The Energon Pub

[Kurona]

On the other hand, this is romance that's handled very well; more than a lot of media in recent memory, and allows me to better relate to and understand Blast Off. Helps him feel more real and boosts him up to being an incredible character.

[Burn]

I knew you'd hurt me one day, but not like this.

To be perfectly honest I could say a lot worse.

[Va'al]

I knew you'd hurt me one day, but not like this.

To be perfectly honest I could say a lot worse.

[SW's SilverHammer]

Finally got around t reading this issue. I love the fact that Blast-off's ideal reality is essentially living as a hausfrau. It's just so quaint and novel. I also like how Starscream describes how each of the combaticons, with the exception of blast off, are complete and total psychos. The juxtaposition between blast-off and the others makes it seem like his decision at the end is less monstrous; even though it totally is. Also super want something, like REALLY weird to happen between Starscream and Airachnid. Like something freaky.

[Vince Kramer]

I'm a big fan of the other two IDW Transformers series. They have great writing and great art. Windblade and Till All Are One did not. It was excruciating trying to get through some of the issues. I can't believe what a bad writer Scott is. How do you take an entire invasion of dead titans and not make it exciting? Why is Bumblebee's "ghost" or whatever still talking to Starscream? And Windblade looks ridiculous. And the art, seriously, compared to the two main books it's just juvenile-looking and sloppy.

I've been waiting for this book to get cancelled since the first issue. I knew it would be. And the writer saying her heart wasn't in it to continue anyway, that is the WORST. Thanks for wasting everyone's time, dude. Stay out of the Transformers universe, good riddance!

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Once more thanks to iTunes, we have a new preview, this time for Till All Are One #11! In this issue, the combaticons are beginning to heal, and Starscream realizes that Windblade is not only alive, but her body is the now current vessel for Vigilem! Check out the preview below, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

[Kurona]

That first page is breaking my heart so much... I love Blast Off.

[Va'al]

Ok ok ok, this is something I did not touch on in previous discussions or reviews, so: can we take a moment to consider how the mind tinkering deal is essentially creating a non-consensual dynamic between Blast-Off and Onslaught?

I was so taken by the emotional punch of last issue that it didn't fully hit me until later. But yes, thoughts?

[Kurona]

Ok ok ok, this is something I did not touch on in previous discussions or reviews, so: can we take a moment to consider how the mind tinkering deal is essentially creating a non-consensual dynamic between Blast-Off and Onslaught?

I was so taken by the emotional punch of last issue that it didn't fully hit me until later. But yes, thoughts?

That's pretty much the crux of it and why it's so heartbreaking - it's clear Blast Off really doesn't want to do this. Oh sure he doesn't outright say it but it's pretty obvious that he'd either prefer to reach a relationship with Onslaught naturally or just hide away his feelings forever and ever and my god I'm projecting

But it's the only way to save Onslaught from becoming a friggin' vegetable because Starscream's that much of an ass. It's quite honestly a deal with the devil; he gets what he wanted but not at all how he wanted it and with huge negatives. Complex stuff.

[Sunstar]

what seemed indicated was they were simply going to get onslaught to notice Blast off, not automatically fall in love. I think its in such a position, it could go easily either way.

[Va'al]

what seemed indicated was they were simply going to get onslaught to notice Blast off, not automatically fall in love. I think its in such a position, it could go easily either way.

Perhaps, but my reading of the behaviour and body language and hand holding and change in dialogue indicates that it's very much in one way rather than the other.

And yes, Kurona, I agree. Deals with devils all round, buying myself into more and more Madoka Magica territory - even with Windblade's progression.

Good lord Mairghread...

[Windsweeper]

God Rattrap is a prick! That said I've always hated him.

That doctor's design is interesting. The symbol on his chest looks familiar. I know it's based on a cross but I can't help but feel it or something similar was in the franchise before.

[Bounti76]

Why IDW couldn't have just left this series alone.....this is by FAR the best, most complex, multilayered yet relatable writing of the three current ongoings.

If IDW doesn't do another series set on Cybertron, as sort of a spiritual successor to TAAO, I hope the characters here get treated well in another book. Scott and Pitre-Durocher have done such a phenomenal job on this whole series. I'm genuinely sad that it's ending.

[Insurgent]

Just discovered this series is ending
Shame. I was really enjoying it. Ll hasn't grabbed me story wise so far, but the characters were enjoyable. This series was great for the plot and more 'transforneryness' of it. So i was getting everything i wanted from these two books.


Now, I'm conflicted. On one hand, I'm all for combaticons having relationships. But part if me feels not with each other. Not that group. They're a military unit. But at the same time, it's being written well and is forced on onslaught. It's not by choice. Which brings up all sorts of moral questions. So i want tonsee what happens if onslaught finds out the truth. Which we won't now. I also love how starscream is being written. What happens when he wins? He still schemes. I will miss this book. Guess I'm just down to one story a month now. Well, it was a good run while it lasted.

[Va'al]

But at the same time, it's being written well and is forced on onslaught. It's not by choice. Which brings up all sorts of moral questions. So i want tonsee what happens if onslaught finds out the truth.

Yes, what I was asking earlier in the thread! And..

Which we won't now.

There's the rub.

[partholon]

so.

cancelled at issue twelve.

told ya.

[Va'al]

Not cancelled. The story in 12 reaches a conclusion, which then it won't pick up in a new incarnation for now, due to First Strike affecting the entirety of the IDW Hasbro Universe.

Scott is writing First Strike, but did not want to shove that story back into the storylines she had developed so far in TAAO. You can see it as cancelled if you want, but that's not what's happening.

[Va'al]

Out from IDW Publishing this week, from Transformers universe proper rather than the expanded Hasbro one, is the penultimate issue (..oh) of Till All Are One. Are you ready to get heady? Check out the full preview below, and head back on Wednesday for a Seibertron.com review!

Transformers: Till All Are One #11
Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a & c)
With Elita One's influence closing in around Starscream, he's desperate to make any alliances he can. Turns out, a powerful ally might already be within his grasp. But is he willing to risk his own sanity to reach them?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
Variant cover by James Raiz!

[Sunstar]

bumblebee is ripping Star a new one. Bee has Star pegged pretty well. Star - I have been reasoning, has been silently grieving windblade. He likes her. She saved his life once and he hasn't forgotten. I can see him trying to keep this masquerade on of being all macho and whatnot, but he has changed. Possibly embarrassed by it.

[Va'al]

bumblebee is ripping Star a new one. Bee has Star pegged pretty well. Star - I have been reasoning, has been silently grieving windblade. He likes her. She saved his life once and he hasn't forgotten. I can see him trying to keep this masquerade on of being all macho and whatnot, but he has changed. Possibly embarrassed by it.

There are more affinities between Starscream and Windblade than either is willing to admit, I'll agree to that!

[Va'al]

One/Zero
(Spoiler free-ish)

Synopsis
With Elita One's influence closing in around Starscream, he's desperate to make any alliances he can. Turns out, a powerful ally might already be within his grasp. But is he willing to risk his own sanity to reach them?

Or maybe yes

Story

Penultimate issue. I'm still letting that sink in. Penultimate. The story of the characters in Till All Are One will of course continue, but this particular iteration of space robo-politics will be over in a month. However, if this issue is anything to go by, it will be doing so with an implosive, impressive bang.

With a side dish of creepy

I have not been shy about my appreciation for Mairghread Scott's handling of darker humour, politics, general social interactions and how the three can mix with the more action-based sequences as part of a new, almost entirely original episode within the frame of a long-standing story. Because that's what the Council, and actual Starscream ruler, and the ex-colonies, are. New stories.

Now easily readable in Windblade voll.1 and 2

In those new stories, we have a very very old one that comes back to the fore since the end of Revolution, and teased all the way through multiple series before then. With Carcer/Vigilem, Liege Maximo, and the Primes showing up something fierce, the wider landscape of these stories has changed drastically - as a Cityspeaker, one with a connection to Metroplex, Windblade is perhaps at the centre of an involuntary storm that (corporate events notwithstanding) might change everything even further.

Sadblade

The other major storyline, and the one framing the central events, is focused on Starscream of course, and how he is handling ..everything happening around him right now, and how he is in fact the eye of the storm in a different manner than Windblade, but central nonetheless. Aftermath of last issue is coming back to haunt him, and even the Camien's inoperativeness somewhat stings - at least he has friends, right?


Art

Sara Pitre-Durocher shines in this issue, even more so than in previous work - and even despite a similar setting and 'battlefield', if you will, in-story. The expressions that Starscream has throughout are both emotionally compelling and amusing, but one sequence layout in particular tugs at sparkstrings quite loudly. That, and the Windblade sequence, are a testament to her skill and talent brought into this book and the TF art scene in general.

I'd rather you appreciated it in full by yourselves

Without of course forgetting Joana Lafuente's colour work for those same sequences - not that you can ignore it even if you wanted to. If the wider shots of the framing story use an abundance of neutral, light colours to highlight the space around Starscream, the Windblade sequence does something entirely different, and eye-wateringly good at that, adapting colours and lighting to the tones and shifts in linework.

Sadscream

The lettering is still in the capable hands of Tom B. Long, who has a fairly straightforward placing of dialogue to work on, plus some fun word layouts in certain sections - and everything looks clean and accessible, never to underestimate in content heavy books. The thumnbnailed cover is the variant by Priscilla Tramontano, hinting at some more of the story that we might see next issue too, and all three are to be found in our Comics Database entry. You can also take a look at James Raiz talking about the creation of his Supreme Leader cover (with colours by JP Bove), too, right here!

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

I personally adored the art direction and structure of the story, given how much of it concerns inner scapes (though on such a large scale) the cinematographic approach of zooms, panning, focusing on smaller changes and poses especially for Starscream - though some voices on staff had the opposite reaction to some of those elements too, especially towards the end and in the hallway scene. That said, everywhere and anything concerning Windblade's sections is truly outstanding.

One more.

Take the grand action of the previous story arc, the scale of the Titans arriving and the response to their threat, with everything it took and everywhere it led to. Then move that scale into inner battles, inner turmoils, and dark alleys of the mind, as played with in the previous issue and Blast-Off's mind. That's what this story is dealing with, and where it'll ultimately play out in the next month, consolidating just how similar Starscream and Windblade actually are. I'm (not) ready.

. - out of

[ScottyP]

We rarely give 5/5 scores. This is intentional. Dr. Va'al doing so here is entirely appropriate.

Hell, the issue could be the Windblade vs. Spoliers mental battle alone and it'd be 5/5, but then there's all the awesome Starscream stuff too. Plus some extra seasoning with Airachnid and Combaticons. Too good!

I'd say we're being spoiled but not when this has been canned. I'm saltier than the Dead Sea about that.

[Kurona]

Why is TAAO so good? It's better than Transformers has any right to be; it's insane how amazing this is.

[Sunstar]

Why is TAAO so good? It's better than Transformers has any right to be; it's insane how amazing this is.

Because they broke the usual mould/formula, And allowed the Transformers to attempt peace. They allowed Starscream to actually lead for more than 15 seconds while Keeping Megatron and Optimus Prime largely out the picture.

The use of ghost bee as his "sub concious" trying to guide him into the new age is perfect. I always felt there was a personality schism and that his warrior side would be somewhat rebellious to that better side.

I saw the 5/5 I really want this book - NOW.

[LE0KING]

I hope they give scott another book... Actually the same book but with a name that will catch more attention. I think this didn't sell well cause people thought it was another Windblade book. We need a name that shows that there are still G1 characters hanging around. Forgive me for this, but they could call it All Hail Starscream.