The Energon Pub

[Down_Shift]

Everyone keeps asking why Sentinal prime is basically a police chief. But noone seems to bring up the spotlight Optimus Prime. It not only hinted at the matrix being lost with Nova Prime, but also explained the great discrepency between the 'legend' of the primes and their reality. I was just wondering if no one else thinks that nova prime kinda blew open the whole legend. It seems like he dissapeared, with the matrix, and destroyed the general reverence for the prime. Sentinel prime's position seems very natural. Being directly after Nova Prime it makes sense that noone in the society trusts the prime, hence the massive power of the senate, and that he does not have a matrix. Thus the seemingly low position he has. He's a prime, but noone wants that kind of leader. So he becomes a military style leader in a peace-time society. This is one of the few things about this story that i thought was very clear and fit in well with the rest of Simon's narrative creation..

I agree with everything you just said. On a side note "noone" isn't a word. "No one" is what you were going for. If Leo saw that he would beat you with pendancy.

[Marty Rocket]

I read issue 4 when I picked it up with Devastation and Beast Wars (thats a fair amount of money, especially when I only picked up the previous issues of Devastation and Beast Wars up at the beginning of the month!)

Anyway, I read issue 4 and felt a bit let down. Like you guys have mentioned, the battle between Sentinal Prime and Megatron seemed rushed and one sided in Megatron's favour. And it really was hard to see what was happening during the fight when the panels were downsized to fit more on the page.

I did like the story how Megatron was a disgruntled miner who was able to vent his anger in underground fighting and turn it into his own agenda to make the Decepticons. But before the series came out, I thought it'd be good to follow Megatron's story from where he's created and let it go from there, but that obviously didn't happen, so I was a bit let down. To be fair though, you can't fit that much into 4 issues.

Overall, it was a good story but kinda of rushed to me. It was interesting seeing Ratbat before he became Soundwave's cassette, and I loved the last page where Megatron sits on that DIY throne with Soundwave behind him.

[Darth Bombshell]

Sorry for the very incomplete list DB.

It's OK, dude. It's good enough until I can get the TPB in December, and can do this properly.

[Briggs]

Don't remember what page is it, but when megatron is givign his speech about lettin all the criminals out, bottom panel, you see 3 bots coming out of a cell, i swear the one in the middle, the red one, looks like warpath!

[Calvatron]

Everyone keeps asking why Sentinal prime is basically a police chief. But noone seems to bring up the spotlight Optimus Prime. It not only hinted at the matrix being lost with Nova Prime, but also explained the great discrepency between the 'legend' of the primes and their reality. I was just wondering if no one else thinks that nova prime kinda blew open the whole legend. It seems like he dissapeared, with the matrix, and destroyed the general reverence for the prime. Sentinel prime's position seems very natural. Being directly after Nova Prime it makes sense that noone in the society trusts the prime, hence the massive power of the senate, and that he does not have a matrix. Thus the seemingly low position he has. He's a prime, but noone wants that kind of leader. So he becomes a military style leader in a peace-time society. This is one of the few things about this story that i thought was very clear and fit in well with the rest of Simon's narrative creation..

I agree with everything you just said. On a side note "noone" isn't a word. "No one" is what you were going for. If Leo saw that he would beat you with pendancy.

grammer/spelling and me don't get along. We tried. I ended up drawing a line down the middle of the room and telling them to stay on their side. My side has the tv and the door.

[i_amtrunks]

Got to agree with Calvatron, I think the shift of power from a Dictatorship under Nova Prime to the Senate does reflect a loss of confidence in the abilities of a Prime to lead. Optimus obviously regained that confidence though... Probably partly due to the Senate losing their influence/lives.

Guess we will need to see a "Civil War" series with Prime and his forces vs. Megatron and his forces to see how the confidence was regathered.

I also believe that Sentinal had never had to deal with an adversary such as Megatron before, and the attack on his Apex unit took him completely by surprise, and gave him very little chance to fight back.

The fight also reminded me of the Cybertron series, where a normal Megatron can take on a Prime in his "super mode" very easily!

[fenrir72]

Any body remember Gladiator? In between the story prior to Maximus' last stand, they managed to insert some character development, the head of the gladiators was once a slave prior to his becoming taskmaster. If I were the writer, I'd have inserted a more charismatic character in the gladiatorial tourney who opened Megatron's eyes..........you know some dude who was wronged due to his social standing, rising among the ranks blah,blah, blah. Then I'd have Megatron forced to terminate him in battle prior to his assuming the title of world champ.

On another topic...........where the heck is the "Matrix" in this story line? Is the present Optimus also Matrix-less?

And Sentinel prime is a douche bag, I'd have half expected him to have been clobbered by a mob of decepticons prior to Megatron delivering the final blow. But he got hit in his "glass" jaw. BTW, isn't it ironic that the most damage done to Sentinel Prime was his fall many stories high into that pit? The same damge that all but took out Megatron in the year 2005 of the 1986 Movie?

[i_amtrunks]

[quote="fenrir72] On another topic...........where the heck is the "Matrix" in this story line? Is the present Optimus also Matrix-less?[/quote]

That is currently unknown. It is assumed that it is lost, along with Ark 1 with Nova Prime and his crew.

[Leonardo]

I like Calvatron's explanation of Sentinel Prime's current position as it makes sesne. One question, though: do we actually know that Sentinel came directly after Nova? Just wondering if I missed a detail somewhere.

[i_amtrunks]

I like Calvatron's explanation of Sentinel Prime's current position as it makes sesne. One question, though: do we actually know that Sentinel came directly after Nova? Just wondering if I missed a detail somewhere.

Only from the "Prime's through Time"TM picture version we got in the Optimus Prime Spotlight.

Love to see how Sentinel was chosen to be Prime after the loss of Nova, and Ark 1..

[Leonardo]

I wonder if he took it by force...

[i_amtrunks]

I wonder if he took it by force...

With the creation of the senate I highly doubt it. I'd say he was voted in, in a tight vote, or chosen because he was high ranking, an d powerful under Nova himself.

That or we will get something akin to "being mystically chosen" like what I assume Optimus Prime will be.

[MegaWarp]

Just wanted to say that I loved this story. Would love to have more Megatron only stories.

[fenrir72]

Megs is sure bad@ss here, bordering on the psychotic. Imagine ripping Sentinel Prime apart and turning his Apex armor into a throne? Sentinel on the other hand................pathetic, he will not be missed.

[NightFall]

What I like about it, is how I was Autobot, then I was a Deception. I always knew there can be darkness in light, light in darkness, good in evil , evil in good. I found myself on the decepticon's side many times, and then I lead to the autobots because in the end Megatron lost his way of a semi-good evil leader to a "must conquer all" , but deep inside, Megatron, thinks this is the only right way to gain peace. You can't completely hate him. Starscream was right, the Autobots lead Decepticons to their war.

I like how I understand now, how Starscream admired Megatron, and didn't want nothing more than to be him someday, a admired, strong, respected leader. I think Starscream was more evil, there's was nothing about him saying anything about peace, but no one around him, made him feel that was and is important. Autobots didn't help that either. I think it brother him about friends aren't your friends anymore comment, a bit confused, but since it was war, he needed to believe that. He probally thought Megatron had no feelings, no regrets. So Starscream, needed to be cold, a killer like Megatron. I think he wanted to be respected by Megatron also, especially how he gave Megatron his arm gun. Strangely, you can also sense a good in Starscream too. I really would like Starscream spotlight, or even his own background series.

Anyhow, the story was great, but with so much going on, it should have been 6 issues, but I love it.

[Leonardo]

There was one thing I didn't quite understand about issue #4: if the Decepticons were such a threat and Starscream had such a long list of serious charges against him, why didn't they leave the inhibitor claw on him when he was standing trial?

[Primus C-00]

Before I start with my inquiries and comments I must outrightly state that overall I like this series and my only disappointment with this issue is finding out that Sentinel Prime might still be alive, and may even return!



Being a bit of Megatron uber-fan and a Decepticon sympathiser, I have no real interest in Sentinel after the fall of Kaon. I may be wrong but canonically doesn't it go that Meg's takes his first City and kills the prior Prime? Anything after this involving Sentinel is to me just quite literally flogging a dead horse.

Prior to Kaon please by all means, lets have some more Sentinel Prime which leads nicely into my next point(s).

I like the idea of the whole revolt and subsequent formation and rise of the Decepticons being a grand cred gaining scheme for Ratbat. The mention of contacts by our dear departed Cybertronian Capitalist and Megatron's acquistition of the data-cube is also nice a allusion to the War Within arc's idea of a Quintesson hand in Cybertronian affairs.

However I feel, like others, that we both the creative team and fans deserved more than four issues. If not just to have seen a lot more of the Cybertronian economical and political climate just to flesh out the IDW conception of the planet prior to the Great War, add further nobility to Megatron and his cause, and conversely Sentinel Prime's disdain for the Council.

The colouring in this issue didn't really throw me that much, in fact it seemed to highlight a subtle pique in the action being shown.

Don't get me started on the whole slash/snuggle factor of Starscream bequeathing Megatron his cannon, and the fact his alledged in character betrayal hinted at in issue 3 never happened.

Mmmm.

Also, as pointed out a cute touch seeing as at the climax *giggle* I said climax, of Infiltration it is this weapon that Megatron uses to finally end Screamer's Transformer Crack/Ore-13 binge.

But anyway, I can understand and agree with some of the other criticisms but at the end of the day props and kudos are due to Eric, Alex, Josh et al for attempting to take some legendary mythos and mystique and creating for what is (still to some respects) a landmark title.

[Sunstar]

I think, after reading that line in issue 3, that Starscream's was being ambigious. it sounds like betrayal, but reading it again it also sounds quite ominous. I have something that will assure the future of the senate and his as well.

that sounds like betrayal, but it definately sounds like a double cross to me. I'll kill the senate and my future under megatron will be assured.

[fenrir72]

It wasn't a betrayal. More or less,it was all part of the plan..............the fake betrayal of Screamer.

[Foallen]

I just picked this up today. Overall, I liked it.

As everyone stated the Megatron/Prime battle was confusing and short.

I thought it was pretty cold how Soundwave took care of Ratbat, and it seemed a little weird. It got me wondering if that's how he collected his other cassettes. After doing that, you wonder how Ratbat could ever cooperate with him (or maybe because he's a cassette guy he has no choice?).

[Leonardo]

I just picked this up today. Overall, I liked it.

As everyone stated the Megatron/Prime battle was confusing and short.

I thought it was pretty cold how Soundwave took care of Ratbat, and it seemed a little weird. It got me wondering if that's how he collected his other cassettes. After doing that, you wonder how Ratbat could ever cooperate with him (or maybe because he's a cassette guy he has no choice?).

We know it's not how he collected Rumble and Frenzy but it's possible for Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ravage.

[i_amtrunks]

I just picked this up today. Overall, I liked it.

As everyone stated the Megatron/Prime battle was confusing and short.

I thought it was pretty cold how Soundwave took care of Ratbat, and it seemed a little weird. It got me wondering if that's how he collected his other cassettes. After doing that, you wonder how Ratbat could ever cooperate with him (or maybe because he's a cassette guy he has no choice?).

We know it's not how he collected Rumble and Frenzy but it's possible for Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ravage.

Rumble and Frenzy were forcibly reformatted though, they didn't exactly volunteer for the process.

[trence5]

I also believe that Sentinal had never had to deal with an adversary such as Megatron before, and the attack on his Apex unit took him completely by surprise, and gave him very little chance to fight back.

You know, that the EXACT same thing my boy was saying...
I was going to start a new thread with my question, but I'll just ask this here.... Seems as if Megatron didn't have vvveerry much trouble handling Sentinel, so with I ask this question to the board..... What is it that Optimus Prime has that Sentinel didn't (besides the good sense to get the hell outta Megatron's line of fire apparently)?

Oh and has anyone noticed how different Sentinel Prime looks from Optimus Prime's spotlight and Megatron's origin books? [/b]

[Leonardo]

I just picked this up today. Overall, I liked it.

As everyone stated the Megatron/Prime battle was confusing and short.

I thought it was pretty cold how Soundwave took care of Ratbat, and it seemed a little weird. It got me wondering if that's how he collected his other cassettes. After doing that, you wonder how Ratbat could ever cooperate with him (or maybe because he's a cassette guy he has no choice?).

We know it's not how he collected Rumble and Frenzy but it's possible for Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ravage.

Rumble and Frenzy were forcibly reformatted though, they didn't exactly volunteer for the process.

True. I didn't realise he was asking whether or not they were forced to reformat.

As for what Optimus has over Sentinel...good question? Optimus does have Roller to watch his back! I wasn't entirely sure what finished Sentinel off. Was it the blast that Megatron fired as they were falling or was it just the hard landing?

[i_amtrunks]

As for what Optimus has over Sentinel...good question? Optimus does have Roller to watch his back! I wasn't entirely sure what finished Sentinel off. Was it the blast that Megatron fired as they were falling or was it just the hard landing?

I took him as being dead before he was even dropped... but thats just my take. I figure he may have still tried to fight against Skywarp(?) if he still functioned.

I have a strange Feeling that Optimus may have been "upgraded" to rival Megatron's strength. Whether or not he was upgraded because he was nearly killed, via some Matrix-esque power or what remains to be seen.