Nickel For Your Thoughts
(Spoiler free-ish)
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis
RETURN OF THE D.J.D.! A punishment squad created by MEGATRON to hunt down dissidents, turncoats and cowards—no one believes more passionately in the DECEPTICON cause than the D.J.D. So what happens when they discover their founder has joined the Autobots? (Clue: it’s not pretty.)
Ruh-roh
Story
Long after their first introduction in More Than Meets the Eye issues #7-8, their brief if displaced return during #32-34, and as an almost direct follow-up to the latter we catch up with the big bad purple wolves of the Cybertronian race aboard their ship, the Peaceful Tyranny - the Decepticon Justice Division. And things have changed, quite a bit, since we last saw them all together.
Trojka
The issue that James Roberts brings with #39 is a wonderful, if twisted and definitely on the creepy scale, exploration of the truths behind the masks, literal and metaphorical, of the members of the DJD, as we see their downtime between slaughters, and awaiting the possible return of Vos and Helex from the events of issue #34.
The 'personal is political' angle of Tarn in particular comes back to the fore in the issue, though much more different than previously, with some Gorbachev parallels of impeccable internal bureaucracy and the effects of Megatron's defection having significant repercussions on him as a person and Decepticon faction leader.
And then the MTMTEnet imploded
We're also brought to some listed Decepticon characters that are popping up all over the IDWverse (and Seibertron.com, in some ways!), with Deathsaurus and his crew. Plus, the introduction of Nickel, the Winry of the DJD. And that is all I have the time and space to say about her without spoiling the issue. Onwards!
Art
The guest artist for the month in Hayato Sakamoto, who has worked with the TFCC previously, and who channels the trademark Alex Milne style, but definitely adding some of their own sensibilities (and with the collaboration of Phase6 and editor John Barber, one might assumingly add). There are some fantastic expressions for all the characters, from IDW's own to the Japanese G1 loans, and the Super Sentai UFOmaru inspired Nickel that add to this strangely contrasting issue, along with all the gore and terror and house chores.
If looks could kill. A Memoir
What Joana Lafuente brings to the table, of course, with her colours is a sense of cohesion with the wider MTMTE continuity, in terms of both aesthetics and general tone. The darker hues of the undercurrent in the story are perfectly balances by the landscape shots, wider scenes and all the optic glows that the DJD carry with them. And add all that to some great flashback, almost sepia, filters. Bam.
Flashback power
Tom B. Long's work in the issue is fantastic as usual, and I'm running out of ways to point it out. Just turn to later in the issue, to Deathsaurus' ship. See? There. Right there. That. That's mood setting, exemplary pacing and scene delimitation, and gorgeous fonts. On the cover front: If the DJD take the spot on the interiors, they definitely triumph on the variant covers - other than the main Deathsaurus one by Milne and Lafuente - with the glorious Tarn-centric Nick Roche/Josh Burcham collaboration (thumbnail) and the previously revealed Sara Pitre-Durocher Soviet propaganda variant.
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
An issue that is going to sit on some very delicate scales for a lot of the readership, for multiple reasons and all equally valid/understandable, but one that, in my view, does a superb work of addressing criticisms of over-the-top powering of the DJD, while playing with established political grounds, franchise and IDW storylines, and set up the beginning of season 2's ending in over 11 issues from now. If anything, it'll generate a lot more talk than it already has.
Not your average reader
The art also perfectly captures the strange contrast and the bathos of the chilling, adorable, touching, emotional, terrifying nature behind what is essentially a bunch of supremacists with a cause, who lose that cause, and find another one within 20 something pages of a comic. I would not recommend missing this story, though the choice is ultimately down to the readers - it's a perfect example of what makes MTMTE, flaws, rough edges, sharp wit and all.
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out of
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