A Prime is a Prime is a Prime
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis“The Falling,” Part 3: Onyx Prime sows the seeds of chaos and panic on Cybertron as he reveals dark secrets… but nothing will prepare Optimus Prime and his allies for Onyx’s darkest revelation!
“The Falling,” Interlude. All hope seems lost as Onyx Prime confronts Optimus—but why has Onyx returned? What’s his ultimate goal? Millions of years worth of mysteries are solved as the secret history of Onyx Prime is finally revealed!
and we're here to tell youIf you read the synopsis section just above, you will notice that there are two of them rather than the single issue - that is because this week, and this review, has two issue of the Optimus Prime ongoing series being released by IDW Publishing. To avoid spoilers as much as possible, we decided to talk about both in the same text, and I am taking extra care to talk more about narrative and execution than plot specifically. Nothing different than usual, just a little more vagueness, if you'll bear with me.
yeah, pretty muchWith that all said and out of the way, then: John Barber has decided to take a very different turn for The Falling. Weird, even. His writing hasn't shied away from time displacement and travel, black hole paradoxes, and the consequences of all of the above notions at play (just look at Syndromica and Dark Cybertron, or even Revolutionaries). But here, we reach a whole new level of temporal and narrative freedom - to varying degrees of success.
His words, not mineIn #17, the story continues, as the aftermath of Soundwave's actions in #16 is addressed and Onyx Primal gets more terrifying by the frame in his actions, words, and clear direction forward (which looks a lot like backwards). And it's a build-up that reverberates with a lot of the themes address in the series so far, with Aileron taking the narration spot and looking at the category of Primes and heroes from a vantage point, really.
which may or may not be sidewaysThen we have a reveal. A big one. A narrative, time-shattering one, on the very last page. And issue #18 (aptly named Interlude) deals with this instead, charging the story being told in a way that is yes, entirely exposition, but exposition that is surprisingly well woven and doesn't feel like a pause too long or any kind of slog.
So where is the variation in the success I mention? General agreement on staff was that not everything landed immediately but, at the same time, risks were taken and the pay-off is yet fully to come with more of the arc to follow in the coming months. And the aspects played upon in these issues are not entirely out of nowhere, in Barber's repertoire and I'm very pleased with the editing assist of David Mariotte, keeping all things in check as Barber lets himself loose.
ArtIn #17, Kei Zama and Josh Burcham are - I think - showing off their skills. We have a ridiculous range of emotive and dynamic in frame layouts, with interactions being silent as the overwhelming and overpowering presence of Onyx takes up most of the space. Things get out of hand, and space and colour are used to the best of their effects, with some truly incredible compositions and transformation sequences, too.
You Are (Not) AloneIn #18, Sara Pitre Durocher offers the general framework of the current events (opening and closing), along with colours by master of technicolour continuity Burcham - both of whom, together, maintain the stage in the same light and tone as the final act of the previous issue, and chillingly set up the Interlude story.
Livio Ramondelli has the main duties for the latter, and his style, once more, proves perfectly suited to the past, mythology infused Weird!Barber script. The Aligned continuity that once was part of another narrative universe definitely takes shape and form in his lines and colours, and the Primes of old can easily be identified in their rise and expansion - awingly so.
#ImperialismThere is little more that can be said about Tom B. Long's work on lettering for these books, but as Barber (and Mariotte) stick to their captioning and name tagging techniques, his fonts and placing don't skip a beat, and allow for the story - with a lot of exposition, as I said - to flow as organically as a twisted story as this one can.
The covers are multiple, and glorious, with the main ones taken care of by Zama and Burcham, including some clear lineart of Solus Prime from the former, and Casey Coller / JP Bove for issue #17's B cover (in the style of its
predecessors, as seen in our database, plus the #18 Megatronus variant from Livio Ramondelli (others also in
database!). But the one featured in the thumbnail is Thomas Teyowisonte Deer's gorgeous take on the Autobot leader, the Arisen, and seemingly the pivot of the entire storyline.
ThoughtsSpoilerish aheadAs I said above, Barber has taken the weird, paradox route, and by doing so taking some really big risks that may not please a section of the readership (and unfortunately proving some clichés about comics narratives in general in the doing, too) - but, some of those risks are still not fully revealed, and where they may not work in these issues for now, two more chapters of The Falling are still due before the final arc. In the words of Onyx, this is indeed just the prelude to the finale, and we are bound to return to its topics and characters very very soon.
I still have doubts. On everythingThe multiple art teams, with Burcham working as continuity lynchpin, do some wonders with what could've been an extremely, frustratingly confusing story, and the aftermath of Onyx's arrival is dealt with in perhaps the most personal and brutal way that this series has seen this far - also partly due to Aileron's perspective, and Soundwave's involvement. I do not believe we are seeing the entire truth, yet, but next month will confirm suspicions - and let me tell you, I am buzzing.
