The highly anticipated More than Meets the Eye #39 is coming in two weeks time, on April 8th – and iTunes has just added a preview of this next instalment of the saga. Issue #39 is titled “Return of the D.J.D.” and delivers on that promise from the word go, with the members of the Decepticon punishment squad appearing prominently in these three pages. Fans be warned, there’s something of a spoiler on page 3 – though those who enjoy trying to put all the pieces of the plot together will eat this one right up!
Mark your calendars, it’s April 8th for More than Meets the Eye #39, the return of the Decepticon Justice Division, and the introduction of Deszaras / Deathsaurus into the IDW Transformers universe!
PredaconElder
Wasn't there a Punch/Counterpunch mini by Nick Roche that was planned and cancelled by IDW during the Schmidt era?
Mort
There hasn't been time really. They went after Overlord straight from that fight, massacred the LL2, something happened over Ofsted XVII that ended up with Vos and Kaon left behind/presumed dead and then here they are.
TheSpartanD
Not yet – it's something I've seen quite a few fans request.
trence5
Wait – has IDW ever shown Counterpunch?
WilyMech
I am still interested how this plays out. I mean how did the Scavengers survive this time with the DJD hunting. Or more likely the DJD are saving the Scavengers for a rainy day when there no nearby traitors to kill.
Deruji
Something I just remembered. Roller was actually never an Autobot or was he? I can't recall him having the Autobot badge. So wouldn't that posibly exclude him from being Agent 113? Unless he was found after he got lost,
But that would kind of eliminate any resentment he might have that could turn him towards the Decepticon cause.
trence5
Yeah, pretty much. But it also could depend upon if Optimus hadn't somehow been augmented between facing Black Shadow and running into Sixshot on Earth.
Anguirus
Dunno. Prowl seems to think Optimus "pales in comparison" to a Phase Sixer.
Optimus (and 1000 other Autobots) lost horribly to Black Shadow, but years later on Earth he did ok against Sixshot.
I guess it just depends on the author.
Deruji
Imagine that same scenario with Megatron included, but without Tarn also being Agent 113.
Underwear
What if we put Tarn & Optimus Prime in the same room instead? What would happen?
Anguirus
You know it fits everything else we know, but this is the first time the DJD/Tarn has been shown explicitly killing someone for having religion.
Makes me think that we could solve all our problems by putting Tarn and Star Saber in the same room.
(ha ha not really Tarn would mertilize Star Saber)
trence5
can you say; UGLY?
I wonder if they've found that Galvatron is the new leader
WilyMech
I do agree here. It is tragic still even if Tarn is Roller and not Agent 113. I mean even if he hears that war is over and it will devastate Tarn. Without the Decepticons he is a psychopath and now exist for killing.
Autovolt 127
Ok now that would be the most insane thing to ever happen.
Metalhawk isn't a horrible person but he's just got that unlikable holier than though attitude I can't stand.
WE literally know nothing about Deathsaurus/Dezarus, I wish Roberts would drop a hint of what to expect.
GWolfv2
It was a very DW thing but DW did it so ham fistedly I think people got sick of it.
I always think of Overlord as a keystone for Phase 2. Wreckers showed just where these comics could go if we let them, in no small part because of him
Mort
After all this time of knowing hardly anything about the DJD, a Tarn POV issue is powerful stuff, isn't it. Just when we think we've seen all JRo's writer superpowers.
The more I think about Tarn = Roller = Agent 113 the more tragic it sounds. Whoever Agent 113 is, he can't possibly ever really go back after what he's seen and done with the DJD (which backs up the Skids theory with his memory loss – how else would you live with that). If Tarn = Roller = Agent 113 discovers it's over and Megatron's on his way to redemption while he can't undo any of it (and ultimately it was for nothing), where would he go from there. It would be equally tragic even if he wasn't Agent 113.
SPLIT LIP
It's funny, because before now I never heard anyone clamour for more Japanese G1 characters adapted to IDW. It's only once they started showing up did people suddenly reveal they're hidden affections.
I mean, they kinda are expendable. If they weren't being used for these roles they likely wouldn't be being used at all since they're so flat and unremarkable aside from designs. They don't even have quirks or job descriptions that plant seeds for character, they're all just rigid, blandly stoic Autobot leaders. It'd be one thing if these were halfway-developed individuals, but they're not. Even in their own series they were a bit flat and typical.
That's if you consider 'reimagined' as 'expendable.' Metalhawk wasn't expendable, he was a pretty influencial character. Star Saber was radically changed, but he's not dead and clearly setup to return one day. (with an eye-patch ) Dai Atlas, the most remarkably unremarkable of all was the only one to die after little exposure. The only one I'd count as expendable, but… there's been plenty of non-Japanese G1 TFs who were expendable in IDW.
Plus, Overlord is far from expendable. He's not an Autobot, but neither is Deathsaurus.
Digilaut
Yeah, Metalhawk annoyed the shit out of me for exactly the reason you described. Blaming the Autobots for everything, giving the Decepticons a free pass (and yet they kept doing stuff that would arguably justify the Autobots keeping a tight grip for now).
However, in one of the shining moments of Dark Cybertron for me…I feel Metalhawk sort of redeemed himself in the end when he finally did something heroic – and then Starscream immediately spun that into 'he's a mass murderer. He killed 70 billion people!'. That was great.
By the way…found out recently it was James Roberts who suggested John Barber use Metalhawk instead of a new character. So yeah, as much as I love James' work, I guess this is more fuel to the fire of the people who feel James thinks of the Japanese Transformers as expendable!
I think it was mentioned in a prose story that was featured in the LSOTW hardcover version, so yeah, can't really blame anyone for not knowing about it.
SPLIT LIP
It was barely mentioned yonks ago that there's an Autobot spy in the DJD. I forget myself sometimes, it's not really been mentioned since.