Here is what I'm trying to get, why is IDW's comic actually following the covers to DW's Vol 1 better then DW's comic did.

 

I liked the issue, but as others have said need to see Prime recovery and wrap up the whole Hinter thing.

 

So I'm catching up on AHM 8-9-10-11 (along with MD 4-5). McCarthy writes alright characters (that don't all sound alike), but his storytelling leaves alot to be desired. He's just all over the place and not even reading four issues in a row helps. I think there's a decent plot in there though if only IDW had somebody qualified to edit it.

I honestly don't get where all the gushing over the art comes from either. It's been extremely inconsistent through the last three issues especially. Sometimes (including every scene with Soundwave) it was like looking at the Rhino VHS boxes. I have about that much of a grasp on shading and "on-model" actually means something to me...should I put in an application? And again we have the skyscraper-sized Devastator from DW, maybe he'll catch the EU's nuke too.

I almost don't care if issue 12 actually concludes anything in this miniseries. It's been hurry up and wait all the way through, from the empty filler issues at the beginning to these rush jobs at the end. The only reason it's gone on this long is that it backs up between increasingly infrequent trips to the comic shop.

 

??? Prime recvered in AHM 9/10 and the hunter thing at the end of maximum dinobots (it's that badly written though that I cringed as the portrayal of characters in that scene was just pants and seemed just added to dismiss it in later issues.

 

The two page spread were  After reading it I went I finaly picked up Universe 2.0 Dropshot 

 

Prime's recovery was completely off-panel followed by the conclusion of a conversation with Ironhide that alludes to something with the Matrix.

Also, Hunter was seen in AHM -he is apparently still a Headmaster although Sunstreaker was not.

 

Picked it up today. Honestly I'm torn. Real torn.

On the one hand, it's nice to have something actually happen, and some dialogue that actually goes somewhere. On the other hand, it's still been 11 issues, and there's still a lot in the air. Megatrons speech to Starscream about the monsters that are the Decepticons was fascinating, up until him telling Starscream that he'd replace him, which seemed completely contradictory to what happened last issue and the statements immediately prior.

OS continues to be the Autobot plot device.

I'm honestly starting to think that the whole Spike subplot thing should've been dropped. I'd have prefered instead more focus on the Insecticons (you're telling me that the entire point of creating all those failed experiements, the entire swarm was to get Bombshell to plant a cerebro shell in Hunter?) Where Hunter falls into place (Especially since in Max Dinobots it seemed like he was more or less whole again and not all Sunstreaker head), again, as something other then to lower the shields of the Trion and a bunch of unseen bases.

Speaking of which, you'd think that without defensive networks and under attack, there may be some concern over the recent Autobot slaughter that took place, not in terms of memorials or whatnot, but that Autobot numbers were low to begin with, if the Autobots aboard Omega could be all that's left of the Autobots in the universe. Not to mention that there should be a bunch of new Decepticons returning from said slaughter across the universe. Kup stated that they were getting calls from across the galaxy of Autobot bases under attack and their defenses falling and the Trion was 3 ships against one when it fell. However, I doubt we'll see any of them again.

Personally I really don't like that big white stripe atop Optimus' chest. He also seems to be back to full capacity, and I find it odd that meticulous Megatron wouldn't prove his point when OP called him a liar about the humans nuking their own city.

It took me a while to recognize Blitzwing as the bot who looks like Armada Megs minus the horns in some of the group shots.

That said, the reveal of Dropshot and what's likely to be Octane was very, very nice. By far the redeeming factors and hence being torn.

I

 

I've worked out my biggest gripe with this issue...

Why the hell is Optimus suddenly idiotically moralistic?

Is this the same Prime who killed a guy in Escalation?

 

I think this is the main reason I'm loving this series so much. It's taking what the original character were meant to be, what they should have been in the original cartoon, and making it happen. Starscream is a traitor, but far from a whinney idiot. Megatron is force to be reconed with and a master manipulatior/planner.

And Jazz is a hell of a lot more than a background character.

And it is glad to see Guido back. The two-page spread of Devestator swatting jets was 100% pure win.

 

Well, he did just die. That sort of thing tends to cause all kinds of psych issues.

He may, for example, suddenly be tired of the whole universe not being able to tell the difference between Cybertronian factions.

 

I finally picked up this issue today. The sudden appearance of Dropshot was a nice touch, as was the possible appearance of Octane at the end. It's nice to see the disguise aspect of "robots in disguise" actually used to full effect.

Optimus Prime is finally starting to act like the Optimus Prime I know. That's a good thing.

My only real problem with the art is that Devastator is WAY TOO BIG. I understand mass shifting and all that, but this is ridiculous. There's a panel with Devastator and Astrotrain next to each other and Devastator's lower leg (Mixmaster) towers over Astrotrain. If Guido were to throw Metroplex into the story, if Devastator's size is any indication, his head would likely reach into space.

 

The guy in the truck? Actually he was very much alive, even EJ pointed out that he intentionally drew him as being conscious. And even if Prime had killed him, it's not as if the guy was an innocent.

 

Well, I couldn't tell he was conscious.

But still, that Prime was pragmatic and not so... annoyingly moralistic as this one. He would often take the most practical direction, as oppose to the 'right' direction. Which was a nice change from all the other Primes we've seen.

 

Ditto.

Of course, it IS convenient at the end of the day, I suppose. It's so much easier for the Decepticons to get away when all they have to do is point a gun at a puppy and Prime'll let them go.

"Those Decepticons could destroy countless lives and plot who knows what if I let them get away... but darnit, I can't let them hurt Mr. Fluffykins!"

 

You'll find it was used quite effectively throughout IDW's run to a large extent, with it slowly being dropped as events raced out of control (mostly thanks to Sixshot shooting the Ark down).

 

Of course back then the surprise was...

"What the hell?! Why aren't they disguising themselves?!"

 

I've read IDW's entire Transformers run and haven't seen it used as effectivelyl as it was in AHM #11. The fact that it was a surprise to the reader, as well as to the characters, is what I'm talking about.

 

Eh.

Half the people had already worked out it was Dropshot well before. As for his actual robot mode revelation?

Eh. Toy advertisement.

 

I really enjoyed some of the dialogue in this issue, but the discussion between Megatron and Starscream about his eventual usurping control of the Decepticons was so awkward for me. I would never expect Megatron to tell Starscream he will one day defeat him, much less for Starscream to believe it and immediately rally in support of Megatron. None of it felt realistic, especially Starscream's title drop. And why exactly was Starscream's support so essential to Megatron in the first place? The Decepticons may have turned against him with Starscream's goading (something else I have a hard time believing is that Starscream could influence all of them to turn against Megs and follow him), but as soon as the Autobots showed up, wouldn't they all fall under Megatron's orders again?

 

Badass Spike: You guys stay here.

Leader Lady: But... they're gonna drop a nuclear bomb on us...

Badass Spike: Uh... RUN!!!

Elswhere

Megatron: This all part of my plan to achieve peace and discipline my soldiers!

Starscream: Your first act after defeating your oldest foes is to blow up random shit? How is that achieving peace? As for your 'disciplining', wouldn't we have been better disciplined by fighting an equal and opposite force like the Autobots, as oppose to, essentially, killing ants?

Megatron: Uh... ZOMG AUTOBOTS!!!

Starscream: And you didn't even kill your enemies, you just sent them home, and failed to do anything about their most powerful weapon. What was your plan exactly?

Megatron: If you shut up, I'll make you leader some day.

Starscream: YOU SO COOL!!!

ZOMG DEVASTATOR V. OMEGA SUPREME
lulz at literal 'removing' of Devastator. Shane so witty and clevah

Army Man: And what's happening?

Lesser Army Man: There are good robots fighting the bad robots.

Army Man: What a depressingly bland moral outlook...

Elsewhere

Megatron: Muahahahaha. I totally killed a guy.

Optimus Prime: Optimus Prime GOOD. Megatron BAD.

Megatron: But... in the original continuity you-

Optimus Prime: NEW CONTINUITY, BITCH! Freedom is the right of all-

Megatron: Shut up.

Optimus Prime:...

Bystander: Zing.

Lesser Army Man: ZOMG, TANK ROBOT!!!

Army Man: OH MY GOD! Transformers can TRANSFORM? What an unexpected plot twist!

At the EU HQ...

Dirty Foreigner: So we decided to send a nuclear bomb to America in a propeller-driven cargo plane?

Shady Foreigner: That's right! That's exactly how we operate in the 21st Century!

Dirty Foreigner: Why didn't you send a missile? It would have been faster, plus we wouldn't be risking any pilots...

Shady Foreigner: Oh, don't worry. The plane didn't need any crew. It just ran on some ALIEN looking machinery. Which, come to think of it, is a pretty nifty thing to happen in the middle of an ALIEN invasion.

Dirty Foreigner: Oh, alright th- Wait, what?