Transformers Megatron Origin: I considered putting this in the War
Within page, because it does the same sort of thing (deep background for the
setting), but for now it'll go with the rest of the IDW G1 books. If we get
more Origins series, I might make a page for them. Anyway, this series
purports to look at how Megatron became what he is. Written by long-time TF
fan Eric Holmes, drawn by Alex Milne, and colored horribly by several
people.
Transformers Megatron Origin #1 (of 4): IDW - Long time fan Eric Holmes
writes, Alex Milne draws, Josh Perez and Zac Atkinson murk it up. Okay, the
point is to show the oppressive, dark environs of first the mining colony and
then Kaon, but a combination of smaller panels (normally welcome because it
means the story's not being as decompressed) and chaotic layouts make the
excessive darkness in inking and coloring a Bad Idea. Half the time, looking
at Megatron, I'm not even sure it's him, a bad thing given that this is
supposed to be his origin story. One also suspects the story is how Megatron
remembers it, not necessarily how things happened, what with the excessively
corrupt Autobots and so forth. Promising, but too hampered by confusing
storytelling. Mildly recommended. (I got Cover A) $3.99
"The Dukes Of Hazardstripes" Award to Transformers Megatron Origin #1 (of
4)
Transformers: Megatron Origin #2 (of 4): IDW - Cy-Kill dies another
death in the opening scene. Poor guy. Anyway, the story skips ahead a bit,
and is slightly easier to follow. The art is still murky and the flow iffy,
but both Milne and Matere (each has about half the issue) do an acceptable if
not great job. The corruption of the Autobots is expanded on this issue as
well, and made a little more palatable, IMO. Mildly recommended. $3.99
"Gordon Geckobot" Award to Transformers: Megatron Origin #2 (of 4)
Transformers Megatron Origin #3 (of 4): IDW - The Decepticon rebellion
gets into full gear, and more familiar faces show up, if not always on the
side you might expect. The art is still kinda murky, but not as bad as
previous issues, and Holmes seems to have either gotten better at giving
stage directions, or Milne has gotten better at anticipating what's needed.
Recommended. $3.99
"Buy Name Brand" Award to Transformers Megatron Origin #3 (of 4)
Transformers Megatron Origin #4 (of 4): IDW - Okay, we're back to art
from Milne that conceals as much as it reveals, abetted in the former by
overly saturated colors and a failure to clearly separate foreground and
background. As far as I can tell from the story, it's a decent wrapup of the
origins of the Decepticons as an outgrowth of Autobot decadence and
corruption, and Holmes does successfully play a bit with our expectations
(i.e. "Starscream is treacherous", when at this point in his development he's
not necessarily the same person he would later be known as). I suspect that
Holmes has already looked at the completed series and found a dozen ways he
could have done things better, hopefully he'll implement these ideas in his
next story. Mildly recommended. $3.99 (I got the A cover by Milne, although
it wasn't a lot more interesting than the B cover.)
"Who Was That Slimy Businessman Again?" Award to Transformers Megatron
Origin #4 (of 4)
Transformers Infiltration: A totally new G1 continuity (as opposed to
the Dreamwave G1, which kinda linked into the original storyline). The
preview issue and initial miniseries are written by Furman and drawn by
E.J. Su (whose work I first saw on the late, lamented Techjacket). The
series itself is six issues, and it looks like the neo-G1 stuff will come out
in six issue chunks from here on.
Transformers Infiltration #0: IDW - Okay, I got all four covers (at 99
cents an issue, why not?), so I'll start with them (no, my store didn't buy
the huge number of issues needed to get the incentive covers). Series artist
E.J. Su did two covers, an Autobot one and a Decepticon one. The Autobot
cover has the theme "white vehicle Autobots" as Jazz, Wheeljack, Prowl and
Ratchet are clumped together as if starting to move towards an enemy. It's
pretty good, although they don't seem to all be in the same scene. The
Decepticon cover has Astrotrain and Blitzwing towering over Starscream and
Runabout in a "let's all look cool for the portrait" set of poses. Looks
kinda bland. James Raiz has a cover dominated by Megatron towering over a
horde of fleeing humans as Soundwave and Starscream hang around in the
background. The people have a somewhat 80s Marvel New Universe look to
them. Finally, "Milk" has Optimus Prime grinding Megatron's head into the
dirt. Lots of subtle wrongness about this cover, from Prime's proportions to
Megatron's teeth. If you only pick up one cover, I'd recommend either Su's
Autobots or Raiz's Megatron. Anyhoo, on to the stuff inside. The inside
front cover has the creator credits and a sort of fighting game headshot roll
call in which the heads of characters not appearing this issue are black
silhouettes. The story focuses on a pair of humans (with one more human
waiting to show up in #1, we're told) who get involved with the secret war
between Autobot and Decepticon. In the interview at the end of the issue,
Furman says that he wants to use outsiders to introduce things, and the
squishies this time out are definitely outsiders. This is also clearly a
clean slate reboot, a "what if they went active in the past few years, not
20+ years ago" restart. One nice touch is that mechatopia.com, a website one
of the squishies frequents (or maintains) exists in real life as a companion
to the series. The disguise factor is being taken seriously here, as it was
in early Marvel G1 comics. A promising beginning. Recommended. 99 cents
"We Were Somewhere Around Barstow On The Edge Of The Desert When The
Giant Robots Began To Take Hold" Award to Transformers Infiltration #0
Transformers Infiltration #1: IDW - If I had to sum this up in one word,
it'd be "coy". Robot modes only barely show up before the final page (if you
discount the cover, of course), and while there's hints that aspects of
previous continuities exist in this version, it's all hidden behind layers of
X-Files-ish obfuscation. On the other hand, Furman does handle the resulting
"open mystery" pretty well, and the squishies are...not horrid. They may
never really grow on me, but that don't immediately repulse me either. Su's
art is decent, but one aspect bothers me: the faction symbols were clearly
tacked on during coloring, pasted in over the final colors in monochrome.
Not only do they stick out like sore thumbs, they are also not always angled
correctly to appear to be on the surface. My suspicion is that Su took the
"secret infiltrators" thing seriously and deliberately left off the symbols,
but editorial added them in later either because Hasbro insisted or because
some dip thought it would be a good idea to slap cheesy faction symbols on
(and they don't always appear, so it's cheesy AND slipshod). There's a three
page preview of the Beast Wars comic, which gives away less than the online
preview I've seen. The lettercol is amusing. Recommended despite the flaws,
though. $2.99
"Decepticons Shop At Reprolabels' Discount Bin" Award to Transformers
Infiltration #1
Transformers: Infiltration #2: IDW - In case this one gets published in
the lettercol like my review of #0 did, I should state here that this is part
of a review column. :) That aside, this issue continues the Marvel comic
tradition that Ratchet may be a medic, but he's a COMBAT medic. He's sneaky,
has a good tactical sense, and packs just enough punch to give his plans a
chance to work. His internal narration is a bit purple, though. The
photoshopped in faction symbols are still awkward and look like they were put
on at the last minute by the editor rather than being any result of E.J. Su's
efforts. Speaking of Su's art, it continues to have a raw feel to it that
reminds me of Neal Adams's stuff without actually LOOKING like Adams's art,
if that makes any sense. It's especially strong on the scenery and the
vehicles, throttling back a lot on the humans and robots. If Raiz's cover to
#0 had an 80s New U feel to it, I think Su's interiors almost feel like 70s
black and white explosion. There's also a two page inked preview of #3
(which is mostly robots, so I can't tell if the 70s feel I'm getting off the
finished art is all Su, or is partly colorist Rauch), and three more pages of
the upcoming Beast Wars comic. Figueroa's organics are perhaps a touch too
organic for my taste (in my mind's eye, the more plasticky CG look of the BW
cartoon is 'correct'), but I like how he included the manga-version's
tendency for beast heads to sometimes have minds of their own (i.e. Seasaurus
looks around from Magmatron's shoulder). And in case anyone's curious, I got
cover C. If you're gonna be 70s retro, go all the way and have speech
bubbles on a cover, dude. Recommended. $2.99
"Starscream's Been To Spencer Gifts" Award to Transformers:
Infiltration #2
Transformers: Infiltration #3: IDW - There's basically two plots running
through this issue. In the A plot, Ratchet deals with the consequences of
involving humans in the Autobot/Decepticon war, and it's a lot of talking in
boxes. Some intriguing ideas for setup, but definitely on the dry side. As
if to try to balance that out, the B plot mainly involves Decepticons running
around blowing stuff up for reasons that become apparent as they continue to
boomify things. As I pointed out a while back in a review of Iron Man, a mix
of all talk and all boom may seem balanced in theory, it doesn't always work.
It sort of works here, but not as well as I think Furman hoped. Also, the
art from Su continues to be good except for the blatantly pasted in Autobot
and Decepticon symbols that really grate on my aesthetic sensibilities. Got
the B cover, as it was the one stuck in my pull and the A cover didn't make
it out onto the shelf. Somewhere between mildly recommended and recommended.
$2.99
"What Does Bumblebee's Holoavatar Say About Him?" Award to Transformers:
Infiltration #3
Transformers Infiltration #4: IDW - Got cover C, with Bumblebee carrying
the gun that's almost bigger than he is. A lot of emphasis on the squishies
this issue, but Bumblebee gets a chance to shine...the cover isn't totally
inappropriate. The Hasbro-mandated cut and paste faction symbols are a bit
beter integrated this issue, although they're a bit inconsistent from page to
page. Mildly recommended. $2.99
"Big Where It Counts" Award to Transformers Infiltration #4
Transformers Infiltration #5 (of 6): IDW - Well, most of the mysteries
are explained in this issue and the stakes are raised. Several things make
it clear that we're not in the old G1 continuity (any of them, really)
anymore, especially the way the issue 4 cliffhanger resolved. :) Good art,
good story. Got cover C (Wildman). Recommended. $2.99
"Power Surge" Award to Transformers: Infiltration #5 (of 6)
Transformers Infiltration #6 (of 6): IDW - The series takes something of
a left turn here, with the protagonists of #1-5 becoming at best spectators
and at worst refugees. It's a good conflict, mind you, and it clearly sets
up the change of the status quo...it just feels a little like this could have
been done as #2 or #3, not #6. On the plus side, it looks like they finally
got permission to draw the faction symbols instead of pasting them in.
Recommended despite some qualms. (Got the Guidi cover, and it seems most apt
for the actual story.) $2.99
"What About The Giant Mutant Jellyfish?" Award to Transformers:
Infiltration #6 (of 6)
Transformers Stormbringer: Set on Cybertron at about the same time as
Infiltration, plus flashbacks to the distant past, this book is promoted as
"robots only".
Transformers Stormbringer Ashcan: IDW - I've already seen all these pages
online, but my store pulled it for me today, so I'll comment now rather than
waiting for #1 to come out. This is the first 11 pages of Stormbringer #1,
the second IDW series set in their G1 continuity (and has at least one page
making it clear the non-flashback events of the book take place at the same
time as Infiltration). Furman's building a new backstory here, fleshing out
some of the implications made in Infiltration, and setting up a mysterious
cosmic-level threat that HOPEFULLY won't be Unicron again. :) Figueroa's art
is good as usual, although the ashcan size makes it a little busier.
"Global Warming Got Nothing On This" Award to Transformers: Stormbringer
Ashcan
Transformers Stormbringer #1 (of 4) (TF G1 #7): IDW - The Neo-G1
storyline shifts to Cybertron's ruins, showing that maybe the Ark
crash-landing on Earth in the original G1 storyline was a Good Thing for the
rest of Cybertron. Furman is at his most portentous here, setting up a new
Big Cosmic Threat who isn't Unicron. Figueroa's art is as good as usual,
although some of the layouts are deliberately muddled. Mildly recommended on
its own merits, although it could end up looking better in retrospect. Also
has a very long preview of Hearts of Steel #1. I got cover A. $2.99.
"But Does He Have The Matrix?" Award to Transformers: Stormbringer #1 (of
4)
Transformers Stormbringer #2 (of 4) (TF G1 #8): IDW - Sometimes part two
of four slows down the action to explain what's going on. Sometimes it just
throws out a big pile of partial information and red herrings. This is
definitely the latter case. A little bit of everything is revealed, but not
quite enough of anything, making it a "written for the trade" sort of story.
Lots of nice Figueroa redesigns, though, including what I think is a
canonical appearance of one of his old Macromaster designs. Mildly
recommended. $2.99.
"Has Anyone Seen My Chin?" Award to Transformers Stormbringer #2 (of 4)
Transformers Stormbringer #3 (of 4) (TF G1 #9): IDW - Given all the
frenetic action, very little actually HAPPENS in this issue, and the few
interesting things that do happen, occur mostly off-stage...we'll see it
about to happen, then later we see the aftermath, but not the actual event.
Meanwhile, lots of fight scenes that go nowhere and could have been left
off-stage without loss. Not one of Furman's better storytelling efforts.
About the only good thing about the issue is seeing Don Figueroa's redesigns.
Mildly recommended pretty much just for that. $2.99
"Losing Face" Award to Transformers Stormbringer #3 (of 4)
Transformers Stormbringer #4 (of 4) (TF G1 #10): IDW - Heh, I got the
poster with the cover of this issue before I actually got this issue.
There's a fair amount of flash-bang and a ticking timer of doom, but the
actual resolution of the conflict takes place in a badly-laid out and
anticlimactic series of slim horizontal panels that focus on Thunderwing's
foot. I think. Plot- wise, this really shouldn't have been a miniseries.
They should have just run an unlimited series for NeoG1 and made this an arc,
because it really doesn't resolve satisfyingly as a series, but would have
worked better as issues #7-10 of "Transformers". Mildly recommended. $2.99
[Later note: if you look at the barcode on the back cover, above it is a "10"
in a little shield. So they do kinda recognize it's really #10.]
"Seriously, A Closeup Of The Foot? Gah!" Award to Transformers:
Stormbringer #4 (of 4)
Transformers Escalation: Phase 2 of the earthbound neo-G1 storyline.
Furman and Su still on the creative chores. Picks up the overall number of
the series at #11.
Transformers Escalation #1 (TF G1 #11): IDW - INDIGENOUS, GAH. That's
twice now Furman has referred to the "indigent species" of a planet. If
you're gonna get fancy and use something other than "native", *please* look
up the word you're using. I suppose I should be grateful he didn't try to
use "autochthonous species," goodness knows what would have actually hit the
page. Granted, this could be the fault of the editors "fixing" Furman's
correct usage. Of course, given that a map shows the city of "St. Luis" on
page 12, I'm not really expecting much from the editors. While I'm
nitpicking, while the exit 31 of I-94 shown on the cover is indeed on the
Lake Michigan shore, I'm pretty sure there's no buttes or cacti in that
vicinity (as seen on several pages). At least they seem to have picked a
fictional town (Lebanon MI does not exist as far as I can find, unless it's a
two-house unincorporated thing), so they can't get its details wrong. :)
Okay, having vented about the details the editors should have caught, the
actual plot/story/art is good. Recommended. $3.99 (I got cover A, of
Sunstreaker) [Later note: there is a Lebanon township in Michigan, but it's
north of Lansing and not on I-94.]
"Shell Games" Award to Transformers Escalation #1 (Transformers #11)
Transformers Escalation #2 (TF G1 #12): IDW - I got cover B, I liked the
design better. Heh, the UPC/price bit is a sticker, looks like someone
goofed on layout for the cover (or it was planned for a retailer exclusive
initially). Cute easter egg on the last page of story. The cliffhanger of
#1 resolves about how I think most people expected it would, and we get a bit
more worldbuilding regarding Decepticon strategy. Recommended. $3.99
[Later note: cover A had the sticker too. Hm.]
"SLEIGHT of Hand, Guys" Award to Transformers Escalation #2 (of 6)
Transformers Escalation #3 (TF G1 #13): IDW - We get a bit more into the
relationship between the Decepticons and their human-like "facsimiles" as
Megatron uses one to enact his escalation plans. It is nice to see
Decepticons using intelligent strategies and tactics, although we have yet to
see how those directly impact inter-Transformer combat. Yeah, it's a bit
slow in getting going, but it does seem like things will finally get booming
next issue. Recommended. I got cover A. $3.99
"Just The Fax, Ma'am" Award to Transformers Escalation #3 (of 6)
Transformers Escalation #4 (of 6) (TF G1 #14): IDW - Got cover B. A fair
amount of cliffhanger cheating in the old movie serial style, but it works,
if a bit anticlimactically. A good point is made about why previous issues
have been about small scale conflicts, without being rammed home too
blatantly. Namely, if you use a wide variety of disguising altmodes for
tactical flexibility, it also means that when you get too many of your forces
together at once the result is...odd. The human B-plot is a bit on the
padded side, and the TF A-plot has a couple of idiot moments, but it's
generally good. There's also a short preview of the delayed TF movie prequel
comic (which I hear leaked out a few places, despite publisher requests that
the misprinted few that did ship not be sold). Recommended. $3.99
"Fort Wayne? Surely A Coincidence" Award to Transformers Escalation #4
Transformers Escalation #5 (of 6) (TF G1 #15): IDW - I got cover B, but
neither really thrilled me. All the plots get moved forward at least some,
but the main focus of this issue is the brawl between Megatron and Optimus
Prime, as suggested by both cover versions. Nice to see some of the humans
behaving intelligently. The dialogue is a bit too peppered with Furmanistic
grunts, though, it's getting a tad, hnnn, cliche. :) Recommended. $3.99
"A Talky Power-Drunk" Award to Transformers Escalation #5 (of 6)
Transformers Escalation #6 (of 6) (TF G1 #16): IDW - The day is saved by
characters pulling out new abilities they hadn't displayed before, kinda
cheaty. Some of the Spotlight stories come into play, and more mystic mumbo
jumbo worldbuilding happens. Mildly recommended. $3.99
"And I Will Hug Him And Squeeze Him And Call Him George" Award to
Transformers Escalation #6 (of 6)
Transformers Devastation: Furman and Su continue the "main thread" of
the neo-G1 continuity, as Megatron tosses out the six phase structure and
goes for the jugular.
Transformers Devastation #1 (of 6) (TF G1 #17): IDW - Um, Ravage is
feline, not canine/lupine. He should not "aroo". That aside, the premise
behind "Devastation" is that Megatron's tossing aside the usual phase order
(which we haven't even seen run through once) and dropping his poison pill on
Earth. But that's practically a sideshow to the whole Hunt For Sunstreaker
thing, which not only gets the A-cover this time, but also seems to dominate
next issue, despite the nature of the cliffhanger this issue. Odd pacing and
priorities. Mildly recommended. $3.99 (got Cover A by Su.)
"Of COURSE He's Phase Six" Award to Transformers Devastation #1 (of 6)
Transformers Devastation #2 (of 6) (TF G1 #18): IDW - Heh, I think it was
shown last issue, but I only now realized that Hot Rod is a Dodge Viper, and
hence modeled after Super Speedbreaker in vehicle mode (and with a robot mode
now inspired by Alternators Rodimus, at least in the "headlight chunks as
shoulderpads" bit from the Alt.Mirage mold). The Zarak plot comes to a head
(ow, pun not intended this time, caught myself in the backblast) in an
effective if somewhat telegraphed way. Recommended. $3.99 (I got cover B by
Roche.)
"There Are 10 Kinds Of Bond In This World" Award to Transformers
Devastation #2 (of 6)
Transformers Devastation #3 (of 6) (TF G1 #19): IDW - While the
Headmasters plot gets some service, this is mainly about an extended chase
scene. However, the purity of plot looks to be about over, as the last page
starts throwing plot elements in right and left...planetkiller or even
dimensionkiller level threats (and mis-aimed word balloons). It portends a
badly incoherent wrapup to this arc, I'm afraid, unless it's meant to be deep
foreshadowing for the next couple of arcs (in which case, the way it's all
dumped at once is simply bad pacing). Just dealing with both Sixshot and the
Headmasters is a tad busy for a six issue arc, tossing in these other threats
is just messy. Mildly recommended. $3.99 (I got cover A by Su) [Later note:
Shoulda mentioned at the time, Roche does the interior art.]
"Hunter, That Was SUCH A Straight Line" Award to Transformers Devastation
#3 (of 6)
Transformers Devastation #4 (of 6) (TF G1 #20): IDW - Got the Su cover A.
Lots of explosions this issue, and as kinda expected the threats seen last
issue partially cancelled each other out in the short term. There's also
some cliffhanging regarding the human cast. In any case, things are moving
along at a decent pace, although it feels like there's no real connection
between the two main storylines (Sixshot story and Headmasters)...this
wouldn't be an issue if they just called this an unlimited series, but for a
"miniseries" to have two parallel arcs that don't connect to each other is
bad storytelling. As Transformers #20 it'd be recommended, but as
Devastation #4 (of 6) it's only mildly recommended. $3.99
"Who Says Only The Decepticons Get To Teleport Away When The Going Gets
Tough?" Award to Transformers Devastation #4 (of 6)
Transformers Devastation #5 (of 6) (TF G1 #21): IDW - Cover B was the
only one the store had left, but I think I would have gotten it anyway. It's
such a twisted display of domestic bliss, Decepticon style. Megatron and
Starscream (who looks pretty femme) in profile, side by side, smiling in
satisfaction as the world burns behind them. It's like Starscream is just
about to turn and say, "I love you," with Megatron replying, "I know." ;)
Unfortunately, the cover tells a clearer story than the entire comic inside,
which is so shattered in focus between the multitude of plot threads (plus a
couple of flashbacks) that I was left with the feeling I'd just read the
equivalent of a movie trailer. Lots of significant bits, many explosions,
several cliffhangers, but it just didn't hang together very well. And as if
there weren't enough plot threads native to Devastation, they also hare off
onto Spotlight Arcee's plot (in a scene that would be even more confusing if
I'd gotten this issue three weeks ago when it actually came out, instead of a
week after reading Spotlight Arcee). Mildly recommended. $3.99
"Decepticon Gothic" Award to Transformers Devastation #5 (of 6)
Transformers Devastation #6 (of 6) (TF G1 #22): IDW - I really shouldn't
be surprised. Rather than actually bring things together and resolve
anything in this issue, Furman instead tosses MORE elements into the pot and
then just has everyone dash off in different directions after killing off
some random minor characters. Not to mention, cover A (which is the one I
got) is misleading. They should really stop lying to readers with this
miniseries titling...Devastation isn't a single story, or even really a
chapter. It's a randomly chosen chunk from the middle of several
intertwining stories...the cover should emphasize that this is Transformers
#22, and leave the "#6 of 6" stuff to the title page. I'd be a lot less
annoyed at Furman's "throw another plot into the curry" approach here if this
weren't supposedly the end of a miniseries. It'd still be mildly annoying,
but not on the level of wanting to find IDW's head office people and
metaphorically slap them around. Neutral. $3.99
"Too Many Chiefs" Award to Transformers Devastation #6 (of 6)
All Hail Megatron: Writer Shane McCarthy and artist Guido Guidi tell
the story of Earth left to the mercy of the Decepticons as the Autobots are
called away by another plot device. Kicked off by a one-shot preview.
Transformers Focus on Decepticons (one-shot) (TF G1 #22.5?): IDW - Gasp,
it's not $3.99! Of course, it's also more along the lines of an ad you pay
for. Pitch, design sketches, interviews with writer and artist, a roster of
who's going to show up (mainly recycled art as far as I can tell) and then a
short preview in which Decepticons blow stuff up and sneer at humans. Decent
teaser, but really the sort of thing most companies charge significantly less
for. Mildly recommended. $2.99
"Everybody's A Critic" Award to Transformers Focus On Decepticons
Transformers All Hail Megatron #1: IDW - While the Autobots go running
off to deal with the plot in Spotlight (and we see in the final scene a
little of how that might have turned out, along with some Classics 2.0
cameos), the Decepticons are left behind to do whatever they feel like on
Earth. And that, this issue, is mainly "blow stuff up". McCarthy's story is
a bit predictable and by the numbers, but a decent read, and at least he
knows which numbers to run. Recommended. $3.99 (I got cover B, but didn't
really get a choice...no copies made it to the sheld, so I got what was put
in my folder.)
"We Come In Peace, Shoot To Kill" Award to Transformers All Hail Megatron
#1
Transformers All Hail Megatron #2: IDW - I got cover A, since that was
what was put in my pull and no copies made it to the shelf. I like cover B
more, though. Colonel Dan Witwicky (relation to Spike not revealed, although
maybe in the current continuity Spike's given name is Dan?) shows up to head
the rather futile resistance, and most of the issue is still about
Decepticons showing how badly they outclass humans. And apparently the blue
Frenzy has Spiral Energy, to boot. For a stompy-dominated issue, it's pretty
good, though. And Witwicky provides just the right level of dark humor.
Recommended. $3.99
"He's Even Hallucinating That He's Not Red" Award to Transformers All
Hail Megatron #2
Transformers All Hail Megatron #3: IDW - A mix of humans trying to
survive and Decepticons trying to find a little bit of satisfaction in what
has turned out to be a very easy victory. Probably the most important part
of the issue is a heart-to-heart between Megatron and Starscream that goes
pretty well (from a reader's perspective). Nice circular structure to the
issue as well, beginning and ending on the same primal threat (but not Primal
threat). Recommended. $3.99 (I got cover B)
"The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is An Oncoming Train" Award to
Transformers All Hail Megatron #3
Transformers All Hail Megatron #4: IDW - While there's a short scene or
two back on Earth, this is mostly showing what's happening now to the
Autobots. Not really how they got there, mind you, just occasional
references and allusions. No wrapping up of the prior plotlines, lots of
unexplained status changes, etc. As the sort of thing to see in #1, I'd
expect that. But by #4, I'd kinda hope for less tease and more info. A two
page bit involving Cliffjumper is about the only really worthwhile part of
the issue. Neutral. $3.99
"It's Not Like He Had Cable To Distract Him" Award to Transformers All
Hail Megatron #4