Autocracy #2 is released online tomorrow, February 1st. Until then, an early review:

Autocracy #2 - Transformers Comic Books and Graphic Novels - TFW2005

Download it tomorrow, come back, and discuss here!

 

How the hell am I supposed to buy Autocracy (any issue)?

It's not available for Android, IDW's own store doesn't work, and the other desktop comics store doesn't have it!

 

Yes it is on Android: ComiXology app for Android
Or you can us the PC site: Digital Comics - comiXology
Autocracy #1: http://www.comixology.com/Transformers-Autocracy-1/digital-comic/19846

Google is ur friend  

 

I was just on Comixology. The search didn't return any results for Autocracy, but now it does. I wonder why.

And Comixology is not showing on Android Market for me. Scanning the QR code results in "this item isn't available in your country."

EDIT: Managed to buy it and view it online. Thanks!

 

Sammael, when searching on Comixology, search 'Transformers'. It'll come up in the list of comics.

 

dang i didnt realize this was coming out so soon

so buying!

 

Just having read reviews and some pictures and not the actual stuff, the deeper we get into the Prime lineage the less @$$hole IDW's Sentinel Prime comes off as.

During Megatron Origin he came off as arrogant, impulsive and a tad too violent for a traditional autobot.

Seeing the two Primes before him and Zeta after him, he truly feels like a scape goat in the grand manner of things. Nominus does look like a very upper class bot, with the aerial form and all, Zeta does look like an upper crust "angel", both corrupt, and between them is Sentinel who's just a tough security forces captain.

When push came to shove, he did basically say a F&ck you to the Senate and went on his own to take down Megatron, even though he failed.

Who knows, maybe a few years from now we'll get redeeming qualities on Nova as well...

 

Even though I'm getting these online, I hope there's a TPB collection for sale once the series is over.

 

HA ! IDW Nova Prime was written by the Furman !!!! No way anyone's gonna change him ! Plus, he's a really obscure character, being originally Prime Nova.

heck, that's why we have Nominus and Zeta. What next? Alpha and Beta, in reference to the silhouettes standing behind Nova in Spotlight Optimus : )

 

Who is that on the cover? Looks like the bastard child of Magneto and Boba Fett, with Unicron's horns...  

 

Um...what? I don't get what you're saying. Nominus doesn't stand for N or anything...and curiously, Zeta is the sixth letter in the Greek alphabet, versus Zed being the last one in the english alphabet. Counting the two silhouettes before Nova in SL: Optimus, Zeta stands for the SIXTH cannon Prime in line so far, IDW verse wise.

All I'm saying is that in a lineage of "misanthropists", supremacists, bureaucrats, pawns and almost tyrants, Sentinel, who was portrayed as just a rough and tough Prime, starts looking much, much better.

 

I think there are only eight issues of this. They may appear in a trade with other stories though.

 

Another interesting issue, though Starscream being a delegate feels like a huge continuity error to me since he was with Megatron at the end of Origins. I'm hoping it will be explained later. And wow, Zeta Prime is even more of a dick than Sentinel.

Edit: For some reason my phone won't display an entirety of one of the panels in Autocracy #2, cutting out a bit of dialogue Starscream said. So looks like my continuity issue has been somewhat addressed.

 

is starscream already involved with Megatron at this point? I havent read the early IDW continuity stuff yet, and the bayfilm comics are all mixed up in my head.

I suspect Starscream is already allied with the decepticons at this point, didnt he put soundwave down and turn him on to record Zeta's demonstration? It seems like a bad cover story- the camera i brought into session turns out to have been a decepticon spy? woops, wont happen again.

love the "infiltration: compromised. recalculated operation ; escape. panel

 

According to Livio at idw forums and my own piecing this together:

The ongoing chapters with the Megatron and Optimus two part origin take place shortly [very, very shortly] before Megatron Origins.

Megatron Origins occur, Sentinel Prime dies, most of the Senate are dead, the autobot station at Kaon [in which Sentinel "ruled"] is gone.

Autocracy occurs, Zeta and what few of the Senate are left take over. Notice that the Senators in this issue have no over the top markings or ornamental armour on them. They're what's left.

It's been hinted that future issues will cover this, but Starscream could be explained to be around because

A) Any evidence Sentinel might have gathered on them is either lost in the chaos or withheld by Soundwave
B) All the senators that were around in M:O are dead, so no-one actually saw Starscream.

Having read the issue, yes, with each passing issue in the IDW universe Sentinel comes off less a prick and more of a policeman who was suddenly promoted. Unlike Zeta, he didn't really like working with the Senate.

 

Great story. I imagine some people may be upset with some of the more G1 thrown in there (Soundwave talking like his G1 counterpart, "not bad for an old timer" line), but I personally love little nods like that as long as it doesn't overburden the material.

It's just a shame this is a webcomic and not a full-blown series. I don't think we've gotten much of this era from IDW except for M:O and the two ongoing issues.

 

Issue two is stronger than #1 - it gave me as reader a far better context as to where to mentally place the events of the story, allowing me to just sit back and enjoy the issue. (In issue one I wasn't sure if I was reading something that was supposed to be in aligned continuity, old school IDW or even if Flint Dille was trying to write in the G1 cartoon universe again. Now I'm pretty sure that this is meant to fit in with other IDW comics [although there are minor contradictions]). I do have issues with Raimonelli's art, which always looks like it's being viewed through fog - I'm sure there's some fantastic art there - it would just be nice to feel like I can actually see it without getting a new prescription for my glasses, and there's a crazily dyslexic reference to "Jihauxus". Still I like this title - and it does literally have a witty title - Zeta Prime is a truly "monster"ous evil autocrat whose weapons of choice to police the state are ones that drain robots (and cities) of energy and then release it with destructive force - "a perfect circuit of death." The leader of the Autobots is basically Hitler, and it is going to require an insurrection from the Decepticons to get rid of him. Orion Pax, Bumblebee and Ironhide are on the side of the 'bad guys' and they're going to bring in Soundwave "dead or alive". This is probably leading up to Megatron killing Zeta Prime (even though we haven't actually seen Megs yet) and I'm wondering if Orion will try to stop him or join him. I really enjoyed these eight pages - possibly even more than Robots In Disguise #1 (which was great.) Which means I can now enjoy a Transformers comic every week - something I haven't been able to do in about twenty years.