TRANSFORMERS: REGENERATION ONE #98

"THE WAR TO END ALL WARS, PART 3"
Writer: Simon Furman | Breakdowns: Guido Guidi | Finisher: Stephen Baskerville
Colorist: John-Paul Bove | Letterer: Chris Mowry | Editor: John Barber
Editor-in-Chief: Chris Ryall

Cover by Andrew Wildman

The Plot: Under the command of Rodimus Prime, an Autobot fleet assaults Jhiaxus's hub. Using data gleaned from a drone, Nightbeat attempts to destroy the hub, but though his plan should work, it fails. Jhiaxus reveals he had planned for this, and initiates a counterattack. Rodimus Prime is forced to surrender.

On Earth, the space bridge is activated, but Fortress Maximus emerges, rather than the expected Nebulan delegation. Fort Max blasts Optimus Prime and grabs Spike, then re-enters the space bridge.

Meanwhile, the Ark arrives at the Hub undetected thanks to Starscream, who is not acting like himself. He notes that there are four, but one more is needed and he requires Shockwave's help to find that one. Starscream somehow disconnects Shockwave from the Ark's systems and returns him to his normal body. While on Cybertron, the Unicron cult brings Galvatron before Primus.

G1 Continuity: No continuity nods this issue, other than Kup invoking Springer's line, "I've got better things to do tonight than die!"

Body Count: Hound is killed by Jhiaxus's men. Optimus Prime is thoroughly trashed by Fortress Maximus, though it seems unlikely he would go out so easily.

My Thoughts: Hound? Seriously? C'mon, Furman -- I don't mind when you bump off nearly any character created after 1986. And even some 86ers and 85ers would be find by me. But can't we keep the real Autobots, the class of 1984, the original crew of the Ark, off the chopping block??

Variant "retro" cover by Guido Guidi

Ahem. Anyway... very nice to see Rodimus live up to his promise immediately by taking a fleet straight to Jhiaxus's home. Never mind that Jhiaxus was ready for this war party. It's the thought that counts, after all.

Also, things appear to be falling into place as I'd hoped. When Fortress Maximus grabs Spike, he declares that "Through you... one will be all." Then after the Unicron worshippers bring Galvatron to Primus, he also tells them that "one will be all." Call me crazy, but I suspect these scenes might just be related. I'll be interested to see how. Also: why was the Unicron cult working for Primus in the first place? I guess He works in mysterious ways (or to put it in other terms, there's more to Him than meets the eye...).

Sad to see Fort Max take out Optimus Prime so easily. I continue to dislike this series' depiction of Prime as kind of a depressed wuss. I accepted it a while back, but it still bugs me. Prime is the Autobot, the one who should stand above all others in terms of integrity, skill, and tactical acumen. He shouldn't be sidelined for the better part of twenty issues if he's alive. It's just sad.

Okay, maybe I didn't accept it after all...

Final Opinion: Big things are happening, and pieces are coming together. Why did I ever doubt Furman?

Available as part of Transformers: Regeneration One Volume 4 from Amazon.com.