Transformers - ongoing series

[BWprowl]

I think Prime's main deal with surrendering to the humans might be that he's going to try to repair relations between TFs and Humans. By going there and actually *surrendering*, he shows that he Comes In Peace, and may be able to get an audience with Spike, and work something out so humans won't have to go and kill every Transformer they see.

My main issue with the Prowl scene, actually, is what the humans are really trying to accomplish. Clearly, they didn't actually intend to kill Breakdown; they only brought in the big guns to provoke a reaction from Prowl, so they could draw him out and capture him as well. But why are they capturing the TFs anyway? As Dom pointed out, it would be a lot easier for them to just destroy them on the spot, and we've seen before that a lot of the humans in Skywatch have no qualms about killing Transformers. So why go through all the trouble just to capture Prowl?

And yes, I realize that many of these points will likely be addressed in later issues.

For the record, I prefer my Optimus Prime characterization to be less on the stoic, super-confident side, and more doubtful. I like my Prime to have some *character* to him, rather than just being a big blank slab of leadership. 'Best of UK: Prey' had some really good Prime characterization, with Optimus actually doubting his *troops*, and I was quite enjoying it, but then I missed an issue and now I'm gonna need to wait for the trade. Still cool though.

[Shockwave]

You don't need to wait, the Titan version is already out.

I strongly suspect that we'll find out that Skywatch already had Breakdown in custody and conveniently released him just to draw Prowl out of hiding.

[andersonh1]

Continuum was exactly what AH1 said it was. The history of the TFs IDWverse so far and apparently rewritten to mesh as needed. It's useful if for no other reason than the chronology in the back showing how all the different books fit together chronologically. I had been going to compile my own list of how all of this relates in that way, but with this IDW has saved me the trouble.

That list is useful, particularly for me since I'm trying to play catch-up. As for the book itself, I'd prefer to have seen a timeline in outline form rather than what we got. If they hadn't messed up so many facts, the rewrites/re-emphasis of certain facts over others would have been much more palatable.

[Sparky Prime]

And, when did Prime take his stupid pills? I assume that it was sometime before he decided to hand himself over to a species known for killling and brutalizing Transformers.

That's a bit an over-dramatic assessment of the situation here Dom... Each case of humans killing or brutalizing a Transformer are isolated incidents. Lethal force wasn't used unless it was provoked. And brutalizing, was the result of a separate organization lead by a Decepticon. Optimus would know this. Optimus charging in and breaking down Skywatch's fence probably wasn't the brightest idea, but given he surrendered right away he wasn't provoking them into attacking him and as far as we've seen, Skywatch doesn't brutalize the Transformers they've captured.

As BWprowl commented, Optimus turning himself in is likely his attempt to repair relations between their species. And like I said before about Prowl, by putting himself on the line like this is a show of good faith. Obviously there is risk involved, but if the Autobots want to stay on Earth with out having another incident like with Prowl and Ironhide, they need to do something to be on good relations with humans. It makes sense Optimus would step up to do it like this.

[BWprowl]

You don't need to wait, the Titan version is already out.

Yeah, that would be awesome if any stores still actually carried it.

[Onslaught Six]

That's a bit an over-dramatic assessment of the situation here Dom... Each case of humans killing or brutalizing a Transformer are isolated incidents. Lethal force wasn't used unless it was provoked. And brutalizing, was the result of a separate organization lead by a Decepticon. Optimus would know this. Optimus charging in and breaking down Skywatch's fence probably wasn't the brightest idea, but given he surrendered right away he wasn't provoking them into attacking him and as far as we've seen, Skywatch doesn't brutalize the Transformers they've captured.

You're assuming there haven't been more captures and possible deaths in the three year gap, which I'm betting any money that there definitely has been. After all, they needed to steal the technology for mechsuits from someone.

[Shockwave]

You don't need to wait, the Titan version is already out.

Yeah, that would be awesome if any stores still actually carried it.

I see the Titan collections at my area comic shops all the time. It's usually Dinobot Hunt, but I see other ones too. Feel free to PM me if you want me to see if I can nab one for ya.

[Sparky Prime]

You're assuming there haven't been more captures and possible deaths in the three year gap, which I'm betting any money that there definitely has been. After all, they needed to steal the technology for mechsuits from someone.

I'm not assuming that at all actually. Rather, I completely agree, Skywatch probably has captured several Transformers in that gap of time. As is implied in what they say about the Mechsuits: "Plus, they run on energon, which is in short supply." "Yeah, they capture us, then they steal from us."

However, given Prowl's comment "Decepticon or no, they can't just start executing us!" suggests that Skywatch hasn't killed any Transformers they've gone after and captured yet. And while they may have been stealing technology and energon from the Transformers they've captured, it doesn't mean they've been brutalizing them.

[Shockwave]

And I'm going to futher theorize that Breakdown was one of the they've captured in that time and that they released him just to draw Prowl out of hiding.

[Dominic]

Given how many people Breakdown could have killed, that puts a new gloss on Spike and co if the "release as bait" theory is true.


2 points:
-"Coda" shows Decepticons being captured/killed by Skywatch. That confirms the "they had to get the tech somehow" theory.

-With all the talk about Prowl, I almost forgot to point out how unprincipled the other Autobots are. They mount a rescue for Prowl, but they do not seem to have made the same effort for Gears and Windcharger.

Dom
-really hopes this series goes better than it seems to be....