Pretty interesting stuff going on here. I like that Costa is actually introducing a bit of mystery into the series. What is going on with all these Megatron gun clones everywhere? I really have no clue, but I can't wait to find out. I like Lord Shockwave's theory, although Galvatron is also a very likely candidate to be filling the same role.

Also, was that Scrapper's body that Blitzwing and the other Decepticons made off with? If it was, I'd assume Devastator may be making his way back into the series.

Glad that Magnus is finally back in the story lines. With Prime and Bee out of the picture, he would be the natural fit to lead the Autobots for now.

The art was good for me, the only thing I don't like is that they seem to be getting really lazy with the backgrounds. Especially the scene with Brawn and Magnus, there was one big frame with nothing but white behind them. A lot of other shots had open doors with nothing but Orange light in the background. I'd expect a little more attention to detail from IDW in the future.

 

that was kind of weird, HOWEVER I'm a big fan of non photoshopped symbols, so this in itself was an improvement.

The issue was great, for the first time since it started. I love that people are complaining about how megatron's body can't be on earth after last issue. When did we need everything spelled out for us? it's great to finally have some intrigue in this series. And we're speculating positively for the first time in ages.

The art has improved, just wish all the chins weren't the same. Seriously, Don has to realise that a bit of variety in the faces would keep things different. I don't want my TF's to look like the same guy with a different hat on. This has bugged me far more than the eyes/thing.

The biggest improvement wa in the colours. FINALLY someone realised that J Brown isn't worth a damn at colouring this book and it shows. Hope this is a permanent change.

I give the issue a B+

 

I also really enjoyed the issue. Really dig Costa bringing back an aspect of Furman's -ation series, namely that the cons are working from the inside again. Before it was through facsimiles, now it's by providing arms to the humans in a very G1 Quintesson-esque way. Stunticons are back, Scrapper's body has been taken back, and Frumble lives (guess he wasn't really killed in AHM).

As for the art, I agree with scubaboy that the faces are all kinda the same w/ a different helmet on. Also wish Prime didn't have an Autobot symbol on his head, makes it look like he's wearing some cap or something. Not really digging Jazz's design, although it's good to have the complex designs back. Some balance of this and Guido's latter designs would be great, as I really dug Guido's faces on these designs. LOVE all the little minor art details, like the Ghostbuster tshirt (gearing up for Infestation perhaps?), the Mr. Potato head on the kid's bookcase, the AHM shots of Devastator and the Drift spotlight cover on the computer.

Really dug Magnus for some reason in this issue too. Didn't find it to be too human-centric. Looking forward to what becomes of Megatron's old remains.

 

what's up with the super saiyan?

 

I also pretty much like the more complex designs.

But again, the plot...

So Joe Schmuck can just buy a weapon capable of felling a Transformer online? Really? Is this where we're going? If that were the case, there would be...hell, all such weapons would be sold out in seconds and there would be a wave of destruction across the nation never seen before. The government would outlaw those things in less than a week and round up everyone they could find with one.

But what do we see? A fairly lax response. A sort of "oh well, better get around to that". It would be as if I could go on eBay and buy a rocket launcher with hundreds of rockets.

I also "love" the Quarryme-, Friends of Humani-, er, Humanity's Children. My prediction: what is effectively a domestic terrorist organization that talks openly about overthrowing the government with access to powerful, alien weaponry and a decided willingess to use them will be treated like a nuisance, at best, instead of a dire and immediate threat to national security. Oh, and we'll see half the media defending their actions because that's what the media in poorly written stories do.

Just watch and see.

The only intriguing thing at all is the remains in the village.

- Coeloptera

 

Well as this was the first attack of this kind by a human, there's got to be such time for a response. As the reporter mentioned, legislation was being pushed through at the moment. Also I'm not sure the general public is aware of such websites to warrant a mad rush to purchase the weapons and cause a shortage.

And in terms of buying weapons online, I'm not sure I want to get into that, but a lot of states have lax laws about buying/carrying weapons. VA just passed a law recently allowing people to carry concealed firearms into bars, and in AZ people can carry concealed weapons w/o permits. Sure it's a stretch, but it's not terribly far of for an organization to sell untested devices made for protecting people from aliens. Again, the immediate legislation will probably address this.

Lastly, the guy didn't advocate overthrowing the government, he was simply using heated rhetoric, which is sadly nothing new in politics these days.

I definitely got a "scared humans against the xmen," Tea Party kinda vibe from this issue.

Also, anyone notice the website was in Latin? Lol wtf?

 

Dropped the comic with # 13, and it just feels so good keeping those 3 bucks in my wallet!  

 

?!!! It's $4 here in NY!

Any chance you want to subsidize a fellow fan's unhealthy addiction?   

 

Huh?? *double checks cover price* Crap! I was paying $4 for that trash!? Sorry, guess it's $4 over here on the west coast too. Guess I just never noticed when the price got bumped up.

 

That's partly why I stopped following at the end of the Dreamwave era. Part of it was disgust over how Dreamwave was crashing and burning, and part of it was the fact that the per issue cost was just ridiculous. I've read comics since I was a kid, but over the years my monthly purchases have gotten whittled down to just 3 or 4 different titles where once I was at 8 or 10, depending on different limited series.

 

I liked this one, nice set up. I get a legitimate OH SHIIIII when I saw the gun pile and again with the last panel. The art change was again a bit jarring. Especially when Silverstreak was going we need Ratchet and I thought wait aren't you Ratchet? took a bit to flipping back and forth to realise who it was.

Also is that Rumble carrying a full sized constructicon? also loved seeing Motormaster and chums! I like International Incident and I think its shaping up for me to enjoy Revenge of the Decepticons.

 

Okay... first impressions.

What, so NOW the gun is a Megatron clone. Not last issue, but now it is? Why do I feel like Costa is really just making this shit up as he goes along?

I echo Coleoptera's sentiments... the whole gun thing is pretty screwed up, as is the notion that people would ONLY buy these guns to fight Transformers, and not, say... wage their own one-man crime waves (reminds me of that old Marvel story, heh).

I mean, obviously there's a mystery here and Costa is going somewhere with it... Megatron clones, and whatever. But based on what we've seen so far, I'm not convinced it's going somewhere good. Too little, too late, for that.

Don's robot art isn't bothering me so much. I think he's moderated his style a bit, and this is working a bit better. His people art is still pretty bad though...

I didn't mind the characterizations that much this issue. Everybody mostly seemed to be behaving properly. Yay.

Where did the Stunticons come from?? Weren't they, like, captured or something?? I forget now.

And I know this is sort of petty, but WTF IS UP WITH RED FRENZY/BLUE RUMBLE??? Rumble IS the red one. Always was in every source except the G1 cartoon, which frankly... just got it wrong. New versions of G1 Rumble toys are also always red, so if you don't believe me, then believe Hasbro.

However, this is a double screw-up is because Rumble was already established to be the red one in IDW's continuity. So they pulled a switch for no good reason. Bah.

At least the interior art shows Rumble in his true G1 cartoon colours: purple & blue, instead of just cribbing Frenzy's rightful palette.

If you look carefully at the guy carrying Scrapper, it actually looks like Blitzwing. It's because they used the same shade of purple on Rumble, it adds to the confusion.

zmog

 

Maybe he looks at the message boards to read speculation about where he's going, then uses the ideas he likes.  

I think that will be explained by the voices the guy heard from the radio. Likely Soundwave sending subliminal (and I guess, audible) messages telling hte people not only to buy the guns, and how, but what to do with them, making the person incapable of using them for anything except killing Autobots.

 

I predict yet another reboot within a month or two probably with yet another #1 issue. The sad thing is it probably would be a good thing to blow this crappy book up and start over from scratch without trying to fit three different visions from this company into one book(Furman, All Hail Megatron, Costa). Also we are at issue 14 and i'm still seeing people not having a clue which robot is which what a joke. Sorry Don i loved your art but now it's just two different and way to movie inspired. Just my two cents.

 

Well, I went back and read the end of AHM again to refresh my memory about how things went down with the Decepticons. It's been so long since there's been any meaningful Decepticon involvement in the comics that I NEEDED to refresh my memory. Those robot remains can't possibly be Megatron. If it is then Costa has completely gone off the deep end and screwed things up. Now that I've refreshed my memory, this isn't really making any sense to me. I dunno where this is going. Still, it's probably one of the best ongoing issues so far. Still nowhere near as good as AHM, which is also nowhere near as good as the -ion series.

 

Did no one else see the little interplay between Brawn and ome of the humans about how when Megatron shoots someone they stay down as a little nod to TFTM?

Anyway it's an interesting set up but I'm not seeing what the cons are going to do except either repeat the first three issues of AHM and blow shit up en masse, or repeat infiltration and escalation and get us to blow ourselves up (+ the autobots this time).

How have you managed to butcher the use of 'too' twice in one sentence?

 

Sorry i'm "two" busy trying "two" make my point and not spending enough time checking my proper spelling. I still think this book has had about "two" "two" many art and story changes in the last "two" years.  

 

I actually saw that as a reference to Hot Rod in the previous issue. But it could be TFTM as well since Megs shot and took no prisoners.

 

I meant specifically to the whole thing where the supporting fiction had bigged Brawn up as being tough stuff and then he got felled in one shot. Just a small nod.

 

hahah good call! but we all know it was just a shoulder flesh wound... brawn walked it off the next day.