Alright, hot on the heals of the
five page preview, as is usual for the comic releases, is the early review of the issue that will be out at your local shop today (barring unforeseen delays), Wednesday, January 5th.
This series compared to any other IDW Transformers series is receiving a lot of heavy fan criticism for its pacing, and art, and when the five page preview was posted for this issue a lot of you could not help but to say that you really feel like you’re looking at and reading an inferior product.
I have to admit I have my doubts too. Lifetime comic book reader, I will also read anything you put in front of me Transformers related. I’ve been critical of Transformers comics in the past, and I still believe we the fans have yet to see what the majority would agree is a fantastic Transformers comic, both in its visual presentation and its written word. Mike Costa gained a lot of buzz from his early work with G.I. Joe: COBRA, but seems to have had a hard time bringing that magic to TRANSFORMERS. Don Figueroa, once considered THE BEST TRANSFORMERS artist perhaps we’ve ever seen pick up a pen for our robots, is struggling to hold many fans’ faith in his designs.
Both creators have taken a lot of flak over this series, but perhaps with this issue, we are starting to see an upswing in the story, and getting closer to what a lot of us complainers would enjoy ‘reading’ more of. I have to admit, I posted the five-page preview here, and I did not even read it. Why? Because it had about 3 pages of human dialogue, and a page and a half or so of bot action (recap, no less!), so much as it was.
But after reading the issue in its entirety and reflecting, we have had some interesting takes on TRANSFORMERS lately, dating back to the whole ‘International Incident’ and now this next part, which is turning into an ‘International, and Intergalactic Incident’.
I enjoyed issue #15. The dialogue at the beginning is actually very interesting debating the whole appropriateness of selling alien armaments, and legislation for the control of said weaponry. But I can picture that the whole argument could be covered in a one to two word balloon filled panels, and leave more room for something more exciting to be seen/represented/drawn rather than the camera angle flip between two talking humans’ faces of little interest to the overall story and characters we really want to see.
The Decepticon plot, seemingly Megatron initiated even though Soundwave, and Shockwave must do A LOT on their parts to see it through as well, is revealed and it is about nothing less than dominating the planet Earth (surprise), and creating chaos and mistrust amongst the humans of the world, playing heavily off the fact that the Autobots seem to be even less trustworthy than before. Oh those silly Decepticons, adding to the seeds of distrust through mind-manipulating weaponry. Poor Bumblebee, the victim of that violence.
"Could even Dr. House save poor Bumblebee?"I have to admit, as I type this the idea seems like your basic Transformers on Earth plot from a G1 cartoon--corny, and it seems like a plot point that Ongoing has been stuck on getting to for 15 issues and then some. To me, well, the plot is getting very worn out and old, and the payoff does not seem to be what it should be...yet. There is still a third part to this whole, ‘Revenge of the Decepticons’ arc, maybe more. Perhaps part of the reason that I liked this issue was because we might perhaps be seeing this whole Earth humans dominating Transformers scenario wrapping up (finally). There is indeed a light at the end of this seemingly endless tunnel.
In a nutshell...
So revealed today, is that when the cons brought Megs back up to space they could not repair his body, so a new one was created, and somehow moved his spark to it. Then they took his old body and fashioned it into a bunch of mini-Megatron guns with some of his conscious still in them (a very small part).
These evil guns were then space-bridged to Earth, and we get what happened last issue... Like I said, a bit campy, in its retro-80's styling. Or is that nostalgia?
Anyway, we could use a little G1 nostalgia because DON's designs are still, well, yeah...
"Sweet, right?"
"Which Transformer am I again?"The art ‘is what it is’ as they say- mixed bag. Don is back on and he is still using the same style as he used when he first started the Ongoing series, fifteen issues ago. Like it or lump it, it’s there, and it looks like it is staying, at least as long as Don is doing artist chores. But what he has also done, introduced the last two issues and featured in this issue, is a major Megatron re-design. I’m not sure if he took his inspiration from Transformers Animated’s
Shadow Blades Megatron, but I think the similarities are obvious, minus the alt modes. I kind of like it in an ‘let’s do something different and create an upgrade for this hugely popular character’, even if the reasoning behind the new body is kind of well, contrived and nonsensical, but it is reasoning. Sort of like Galvatron-lite, this re-created Megatron really has yet to test his new body, which I think many of us are waiting for (and hoping will come soon!) before we fully give it thumbs up or thumbs down.
Meanwhile, as the Decepticons plan to control the silly humans' minds adding to the paranoia already present with their 'guns', the Autobots that are left (the other went and blowed up last issue-supposedly), Ultra Magnus makes the decision to find Omega Supreme(duh!)
and leave Earth (double duh!) due to the compromised and partially destroyed base, and the hopelessness of the now, very small group of Autobots left . At least something is happening, although the only bots that seem to be left to home anymore are Brawn, Bluestreak, and Magnus. Red Alert was around somewhere too...and of course, the practically gone Bumblebee.
But before they start the journey, Magnus pulls Brawn aside for a little solo act of yet unknown objectives.
It's a sad time for the Autobots, and this does generate some interest in reading the next issue.
"Can you hear me now poor pathetic, weak-minded, squishy flesh creature? GOOD! Now I will destroy you and your entire planet!"Megatron got WIFI and 4G in his upgraded body. Cool!
"Look Brawn, you just can't have everything you want in a Transformers comic, because there is someone else out there who wants something else, and someone else who wants something else...."
"I'm glad we had this talk Ultra Magnus. Thanks." Walther P-38’s are taking over the world, slowly, but surely, be afraid, be very afraid. They’re in your TV’s...
...and in your radios.
"Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas, Daniel?"
"Well, let's see I got a doggy, and... no way, a Megatron gun!"
"Now Daniel, don't go shooting your eye out..."BE CAREFUL! It may be your radio and TV that are telling you to buy HASBRO Transformers and IDW Transformers comics. Be wary of strangers with raspy voices!
"It's my turn to wear the matrix Starscream"
"No, it's my turn to wear it, you dolt. You wore it the whole first 6 months we were here from Earth. So get out of my face!"
"Finders Keepers!" *I laughed a little inside when I saw this movie reference*
