Transformers - ongoing series

[Onslaught Six]

Dom is pissy because everybody likes Roberts because he knows the mythology, and not because he can actually write.

Kind of like that band you like that everybody else only likes the singles from and they don't know there's other songs that are actually really good?

So, like Tool I guess. (Except I only like Tool's singles...)

[Mako Crab]

Speaking of dropping obscure references. . .

This comes from Dr. Hook of the Allspark forums. Not mine.

Dr. Hook Says:

During my investigations into the last couple years of Tfs comics I discovered that Costa drops major clues to the story and intent for the books by naming them after actual existing SciFi epics and short stories or even classic literature. What follows below is by no means comprehensive, but it DOES link the issues of ongoing to their respective novel counterparts and draws up the illustration of where the stories and themes link up.

A look at this will also further explain why issue 18 was also called The Demolished Man after #14. It actually references the upcoming revelations about Spike. Even the possible role of the sister is hinted at. By looking into the writings Mike has referenced, it's possible to glean A LOT of details about the events in the particular issues as well as for the future overall.

Ongoing #2, New Arrivals, Old Encounters by Brian Aldiss. Collection of stories about the impact of technology and the universe upon mankind. A young boy realizes that answers are impossible for the mind which comprehends the universe, while a technology driven future threatens to make humanity obsolete to machines. All of this is in direct relation to the themes of ongoing in general, especially pointing out early on that the tfs and humans may in fact be incompatible for alliance.

Ongoing#3, A Rude Awakening by Brian Aldiss. A story about a womanizing, amoral general named Horatio. I haven't been able to further analyze the story yet but it obviously refers to Spike in some ways...

Ongoing #4, Seasons in Flight by Brian Aldiss. A collection of fables, all reflecting the inner desire to overcome personal and petty differences and the urge to survive. This is total Thundercracker in this issue. Of course, the themes of ending conflict between 2 opposing views here also illustrate the desires of Rodimus, who believes the war is over. This collection also contemplates the futility of conflict, which Thundercracker echoes throughout the ongoing.

Ongoing #5, Enemies of the System by Brian Aldiss. A group of evolved transhumanists who have stripped themselves of emotion and are governed by total logic(Ultra Magnus) find themselves trapped in the wilderness and threatened by the primitive descendants of the original space colony which settled the planet they currently inhabit(here is Hotrod's crew, especially the Stunticons). The theme of change/evolution is explored heavily in the novel, aka Prime's convo with Spike.

Ongoing #6, Earthworks by Brian Aldiss. A novel about a future police state(Skywatch) which rules after some unnamed catastrophe(AHM), and hunts down anyone who breaks free of their societal controls(the autobots and cons hunted in the first arch).

The connections here, like with The Demolished Man; are obvious. One element present here which recurs again and again is the comparison of the governing forces to an oppressive regime, as many of us noted the Government would become after an event like AHM. It seems that Mike has been telling us that this is the true nature of Skywatch all along even if it isn't on the page or fully illustrated in the books yet.

Ongoing #7, All His Engines, a quote from Paradise Lost. The epic by John Milton, detailing the events immediately following the fall of lucifer(Megatron's defeat at the end of AHM) the struggle of the lost archangel to rally his legions anew(Megatron's revival and reassuming command) and his master plan to strike back at God by CORRUPTING MAN(the Revenge of the Decepticons and Last Story On Earth arcs) with the temtation of FORBIDDEN FRUIT(the Megatron pistols and the projects, unknown to Prime, initiated by Skywatch).

Ongoing #8. While the title is missing, the way in which Spike takes out Scrapper is a direct reference to the way the murder in The Demolished Man is carried out. In the novel, a flash grenade is used to blind the victim(Spike spraying Scrapper in the face with acid) and then he is shot(which happens shortly thereafter) albeit with a high tech rifle in this issue, but in the novel with an "antique" gun from the 20th century(the Megatron guns which show up later in ongoing)!!

Also, the murderer has to carry out the killing while avoiding the detection of a telepath police guild in the novel, while Spike is warned of any slip ups from his higher ups in the book, who are "watching" him. This issue, like references from before, hint at some tensions between Spike and his father. This theme appears in the dramatic reveal near the end of the novel about the killer's family history...

There is also, for some reason, a flashback to Spike, as a kid, camping with his father. The relationship seems a far cry from the one they share in the ongoing.

Further concerning Paradise Lost...

In relation to future events in the comics, the schemes of the infernal one in the poem ended up resulting in the separation of man from God. A jagged hint at the outcome of the seeds planted by Megatron in his own plan for revenge...

Humanity is harried into their mistakes by the enemy.

And finally, the use of PL for the Megatron issue illustrates the contrast between Megs and Prime in ongoing, with Prime surrendering(sacrifice) in issue 1 and Megatron planning to dissolve the resulting alliance(like the Devil in PL). The connection is further hinted at in the first pages of both issues.

Ongoing #9, The Land Ironclads by HG Wells. A group of artists, workhands and average people in a small town are about to be overtaken by a hostile army. However, they develop LARGE MACHINES which they use to roll through the ranks of the invading force. A total symbol of the use of the asian countries in International Incident of tfs tech to re-level the odds on the global geopolitical field.

Also, the rhetoric in the book, where the soldiers scoff at the civilized average folk for not being, well, soldiers reflects the attitude of the Decepticons at the outset of the war.

Ongoing# 10, Ranks of Bronze by David Drake. A group of alien traders(in an interesting reversal, China and N Korea) takes a defeated Roman Legion(the Combaticons and Predacons) captive to do battle for them so that they can earn greater trading influence throughout the universe(sanctions!). The aliens offer the Romans immortality(energon) in exchange for their help, but the humans really just want to go home(get off earth, where they were stranded since AHM).

The Roman legion are unconquerable fighters in space. Like the trashing the combaticons delivered to the autobots this issue..

Ongoing #11, Hawk Among the Sparrows by Dean McLaughlin. So far the details for this have been sparse, but it's a war story about a SUPERSONIC JET(Thundercracker), world war 1 era weaponry(Combaticons) and Nuclear Weapons(played out in International Incident).

Ongoing #12, All My Sins Remembered by Joe Haldeman. Military/Spygame Scifi, in which the main character is able to assume different identities to infiltrate a LONG LIVED ALIEN RACE and take advantage of them(Spike). In relation to issue twelve, the character finds himself in internal strife over the actions of the organization he works for...

Ongoing #14, The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. A sci fi story about telepaths(Megatron's neural network), a guy suffering delusions in a dystopian world(Joe) and an "antique" firearm from the 20th century(walthertron).

Ongoing #15, Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan. Story about a future in which transhumanists store and download their personalities into "sleeves" which allow them to assume new bodies after death. This explains how Megatron was "saved"...

Also, the main character is killed in the book's prologue, after which he is downloaded into a new "sleeve" or body. That's similar to the narrative of issue 15, where the same exact plotline unfolds for Megatron. Altered Carbon also features a faction of Catholics who reject the sleeving tech(earth's children).

A crucial part of the novel has a murdered Catholic's mind downloaded so that the authorities can read the last memories and find the killer!(This is OBVIOUSLY SCRAPPER!)

Ongoing #16, Woken Furies also by Richard Morgan. A deep storyline incorporating intelligent machines, reverse engineered technology and religious vendetas. First of all, there are alien ships called "orbitals" which destroy other craft and hostile ground forces with "angel fire", just like Megatron right here in this issue against Skywatch and the human robo-haters.

But it really, really gets close to ongoing #16(especially Thundercracker) when the main character from Altered Carbon shows up and meets a group of revolutionaries.

Now he becomes torn between two opposing ideologies, both the ruling elite of the planet and their enemies want him. This is Thundercracker!!!

Ongoing #17, Burning Chrome by William Gibson. A group of hackers attempt to break into the cyber network of a villain named Chrome. Also, cyberspace in Gibson's books is presented as a type of delusion capable of mind control, just as Megatron's neural network controls the owners of his guns with the help of Soundwave, who is a lot like Chrome himself in the story.

Ongoing #18, the demolished man by Alfred Bester. One glimpse at an overview or summary of this book will prove ultimately the theory that ongoing is indeed a gigantic literary reference. A policeman named POWELL(Prowl) investigates a homicide(Scrapper) and must utilize telepathy to discover the truth(telepathy is common in this novel). The murderer has fearful dreams(ongoing issue 17) and a deep hatred and fear of his rival(who he murdered). Along the way a connection is discovered between the victim and the killer, and it revealed that the antagonist has a SISTER(see ongoing 17) and it's someone who plays a role throughout the story.

Another potential them from the book which is mirrored throughout the first arch of ongoing and then hinted at in issues 7 and 8 is that one of the undercurrents motivating the murderer is his relationship with his father. Costa clearly portrays the deep tensions between Spike and his pop in the comics, all the way back to the coda, "Man of Steel".

The murder weapon in the story is an "antique" firearm from the 20th century...

Yeah, that's the Megatron pistol from ongoing 14, which skywatch still has and Spike will be using to defend himself in Last Story on Earth.

Powell is Prowl. One of the things which makes this character stand out in the novel is that HE LIES TO EVERYONE AND MANIPULATES THEM TO HIS OWN ENDS to reach the GREATER GOOD. This has been Prowl post AHM from day one. Also, the police in the book belong to an authoritarian governing system(Megatron Origin pre autobots).

The method used by powell to find his prey in the novel is that he recruits a group of telepaths(called peepers) and uses them to "track" the events and culprit of the murder. This is reflected in the tracking device UM placed on Soundwave in issue 17 and used by Prime in 18 to find Megatron, and may also hint at Prowl using Megatron's own ability to "sense" the guns made from his body in LSOE to get to the truth in his own investigation.

Update. Thanks to the research of Ultra Magnus1, yet another connection to the novel, has been revealed. In the book, Reich is plagued by twisted dreams of being tormented by a monstrous, faceless man. In ongoing #8, when thinking back to the battle of NY, Spike sees Devastator as a twisted monster. In the same issue we learn that Spike himself hates all machines.

Later in ongoing # 17, Spike is at first having a nightmare about drowning.
This is the first and only time that he mentions his "sister". So, what do these types of dreams mean? Drowning means to be flooded with some type of thought. This can range from work or seeking attention. As in from Spike's father, for instance? While the monster in the dream represents the dark or oppressed side of the dreamer HIMSELF.

It bears consideration that in The Demolished Man, the real motive for the murder Reich carries out is revealed to be that the victim is his father and Reich knew it on an UNCONSCIOUS level. The dreams about the faceless man are allusions to this.

Are these clues hints that Spike is not what he seems?


With issues 19 and 20 there is a double hint in the titles. Each issue has a subtitle from a different pre-existing work by different authors, while the main title, Space Opera is named after an introductory essay by Brian Aldiss to a collection of, well, Space Operas.

Ongoing #19, The Stars My Destination by alfred Bester. The lead character is self absorbed and marooned in Space, and eventually lands on a new world and becomes a hero/HOLYMAN(Prime?) at the end(Rodimus' current journey without question)! Along the way there is body modification(matrix enhancement) underground tunnels and the communication by accoustics(Wheelie the "jangleman). The original title was The Burning Sphere(The Matrix), and one cover for the book includes a ship that actually resembles a quintesson cruiser.

Ongoing #20, Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis. All of the major themes of issue 20 and the archetypes for Chaos are contained here, along with what could be details about the motives of Galvatron and the origins of the Darkness and the Tfs.

In the novel, Lewis uses medieval cosmology, depicting each planet(focused here on Mars) as maintained by powerful beings, symbolic of angels. The planet Mars, where our adventurer ends up, is governed by Oyarsa, described as a very strong archangel(Ironhide) and his superior, Maleldill the Young, who is a metaphor for Christ(Sunstreaker, Hotrod, or Wheelie) and suits virtually the whole cast here, who all returned from the dead.

There is also the character of the creator, called the Great Old One, referenced as a type of scientist, capable of engineering planets and repairing them(Alpha Trion). And then there is the enemy, the archangel(Galvatron) from earth's lost history(cybertron's lost history) who lead his followers(Sweeps) to Mars and initiated a great conflict, the result of which caused the Old One to have to rebuild the planet to sustain new types of life(the ancient race in HoD, and the possible origin of Cybertron in Idw, perhaps originally a different type of world).

As a consequence of his rebellion, the evil angel was imprisoned in the earth's moon(Dead universe).

Ongoing #21. Orphans Of the Helix by Dan Simmons.

First of all, the central mystery of this story involves a Red Star which turns out to have an ancient, oxygen breathing organic race hidden at it's rocky, biological core!(See the solicits for ongoing #26, as well as the terrain around Galvatron on the cover, and the notes on Out of the Silent Planet). It includes "spin ships" capable of intergalactic flight and the discovery of a civilization not built by either of the major factions of the Hyperion series, of which this story is a part(and which, I believe I have heard, Aaron Archer named Acid Storm's cannons after).

The threat in this book is a "Harvester" which threatens to consume the resources and continually level the civilizations of other worlds, and it was built by the ancient race living in the secret core mentioned above. The main cast of the books discover all of this after answering a distress call from a binary star system.

We have seen that every world where the ruins of the ancients in HOD can be found is biologically teaming with natural resources, forests, lakes, etc. Also, Galvatron is going to the heart of cybertron for some reason. The tfs themselves actually fought for the worlds these beings inhabited because of the high energon levels available(meaning the resources used by one race could be used to fuel the other also, implying strong connection).

Furhtermore, the "hidden" race in OOTH created biological worlds so that every so often, they could harvest the resources thereof and sustain their own civilization. The harvesting is done by a programmed machine. Could the implication be that the Tfs were created by the ancient civilization to Harvest the biological worlds they themselves seeded!? Could this include EARTH? Could this somehow connect the concluding issues of Chaos and LSOE and even explain the secret work of Skywatch?

Finally, in corroboration to the Paradise Lost and Biblical references, if Megatron discovered the truth about this race while a miner, his hatred for biological life in ongoing may have a deeper motive. And his comparison by Mike to the fallen one in the title for issue 7 takes on even MORE relevance, since the enemy originally forsook HIS OWN CREATOR.

In this case, Megs would be doing the same by trying to destroy the knowledge of the ancient civilization(and offering a deeper cause for his own revolution, the knowledge of ancient origins concealed by the senate) which created the Tfs and then fulfilling the role by ending the relationship between man and Autobot, metaphorical of Satan's goal in Eden.

Mike said there were Biblical references in Chaos. Could one of the biggest be the divorce between creation and creator? GENESIS? If Megatron knows about all of this, we are certain to find out in issue 22 and 23, called "Chaos Theory"!


A close observation of these books reveals many plot points were encoded all along, mostly before they actually appeared or were illustrated in story. The entire panorama of ongoing from start to the end of year 2 is here, in this intricate literary mosaic.


UPDATE! The Ironhide mini contains the code as well! Mike has combined the titles of the books with the word "IRON"!!!

Issue #1, The Iron Age is An Age by Brian Aldiss. The story takes place in an alternate future where people TIME TRAVEL by PROJECTING THEIR MINDS into the future. This is what happens when Ironhide from the past is downloaded by A.T. into his new body. When he awakens in the future, the main character finds his world destroyed and ruined by a regime(cybertron and swarm). He then sets out initially to kill, but later befriends a mad scientist(Alpha Trion) whose new inventions can save the earth and humanity(CYBERTRON)!

[Dominic]

Dom is pissy because everybody likes Roberts because he knows the mythology, and not because he can actually write.

It is also because if any other writer were to pull some of what Roberts is pulling, people would complain. (Again, that is really not a legit shot at Roberts.)

The connections here, like with The Demolished Man; are obvious. One element present here which recurs again and again is the comparison of the governing forces to an oppressive regime, as many of us noted the Government would become after an event like AHM. It seems that Mike has been telling us that this is the true nature of Skywatch all along even if it isn't on the page or fully illustrated in the books yet.

I admit, if not for this (an indicator of Costa's intent), I would not recognize Skywatch as being that bad. Spike is obviously a thug. But, I cannot think of anything Skywatch as an organization is shown to be doing that would really be that bad.

Ongoing #9, The Land Ironclads by HG Wells. A group of artists, workhands and average people in a small town are about to be overtaken by a hostile army. However, they develop LARGE MACHINES which they use to roll through the ranks of the invading force. A total symbol of the use of the asian countries in International Incident of tfs tech to re-level the odds on the global geopolitical field.

One could also read this as a reflection of the TFs (who are at a huge material disadvantage) working with large human countries. Has Costa posted anything on this question?

Are these clues hints that Spike is not what he seems?

We know that Spike is dishonest. At the very least, he lies to his superiors and his subordinates. He is skilled, but he is also lucky. He may even lie to himself, seeing his luck as something more than it actually is.



Dom
-needs to add Aldiss to the ol' reading list.

[Dominic]

Ongoing #22:
If anybody other than Roberts or Roche had written this, the fandom would be whining and bitching. But, Roberts wrote it, and tossed in some obscure references, so the fandom should be pacified. The sad thing is that there is real writing here that the above mentioned fans are likely going to miss. Roberts touches on the change theme from Costa's run. Bumblebee is an insufferable retard, but the character's view is not validated, keeping the angle itself palatable.
Grade: B

Dom
-does not want to like this book.

[BWprowl]

After reading this, I can kinda see where Dom is coming from, at least in the case of the sheer density of the references (especially in the early pages) being kinda off-putting. I know I bought a Transformers comic, that's why I'm holding a comic with the word 'Transformers' on the cover and a picture of a Transformer. I don't need to be reminded every other sentence that I'm reading a Transformers comic. I kinda feel like they're insulting my intelligence that way, honestly. Anyway, the thing is, this issue holds up really well with or without the references. Yes, it's all talking and character development, which is a lot of what Costa did, only people got mad at him for it. Which is funny because reading this, you can tell that Roberts is a big fan of what Costa was doing with his run, since he picks up those threads and ideas without missing a beat. Yeah, I can tell Roberts wrote this, but it also feels like he had Costa on the phone for a lot of it. Optimus Prime and Megatron have gotten more development in these couple years of the Ongoing than they have in 25+ prior years of Transformers fiction, and this issue kicks it up a notch by letting them have what might be their first real, legitimate conversation in the history of the franchise. You know how every six months or so in DC Batman has a heart-to-heart with the Joker? Roberts lets Optimus Prime and Megatron do that, and by god it is really, really good. Things got a little trite around when they started recalling old war wounds they'd given each other, and it kinda read like a forum discussion a lot of the time, but otherwise it was exactly what I would've wanted from this sort of thing. Roberts even did his homework on AHM, having Optimus touch on the main idea from that book (and ensuring Roberts will get credit and praise for the idea where McCarthy got ridiculed). The psychological bombshell Megatron drops on Optimus near the end was well-played too. Of course this is all leading to some massive, violent, event-book fallout (the damn thing is called 'Chaos' for chrissakes), but this issue was nice while it lasted, and even makes for a pretty solid stand-alone, if I do say so myself. I've probably got more to say about it, because there's just a lot going on, but for now, all that's what stuck out at me.

PS I really liked that when we saw Megatron's vision of himself as leader of a unified, peaceful Cybertron, he lacked a Decepticon symbol and instead stood on a pedestal of a new, more unified symbol. Nice touch.

Milne was in really top form this issue too.

[Dominic]

I almost get the feeling that the references were a pacifier for the less sophisticated fans.

Anyway, the thing is, this issue holds up really well with or without the references. Yes, it's all talking and character development, which is a lot of what Costa did, only people got mad at him for it. Which is funny because reading this, you can tell that Roberts is a big fan of what Costa was doing with his run, since he picks up those threads and ideas without missing a beat.

I get the impression that if Costa had written this issue, or even simply been billed as the writer, the fan reaction would have been, "baw baw bitching, why am they referencing Megatron Origins? It was sucky!" And, inevitably, "all they did was talk for 20 pages. Prime and Megatron did not do anything this issue. Why did Costa make them do nothing?"

I actually liked the conversation between Prime and Megatron. IDW Megatron is, arguably, not really that bad. Yeah, he dropped the ball in AHM. But, as shown here, he has plans for revolution. Executing the necessary reconstruction is going to be a challenge for him. The "apartheid" reference was more than a bit ham-fisted. But, the basic idea of a TF who is unhappy with his lot in life and actually doing something about it was well handled. (Of course, if Costa had written this issue, the fans would be whining about how this issue contradicts Megatron's and Optimus' correspondence as shown in Irvine's "Exodus".)

The fact that the other Autobots have doubts about Prime was a very nice touch.


Dom
-it was rather chummy in the cell.

[138 Scourge]

Well, why shouldn't they be a little bit chummy? Going by the anecdotes they shared in this issue, they've gotten out quite a bit of aggression on each other over the years.

I haven't been what you'd call keeping up with the ongoing, picking up an issue or two here, reading a collection or so there. But man, this issue was some high-quality stuff, and if things keep up at this level, I'm in.

Have to go back and catch up now, I guess. The last collection I read was "International Incident", which was pretty solid stuff, too.

[Onslaught Six]

Word is IDW's two books will be subtitled "Robots In Disguise" and "More Than Meets The Eye."

This is really really stupid, if you ask me. Calling one RID will just confuse new readers into thinking it's, well, RID.

[138 Scourge]

Maybe right at first, but surely a glance at the cover would clear that up.

[Onslaught Six]

Somebody at Hasbro's panel asked if the movie-based ride would have Beast Wars characters in it.

Do you really think people are that smart?