Mirrored images and proper source from graphicpolicy.com Preview: Transformers: Optimus Prime #20 - Graphic Policy
I don't know, that line Pax says to Swindle kind of explains the out of character aspects to the run. It's "cop that sees too much crime and pain" syndrome. Like when anyone in their line of work gets too deep into feeling the pain caused by others or seeing the same things happening over and over again. That mix of powerlessness and judgmentalness that starts to grow from that in wanting to make it stop until some kind of intervention or restorative break/vacation happens that re-instills hope and compassion/empathy. It's something pretty common. Personally I think it adds more to Pax/Prime's personality. That it explains how seeing that many people he has sworn to protect hurt time and time again pushes him just shy of the edge, comes back from it, and continues on the good fight to try and bring order and freedom from the chains of oppression in any damaging form it takes. It makes him more flawed and complex for growth and personal drive. Even your explanation seems to suggest you got that from it too. So it looks like it did get the point across of what it is.
Oh, I think we totally agree. My point was more that the Pax written in the -acy series was a totally different character from the same Pax, from the same time period, written by the regular writers. Everything you say is true, and I'm definitely not against a more hardass Pax. But the differences were very glaring -at least to me - I don't think the writer (was it Flint Dille?) intended his interpretation of Pax to be that 'flawed, seen too much' persona, but rather just wanted to make him a badass. Now it's at least acknowledged outside of Autocracy and in a way solved, which - just like you said - adds to the character as a whole.
Can someone PLEASE explain why and how Bee is not a ghost now? WAS he EVER a ghost? I probably missed some issue but he has been back for a few issues now, and everyone seems to be like he was never dead in the first place... Also, sweet Primus, please let that be a stupid fakeout cover, don't drag in alternate continuity/future BW Megatron and Primal into this mess right before Unicron hits the fan. But, but... it does not NEED to be explained. People reading these comics are mature enough to understand that comics are written by different WRITERS, you know? I mean how many ways was Captain America or Batman written, often acting very differently in each issue of a crossover when written by someone else? People will know that is because it is a different writer and IGNORE it. Barber has this weird OCD that he NEEDS to, compulsively, "fix" the gaps in the continuity. He obsesses about these, and gets lost in them because in all that continuity patching, he forgets the important thing... that he is a writer, not a movie editor patching together a new edit of a movie. He should be telling a good story. But hey, I have been pointing this out since the end of his disappointing first story arc with Megatron's not-quite return and Wheeljacks not-quite-death and Starscream's rise to power where he has languished for what, 3-4 years now, not accomplishing anything? I am sure you guys like his writing well enough but for me, he has descended to levels where I pine for Mike Costa. (Not quite as low that I'd pine for Shane McCarthy, though...)
Maybe it will be explained in the issue where we first meet Bumblebee in the flesh for the first time?
I thought that was G2 Road Pig. But who is the orange guy with teal arms above Swindle who says "Pax"? But wasn't he "in the flesh" in Unicron #0? Or did that not yet happen yet because timey-wimey-wibbley-wobbely?
Uh, Primal and BW Megs have been around for awhile, how many issues have you missed? There not just suddenly showing up, they have been established and shown as part of Onyx's army for over a year.
I\'ve been fllowing this story for a while and I love it! Seeing how everything falls apart due to Shockwave\'s machinations, especially manipulating events to make Starscream as ruler of Cybertron, is all too surprising. The fact that Shockwave tries to find out why Cybertron always wind up in civil war with one another has me pondering the same question. I hope how it all turns out in the end before we finally see them in their final battle against Unicron.
This issue was pretty good. Though, Aileron shouldn't underestimate Shockwave just because he's a bot she never heard of, he did try to destroy the universe after all. Luckily I can wait next week for the final issue of the story arc and finally Transformers: Unicron.