The Energon Pub

I knew it! Felt it in my bones!

Spoilers............Mirage wasn't the traitor and the "traitor" was both consciously (betrayed) and subconsciously was being controlled or his data banks was being tapped into anyway.

The "traitor" had an axe to grind against, well the humans who did a great f*ck up binary bonding upgrade on him.

It was obviously NOT gonna be Mirage because...well, it's just to obvious. LOL

As for whom the 1st reveled leak, didn't see it coming, but i can totally see why he would do such a thing. Hell, I kinda feel the same way when I read these TF boards at times. Hehe.

This was probably the first issue that I really enjoyed from top to bottom. Too bad it took 8 issues to finally have a good read. Also, it looks as though Guido's work is improving...immensely. Love it.

I'd give this issue 3 1/2 out of 5 energon cubes.

I've noticed that in both this issue and in issue #7, McCarthy has actually referenced the previous series. But none of the previous issues had done this (aside from that quick blurb about the Machination back in issue 1).

Do you think he rewrote the story (and his choice of a traitor) after all the outcry about how he didn't use the source material?

I will agree with Prime Evil, this was the first issue of AHM that I actually enjoyed (aside from page 11, I'm not a fan of his portrayal of Perceptor). It's a pity that it took 8 issues however to get me interested in the story...

So the thing with who the traitor was came totally out of left feild, but will whatever Starscream is doing be equally refreshing?

It was pretty big of Screamer to come up and offer his appologies, this Starscream is more mature and a different level of Starscream than we've seen previously. He reminds me a bit more of Cybertron Starscream. Ever since Megatron eviscerated him in Devastation, Starscream has become more and more likeable that way.

Also, I didn't know that Reflector was like that, the sceane with Veiwfinder sitting remove from Spectro and Spyglass was so chilling and crazy. Him just sitting there, not even with the other guys but still saying what they were saying, just sitting there talking. We already knew they were sadistic torturers from reading Spotlight Wheelie though, but this way built on it.

Another lingering thought - once you get hit by those spikes from the Swarm, you seem to just be out of comission. I'm itching for an explaination on what those things do.

Seriously, the bit with how the traitor was revealed, how it was written and illustrated, I felt jibblies down my spine reading it. It would not have been nearly as heavy of a moment if it weren't for the previous issues of All Hail. Take that haters, AHM is one of the best TF stories to come around in a long time. It is more emotional, a bit deeper and more dramatic, but definitely worth it.

I can't stop thinking about what the traitor said too, what his one condition to the deal with Starscream was.

Firebird, I'll agree with ya on the Perceptor personality change. Not like we don't need a character like that. But Perceptor would definitly NOT be my first choice. I can't imagine a scientist being the best damn sniper that the Autobots have. Really? Ya couldn't have given that skill set to say...oh, IDK, Cliffjumper and his huge ass honking gun?

Ponycorn,
I think those lil darts that the Swarm shoot out only incapacitates it's victims. Nothing else. Just a guess, cause we still see Ironhide getting carried off dizzily, by Drift.

Oh, and I definitly loove the portrayal of Reflector and how he is speaking to himself in one area, but is controlling Viewfinder and Spyglass in another area. Creepy. I also like how Starscream just looks at him when he is walking by. Priceless.

Prime Evil wrote:Firebird, I'll agree with ya on the Perceptor personality change. Not like we don't need a character like that. But Perceptor would definitly NOT be my first choice. I can't imagine a scientist being the best damn sniper that the Autobots have. Really? Ya couldn't have given that skill set to say...oh, IDK, Cliffjumper and his huge ass honking gun?

Perceptor is a bad @$$ IS NOT the way I usually view this character. But with his skill of looking at fine details, and how he is used to viewing things through a microscopic lens, sure why not? What I want to know is why wasn't there a backup plan to Perceptor? Nobody else can shoot and target explosives? Cliffjumper is a bit of a 'loose cannon' to be steady and patient like a sniper is needed to be. More than meets the eye, giving away that the Autobots were back on line, ring a bell????

If they hadn't over-sized Roadbuster he could do it.

It was rather convenient that Springer can't fly. He seems more messed up than usual. Like he and Kup have reversed roles, and Kup is now taking care of him, while Springer is mentally 'incapacitated'.

And like I said on the 5-page preview thread, it feels nice to be correct about Sunstreaker/Hunter.

Sometimes in the G1 cartoon you can see through Perceptors scope and it does look like he's a marksman, it looks like a scope for targeting. Remembering the Cosmic Rust episode, and how he was setup to kill himself old west style in the canyon it was kind of fun to see him draw his pistols in AHM8 too.

I'm glad Perceptor has gone this route in AHM - looks to be a giant leap above what we'll get of him in TFA Season 3.

Finally! An issue of AHM that I fully enjoyed instead of reading and going "....eh".

It does seem to me like a bit of a re-write might have happened considering what we'd heard about McCarthy not knowing much about the -ation series but then, maybe not. *shrug*

All I will say is that it's taken a little too long to get to this point.

Mirage as a traitor is a no brainer. He reminds me a bit of Green Arrow, bleeding heart pinko liberal but a true Autobot to the core. No he won't go traitor. But You know who on the other hand, well his personality is a true give away.........sociopathic egotistic tendencies. How he asked that Starscreamer slaughter every one of "them".........brrrrrrrrr very cold blooded.

fenrir72 wrote:Mirage as a traitor is a no brainer. He reminds me a bit of Green Arrow, bleeding heart pinko liberal but a true Autobot to the core. No he won't go traitor. But You know who on the other hand, well his personality is a true give away.........sociopathic egotistic tendencies. How he asked that Starscreamer slaughter every one of "them".........brrrrrrrrr very cold blooded.

I see that as his very extreme reaction to what a human and transformer did to him, and wanting revenge.

And then I also see it as an escape, if you erase them all, he won't have to feel like something from him is missing, aka Hunter, because Hunter would no longer exist, nor would any humans, so he might be able to convince himself it was a dream, and everything must be all right with me.

Just thinking here.

On the artwork, I have one critique which I noticed from other reviews tend to ignore. Guido Guidi's artwork seems to be getting better? Please let us be objective. The guy is only human, and I think he is overstretching his "hyper detailed" cum graphic novel approach that for one or two issues, he had to employ two back up inkers and for the flashback sequence E.J.Su. The monthly deadlines must be getting to him or have other readers haven't noticed? Issue #1 'nuff said but for 3 issues afterwards (including this one), there is a slight dip in detail. If I'm not mistaken, another artist will cover him in the next issue or so. It's like George Perez doing only 11 issues of Crisis on Infinite Earths (okay I'm quite a dinosaur to even use the series as point of reference)Quite unfortunate but understandable, hopefully issue #10 to 12 will be done by Guido Guidi.

fenrir72 wrote:well his personality is a true give away.........sociopathic egotistic tendencies. How he asked that Starscreamer slaughter every one of "them".........brrrrrrrrr very cold blooded.

No... NOOOOOOO!!




I take that back, because then again when I was reading his personality file from the old DW book, I was like "this....... is an autobot"?!?!?

Wow. All I can say is wow.


I cant believe I was least half right about the traitor all the way up to Bombshell's role. It adds depth to have an Autobot go bat crap insane and sellout a whole species.

I wonder when or if the Autobots will put 2 and 2 together regarding how the Decepticons got their codes. An extreme lack of foresight by the Autobots. If Jetfire had been around I believe he is a thorough enough scientist to have foreseen what eventually did happen.


I wonder who Starscream is talking to. Could be Scorponok who seeming escapes capture everytime like an 80s cartoon villian?

Anyone know why there is such a baseline animosity toward Drift?

Anyone else kinda secretly praying that that whole Witwicky storyline got itself permanently buried? I cringe at the thought of what's-his-name Witwicky, Sole Survivor, clawing his way in and singlehandedly doing something ludicrously Decepticon-overthrowy. All by himself.

HK, all by herself. Sniff. Oh wait, here's my officemate. Yay!

hellkitty wrote:Anyone else kinda secretly praying that that whole Witwicky storyline got itself permanently buried? I cringe at the thought of what's-his-name Witwicky, Sole Survivor, clawing his way in and singlehandedly doing something ludicrously Decepticon-overthrowy. All by himself.

HK, all by herself. Sniff. Oh wait, here's my officemate. Yay!

Yeah, I was king of cringing at that thought too when I saw the next cover for AHM 9. It needs to be resolved, but in AHM tradition, let it be bloodly so.

Well this issue was grate, grate as in finally fulfilling my comic suppliers 2 month in advance comic cancellation.

It seems as if McCartney finally got around to reading a few of the previous idw comics, still too late to get me back into reading this train wreak. Although I have to admit that that one page with Reflector was pretty awesome.

And Starscream apologizing was just Screamer getting the Insecticons to aid him in his plan to dump Megatron.

Can't wait for the last "real" part of the idw verse Max Dinos 4 so that I no longer have to spend money on idw's comics.

One thing that I like referring to the Reflector scene is that it shows how pychotic and sociopathic some of the Decepticons are.

One thing that was inferred by Megatron: Origins is that the Decepticons emptied the prisons on Cybertron and seemingly increased their ranks that way along with all the disenfranchised proletariat.

Imagine all the sick, twisted and crazy people that are in many Max security prisons and then imagine them as giant robots.

MYoung23 wrote:One thing that I like referring to the Reflector scene is that it shows how pychotic and sociopathic some of the Decepticons are.

One thing that was inferred by Megatron: Origins is that the Decepticons emptied the prisons on Cybertron and seemingly increased their ranks that way along with all the disenfranchised proletariat.

Imagine all the sick, twisted and crazy people that are in many Max security prisons and then imagine them as giant robots.

Exactly, I always wished that there was more of an exploration in to the G1 Combaticons for that same reason. What did they do before Starscream let them out to play again?