Time to devastate and brutalize??
Uh, sure. With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, noted writer/artist rolled-into-one Daniel Warren Johnson takes the reins on the linchpin of this initiative, the flagship Transformers comic series! Well, he maintains the reins on the writing of this series at least, as does Mike Spicer on colors. Jorge Corona has taken over regular penciling duties with a style all his own.
In this sixteenth issue, the two Decepticon factions clash, Cliffjumper joins the Autobot resistance on Cybertron, a new Autobot joins the ranks on Earth, and Laserbeak discovers what Soundwave had sent him to look for!
So Devastator and Bruticus go at it, right?
Yes. For like… two panels and a splash. Their fight is a mere backdrop to the character dramas unfolding during the smaller Decepticon skirmish. It was honestly kind of disappointing considering how it was built up (and the covers dedicated to it.) Soundwave and Starscream fight some more, Soundwave fights Astrotrain, Thundercracker fights Starscream… there’s a lot of round-robin fighting going on. Thundercracker learns what really happened to Skywarp and Astrotrain reveals why he hates Megatron so much. It’s… a choice to be sure.
Seriously, I’m kind of underwhelmed by the goings-on in the Decepticon mini-Civil War here. I assume DWJ is leading up to Megatron’s return and the reunification of his scattered forces, but… I mean… what exactly is he gonna do to Starscream in revenge that hasn’t been done already? The indignities heaped upon Starscream so far are probably punishment enough.
Ouch, so not a fan of this issue, are you?
I’ve been very charitable to this series and like I’ve said before, I know it’s not written for an old-school fan like me, but DWJ’s has gotta give me something to work with here. I feel like he’s writing himself into corners with character and plot choices here and if he’s only gonna be around for less than ten more issues, well… I don’t see how any of this has a satisfying payoff.
I was kinda looking forward to the combiner dust-up in this issue and it is barely given any space before both Devastator and Bruticus are… washed away by a dam breaking? Plot threads like Optimus having weird visions, Megatron’s impeding return, Cliffjumper’s quest and the search for Ultra Sadness (MAGNUS, I mean) just don’t feel like fruitful endeavours anymore because it just seems like they’ll be used for shock value.
Cube?
There’s some stuff with nice visual flair here, like Trailbreaker’s revival, but I’m just not having a good time reading this book. I don’t understand the hype behind it, and I’m getting tired of being generous towards it. DWJ’s intended run is more than half over and I’m not going to pull punches any longer.
Buy Transformers #16 this week, and maybe your pet bird will lend you his eyes.
