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Synopsis
STAND-OFF! While the crew of the Lost Light react to MEGATRON’s arrival with characteristic maturity (calling him names behind his back and ignoring him when he speaks) one AUTOBOT is convinced that a more direct approach is needed. Guess what happens when a one-time tyrant is told he’s not wanted? Yeah, exactly.
Does not bode well..
Story
Only a couple of weeks after the last comic, and in fact, the last MTMTE it was too, here we are again back on the Lost Light! Last we saw of space was the floating coffin with Autobot insignia just outside the ship, and it seems as thought captain Megatron decides to bring it on board pretty quickly. Meanwhile, Tailgate (completely absent for pretty much the entirety of Dark Cybertron) is reunited with Cyclonus, and everyone else on the ship.
Two recaps for the price of one
In another six month flashback, we return to Megatron's planet-wide trial, too. But the centre stage is taken by some behind the scenes Rodimus action (well, more or less) and the prosaic, verbose, eloquent, melodramatic, narcissistic duly appointed ruler of Cybertron itself: Starscream. Who gets even further excellent characterisation, along with the big M himself. He looooves to talk, but he does know what to say. Usually.
ME ME ME ME
But what is really impressive in this issue's writing, as has been for the series pre-Dark Cybertron too, is James Roberts' attention to detail. Or to disseminating details, references, clues, scraps of information about where the story might go, where it came from, with the coffin and Skids and Nautica, Riptide, Nightbeat and the rest of the crew. Add to that a number of little nudges towards other series, shows and lores. Seriously, it's riddled with them.
Trailcutter may or may not be lying
In terms of actual action, there is probably even less than last issue, but my oh my is there still a lot going on. Chromedome's mourning, Nightbeat's solving, Trailcutter's drinking/forcefielding, THE TRIAL. If anything, it can at times still feel a little cramped if you are trying to pay attention to all the details on the first read.
Art
We get Alex Milne on artwork, confirming and earning his post as the main artist for the series. And it really really works with the tone of the stories being told. And the expressions, especially with Rodimus' reactions during the trial. And Starscream's. But the best parts are some of the perspectives in the ship, around the ship, outside the ship (there's a double page spread that is breathtaking), and Cybertron again, with some excellent montage styled panelwork for the trial scenes.
Dat corridor
It's also the first issue with Joana Lafuente on full colours! And she delivers amazingly. There are some plays on light and shadows in the conversation between Nightbeat and Chromedome that really set the tone, and some excellent hues for Trailcutter's scenes and other snippets around the issue.
Exhibit.. ten?
Lettering is once more a brilliant Tom B. Long, who does some serious fonting and captioning of scenes, with some truly excellent touches to the already stellar visual components. And the covers are brilliant, too: Milne and Priscilla Tramontano stand-off on A, a smug Nick Roche/Josh Burcham B, and a throwback Marcelo Matere and Tramontano incentive (thumbnail).
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
Some of my concerns from #28 return here, in terms of multiple storylines. But there is definitely more of a focus and a bringing together of events, causes and consequences. The ending is a ridiculous cliffhanger or three, there may be ghosts, and it all looks absolutely amazing, with some priceless expressions around characters. It feels less like it's building up, and more like a sustained tension of suspense.
Don't you give me that look
As I said above, in some parts it feels as though there is even more cramped into this issue than the previous one, but give it time. And if, on the other hand, it feels like something is missing, maybe it's just Roberts making it so. Read the issue more than once, take your time, and if it's still gone.. then it's definitely an intentional loss. Just ask Nightbeat.
As worn out as the first arc of REGENERATION made me in trying to review, analyze, and decode; I found Issue #88 a pleasant, fun story (and it’s lead issue 87) to return to.
As I dig into Grimlock making a cliché ‘deal with the devil’ to receive a new body and get his fellow Dinobots restored to full health as well, I can’t help but think about all the previous versions of Grimlock there are in the fiction, and what kind of a metamorphosis he underwent throughout Simon Furman’s work with him. Back on topic- Grimlock’s deal.
This deal my friends is what steers the course for Scorponok’s adventure to Cybertron. Like the classic Transformers tales of nearly 30 years ago, whether it be in comic or cartoon form, this issue oozes magnificent world domination scheming reminiscent of cartoon Megatron, and one trick devices that look to turn the tide for one side or another along the lines of ‘THE HATE PLAGUE’, ‘THE ULTIMATE DOOM’ or ‘MEGATRON’s MASTER PLAN’.
The best thing is, for me, that was part of the excellence of Transformers from my youth, the unbelievable plans, the crazy inventions and devices that just happen to come into being with each new story or episode. The gullible-ness (innocence?) of many of the characters to be misled.
This issue takes me back as fan-favorite Scorponok sans his former headmaster partner Zarak, looks to take back Cybertron for the Decepticons. He plans to do this by making all the inhabitants into Decepticons using a gene key that will unlock the ‘warrior gene’ in all the Autobots, basically taking away their inhibitions, and morals -- for all purposes making them Decepticons as well. The device is first used on a small scale so that Scorponok and his partners can set up the large planet-sized key that will do the work a lot more quickly.
Grimlock, meanwhile, is back on Cybertron as well, aiding Scorponok as little as possible, but not trying to put a stop to his efforts either. Grimlock’s mind is trapped on his fellow Dinobots, and the whole Nucleon experience that he put them through.
And there are plenty of side plots to help keep all the characters moving somehow: like Hot Rod’s search for the Primus chamber; Optimus cleanup on Earth; Starscream, Shockwave, and Galvatron re-united; and Soundwave’s scheme with Bludgeon, all of which could be linked to Scorponok’s current bid for dominance of Cybertron, and possibly... the universe!
It’s nice to feel this way again. I mourn the loss of Springer before he really even got started in this NEW (old) series, but find myself now that we are past that whole big, huge Optimus versus Megatron event, able to enjoy REGEN again.
Seibertron.com member Azrail has received Takara Tomy's recently released Transformers Prime Arms Micron AM-26 Smokescreen and posted a pictorial review. The figure is a repaint/remold of AM-13 Medic Knock Out with a new head in robot mode and new spoiler in vehicle mold. The figure also comes with a brand new Arms Micron, S.2. Check out Azrail's review below.
Here is a quick look at Transformers Prime: AM-26 Smokescreen. He comes with his Micron S.2.
HUGE thanks to Kapow Toys! - http://www.kapowtoys.co.uk It came at an amazing speed and as always they give exceptional service and are highly recommended.
As always I apologise for some of my camera work but I try my best.
Smokescreen has just been released and is a Takara exclusive. The current buzz is that Hasbro will create a new mold and release in 2013 for the Beast Hunters line. Here's hoping as the repaint doesn't look like the screen version too much.
Smokescreen is a repaint of Knock Out. This is the Hasbro version not the AM one as it is missing the hood port.
I say repaint it's almost a no-paint! It's very light swirly grey plastic, not white. Almost reminds me of a prototype figure. The top of the roof is a painted silver. It doesn't stand out too badly but it is noticeable.
The colour for me is one of the biggest annoyances. It would look so much better in white rather than grey and I really can't understand why Takara did this? In some lights I would say it's almost a pale lilac. I'm sure I've seen the shade in soap dispensers!
The main change to the figure is the rear. A new section has been added with a spoiler. Without this addition the car mode wouldn't have worked. Also it includes 2 long pegs and 2 Micron ports. While you can add weapons sadly it spoils the sleek car form.
Here he is in robot mode with no labels. The figure itself is good, nice tight joints. I kinda wish my Knock Out was as tight as this. It may not be show accurate but it's still a nice figure.
The other only change is the all new head. It's a pretty good representation of Smokescreen.
He has painted eyes and a clear light piping rear. This doesn't work as the only area that shows the light is the corner of his eyes. Kinda giving him a twinkle in his eye but it looks poor. A coloured piece may have worked.
As with all AM figures it comes with labels to add the colour. These are the only things to associate him with Smokescreen. They are nice and shiny but that's also part of the problem I feel. The reflective nature makes the centre blue stripe trickier to see.
The labels go on the headlights, over the hood and roof, spoiler and side. The number 38 is added to both doors. The car rear area is left blank.
They do go a long way to make it resemble Smokescreen but again I wish he was white.
Robot mode gains labels for his waist and knee spikes. You can see him holding his large Micron figure. The hands are the only place suitable for it.
I decided to try and vary his look from Knock Out in the chest area. Smokescreen is a mix of Bumblebee and Knock Out in the show so using the Knock Out is only a partial success. His arms are wrong, the shoulders and he should have doors on his back.
His Micron S.2 is really good and one of the best ones so far I think. He's a proper simple robot mode for once. Even has a small laser on his wrist. The rear weapon area can be popped off to leave the robot mode only.
He transforms into like a Laser Crossbow weapon. The wing areas can be folded in for a more simple look. It is a large weapon but there is lots of detail! Again it's the same plain grey plastic.
You can mount the Micron on the side or rear in a couple of ways. I doubt he can get to 150 on his dial carrying S.2 though!
Lastly a couple of comparison pictures of Smokescreen.
This is a look at him without my camera flash to try and get an idea of the plastic colour.
Next to the Hasbro version of Knock Out.
Comparing Smokescreen with the proper white of United Drift.
In summary I feel a little let down with Takara. Until now all the repaints they've done haven't been bad. Ironhide, Dead End, Hot Shot, Frenzy, all nice figures. The problem with Smokescreen is not the Knock Out mold it's the fact that it shouldn't have been used! Smokey is too different and needs a new figure. Added to that not using white paint all strikes me as a lazy cash in.
There are talks of an Ariel Lemon Shapeways set coming to add doors and other fixes. Also it's highly likely a Reprolabel set will improve on the accuracy of this as they did with Knock Out. All good additions but they make an already high price exclusive even more expensive.
I do hope Hasbro make a deluxe Smokescreen to go with the Cyberverse version. I dread though it will be covered in Beast Hunter spikes. If you can't wait several months for that and like the Knock Out mold then grab AM-26. It's actually sold out in many places already.
I hope you've enjoyed my review and thanks for taking the time to read it.
Once again Seibertron.com member Azrail has provided us with a pictorial review of an upcoming Transformers Prime figure, this time around it's Deluxe Rumble. Check out his review below:
Hi again. Thanks to everyone who liked my Kup review! Here is a quick look at Transformers Prime: Decepticon Rumble. That's his full boxed title.
As always thanks to Kapow Toys - http://www.kapowtoys.co.uk in the UK! They are getting these guys from Asia at lightning speeds. Rumble is sold out now but there is a UK case due. http://tinyurl.com/d56xjrj
This came in the smaller multi language box again. The Bio reads: “Decepticon Rumble's Piledrivers create chaos and destruction.”
A lot of my pictures make his blue shade appear a lot lighter than it is. I will put a more natural picture up at the end to compare it. He is a nice blue kinda between that and cyan. Not as light as Hot Spot as it can seem in the pics.
He transforms into a small car. What type I don't know. Bots are my thing not cars.
It has a nice shade of red windows and black grill. There is a Decepticon logo on his grill but it's hard to see as it's dark.
His Piledrivers can be mounted on the sides. The whole car is quite small like most TFP but very plain. I would have preferred a more sporty or better model. This reminds me of the family car you might find Carly driving Daniel down to the local mall in!
If Bumblebee and others can be flashy why is Rumble so boring?
As you can see the rear is empty of paint except for one tiny Con symbol. Rather like Knock Out this guy screams out "Reprolabel me!"
Seriously Hasbro does paint cost that much these days! It's like all the budget went on the robot and they just said "paint it blue".
The robot mode is really very nice. I never had the United version and this is a great way to bring a new style to the figure I think.
He can hold his weapons in his hands as gatling type guns or flush to his wrist as Piledrivers. If you look underneath they are labelled L1 and R2.
Of course he has the giant chest face going on which a few figures have been showing but maybe not as blatantly. It has 2 red shoulder areas that run the light into the chest eyes.
The shoulder pieces can lock into place but can slightly scratch and scuff the sides. So treat it a little carefully.
The back is nicely detailed with the now almost standard hollow leg area.
A really cool feature is built in laser cannons on his back! In my view a real homage to the G1 guns he carried. They could have easily left him with large "wing" things so this was a nice touch. They could use a silver sharpie, which I plan on doing.
By clipping his arms back in you can create this kind of transformed piledriver mode look.
He has a lot of articulation and can make some nice poses. I'm not great at that so I will leave it to the video guys.
Ball joints on the shoulders, swivel biceps, jointed elbows, ball joint hips, ankles and jointed knees.
Tried to show the head well. Red eyes and crest which light up very nicely giving him an evil stare! It's on a ball joint with an extended red neck. Can get a lot of movement from it.
Basically I feel this is another great Decepticon! They seem to be the cooler of the figures so far. He's got a lot of character and I hope he appears in the show.
The only downsides are the car mode being so plain and that it doesn't scale too well with the other cars. Almost more First Edition size than RID scale. Compared to Kup's gaping holes though this is nothing.
I would recommend getting this guy when he comes out to add to the army!
Comparison pics coming up below shortly
He is a lot taller than the other RID cars. Really the sort of thing Kup should have been.
Maybe he's a people carrier car. Lol.
Rumble is a little longer than Knock Out.
A poor picture trying to show how the blue compares with the much lighter new Hot Spot. It's not too light but a darker shade between this and Hot Shot would have been good.
As already shown there is a variant head on the instructions. Getting a Frenzy would be cool but who knows. It could never happen or end up being an Autobot repaint!
Robot mode comparison pics:
He's possibly the shortest figure so far but that's not a bad thing. It's almost like they had to make his kibble large to meet the height of the others.
He is also quite bulky. A lot going on for such a small figure.
A quick glimpse at Dreadwing which I hope to review soon
Rumble and Kup fight it out!
I hope this helps some of you to make up your minds on this figure.
Post any questions and when I can I will try and answer them. Thanks for reading
The ‘classic’ crew is back at it. FURMAN. WILDMAN. PRIME. MEGATRON.
Generation One becomes REGENERATION ONE. Will there be much REjoicing? Will it continue on to issue one hundREd, or beyond? I think the REaction from not only die hard older Transformers comics REaders, but also newer Transformers fans will be very interesting to see.
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Transformers Regeneration is set to pick up after the original 80 book series called it quits. Twenty-one years later the artist and writer who finished my generation’s Transformers comic book have REunited to pick the reigns up where they left off, and answer all the questions that we want answered, and many we didn’t.
I have to say as an 80’s- 90’s comic book nerd, I have been looking forward to this for quite sometime. The classic series from then isn’t going to be much more than nostalgia for many. It’s fun reading, but sometimes tedious in its innocence and desire to help sell the toys it was portraying. It really has a hard time holding up to the standards of many of today’s comic book readers. The original series was, however, beginning to hit a really good stride with better, more than fun stories, when it ended.
THE STORY CONTINUES:
But now it hasn’t ended. The story and series is now continuing 21 years after the Autobots defeated the Decepticons at KLO, and The Last Autobot remade Cybertron, and resurrected so many of the ‘dead’ Autobots (‘comics dead’, c’mon like it wasn’t to be expected).
21 years and... we now have the Autobots and Decepticons living on Cybertron together, supposedly at peace. The Autobots are clearly in charge, in fact, it seems as if Optimus Prime is the leader of all on Cybertron. That is until the Neo-Decepticons led by Soundwave start to make waves, beginning with the tsunami of destroying The Last Autobot as it stood static on a pedestal (Issue #80.5) in Iacon.
Issue #81 picks up from there following Kup and a force of Autobots he’s assembled (whose name and cry you will instantly recognize). For the first time in the original 80 book series, the Wreckers make their debut (originally debuted in Marvel Transformers UK ‘Target 2006’). In fact, we see a lot of this issue through Kup's point of view, and thus, get to hear a lot of his grumpy old bot attitude. But it's not necessarily misplaced.
Kup offers Ultra Magnus the service of his specialized team to infiltrate and take down an explosive situation involving four rather unsure Neo-Decepticons and some big bombs. Magnus refuses Kup to try his own strategy to ‘talk them down’ rather than use force, to try to help preserve Optimus Prime’s peace on Cybertron. Arguments ensue.
Kup ignores the ‘order’ and goes in anyway.
Not to be outdone by silly Autobot illogics, Soundwave uses the deluxe Insecticons Ransack, Venom, and Chop Shop (what no Barrage?) to infiltrate and escalate the explosive situation and not let the Decepticons who were in the raid go to prison, but to instead be martyrs. Nice guys these Decepticons are.
The Wreckers (Wreck N’ Rule!!!) successfully disarm the situation and all is good. Decepticons captured. No casualties.
Except the Wreckers did it against orders. Magnus takes this up with Prime. He is unsure how and what discipline must happen, so that a precedence is not set for other members of the Autobot peacekeepers Magnus leads. And Optimus seems...‘weird’. He’s distracted, he’s mean, and he does not seem warm at all, but he does want to forgive Kup his transgression. Is Prime’s oddness the results of being reborn the combination of two separate beings? Something else entirely? Unicron is definitely on his mind, but to what extent is he so distracted by this, and his other ‘thoughts’ that he becomes an ineffective leader? A question sure to be answered soon.
Due to frustration with ‘the system’ Kup leaves and the Wreckers leave with him (voluntarily of course). They vow to visit all the other worlds that the Autobot and Decepticon war touched... heading first to Earth. What they find there is certainly a surprise.
REACTIONS:
Lots of action, beloved characters, and introduction to newer, and lesser used characters in the previous Marvel run make this issue a lot of fun. The writing is what you would expect from Furman and SEEMS to take up nicely from where we left off in issue 80. It’s a great jumping on point though, as you don’t have to have reference to the previous issues to enjoy what is starting here, although the knowledge can’t hurt (or can it?--the 100 page spectacular reprint of issues 76 - 80 --also out Wednesday--, can help those who want to refer back to the recent events from the previous issues to see the ‘prequel’). And of course, there are already a few references to events, people, and places from the original Marvel run, for those who are familiar with it, to enjoy.
So, here are my hold ups with an issue that I mostly enjoyed and was very excited for. The story doesn’t feel to me like it seamlessly continues the old Marvel run. The details all seem to be in place, but there is something, the 21 years part, or the weirdness of Optimus Prime, or the similarities to what is happening in RID, and MTMTE that just makes it feel odd, or even repetitive. I cannot exactly place it. I don’t dislike the issue, I’m a long time fan, own the Marvel run originally, own the collections of it, own the collections of UK reprinted materials, and own and collect all the new TF G1 stuff. I wanted to see this happen ever since IDW was able to do it with GI JOE. But when I read 80.5, and now 81, the odd feeling just continues, and I have not yet placed what is causing my ‘discomfort’ with this book in relation to the originals. I wonder if someone else can put it to words, or if I’m the only one that feels this way. Maybe I just had to high of expectations for it. Regardless, I am certainly going to give it a chance.
And besides the above, the art is going to drive some away. Yes, it is CLASSIC Wildman art. That does not skip a beat at all when comparing it to the art he did 20 years ago. But the same complaints about that style still follow it to this new series. Very human (too organic?) looking hands and faces, and lack of detail and simplicity in the robots (like Don Figueroa in reverse). But the art IS part of what gives it the feel of belonging to the old series-- at least to me. I think it is a style that can grow on you, but there are some times when it does seem like TOO much humanity has been drawn into these beings, if there is such a thing (the tears seemed to be a bit much).
Those things aside, I’m certainly interested. The first issue has a lot to it, as I mentioned. A lot to draw in previous readers, and is also a good place for those with new interest to jump in. Plenty of favorite characters, and plenty of new character introductions. And of course, those familiar with the previous 80.5 issues know that there are a lot of stories to tell in relation to them, as well as, stories to tell that don’t relate to the previous issues.
There’s a lot of pressure on Furman to make these stories original and not another version of the Marvel UK Transformers comics stories that he has to draw on. The inclusion of the Wreckers was a must at some point in REGENERATION in pretty much any fans opinion, but I think he needs to be careful about how he winds these stories, and that the direction is not just revamped Target 2006, etc. So far, so good!
FIN
I’m in. I love reading fiction about Transformers. Comic books really do help give these robots the depth that the imagination can then run away with when playing and being creative with the toys and characters. That was true in my childhood, and is still true as I try to pass my love to the next generation.
Transformers Regeneration Issue #81 is due to hit your LCS this Wednesday. Check it out for yourself to enjoy some good old-fashioned robot adventure.
*Man, I hope Springer remembers the ‘ol letting the cons detonate three quarters of the shuttle is much better than four quarters trick, or, well...you should probably go and pick this issue up, because you might be surprised by a few things here or there, and find yourself enjoying it!
Pictures are continuing to be posted by Alfes 2010. This go around we get a good look at the Arms Micron Cliffjumper. Comparison shots show us the "naked" pre-sticker mode along with the applied decals. Check him out and his partner below. Also posted are some in hand pics of Arms Micron Pinpointer and fellow microns partnered with some recent United figures. Check out some images below and click any picture to view the full gallery.
Seibertron.com's review of Transformers Dark of the Moon: A Fan Perspective
Dark Side of the Moon
I saw Transformers Dark of the Moon tonight. I am not a professional reviewer. In fact, I strongly dislike writing reviews of any sort. Yet from time-to-time I am strongly inclined to share my thoughts in hopes that some of you might want to hear what the owner of one of the largest Transformers fansites has to say. So without further ado, here's what I've been writing for the past 5 hours.
First and foremost, if you don't want to read any spoilers, just stop reading this review. I don't hold back anything in my reviews. It's all here that I was able to jot down since midnight. If you want to be spoiled, please be my guest and read on ...
I'll cut to the chase right off the bat before I go into comments that only us Seibertronians will enjoy reading. If you're looking for the next Academy Award winner or Oscar winner for best picture, go see something else so we don't have to hear you complain about Transformers Dark of the Moon. If you are just looking for a great, fun summer blockbuster with TONS of action, lots of special effects, a pretty girl, some very cool cars (and robots too), and destruction galore -- you should, without a doubt, see this film. If you're a Transformers fan, then this is 100% required watching in my book.
Is this the best film in the world? No. Is it another very enjoyable summer blockbuster? Of course it is. Are there some problems with the storytelling? Yep. But hey … it's Transformers, it's not Revenge of the Fallen, and it was a fun couple of hours watching exciting craziness unfold before my very 3d weary eyes. While Transformers Dark of the Moon didn't surpass the first Transformers film from Michael Bay, it was better than Revenge of the Fallen. However, it shared some of the same flaws from which the previous movie suffered.
As I have said for the past four or five years, I think Michael Bay was the perfect person to be the director of the first Transformers live action film franchise. I liked some of his previous movies such as Bad Boys and Armageddon. Michael Bay is well known for delivering what he promises. He makes larger than life fun movies that appeal to a very large audience. I truly believe that it was his vision that helped introduce our beloved Transformers to people not as passionate about them as are we. The Transformers are a toy line that have overcome many obstacles over the years and have reached the point of becoming a household name and a billion dollar film franchise.
The special effects were absolutely truly amazing. I hope nothing I say in this fanboy "review" plays down the fact that this movie is an amazing feat of technology. The destruction of Chicago is an incredible technological achievement. It looked like they destroyed the city. And it wasn't far away or brief shots like Battle: Los Angeles. It was complex digitally animated (?) extremely detailed and extremely believable mass destruction bestowed upon the city I've called home for the past 9 years. It was truly amazing to see what they did to this city. The Transformers themselves seemed to be more detailed, but in a good way. I didn't have much difficulty telling who was who, even when they were fighting. There even seemed to be some improvements to the facial expressions on some of the robots. There was a moment with Optimus Prime's face that I remember seeing that I thought, hey that's cool that they got him to make that face, and the same with Ratchet in another scene. Academy Award winning movie or not, I think the special effects teams on this movie should get all sorts of awards. Kudos to all of the people who worked on special effects for this film.
If you wish to read the rest of my thoughts, simply highlight all of the text below by using your mouse, touchpad or by clicking "ctrl" + "a" on your keyboard to highlight all of the text.
Houston, we have a problem
A lot of the problems I had with this film was the fact that there was just too much going on. You shouldn't have to read the novel adaptation to understand what exactly was happening during the film. I think the overall story was good. It just needed to be tightened up, and some time that was given to other scenes could have been used to develop some of the characters.
Speaking of characterization, the Transformers continue to serve more as plot devices than actual characters that you know and love. There are few scenes which show the Transformers interacting on their own without humans and many of them get little character development. I love the Transformers characters, I've grown up with them, but without the bond that I have with these characters through three decades of reading the comics, watching the cartoons, and collecting the toys, I don't understand how the general movie going audience is supposed to have a bond with these characters (aside from Optimus Prime and maybe Bumblebee). It is my hope that now that the general world wide audience has been well introduced to the concept of the Transformers brand, that we can movie into a film franchise where the story can be told more from the Transformers' perspective(s) and less from the humans'.
The Chernobyl scene seemed like the they went through a lot of trouble for us, and the Autobots, to find out that the humans had a piece, or pieces, from the Ark on the moon. I get that they were trying to show us that the Russians had tried to harness the power, which caused the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, but it just came across as really forced to me and a very unnecessary scene.
Human Characters and Actors
Overall, the acting was pretty good. I don't recall thinking that anyone had any overly cheesy lines, or poor acting. The only one that really stood out to me was John Duhamel's Lennox. I wasn't a big fan of him in ROTF and I had much the same feeling about him in DOTM. It might have nothing to do with his character and is just how the writers are depicting him. I liked him in the first movie, and I've liked him in other movies that I've seen him in. Tyrese Gibson's Epps was better portrayed in DOTM than ROTF. Shia was much the same … I liked him in all three movies. I think he's a good actor. As much as I love John Turturro's "Agent" Simmons, I just felt his involvement was either too forced or unnecessary. I felt like he didn't really bring anything to the story. Yeah, he wrote a book, yeah, Bill O'Reilly interviewing Simmons because of his new book was entertaining, but not needed. If you felt his involvement was forced in ROTF, you'll definitely feel that way here.
The ever so beautiful Rosie Huntington-Whitely filled her role, and her tight dresses, perfectly. The Transformers film franchise triumphantly shows the world that all you need is some pretty t-and-a to play the out-of-his-league love interest for Sam Witwicky which could've continued to have been played by Megan Fox had she been able to keep her mouth shut. As a fan, I was happy to have Rosie onboard as Carly, who was the love interest of Spike Witwicky in the original 1980s animated cartoon series. I could've done without the gratuitous underwear/butt shot as she was walking up the stairs. Nice to look at in a men's magazine, just 100% unnecessary in a Transformers flick especially in the first ten minutes or so (though I'm sure many would argue that it's the same demographic).
I was both surprised and disappointed at how small John Malkovich's "Bruce Brazos" role was. His eccentric character went unused through the second half of the film. I thought that he and Patrick Dempsey were miscast and should have had the other's role. Malkovich could've played a perfect live action Dr. Arkeville, which would have been a very nice nod to the Transformers mythos. He even looked the part in my book. It would've even fit in perfectly with the whole "humans working for the Decepticons" plot. Patrick Dempsey's "Dylan Gould" was quite the villain surprisingly. Dempsey was definitely "McBadAss" in this film, and not so "McDreamy".
While I always enjoy the onscreen presence of Sam's parents (played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White), I felt the inclusion of Ron and Judy Witwicky was completely unnecessary for the story. Their roles were merely there for the comedic inconvenience and embarrassment that they cause their son.
Pleasant surprise "cameos": real-life Buzz Aldrin, Nixon, JFK, President Obama, and Fox News' Bill O'Reilly.
Toned Down Humor – Smaller Funny Bits
The sexual humor that many found offensive in the previous two films was significantly reduced in this movie. No more lubricating jokes, no more masturbation jokes, no more boxer jokes, no dog humping, no robot humping, no racially degrading comments. There was an oral sex innuendo from Carly to Sam, and a comment from Sam's mom about him being well-endowed, and a brief comment from Brains about Carly's panties or underwear drawer or something, but all of those comments were fairly brief and didn't seem to distract from what else was happening in the scene.
There were no words like "pussy" or "bitch" in this movie, which made me feel a little squeamish in ROTF. Either Wheelie or Brains says "dickhead" if I recall correctly, but it seemed rather appropriate.
The Sound of Music and the Music of Sound
Steve Jablonsky's music score for DOTM continued to please me. Nothing struck me as out-of-place, but at the same time nothing caught my attention emotionally like "The Arrival" from the first film's score. I was glad the "corny" music from the first and second film (cue the music from when Sam arrived at the lake in the first movie) was absent from the third. I'm looking forward to purchasing Jablonsky's score when it becomes available on CD. Linkin Park's "Iridescent" was present in the film if I recall correctly, and I think the Goo Goo Dolls "All That You Are" is as well.
The sound quality of the film seemed great. I don't recall my ears hurting nor do I feel like I was ever having difficulty understanding anything. I don't recall a G1 transformation sound, hopefully someone catches one and can point it out. No complaints here from me about the audio.
Cartoon References or Coincidence
Several elements of Dark of the Moon reminded me of the fan-favorite three part cartoon "The Ultimate Doom". In that story, the Decepticons enslave mind-controlled humans and bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit via a space bridge. In Dark of the Moon, fearful or deceived humans are working for the Decepticons who want to bring Cybertron to Earth in order to use our planet's resources to repower their homeplanet. Very similar concepts.
One other similar concept that seemed pulled from the cartoons, was the Autobots' exile from Earth. While this scene seemed huge, and the Autobot shuttle looked magnificent, I couldn't help but feel that Megatron's Master Plan pulled this exile concept off better somehow … or at least with more emotional attachment. The whole scene should've felt more powerful in my opinion.
Transformers Characters
My personal favorite character, Soundwave, is still Frank Welker's Dr Claw voice minus the voice processing we all know and love from the original cartoon. Soundwave was one of Megatron's right hand "bots", standing by his side during what will be a very memorable on screen moment that had all three big time Decepticons in the same scene standing side-by-side (Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave). While I was initially disappointed to hear that he transformed into a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in DOTM, his role as Decepticon spy was served just as well by going undercover posing as Carly's car, which her Decepticon loving boss gave her as a "gift". His robot mode looked awesome and he has an awesome moment battling the Autobots before he gets slagged.
Laserbeak speaks, to which I feel indifferent about it. I kept having moments of nostalgia from the Japanese version of the original Transformers cartoons when Laserbeak and Ravage would speak. He's a cool little character that really kicks some butt in this film (albeit mostly humans, more about that later). He transforms into a multitude of objects in the movie. It'd be neat to see Hasbro come up with some other toy versions of Laserbeak. He even transformed into a small human sized red Bumblebee-looking robot to pose as a playmate to a daughter of one of his victims. There was an awesome nostalgic moment when Laserbeak rested/landed upon Soundwave's right arm. While he doesn't look exactly like the Laserbeak of old, I think this is a great representation of this character in live action form.
Mirage was named Dino (pronounced "dee-no"), who looked very awesome. I mean, what Transformers fan doesn't love having an Autobot that transforms into a sexy, red Ferrari 458 Italia? Sucked seeing him share onscreen time with Sideswipe, who's basically the same character, when a red sports car should have been Sideswipe all along.
Wheeljack was named Q (Cue? Que?), who was a very disappointing addition to the Autobot roster. It wasn't so much the characterization (or lack thereof; who's onscreen role could've easily been given to the Autobot weapons specialist Ironhide), but the head design basically looked like a robotic skull with Albert Einstein's facial features and hair. I'm assuming they were trying to convey that this is an Autobot scientist or a really smart Transformer, but I'd like to think that most of the movie going audience is above having things shoved in their faces like that. The original Wheeljack has such a unique head design that it was a shame to not see that translate to the big screen. If you didn't like him either, don't worry, Soundwave executes him later in the film during a rather tense moment when it seems like all is lost to the Autobots.
For as big of a deal as it seems everyone has made about the Autobot subgroup known as the "Wreckers" (Leadfoot, Roadbuster, and Topspin), they really had minor roles for the most part. They were part of the crew working alongside the humans on the Autobots ship which they were exiled in, and the other major part they had was going with Bumblebee into the city when they ripped apart a Decepticon pilot who had crashed, and saving Optimus Prime when he got tangled in some wires after battling the Driller that was attacking the falling skyscraper Sam and the other humans were trapped in. I didn't think I'd like how Leadfoot looked onscreen, but he was easily one of my favorite product placements in the film. While I couldn't pinpoint any connection with the Wreckers voices, I can assure all of you that they did NOT have redneck voices which was a huge relief to me.
Ratchet was in it considerably more than ROTF, however he still had few lines. Same voice actor as far as I could tell from the first film. He also seemed to have a modified face, but I'd have to get another look at it. He was with Optimus when they went to the Ark.
Sideswipe had at least one line, perhaps more. I felt like his onscreen time was replaced with that of Mirage Dino.
Sentinel Prime, voiced by Star Trek's Leonary Nimoy (who also voice Galvatron in the 1986 animated Transformers film), was one of the few Transformers to receive some characterization. His character underwent a harsh transformation from being Optimus Prime's predecessor and hero to being one of the major antagonists in the film. His ideals seemed to align more with that of Megatron and his Decepticons than with the heroic Autobots. He seemed far more concerned with saving the Cybertronian race and planet, which seems like all movie Megatron has wanted. There was no foreshadowing of Sentinel's betrayal. After bringing Sentinel back online, there was a nice moment where Optimus tried to give the Matrix to Sentinel, but oddly Sentinel declined. It seems like if he was inevitably going to betray the Autobots, that he should have taken the Matrix. His death at the end of the movie was very fitting, though I think it sucked seeing the heroic Optimus Prime killing his Autobot mentor.
Sentinel's betrayal wasn't the moment that I wasn't expecting. It was how Sentinel viciously attacked the Autobots, and killed Ironhide! I didn't see that coming. I hadn't even heard any rumors of that happening. It was the only moment during the film that I was shocked at. I was especially shocked since Hasbro has heavily promoted Ironhide by having at least five toys of this character available at retail by the release date of the film.
Still no voice for Bumblebee! If you're wondering why he's holding his hands up to his head in the trailer, it's not because the sound is too loud … it's because his holding his hands up before he's almost executed by Soundwave and the Decepticons. Very tense, cool scene.
Shockwave's character was a waste to me. He looked awesome. He looked evil. But without even a full line (he said something at the Chernobyl scene but I think it was just "Optimus Prime" or something very basic), there was zero characterization. He could've just been another drone for all we know, well, a drone leading other drones. I was hoping for just a couple of lines to Megatron about something being logical or illogical, something that says that this is the character we've known and loved over the past 27 years. He was killed during the Chicago battle.
I wasn't sure what to make of Starscream in this film. His character had been reduced to the worst traits of Starscream. Cowardly, whiny (?). He had two moments in the film that should have been more monumental and awe-inspiring … when he single handedly takes out the exiled Autobots' shuttle and when he takes on the sky divers by the Willis tower in the skies over Chicago. One of my favorite scenes in the Transformers film franchise is in the first movie during the final battle when Starscream takes on the other F-22 Raptors going back and forth between his robot mode and jet mode. That scene is one of the best uses of their ability to transform in the film. I was waiting for that "wow, that's so cool" moment to hit me with either of those scenes but that moment never happened.
The rumors about the cowardly villain Starscream meeting his maker were unfortunately true. Thankfully, he didn't get taken down singlehandedly by one of Epps buddies, which was the rumor we heard last summer. Disappointingly, he was taken down by Sam, who used a grappling hook device given to him by Q. Sam used the weapon to attach the hook to one of Starscream's eyes, which damages it. Starscream is ranting about his eyes and not being able to see. All I kept thinking during this scene is … can't Transformers "see" without their eyes. Seriously … how else would they "see" when they're in their vehicle modes if they didn't have alternative methods to see? If Starscream had just transformed into jet mode, would he have been able to "see" again? Starscream deserves a much better death scene than this. Fortunately, we have his far superior death courtesy of Galvatron in the 1986 film.
Ever wonder what happened to my favorite police car Decepticon Barricade? He went M.I.A., literally, during the final quarter of the first film, was M.I.A. for the entirety of ROTF, but finally makes a miraculous return during the Chicago battle scene. I was very happy to see him return. If I saw correctly, it looks like he received an update or two to his character model. It'd be nice to see some comparison shots of this. My happiness at Barricade's return lasted only momentarily as he was destroyed shortly thereafter.
Skids and Mudflap were indeed missing from the film. I didn't even see them as additional robots during the scene where the Autobots were exiled from Earth. I didn't miss them though I do think they would have served as great cannon fodder.
Optimus Prime gets the movie version of his battle axe that reminded me of the axe he had during the Hoover dam battle against Megatron in a G1 "More Than Meets The Eye" cartoon episode.
Megatron says something to the affect of "what would you be without me" to which Optimus replies "Let's find out." and he proceeds to kill Megatron.
Random Scenes and Thoughts
The scene on the highway en route to Chicago turned out very cool. You might remember this as the scene where the infamous accident happened last summer in Hammond, Indiana that left Gabriela Cedillo, an extra in the film, permanently brain damaged and paralyzed. I meant to see if there was any mention of her in the credits, I'll have to look again tomorrow night. The "Dreads" were a very cool group of Decepticons. I really like their overall look, which is odd because I'm not a big fan of dreadlocks. Their unified and unique look just really stands out to me. I wasn't sure what to make of their "Mexican stand-off" with Ironhide and Sideswipe, but they seemed pretty cool in my book.
I felt confused as to why the Decepticons space bridged to Washington, D.C. then proceed to travel to invade Chicago. Why not either space bridge directly to Chicago or invade D.C. instead? The D.C. scene did give us a nice moment at the Lincoln Memorial where Megatron blows off President Lincoln's head, and the proceeds to remove Lincoln's statue so that Megatron could sit in his chair. One of the Decepticons scans a WM garbage truck after arriving in DC (I want this Transformer!).
Lots of humans get killed in this film. The Decepticons have a weapon that just kind of vaporizes a human after it blasts apart. In one scene, we see a human skull roll toward someone's foot after they were killed. Pretty graphic and intense. Not something I'd recommend for the kiddies to see.
I felt very uncomfortable when the Wreckers tore apart a Decepticon pilot. I just kept thinking "Autobots wouldn't do that!" Kind of reminded me of some of the Abu Ghraib situation a few years back.
The Autobot ship did indeed look awesome. Massive. They missed the opportunity to call the ship something like "Omega Supreme", maybe Hasbro will give us an Omega Supreme toy out of it just yet, but I wouldn't count on it. Someone in the film mentions that there are 9 Autobots, but I can't 11 if you count Wheelie and Brains (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Topspin, Roadbuster, Leadfoot, Dino, and Que) who were aboard the ship if I recall correctly. The shuttle scene was a good scene, it just seemed to lack the emotion that such an important scene should have … especially when Starscream takes out the ship after it launches and apparently kills all of the Autobots aboard.
The whole Cybertron coming to Earth plot seemed a little much to me for the general movie going audience to understand. Without showing the full planet of Cybertron in DOTM, it seemed like it was a lot to ask people to understand that "Cybertron", the Transformers planet which much of the audience has never seen before, was being transported to our orbit. As a fan, I had a very difficult time seeing the large object that was coming through the space bridge portal as Cybertron. It seemed so unmonumental and so unnecessary to a Decepticon invasion of Earth that I felt distracted by that entire plot element (though it's what united Sentinel with Megatron). In addition, I couldn't tell what Cybertron's fate was. It looked as if Cybertron had imploded upon itself when the space bridge was destroyed yet without any dialogue in the film or concern from any of the Transformers, it's fate was left uncertain to me.
After seeing more of the same storytelling problems from ROTF creep into DOTM, I can't help but feel that it's time for Michael Bay, Shia, and the rest of the crew to move onto other projects and make way for some new, fresh ideas to brought into the life of the Transformers films. I'd like to see what someone else can do with the Transformers now that they have proven that it's a successful toy-to-film franchise. I'd also like to see what other types of films Michael Bay wants to make as I can't believe that he would want to be best known for making the Transformers films. I think the movies are very entertaining films for what they are. No one claimed these would, or should, be Oscar award winning movies. The people who have worked on these films have done an amazing job, considering the source material started out as a toy line so many years ago.
No need to stay until the very end of the credits.
Honorable 3D Mention
Why no mention from me about 3D yet? To be blunt: I'm not a fan of 3D. Not at all. I see it for what it is … a ploy to give people something special at the theater that they can't get elsewhere and to make it more difficult for the bootleg "market". I'm looking forward to seeing DOTM in good ol' fashioned 2D. When I watch a 3D movie, I feel like I'm staring at those posters that doctor offices had back in the early 90s where you have to cross your eyes to see the hidden image in the picture. I also can't stand wearing glasses in the theater. It's just not my thing. Did this movie seem like a technical achievement in the 3D field? I can't judge that as I haven't seen any other movie in 3D except for James Cameron's Avatar.
3D doesn't make me feel like I'm part of the movie at all, if anything, it makes me feel disjointed from the film because of how many times I notice the "3D" layers. It's extremely distracting and I don't recall ever thinking when viewing a 2D movie that I wished it had been in 3D. I keep thinking of that Best Buy "buy back" commercial where the girl is calling the guy a "silly head" because he bought a 3D TV instead of a 4D TV. I'm hoping 4D gets here soon because I can't stand this very "forced" 3D craze.
I hope someone important in the movie industry read my thoughts about 3D.
Meet The Press
I wanted to take a moment to personally thank Paramount for hooking me up with a Press pass for tonight's show at the AMC River East in downtown Chicago. I had the pleasure of meeting famed movie critic Roger Ebert this evening, who sat directly behind my wife at tonight's showing. It was a great experience and quite an honor. It was also a very fitting moment since Roger Ebert had mentioned Seibertron.com in his explanation about his review of Revenge of the Fallen.
On a personal note, I think I'd prefer seeing a movie like DOTM with a regular audience any day. The press guys didn't laugh or gasp or anything during the movie. Either they thought DOTM sucked or they were all way too busy writing down notes on their pads of paper. To me, a big part of going opening night for a movie, or even some time during the opening week, is to catch the buzz that radiates through a movie theater that is excited about a film. I think it's unfortunate that the press people didn't get to experience this movie with the regular movie going audience. I'm looking forward to seeing DOTM on Tuesday night with family and friends and people from Seibertron.com who I know will be geeked and excited about seeing this film ... and are there to have fun and have a great time.
Wrap-Up
So you might be wondering exactly what I thought of this movie and what my recommendations are. I know I picked apart a lot of the movie above. I'm very, very passionate about Transformers. I'm also very protective of how we, the fans, see our Transformers. I just want our experience to be shared by everyone else. I want people to know why we like and love these Transformers characters. I gave it a 4 out of 5 on my Netflix account just now. If it wasn't a Transformers flick, I'd give it a 3 out of 5 mainly due to feeling that the story was confusing at times or incoherent. The special effects and technical achievements in this film were simply amazing … stunning even! They should win awards left and right for what pulled off with Chicago and for making huge leaps with the computer animation for the robots which continue to look better and better.
As I said at the beginning of this review, if you're a Transformers fan, you've got to go see this film so that you can tell the rest of us what you think about it. Don't base whether or not you see this movie based on my review. It's a fun movie. Go see it. You be the judge and tell us what you think after you see it.
Galvatron and company are around the ‘live’ universe becoming more powerful and with purpose. The Autobots are in the most disarray that you can imagine them ever being in--- and making choices that lead to serious, SERIOUS ramifications.
Megatron is simply toying with Optimus Prime, and Optimus Prime is showing an extremely frustrated side that one would rarely remember seeing before from the freedom focused noble-bot in even the most dire of circumstances.
But we’re leaving this scene for another corner of the TF-universe. A corner not seen in more than a few issues (at least six!). A section that can only make fans scratch their heads, and imagine what could possibly happen next. Enter Rodimus.
After being ‘ka-boomed’ by Megatron’s super-charged rail gun in the climax of Ongoing issue #13, we catch up with Rodimus floating dead in space with the matrix. He achieves planetfall, and crashlands on a planet that this reader has to say, he didn’t think he would see again with the way events had been going, previous events getting lost in favor of, and sometimes seemingly replaced by newer directions recently.
But in an effort to perhaps reach out to loyal readers, or maybe it was the plan all along, IDW has been returning (finally!) to previously set plot points, and events once again. Plot points that may have been going somewhere in the previous creative crews‘ minds‘ eyes, but were seemingly lost when they left. The newest example of revived plot points, Rodimus landing on the very same planet that holds FAN FAVORITE, should have been First Ballot hall-of-famer, rhyming, wildbot of Cybertron....Wheelie!!!!
*Pauses for cheers to die down*
Last seen stuck on this far away planet thanks to Spyglass, and his Reflector crew, with a 99.999999% chance of never being rescued (fudged that number a little bit), and ominously living near some ruins containing hieroglyphs of a familiar alien race, WHEELIE is once again reunited with a fellow Autobot after quite a long time. The Autobot is fortunately for him, no longer dead ("I feel happy!"), as the matrix is now imbedded into Rodimus’ chest plate like it was always meant to be there, and sparks life back into him.
Rodimus remembers Wheelie immediately upon meeting up with him stating, “You’ve been MIA for almost as long as I can remember. From since just after I got recruited to the Autobots.”
That seems like a long time ago indeed. It’s so long in fact, Wheelie does not even remember being an Autobot.
This issue is otherwise fairly boring. Setting up for the next, much more grand event, where these two young Autobots are going to make their return to Cybertron, and confront a very familiar foe, this issue mainly provides, well, not much. There’s some small piece concerning three other aliens on the planet, but it is quickly put to bed in favor of getting us to the next issue’s ‘will-be-awesomeness’. Yes, Wheelie and Rodimus are going to, thanks to the unlimited power of the matrix and the three disposable aliens, be able to escape the un-escapable planet, and arrive on Cybertron just in time to be a part of this summer’s CHAOS event.
Wheelie rhymes. Rodimus expounds on his injuries, and his new life, and his previous life, vowing to never leave a fellow Autobot behind...again. And Wheelie plays music now. ‘Nuff said?
The Story:
...Is forgettable. This inconsequential issue will quickly be lost in the excitement of this summer’s huge CHAOS events. The two weary Autobots seem to be a bit less than benevolent in their dealings with the three aliens...a streak that seems to be on par with recent Autobot events.
Some might say this could be one of the most annoying issues ever containing both whiny Rodimus, and rhymey Wheelie, but overall the creative crew handled the two well, making sure to focus more on the positive aspects of each, rather than the more negative pieces of them that the fans have come to on some cases...loathe.
The dialogue is smooth and clean. I really wish if IDW changed something from G1 ‘as we know it’ that they would have kept Wheelie from rhyming. The Wheelie-logue drives me bonkers. Thankfully, it is not overwhelmingly done here. I’m just worried now that Wheelie’s back on cast, that his dialect will quickly make its way to the ‘drives me up the wall when I read it‘ category. But Wheelie calls Rodimus dumb to his faceplate, so it can’t be too bad right?
The Art:
---Is Phenomenal. But I’m a Guido slappy. He renders and lines like the pro we know here creating some very beautiful portraits of Wheelie and Rodimus. His alien grunts are excellent as well, reminding me of Skeletor’s hench-lackeys from Masters of the Universe. And the alien ‘general’ seems to have a bit of a cthulhu in his family tree at some point. I have to say, I think Guido stepped it up. His lines on the robots seem more angular and straight, his figures more detailed and less cartoonish. HIs backgrounds detailed, and immense.
The inks, and colors are superbly done, as well.
Honestly, I thought the whole creative team did a really nice job with this issue. ‘It is what it is’ as the oft overused phrase goes. A simple re-introduction tale, setting up a lot bigger event. We get some characterization, and exposition, but not a lot of action. It’s cool though, because the excellent art will keep your eyes and mind quite busy.
Transformers Ongoing #19 is in stores Wednesday, May 18th, be sure to check it out yourself. If you still need more convincing, just check out the 7-page preview, and that should be the deal breaker. See you next time gentle-bots.
Credits to Mike Costa, Guido Guidi, Joana Lafuente, Chris Mowry, Carlos Guzman, and Andy Schmidt.
So Here we are with our final review for Transformers Dark of the Moon Rising Storm, because today we take a look at Its fourth and final issue.
So let’s get started on Transformers Dark of the Moon Rising Storm #4
Just as always, Spoiler Heavy!
The issue starts out Megatron monologing to an imaginary Optimus Prime – again. And yes it's annoying. While doing so we cut back to The Autobots saving Sam and Company from Club Starscream.
"Life is the right of all sentient beings - except for those I don't like."
Prime then gets a call from his good friend Jolt, how how many adventures they had, and gets to witness first-hand how Shockwave kills him and the rest of the NEST base.
Speaking of which, that's exactly where we're going now. Fearswoop and Shockwave have a bit of a talk about killing Autobots, the former even remarking how unusual Shockwave's Autobot killing style is. And both of them kill, Autobots and humans, if you hate humans in your TF fiction – you'll love this series. Both leave the base.
"Welcome to the Jungle, we've got Fun and games!"
We are reunited with 2/3 the magic threesome as they are fighting Soundwave and his minions. Soundwave tells them just how dead they are. We then cut to the remaining part of the magic threesome, the Elita part and her escape from Astrotrain.
She manages to get into a city, believing that Astotrain cannot follow due to being a train, but he just transforms into his flight-mode. She gets all doomsday and decides that she'll kill him.
Back to Dam and Company, the Club Starscream is getting killed, while trying to run away from something.
Back to Elita and Astrotrain, Elita runs away from Astrotrain.
Back to Optimus Prime, he talks to Wheeljack, while Shockwave pinpoints his location. Elita shows up and tells him that:
“It's a TRAP!”
(If I didn't know this was written months ago, I would say someone's been reading my reviews of this series)
Thinking about it, she does look like General Akbar.
Elita tells Prime that the rest of her magic threesome is in danger, then Shockwave lands and crushes her under his foot.
"Oh My God! Those b@st@rds killed Elita!"
Oh bother, guess they'll have to revive her again, just like the last time she died.
Back to the rest of the magic threesome, they/she/it feels the death of Elita/herself/itself and hurt by this fact. Soundwave gets close to killing them/her/it, but the magic threesome manages to press a button which makes something go boom.
Baysplosions!
Back to Prime, Shockwave shoots Wheeljack and Mirage to bits, Prime asks him
“WHY?”
Shockwave replies
“Why What Prime? I live to kill”
I love this Shockwave
Fearswoop, swoops in to help Shockwave, but crashes and dies in mid-air. Turns out that Wheeljack generated a force field around Prime and Shockwave. Prime threatens to kill Shockwave.
Back to the magic threesome twosome, they are shown to have survived.
Back to Prime beating up Shockwave. While Prime is just about to deliver the final blow, Shockwave's “pet” shows up bursting through the ground saving him, and then disappearing.
Ratchet states he might be able to save Wheeljack and Mirage, but they might never look the same again.
We end out comic with Starscream demanding to know why he was used as bait by Megatron, who replies with
“Have patience Starscream”
Oh he also finishes his monologue.
Get a Blog, Megatron.
My thoughts:
The art:
You know, in my previous reviews I kept pointing out how the art looked bad and how the colours where bad, that has changed. The line-work, like I said previously isn't bad at all, it's not brilliant but it's really pretty good, but what about the colours? Well those are actually not that bad this time around. The colours have improved greatly and really show off the line-work now.
Overall the art is not brilliant, but it's pretty good.
I give the art 7 out of 10 stars.
On the writing
The writing is OK. This issue was kind of annoying to read, due to the events being broken up so suddenly, with something different at a different location with different characters happening on every second page, seriously.
So this issue was writing wise not that cool due to, well the distorted scene transmission, if this where a 20 minute long film, the plot-threads would rotate at a 1 minute time frame.
I give the writing 5 out of 10 stars.
This puts the comic at an average of 6 out of 10 stars.
So how’s the complete series? Well I guess I would rate the full story line at about 6.5 stars out of 10. I guess I'll try and get this in TPB form; yes I kind of enjoyed this series.
YouTube reviewer extraordinaire peaugh has uploaded a review of the highly anticipated Transformers United Rumble & Frenzy. US fans are getting a little nervous about being able to find the domestic versions of these little guys. See what peaugh thought about them in the video embedded below.
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Here's hoping as the repaint doesn't look like the screen version too much.
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