Transformers: Unicron (discussion and speculation)

[Dominic]

I read a summary of recent "Optimus Prime" issues. Apparently, Barber undid or simply ignored the end of Windblade. (Scott closed out "Windblade" with Starscream incarcerated, but contrite. Barber keeps Starscream incarcerated, while writing Starscream as a generic incarcerated, and not remorseful, bad guy.)

Barber cannot even leave a change in status quo alone before a reboot. And, of course, he is the writer that is staying on the franchise.

[Dominic]

Requiem for the Wreckers:
The main theme for the third Wreckers story is best summed up as "past and parents". Interestingly, Roche specifically notes (in the back-matter) that Verity has aged and grown, arguably making this the last gasp of Transformers being something other than a generic comic (as Barber has made it).

Requiem reads like it was meant to be 5 or 6 issues, but compressed down to maybe 2 or 3 issues. This is probably a result of it being rushed out before the hard reboot of "Transformers: Unicron". The compression definitely hurts the pacing and breakdowns. (Too much happens on some pages, and in some panels.)

The ending would have made a better reason for a reboot than Unicron, which adds insult to injury.


Grade: C

[Dominic]

Unicron #1:

No real surprises. This issue more or less rehashes the zero issue from Free Comic Book Day. Worlds die...predictably. Barber is following the standard pattern for events, complete with all of the predictable beats. Put another way, Barber continues to make TF everything that I generally avoid in other comics.) Thus far "Unicron" is playing out like the DC events from the last 1 years. The end result is predicable, and the story behind it is one you have read dozens of times.

Unfortunately, this may be a good barometer of where the comics are going for the near future.

Grade: C

[Sparky Prime]

Unicron #1

Optimus Prime leads the charge against Unicron to defend Caminus, but standing in their way is an army of Maximals (made up of various beast characters). Soundwave attempts to reason with them, but the Maximals refuse to listen. Meanwhile, the Caminian citizens gather at their Space Bridge attempting to repair it to evacuate the planet. Optimus, Bumblebee and Arcee enter Unicron, looking for a way to stop the Chaos Bringer, and begin to find remains from the planets Unicron has devoured, including an ancient Omega Sentinel from Cybertron. Bumblebee wants to know if Optimus believes any of the stories, if he truly is the Arisen. Optimus replies that he doesn't know, but they are attacked by creatures, merged together from various planets that Unicron has eaten. These creatures easily over power them, prompting Bumblebee to request Soundwave teleport them out. The Mistress of Flame sacrifices herself against the Maximals for her people to escape to the Space Bridge and they evacuate as Unicron begins to devour the planet.

Back on Cybertron, Starscream talks with the captured Shockwave who says he has arranged all of this. Cybertron is next, but the core has been corrupted, which Shockwave believes will kill Unicron. After which, Shockwave says Starscream will become a messiah to the true Decepticon cause, leading them to conquering the universe. Optimus realizes that by declaring Earth a Cybertronian colony, he has put the planet in danger. And now only Cybertron and Carcer stand in his way. Bumblebee realizes they've only accounted for 12 colonies, they're still missing one. But before they can discuss the matter further, Starscream declares with Optimus' failure, he that he is back as Cybertron's leader...

--
While the story is familiar as far as it goes when it comes to Unicron plots, I wouldn't exactly call it standard. This is only just the first issue after all, so it is only establishing the story at this point, but there are some original elements that are hinted at coming into play later on as well. The internals of Unicron for example is interesting to see are a strange amalgamation of the various worlds Unicron has devoured, rather than having simply ingested them for power or whatever. It's also different to see the Transformers actively fighting against Unicron at the colonies, while still on the path to Cybertron, rather than the first battle taking place at Cybertron itself. Although we have yet to find out why the Maximals are fighting for Unicron, it's nice to see he has an army of his own, rather than just a very small group of Decepticons/Blentrons.

[Dominic]

While the story is familiar as far as it goes when it comes to Unicron plots, I wouldn't exactly call it standard.

This reads like a generic event comic.

The internals of Unicron for example is interesting to see are a strange amalgamation of the various worlds Unicron has devoured, rather than having simply ingested them for power or whatever.

I do not trust Barber to build this in to anything other than, at best, a cheap riff on Marvel's Battleworld (from the 2015 "Secret Wars").

It's also different to see the Transformers actively fighting against Unicron at the colonies, while still on the path to Cybertron, rather than the first battle taking place at Cybertron itself

"Characters are presented with threat....and lose....." Never seen that in an event comic before. This is house-cleaning with slasher-movie predictability.

Although we have yet to find out why the Maximals are fighting for Unicron, it's nice to see he has an army of his own, rather than just a very small group of Decepticons/Blentrons.

Is Barber a Gee-Whiner? Maybe this is him saying that G1 is the best and that the beast-era sucked?

I am hoping that this turns out better than I anticipate. But, it is being written by the least impressive of IDW's TF writers (who has made TF everything I do not like in comics), and he is the one guy who is guaranteed to stick around after the re-launch. It is hard for me to be upbeat about this.

[Sparky Prime]

This reads like a generic event comic.

It reads like it's setting things up for the rest of the story. It's only just the first issue. I don't think that's enough to go on to already be calling it a 'generic event'.

I do not trust Barber to build this in to anything other than, at best, a cheap riff on Marvel's Battleworld (from the 2015 "Secret Wars").

How would this turn into Battleworld? That involved several surviving versions of Marvel's universe clinging to existence thanks to Doom. This is just the IDW Transformers and Rom fighting against Unicron.

"Characters are presented with threat....and lose....." Never seen that in an event comic before. This is house-cleaning with slasher-movie predictability.

So you think they should have beaten Unicron? In the very first issue? That wouldn't be much of a story. What would they do for the next 5 issues? Besides, they did manage to evacuate the people of Caminus to Cybertron.

Is Barber a Gee-Whiner? Maybe this is him saying that G1 is the best and that the beast-era sucked?

I'd have to doubt it. Barber used Rattrap pretty heavily during his run on Transformers, and portrayed him favorably. And like I said, they have yet to reveal why the Maximals are working with Unicron, so that's likely something that'll yet be explained.

I am hoping that this turns out better than I anticipate. But, it is being written by the least impressive of IDW's TF writers (who has made TF everything I do not like in comics), and he is the one guy who is guaranteed to stick around after the re-launch. It is hard for me to be upbeat about this.

Something I've noticed about Barber (and Roberts) is that they write for the long-game. Some of the things that they established when they first started writing for Transformers are only just now paying off, years later. It makes it harder to judge their work based on just one issue.

[Dominic]

How would this turn into Battleworld? That involved several surviving versions of Marvel's universe clinging to existence thanks to Doom. This is just the IDW Transformers and Rom fighting against Unicron.

Battleworld was constructed of remnants of dead timelines that Marvel used as hints and a foundation about their next phase. In this case, Unicron is holding pieces of dead worlds...that might be the foundation of IDW's next phase.

Something I've noticed about Barber (and Roberts) is that they write for the long-game. Some of the things that they established when they first started writing for Transformers are only just now paying off, years later. It makes it harder to judge their work based on just one issue.

Roberts I will agree. But, Barber is just drawn out, and not about anything other than generic plots. I will read through this arc. But, I am not planning on being impressed.

[Sparky Prime]

Battleworld was constructed of remnants of dead timelines that Marvel used as hints and a foundation about their next phase. In this case, Unicron is holding pieces of dead worlds...that might be the foundation of IDW's next phase.

Battleworld was constructed from the remnants of a few universes that survived the destruction of the Marvel multiverse. But Battleworld was still segmented into different domains, with the individual domains still keeping their own individual identities of the universe they came from, and travel between them largely restricted. In no way did it hint at or lay the foundation of the next phase, as things went right back to the way they were before Secret Wars when Reed recreated the multiverse. With the one exception of the Ultimate universe ending and several of those characters joining the 616 universe.

That is not even close to what Barber is doing with Unicron in this story. The colony worlds he has eaten haven't maintained their own sense of individuality. They've been merged together to become an amalgamated extension of Unicron himself.

Roberts I will agree. But, Barber is just drawn out, and not about anything other than generic plots. I will read through this arc. But, I am not planning on being impressed.

Sounds to me like you're just letting your bias toward Barber make up your mind for you, with out really even giving the story itself a chance.

[Dominic]

I am biased against Barber for a reason. He has done more than any other writer to make TF in to "every generic comic" that I read TF to avoid. The big 2 have enough comics that I can usually find something to read, even if it is not a main-line series. (I did not care about "All New All Different" Avengers or Iron Man. But, damn if "the Vision" was not an amazing series.)

The problem with TF is that is usually only has 2 or 3 series (maybe 5 at most) at any given time. And, Barber has his hands in all of them to a degree. Barber just set Shockwave and Starscream back to 1985 spec. That is the kind of thing I expect from the big 2. I do not like it. But, I tolerate it from them. Now, TF is just another comic. And, as a property, it is becoming more of exactly the sort of comic that I avoid.

In no way did it hint at or lay the foundation of the next phase, as things went right back to the way they were before Secret Wars when Reed recreated the multiverse. With the one exception of the Ultimate universe ending and several of those characters joining the 616 universe.

Many of the follow-up series that were launched from "Secret Wars" (or tie-ins) ended up being cancelled. (I think that "Renew Your Vows" is the only one left at this point.) But, Marvel was open about using the tie-ins as launch points. (I really miss "Contest of Champions" and "Red Wolf". Oh, hell I miss those series....)

But, we need to wait and see what IDW does with this.

[Sparky Prime]

I am biased against Barber for a reason. He has done more than any other writer to make TF in to "every generic comic" that I read TF to avoid. The big 2 have enough comics that I can usually find something to read, even if it is not a main-line series. (I did not care about "All New All Different" Avengers or Iron Man. But, damn if "the Vision" was not an amazing series.)

I'm just not seeing your reasoning for saying he has done more than any other writer to make TF "every generic comic". How so? He's one of just a few writers to explore a post-war Cybertron and blur the lines of good an evil with many of the characters. While not every story he's written has been the most exciting, I'd have to say that's anything but "generic comic", given how the premise itself breaks away from the status quo of most TF stories.

Barber just set Shockwave and Starscream back to 1985 spec. That is the kind of thing I expect from the big 2. I do not like it. But, I tolerate it from them. Now, TF is just another comic. And, as a property, it is becoming more of exactly the sort of comic that I avoid.

Shockwave yeah. It is a bit disappointing he'd regained his pre-shadowplay persona at the end of Dark Cybertron, only for him to have reverted right back to his purely logical self immediately after. But, I'm not seeing that with Starscream. At least not yet, given we do not yet know what he will do returning to the "true Decepticon cause".

Many of the follow-up series that were launched from "Secret Wars" (or tie-ins) ended up being cancelled. (I think that "Renew Your Vows" is the only one left at this point.) But, Marvel was open about using the tie-ins as launch points. (I really miss "Contest of Champions" and "Red Wolf". Oh, hell I miss those series....)

A few follow-up series that just ended up being cancelled I'd hardly call the "foundation of their next phase" when they had no baring on the vast majority of their stories. The Marvel 616 universe basically just went back to the way it always was.

But, we need to wait and see what IDW does with this.

Exactly what I've been saying!