Comic Review...

Cover "B" by Nick Roche

Transformers: More Then Meets The Eye #12

Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne and Brendan Cahill (pencils), Alex Milne, Atilio Rojo and Brian Shearer (inks)
(covers by Alex Milne and Nick Roche)



Summary:  AUTOBOTS VERSUS DECEPTICONS! The crew of the Lost Light confronts a band of rogue DECEPTICONS-with terrible consequences. As an AUTOBOT slips closer to death, a single decision sets in motion a chain of events that might just spell the end for RODIMUS and his band of travelers. 

Comments:  The gist of this comic is that it's set before and after a major battle between the Lost Light's crew and some Decepticons they encounter on a world (who they believe captured the Circle of Light). Appropriately, it's called "Before and After". 
   I found this issue dry and uninteresting. Several characters are seriously injured and we get some yap about "Innermost Energon", Spark compatibility between Spark types (say what?), and blah, blah, blah. I just don't care for the writing style of this series...it's not exciting or even interesting to me. It never has been, really. I want to feel like the comic I'm reading is going somewhere and this one always feels like it's meandering all over the place. This issue, for example, is about a battle but gets so bogged down with jumping back and forth explaining who's injured and, eventually, getting to a plot point about how some were injured. Mostly, I don't really care about any of it--in fact, I had trouble even remembering the plot to this issue before I sat down to review it.

Verdict:  Pass. I will likely be dropping this title. After a year of reading it I don't feel it's going anywhere anyway and I'm not prepared to devote any more time to pursuing it and hoping it will adhere more to what I want in a TF comic. 

Comic Review...

Transformers: Robots In Disguise #12

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Andrew Griffith
(covers by Andrew Griffith, Casey Coller)


Summary:  THE RETURN! He's back and CYBERTRON will never be the same. Everything BUMBLEBEE and his AUTOBOTS have built teeters at the edge of collapse - and STARSCREAM has to make the choice his whole life has been leading to.


Comments:  Megatron is back! Tremble in fear! Our story begins as Megatron returns to civilization, where is greeted with a near-death when the Autobots mercilessly attack him. The Decepticons plead on his behalf so he gets thrown in a cell. And...that's it. Then there's a riot as the Decepticons survivors won't take it anymore and start to cause violence. Fortunately, Prowl is there--to arrest them. Lethal style, if need be.
   I don't really see the point in hyping up Megatron's return. He doesn't even do anything! What a waste of time! And then we get more of Prowl manipulating events behind the scenes so he can take down those evil Decepticons and maintain order. Twelve issues of Prowl arresting people and/or having them killed. Enough already! Try something new. Move the damn story along already! Prowl is acting like Hitler in this comic, seeming to want to annihilate the Decepticons completely so the Autobots can have peace and order on their world. If there's some actual point to it all, then I wish Barber would get on with it already. At this point in the series, it's just becoming repetitive (also, this is really ruining Prowl as a character for me. Yes, he's logical and strategic but this comic's turned him into the Autobot version of Shockwave).


Verdict:  Average. Needs to more the story along.

Cover "A" by Andrew Griffith

Comic Review...

Transformers Spotlight: Orion Pax

Writer: James Roberts
Artists: Steve Kurth (pencils), Juan Castro (ink)
(covers by Steve Kurth, Livio Ramondelli, Clayton Crane)


Summary:  BEFORE OPTIMUS PRIME—there was Orion Pax! Four million years ago, the future leader of the AUTOBOTS disappeared into the Cybertronian wilderness to save a friend. What happened next would take him to the very brink—and have startling repercussions on the current comics!


Comments:  Orion Pax gets a new body, temporarily, that resembles his G1 cartoon form and goes on a mission to rescue Ratchet from the Decepticons. He also gets strapped to a rocket and then escapes it before it hits Iacon and detonates. The end.
   I have to admit I have no idea what the point of this comic was. I get the impression it forms a larger story along with the forthcoming Thundercracker and Megatron spotlights. On its own, though, it's a largely irrelevant and unsatisfying. Like other Roberts comics, Rung gets a cameo and we also see Pax chumming around with Zeta Prime (the villain of Autocracy from earlier this year). Alphatrion also helps him out in the field. 
   The art by newcomer Steve Kurth is fairly good and tells the story visually quite well. It didn't blow my mind or anything but it's functional and that's all that really matters.

   My problem is that there's little characterization, heart or point to the tale. Roberts, of late, seems fixated on explaining all of Cybertron's prewar and early war history. He does it without any real story relevance in the bigger sense, though, and that ultimately makes it uninteresting. So what if Orion Pax did this or that? Did it ultimately affect him as a character? Did it make him the Autobot he is today? Does it relate to the greater story of More Then Meets The Eye? If not, why should the reader really care?


Verdict: Pass. A waste of time and money.

Cover "B" by Livio Ramondelli

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #86

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman
(covers by Andrew Wildman, Guido Guidi, Geoff Senior)


Summary:  DARK REIGN! The fallout from the devastation on Earth ripples outwards, all the way to Nebulos, where GRIMLOCK faces his own darkest demons and a fateful choice that may cost him his very Spark. The dark reign of SCORPONOK begins here, and nothing will ever be the same again! 

Comments:  To be honest, when this series was announced I had zero interest in what happened to the Headmasters' original heads on Nebulos (I had assumed they'd been disassembled and turned into the binary armor the Nebulans used). I am pleased to say I was wrong--the whole Scorponok sub-plot is beginning to take center stage now and I'm eager to find out what happens next. Now that the "Loose Ends" arc is over I want to get on to the meat of the story and this is clearly part of it. Will Grimlock change sides or is he playing Scorponok? Is Scorpy smart enough to know it? 
   And what is going on with the other Decepticons and Thunderwing's remains? (We find now that they possess some residual Matrix energy. Does that mean new Decepticon warriors? Or is something more sinister in store for our heroes).
   Bring on the next issue IDW!


Verdict:  Excellent.

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

 

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Retailer Incentive cover by Geoff Senior

 

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #85 

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman
(covers by Andrew Wildman, Guido Guidi, Geoff Senior)



Summary:  ONE WILL FALL! As the first Regeneration One arc concludes, two Transformers legends clash-for the last time! This one’s so packed with triumph, tragedy and everything in between, we can’t say much more. If you’re a fan of titanic, all-out action, this is the one for you. If you’re of a sensitive disposition-look away now!



Comments:  This issue saw the resolution of the Earth storyline and I was kind of glad it got wrapped up with the finality it did. Unfortunately two of the covers really blew an important plot point but oh well. There was really only so many ways this could've wrapped up anyway.
   I didn't really feel like I needed to have Megatron, Ratchet and the Ark's fate revisited in this continuation since the original series did a fairly good job of wrapping it off. Still, Furman did a fairly good job of squeezing some mileage out of it all despite it. I also still wonder if we'll ever see Shockwave again or if he's going to get shorted from the series (it seems like everyone else made it when the ship crashed).
   The story is still entertaining overall. Unlike the other two titles, I don't feel so much like they're taking a threadbare concept and stretching it out far too much. It doesn't quite match up with the story compaction the old comic had but enough still happens to make it feel like each issue is reasonably satisfying on its own merits. The art is also still fairly good overall.

Verdict:  Excellent.  

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

 
 

Retailer Incentive cover by Geoff Senior

It's time!

At long last, Transmasters Magazine, Fall 2012 edition is up and ready! Comments and feedback are always welcome! :)


http://transmasters.angelfire.com/tmmag/issue16/index1.html

(Due to time constraints, I had to forgo doing a TF video game review of the Prime video game this time around. I also ran out of time to get the next part of Crimson Destiny done up. Both will definitely be in the next issue however).


- Thunder

Transmasters Magazine Fall issue submission call!

The Fall 2012 Issue of Transmasters Magazine is in the works! Submissions (art, stories, articles, etc.) are always welcome. I hope to have the issue ready by about November 15th (roughly). As always, submissions can be sent to tkphoton at hotmail.com

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #84

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman
(covers by Andrew Wildman, Guido Guidi and Geoff Senior)


Summary: LAST STAND! Things go from bad to worse as MEGATRON tightens his remorseless grip on planet Earth. Can the Wreckers save Kup? Can they reach the Ark in time? The odds have never been more stacked against them. But you know what they say: 'when all hope is gone...' And what exactly is up with Starscream?

Comments:  The Wreckers execute their two-pronged plan. Springer, Sandstorm and Whirl provide the distraction and try to reach Kup while the others aid the Humans in their attempt to get to the Ark and shut its defenses down. Elsewhere, Hot Rod has a vision and worries about the future to come. Blurr rushes in and tells him Soundwave has attacked and is after Thunderwing's remains! Springer is shot down Starscream (who is not as zombified as he seems. A part of his brain is trying desperately to get through the inhibitor Megatron put on him). He manages to communicate to Springer that he should "kill Ratchet". Optimus and his Autobots show up then and confront Megatron.
   It's obvious that Megatron and Ratchet still share their psychic bond. If one dies, the other one likely will as well. I'm thinking this will happen next issue (I guess we'll see). A decent issue so far and it seems like stuff is actually happening (still waiting to see when they pick up the Grimlock thread again). This issue was better in some respects in that it wasn't setting up quite as much as it was moving stuff along instead.
  
Verdict:  Good.

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

RI Cover by Geoff Senior

Comic Review...

Cover "A" by Alex Milne

Transformers: More Then Meets The Eye #9

Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne

(covers by Alex Milne and Nick Roche)


Summary:  SHADOWPLAY begins here! One AUTOBOT connects the crew of the Lost Light with pre-war CYBERTRON and the rise of the DECEPTICONs. His name? OPTIMUS PRIME. The past and the present collide as Rewind begins telling his crew mates the most shocking story of all!

Comments:  Basically, a flashback story that the crew of the Lost Light tell in an attempt to get Rung's cerebral circuitry functional again (he has a head once more). The story involves a younger Orion Pax discovering a drugged out Drift (before he was Drift) and taking him to Ratchet. Later, Ratchet and Pax go to speak to his Senator friend. Meanwhile, Prowl and Chromedome investigate the death of a Senator. In the present, Red Alert's headless body (is he dead?) is retrieved and Rodimus believes it the work of Cyclonus.
   The bulk of this issue is the flashback. Unfortunately, we don't really learn all that much about where it's going, just set-up for the next issue. Also, we don't know why Rodimus expects Cyclonus of being behind Red Alert's apparent demise. Is he truly to blame or is it somebody else entirely?

Verdict: Average. Needed a bit more to be truly entertaining.

Comic Review...

Transformers: Robots In Disguise Annual 2012

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Brendan Cahill
(covers by Tim Seeley and Andrew Griffith)



Summary:  CRASHING DOWN! The mysterious Metrotitan from last month's More Than Meets the Eye Annual arrives on CYBERTRON-smashing into the ruins of the legendary Crystal City! Starscream and Prowl begin a battle of wills over the fate of this behemoth-and the outcome will shock you!

Comments:  The Metrotitan from the MTMTE Annual arrives on Cybertron, materializing beneath its surface, where the remains of Crystal City are. Much of the issue is a flashback, explaining Nova Prime's involvement with the rising of the Crystal City centuries before. How he tried to manipulate Omega Supreme and how Omega showed Dai Atlas the Metrotitan and allowed them (Dai Atlas and his followers) to use it to travel to a new world and start anew.
   Barber, as usual, does a great job weaving his and Roberts stories into a coherent tale as well as adding in older IDW elements such as Nova Prime, Omega Supreme and the Drift origin stuff. I think it was kind of unfortunate that the Metrotitan blows up in the end but the revelation about Starscream does set up some interesting things for the future.
   The old school Marvel style flashback art/coloring was a neat gimmick. The other Annual used it slightly but this one did it much more extensively and it invoked memories of the first Marvel mini-series.



Verdict:  Good.

Cover "A by Tim Seeley

Comic Review...

Transformers: More Then Meets The Eye Annual 2012

Writer: James Roberts
Artists: Jimbo Salgado, Emil Cabaltierra and Guido Guidi
(covers by Tim Seely and Alex Milne)


Summary:  THE ORIGIN OF THE KNIGHTS OF CYBERTRON! Rodimus and the crew of the Lost Light finally reach Crystal City, home to the mysterious Circle of Light. But what they find waiting for them is going to change everything-and not necessarily for the better!


Comments:  It's a long and involved tale but a couple of the highlights of this story were the crew of the Lost Light finding a Metrotitan underneath Crystal City (colored, naturally, like the Metrotitan toy from Japan). I also appreciated Roberts doing something different and trying a new origin for Primus and the Transformers. That was the sort of thing I'd initially been hoping for when Furman first started doing TF comics for IDW. Take an old concept and try some new spins on them. For a long time, too many of the various writers struck to the established canon and I'm glad he took a chance and went in a new direction here (I also noticed he kind of glossed over whether or not Unicron exists in this continuity).
   I'd not heard of Salgado or Cabaltierra before but their art seemed fairly competent to me. I hadn't really noticed the retro coloring style in the flashback until the RID counterpart used it more extensively (then it became much more obvious).

   A fairly good story overall.


Verdict:  Good.

Cover "A" by Tim Seely

Comic Review...

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #9

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Andrew Griffith
(covers by Andrew Griffith and Casey Coller)


Summary:  DINOBOT HUNT! Ironhide and the DINOBOTS journey deep into the Cybertronian wilderness and what they find is not what they expected! Meanwhile, the DECEPTICONS enact a dangerous plan with bizarre consequences!
 
Comments:  The Dinobots try to kill Ironhide but he escapes. Meanwhile, Bumblebee starts to assemble a search party for them as the Decepticons keep tabs on him covertly (and Arcee on them). Ironhide finds evidence of the missing Aerialbots and then eventually encounters Superion!
   I hate to say it but this storyline has been boring and nothing much really happened this issue. I had to go back and re-read it to remember the issue, after having read it only a couple of weeks earlier. We don't get any closer to finding out what affecting the Dinobots; it takes until issue's end to find the Aerialbots and not much happens back with Bumblebee and the others. Hoping next time is better.

Verdict:  Average. Probably one of the weaker issues of RID so far.

Cover "A" by Andrew Griffith

Comic Review

Transformers Regeneration One #83

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman
(covers by Andrew Wildman, Guido Guidi and Geoff Senior) 


Summary:  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!



Comments:  We learn quickly about what's happened in the intervening twenty years on Earth. Megatron was accidentally reactivated and then laid waste to the planet, while using their nukes against them, reactivating a bunch of zombie Decepticons and taking out the remaining resistance (Fortress Maximus, the Neo Knights). Meanwhile, Optimus Prime loads up a force to go to Earth and get Megatron. We learn Bludgeon has a War World (G2, anybody?) and is in communication with Soundwave, who wants to retrieve the pieces of the ruined Thunderwing.
   I'm not sure why they're bothering to try and resurrect Thunderwing. He's dead and gone. Frankly, I didn't need every single character resurrected for no apparent reason. We also get a strong hint Shockwave is still alive and in Megatron's employ... so, is Galvatron the only one who stayed dead this time? (Or should we expect him to appear at some point too? :) I also wonder how on a revitalized Cybertron that Optimus Prime taking a strike force somewhere means that the entire planet will be unguarded against the Decepticons dastardly plan. Has he only got fourteen Autobots? It just seems like a bit of a stretch.
   I also wonder about why Optimus suddenly sees so much potential in Hot Rod (although I guess one could argue that there were aspects of it in the old series too). It feels a bit ham-fisted to me...does Optimus think he's going to die soon? Or perhaps retire somewhere and leave Hot Rod in charge? It could also just be set-up for Hot Rod leading the resistance against the Decepticons on Cybertron now that Optimus has left for Earth.
   Minor nitpicks aside, I've been mostly liking the series so far and can't wait to see where it goes from here. 

Verdict: Very Good.

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Retailer Incentive Cover by Geoff Senior

Comic Review

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #8

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Andrew Griffith
(covers by Andrew Griffith, Casey Coller and Marcelo Matere)


Summary:  DINOBOT MONTH! Guess who's back on Cybertron? SLAG, SLUDGE, SNARL, and SWOOP-and they're as mad as ever! IRONHIDE leads them deep into the Cybertronian wilderness searching for lost AUTOBOTS... but what they find might be the greatest danger of all!

 Comments: The description above says most of it. Ironhide leads the Dinobots into the Cybertronian wilderness to search for the missing Aerialbots. They're attacked by some sort of beast, which the Dinos take down. They continue further into the unknown. Ironhide has a suspicion Megatron might be out here somewhere and in the end, the Dinobots disappear, leaving him alone to find out what's happening. He is attacked by Swoop!  There's also a sub-plot about Bumblebee, Starscream and Metalhawk talking about holding elections to determine the future government of their world and the Decepticon remnant discuss their future.
   To be honest, I found the MTMTE story a bit more engaging this time around. RID, by contrast, had a set-up for something next issue and more maneuvering by the parties in the background. It was nice to see the Dinobots once again but they didn't anything all that exciting in my opinion and after all is said and done, we still don't know what's going on with them on what happened to the Aerialbots either. It was cool to see a brief appearance by Shockwave (who resembles his FOC look quite a lot).

Verdict: Average.

Cover "A" by Andrew Griffith

Cover "B" by Casey Coller

Retailer Incentive Cover by Marcelo Matere

Comic Review

Transformers: More Then Meets The Eye #8

Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne
(covers by Alex Milne, Nick Roche and Marcelo Matere)

 Summary:  DINOBOT MONTH! Three years ago, Grimlock disappeared from his prison cell on Garrus 9. Where did he go? What happened to him? One thing's for certain: the leader of the Dinobots is back-and he's itching to settle some scores!

Comments:  Most of this story follows the scavengers (Krok, Flywheels, Spinister, Misfire, etc.) on Clemency. They are forced to fight the Decepticon Justice Division, feeling it's their only real option besides certain death. They reactivate Grimlock, who was in stasis aboard the ship the found). He puts up a strong but short-lived fight before the DJD knock him down. Flywheels gets killed and so does Krok (boo!) before Fulcrum unleashes a Cybernought drone from the nearby ship then tries to self-detonate himself (he becomes a bomb) but his power doesn't work (he was deactivated earlier when the others found him--but he didn't realize it as he was unconscious). Finally, the DJD detect Overlord's spark elsewhere (he's on the Lost Light, of course) and decide to leave and pursue him instead since he's a much higher priority target.
   A fairly good story overall. I think MTMTE works best when it's more focused on one or two story threads overall (unlike earlier issues where five things could be going on at once). It was also nice to see a story mostly centered on a group of Decepticons for a change. There was also a "B" story with a few scenes about Skids and Chromedome (also referencing the events of the MTMTE Annual, which was supposed to be out in August but was delayed until Sept. 12th, so the reference to it is lost on the reader). Also, we find out Grimlock is severely damaged mentally (he's described as being "practically brain dead"), which is why the Decepticons on the ship had abandoned him. Frankly, I think that sucks and it seems like Roberts didn't feel like trying to give him any real story time so he used this as an "out". I hope Grimlock gets repaired soon.

Verdict: Good.

Cover "A" by Alex Milne

Cover "B" by Nick Roche

Retailer Incentive Cover by Marcelo Matere

Transmasters Magazine, Summer 2012!

The latest, greatest edition of the Transmasters Magazine, Summer 2012, is out and ready to go (just in time for the Fall! Er...yeah :).

http://transmasters.angelfire.com/tmmag/issue15/index1.html


Read it and weep, pal! :D  Questions, comments, concerns are always welcome!

Thunder

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #82


Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman
(covers by Andrew Wildman, Guido Guidi and Geoff Senior)

Summary: DINOBOT MONTH! And ex-Dinobot commander GRIMLOCK wishes it wasn't! His quest for a means to restore his ability to change modes takes him to Nebulos--a world off-limits to TRANSFORMERS, where a welcome that's more incendiary than warm awaits him. Plus, KUP and THE WRECKERS find themselves stranded, hunted and in a whole world of pain. Quite literally!

Comments: The story continues! Kup and the Wreckers struggle to survive on a ruined Earth against Megatron's forces while Grimlock goes to Nebulos in hopes of finding a new body that can transform once more. We learn Starscream is still alive (but apparently lobotomized) as is Ratchet. Still no sign of Shockwave or Galvatron yet (hopefully they'll turn up eventually in some fashion or the other).
   To be honest, I wasn't really expecting Furman to try and explain the fate of the lost Headmaster characters original heads in this story... I had assumed they'd been disassembled and built into the binary armor somehow. The original mini-series was vague on that detail so I guess this story turn can work too, but it really wasn't high on my list of concerns. I'm actually more interested in what the heck happened to Earth in the intervening twenty one years and wonder why none of the Autobots thought to try and monitor the world discreetly in any way.
   I do hope we get past the set-up stuff and into a good story shortly. Right now, it feels like we're catching up on forgotten story threads from the original comic (or perhaps that was the point all along? :)  It's fine to relive the forgotten stuff but I want to see him press forward into new territory too. G2 didn't get too caught up in irrelevance at the time and I hope Regeneration One doesn't wallow in it any longer then it needs to in order to get things going.

Verdict:  Very Good.

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Retailer Incentive Cover by Geoff Senior

Comic Review...

Transformers: More Then Meets The Eye #7

Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne
(covers by Alex Milne and Nick Roche)

Summary: DECEPTICON MONTH! The war's over - but no-one told the DECEPTICON Justice Division! Meet the five deadliest DECEPTICONS in the galaxy. Their sole purpose: to hunt down and kill anyone who has ever disobeyed MEGATRON. Who's their next target?

Comments: This issue introduces the Decepticon Justice Division (or, more accurately, its principals). Five robots, each named after a city on Cybertron. Their leader is Tarn. A malicious character (with the face of the Decepticon sigil) who delights in his job of hunting down rogue Decepticons and administering "justice".
   Roberts continues his trait of introducing an obscure character then killing them off almost immediately after. Black Shadow is the victim this time around. I kind of wish he'd stop it--I'd rather they save such characters for a later date and story then waste them in a one-off cameo like this. I can see why they do it--better some appearance then potentially none and it helps add more depth to the story universe. But I'd rather they leave them in reserve for a more appropriate appearance later on. My two cents. 
   We learn Rung has survived his brush with death this issue--except that he's missing an important appendage (his head). Also, Red Alert confides in his fallen form that he's found Overlord aboard the ship and it's some kind of conspiracy the Decepticon is there (which is confirmed when someone covertly removes the data file he planted on Rung's body). It will be interesting to see what becomes of the whole Overlord sub-plot.
   There's also a sub-plot involving some lost Decepticons on a world, lead by Krok. They find a downed Decepticon ship at the story's end and a surprising passenger aboard. I think it's cool we finally will discover what happened to said character after his prolonged absence from the story.
   All in all, MTMTE is getting a bit better as it goes. The story's been a little bit more focused these last few issues and shows signs of a potential longer term point, which I've been hoping for.


Verdict:  Good.

Cover "A" by Alex Milne

Cover "B" by Nick Roche

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #81

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman

(covers by Andrew Wildman, Guido Guidi, Geoff Senior, Dan Khanna)


Summary: The TRANSFORMERS comic that began it all—is back. With a vengeance! 21 years have passed since CYBERTRON was restored to its former glory, and finally there is peace. But, after millions of years of bitter civil war, can all ever truly be one? In a conflict this primal, this epic and far-reaching… There are always “Loose Ends”!

Comments: And so it begins... we're officially introduced to the Wreckers in the start of this issue (or reintroduced, depending on your perspective). Very quickly we discover some G2 characters--the G2 Decepticon jets take over a facility. Page 8, panel 1--Terradive and Afterburner's word balloons are either switched or somebody forgot which character was who. I thought it was cool we see the Deluxe Insecticons for the first time ever this issue (at least, in the US series anyway. Not sure about the UK stories). One of the Wreckers is also G2 Leadfoot. So, all in all, points for using a variety of characters in this.
   There is a brief mention of Unicron and I really, really hope he doesn't come back--ever. One of Furman's strengths was finding new and cool ways to move the story forward (the Swarm, Liege Maximo and Jhiaxus). We don't need to retread the same old ground constantly and I would much prefer something new and exciting as an overall villain in this. I was a little surprised by the story's ending but know we'll get some answers in the next issue most likely.
   The artwork is classic Andrew Wildman. You either love him or you don't. I feel it fits in fine with the original run. Some of the color choices were a bit interesting though--Ultra Magnus with a yellow visor just looks wrong to me. It needs to be blue or silver, imo. Hot Rod is also red now instead of fuscha (which strikes me as wrong even though it's technically right) and Soundwave is his proper blue (not purple) which I'm fine with. I got all three of the covers that were available here ("A", "B" and RI-A. The Khanna cover wasn't here--but I didn't care for it anyway). I think Wildman's cover is my favorite of the three. It looks cool and is story relevant. 
   I was impressed by the fact I read through the issue, reached the end and didn't think, "that's it?" to myself. There's enough plot and set-up for the future here that I was sufficiently satisfied and looking forward to more. I'm not saying it's the greatest TF comic ever or Simon Furman is some kind of genius for writing it but I found it sufficiently entertaining (like I did with his classic run). Whether or not Regeneration One will become part of the classic TF lore in time is uncertain. We don't have enough of it yet to really judge it as a whole and there's still the whole shock-of-the-new aspect to it. There needs to be some time for it to truly settle in and then we can look back and see if it still holds up against the older content or not. For now, I like what I see, so that's something at least.



Verdict:  Excellent/Highly recommended.

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Retailer Incentive Cover "A" by Geoff Senior

Comic Review...

Cover "A" by Andrew Griffith

Transformers: Robots In Disguise #7

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Brendan Cahill
(covers by Andrew Griffith and Casey Coller)

Summary: DECEPTICON MONTH! Fan-favorite character TURMOIL returns from the dead-but what does he want on CYBERTRON? The AUTOBOTS don't want another DECEPTICON on their planet and the DECEPTICONS don't want things to get any worse... but what Wheeljack discovers about the DECEPTICON warlord will change everything!


Comments: The Decepticon Turmoil, who is a fan-favorite character (apparently. I barely remembered him.) returns to Cybertron with his ship and crew, pursuing peace. But he'd previously been a terrifying tyrant and nobody quite trusts him, including the moderates (Metalhawk and Starscream) in the government. Wheeljack decides to covertly investigate Turmoil's ship and finds some bizarre alien technology inside it...
   I was quite surprised this issue didn't continue the story thread started last issue about Orion Pax and his allies as it seemed like a clear set-up for a continuation. Presumably that's still coming at some point... Anyway, it was a reasonably good story. It does have a flaw in that it doesn't make Turmoil's true intentions clear. He builds a dangerous time dilation weapon and then comes to Cybertron to make nice? It doesn't really add up. He must have had some other intention in-mind but we don't learn what that might be. I presume we will soon...  I also hope we get to see more of what the main body of Decepticons is up to (if anything). This story, like MTMTE, needs an overall point or theme for it to migrate toward.
   The drawing of Cybertron on page 2 is very weird looking. More like a funky asteroid then Cybertron...a bizarre stylistic choice in my opinion. Otherwise, the art is fairly good looking.

Verdict: Good/Recommended.

Cover "B" by Casey Coller

Comic Review...

Transformers: More Then Meets The Eye #6

Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Nick Roche
(covers by Alex Milne and Nick Roche)

Cover "B" by Nick Roche

Summary: MADNESS IN SPACE! A rescued Autobot loses his grip and it's up to Hot Rod's questing team to stop him-before the damage becomes irreparable! This is surely one of the most intense Transformers tales ever committed to paper!

Comments: This issue marks the return of Nick Roche to the art duties. Whether he's back for good or just for the issue, it was cool to see his art grace the title once again. I have the cover "B" (Nick's art) but until I examined it closely I thought the character on it was Thundercracker for some reason (the coloring, most likely) but it's actually Fortress Maximus. A good concept but maybe they could've done something to make it a bit more distinctive in some way (like a close-up with hands grasping about his head/top).
   This issue sees the fall-out of Fortress Maximus' trauma at the hands of Overlord on Garras 9 in the Wreckers mini-series. He puts on a brave face but not surprisingly isn't handling it all that well. A supporting character dies near the end of this issue and another one is severely wounded. We also get a startling revelation about a secret aboard The Lost Light (yet another one!) 
   Another issue where Roberts story is tighter then the initial stories for MTMTE. Not sure if this is because he's getting more focused or purposely sprawled a bit more on the earlier issues to help establish everyone. Either way, I've liked the last two issues better then the earlier ones due to this change. I do hope this doesn't turn into Wreckers 2 though... the drama is good but I don't need a reiteration of that story and the tone of this particular issue does indicate that direction as a distinct possibility for where the overall story could go.



Verdict: Good/Recommended.

Cover "A" by Alex Milne

Comic Review...

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #6

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Livio Ramondelli

(covers by Casey Coller and Livio Ramondelli)

Cover "A" by Casey Coller

Summary: ONCE HE WAS: OPTIMUS PRIME! The Autobot gave up his title-returned to his role as ORION PAX! But that doesn't mean the fight's over! A shattered planet leads Pax and a squad of fan favorite characters on the trail of the deadliest Decepticon of all... SHOCKWAVE!


Comments: Orion Pax meets up on a space station with Hardhead and is directed to the dead world of Arduria. Wheelie, Garnak and Hardhead all come along with him as does Hardhead's prisoner, Jhiaxus (who had been catatonic until this incident when he began to come alive again, in response to a mysterious signal originating from the dead world). They discover the dead beings on the world are Shockwave's handiwork and wonder exactly what he did here and how. They find Monstructor and some kind of rocket absorbing all the heat in the area... Monstructor awakens and attacks them and on the ship, Bludgeon appears, attacking Wheelie and Garnak. He rescues Jhiaxus and together with the Monster Pretenders, they escape aboard Bludgeon's ship. Hardhead extrapolates that they are on course for the planet Wheelie and Garnak had escaped from. Orion orders a pursuit course...
   It seems this story will involve some kind of treasure hunt after Shockwave's varied experiments he performed centuries ago. It might also possibly follow up on the Quintesson plot thread left behind some time ago in the Wheelie Spotlight issue. All in all, a good story set-up even if we don't yet know the endgame for it all. It's nice to see Orion/Optimus in action again and to know he hasn't been totally forgotten  in the story (now if somebody would just figure out where the heck Megatron is).
   Livio does the art this issue. It's mostly good--although his Monstructor is a bit hard to figure out who he is. (To be fair, though, Monstructor was never intepreted all that well in comic form. He seems like he might look a bit generic in combined form and that's what we get here. The color scheme in all of Livio's art is that murky painted look, which could be responsible for further distorting the appearance of the Monster Pretenders. They were quite bright as I recall but this style doesn't really allow for that).

Verdict: Good. 

Cover "B" by Livio Ramondelli

Comic Review...

Cover "A" by Andrew Griffith

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #5

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Andrew Griffith
(covers by Andrew Griffith and Casey Coller)

Summary: TORN APART FROM WITHIN! Tensions reach a breaking point-a new arrival on Cybertron tips the scales and violence erupts! Will Bumblebee be able to stop his own allies? Plus: Ironhide reveals a secret that will redefine the future of the Transformers!

Comments: Sky Byte (of RID fame, ironically) is introduced as a returning neutral in this story. his inclusion in this story works pretty well, all things considered. During the course of the story while trying to convince him to see the merit of this new world, Ironhide accidentally gets Sky Byte put in a precarious situation. Fortunately for him, he steps in for his new comrade as well when he is almost indicted for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
   Barber also casually mentions how all of Galvatron's resurrected minions "started looking all alike after a while" which smooths over an art continuity issue that had previously bugged me about Heart of Darkness/Chaos (points to Barber). I have to say I appreciate his eye for these little details and actual attempts to correct these indiscrepancies, rather then his predecessor's blatant disregard for them. Hiring John Barber as Group Editor has already paid for itself.
   Perhaps most important about this issue is the resolution of a major plot point since the first issue: the fate of the Decepticons and their second class state among Cybertron's citizens. I also have to give Barber points for going somewhere with his story here and not just letting it sit forever because he can't/won't do something with it.

Verdict: Very Good.

Comic Review...

Transformers: More Then Meets the Eye #5

Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne
(covers by Alex Milne and Nick Roche)


Summary: TERROR BEYOND THE STARS! The dark secret at the heart of Delphi is revealed as Ratchet's world starts to fall apart. Time is running out for the Autobot's Chief Medical Officer and his band of followers, who must confront an enemy that literally cannot be reckoned with. Warning: not everyone will make it out alive!

Comments: This was part two of the story about Delphi and the Cosmic Rust and I enjoyed it more then the first part. It just felt more... coherent somehow. More focused on the "A" story and less on the other various plots Roberts likes to throw in there. We learn how the virus got its start, who started it and why. Ratchet is the hero of the piece as well, which is always a plus. We also get to see the holo-avatars used once again.
   The art is competent as always. Milne does some fine work here...

Cover "A" by Alex Milne

Verdict:  Very Good.

Comic Review...

Transformers: Autocracy #11 and #12

Writers: Chris Metzen and Flint Dille
Artist: Livio Ramondelli

#11 cover by Livio Ramondelli

Summary:  (#11) With CYBERTRON in the hands of the DECEPTICONS, it's up to OPTIMUS PRIME and his small band of heroes to take control. But if he wants to free a world-- PRIME will need someone to rally the people!
(#12)  Its time for the endgame! OPTIMUS PRIME comes face-to-face with MEGATRON and the fate of their world hangs in the balance! Nothing will be the same after this EXTRA-LENGTH conclusion!

Comments:  Issue #11 was a bit of a breather, with Optimus Prime rallying the troops to his banner while issue #12 wrapped everything up neatly, chronicling the final battle between the Autobots and Decepticons (well, "final" in the context of the story anyway). Issue #12 also pays homage to the final battle between Prime and Megatron from TF:TM. I'm not sure if that's cheesy or brilliant (the very definition of an in-story homage, is it not? :)
   The story wraps up on a positive note and doesn't really offer any surprises. Having said that, it's a solid tale overall and managed to hit all the right story points so I can't really complain. No, it didn't astound me but it didn't disappoint either so there's something to be said for that.

#12 cover by Livio Ramondelli

   Livio Ramondelli's art was well suited for this series and his cover images, as always, seem to be one of his strong points. The internal art was also much improved from his time on Chaos in the older TF ongoing series. I didn't have any problems figuring out what was going on anywhere this time around.

Verdict: (Issues# 11 and #12): Excellent.
(Series overall): Excellent.












The entire series is available via digital download on www.comixology.com. If you don't want to go the digital route, the series will be released in TPB form in July. 

Titan Transformers UK issue 4.8, May 2012.

Titan Transformers UK issue 4.8, May 2012.



"15 minutes of fame"

Hi all !
first an explanation.
The last entry I did was on FRIDAY, APRIL 06, 2012(search for it) dealing with Titan Transformers UK issue 4.7 and normally I would do the next one about one month later but it took a little time to get the next issue until one day I saw: Heyyy the new issue ! 4.9 ! hey ? What was the last one I got ?
After a speedy check I found out that I never received issue 4.8. So, I emailed the good and helpfull folks at Titan and they have a good service I must say, however they weren't able to supply me with a replacement issue. As compensation they kindly extended my subscription by one issue. As I said, Excellent service !
But I still did not have the issue.
On to the interwebs! Luckily there is Ebay and steveh974 provided me with the issue. I thank him for the issue!

Now let's go to the Issue!

Page 00: cover consist of PRIME art of well...Optimus Prime! Free toy is a "Ballistic Blaster!" finally a proper weapon !
Page 02-03: Index Page.
Page 04-05: The Wheeljack Lowdown Profile Page.
Page 06: Titan Magazines -get 2 transformers with subscription- offer advert.
Page 07-10: Part one of the the strip begins.

"The Mind Trap!"
Script: Chris Cooper Art: Horacio Domingues Colours: Nestor Pereya Lettering: Comicraft

Optimus is trapped by Knock Out and his mind switched to a human body! Meanwhile Knock Out orders the Vehicons to throw his body in the crusher and Optimus attempts to make contact with the human host mind and starts to fight back ! .....to be continued on page 22



Page 11: StarWars Clone Wars Magazine advert
Page 12-13: Part 8 of the PRIME episode guide, reviewing Con Job. Also a micro quiz.
Page 14-15: EPIC TRANSFORMERS QUIZ! some questions I didn't even know!
Page 16-17: Prime Poster featuring Ratchet and Bulkhead, according to the tfwiki by Augusto Barranco and Jose Lopez. Originally the cover of IDW Publishing's Transformers: Prime #2.
Page 18: Mind Trap MAZE.
Page 19: Back issue order page.
Page 20-21:Starscream's Stumpers Puzzle page.
Page 22: Win Transformers BotShots figures competition.

Page 23-26: Part 2 of the strip!

The Autobots Join the fight to try and save Optimus's body not knowing that his mind was transferred to the human Lin-Che. Bulkhead and Arcee are overpowered and Lin-Che decides that the only chance is to force a mindreverse. He succeeds and Optimus kicks Knock Out's butt! After the battle Optimus drives Lin -Che home to his family.

Page 27-29: The letterpages, hosted by Megamouth Megatron(HAIL!) (PRIME version) with a little help from Arcee (also PRIME version) With a letter from ME !.

Page 26: Starscream's Stumpers! Arms Race. Match Weapon to description.
Page 27: Spot the difference and Fighting talk
Page 30: Ratchet's Joke Page !
Page 31: Next issue blurb which looks like an Bumblebee centric cover.
Page 32: Titan Hot Wheels magazine -advert
Conclusion:
Good Comic strip scriptwise, art a lillte below standard but simple and fun! Getting your letter printed is Very very cool!

score: 8.5 out of 10 (allright you've caught me, because of the letter.... ;) )

Comic Review...

Cover by Livio Ramondelli

Transformers: Autocracy #10

Writers: Chris Metzen and Flint Dille
Artist: Livio Ramondelli


Summary:  MEGATRON victorious! All hope seems lost, as the DECEPTICONS tighten their grip! The shattered remnants of the Autobots struggle valiantly-- but their chances seem slim. If ever CYBERTRON needed a hero, the time is now!

Comments: The Autobots are under arrest. Hot Rod is offered another path by Megatron but when he realizes Megatron's true ambitions, he goes to their aid instead. Elsewhere, Optimus Prime senses some kind of presence in the ruins of Nyon and determines to discover its origin.
   Things are coming together and it looks like the story will end with a bang (we have two issues remaining). Orion/Optimus has found his way, the Autobots stand assembled and the end of the issue reveals a very big, very powerful ace up their sleeve. It looks like the real war is about to begin...

Verdict:  Excellent.




Available online only (from www.comixology.com for 0.99 USd)

Comic Review...

Transformers: Autocracy #9

Writers: Chris Metzen and Flint Dille
Artist: Livio Ramondelli



Summary:  Betrayed by MEGATRON, ORION PAX faces his future head-on! Will he rise to stop the onslaught of the DECEPTICONS...? And what will that mean for his fellow Autobots?

Comments:  After being tossed to his doom in the last issue, Orion Pax feels something to calling him in the ruined catacombs beneath the city... Meanwhile, the remaining Autobots on the surface discover Megatron has betrayed them and vow to go down fighting. Orion Pax finds the Matrix and is recreated by its power. He has a new clarity of purpose and vision. He determines to fight for a better tomorrow...
   I enjoyed this issue immensely. Sometimes it's nice to have the hero have an epiphany and reaffirm his desire to defend the weak and helpless. Too many stories of late, generally, have had selfish unheroic characters so this story is a nice breath of fresh air. It's also nice to know we're three issues from the epic conclusion. I look forward to seeing how this all plays out...

Verdict:  Excellent. 

Cover by Livio Ramondelli

Available online only (from www.comixology.com for 0.99 USd)

Comic Review...

Cover by Livio Ramondelli

Transformers: Autocracy #8

Writers: Chris Metzen and Flint Dille
Artist: Livio Ramondelli


Summary:  ORION PAX-- Autobot hero and one-day OPTIMUS PRIME-- stands side-by-side with MEGATRON, leader of the DECEPTICONS! But even together, will they be able to defeat ZETA PRIME and his forces?

Comments:  Zeta Prime has made his move and openly declared war on all who oppose him! Orion Pax, his Autobots and the Decepticons join forces and take him on.
   Another excellent issue in the mini-series...both the writing and the art are first rate. I also love Ramondelli's covers for this series overall (covers are definitely one of his strengths). Zeta Prime's destruction is satisfying yet seems to come very quickly. He fights Pax and Megatron for two and a half pages of the story--one almost wishes their fight could've lasted a tad longer after all this build up to it. Otherwise, I have no complaints regard the story.

Verdict:  Excellent. 



Available online only (from www.comixology.com for 0.99 USd)