Re-Generation One (IDW retro G1)

[Onslaught Six]

Yeah, if not by the book directly, then by solicits and interviews and crap.

[Shockwave]

Spike is Circuit Smasher. That is established.

Where? It certainly wasn't in the comic (he only showed up on the last panel!)

[Onslaught Six]

"Transformers: Regeneration One #83
Simon Furman (w) • Andrew Wildman (a) • Wildman, Guido Guidi (c)
The Wreckers are on Earth—and their fates rest in the hands of… a human? A very particular human—Spike Witwicky, the Circuit Smasher! The AUTOBOTs learn what MEGATRON’s been doing the past 20 years… and OPTIMUS PRIME struggles to come to a decision about the future!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 "

[Shockwave]

It was in the ad for next ish. Got it. Didn't pay attention to that which is why I missed it.

Shockwave
-Is shutting the hell up now.

[Dominic]

Issue 83:
For those wondering, I picked up the Senior cover (which was available at the regular price locally). Guidi's cover art looks enough like Wildman's art style that I had to double check the credits on the inner cover. (Some of this is almost certainly the colourist and inker. But, the line art itself looks very similar to Wildman's art.)

Most of this issue is set on Earth and explicates about what happened in the last 20 years. Furman actually does a good job with the flash-back, giving enough information to answer the important questions while not getting weighed down on the minutia. There is a passing reference to "GI Joe", arguably making this a crossover story. But, as all the Joes are dead, I doubt that it will really matter to any one. Circuit Breaker makes a veiled appearance, and is strongly implied to have died off panel. (The Neo Knights only appeared in TF, and so are technically Hasbro characters. Circuit Breaker actually debuted during "Secret Wars II", and is thus off limits unless Marvel/Disney says otherwise. Given how aggressive Disney is known to be about such things, I am suprised that IDW went as far as it did in this issue.)


Dom
-notes the full page ad for MLP on the back cover.

[Shockwave]

I got the one with Spike on it (whichever one that is). This series is getting much better. Spike gives the obligatory history lesson, though the real interesting bit is the ideas on leadership that Prime passes to Hot Rod about appearing confident and unfailing while constantly questioning decisions at every turn. As Dom mentioned, Circuit Breaker was mentioned (and even shown, albeit without any real definition beyond "glowing electical human female") breifly. It seems that paved the way for Spike to become Circuit Smasher. Well that and his binary bonding with Fort Max. This issue also states the obvious questions arising from the previous issues. Most notably how did Megatron reanimate his dead warriors? And how did he gain other certain abilities as well. There certainly are a lot of interesting ideas presented in this issue and I'm curious to see how these will be played out.

[Dominic]

Megatron likely used skills that he would have picked up from being merged with Ratchet to repair and modify his fallen troops. (It amazes me how circular posts about this have been on other forums.)

I got the one with Spike on it (whichever one that is).

Wildman.

Prime passes to Hot Rod about appearing confident and unfailing while constantly questioning decisions at every turn.

True enough. This is a consistent thing in Furman's work. But, Furman has never before written Prime as actively passing the title. (Furman typically showed Prime brooding over leadership burdens.)


Dom
-well, it is better than the Fan Club comics...

[andersonh1]

I love the way the issue writes around Circuit Breaker. We see her twice, but she's never named and both times she's either partially obscured or doesn't look quite like she used to. Nice to see GB Blackrock make an appearance.

[Shockwave]

Megatron likely used skills that he would have picked up from being merged with Ratchet to repair and modify his fallen troops. (It amazes me how circular posts about this have been on other forums.)

I seriously doubt it. There's never been any mention that any of their skills were transferred between either one of them (Ratchet certainly never became more ruthless for having been merged with Megatron). And besides, this is an obviously major plot point so much so that Furman actually comes close to beating us over the head with it. This is clearly the classic Furman "build up to the big reveal of what's REALLY going on" manuevre.

[Dominic]

Their minds were linked at the end of the original series. And, it is the simplest explanation for Megatron's apparent technical know-how.

This series has really grown on my over the last few months.


Dom