The Energon Pub

[Judge Deliberata]

I, for one, loved the hell out of it. From the get-go, events are picking up steam, and coming to a head.

Spoilers ahoy:



1 - Prime giving Hound the order to come to earth was a great moment. Perfectly in character: Sticking to standard operating procedure while at the same time getting ready to kick some ass.
2 - Ratbat's an Ipod? Best redesign so far. :lol: So it's apparent he's not Soundwave's cassette tape this time through, but rather an alternate kind of audio device. I'm still wondering how in the hell he became a Bat, however.
3 - Those squishies are gonna be kitty food real soon, methinks. >:3
4 - I'm especially glad to see they wasted no time in getting Sixshot into action. Hell of a way to make an entrance.
5 - Seeing Megatron's troops resort to blatant treason threw me for a loop, especially after reading the Origins issues. It's interesting to see a take where Megs' leadership skills are called into question by more than just one person, and speaking of which...
6 - Ya just knew SS wasn't going to stay out of the picture for long.

[Brakethrough]

Astrotrain's displaying some middle management skills.

[Calvatron]

Read this a second time. I like seeing loose threads coming together. Though i hope that these threads don't take over the direct story. But other than that slight, and probably unfounded, worry things are going well. Reall enjoyed ratbat's appearance. Though if he's not part of sixshot's entourage i'm going to be pissed about the pointless character additions.

[Darth Bombshell]

*&#$ing comic shop didn't get it. Hopefully they'll get it tomorrow.

[Leonardo]

Hound, Ratbat, Sixshot, Starscream? I can not wait!

[Marty Rocket]

This sounds great, I can't wait to pick it up tomorrow.

[i_amtrunks]

I've got it in my paws right now, but I'm going to leave it till tomorrow or the weekend to read so I have the time to re-read it a few times.

[Jokopoko]

STARSCREAM LIVES!!! Woo!

Now thats out of the way, heh. I really, really liked this issue. It all fit really well I think, especially Sixshot being a little "uh?" about coming to Earth at such an early stage lol.

Great art by E.J. as usual and fantastic writing by Simon as well. I want more!

[Briggs]

I was expecting Sixshot to enter the issue with a bang, not really a "so.. you really want me to huh?" sorta deal

I'm not at home right now so can't compare issues, but did the Devastation artsist/penciler do the work for infiltration and escalation?

[Sunstar]

can we have some real indepth blow by blow spoilers? I can't get the book until next friday and I wanna know.

[Judge Deliberata]

can we have some real indepth blow by blow spoilers? I can't get the book until next friday and I wanna know.

Okay, going quickly from what I remember:

Spoilers:


Starts with Nightbeat examining the stolen item, etc, like seen in the previews. The Autobots decide that it's time to relocate.
Elsewhere, the kids complain a little bout being given the run-around by Ratchet and Jazz.
Prime receives a message from a distraight Sideswipe, begging him to summon them to Earth as they're not needed. Prime cooly tells Sideswipe to put Hound back on...and gives the order, saying Jetfire will take their place.
Elsewhere, Hot Shot & Wheeljack are on their way to recover Ironhide from being scrapped, also seen in the previews.
Back at Decepticon HQ, Megatron speaks to the newly arrived Sixshot, who is reluctant about being deployed so soon into the invasion, describing himself as a "Stage Six kinda guy". Megatron insists that stages no longer matter, and has Sixshot take off.
In the next room, Astrotrain, Runamuck, Runabout, Thundercracker and Skywarp, decide Megatron's leadership skills are lacking, but none of them have the guts to tell him so. They enter a darkened room which, according to them, is sealed off and amounts to treason. They're not even supposed to say the name, but they do, facing a now-intact body floating in a capsule...Starscream.
Elsewhere, up north (might have been Alaska, I forget), the human group deploys Ravage, whose higher functions have been disabled, and is apparently under their control. He catches the scent of another of his kind...
Back to the Ark, which takes off under Prowl's command and Optimus' supervision. But they are monitored from above by Ratbat (who is apparently an Ipod or a CD player from what I can see of his wings). Ratbat sends the signal to Megatron, and Sixshot intercepts the Autobots halfway across America as they head south. The autobots Freak out as they see him coming, and Sixshot levels the Ark with a blast, sending the ship careening toward the ground, in the middle of a city...

Issue ends there. Feel free to correct me if I've forgotten anything or put anything out of order.

[Sunstar]

sounds awesome, I can't wait!

[Moonbase2]

I also really enjoyed it, and of course it ended way too soon. Can't wait til the next issue. [/code]

[i_amtrunks]

Put my thoughts into Spoiler mode:

Anyone else think that the Decepticons are truly worried about Megatron's Leadership, or does it have something more to do with him breaking the protocols and rules that they have become so accustomed to following?

I'm liking Astrotrain being more than just the troop carrier he was in the G1 cartoon, and having Sixshot slightly questioning Megatron was very good too, it's like he knows something really big is up, but didn't really care too much about exactly what.

Ratbat's alt mode is pure win.

Oh, and Computron cannot be far away now, with Jetfire in Thunderwings lab full of equipment. Perhaps he will have to be built to control Monstructor???

[Sunstar]

I am putting this into spoiler mode to ask.


So they are in a chamber where Starscream is being held, disobeying orders to never go in there? Are they getting ready to break him out?

[i_amtrunks]

I am putting this into spoiler mode to ask.


So they are in a chamber where Starscream is being held, disobeying orders to never go in there? Are they getting ready to break him out?

That was my thinking.


No point risking death only to dob on Megatron to Starscream who can't do much floating in a tank anyway.

[Sunstar]

I am putting this into spoiler mode to ask.


So they are in a chamber where Starscream is being held, disobeying orders to never go in there? Are they getting ready to break him out?

That was my thinking.


No point risking death only to dob on Megatron to Starscream who can't do much floating in a tank anyway.

Hmmmmmm

So why is Megatron keeping Starscream around if it is high treason to even speak his name or to peek at him? I mean, it's just asking for trouble keeping soneone like that alive. It's like labs keeping a sample of small pox. It'll be hell when it finally gets out.

[i_amtrunks]

I am putting this into spoiler mode to ask.


So they are in a chamber where Starscream is being held, disobeying orders to never go in there? Are they getting ready to break him out?

That was my thinking.


No point risking death only to dob on Megatron to Starscream who can't do much floating in a tank anyway.

Hmmmmmm

So why is Megatron keeping Starscream around if it is high treason to even speak his name or to peek at him? I mean, it's just asking for trouble keeping soneone like that alive. It's like labs keeping a sample of small pox. It'll be hell when it finally gets out.

Isn't that the same for all evil leaders?
Maybe it's because he needs Starscream's Power or knowledge or something. personally I'm shooting for the "Megatron wants answers of how Starscream found Ore 13" angle.
That or it's a plothole?

[Sunstar]

I am putting this into spoiler mode to ask.


So they are in a chamber where Starscream is being held, disobeying orders to never go in there? Are they getting ready to break him out?

That was my thinking.


No point risking death only to dob on Megatron to Starscream who can't do much floating in a tank anyway.

Hmmmmmm

So why is Megatron keeping Starscream around if it is high treason to even speak his name or to peek at him? I mean, it's just asking for trouble keeping soneone like that alive. It's like labs keeping a sample of small pox. It'll be hell when it finally gets out.

Isn't that the same for all evil leaders?
Maybe it's because he needs Starscream's Power or knowledge or something. personally I'm shooting for the "Megatron wants answers of how Starscream found Ore 13" angle.
That or it's a plothole?

Hmmmm....good point.

But while I was painting Hagatha...I was thinking that Perhaps Megatron, like you said, wants answers, and wants some sort of pleasent revenge through brutal punishment. After all Killing Starscream without making him either beg for mercy or death wouldn't be fun. Through this he may get some answers. Breaking Starscream's spirit would probably be futile, the worse case senario, he may execute him as an example. Get him well, and have him at his mercy or something.

I get a cruel streak once in a while...

[i_amtrunks]

Why megatron could not ask Astrotrain, or any of the others is beyond me. Starscream would not have been able to do all the work himself, and if memory serves the other cons knew full well about Ore 13 before Starscream faced off against Megatron.

Agreed that slow, long torture is probably what Megatron desires, as well as secrets. Perhaps he even knows of how Ore 13 re-powered Thunderwing, and wants to know how Starscream was involved in that scheme (which I don't think he was, but Starscream would look pretty guilty for using the same stuff Thunderwing used...)

[Sunstar]

hmmmmm. Interesting. Also torture would likely reveal other interesting goodies that Starscream could be hiding. So I suppose keeping him around could be entertaining and informative.

[i_amtrunks]

hmmmmm. Interesting. Also torture would likely reveal other interesting goodies that Starscream could be hiding. So I suppose keeping him around could be entertaining and informative.

But it almost certainly will all occur offscreen...

Just so much stuff for Furman to get through in 5 more issues, if he has been truthful in his blog updates.

[Leonardo]

Why is Starscream's infiltration unit on Earth in the first place? I can't remember.

[skyshadowprimus]

I'm not sure how/what/who why etc the scope of pretenders is in IDW but does anyone else think we could see Starscream sprung and shoved in a pretender shell or used by megs to perfect the process only to have it backfire totally, be it on screamer and he goes mad or on megatron by giving screamer power enough to topple him.

They seem to be bringing older plot ideas back with new twists such as the headmasters and starscreams pretender shell was explored briefly in marvel then he seemingly lost it and was forgotten about which seemed totally out of character for one who craves power as much as he does.

Probably wrong but would be an interesting twist to actually make him an equal to megatron in power terms with no ore 13 downsides....

[Sunstar]

What exactly is the ore 13 downside? I noted it in the last issue, but I was uncertian.