IDW Transformers Comics - retro reviews

[andersonh1]

Transformers: the IDW Collection Phase 2 book 1

The design of the books changes and the way in which the series are collected also changes. With two ongoing series, the collected editions can't just follow the main series chronologically and insert mini-series where applicable, the collected editions go back and forth between RID and MTMTE and include one-shots and mini-series wherever they would seem to fit.

I had read nearly all the material from Phase 1 already, so very little of it was new. For Phase 2 there is a lot that I have read, but then a good many issues that I missed or did not read, so there will be a decent amount of new material for me going forward. I know I missed the Sins of the Wreckers mini-series, and the Autocracy mini-series and probably a few others. I read MTMTE up until a few issues after Megatron joined the crew, and RID/Transformers up to right about the point that Optimus Prime annexed Earth. So we'll eventually get to a lot of new issues for me, and I hope I'll enjoy both series more this time around. I wouldn't have bought the books if I didn't think there was a good chance of that.

The Death of Optimus Prime
John Barber, James Roberts Nick Roche

Either Optimus was sent three weeks into the future, or it took that long for him to become aware of where he was after opening the Matrix inside Vector Sigma. The Matrix is empty now, just a shell, and Cybertron has become an untamed wilderness, all except Iacon, where the remains of Kimia station are being used as a base. In those three weeks that he was out of the loop, spacecraft and non-aligned Transformers began returning to Cybertron, because Vector Sigma called them home. A lot of them do not like either Autobots or Decepticons, blaming them both for the war which wrecked their home planet. Metalhawk is essentially the spokesman for this group.

This issue sets up the new status quo going forward. Optimus Prime essentially abdicates and leaves Cybertron. Hot Rod plans to gather a crew and take a ship to find the Knights of Cybertron to restore the history and culture of the planet, while Bumblebee feels like he has to stay and help rebuilt the planet and their society. There are a number of good character moments for all involved, and despite the idea that the war was over back in the first issue of Costa's Transformers, this is clearly the first unambiguous post-war Transformers issue.

[andersonh1]

Pax Cybertronia
Transformers 31
Mike Costa, Casey Coller

It's a great little coda issue that could honestly have been a final issue for the continuity as a whole if they'd wanted, and that's what it feels like.

I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't, honestly. I thought it was a great final issue (that wasn't actually a final issue).

Don't they eventually decide that it was all a vision that Ironhide had due to being in close proximity to Vector Sigma when it was cleansed by the Matrix? I seem to remember that it affected him going forward because he was convinced he would survive into the distant future, and he was very optimistic because he believed the future would be so good.

[Ursus mellifera]

Don't they eventually decide that it was all a vision that Ironhide had due to being in close proximity to Vector Sigma when it was cleansed by the Matrix? I seem to remember that it affected him going forward because he was convinced he would survive into the distant future, and he was very optimistic because he believed the future would be so good.

That's pretty much exactly what happens, yeah. Ironhide decides that he's basically indestructible because he "knows" he's going to survive to the time he saw in his vision.

[Dominic]

Ironhide's "vision" was a back-write, much like the later reasoning for the Mirage "Spotlight" issue.

The end of Costa's run (likely with an editorial pusht) was beginning of "Transformers" deteriorating in to a more generic comic.

Yeah, he got a little too lucky. It's a case of a scenario that's hard to accept leading to a good story. It's not the fact that he killed Scrapper that bothers me, it's how he did it that makes me skeptical. But the consequences make for good storytelling.

It was not luck. It was....magic acid.

Whatever Spike threw on Scrapper was powerful stuff. It looked like Spike had maybe 10 ounces, and it destroyed Scrapper's head. (Related question, what was Spike carrying that stuff in.)

That was sloppy writing, but I would not call it the low point. ("Chaos Theory" was worse.)

[Ursus mellifera]

That was sloppy writing, but I would not call it the low point. ("Chaos Theory" was worse.)

I had stopped reading by then, I think. I really didn't like the Dead Universe, featuring, "Tonight the part of Unicron will be played by D-Void." We don't want to use the overpowered cosmic terror that already exists; let's make a new one, except instead of one big robot he'll be thousands of smaller robots. Cool idea, guys. I've seen Getter Robo, too, with Shin Dragon being so big that each scale is an individual jet plane.

I did not like D-Void.

[andersonh1]

D-Void wasn't enough of a character to annoy or interest me. I don't think he ever even spoke, he just did his work by influencing others, which means I tend to look at Galvatron as the main antagonist of the story, even though technically he's not. Even the "Deceptigod" combiner doesn't make a huge impression on me, though conceptually he's interesting.

I hadn't ever made the Unicron/D-Void connection, probably in part just because Unicron has a personality.

[Ursus mellifera]

I hadn't ever made the Unicron/D-Void connection, probably in part just because Unicron has a personality.

It's true. D-Void was "devoid" of characterization.

Thank you! I'll be here all week!!

[andersonh1]

I hadn't ever made the Unicron/D-Void connection, probably in part just because Unicron has a personality.

It's true. D-Void was "devoid" of characterization.

Thank you! I'll be here all week!!

He was indeed!


More Than Meets the Eye 1-3
Liars A to D
How To Say Goodbye and Mean it, Hangers On, The Chaos of Warm Things
James Roberts, Nick Roche, Alex Milne

Though these three issues are all given an umbrella title, they all have individual titles and don't really feel like a story arc per se. I'm going to lump them all together for review since the book does. Rodimus makes his sales pitch, recruits a crew of about 200, and gets ready to depart Cybertron to hunt down the Knights. A mishap with the quantum engines leaves everyone on Cybertron thinking the crew is dead, while the very much alive crew rescue those thrown overboad in the mishap, take on a new passenger in the form of Skids, and tangle with a spark-eater who has killed several of the crew.

I remember really enjoying the opening issues of this series before my enjoyment starting waning as the book ended the first year and moved into it's second. I'm curious to see if I react the same and if I still like and dislike the same things. I did enjoy these opening issues quite a bit after not having read them for a long time. A lot of characters are introduced, a lot of plotlines are set in motion, and it's clear from the start that Roberts likes writing "quippy" dialogue where characters joke, make asides, and just generally banter, though when the time comes for more serious conversation then we'll see that as well. I thought this book devolved into a sitcom down the road, but if that's true it's not there yet in these first three issues. There is a well-balanced blend of humor and drama that works in the book's favor. It's not all grim and gruesome, though there are elements that are both, and it's not all a laugh a minute.

There are character beats that don't line up with previous portrayls, such as Ratchet talking about how old he is and how his hands are failing him, when he was a physically capable combat medic back in Infiltration and Devastation. On the other hand, Cyclonus is consistent with what little we've seen of him in the past. Prowl is painted as a very shady character here, and we're meant to think or believe that he's responsible for the engine accident on board the Lost Light. I still like the foreshadowing message from the Lost Light back to Bumblebee (that he apparently does not hear) and I presume I'll see who sent it somewhere down the line. Tailgate's six million year "nap" is a particularly dark piece of humor, while Swerve's motormouth has not yet worn out its welcome.
I particularly appreciate the almost-monochrome flashback panel in issue 3. As I recall, this series spends a lot of time mining the past for storylines, which annoyed me at the time, but we'll see how it goes this time around. The fact that the Sparkeater doesn't attack Brainstorm calls forward to Dark Cybertron I think, where Brainstorm has been affected by the Dead Universe due to his study of it. Rodimus's plan to kill the sparkeater is again consistent with some of his reckless past behavior, making his character feel consistent.

I appreciate Alex Milne's art a lot more these days. I was disappointed that Roche only drew the first issue, but Milne is a great series regular. Three good issues, and this book is off to a good start. It's probably more Lost in Space with Transformers than Star Trek with Transformers, particularly with the crew of misfits. Onwards and upwards.

[andersonh1]

Robots in Disguise 1-5
John Barber, Andrew Griffith

These five issues are not a story arc that I can review as one, so I'll offer a few thoughts on each individual issue. Of note here is that most characters have been redesigned with "Cybertronian" vehicle modes, and each issue has a different character narrating events. The tone of this series contrasts with MTMTE, which mixes banter and humor with some pretty horrific events. RID has its share of humor, but it's a much more straightforward type of dramatic storytelling. MTMTE has a cast of lesser-used G1 characters while RID uses more prominent characters.

The Autonomy Lesson
Bumblebee and Metalhawk are essentially the government of Cybertron at this point, as ships of civilians (called NAILS by Prowl, "Non Aligned Indigenous Lifeforms", a term they resent) return to Cybertron. The Decepticons all have explosive ID chips in their heads and are generally confined, apart from those few who are willing to work for the Autobots. While Bumblebee attempts to assert his authority, Prowl often does exactly what he pleases, using Arcee as his secret enforcer. I think it's Arcee who tells Prowl at one point that she heard he'd "gone soft" on Earth, which Prowl denies, a nice reference to Prowl's, shall we say, less intense behavior in the Costa ongoing series. Bumblebee is determined to hold a memorial service for the crew of the Lost Light, who everyone believes are dead, and he also detonates the explosive in Horri-bull's head when the Decepticon won't stop beating a NAIL.

So much of the story is set up here: Bumblebee as a weak leader (who knows it and is trying to figure out a way to change that), the fact that most of Cybertron is dangerous and not safe to travel, Prowl coming down very hard on the Decepticons, and the resentment that many civilians hold towards both sides, because they feel both sides ruined the planet with their war.

The World and Everything In It
I especially enjoyed this Starscream-narrated issue where he leaves the Decepticons and by the end of the issue has essentially invited himself to be part of the government, joining Bumblebee and Metalhawk. His comments about doing something he's never tried before, telling the truth to an Autobot, are great. He warns Prowl that Ratbat plans to assassinate Bumblebee at the memorial, allowing Prowl to disrupt that plan, while Arcee kills Ratbat instead. I'm never quite sure whether Barber meant to imply that Prowl ordered the assassination or intended it, or whether Arcee just acted on her own. Prowl protests later that he didn't want it, but Arcee is not convinced, and neither am I. And we find out that the inhibitor chips are under the control of Soundwave, meaning the Decepticons allowed Horri-bull to be killed just to keep their cover.

Starscream joining the government is the start of a long-running storyline where he will end up solely in charge of the planet, so that's a major story development. Ratbat has been virtually a non-entity in IDW up until this point, apart from a scene here and there, so it's odd to see him both assert some authority and taken off the board so quickly. In these early issues it really did feel like Barber was killing off characters left and right, and that will get worse before it gets better, though not all of these deaths are what they appear to be, if I remember right.

[andersonh1]

Stick Together
Wheeljack gets to be the lead character in this technobabble issue. What appear to be terrorist bombings turn out to be Cybertron transmitting energy to it's two moons to reformat them just like the main planet, but because one moon is missing, the excess energy has nowhere to go. This very much feels like a Star Trek tech problem story that exists more to explore characters than it does to tell an interesting story. Starscream formally being invited to join the government and the Aerialbots' angry reaction are the highlights of the issue. And Dirge returns, revealing that he survived being stranded on Cybertron during AHM.

Devisive
A murder leads Prowl to investigate and go after Bombshell, who is apparently killed along with the surviving Constructicons. It really did look like Barber was whacking major characters left, right and center with this series, though as I remember none of these guys are actually dead, and Bombshell has taken control of Prowl with one of his cerebro shells by the end of the issue. Prowl and Blurr have a falling out this issue as well, which will factor into events down the road.

A Better Tomorrow
Ironhide takes the lead in this issue with his new attitude about life given his vision about the future, as seen in issue 31 of the previous series. We also get Sky-byte introduced into this continuity, and while he'll never be a major character, it's fun to have the character make the crossover from one RID series to another. This mellow, laid back and philosophical Ironhide makes a big change from the old, tired, angry Ironhide we saw in AHM, though of course he's since been killed and resurected as a much younger version, so changes are to be expected. He has no interest in resuming an old fued with Sky-byte, he persuades Blurr to open a new version of Maccadam's Old Oil House to give everyone a place to mix and mingle, and he persuades Bumblebee to remove the ID chips from the Decepticons. He is genuinely interested in a peaceful future and in making the future he saw happen.