The modern comics universe has had such a different take on G1, one that's significantly represented by the Generations toys, so they share a forum. A modern take on a Real Cybertronian Hero. Currently starring Generations toys, IDW "The Transformers" comics, MTMTE, TF vs GI Joe, and Windblade. Oh wait, and now Skybound, wheee!
Issue 19 was not bad. But, I could not get too excited about it. It is set-up for another event story.
So does this issue invalidate Furman's distant horizons ending to Revelation? Gorlam Prime appears to be dying entirely at the end of this issue, so it's not going to be renamed Cybertron in the future, since it doesn't have one. Maybe the time travel shenanigans earlier in the series changed its future somehow. If Wheeljack were still around to "play with science" instead of being butchered to show us how evil Bombshell/Prowl is, we might find out eventually. I miss having him as a cast member.
That might be why Barber killed Wheeljack. Besides giving Bombshell a chance to shine, killing Wheeljack was a good way to be rid of the character most likely to easily solve the "next big problem". (And, I am saying that as somebody who like Wheeljack. Come think of it, Barber is known to like Wheeljack as well. So, dead Wheeljack might still get to do something, maybe in the form of a legacy McGuffin or something.
Either way, the "nobody is safe" angle has always been a strong point for the property. I would hate to see it go away.
Starscream's difficulties as a leader are the main focus this issue. His lack of hard power is a definite problem. And, Barber does a good job or showing the difficulties that a schemer would have moving from "plotting in the shadows" to "leading in broad daylight". I am not terribly pleased to see Spoiler
that Wheeljack survived getting his head blown off a few issues ago.
. But, I am willing to sit and wait to see where Barber is going with this though. On a personal level, Barber made me glad that I have held on to my '96 Rattrap figure. And, Spoiler
Barber does a good job of showing why Starscream and Rattrap get along so well
I'm still keeping this book dropped, but I'll at least say it's nice to finally see alternate-timeline/continuity treatments of Beast Wars characters. With Waspinator last issue and Rattrap apparently in this one, it's good that someone's finally stepping out and creating new incarnations of those characters the way Geewun guys get reinvented twice a month, rather than acting like the 90's cartoon versions are the only versions that can ever exist.
Not that I expect Barber to do anything with them that'll be worth reading, but still, it's the thought that counts.
Barber's Rattrap made me....care about BW in the present tense.
He keeps enough of the old Rattrap to justify the name, but he does new things with the character that are likely to piss off at least some 90s toyhacks....and the comic is good.
Think about it. I have not liked BW since what....'10 at the latest? And even then, I was on the hostile side of indifference since '06 or so (the 10th anniversary). And, I had largely lost active interest in BW by '02. This comic makes me glad that I have a Rattrap (even if "best possible" is not saying much in this case).
Now, I can talk about a current iteration of a BW character and have something to say beyond "it was good to see them again".
Yeah, it was nice to see a version of Rattrap show up, and be the kind of sneaky, insubordinate character he was in early BW episodes. So when will Barber write Obsidian and Strika into the storyline, eh?
This issue feels like we're getting back on track after meandering for the last two months. Starscream's previous difficulties with a leadership role are mentioned, and it shows that if nothing else, he's become a little self-aware and thus capable of some growth. He's still a complete liar and backstabber though, and willing to lie, cheat, steal and kill to stay on top. I like the political machinations, pitting character against character like this.
Maybe I'm just going through one of those lulls that happens every so often, but I haven't been all that interested in any of the current storylines in any of the Transformers books recently. It's happened before, and six months from now I'll be back into them again I'm sure. I think the storylines have begun to just drag on, and I'm eager for something to happen in an issue other than marking time until the big event. I will admit, I've missed having Optimus Prime as a regular cast member, so it's always good to revisit his storyline, and Waspinator is an interesting choice of characters to include in the plot. How in the world can he pilot a Titan though? I guess all will be revealed in time. Waspinator being pursued by the components of Monstructor is not an image I ever thought I'd see.
So does this issue invalidate Furman's distant horizons ending to Revelation? Gorlam Prime appears to be dying entirely at the end of this issue, so it's not going to be renamed Cybertron in the future, since it doesn't have one. Maybe the time travel shenanigans earlier in the series changed its future somehow. If Wheeljack were still around to "play with science" instead of being butchered to show us how evil Bombshell/Prowl is, we might find out eventually. I miss having him as a cast member.
So, this issue should have been far more engaging than it was. I liked it, but I'm not being gripped by the plot. Here's hoping that changes soon.
I think Syndromica stuff has played too fast and loose with timestream issues and left the planet's new fate in question mark territory.
While it's nice to have "Orion Pax" in stories from time to time, I find the writing with him predictable enough that I prefer they more aggressively distance OP from Optimus Prime or they just leave him out altogether.
I also found issue 19 not as engaging as it purported to be, it felt by the numbers.
Dominic wrote:Issue 20:
Starscream's difficulties as a leader are the main focus this issue. His lack of hard power is a definite problem. And, Barber does a good job or showing the difficulties that a schemer would have moving from "plotting in the shadows" to "leading in broad daylight". I am not terribly pleased to see Spoiler
that Wheeljack survived getting his head blown off a few issues ago.
. But, I am willing to sit and wait to see where Barber is going with this though. On a personal level, Barber made me glad that I have held on to my '96 Rattrap figure. And, Spoiler
Barber does a good job of showing why Starscream and Rattrap get along so well
.
Grade: B
I give this a lower grade, a C. It's slow and wishy-washy on its position, at first it admits the flaws and facets open to Starscream being leader of Cybertron, but then it falls into standard SS bad guy routine. Rattrap's behavior is a bit heavy-handed and obvious, the reveal in the same issue makes it feel inconsequential. Scoop getting thrown over in the same issue while actually being effective is also a significant misstep IMO because a smarter leader would share that glory of Scoop's accomplishments in SS's name until more important work was completed. This felt like ideas that should have taken longer to tell smashed together in a very brief book that talked a lot but accomplished little with that talk.
See, that one's a camcorder, that one's a camera, that one's a phone, and they're doing "Speak no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil", get it?
Forgot to mention that I am happy to see Wheeljack being alive and in process of being repaired. I wasn't happy to see him apparently killed off and missed his role in the book. I'll be glad to see him back at some point.
I like Wheeljack as much as anybody else. But, he worked better dead. (Think about it. KIlling the most stable and competent member of any/either regime is a good way to make sure that the story is ripe for discord.) There is also the whole "he was dead but got better" problem that is common in comics....
I give this a lower grade, a C. It's slow and wishy-washy on its position, at first it admits the flaws and facets open to Starscream being leader of Cybertron, but then it falls into standard SS bad guy routine. Rattrap's behavior is a bit heavy-handed and obvious, the reveal in the same issue makes it feel inconsequential. Scoop getting thrown over in the same issue while actually being effective is also a significant misstep IMO because a smarter leader would share that glory of Scoop's accomplishments in SS's name until more important work was completed. This felt like ideas that should have taken longer to tell smashed together in a very brief book that talked a lot but accomplished little with that talk.
Yeah, it would have made more sense for Starscream to have co-opted Scoop and his crew. But, the whole point of the issue is that SS is not a very good leader. He is used to scheming and plotting for relatively short term gain. As stated in the issue, SS is unsure how to deal with legitimate friendship, let along honest civic-mindedness, ("...altruism is unpredictable").
Look at his musings about Metalhawk. As far as Starscream is concerned, killing MH was no big deal because MH was such a nice guy that he would have been willing to die for the greater good (Starscream's oh-so competent leadership).
Dominic wrote:I like Wheeljack as much as anybody else. But, he worked better dead. (Think about it. KIlling the most stable and competent member of any/either regime is a good way to make sure that the story is ripe for discord.) There is also the whole "he was dead but got better" problem that is common in comics....
I liked RID's use of Wheeljack quite a bit, he addressed problems that the rest of the series didn't show much interest in addressing, and he did so in a way that started merely on his own and yet was able to bring others into the fold. Killing him and taking that out was a plot necessity but I don't think it worked better, however once you go and do that you really can't just have him pull a Princess Bride and call it "only mostly dead" without it feeling cheap and lazy.
Yeah, it would have made more sense for Starscream to have co-opted Scoop and his crew. But, the whole point of the issue is that SS is not a very good leader. He is used to scheming and plotting for relatively short term gain. As stated in the issue, SS is unsure how to deal with legitimate friendship, let along honest civic-mindedness, ("...altruism is unpredictable").
Look at his musings about Metalhawk. As far as Starscream is concerned, killing MH was no big deal because MH was such a nice guy that he would have been willing to die for the greater good (Starscream's oh-so competent leadership).
That is my point, Starscream shouldn't be able to rise as far as he did in that single night without some level of competence. If SS cannot handle civic-mindedness, he's going to be running from his life come the second dawn of his term (not that we've had the first, apparently).
Killing MH was a necessity, he didn't take it lightly as you're suggesting, he simply did it because it was the thing to do that got him back on top with the NAILs.
See, that one's a camcorder, that one's a camera, that one's a phone, and they're doing "Speak no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil", get it?
liked RID's use of Wheeljack quite a bit, he addressed problems that the rest of the series didn't show much interest in addressing, and he did so in a way that started merely on his own and yet was able to bring others into the fold.
It is not that the "rest of the series" was not interested in addressing certain problems. It is that Wheeljack is the character that Barber used to address those problems.
Having Wheeljack (apparently) die created the impression that things were going to get worse because the most competent problem solver had been removed.
Having Wheeljack survive undoes that sense of instability. And, it is comes across like a shitty comic cliche. I will give Barber the benefit of the doubt for now. But, I would have much preferred that Wheeljack was actually dead.
