see the various Combaticons act like individuals with different ideas and goals. Swindle is the only one who usually gets any individual characterization, so I applaud seeing Onslaught as the strategist he should be, and disagreement between him, Vortex, Blast Off and Brawl about what to do. On the other hand, Onslaught's goal to depose Starscream and his hatred would have more impact if the reasons for Swindle's condition had been revealed somewhere in these first three issues. I presume he knew something that could harm Starscream, which led to his being attacked, but it would be nice to have that clarified. This book is continuing a narrative begun elsewhere rather than telling a self-contained story, which makes me wonder why it wasn't just placed over in the ongoing (at the time) Transformers book. I guess it's essentially just the Windblade series with a new title.
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andersonh1
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Re: Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

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Till All Are One #4

"The Line Between Us"
The issue opens with Bruticus forming for the first time, and Rattrap noting that the other Combaticons are combining with Swindle, a "brain dead" bot. The art is interesting here, depicting all five bots inside Bruticus all reacting, including Onslaught looking into Swindle's memories, including where Swindle hid evidence of Starscream looking to "stir up trouble" on Caminus. I have to admit, this is an interesting use for a Combiner that I have not seen before. Bruticus heads out to "find the tape" for which most of the Combaticons are in agreement. Windblade is unable to talk him down, even though she wants the evidence too, and is angry when in trying to stop Bruticus's rampage, Ironhide shoots him through the head, causing the Combaticons to separate. Chromia confesses her crimes to protect Windblade, and the issue ends with badly injured Combaticons and Starscream still safe from Swindle's hidden evidence. I have to say, I enjoyed this one quite a bit for how the combining process was used and for the depiction of the split intentions of the combiner. But it should not be so easy to take one of these guys down. There's not a lot of point to the combined form if it's not a lot tougher and more durable.
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Shockwave
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Re: Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

Post by Shockwave »

I will give IDW credit for doing some interesting things with the combiners. From what they did here with Bruticus to what they did with Superion and how Alpha Bravo had to replace a dead member of a combiner. They really explored that concept and continue to do so with their current continuity as well.
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andersonh1
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Re: Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

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The idea that Titans use a "cityspeaker" is also an interesting idea. It's a good way to have these massive bots interact with the normal sized ones. It would be nice to see the current series make Fortress Maximus Titan-sized for once, give him a cityspeaker, and do something different with the characters.

Till All Are One #5
The "Previously" page in this issue refers to something I have not read, where Sentinel Prime deplores the current state of Cybertron and awakens all the Titans, sending them to Cybertron. Meanwhile Windblade returns from some crossover, Ironhide asks Starscream to hand the Enigma of Combination over to him, and Obsidian informs the Council that an army of undead Titans is approaching Cybertron.

Metroplex is essentially the last line of defense on the ground, while the Camien titan Carcer is in spaceship form is in orbit and fighting, but when Starscream contacts Elita-1 to ask for help for the badly outnumbered Metroplex, she turns him down.

As a side note, versions of a lot of characters from other continuities appear in this series. Tigatron and Airrazor, Razorbeast, Strika and Obsidian, and Knock Out and Breakdown from Prime. I think the idea was that all of these characters come from the different colonies. Some of them certainly have and are labeled as representatives. I enjoy the inclusion of these characters, it widens this iteration beyond simply the G1 cast, as large as that already is. I remember Waspinator and Sky-byte appearing in other issues.

This is story arc 2 for the book, with the Combaticons mentioned but not followed up on beyond that. Zombie Titans vs. Metroplex is a good action sequence, but I have no idea why Sentinel Prime is alive. I'm sure it's explained elsewhere.
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Re: Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

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Till All Are One #6

"Desperate Times"
I think you underestimate the depth of my pettiness. - Starscream to Elita-1

The fight against the undead Titans continues, with the regular sized bots trying to help the outnumbered Metroplex. We get the obligatory "Knock Out is mad because his finish is scuffed" joke, and Metroplex comments that "things that are dead should stay that way", so there's some humor mixed with the action. When Metroplex goes down, and Starscream demands that Elita-1 bring the Titan Carcer to the fight, she refuses again. Starscream is forced to begin evacuations.

Windblade forms a plan to sneak on board Carcer and convince him to help directly, going around Elita-1, a plan Starscream approves. Devastator joins the fight, and while Obsidian advises explaining the situation, Elita-1 is unwilling to share whatever secret Carcer is hiding, a secret Windblade suspects.
This issue opens and closes with a massive battle, with a pause to discuss the situation in the middle. It's good if slight on plot since it's mostly action, but hints at a bigger picture are present.
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Re: Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

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Till All Are One #7
"Desperate Measures"

So why is Starscream hallucinating and talking to Bumblebee? I'm sure it's all explained elsewhere, but it's yet another element of this story that I don't quite get, even after having read quite a bit of the series leading up to this. The art in this book remains excellent, which is a good thing because there's not a lot of dialogue in this action-heavy issue. Strika and Obsidian both account for themselves well, and Obsidian tries to warn Windblade away from awakening Carcer, but she doesn't listen. Turns out the Titan is not actually Carcer, but Vigilem. I don't know why that's significant, but it's clearly a bad thing that he's awake.

Like the last issue, this one's good, but flies by since it's mostly fighting and other forms of action. I understand pacing, but I'd have felt a little underserved by the content if I'd paid full price for this. As part of a larger story, it's a good chapter that keeps things moving, but I guess I'll find out why waking this guy up is bad next issue.
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Re: Bye bye Windblade vol 2, hello Till All Are One

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Till All Are One #8
"Rubicon"
Carcer is actually Vigilem, a Titan that should have remained dormant. In the 2019 Ruckley series he's the one who severed the tether and sent Cybertron's moon off into space, but here he's someone that Obsidian insists must be kept dormant, and who Metroplex sees as malignant and dangerous. Windblade takes control of him and goes to fight the undead Titans on the surface of Cybertron, only for Vigilem to take control of her mind and really go to town on the undead Titans. Metroplex reconnects his higher functions to protect Windblade, and it's clear that Vigilem blames Metroplex for being shut down and exiled, so the two have a history. And Vigilem serves the Liege Maximo, the real danger behind all of this apparently, who is freed from his prison at the end of the issue. So the undead Titans are defeated, but a worse enemy is in the wings. He's nowhere near as impressive as the Generation 2 version though.
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