So everyone's theorizing Space Barnacles? Makes sense. They sure do look like them. I've gotta feeling the death is going to be Getaway.
This issue was a lot like the last issue, lots of character moments not a ton of plot. But Roberts does it so well it's hardly even a problem.
Sadly it seems Countdown joins the "potentially great and interesting characters quickly killed off for reasons" club. I too am a little dissappointed that it really feels like Rodimus's character hasn't grown or changed at all. To me he still just feels like an irresponsible jerk getting guys killed and not learning from it, rather than growing into a competent leader, and hey maybe a bot who is worthy of the Prime title.
Ok, so now that I think about it, this whole female TF thing is being handled rather weird. THE TIMELINE THUSFAR: In the ancient distant long forgotten past, there were female Transformers. They disappeared during the dark ages. In the far past, Jhaxius created Arcee as an experiment, retconned into bringing female TF's back. This was widely regarded, both in universe and out of universe, as a bad move. Until Dark Cybertron, Arcee was it. No other females. In Dark Cybertron, it is revealed that 3 femmebots from the long lost colony of Caminus left their home planet, stumbled upon Thunderclash, and eventually found their way into Metroplex. 6 Months later (plus some), they visit Thunderclash, and his ship is friggen lousy with Femmebots(!?). Heck, I'm pretty sure at this point his (known) female crew outnumbers his male crew. Now here's the thing - if they had said that Windblade's group were split off from a larger group that had found Thunderclash, that'd make sense. But they didn't. They explicitly said it was a different group. Thunderclash apparently stumbled on, by accident, two different sets of femmebots. Twice. And the weird part is that no one, remember - these Bots didn't know females even existed for OVER 6 MILLION YEARS - thinks it's the least bit odd? I mean, I'm glad we're reaching a status quo where femmebots can be normal (especially once Caminus integrates with Cybertron over in Combiner Wars), but the handling of it is yanking me right out of the universe. But on the other side, just to keep from being a negative ninny, the 'Derring-Done' line got me to laugg. Out loud. Loudly. At midnight. Waking the house. Well played Roberts.
Not exactly. Way back in the past, thirteen Metrotitans full of Transformers left Cybertron to colonize new worlds. Sometime after this, for reasons yet-unexplained, women vanished from the remaining Cybertronians. We're not clear exactly when or why, probably because it would be a frikkin' continuity nightmare. Women are visible in the crowds of Megatron Origin, so they vanished well after the Ark got caught in the Dead Universe and the main IDW storyline begins. Either way though, the colony worlds are still full of women, since they split off before this mysterious vanishing. However, the non-colonist Cybertronians essentially forgot that women ever existed. This is explained away in MTMTE with the idea that after millions of years, memories start to corrupt in mechanical brains. Which is also why nobody can just ask, "Hey, Alpha Trion! Are the Knights of Cybertron actually real, or... ? I mean, you met them, right?" If I'm not mistaken, Thunderclash initiated contact with Caminus itself; not a random ship, the whole colony. When he left, he took Nautica, Chromia, and Windblade with him. They parted company right before Dark Cybertron. Later, the Vis Vitalis took some damage and sent out a distress signal, and a ship of Camiens (who are now actively pursuing contact with Cybertron, see events in Combiner Wars) answered. This is where Firestar et al come in.
Although it's worth noting that since the Protectobots were seen at the party, this issue precedes the events of Combiner Wars. If Thunderclash is comatose, who invited the LL crew? Considering his ominous warning, I don't feel like he would have been the one to call them over.
You shouldn't take the appearance of the fembots in Megatron Origin to mean that they were still around at that time period as that book was written before it was officially decided what the stance on fembots (the whole Jhiaxus believing that they didn't exist concept) was and the story was initially meant to be for Dreamwave anyway. But, yeah, the rest of it is what is happened. Anyway, I didn't like this issue as much as the previous one but I found it better than what's happening in Combiner Wars at the moment.
What? Seriously?! I'm guessing this feeling I'm having is what Star Saber fans felt. Damn you, Roberts!!!!!!
Am I the only one that noticed that the map that Minimus Ambus was look at seemed to have shapes eerily reminiscent of the Cyber Planet Keys (which would be a nice nod to Cybertron / Galaxy Force)? Also, those space barnacles might the IDW version of the Swarm, if anyone remembers the old Marvel G2 run. Just some food for thought.
This... was probably one of the most entertaining issues in the entire book. Humour, character work, interactions, plot developments, etc. Everything worked perfectly. I'm glad to experience such a good series.
They're also the symbols on the back of the moons seen in Remain In Light when Skids went through the portal. Moons that look suspiciously enabled with enormous propulsion systems.
are you kidding?? over countdown? why? what did countdown do other than be a toy? star saber had an entire series. relating a micromaster with almost zero story to star saber is crazy. did i miss some amazing episode staring countdown or something?
Yeah, I mean, I can understand the whole rage about Star Saber considering there's quite the change from Autobot champion in anime to insane zealot in IDW. But Countdown? There was nothing about him.
Gosh I hope so. I hope it's painful and right at the end, Cyclonus treats his head like The Mountain treated the Red Viper's.
Everyone has their favorite tfs that never really got the chance to do something. And in some ways they end up caring about them more, and being more upset that they died than they would a big name. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron... You know that they'll get better at some point, or get used in the next show. But Star Saber had to wait a long time for anything, and it compleatly altered him, and not in a good way. Now take someone as obscure as countdown, and imagine how long it'll be before anyone gives him any love in the fiction again, and I can imagine people who had his toy and played with it like crazy as kids, or thought that his bio made hims sound awesome would be dissappointed that this is all their going to get.
Am I the only one who is really wanting to see Rodimus and Firestar's first conversation? Maybe with Rung in the background for reaction shots. The Earth culture references are best when they're used with a light touch. This time, I agree it did seem a bit much. Although, I am really curious if interstellar wifi somehow has access to the original Star Wars films, or if Swerve only saw the Special Editions. Also, did he watch Game of Thrones before or after reading the books? The political future of Cybertron might be in the balance! There has been an undercurrent of "Earth did something very strange to Cybertronians" since Dark Cybertron, though (and before, though less explicitly stated), so maybe the increasing level of Earth culture on the LL is another bit of foreshadowing? (he said, with faint hope)
A good start to the arc. Glad that people are noticing that Skids' malaise appears unconnected to the barnacles. I'm wondering if it may not be the first sign that we're about to get some serious denouement as to what his real story is, why the Empyrean Suite is in his head, his past trauma, etc vis-a-vis his connection(s) to Roller and/or Tarn...who as we know is probably homing in on the Lost Light on Deathsaurus' warworld as we speak.
on one hand ok....i can see some of that. a cool little toy you get with a badass playset. fine...you loved it as a kid wished he was featured more...great. now he gets a cameo and he's killed....gee that sucks.... but to equate that with the level of rage associated with star saber, a character with a manga and 30 plus episodes of history and characterization that just gets ignored in order to create "bloodthristy psychopath #42", is criminal. the two aren't even CLOSE to relatable. countdown's bio talks more about the rocket base than him and when it does talk about him it just makes him "generic hero guy" sorry but obscure countdown with no character does not equal star saber....i don't care how fun or whatever his toy was. i'd sooner accept IDW rattrap rage being equal to star saber than countdown. at least that as an actual character change taking place. this is just a hero decorated with heroic medals that dies and that sounds like his bio minus the death part. it's a nice obscure little reference but rage inducing? please....
