Story: Brad Mick* | Art: Pat Lee, Don Figueroa, & Joe Ng
Inks: Elaine To, Rob Armstrong, & Erik Sander
Colors: Espen Grundetjern & Rob Ruffalo | Flats: Kenny Li & Ferd Poblete
Additional Colors: David Cheung, Jong-Im Lee, Elliot Kravchik, Sigmund Torres
Letters: Ben Lee | President: Pat Lee | VP/Editor-in-Chief: Roger Lee
Creative Director: James McDonough | Project Manager: Derek Choo-Wing
Inks: Elaine To, Rob Armstrong, & Erik Sander
Colors: Espen Grundetjern & Rob Ruffalo | Flats: Kenny Li & Ferd Poblete
Additional Colors: David Cheung, Jong-Im Lee, Elliot Kravchik, Sigmund Torres
Letters: Ben Lee | President: Pat Lee | VP/Editor-in-Chief: Roger Lee
Creative Director: James McDonough | Project Manager: Derek Choo-Wing
The conversation is revealed to be between a trio of Quintessons, who have plans to find Megatron and judge him.
Meanwhile, on the Planet of Junk, Wreck-Gar presents Megatron with a deactivated Transformer, which Megatron plans to use for some unknown purpose.
Continuity Notes: This issue serves as a recap of the previous two mini-series, as well as a prologue for the ongoing TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION ONE comic, but it comes with a few new nuggets of information, as well: Unicron created Scourge and has now created Cyclonus as well. And it seems the Scourge who discovered Cybertron in WAR AND PEACE was in fact one of a large fleet of identical Transformers. As a result, it's unclear to the Quintessons whether the Scourge who found Cybertron was the same one that appeared on Earth in WAR AND PEACE #1.
The Sharkticons which attacked Shockwave during his flashbacks in WAR AND PEACE were left behind on Cybertron by the Quintessons, who apparently had some hand in the planet's creation.
On Earth, Scourge is being held by the human armed forces seen in WAR AND PEACE, along with the dismantled Constructicons following their fight with Superion in PRIME DIRECTIVE. Also present is a disembodied Transformer head I can't recognize.
The Quintessons are guarded by female Transformers on their home planet of Quintessa. It's noted by the Quintessons that the events of the past two mini-series have occurred over two Earth years, putting this series in something approximating real time.
G1 References: Unicron devours the planet Lithone in the issue's opening sequence, an homage/rip-off of the opening scene from TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (right down to a bit of lifted dialogue).
In the G1 cartoon continuity, Unicron created Scourge and Cyclonus, as he is seen to do here -- but originally they were created from a pair of near-death Decepticons, Skywarp and Thundercracker. (Some people will try to tell you Cyclonus was actually Shrapnel of the Insecticons. These people are wrong. Shrapnel wasn't cool or important enough to become Cyclonus.)
Quintessons were revealed in the original animation to be the Transformers' creators. I've always liked this origin a lot better than Simon Furman's "Primus" stuff.
My Thoughts: What better way to kick off a new series than with a #0 issue to refresh readers' memories on what has gone before while tickling their nostalgia bones with copious references to the original continuity? I have to admit, I can see the point made by certain fans with the nonstop nods here. Unicron's feast of Lithone, practically an exact recreation of the scene from TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE, is a bit much. Plus Unicron in general is way overdone, even at this point in time, having been a central figure in the original TRANSFORMERS cartoon series, the U.K. and eventually U.S. comics, and the then-recent TRANSFORMERS: ARMADA cartoon.
But there's a lot to like here, too. The Quintessons and their constant scheming were the best thing to come out of the cartoon series' otherwise uninteresting third season, so it's nice to see Mick giving them some page time here, making them as enigmatic as ever. Plus the idea of Scourge, Cyclonus, and presumably Galvatron existing independently of Megatron and his underlings is a good one, and not something you see explored in most versions of this saga.
Add to that the mystery of the female Autobots, the human military in possession of several Transformers, and the idea of Megatron drifting around out there as a wild card/loose cannon, and you have plenty of kernels for a nice, long run. I look forward to covering the next few years of Brad Mick's TRANSFORMERS here.
...Oh. Right. Never mind, then.
* Due to working in Dreamwave's editorial department, writer James McDonough scripted his first several TRANSFORMERS comics under the pseudonym "Brad Mick". My reviews will use the Brad Mick name until the point where McDonough is officially credited by his real name.
Yes all of 11 issues, counting this one.
ReplyDeleteBut we got something totally different in it's place. The IDW series
and what I like most about the IDW series is, that it's not bound to toys or gimmicks and can play with our expectations.
Cyclonus for example is NOT a Decepticon. I have a hard time divorcing him from being a Decepticon, but he isn't one.
And we can have such diverse groups such as Hardhead, Nightbeat, Jazz, Prowl and so on who aren't lumped together because they were in the cartoon, or part of this subline of the toyline.
Which is usually what grates me, when a group is introduced just because they were in the movie, or cartoon like that. ( Yes AHM i mean you ! )
I always liked Furman's primus origin a lot better then the Quintesson "origin".
Furman's origin elevated the Transformers to a higher plane with a goal and a purpose unlike anything we have seen before.
The Quintessons origin means we have been following sentient appliances all along.
The last line against a dark god, or uppity appliances ?
I know what I'd rather read about.
But sarcasm aside what Furman's origin for the Transformers also introduced was free choice.
Autobot, Decepticon, it was a Cybertronians choice to become one or the other or neither.
With the Quintesson origin there was no choice, you were either made Decepticon ( warrior robot ) or an autobot ( appliance)
There was no choice in the matter at all and that kinda deflates the whole thing for me.
The Decepticon, we are evil because we want, becomes we are evil because it's we were build like that.
Okay rant over, on to this issue.
It's an interesting issue, but the constant nods and winks do get tiring and mick isn't even done lifting scenes wholesale from the movie and that gets grating too.
Galvaton being divorced from Megatron is a great idea. So great Furman used it in his IDW series.
And its still odd, even after so long, to see Galvatron be his own entity and Cyclonus not being a Decepticon.
Anyway issue 0 was an interesting could have been.
But Unicron has been way way way overplayed and its a good thing that he hasn't even been mentioned in the IDW series, let alone appeared at all.
Unicron would also be a focus in The War Within: The Dark Ages, mini serie,s released around the same time as the G1 ongoing in 2004.
...Mr Nicron got around.
( http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-letter-to-optimus-prime-from-his-geico-auto-insurance-agent where the Mr Nicron comes from. It was hilarious in 2007 and still is now. )
Yes all of 11 issues, counting this one.
ReplyDeleteBut we got something totally different in it's place. The IDW series
and what I like most about the IDW series is, that it's not bound to toys or gimmicks and can play with our expectations.
Cyclonus for example is NOT a Decepticon. I have a hard time divorcing him from being a Decepticon, but he isn't one.
And we can have such diverse groups such as Hardhead, Nightbeat, Jazz, Prowl and so on who aren't lumped together because they were in the cartoon, or part of this subline of the toyline.
Which is usually what grates me, when a group is introduced just because they were in the movie, or cartoon like that. ( Yes AHM i mean you ! )
I always liked Furman's primus origin a lot better then the Quintesson "origin".
Furman's origin elevated the Transformers to a higher plane with a goal and a purpose unlike anything we have seen before.
The Quintessons origin means we have been following sentient appliances all along.
The last line against a dark god, or uppity appliances ?
I know what I'd rather read about.
But sarcasm aside what Furman's origin for the Transformers also introduced was free choice.
Autobot, Decepticon, it was a Cybertronians choice to become one or the other or neither.
With the Quintesson origin there was no choice, you were either made Decepticon ( warrior robot ) or an autobot ( appliance)
There was no choice in the matter at all and that kinda deflates the whole thing for me.
The Decepticon, we are evil because we want, becomes we are evil because it's we were build like that.
Okay rant over, on to this issue.
It's an interesting issue, but the constant nods and winks do get tiring and mick isn't even done lifting scenes wholesale from the movie and that gets grating too.
Galvaton being divorced from Megatron is a great idea. So great Furman used it in his IDW series.
And its still odd, even after so long, to see Galvatron be his own entity and Cyclonus not being a Decepticon.
Anyway issue 0 was an interesting could have been.
But Unicron has been way way way overplayed and its a good thing that he hasn't even been mentioned in the IDW series, let alone appeared at all.
Unicron would also be a focus in The War Within: The Dark Ages, mini serie,s released around the same time as the G1 ongoing in 2004.
...Mr Nicron got around.
( http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-letter-to-optimus-prime-from-his-geico-auto-insurance-agent where the Mr Nicron comes from. It was hilarious in 2007 and still is now. )
for some reason blogger ate my post
I'm actually surprised Unicron hasn't shown up in either IDW or the live action movies yet. I'm impressed with the restraint shown there by all parties.
DeleteI understand your point about the Primus origin being more interesting, but I think the Quintesson origin is interesting as well, in its own way. Here are these robots who were created to serve their masters, but who eventually developed free will and revolted (then somehow forgot it ever happened).
And I don't mind the "all Autobots are good/all Decepticons are evil" thing. In some entertainment, I just like good ol' good-vs-evil with no gray areas in between.