Newsarama | Hasbro Heroes First Looks: TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE Page 1 I believe this starts up so abruptly because it's from later in the issue, not the beginning.
This book is so slow. I've only been reading the previews. But now I'm debateing if I'll even bother with the trades because it does'nt feel like I missed much of anything between previews. Their in the desert with spike and some wreckers, while megatron is cruiseing the desert with a lobotimized army of decepticons that used to be relevant characters. I want starscream's sliver of consciousness to mean something which it apparently is doing something to influence scraplet virus Kup. But I really want starscream to do more. And apparently those human pilored defense robots the autobots got backup from in a previous issue ( remind me of starriors) are going berserk. Megatron's plan feels out of character to me. He's fed up with fighting Prime to a standstill. So he'll just nuke the planet. Why would he do that? Does he find enough revenge to having the autobots own computer execute the doomsday command. does he see destroying Optimus Prime along with himself as a blaze of glory befitting titans. I think its a bit of a simple story that has lost a lot of character for its contrived devices.
Did Optimus and Megatron ever really have a one-on-one fight in the comics? Only one I can think of is the issue where Shockwave shows up at the end.
They virtually fought in #24, but no. Ratchet defeated Megatron 3 times, but Prime zip. If my theory comes true Ratchet will have another victory though only by a technicality.
It's actually not really out of character with Marvel Megatron - he was always more unhinged than some of his more recent comic counterparts. This is the Megatron who went insane after Prime died, because it wasn't a satisfying, definitive victory over his nemesis. The last time he did anything of note schemewise, it was "brainwash Starscream, turn him into a Pretender, and use him to wipe out all his enemies gathered in one place".
The Marvel comic version of Megatron really isn't much like the G1 cartoon Megatron or any version of Megatron we've seen since. He's always been more of a mad dog that wasn't particularly relevant and regularly got beaten by Ratchet. There's only a small handful of issues where he's even actually the leader of the Decepticons. This new arc is probably the most effective Marvel Megatron has been, ever, and its still a pretty non-sensible plan.
The art and colours are gorgeous. I love the sense of space and fragility/power of the bots. Can't wait!!! Up at CBR too.
I agree, IDW Megatron seems a bit more "fleshed out" insofar as motivation, etc. Marvel Megatron never really felt like a threat, as opposed to characters like Shockwave, Ratbat(!), and the like.
Furman is capable of more. I know he is. He's just holding himself back with Regeneration One to make it more like the old Marvel U.S. comics he used to write. The difference between then and now is that he was pushing the characters forward as he much as he could back in the early 90s whereas now typical Transformers stories have come on so much, that a return to the old ways feels grossly out of place. I am hoping that Furman is giving us a Prime vs. Megatron battle early so he can get that out of the way first, the Wreckers too, so that he can go do other stuff for the remaining 15 issues.
No, it's really not, unfortunately. While totally in keeping with Megatron's characterization in previous Marvel books, it's just not Megatron as we've come to know him. Marvel's Megatron has always been a shallow, stupid chump that makes you wonder how he waged war for millions of years when he can't hold on to leadership of the Decepticons for more than four of five issues at a time and most of his plans involve revenge, not conquest. Heck, I think Ratbat led the Decepticons for more issues than Megatron.