TF Comic Review...

Transformers Spotlight
Wheelie

Writers: Simon Furman (story/script) and Klaus Scherwinski (story)
Artist: Klaus Scherwinski

Synopsis: Wheelie thinks back to the Great War and how he was sent on a scouting missions years before. He crashed on a planet and has been trying to survive the brutal terrain ever since. One day, he sees what looks like another ship crashing through the atmosphere. He travels after it, dragging his energon convertor with him (the gizmo giving him the ability to continue functioning by synthesizing fuel for him). After a while, he finds a Decepticon ship with Reflector torturing an alien. He frees the alien, allowing it to escape and Reflector to give chase while he boards the ship. But he quickly finds it's ruined beyond repair (also one of the Reflectors is on-board and dead). Wheelie decides to go help the alien out...he finds it nearby and communicates with it. However, it's translator only understands language in rhyme so he adapts his speech to that pattern. They have another ship and the duo work to get it functioning--Wheelie even uses his energon convertor to power it. Just as they get it ready to launch, the two Reflector find them and hold the alien hostage. Wheelie has to decide between launching without his new friend or letting the Decepticons win. He lets the Decepticons take the ship instead... however, he took the safety cap off the energon convertor before he left the ship and it explodes in the air, taking the Decepticons with it. The duo construct a crude shelter and wait things out. Epilogue... some debris in the ancient city/ship has a Quintesson glyph on it.

Comments: Simon Furman said it couldn't be done. He was wrong. Somebody actually did a good TF story based around Wheelie. Apparently this was Klaus Scherwinski's baby all along (I actually posted on Furman's blog before this was announced and suggested he try a Wheelie story too. Just as a lark mostly--I knew it could be done). Anyway, this story was a pretty good spotlight tale and stayed well within the parameters of what a spotlight story is supposed to be (unlike the Cyclonus one). The art is very good overall, although I felt like Klaus made Wheelie look a little too wussy in several panels. I would've like a couple more lines on his face to reduce that appearance (minor nitpick, I know). A good one-shot all in all (I do hope they leave the Quintessons out of the IDW-verse otherwise).

Recommended.

***

Transformers Spotlight
Cyclonus/
Revelation, part one

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: EJ Su

(covers by EJ Su and Nick Roche)

Summary: Cyclonus flies over Cybertron's charred surface and reminisces about it's condition. He determines someone must pay... Elsewhere, Hound and his unit depart Cybertron for Garrus-9. Sideswipe whines about how they're not going to go look for Sunstreaker on Earth, etc. Hound goes to chastize him when they're abruptly attacked. It turns out it's Cyclonus, who wants to make someone pay for Cybetron's state... They warn him off then blow him up when he ignores them. That doesn't last long, though and he attacks again. They send out a distress signal and Ultra Magnus responds. On Garrus-9, Prime, Prowl and others wonder what happened and how the Monster Pretenders could've been released (I think this ties into the Arcee spotlight that I missed). Meanwhile, Nightbeat wonders at a mission file he recorded to a world he has no memory of being at. He contacts Hardhead and asks for help... Ultra Magnus saves Hound's crew and decides to pursue Cyclonus. Hound and crew decide to back him up (at Sideswipe's urging). Elsewhere, Arcee tortures some generic Decepticon and demands he tell her Banzaitron's plans! He relents... Cylconus flies to a moon and lands. He activates the Nega-core and plans to reactivate the Guardian, but hesitates on that point. The Autobots have tracked him there and attack him. They best him but he manages to switch on the Guardian, who turns out to be Thunderwing! Cyclonus escapes and Ultra Magnus sends a tracking device off after him. Thunderwing guards the cavern that Cyclonus had used the Nega-Core in and does not leave it...
Optimus Prime gathers his forces in the wake of this while Nemesis Prime and his forces begin the transition.

Comments: Not much of a spotlight really. Mostly, we get that Cyclonus is a bit unstable and, um, he's fine with that once he realizes it. Okay... Otherwise, the Revelation storyline is front and center here. I hope this storyline ties everything off--I've felt for some time that there's too much going on at 0nce. Like Furman wanted to throw everything and the kitchen sink in too. I hope this conclusively deals with the whole dead universe/Thunderwing/Sixshot/Arcee/Nightbeat/Galvatron/etc. stuff and clears the decks for new stuff to happen. The art was good as usual--although I ended up with the Roche cover (I wanted the Su one but when there's no other option available...take what you can get, I guess). A decent story overall but like I said, I hope it ties some stuff up finally.

Recommended.