Sector 7: (Barber and various artists)
With Barber's half of the G1 ongoing due to start this month, it is as good a time as any (aside from maybe when this was actually published ~ a year ago), to post a review of "Sector 7".
This is the story that introduced Barber to the franchise. The over-all plot follows the Simmons family from the discover of Megatron in late 1800s through the 1950s, ending shortly before Fosters' "Ghosts of Yesterday" novel. "Sector 7" is a good demonstration of Barber's skills as a writer and editor. Each chapter is set in a different time, and Barber's writing style changes to reflect this. The first chapter features a capital yarn, recounting the first adventure of the gentlemen who would come to be known as "the first 7" in their investigations pertaining to the mysterious Ice Man discovered by one Captain Archibald Witwicky. Later, the a chapter featuring Bonnie and Clyde reads like an old EC crime comic, though with much better writing and pacing. (Honestly, the death of EC as a comic publisher in the 50s was no real creative loss.) The art changes in each chapter to reflect the mood and sensibilities of the setting/time.
Along with a fairly cohesive story focusing on one family's cross-generational obsession, Barber also does his best to paper over some of the more glaring errors in the Bayformer context. He does not get everything. And, some of the reasoning stretches credulity. But, Barber gives it the old college try, and deserves full credit for that. The historic references make "Sector 7" seem a bit fanfic-ish at times. But, over-all, Barber makes it work.
One bothersome element was the anachronist use of the word "robot". Apparently, for all of his research regarding history, Barber did not check on exactly when "robot" entered the public's vocabulary.
Grade: B
Maybe not as good as "Reign of Starscream" (still the best thing to come out of Bayformers), but a noble and ambitious effort all the less. "Sector 7" provides more than enough reason for people (fans or otherwise) to pick up Barber's ongoing series.