Re-Generation One (IDW retro G1)

[Dominic]

Um, apparently, none of us reviewed issue 95 of "Re-Generation One".

Odd.

Short thoughts on issue #95: It really was not that great. It was a typical big fight issue. Two of the center-piece fights (Omega Supreme/Monstructor and Blaster/Soundwave) were important because, uh....somebody said so. There was precedent for both in other iterations of G1, but not in the neo-Marvel iteration. Blaster/Soundwave had some nice touches. But it did not warrant the page space in an issue billed as being a wrap-up. The defeat of Bludgeon read like the hasty ending of a gaming session, with the Warworld failing every saving throw after getting every possible negative modifier when the game's moderator rolled it up to begin with. (Bludgeon getting thrown through a window that one would expect to keep atmosphere in while keeping enemy fire out was especially....bad.)


Issue #96:

I got the "G2 #5" cover. (I would have gotten the incentive cover. But, I was slow about checking the racks, and somebody beat me to it. My own fault. The incentive cover resembled the cover of an old UK comic.)

The narration in this issue is Rodimus remembering "past" events, which implies that he at least will survive the end of the series. Thankfully, Furman seems to have shaken off the funk he seemed to be in while writing last issue, and the book is reading the way that a TF comic should read (as part of an ongoing story). I cannot tell if the shadow in the lab on Nebulos (where Fort Max is being repaired) is one of the rage parasites (from G2 #3) or a manifestation of the currupted Matrix. Given that there are only 4 issues left, the latter seems to be a safer bet. But, given how many plot points are carrying over from G2, the rage parasites are also a possibility. And, it looks like Furman is going to exploit the resemblance between Jhiaxus and Starscream.

I am going to miss this book when it ends in March (maybe April).


Grade: A

[andersonh1]

RG1 #96

I ended up with the blank cover, which is apparently blank and printed on flat paper so it's easy for some guest artist to sketch on or autograph, according to the guy running the comic shop. That's fine, it's certainly different. I enjoy seeing Rodimus Prime in charge again, however briefly (since the series ends soon). And Jhiaxus is a long-lost senator in this continuity instead of a delusional warlord. And Dom, I had forgotten the rage parasites from G2 #3 and was wondering just what that was possessing Fortress Maximus. You could be right.

[Dominic]

Re-Generation One #97:

This issue solidifies my over-all impression of this book going back to the death of Ratchet (but even more so over the last few months). Including the 20 year gap was a mistake. Granted, I likely would have made the same mistake in the closing months of 2011 (when this book was coming together). But, it was a mistake.

This comic feels like a look at "what might have been", had the Marvel "Generation 1" series continued in 1991. Story elements that were hinted at in the last 5 issues, "Another Time and Place", "Generation 2" and in the UK-only "Earth Force" back-up series are being used coherently enough that I am willing to bet that they were meant to be that way. The high concepts are consistent going back to the middle of Furman's US run.

Of course, there are some clearly "new" elements. Even putting aside Leadfoot being a Wrecker probably having more to do with Bay's "Dark of the Moon" than anything else (if nothing else, his appearance "predates" what would likely have been the first appearance of the G2 characters by six months or so. The Second Generation Cybertronians look too modern, rather than retro 90s. (Unless I am wrong, there are shades of "Cybertron" Sideways.)

While reading issue 97, I could not help by noticed how much the theorectically isolated "Re-Generation One" is tied in with the more overtly modern comics. Grimlock's attempts at building a new society are similar to how the "Beast Hunters" comic ended. A few IDW favourites are showing up more prominently in "Re-Generation One" than they likely would have in '91. And, most obviously, Jhiaxus is playing a prominent role in both "Re-Generation One" and "Dark Cybertron. (I am not calling IDW out for anything. But, it is something that I have noticed.)

The Jhiaxus of "Re-Generation One" is a less nuanced character than the character from "Gemeration 2". (In G2, there was no indication that he had any ill-intentions towards Optimus and Megatron until they attacked him. In RG1, Jhiaxus is planning to cull the first generation Cybertronians.


In broad strokes, this comic has consistently delivered for the last year and a half. I am looking forward to the upcoming issues (even if I am unlikely to be reviewing them when they come out.)


Grade: B

[andersonh1]

RG1 #97
Hub network, eh? Couldn't resist the inside joke, could they?

I love being able to pick up a Transformers book in 2013 that features Rodimus Prime as the Autobot leader and Jhiaxus from G2 (originally of course) as the villain. A lot of the G2 themes about Jhiaxus and crew looking down on "lesser" life forms and terraforming on a massive scale are given a re-airing here, and I enjoy seeing them again. And I really appreciate the underground creatures from the end of the original Marvel run continuing to be explained and explored as a concept. Fort Max gets a better fate (maybe) than dying with the Ark, and Starscream knows Jhiaxus.

I love it. I'm going to miss this book when it's gone.

[Dominic]

Re-Generation One #98:

The Autobots launch a punitive raid on the Hub which ends up going badly. Conceptually, this is similar to the big fight issue that resolved Bludgeon's attack on Cybertron. But, the execution is much better. I get the feeling that "Re-Generation One" is going to have as rushed an ending as the original Marvel series did. But, rather than leaving some threads dangling (as was the case with issue 80), Furman is not trying to fit too much in to too few issues.

G2 took about a year two decades ago, and was still not fully resolved. Furman has barely touched on Action Masters (which we know from "Earth Force" he had more plans for). Still, this is probably the fullest treatment of his previously unused ideas that we can expect. And, in general terms, "Re-Generation One" is delivering on the best parts of the old comic (an actual linear story). So, I cannot complain too much.

Grade: B

[andersonh1]

Issue 98 - I'm still loving the fact that Rodimus Prime is in this book. He's very proactive, which is a change from Marvel Optimus Prime, who has a lot of self-doubt. Still loving the fact that Jhiaxus and the G2 bots are major antagonists. Looks like Spike's presence in the book isn't just so that we can have Circuit Breaker back in some form, but so that he can play a major role in the finale with Fort Max. And after enjoying the appearance of Primus at the face in the center of Cybertron all those years ago, and seeing his reappearance in RG1, it looks like he too will be an important part of the resolution. And there's the cult of Unicron getting fried, Shockwave being restored, and on the next issue page, it looks like a possessed Starscream is taking on Jhiaxus, if that hand and forearm are anything to go by.

I love it. I'm sorry we're getting near the end of the book.

[Dominic]

Issue 99:
There are shades of the original Jhiaxus,

Spoiler

as evidenced by his dismay about Chaos

, and Furman touches on the G2 themes of evolution and progress. As much as I liked the look of the G2 Cybertronians in "Generation 2", the style used in "Re-Generation One" is more fitting to what they are supposed to be (inbred and too fixed to adapt).


The ending is not as rushed as the end of Bludgeon's return. But, that is a low bar. And, the resolution is, once again,

Spoiler

a timely intervention by a conveniently over-powered Ark.

Furman is definltely trying to fit in everything (or as much as possible) in before issue 100. The single largest problem is that the ending was rushed. Were Furman to attempt proper pacing (as he did in the early issues), he would likely have run out of time and would have to had to (once again) leave some plots unresolved.

I tend to think that it would have been better if Furman had more time to work with. It is a save bet that the various "-master" TFs would have been used to accent the need for adaptation and such. And, Starscream being used by the Underbase could have been given more page-space.


Grade: B
This book is better for the concept and effort than the results. But, it is still worth reading.



Speculation:
One of the popular theories is that "Re-Generation One" is going to end with a "Crisis" type story and that the "Re-Generation One" timeline will end up being destroyed (possibly becoming the "Dead Universe" seen in the modern IDW comics).

The "next issue" blurb mentions multiple Cybertrons, which implies that multiple dimensions will be a factor and supports the "Crisis" theory.

I am guessing that there will be some kind of "splitting" of the timeline that will reconcile the inconsistencies between the US and UK books in the 80s/90s and that the "core" timeline (shown in "Re-Generation One") will collapse/end. There may also be a montage showing other (non-US/UK G1) timelines splitting off of "Re-Generation One".

This would provide a definitive ending to the first TF story (Marvel's G1 series) while showing that everything effectively spawned from Marvel G1.


(I normally do not speculate to this degree. But, it seems appropriate in this case.)

[andersonh1]

When I saw the cover for issue 99, I called it.

Spoiler

The Underbase powers Starscream and destroys Jhiaxus

. And the

Spoiler

evil Matrix creature

returns!

There are so many things I liked about this issue. And I have no idea how it's all going to play out next time.

[Onslaught Six]

Speculation:
One of the popular theories is that "Re-Generation One" is going to end with a "Crisis" type story and that the "Re-Generation One" timeline will end up being destroyed (possibly becoming the "Dead Universe" seen in the modern IDW comics).

The "next issue" blurb mentions multiple Cybertrons, which implies that multiple dimensions will be a factor and supports the "Crisis" theory.

I am guessing that there will be some kind of "splitting" of the timeline that will reconcile the inconsistencies between the US and UK books in the 80s/90s and that the "core" timeline (shown in "Re-Generation One") will collapse/end. There may also be a montage showing other (non-US/UK G1) timelines splitting off of "Re-Generation One".

This would provide a definitive ending to the first TF story (Marvel's G1 series) while showing that everything effectively spawned from Marvel G1.

Crisis On Infinite Cybertrons! (They should name it that. Fuck it.)

[Sparky Prime]

The iTunes preview for the next chapter of Dark Cybertron has Shockwave

Spoiler

planning to drain the Dead Universe's energy from the dawn of its creation. Essentially explaining why it was a Dead Universe from it's inception.