TRANSFORMERS: REGENERATION ONE #92

"DESTINY, PART 2"
Writer: Simon Furman | Penciler: Andrew Wildman | Inker: Stephen Baskerville
Colorist: John-Paul Bove | Letterer: Chris Mowry | Editor: John Barber
Editor-in-Chief: Chris Ryall

The Plot: On Earth, Optimus Prime proposes to the human alliance that they move their people to Nebulos, currently recovering from Scorponok's rule, so that both species might heal together.

On Cybertron, Blaster senses something amiss in the intercomm that links all Transformers on the planet. Soundwave, back on Cybertron in advance of Bludgeon's attack, detects Blaster's presence and sends a force to kill him in the holding chamber where he and other Autobots are still recovering from Nucleon poisoning. The Autobots defeat these Decepticons and reveal the intercomm's compromise to Prowl, who shuts it down. Unfortunately this takes Cybertron's sensors offline as well, leaving it vulnerable to the approaching Bludgeon... and Galvatron.

Meanwhile, beneath Cybertron's surface, Hot Rod and the Dinobots continue their search for the proto-Transformers.

G1 Continuity: Not Generation One related exactly, but we learn that Spike Witwicky is married to a human mech pilot named Linda Chang. Also, Blaster reminds Prowl that, circa TRANSFORMERS issues 18 and 19, he was the leader of the Autobot resistance on Decepticon-ruled Cybertron. Lastly, the Decepticons dispatched by Soundwave to kill Blaster are the Mayhem Attack Squad -- a commando group created by Simon Furman in Marvel U.K.'s TRANSFORMERS series.

Body Count: None! I was seriously worried that at least one of the Autobots attacked by the Mayhem Attack Squad might bite it, but all four of them -- Blaster, Huffer, Silverbolt, and Inferno -- survived, notwithstanding some damage to Silverbolt.

My Thoughts: Furman knows how to bring his various elements together into a satisfying package, that's for sure. The Autobots thought the recent civil unrest was fallout from Scorponok's takeover attempt, but it turns out it was caused by Soundwave messing with the intercomm. And when Blaster realizes this, he gets the intercomm shut down -- which was Soundwave's plan all along; under orders from Bludgeon. But what no one realizes is that, in addition to giving Bludgeon a clear path to Cybertron, this scheme has also inadvertently provided Galvatron with an attack route as well.

Variant "retro" cover by Guido Guidi

What this means, however, is still to be seen. Will we have a three-way battle between Autobots, Decepticons, and Galvatron, or will Galvatron use the cover of a larger battle to accomplish some other goal? Personally I'd love to see him fight Ultra Magnus as a throwback to their great battles in the British comics, but I'd settle for an altercation with Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime, too.

Speaking of whom, it looks like we're back to a page an issue of Hot Rod wandering around doing nothing. His quest beneath Cybertron was boring the first time around, and so far now it's no better. Furman needs to ramp up this plotline or stop devoting time to it. If nothing is going to happen to further a particular thread, it can be left out of an issue.

But at least Optimus Prime is working for something. Integrating humans and Nebulans is a good idea, and I hope something comes of it. I'd still rather see Prime in action, but I'm glad his time on Earth is being used productively. I still suspect he'll perish by issue 100, though since he's so far removed from the action, I'm not sure how that will happen.

Final Opinion: Some solid action, teamwork and ingenuity from Blaster and his cohorts makes this a satisfying read, even if their victory did play directly into Soundwave's plan. Can't wait until Bludgeon and Galvatron arrive on Cybertron.

Available as part of TRANSFORMERS: REGENERATION ONE, vol. 2 from Amazon.com.