by Mark Cerbo
I guess I got blessed to have such good friends and what to say?
Though it took him more than eight months to give it to me, and never broke his promise.
The recent Toy Con PH has passed but still kept his promise, and during those times he never forgets. I've been disappointed at times, but he still kept his word. After so many months he finally gave me a Cruellock, and to think its no longer available in department stores or special toy stores in Greenhills.
Thanks Rainer for that small stuff not to mention getting me WST Soundwave back to my collection. I owe you big time buddy. As my colleague will say --Let's drink to that!
Oh yeah here's a preview...
Un-opened... That was BEFORE.
Back packaging.
Doing the "Godzilla-Fu."
In `bot mode he's more baddy.
ACTung Collection 2004 Preview #003
Transformers G1 # 10 (with spoilers)
Now that Dreamwave has announced that James "Brad Mick" McDonough and Adam Patyk
have left due to serious differences, it has to be said that the remaining
issues of G1 written by the two will certainly take on some kind of sentimental
quality. That's because these two writers brought so much to the Dreamwave TF
universe, the greatest of which, to my mind, remains the G1: More Than Meets The
Eye series. But they also brought a fan's love for the little and big things to
the G1 series, along with a sometimes mysterious but obviously cosmos-spanning
plan to solve the big riddle of where the Transformers fit in the galatic scheme
of things. Though one always wishes the announced arrival of Chris Sarrancini
(his G1 mini-series was dark but good; his Armada not as) on the title well,
McDonough and Patyk will be missed.
And with all honesty, Transformers G1 # 10, "The Route of All Evil," written
by McDonough and Patyk, with art by Don Figueroa, is one of the best issues in
the best Dreamwave series so far. Seriously.
On Earth, Starcsream is trying his best to get the Combaticons to work
together by beating on a power-dampened Sky Lynx when Predaking arrives. A
brutal Bruticus-Predaking duel follows and only one combiner team stands back
up. Starscream escapes to the safe confines of Decepticon HQ. Oops. Megatron is
back, and Starscream, in turns out, has been duped by Megatron's ever-loyal
Soundwave.
A captive Shockwave is also confronted with the fact that previously-hidden
Sunstorm had in fact escaped and perhaps destroyed. Shocky's got some explaining
to do.
Megatron then, recalling a pre-War Withi experience in a mind-bending
sequence for long-time TF fans, explains how the High Council has been deceiving
everyone and how he discovered there was more to the Transformers than anyone
thought by exploring a forbidden cavern that held the tomb of long-dead
Cybertronian ancestors. Not only did he take something valuable from that tomb,
but Megatron survived what he called an assassination attempt by agents of the
Council, which had been infiltrated by the Quintessons. That soon led to his
founding of the Decepticons.
Marrisa Faireborn of the Earth Defense Command is arguing with a superior
about the Autobots when she ordered to reactivate a project that may hold the
key to destroying the Transformers threat on Earth once and for all. But there
seems to be a bit of history unsaid here--the superior officer's nameplate reads
"Witwicky."
Jazz and the Earth-bound Autobots hide the Shuttle Orion at the edge of the
woods and are led by Ratchet through the foliage, all of them ruing the loss of
the Ark and Teletran-1. But upon arriving in the clearing, Prowl and the
recently-arrived Autobots from Cybertron surprise Jazz and company with quite a
sight: Autobots busy working on what is to eventually to become Autobot City.
In the Wastelands, the remains of the Triplechanger Blitzwing, who had
been destroyed by the Predacons last issue after he wouldn't abandon Shockwave,
are found and recovered by a someone we see only in shadow.
In Autobase, Ultra Magnus is assigning posts when Hot Rod is told he is not
qualified for any thing save perimeter guard duty with Wheelie and Gnaw. As he
watches Springer walk away with Arcee, Hot Rod does not realize is is being
watched.
The Quintessons are watching him, and the Transformers' creators are
planning the sending of an extraction team, whose leader had just shown up:
Elita One.
I cannot even begin to say what is not to love about "The Route of All
Evil," which ties in so many disparate elements of TF lore and fandom that it's
hard to know where to begin. Everyone plays a very active part in the story
(save for the still recuperating Optimus Prime but he will be back real soon)
and everyone is characterized on the mark. This issue involves a combiner
throwdown, mysterious arrivals, hope for the Autobots, Decepticons rebuilding
their forces on Earth, the humans designing their own monkey wrench of sorts and
the Quintessons with own devious plan. Some of the parts are a bit talky ( a
rather quaint aspect of McDonough-Patyk issues) but what they talking about more
than makes up for the fact that they just, well, talking. Best issue so far,
period.
And sorry to gush, but Figueroa had quite a job here because he had to
feature so many Transformers from different eras, and he does so with the same
supreme confidence and surehandedness he possesses. Oh and great cover, very
catchy. In particular, his 360-degree view of the fight between the combiners is
a treat. But the most impressive thing this issue is how Figueroa shows us the
Transformers' sizes relative to one another. In the Autobot meeting, the
Dinobots are clearly shown bigger than all the other Bots, save Ultra Magnus.
And in the flashback, see how small Megatron is to the ancient Transformers.
Wow.
If you haven't been reading the G1 series because on continuity concerns of
because you feel left behind, then this is the perfect issue to jump on. It's
just a fantastic piece of work from a team that's been consistent doing great
work.
Reports from Vector Sigma:
1) Nice to see all the Combaticons all lined up, clearly visible and with
speaking lines. Previously you caught them only as protoforms, in blakc and
white monitors or together as Bruticus. Swindle's personality is clearly intact.
2) Nice to see Sky Lynx has survived the fall to Earth--with personality intact
as well.
3) The Pentagon scene's full of little nods. First of all, Witwicky is the
surname of Spike (whom we've seen palling around with Bumblebee last issue),
Sparkplug (who died in the Ark II explosion) and Buster (who has yet to be
seen). So as to which Witwicky this is, use your imagination. His line "you
don't know them like I do," might hold the clue.
4) The project that Fairborn is assigned to reactivate, "Project: Centurion" is
a reference to a Transformers UK storyline by Furman involving the Dinobots and
an escaped prototype robot called the Centurion.
5) On Witwicky's screen is a schematic for what he calls an exo-suit. The suit
is clearly referencing the transforming suit Spike and Daniel used in the TF
movie and later in the TV series.
6) The Autobots shown working on the future Autobot City (which should
eventually be Metroplex) include some new arrivals from Cybertron: Grapple,
Hoist, Cosmos and Pipes. And in a nice touch, that's Omega Supreme doing some
literal heavy lifting in the background.
7) Kup getting assigned to work with the Dinobots is a reference to the TF
movie, again.
8) Any guesses who is was who picked up Blitzwing's remains?
9) Flashback time: In the his recollections of his time as pit fighter, Megtaron
clearly has a variation of his War Within mode, but with various markings that
look like components of what would eventually be the Decepticon symbol.The pit
fighter Megatron has just defeated is none other than Gobot Renegade leader
Cy-Kill. The High Council is shown exactly like the same one in the War Within
mini-series.
10) That shiny item in the dead Transformers' hands that Megatron procures? It
looks like yet another golden disk. How many of these things are there?
11) The Quintessons are speaking of an infiltrator within the current Autobot
ranks. Last issue, they gave some clues that their plans involved Hot Rod and
Arcee. But who is the target and who is the infiltrator?
12) This issue marks the first appearance of Elita One in Dreamwave continuity.
Traditional TF lore has Prime and Elita-1 being romantically linked (such as
robots can be), and the TV series has the female Autobots operating against the
Cons on their own (remember Chroma?). But remember how there were female robots
shown guarding the Quintesson throne room in Transformers G1 # 0? Maybe now we
know why. Or do we? Bring on the female Autobots!
13) The best hardcore tribute this issue: The inert "ancestors" that Megatron is
shown looking at are none other than Dai-Atlas and Deathsaurus from the Jap-only
series "Zone" and "Victory," respectively. Bring on the Japanese Transformers!
More! More!
Transformers Energon # 30 (with spoilers)
by: Ruel de Vera
Finally, we get a Transformers Energon story not called "Multiplicity Pt.
something," though events in Simon Furman's "No Exit" tie in directly with the
events of last issue. We begin with a very nifty flashback to a Decepticon
attack being led by Scorponok that Starscream (partly out of truth and partly
out of an attempt to get Megatron's goat) comments on the virtues of Scorponok's
frontline style of leadership. Flashforward to the present, where Scorponok and
Megatron face off in the Yukon territories. Megs has a bone to pick with the
erstwhile Terrorcon leader and what follows is the single most violent, most
graphic throwdown in the entire Energon series. Seriously. It's transformations,
blasting, treachery, hyper-mode--ten total pages of Megatron-versus-Scorponok
carnage. Yikes. It the end of it, however, the biggest baddest Con wins with a
particularly dramatic end for the other. Ouch. Ironhide wakes up in time to
activate the Shielding Tower. Meanwhile, (whew) Jetfire is reporting that
Megatron has returned to a holographic meeting of the Autobot High Council,
adding that Prime is still missing, most likely (according to a tip from Megs)
inside the body of Unicron. Councilor Avalon signs off to discuss things with
his secret ally Alpha Quintesson, and Alpha Q is convinced that there's no way
Prime can survive the inner defenses of the still inert Unicron. Guess Alpha Q
didn't check out the last panel. Cool drawing there--"Ready or not, here I
come!"
This is a solid issue from Furman. The fight scene between Megatron and
Scorponok was quite drawn out but it was vintage Furman--and that's always good
thing. Plus it's definitive, adding the dramatic twists missing from the last
issue. Avalon continues to plot against his own comrades and surely that's going
to come to a head very soon and, as the last panel (you gotta see it for
yourself) indicates, things are heating up. Furman and Dreamwave have already
indicated that Energon will end in six issues to make way for the upcoming
Transformers: Cybertron series and now Furman is obviously preparing for his own
endgame, a storyarc called, fittingly if rather unimaginatively, "Armageddon."
Furman's prep work is more subtle and thorough here than the powerful but
overly, well, kid-friendly end to Armada. This is all a good sign and hopefully
the end of Energon will be better. That being said, if you want to see Furman's
best writing work at the moment, check out War Within, but more on that in
another review.
The big development in Transformers Energon # 30 is the introduction of a
new artist, Marcelo Matere, taking the place of the talented Alex Milne. And
Matere does a slam bang good job. His work is squarely in the almost-animated
category and while this does make for shining, neon robots, it makes for very
dynamic, dramatic battles scenes. Good addition this one.
Well TF fans, Energon is starting to wind up (or down, depending on how you
look at it). The series had its own ups and down--it's currently on an up and
that's a good thing.
Report from Vector Sigma:
1) In the opening flashback sequence (which obviously dates from Armada,) we see
a whole bunch of Armada Decepticons: Megatron, Starscream, Cyclonus, Demolishop,
Thrust, Wheeljack, Predacon, Thundercracker, Terrorsaur and Skywarp. And of
course, a very nice look at Scoponok is action.
2) In the battle between the two Decepticon leaders, they each use aspects of
the respective toys. Scorponok has his hyper-mode and Megatron uses his
remote-controlled tank drone--which of course, as an Armada homage, is a
miniaturized replica of his Armada alt mode.
3) When Ironhide hears the name "Alpha Quintesson," he takes note but,
considering this Dreamwave continuity is different from the TV series
continuity, he doesn't recognize it. The shileding tower is yet another nod to
TV continuity.
4) While Jetfire is speaking to the High Council--or as the balloon says, the
Amalgamation--it becomes clear that I did confuse two of the council members.
The first councillor to speak up in the series was named Levitacus, obviously a
nod to the old testament book. He has remained the same character all throughout
but grew silent after another councillor emerged--Avalon. Avalon, who can be
distinguished (barely) from Levitacus in that he has what appears to be a horned
crest to Levitacus's straight-up crests on the sides--however, did not look that
way the first time he showed up, which was as a countil member without the
horned crest or facial hair. So apparently, Levitacus and Avalon are
different--but for some reason, Dreamwave changed Avalon's look after one issue.
So for the record, in the Amalgamation scene, Levitacus is to the extreme left
and Avalon is to his right--Avalon being the bad guy in hiding or so it seems.
5) Finally, though still in the Amalgamation scene, the holographic image of the
councillor to the bottom extreme right is noneother that the Japanese Star
Convoy (soon to be seen again in the Robotmasters line of toys).
Transformers Energon # 29 (with spoilers)
by: Ruel de Vera
After a mandated period of time off, the comic book reviews are back
(hopefully welcome such as it is). There's quite a clone army of material to
go through, so we'll get right down to it, beginning with the issues that
came out earlier and working our way back to the more recent stuff.
From the very cover of Transformers Energon # 29, you know that it's
basically the return of Megatron to the title (well, he is on the cover
ripping Terrorcons to shreds). This is, after all, "Multiplicity Pt. 4" from
Simon Furman and Alex Milne. He'd been a ghost for a while now, waiting for
a chance to inhabit his spanking new body hidden inside the husk of Unicron,
when a transplated Optimus Prime gave him just that chance. Now, with the
Autobots seemingly about to be decimated by the Terrorcon hordes on Earth,
Megatron comes screaming in and blasting every Terrorcon in sight. Anywhere.
In Los Angeles. In Tokyo. In Moscow. In Toronto. Everywhere. The Autobots,
running low on Energon, also get a boost from a nifty new invention by Rad,
which powers the TFs up with Energon vapors. Over in Turkey, a revitalized
Kicker jumpstarts the Omnicons and gives Mirage and Slugslinger an electric
sendoff. And finally, in the Yukon, Ironhide is supervising the attachment
of the Shield Tower when Scorponok, hidden from their sensors during
reentry, ambushes the Autobots and knocks them all out. But just when
Scorponok is feeling very good about himself, he turns around and discovers
that Megatron has arrived and isn't very pleased.
Furman is upping the destruction quotient with every issue, and with the
arrival of Megs, he's really putting all the stops out. Truth be told,
"Multiplicity Pt. 4" really is set up issue more than anything else, tying
up the "Multiplicity" storyarc and reintroducing the baddest Decepticon of
them all. So there isn't really a whole lot of drama or twists in this
issue, considering much of it was hinted at in Pt. 3 of the arc.
That said, this is a great issue for Milne. The action scenes in
"Multiplicity Pt. 4" are the best in the series so far and not just for the
scrap content. Milne goes widescreen this issue, like a cinematographer
wiping the camera around, taking in the action from different perspectives.
The interesting is that agbout 90% of those scenes involves Megatron but
readers won't grow tired (well, not too much) of seeing Megatron blast
things because of Milne's solid work. The coloring and inking remains quite
bright, almost animated, but by now, it's become a nice way to
differentiate the series.
Transformers Energon # 29 continues the series' trend of speeding up what
started out as being a highly-plodding, talky story. Though this issue
doesn't have the steeljaw-dropping revelations of the more recent issues, it
gives you the feeling that there is one coming in the next ones.
Reports from Vector Sigma:
1) Furman and Milne deployed almost every single Autobot on Earth to fight
off the Terrorcon horde and here we get a good look at some of the less-seen
ones in action: Hoist, Beachcomber, Tow-Line, Perceptor, Bulkhead,
Downshift, Landquake, and Prowl. There's also a sighting of Armada Blurr.
2) Consistent with his personality, the Decepticon Thrust tries to suck up
to Megatron the astrosecond he catches sight of his former commander.
3) It is consistent as well to see Hotshot's disbelieving expression when he
sees Megatron for the first considering he was part of the group (together
with Armada Red Alert and Scavenger) who ambushed Megatron at the end of
Armada.
4) Another regularly appreciated if somewhat hammy touch to Energon: the
humans are still playing a good part. Kicker kicks 'Con backsides and the
Armada kids fly to the rescue.
5) Finally, doesn't Milne just draw an amazing Megatron? Not just his basty
robot form, but that sleek, deadly gunship alt mode of him? While we've seen
really impressive scans of the upcoming Cybertron/Galaxy Force Megatron
(very impressive, love those Unicron shoulderpads), Energon Megatron, in my
mind, has been the best Megatrong iteration since the original Galvatron and
here, Mline does his justice--and then some. "Ten years!"
