Post by cyberstrike on Jan 29, 2012 16:20:20 GMT -5
This review is of The Transformers vol. 2: International Incident TPB which collects The Transformers (ongoing) #7-12
The second arc in IDW's ongoing Transformers series starts out with a stand alone issue narrated by Megatron explaining what is happening to the Decepticons that escaped Earth at the end of All Hail Megatron now under the command of Starscream (who also has possession of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership) and it's not pretty. Stranded on an asteroid and with Energon so low that some the Decepticons have become cannibals and we're not just talking about the Decepticons that have animals or monster alt modes, Needlenose (a jet) is seen eating Dreadwing while the Predacon leader Razorclaw watches all of this. While Starscream is furious with his second-in-command Bombshell at this. Soundwave and the cassasetts are busy repairing and guarding Megatron. While Shockwave is doing his own experiments.
The next issue is another stand-alone story about Spike Whitwicky and we learn that he does not trust machines and we see him trying to sell his plan about the alliance with the Autobots to his father and The Joint Chiefs of the Pentagon all of whom reluctantly agree but feel that this is a dangerous plan. General Witwicky is also concerned about the Autobots discovering a secret operation (or project) that Spike is or was part of and Spike reassures him that all that data has been deleted from the computers. Spike also discovers the whereabouts of Scrapper and against orders and Skywatch protocol engages him in one-on-one combat with only basic equipment and once Spike has crippled him, Scrapper surrenders and Spike shoots him point blank in the head with a laser cannon and kills him.
Spike justifies his actions to himself that by killing Scrapper he also kills Devastator as well.
The next four issues are the title storyline. North Korea invades South Korea with the aid of Onslaught, Brawl, and Vortex! Once this becomes news to rest of the world the President declares that any nation working with any Cybertronians will be considered a rouge nation using WMDs, unknown to the President that Skywatch has allied with the Autobots! Spike orders that mission be done in disguise. Optimus Prime, Jetfire, Smokescreen, Wheeljack, and Ratchet along with Spike and some other Skywatch soldiers head to North Korea, while Cosmos changes the orbit of satitles so that no one can see what is happening. During the battle the Autobots stay in vehicle mode and the Combaticons kick their asses. Vortex even cuts Jetfire's wings off. So the Autobots ask for some back-up. Bumblebee talks Thundercracker in helping the Autobots and Skywatch out.
The second fight between Prime's team and the Combaticons lands them on the Chinese border where they find out the the Predacons (minus Razorclaw who is back on the asteroid) are now working for the Chinese government much like the Combaticons are working for the North Korean government. Rampage tells the Autobots, Skywatch, and the Combaticons to keep their fight out of China and when Onslaught shoots Rampage in the back and then it's all-out free for all. Back at the Skywatch base in the US Spike's second-in-command gets so frustrated by all this craziness that she turns off the jamming signal and the whole world sees the fight and learns the truth about the Autobot and Skywatch alliance.
Thundercracker destroys the Korean and Chinese engeron plants and this ends the Predacons and Combaticons roles as mercs for human governments.
Back in the US with a growing number of protesters outside the Skywatch base, Skywatch leaders along with Bumblebee, Bluestreak, and Brawn decide to hold a press conference to show that the Autobots mean no harm to the human race. A man pulls out a gun and shoots Bumblebee and mortally injures him!
The story is one of the most interesting takes on the Transformers ever.
The art is very good but artists EJ Su and Guido don't use the Figueroa redesigns and this makes the series look disjointed to say the least. It would be like Spider-Man changing his costume in a six issue arc for no reason in the storyline. I also wish that some of the Skywatch personnel looked different from Spike or had more characterization because they tend to blur together and are forgettable.
While the art is all over over the place, it's still a damn good story I give it a 4 out of 5.
The second arc in IDW's ongoing Transformers series starts out with a stand alone issue narrated by Megatron explaining what is happening to the Decepticons that escaped Earth at the end of All Hail Megatron now under the command of Starscream (who also has possession of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership) and it's not pretty. Stranded on an asteroid and with Energon so low that some the Decepticons have become cannibals and we're not just talking about the Decepticons that have animals or monster alt modes, Needlenose (a jet) is seen eating Dreadwing while the Predacon leader Razorclaw watches all of this. While Starscream is furious with his second-in-command Bombshell at this. Soundwave and the cassasetts are busy repairing and guarding Megatron. While Shockwave is doing his own experiments.
The next issue is another stand-alone story about Spike Whitwicky and we learn that he does not trust machines and we see him trying to sell his plan about the alliance with the Autobots to his father and The Joint Chiefs of the Pentagon all of whom reluctantly agree but feel that this is a dangerous plan. General Witwicky is also concerned about the Autobots discovering a secret operation (or project) that Spike is or was part of and Spike reassures him that all that data has been deleted from the computers. Spike also discovers the whereabouts of Scrapper and against orders and Skywatch protocol engages him in one-on-one combat with only basic equipment and once Spike has crippled him, Scrapper surrenders and Spike shoots him point blank in the head with a laser cannon and kills him.
Spike justifies his actions to himself that by killing Scrapper he also kills Devastator as well.
The next four issues are the title storyline. North Korea invades South Korea with the aid of Onslaught, Brawl, and Vortex! Once this becomes news to rest of the world the President declares that any nation working with any Cybertronians will be considered a rouge nation using WMDs, unknown to the President that Skywatch has allied with the Autobots! Spike orders that mission be done in disguise. Optimus Prime, Jetfire, Smokescreen, Wheeljack, and Ratchet along with Spike and some other Skywatch soldiers head to North Korea, while Cosmos changes the orbit of satitles so that no one can see what is happening. During the battle the Autobots stay in vehicle mode and the Combaticons kick their asses. Vortex even cuts Jetfire's wings off. So the Autobots ask for some back-up. Bumblebee talks Thundercracker in helping the Autobots and Skywatch out.
The second fight between Prime's team and the Combaticons lands them on the Chinese border where they find out the the Predacons (minus Razorclaw who is back on the asteroid) are now working for the Chinese government much like the Combaticons are working for the North Korean government. Rampage tells the Autobots, Skywatch, and the Combaticons to keep their fight out of China and when Onslaught shoots Rampage in the back and then it's all-out free for all. Back at the Skywatch base in the US Spike's second-in-command gets so frustrated by all this craziness that she turns off the jamming signal and the whole world sees the fight and learns the truth about the Autobot and Skywatch alliance.
Thundercracker destroys the Korean and Chinese engeron plants and this ends the Predacons and Combaticons roles as mercs for human governments.
Back in the US with a growing number of protesters outside the Skywatch base, Skywatch leaders along with Bumblebee, Bluestreak, and Brawn decide to hold a press conference to show that the Autobots mean no harm to the human race. A man pulls out a gun and shoots Bumblebee and mortally injures him!
The story is one of the most interesting takes on the Transformers ever.
The art is very good but artists EJ Su and Guido don't use the Figueroa redesigns and this makes the series look disjointed to say the least. It would be like Spider-Man changing his costume in a six issue arc for no reason in the storyline. I also wish that some of the Skywatch personnel looked different from Spike or had more characterization because they tend to blur together and are forgettable.
While the art is all over over the place, it's still a damn good story I give it a 4 out of 5.
