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[tigertracks 24]

“...time to bot up...”

The amount of reveals and surprises in this issue is practically unparalleled. It’s a culmination to about 14 months of build up. The alliances, the backstabbing, the confusion, the rumors, the terrorism...we get a really good sense of what has been going on within the pages of this issue...FINALLY!



And as a fan of the character PROWL in GENERATION ONE TRANSFORMERS lore, I’ve been eyeing this series very carefully, and chiding the writers for PROWL making decisions that while some readers saw them as PROWL being PROWL and it was good character writing, I was in the other camp. I didn’t want ‘my PROWL’ to be like that. So I became less interested in the PROWL piece of the series because every action seemed to lead to something less and less Autobot PROWL like.





Big reveals in this issue to no one’s surprise focus on PROWL simply because last issue he was with a group of DECEPTICONS and working with them which, of course, left that point needing to be explained. And this issue it is. Which is why I had to read it! I had to see if BAD PROWL was going to become WORSE PROWL and why. Is it indeed him, or is there something else going on here? Sure, many people will find the revelations about PROWL’s reasoning for his behaviors obvious, maybe even too predictable, or ‘the easy way out’, but there is a piece of this story involving PROWL that you just... you won’t predict, no, shouldn’t have and couldn’t have ever predicted. It’s that out there of a concept.



Ideas of gestaltism, and the evolution of combination are up front and center, as is Megatron’s return and subsequent new body (spoiled by the cover), and his plans for the Decepticons push to be in control of Cybertron again. The Autobots take a pounding, and one wonders if there is any hope for them at all, until the last page of this issue where some reinforcements arrive.




Not everything that we had questions about in RID has been answered. After reading this though, I did want to go back and re-read everything from the beginning to see if I could pick up the hints, subtle or not, that were there.

I don’t want to spoil too much here, but you SHOULD REALLY GO BUY THIS ISSUE. I feel like it will be one that people look back at and say, “Yeah, you remember when _______ did this in _____________? That was...WOW!” It’s that kind of issue.



It’s also a great lunchtime or break time read. RID Issue #14 came out today, and you should check to go see if your comic store still has it in stock! This is easily a 5 out 5 stars issue. ‘The Fall of the Autobots’ is as bad for the Autobots as it sounds...

[Va'al]

This issue was insane. And in my mind it's not even the climax!
I mean, those reinforcements will do something (how are they suddenly ok?), and Starscream and Bumblebee both feature on the cover of #15.

This is almost worse than last month, in terms of hanging and cliffs.



Note: Josh Perez pointed out that the cover of issue 4, and the panel where Prowl shoots Bombshell of the same issue, contain clues in the background: the swirly-whirly pattern. Not sure how much of a clue it is, but ok!

[Blurrz]

Now THIS is going to be the Rage of the Dinobots.

This story is just awesome.

I'm really wondering what side Arcee is truly on... (Poor Sideswipe).

Hats off to Barber. What he put together in these 14 issues is utterly amazing.

[Va'al]

Hats off to Barber. What he put together in these 14 issues is utterly amazing.

I now have to read them all back to back. That's my evening gone.

[Blurrz]

I guess I can't leave you alone in that part xD

[Nemesis Maximo]

It's like the opposite paralell to the ending of DOTM, where all the 'cons died. I mean, I was in utter disbelief when Prowl shot Wheeljack!. That was nuts! I also called that Prowl wasn't acting like himself. I knew something was just off in the last issue.. And Sideswip too?. Man. Crazy. Somebody tell me something about this issue that wasn't crazy.

[Va'al]

Well, Bombshell was his usual crazy. As was Megatron.
And Starscream whined in disbelief for most of it.

But everything else was CRAZY.

[Burn]

Guess I'm in the minority when I say ... meh.
Probably shouldn't have read Batman Inc. first, such disappointment is enough to jade anyone.

[Va'al]

Guess I'm in the minority when I say ... meh.
Probably shouldn't have read Batman Inc. first, such disappointment is enough to jade anyone.

I don't think it's the most amazing plot ever, and as tigertracks pointed out, some aspects do seem a bit easy-way-out-ish.* But the overall story is quite 'whoah' rather than 'meh'.
In my opinion.


*Shadowplay remains my favourite story so far, of the two ongoings.

[budmaloney]

Now this is pod racing!

What an issue. This is what transformers is really about. The portrayal of a ruthless decepticon force. We are so privileged to have such good series. With mtme 14 around the corner, it's not going to be an easy ride for the Autobots. And Prowl, just wow. Now we know why the redesign.

But I'm happy to see the Decepticons back where they belong, on top. All three Bay movies kept on hammering them for no reason, it was completely monopole.

I'm curious why Megatron went back to his old body. Didn't idw invest heavily in the new one? We didn't get to see it much, except in chaos and spotlight.

Now another long wait.