Dreamwave G1 read-through
- andersonh1
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
Transformers The War Within #5
February 2003
Story - Simon Furman, Pencils - Don Figeroa, Inks - Elaine To, Colors - Rob Ruffalo
What a great painted cover. I actually have both the one with Grimlock and his crew, and the Pat Lee Optimus cover, making this the only War Within issue where I have multiple covers, and I honestly can't remember why I got both. It was 20 years ago after all. It could be that the Pat Lee cover was the only one available, and then I found Don's later and got both. At any rate, we get another hand and forearm as someone with treads for arms fights Megatron. I presume it's meant to be Grimlock, given the narration, and looking back at the Preview issue reveals that he did indeed have those treads on his arms then, and when I went looking later this issue, he still has them now. I'd never noticed. So Grimlock was opposing Megatron (and losing, it appears!) before he opposed Optimus, and Kup's aware of Grimlock's past, pushing Grimlock enough that Grimlock pushes back. It's a great scene that tells us a lot about Grimlock.
In Iacon, the Decepticons are wrecking the place, and Shockwave is absolutely in charge and deadly, taking out Omega Sentinels in gun mode. This is the Shockwave I like to see. Prowl leads the defense, with every Autobot under his command willing to give it all they have and sacrifice everything so Autobots elsewhere can fortify their positions. It's a rebuke of Optimus Prime's instructions to evacuate, no doubt. I like this Prowl more than I ever liked the monster IDW gave us.
Grimlock and crew discover the engines and realize something other than the war is going on. I like Grimlock's solution here: don't waste time discovering the enemy plan, just take out the threat. He leaves Kup, Ironhide and Wheeljack to do that while he continues after Optimus.
And here's where we get what appears to be a scene tying this into the G1 animated series as Megatron and Optimus view the fight on top of Sherman Dam. I felt from the start that Prime Directive was meant to be set in some version of the animated continuity, and this only confirmed it for me. I like that Megatron is written here as quicker to understand what the Matrix is showing than Optimus is, given that he's spent far longer trying to understand Cybertron's mysteries. Contrast that with Starscream, ready to activate the mechaforming technology and win the war outright, criticizing Megatron for "dabbling in obsolete technology". Starscream has no patience to plan and learn, he's got what he thinks is the path to victory in front of him and he's taking it right now, despite warnings from Scrapper. Optimus and Megatron's visions of the future continue, and this time it's the Headmaster and Targetmaster era, with a giant Fortress Maximus and Hot Rod fighting. Megatron takes it all as a sign that he will be successful and expand well beyond Cybertron, with the Autobots unable to stop him.
I love the page where Grimlock follows Optimus's path down into the depths, with nothing but grunting as he finds the injured Decepticon attackers, the secret passage and the wrecked bridge. His opinion of Optimus might be improving, seeing that he probably didn't expect Prime to survive like this, but who can say?
The Matrix/Cybertron/some combination of the two removes Optimus before Megatron can attack him again and brings him to Grimlock. Optimus says that Megatron must be stopped, that what he knows cannot get out, and Grimlock rightly lectures him on his responsibility to his followers. He out and out says that either Prime goes and kills Megatron, or Grimlock will bury him down here. And the final pages are chaos and battle as Starscream activates the mechaforming program. To be concluded....
That was a big step up from the last issue, and we're back on track. Grimlock is easily the star of the issue with all that is revealed about him and his past, but Prowl and the other Autobots willing to die on the front lines in Iacon come across very well also. Optimus needs to kick his fighting into high gear though, he's being manhandled by Megatron for the second issue in a row. I don't want him to be savage and brutal, but he should be able to give as well as he gets. Megatron's intelligence and willingness to learn and understand, contrasted with Starscream's small-minded impatience, would be admirable if not turned to such violent and oppressive goals. 9 out of 10 for this issue, easily.
February 2003
Story - Simon Furman, Pencils - Don Figeroa, Inks - Elaine To, Colors - Rob Ruffalo
What a great painted cover. I actually have both the one with Grimlock and his crew, and the Pat Lee Optimus cover, making this the only War Within issue where I have multiple covers, and I honestly can't remember why I got both. It was 20 years ago after all. It could be that the Pat Lee cover was the only one available, and then I found Don's later and got both. At any rate, we get another hand and forearm as someone with treads for arms fights Megatron. I presume it's meant to be Grimlock, given the narration, and looking back at the Preview issue reveals that he did indeed have those treads on his arms then, and when I went looking later this issue, he still has them now. I'd never noticed. So Grimlock was opposing Megatron (and losing, it appears!) before he opposed Optimus, and Kup's aware of Grimlock's past, pushing Grimlock enough that Grimlock pushes back. It's a great scene that tells us a lot about Grimlock.
In Iacon, the Decepticons are wrecking the place, and Shockwave is absolutely in charge and deadly, taking out Omega Sentinels in gun mode. This is the Shockwave I like to see. Prowl leads the defense, with every Autobot under his command willing to give it all they have and sacrifice everything so Autobots elsewhere can fortify their positions. It's a rebuke of Optimus Prime's instructions to evacuate, no doubt. I like this Prowl more than I ever liked the monster IDW gave us.
Grimlock and crew discover the engines and realize something other than the war is going on. I like Grimlock's solution here: don't waste time discovering the enemy plan, just take out the threat. He leaves Kup, Ironhide and Wheeljack to do that while he continues after Optimus.
And here's where we get what appears to be a scene tying this into the G1 animated series as Megatron and Optimus view the fight on top of Sherman Dam. I felt from the start that Prime Directive was meant to be set in some version of the animated continuity, and this only confirmed it for me. I like that Megatron is written here as quicker to understand what the Matrix is showing than Optimus is, given that he's spent far longer trying to understand Cybertron's mysteries. Contrast that with Starscream, ready to activate the mechaforming technology and win the war outright, criticizing Megatron for "dabbling in obsolete technology". Starscream has no patience to plan and learn, he's got what he thinks is the path to victory in front of him and he's taking it right now, despite warnings from Scrapper. Optimus and Megatron's visions of the future continue, and this time it's the Headmaster and Targetmaster era, with a giant Fortress Maximus and Hot Rod fighting. Megatron takes it all as a sign that he will be successful and expand well beyond Cybertron, with the Autobots unable to stop him.
I love the page where Grimlock follows Optimus's path down into the depths, with nothing but grunting as he finds the injured Decepticon attackers, the secret passage and the wrecked bridge. His opinion of Optimus might be improving, seeing that he probably didn't expect Prime to survive like this, but who can say?
The Matrix/Cybertron/some combination of the two removes Optimus before Megatron can attack him again and brings him to Grimlock. Optimus says that Megatron must be stopped, that what he knows cannot get out, and Grimlock rightly lectures him on his responsibility to his followers. He out and out says that either Prime goes and kills Megatron, or Grimlock will bury him down here. And the final pages are chaos and battle as Starscream activates the mechaforming program. To be concluded....
That was a big step up from the last issue, and we're back on track. Grimlock is easily the star of the issue with all that is revealed about him and his past, but Prowl and the other Autobots willing to die on the front lines in Iacon come across very well also. Optimus needs to kick his fighting into high gear though, he's being manhandled by Megatron for the second issue in a row. I don't want him to be savage and brutal, but he should be able to give as well as he gets. Megatron's intelligence and willingness to learn and understand, contrasted with Starscream's small-minded impatience, would be admirable if not turned to such violent and oppressive goals. 9 out of 10 for this issue, easily.
- andersonh1
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
Transformers The War Within #6
March 2003
Story - Simon Furman, Pencils - Don Figeroa, Inks - Elaine To, Colors - Rob Ruffalo
The final "hand and forearm" opening is Optimus Prime himself, when the elders gave him the Matrix. I'm not sure if the "cd" is meant to be a reference to the golden disk from Beast Wars or not. But the phrase "dark times" from the narration stands out as the page turns and the devastation to Iacon from Starscream's activation of the terraforming option is just massive.
Beneath the surface, far removed from the devastation, Optimus hunts Megatron, armed with Grimlock's sword, while Ironhid, Kup and Wheeljack take on the Constructicons. Starscream is caught up in the moment, convinced that the mechaforming has solved his problems both with the Autobots and Shockwave, but Shockwave has survived and pulls the Decepticon army out before they all go down with the city. The surviving Autobots, including Prowl and Jazz, need to evacuate as well.
It's the fight between Optimus and Megatron that stands out to me here, and it just seems hard to credit the idea that Optimus can so thoroughly turn the tables on Megatron and beat him so badly, given how Megatron has had the upper hand for the past two issues and clearly appeared to be the better combatant of the two. It seems that from what Optimus says here, he was holding back and was simply unwilling to fight as brutally as Megatron, but now he is willing to do so. I'm not sure I buy it, honestly. It's good to see that Optimus is in fact Megatron's equal, as he should be, but I guess I just have mixed feelings about the seeming ease with which he suddenly is able to beat his formerly unbeatable opponent.
From here, Optimus shows up at the battle where Kup and Ironhide are pinned down not long after Grimlock does and quickly takes command. Grimlock objects, but Optimus doesn't back down, and even gives Grimlock the old death glare at one point. It's Wheeljack who stops the engines after everyone runs for it or evacuates on Prime's orders, and on the surface Prime publicly reverses his earler stance about evacuation, understanding far more of the big picture now than he did then. As it had to be, given that this is a prequel, no major characters die in the chaos, and Optimus did not kill Megatron. The theme of the series is restated in the final pages as Optimus characterizes the war to be more than killers is just as important as the war with the Decepticons. And the disk from the first page is finally explained as a gift to Optimus of "the combined wisdom of those who came before him", which he discards in favor of finding his own path.
I don't think the story quite sticks the landing as well as it could, but Furman really can't resolve very much, given that it's set in the distant past and so many characters have to survive to appear in the present day. Megatron was always going to survive, and the war was always going to go on, no matter what happened in these six issues. I think the strengths of this series lie largely in the art and the characterization (with one exception), both of which are extremely strong, but the overall plot depends on how well Optimus Prime's character arc holds up. I think it mostly works, even if visions of the future might be a bit too fantastic a motivator for Prime's change of heart. Starscream just losing his mind is a part of this series that always annoys me as well. As much as I love Simon Furman's take on Grimlock, I really don't like his characterization of Starscream, who is fine through issue 3, but who goes off the rails in the latter half of the series.
I'm going to give a final grade of 7/10 for the last issue, and 9/10 for the series as a whole. The art and characters are strong for all six issues (other than Starscream during the second half), but while the plot starts very strong, it bogs down a bit in the middle, and ends with an "everything explodes" bit of chaos that is mostly earned, but still feels like a means to break up the action and put a pause on it simply because the story has to end here. Still, this mini-series was a tremendous improvement over "Prime Directive" in every way, and remains one of my favorite Transformers series ever. The flaws are there, but it has far more strengths than flaws.
March 2003
Story - Simon Furman, Pencils - Don Figeroa, Inks - Elaine To, Colors - Rob Ruffalo
The final "hand and forearm" opening is Optimus Prime himself, when the elders gave him the Matrix. I'm not sure if the "cd" is meant to be a reference to the golden disk from Beast Wars or not. But the phrase "dark times" from the narration stands out as the page turns and the devastation to Iacon from Starscream's activation of the terraforming option is just massive.
Beneath the surface, far removed from the devastation, Optimus hunts Megatron, armed with Grimlock's sword, while Ironhid, Kup and Wheeljack take on the Constructicons. Starscream is caught up in the moment, convinced that the mechaforming has solved his problems both with the Autobots and Shockwave, but Shockwave has survived and pulls the Decepticon army out before they all go down with the city. The surviving Autobots, including Prowl and Jazz, need to evacuate as well.
It's the fight between Optimus and Megatron that stands out to me here, and it just seems hard to credit the idea that Optimus can so thoroughly turn the tables on Megatron and beat him so badly, given how Megatron has had the upper hand for the past two issues and clearly appeared to be the better combatant of the two. It seems that from what Optimus says here, he was holding back and was simply unwilling to fight as brutally as Megatron, but now he is willing to do so. I'm not sure I buy it, honestly. It's good to see that Optimus is in fact Megatron's equal, as he should be, but I guess I just have mixed feelings about the seeming ease with which he suddenly is able to beat his formerly unbeatable opponent.
From here, Optimus shows up at the battle where Kup and Ironhide are pinned down not long after Grimlock does and quickly takes command. Grimlock objects, but Optimus doesn't back down, and even gives Grimlock the old death glare at one point. It's Wheeljack who stops the engines after everyone runs for it or evacuates on Prime's orders, and on the surface Prime publicly reverses his earler stance about evacuation, understanding far more of the big picture now than he did then. As it had to be, given that this is a prequel, no major characters die in the chaos, and Optimus did not kill Megatron. The theme of the series is restated in the final pages as Optimus characterizes the war to be more than killers is just as important as the war with the Decepticons. And the disk from the first page is finally explained as a gift to Optimus of "the combined wisdom of those who came before him", which he discards in favor of finding his own path.
I don't think the story quite sticks the landing as well as it could, but Furman really can't resolve very much, given that it's set in the distant past and so many characters have to survive to appear in the present day. Megatron was always going to survive, and the war was always going to go on, no matter what happened in these six issues. I think the strengths of this series lie largely in the art and the characterization (with one exception), both of which are extremely strong, but the overall plot depends on how well Optimus Prime's character arc holds up. I think it mostly works, even if visions of the future might be a bit too fantastic a motivator for Prime's change of heart. Starscream just losing his mind is a part of this series that always annoys me as well. As much as I love Simon Furman's take on Grimlock, I really don't like his characterization of Starscream, who is fine through issue 3, but who goes off the rails in the latter half of the series.
I'm going to give a final grade of 7/10 for the last issue, and 9/10 for the series as a whole. The art and characters are strong for all six issues (other than Starscream during the second half), but while the plot starts very strong, it bogs down a bit in the middle, and ends with an "everything explodes" bit of chaos that is mostly earned, but still feels like a means to break up the action and put a pause on it simply because the story has to end here. Still, this mini-series was a tremendous improvement over "Prime Directive" in every way, and remains one of my favorite Transformers series ever. The flaws are there, but it has far more strengths than flaws.
- andersonh1
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
Transformers G1 volume 2 preview
December 2002
Story - Chris Sarracini, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
After Don Figeroa's wonderful art, it's a shame to go back to Pat Lee. He can draw, yes, but not like Don. I still love the coloring though. I get a bit of deja vu from the preview for volume 1 as once again we start with humans having a discussion up near the arctic. A fishing boat travels through the gulf of Alaska when they run across a bunch of dead whales floating in the water with shards of metal sticking out of them. Sarracini is definitely going for shock value here, and I think the choice to have one of the shards of metal displaying the Autobot insignia is meant to do the same thing. Was it a ship exploding that killed the whales? A crazy Autobot slaughtering wildlife? Or something else entirely?
The story shifts to Spike and Optimus Prime standing out in the desert with Optimus having a strange sense of foreboding. He suffers some sort of attack and falls from the cliff to the desert floor below, right after telling Spike that "something terrible is on the way..."
Back in the Gulf, divers go down to see what they can learn about the dead whales, and what they find is some sort of Autobot ship half buried in the sediment beneath the bay. To be continued...
So I guess I hadn't read this before. I've seen that last panel with the Autobot ship, but none of the rest of it was familiar to me at all. There's not a lot to review, this is all a series of teasers for whatever story Sarracini planned to tell, but since he didn't write the second volume, we'll never get the answers. Other than from wiki summaries, of course. I wouldn't say this is particularly bad. It's a perfectly serviceable teaser that does what it's designed to do: set up a mystery and throw out some hints that will hopefully get readers interested enough to come back for the forthcoming six issue series to see how the questions are answered. It's not stellar storytelling, and it's not terrible, it's a teaser trailer that does what it's meant to do and little more.
A number grade is difficult, given how little substance there is and given how the story being set up here won't happen. I'll go with 5 out of 10, dead center on the grading scale. It's not bad, it's not great, but it does what it's meant to do well enough. I'd have been interested to see what the answers to the questions set up here turned out to be, based on this preview, so I guess that makes it a success.
December 2002
Story - Chris Sarracini, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
After Don Figeroa's wonderful art, it's a shame to go back to Pat Lee. He can draw, yes, but not like Don. I still love the coloring though. I get a bit of deja vu from the preview for volume 1 as once again we start with humans having a discussion up near the arctic. A fishing boat travels through the gulf of Alaska when they run across a bunch of dead whales floating in the water with shards of metal sticking out of them. Sarracini is definitely going for shock value here, and I think the choice to have one of the shards of metal displaying the Autobot insignia is meant to do the same thing. Was it a ship exploding that killed the whales? A crazy Autobot slaughtering wildlife? Or something else entirely?
The story shifts to Spike and Optimus Prime standing out in the desert with Optimus having a strange sense of foreboding. He suffers some sort of attack and falls from the cliff to the desert floor below, right after telling Spike that "something terrible is on the way..."
Back in the Gulf, divers go down to see what they can learn about the dead whales, and what they find is some sort of Autobot ship half buried in the sediment beneath the bay. To be continued...
So I guess I hadn't read this before. I've seen that last panel with the Autobot ship, but none of the rest of it was familiar to me at all. There's not a lot to review, this is all a series of teasers for whatever story Sarracini planned to tell, but since he didn't write the second volume, we'll never get the answers. Other than from wiki summaries, of course. I wouldn't say this is particularly bad. It's a perfectly serviceable teaser that does what it's designed to do: set up a mystery and throw out some hints that will hopefully get readers interested enough to come back for the forthcoming six issue series to see how the questions are answered. It's not stellar storytelling, and it's not terrible, it's a teaser trailer that does what it's meant to do and little more.
A number grade is difficult, given how little substance there is and given how the story being set up here won't happen. I'll go with 5 out of 10, dead center on the grading scale. It's not bad, it's not great, but it does what it's meant to do well enough. I'd have been interested to see what the answers to the questions set up here turned out to be, based on this preview, so I guess that makes it a success.
- Sparky Prime
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
According to the wiki, it was never published on its own. The art, without any text, was available online (which I vaguely recall seeing back in the day) and it was included in the volume 1 tpb but it wasn't the most accessible of Dreamwave's stories. Chris Sarracini would be replaced with James McDonough (aka Brad Mick) on volume 2, so ultimately the story this preview was setting up was entirely dropped anyway.andersonh1 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 12, 2022 8:42 amSo I guess I hadn't read this before. I've seen that last panel with the Autobot ship, but none of the rest of it was familiar to me at all.
- andersonh1
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
If it was never published on its own, that would explain why I hadn't read it. Interesting. They do reference it more than I realized in issue 1.
Transformers G1 volume 2 #1
April 2003
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
The fold out cover on my copy is the one with Optimus, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Blaster and others fighting the Decepticon triple-changers. Yeah, proportions are odd, but I will admit to enjoying the energy and varied angles of all the characters. This is not a dull, static cover. Unfold it and on the inside is one of Figeroa's hands from War Within as part of the art announcing the new Dreamwave website. The contents page titles the series "War and Peace" with the chapter named "New World Order". A photo of G1 Sideswipe sits beside the credits as short summaries let us know that a year has passed since the last series. Optimus's vision of doom from Sarracini's preview issue is mentioned here, and so is the crashed ship from the preview (though here what we see is a pod on the surface rather than the underwater ship, but I assume that the two are meant to be linked), so an attempt is made to tie the preview for what would have been a very different story into this series, something I have to appreciate.
There's no slow buildup to the Transformers here, the splash page shows all out combat between Autobot and Decepticon, with Prime and Megatron front and center. Optimus Prime narrates the opening of the issue recalling the pain he felt and how his visions led the Autobots to Alaska. The two page spread that follows is chaotic and doesn't really flow as it should to tell the story, but then if I were charitable I could say it mirrors the chaos of the battle. Optimus turns the tables on Megatron only for Scourge to climb out of the pod and declare the war over, and both factions dead. Before he can say any more he is shot by Shockwave, who announces himself as ruler of Cybertron and declares all the Autobots and Decepticons in front of him to be criminals.
So a lot happens in five pages. Shockwave tells Optimus that the war has ended, and Cybertron is "an energy producing machine of limitless potential". Megatron is having none of this and shoots Shockwave, who commands the triple-changers to attack. Grimlock joins the fight at this point, stopping Blitzwing from shooting Optimus, while Shockwave rather impressively takes out Megatron. This is very much Marvel Comics Shockwave, who I can easily believe really could beat Megatron in a fair fight. While the Autobots retreat, Shockwave brings the Decepticons to heel by how he defeated Megatron. Starscream, ever the one to kiss up to the guy in charge (at least at first) is ready to sign up.
One of the things I enjoyed about this issue the first time I read it, which I still appreciate, is how much better James McDonough/Brad Mick captures the voices and personalities of the characters than Sarracini did. Unlike the first mini-series, pretty much everyone feels like themselves here. Bluestreak gets to reference the destruction of his home city from his G1 tech spec. We get dialogue inspired by the cartoon like "dino-dummy" or "it makes my circuits sizzle." There's a Beast Wars reference as Ramjet refers to "the Inferno". There's a real mix of all that came before here, and it really works for me. The appearance of Ultra Magnus on Shockwave's side is a great plot twist.
And Starscream finally gets in that kill shot (nearly) on Megatron. All it took was for Shockwave to nearly kill him first! The cliffhanger for the issue is a good one, with Megatron floating in space, eyes dark, with chunks of his plating and his "helmet" off his head. Not for a moment do I believe he's gone for good, but still... it's a classic Starscream "kick him when he's down" moment.
And that's the issue. The next page puts Magnus front and center in advertising "next month!". In the back are ads for "the ultimate guide to Generation 1", MTMTE #3. I remember I had no trouble finding the first issue, or issues 3-8 of that series, but it had sold so well that it was only months later that I was able to get a copy of issue #2 off Ebay for something like $20. The War Within trade paperback is the next ad, and then a hardcover edition of the first miniseries, and then an add for the Toys R' Us "Autobot Jazz" commemmorative series reissue. There's even the Rhino editions of the G1 cartoon advertised. The ads bring back almost as many memories as the comic does.
This is a pretty good issue. Better characterization than we got in the first mini-series, no time spent with humans that we don't want to see, Transformers fighting right from the opening page, and a mystery about what happened on Cybertron while Optimus and Megatron's crews were on Earth. I'm not quite putting it up there with War Within, but it's honestly not far behind, which surprised me. I don't like Pat Lee's art as much as I like Don Figeroa's, but it gets the job done here. Some characters look great, some don't, some are inconsistent. I think I'm going to call this one of Lee's better issues. For all of his proportional problems and his "puffy bots", his art is full of energy. I think back to some of the static, awkward, boxy art from the Marvel Transformers series by comparison, and I'll take what we got in this issue any day. It feels like it might be slightly too generous, but I'm going with 8 out of 10.
Transformers G1 volume 2 #1
April 2003
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
The fold out cover on my copy is the one with Optimus, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Blaster and others fighting the Decepticon triple-changers. Yeah, proportions are odd, but I will admit to enjoying the energy and varied angles of all the characters. This is not a dull, static cover. Unfold it and on the inside is one of Figeroa's hands from War Within as part of the art announcing the new Dreamwave website. The contents page titles the series "War and Peace" with the chapter named "New World Order". A photo of G1 Sideswipe sits beside the credits as short summaries let us know that a year has passed since the last series. Optimus's vision of doom from Sarracini's preview issue is mentioned here, and so is the crashed ship from the preview (though here what we see is a pod on the surface rather than the underwater ship, but I assume that the two are meant to be linked), so an attempt is made to tie the preview for what would have been a very different story into this series, something I have to appreciate.
There's no slow buildup to the Transformers here, the splash page shows all out combat between Autobot and Decepticon, with Prime and Megatron front and center. Optimus Prime narrates the opening of the issue recalling the pain he felt and how his visions led the Autobots to Alaska. The two page spread that follows is chaotic and doesn't really flow as it should to tell the story, but then if I were charitable I could say it mirrors the chaos of the battle. Optimus turns the tables on Megatron only for Scourge to climb out of the pod and declare the war over, and both factions dead. Before he can say any more he is shot by Shockwave, who announces himself as ruler of Cybertron and declares all the Autobots and Decepticons in front of him to be criminals.
So a lot happens in five pages. Shockwave tells Optimus that the war has ended, and Cybertron is "an energy producing machine of limitless potential". Megatron is having none of this and shoots Shockwave, who commands the triple-changers to attack. Grimlock joins the fight at this point, stopping Blitzwing from shooting Optimus, while Shockwave rather impressively takes out Megatron. This is very much Marvel Comics Shockwave, who I can easily believe really could beat Megatron in a fair fight. While the Autobots retreat, Shockwave brings the Decepticons to heel by how he defeated Megatron. Starscream, ever the one to kiss up to the guy in charge (at least at first) is ready to sign up.
One of the things I enjoyed about this issue the first time I read it, which I still appreciate, is how much better James McDonough/Brad Mick captures the voices and personalities of the characters than Sarracini did. Unlike the first mini-series, pretty much everyone feels like themselves here. Bluestreak gets to reference the destruction of his home city from his G1 tech spec. We get dialogue inspired by the cartoon like "dino-dummy" or "it makes my circuits sizzle." There's a Beast Wars reference as Ramjet refers to "the Inferno". There's a real mix of all that came before here, and it really works for me. The appearance of Ultra Magnus on Shockwave's side is a great plot twist.
And Starscream finally gets in that kill shot (nearly) on Megatron. All it took was for Shockwave to nearly kill him first! The cliffhanger for the issue is a good one, with Megatron floating in space, eyes dark, with chunks of his plating and his "helmet" off his head. Not for a moment do I believe he's gone for good, but still... it's a classic Starscream "kick him when he's down" moment.
And that's the issue. The next page puts Magnus front and center in advertising "next month!". In the back are ads for "the ultimate guide to Generation 1", MTMTE #3. I remember I had no trouble finding the first issue, or issues 3-8 of that series, but it had sold so well that it was only months later that I was able to get a copy of issue #2 off Ebay for something like $20. The War Within trade paperback is the next ad, and then a hardcover edition of the first miniseries, and then an add for the Toys R' Us "Autobot Jazz" commemmorative series reissue. There's even the Rhino editions of the G1 cartoon advertised. The ads bring back almost as many memories as the comic does.
This is a pretty good issue. Better characterization than we got in the first mini-series, no time spent with humans that we don't want to see, Transformers fighting right from the opening page, and a mystery about what happened on Cybertron while Optimus and Megatron's crews were on Earth. I'm not quite putting it up there with War Within, but it's honestly not far behind, which surprised me. I don't like Pat Lee's art as much as I like Don Figeroa's, but it gets the job done here. Some characters look great, some don't, some are inconsistent. I think I'm going to call this one of Lee's better issues. For all of his proportional problems and his "puffy bots", his art is full of energy. I think back to some of the static, awkward, boxy art from the Marvel Transformers series by comparison, and I'll take what we got in this issue any day. It feels like it might be slightly too generous, but I'm going with 8 out of 10.
Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
I like McDonough's writing.
But, I wanted more from Sarracini. (I want not completely done with Furman 20 years ago. But, I was not happy with hoe DreamWave sidelined Sarracini so quickly on "Armada".
But, I wanted more from Sarracini. (I want not completely done with Furman 20 years ago. But, I was not happy with hoe DreamWave sidelined Sarracini so quickly on "Armada".
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
Yeah, I think I enjoyed his writing better over in Armada than I did in G1. But then Furman came in and gave us some great stories, so I don't regret Sarracini leaving all that much.
Transformers G1 volume 2 #2
May 2003
"War and Peace" Ch. 2 "Brothers' Burden"
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
Ramjet working for Ultra Magnus is quite an opening pair of pages, though as Optimus quickly reminds Jazz, Magnus hasn't sided with Decepticons, but with Shockwave and Cybertron. Grimlock having the nerve to call Magnus a traitor gets on Jazz's last nerve. Meanwhile Shockwave isn't putting up with Starscream's backstabbing, he gets one warning and then he's toast. Brad Mick shows in just a few pages how much things have changed with a few short scenes, and then we see Cybertron itself, complete with Topspin and Twin Twist to greet Shockwave's ship as it arrives. Mick seems to be really trying to sell the idea of a unified Cybertron. But of course, even the first time I read this I knew full well that Shockwave had not changed, and the Decepticons under his command certainly have not. I spent a lot of my time while reading this series waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think somewhere in the story there needed to be a better effort made to convince the reader, even temporarily, that Shockwave was on the level. I'm not sure what could have done that though.
Moving on, Optimus surrenders to Magnus while secretly leaving a team behind on Earth, led by Jazz. On Cybertron, it's clear from the conversation that the Jumpstarters are having that things are not as rosy as Shockwave claimed, and there's a lot of surveillance and fear of speaking openly. We learn about the new refueling system that Shockwave has put in place, and we learn that the Decepticons on Earth loading up the Autobot prisoners don't bother with the "Cybertronian" label. I like the discussion about the situation between Optimus and Prowl, and it shows how the Autobots could rationalize the situation. The "Mirage as traitor" reference is tiresome though.
I do like that explanation for why Grimlock switched sides: Megatron was holding the other Dinobots prisoner, but Grimlock finally rescues them. I can see Grimlock taking advantage of Megatron "recruiting" in the last miniseries, he'd have the backbone to act like a defector and not care what the other Autobots thought of him. And Starscream is as incorrigible as always as he approaches Soundwave, gun to the head. Starscream clearly is not buying this "united Cybertron" facade and is acting accordinly. Characters simply acting in ways that we recognize might not seem like much, but given how out of character so many were in the previous mini-series, I have to appreciate what we get here. And if by any chance a reader has reached this point and not figured out that Shockwave is up to no good, his demand that Optimus and crew be deactivated should make that clear.
This isn't a bad issue. The art is pretty good, and I enjoy seeing a number of new (to this continuity anyway) characters introduced. As I noted above, if it wasn't clear last issue that things are not as unified as Shockwave claimed, this issue is not remotely subtle in making it clear. And if it's so obvious to the reader, one has to wonder why it's not equally obvious to Ultra Magnus. It's been a while since I read this series, so I don't know if an explanation for how he's rationalizing all of this is offered down the road, so I'll let this go for now. But if Topspin and Twin Twist know that things aren't right, Magnus surely has to realize that as well, if he's not just clueless. I'm going with 7 out of 10 for good art, good character moments and a decent amount of forward momentum in the plot, but points off for an apparently clueless Ultra Magnus and an incredibly obvious "Shockwave is really up to no good" vibe that undercuts the idea that any Autobot would work with him willingly. We'll see where this goes.
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
Transformers G1 volume 2 #3
June 2003
"War and Peace" Ch. 3 "Cold War"
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
That splash page with Shockwave facing off against Sharkticons is GREAT. It would tell a story even without the captions. And what follows is equally interesting as Scourge, described in glowing terms by Shockwave, slaughters the Sharkticons and demands that the "weakling" Shockwave get to his feet. So how did Scourge go from that to where we found him in issue 1? And then another reveal: Shockwave has Alpha Trion prisoner. Speaking of Scourge, the Autobots remaining on Earth have gone looking for him where Shockwave shot him, but he and the pod are gone, captured by humans who are also watching Jazz. And just to throw one more plotline into this already packed series, the Dinobots take the Decepticon shuttle back to Cybertron where they are spotted by Hot Rod, Blurr and Springer, as this series continues to throw new characters at us in every issue.
The next few pages give us some good character drama as Magnus confronts Shockwave, who uses the events of the first mini-series to make his case for how dangerous Optimus Prime is. I'm still waiting to see a good explanation for just why Magnus is willing to work with Shockwave, but at least as the issue progresses it's clear that Magnus is also aware that Shockwave is abusing his power, so that's something. The gathering of the Wreckers to go take down the Stunticons is a reference that completely went by me the first time I read this. I didn't know who they were, though I did recognize Whirl and Roadbuster.
Slag carrying Octane's decapitated head is hilarious, and the fact that it creeps Grimlock out even more so. And of course the Dinobots do what they do best, and start attacking the city when they arrive, though I note we're missing a caption somewhere as it seems like the party who come to rescue Prime and Ironhide should have identified the Dinobots by name.
The idea of old slave trails beneath Iacon is a nice bit of worldbuilding that doesn't get much explanation. Sandstorm is shot by Runamuck, I think, who is then attacked by a Sharkticon, and we get our cliffhanger. I like the next issue page, Hot Rod is very toy-based in terms of his design. There's fan art on the inside back cover with a checklist of Transformers comics. The center ads promote Armada #14, the crossover with G1, and boy I loved that story. G1 Galvatron vs. Armada Megatron was great. And then there's Transformers/G.I. Joe by John Ney Reiber and Jae Lee. I never could tell half of what was going on in that book, but the art was something worth looking at.
So once again the coloring in this issue is right up my alley, with some of it even appearing as if it was painted. There are lots of shadows and contrasting bright areas, and some interesting choices of angles and perspective in some panels. Some of my concerns about Ultra Magnus have been addressed, though there needs to be more. I appreciate Dinobots who actually have their G1 appearance. I never did like IDW's Dinobot designs very much. The introduction of more movie-era characters into the story is appreciated, and I like the implications that Scourge is more advanced than the other Transformers. We only get hints about him here, hints that I don't think were ever paid off since Dreamwave went bankrupt. This is an improvement over last issue, so I'm going with 8 out of 10. Enjoyed every page of this one, and there is some very strong art this time around. And I appreciate the dedication to Robert Stack at the beginning. Great issue.
June 2003
"War and Peace" Ch. 3 "Cold War"
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
That splash page with Shockwave facing off against Sharkticons is GREAT. It would tell a story even without the captions. And what follows is equally interesting as Scourge, described in glowing terms by Shockwave, slaughters the Sharkticons and demands that the "weakling" Shockwave get to his feet. So how did Scourge go from that to where we found him in issue 1? And then another reveal: Shockwave has Alpha Trion prisoner. Speaking of Scourge, the Autobots remaining on Earth have gone looking for him where Shockwave shot him, but he and the pod are gone, captured by humans who are also watching Jazz. And just to throw one more plotline into this already packed series, the Dinobots take the Decepticon shuttle back to Cybertron where they are spotted by Hot Rod, Blurr and Springer, as this series continues to throw new characters at us in every issue.
The next few pages give us some good character drama as Magnus confronts Shockwave, who uses the events of the first mini-series to make his case for how dangerous Optimus Prime is. I'm still waiting to see a good explanation for just why Magnus is willing to work with Shockwave, but at least as the issue progresses it's clear that Magnus is also aware that Shockwave is abusing his power, so that's something. The gathering of the Wreckers to go take down the Stunticons is a reference that completely went by me the first time I read this. I didn't know who they were, though I did recognize Whirl and Roadbuster.
Slag carrying Octane's decapitated head is hilarious, and the fact that it creeps Grimlock out even more so. And of course the Dinobots do what they do best, and start attacking the city when they arrive, though I note we're missing a caption somewhere as it seems like the party who come to rescue Prime and Ironhide should have identified the Dinobots by name.
The idea of old slave trails beneath Iacon is a nice bit of worldbuilding that doesn't get much explanation. Sandstorm is shot by Runamuck, I think, who is then attacked by a Sharkticon, and we get our cliffhanger. I like the next issue page, Hot Rod is very toy-based in terms of his design. There's fan art on the inside back cover with a checklist of Transformers comics. The center ads promote Armada #14, the crossover with G1, and boy I loved that story. G1 Galvatron vs. Armada Megatron was great. And then there's Transformers/G.I. Joe by John Ney Reiber and Jae Lee. I never could tell half of what was going on in that book, but the art was something worth looking at.
So once again the coloring in this issue is right up my alley, with some of it even appearing as if it was painted. There are lots of shadows and contrasting bright areas, and some interesting choices of angles and perspective in some panels. Some of my concerns about Ultra Magnus have been addressed, though there needs to be more. I appreciate Dinobots who actually have their G1 appearance. I never did like IDW's Dinobot designs very much. The introduction of more movie-era characters into the story is appreciated, and I like the implications that Scourge is more advanced than the other Transformers. We only get hints about him here, hints that I don't think were ever paid off since Dreamwave went bankrupt. This is an improvement over last issue, so I'm going with 8 out of 10. Enjoyed every page of this one, and there is some very strong art this time around. And I appreciate the dedication to Robert Stack at the beginning. Great issue.
Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
Lee's art tried to combine Sunbow control art with the toys, sometimes with mixed results. (The sequence with Octane's head is one more reason that Slag is one of my favorite characters.)
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Re: Dreamwave G1 read-through
Transformers G1 volume 2 #4
July 2003
"War and Peace" Ch. 4 "Passive Aggression"
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
So Menasor tears up the omnibots, the Protectobots, Whirl and Roadbuster, but Magnus figures out how to turn the individual components against each other. I like it, it shows that Optimus is not the only strategist and thinker among the Autobots, even if Magnus is just not comfortable in the role. It's a pretty impressive showing for Ultra Magnus here as he keeps his head while losing troops and actually manages to win the battle. I like the insight into his thoughts here, he genuinely thought going along with Shockwave to end the destruction was the right thing, but he's questioning that now, particularly since it doesn't look like the Stunticons escaping was an accident.
Grimlock going right for the kill shot with Shockwave is very much in character. I like the Beast Wars references incorporated into G1 in this series, with talk of stasis lock and the Inferno. Wheelie biting Optimus like a feral child is hilarious, and I love that it takes the Omega Sentinels to actually stop the Dinobots. And of course the old cranky guys, Ironhide and Kup, are glad to see each other. I always forget that they worked together during War Within. Everyone has a purpose in this story. Blaster has figured out that Shockwave is subliminally trying to make all the Transformers more aggressive (while preaching peace).
There's a lot of action in this issue and not a lot of quiet contemplation. Most of the good points about it have already been made, so I'll just say that this feels like exactly the right way to write a Transformers comic: just let the characters be themselves and act as they naturally would, and let that drive the plot.
Transformers G1 volume 2 #5
August 2003
"War and Peace" Ch. 5 "Countdown to Extinction"
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
Last issue we got to see Ultra Magnus show how good he is, this issue it's Optimus Prime's turn. Springer declared that the situation in Iacon was hopeless, so of course Optimus dives right in and demonstrates otherwise. He's all that is needed to unite all the scattered Autobot groups and cut through Shockwave's propaganda. This is how Optimus Prime should be depicted, the heart and soul and the inspiration for the Autobot cause of freedom, and the warrior/leader who inspires them all.
Starscream is in peak form here as well, having won Soundwave over to his side and seemingly enjoying every minute of his attempts to undermine what Shockwave is doing.
Optimus does what Grimlock did earlier and heads straight to take out Shockwave, encountering a wounded Ultra Magnus along the war, shot in the back by Shockwave. I think this is the first time a writer had written Prime and Magnus as "brothers", whatever that means to Transformers. I like it, I like the idea of Magnus as someone who could potentially be Optimus Prime's physical equal, who is held back because he can't live up to the legend that is Optimus Prime. It's exactly right that Prime is not at all vindictive here, but full of concern.
The battle in Iacon does not go as well without Prime to lead it, and he's the only one who got through and into Shockwave's citadel, where he's found what appears to be Vector Sigma. And I had completely forgotten that we see Unicron in this issue, which is yet another reason I think this continuity was meant to be set between Sunbow season 2 and the movie, even with things that don't quite fit into that continuity. Optimus being injured in the same place that he was injured in the movie during his fight with Megatron is nicely done, it creates tension even though we're pretty sure Optimus will survive. And Magnus is breaking out of his armor on the final pages, something that confused me on first reading back in 2003. It never occurred to me that we might see the "white Optimus" figure inside the armor, because no one had done that before.
I'm giving both of these issue 9 out of 10. The art is generally good, the colors are still outstanding, the characters feel authentic, and I love seeing all of these characters that barely interacted on the tv series mix and mingle here in ways that seem very right. And I'm satisfied with how Magnus has acted, which was my main concern a few issues ago. Man, this is some good Transformers.
July 2003
"War and Peace" Ch. 4 "Passive Aggression"
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
So Menasor tears up the omnibots, the Protectobots, Whirl and Roadbuster, but Magnus figures out how to turn the individual components against each other. I like it, it shows that Optimus is not the only strategist and thinker among the Autobots, even if Magnus is just not comfortable in the role. It's a pretty impressive showing for Ultra Magnus here as he keeps his head while losing troops and actually manages to win the battle. I like the insight into his thoughts here, he genuinely thought going along with Shockwave to end the destruction was the right thing, but he's questioning that now, particularly since it doesn't look like the Stunticons escaping was an accident.
Grimlock going right for the kill shot with Shockwave is very much in character. I like the Beast Wars references incorporated into G1 in this series, with talk of stasis lock and the Inferno. Wheelie biting Optimus like a feral child is hilarious, and I love that it takes the Omega Sentinels to actually stop the Dinobots. And of course the old cranky guys, Ironhide and Kup, are glad to see each other. I always forget that they worked together during War Within. Everyone has a purpose in this story. Blaster has figured out that Shockwave is subliminally trying to make all the Transformers more aggressive (while preaching peace).
There's a lot of action in this issue and not a lot of quiet contemplation. Most of the good points about it have already been made, so I'll just say that this feels like exactly the right way to write a Transformers comic: just let the characters be themselves and act as they naturally would, and let that drive the plot.
Transformers G1 volume 2 #5
August 2003
"War and Peace" Ch. 5 "Countdown to Extinction"
Writer - Brad Mick, Pencils - Pat Lee, Inks - Rob Armstrong
Last issue we got to see Ultra Magnus show how good he is, this issue it's Optimus Prime's turn. Springer declared that the situation in Iacon was hopeless, so of course Optimus dives right in and demonstrates otherwise. He's all that is needed to unite all the scattered Autobot groups and cut through Shockwave's propaganda. This is how Optimus Prime should be depicted, the heart and soul and the inspiration for the Autobot cause of freedom, and the warrior/leader who inspires them all.
Starscream is in peak form here as well, having won Soundwave over to his side and seemingly enjoying every minute of his attempts to undermine what Shockwave is doing.
Optimus does what Grimlock did earlier and heads straight to take out Shockwave, encountering a wounded Ultra Magnus along the war, shot in the back by Shockwave. I think this is the first time a writer had written Prime and Magnus as "brothers", whatever that means to Transformers. I like it, I like the idea of Magnus as someone who could potentially be Optimus Prime's physical equal, who is held back because he can't live up to the legend that is Optimus Prime. It's exactly right that Prime is not at all vindictive here, but full of concern.
The battle in Iacon does not go as well without Prime to lead it, and he's the only one who got through and into Shockwave's citadel, where he's found what appears to be Vector Sigma. And I had completely forgotten that we see Unicron in this issue, which is yet another reason I think this continuity was meant to be set between Sunbow season 2 and the movie, even with things that don't quite fit into that continuity. Optimus being injured in the same place that he was injured in the movie during his fight with Megatron is nicely done, it creates tension even though we're pretty sure Optimus will survive. And Magnus is breaking out of his armor on the final pages, something that confused me on first reading back in 2003. It never occurred to me that we might see the "white Optimus" figure inside the armor, because no one had done that before.
I'm giving both of these issue 9 out of 10. The art is generally good, the colors are still outstanding, the characters feel authentic, and I love seeing all of these characters that barely interacted on the tv series mix and mingle here in ways that seem very right. And I'm satisfied with how Magnus has acted, which was my main concern a few issues ago. Man, this is some good Transformers.