The Energon Pub

Via comics and entertainment media website Comic Book Resources, in collaboration with IDW Publishing, we have the full preview for the upcoming fourth chapter in the Transformers Combiner Wars event, as we switch back to The Transformers ongoing #41. Check out the first pages below, and head back to Seibertron.com on Wednesday for our usual review!

Transformers #41—Combiner Wars
John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a) • Casey W. Coller (c)
DESPERATE ACTIONS! As the SPACEBRIDGE reaches across the stars, will anyone stand against STARSCREAM? The answer is yes—but the cure might prove worse than the disease.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
COMBINER WARS part 4
OPTIMUS PRIME versus PROWL—one on one!
The biggest battle ever between COMBINERS!
Variant Hasbro Combiner Wars poster cover!

This issue is looking good! never mind the enigma of combination. I wanna figure out the enigma that is Prowl Livio seems to be getting far more expressive with his faces too. It's nice his work is getting a little more curvy.

i like how the jet arms are up

This looks much better than last issue. More polished. And Livio's really hitting his stride so far.

I am just loving Starscream in this series.




Such a manipulative glorious bastard.


^ Wait that's censored?

Didn't realize that its a bad word.

Having read the issue, I agree with pretty much all the comments so far.

If only CW Prime toy actually looked like the art, he would be such a beautiful juggernaut. Also I have mixed feelings about(but overall do like)Prime kinda losing it from all the things his species has been through and his flaws i.e. control issues.

But bruh Prowl is full goneeeee

Ginrai Minor wrote:If only CW Prime toy actually looked like the art, he would be such a beautiful juggernaut. Also I have mixed feelings about(but overall do like)Prime kinda losing it from all the things his species has been through and his flaws i.e. control issues.

But bruh Prowl is full goneeeee

Prowl has come to the conclusion that Cybertron is beyond saving, and believes that they shouldn't let Caminus or anyone else be pulled down with them.

It'd be noble if it wasn't so bleakly defeatist.

Shuttershock wrote:

Ginrai Minor wrote:If only CW Prime toy actually looked like the art, he would be such a beautiful juggernaut. Also I have mixed feelings about(but overall do like)Prime kinda losing it from all the things his species has been through and his flaws i.e. control issues.

But bruh Prowl is full goneeeee

Prowl has come to the conclusion that Cybertron is beyond saving, and believes that they shouldn't let Caminus or anyone else be pulled down with them.

It'd be noble if it wasn't so bleakly defeatist.

The whole "amputate the infection" mentality is noble but it's def Prowl's classic kill a million to save a billion course of action, I just love how raw he is about it now. A noble insane royal cu*t...IDW thank you for fresh mostly competent stories to keep TF's fresh as we all get older!

Wow Livio's art is amazing here. This issue Is really good Looking.

I suppose this is building up to Prowl redeeming himself/finding hope in becoming a combiner, and Wheeljack being there could lead to him as well, Ironhide is also pretty prominent here, those rumored figures begin to make more sense

MaverickPrime wrote:I suppose this is building up to Prowl redeeming himself/finding hope in becoming a combiner, and Wheeljack being there could lead to him as well, Ironhide is also pretty prominent here, those rumored figures begin to make more sense

Shuttershock wrote:

Ginrai Minor wrote:If only CW Prime toy actually looked like the art, he would be such a beautiful juggernaut. Also I have mixed feelings about(but overall do like)Prime kinda losing it from all the things his species has been through and his flaws i.e. control issues.

But bruh Prowl is full goneeeee

Prowl has come to the conclusion that Cybertron is beyond saving, and believes that they shouldn't let Caminus or anyone else be pulled down with them.

It'd be noble if it wasn't so bleakly defeatist.

Seems to be a running theme atm - the reason behind's Rewind's actions in Megatron's past, I wonder if it's a slow build up to another Dark Cybertron style crossover, where instead of Shockwave destroying the universe to power Cybertron, it's Prowl (?) destroying Cybertron to save the universe?

Edit: is that Bumblebee's electrified walking stick in Prowl's hands on the epilogue cover?

MaverickPrime wrote:I suppose this is building up to Prowl redeeming himself/finding hope in becoming a combiner, and Wheeljack being there could lead to him as well, Ironhide is also pretty prominent here, those rumored figures begin to make more sense

I hope not. I sincerely hope that Prowl seriously just cracks the shits. I mean. i just love his whole mental deterioration. I hope his head literally exploes from the stresses he deals with.

Not that I hat Prowl, but I really do like his increasingly nihilistic attitude lately.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

MaverickPrime wrote:I suppose this is building up to Prowl redeeming himself/finding hope in becoming a combiner, and Wheeljack being there could lead to him as well, Ironhide is also pretty prominent here, those rumored figures begin to make more sense

I hope not. I sincerely hope that Prowl seriously just cracks the ****. I mean. i just love his whole mental deterioration. I hope his head literally exploes from the stresses he deals with.

Not that I hat Prowl, but I really do like his increasingly nihilistic attitude lately.

This. A thousand times.

If prime combines I hope it's with representatives from superion and defensor. Leave ironhide and that as combiner toys only. Prowl could become a fantastic villian by perspective only. After all I wonder what those on earth feel if they knew that he was trying to stop them from wrecking more planets. In fact I wonder if that's what also led to his talk with spike.

This now makes me realise that galvatron and prowl actually had a very similar goal regarding the enigma. Shame that's really the only thing they have in common, otherwise it would of been the team to beat.

I am absolutely loving the turn this is taking and the parallels with real life. Time to show people the truth of our society and our leaders, that the vast majority are spineless and that the ones in control are cold, ruthless schemers and that, in the end, it will take a cynical, dispassionate, heartless monster (Prowl) to take down the true monster that is in control.
Maybe if our own society were to wake up and see just how similar this scenario is to our actual existence, we wouldn't be such a worthless mess of a species now. I'm just looking forward to the day that our own "Prowl" rises up and starts kicking ass and setting things right.

Except he's really not a good guy, but has been twisted by the very same people he claims he is fighting against - in a different manner, but still echoing Megatron's rapid downfall during the corrupt Primacy.

Va'al wrote:Except he's really not a good guy, but has been twisted by the very same people he claims he is fighting against - in a different manner, but still echoing Megatron's rapid downfall during the corrupt Primacy.

Oh dude, and to further strengthen your perpendicular parallel to Megatron; while Prowl, who started out wholly concerned with the greater good with good intentions and actions but has now been twisted by what he sees as corrupt government/leadership, Megtron, who started out as disgruntled at the corrupt government/leadership and used mostly malicious methods to enact change now tries to further the greater good with good intentions and actions.

Well we'll see about megatrons intentions seeing as he...kept a souvenir of brainstorms masterpiece.

Back to prowl, under certain circumstances I could see prowl leading a second generation of decepticons against starscream

I think we need the Inception BWOOOOOOONG right about now.

ZeroWolf wrote:Well we'll see about megatrons intentions seeing as he...kept a souvenir of brainstorms masterpiece.

Back to prowl, under certain circumstances I could see prowl leading a second generation of decepticons against starscream

Given their warm reception to the relatively innocent and naive Camians, I'd expect a large portion of the Decepticons to chose to move there and start over by the end of this.

Va'al wrote:I think we need the Inception BWOOOOOOONG right about now.

Just read the issue.

Much better than the previous issue. A lot of things that have been brewing for quite a while blow up here.

Another "meh" issue. Though they be fair, my negative feelings could be more about the art style, and less about this terrible rushed and forced story. MTMTE is still winning.

So.....
Scoop in control of Devastator
Menasor on the loose
Superion and Defensor on the ropes
Optimus Maximus on the scene.
Despite all of that, there was relatively little actual combat this issue, compared to setup. At least they're going to end with a big brawl next issue.