I'm really trying to like this series, but it's not been easy thus far, and this issue didn't help.

Spoiler: Spoilers

Nyx was... let go(?), Dinobot left the Predacons and a device that, in the show, ruined the chances of the Maximals communicating with a Probe from Cybertron, was thrown in for two panels.

 

I’m still enjoying this series, and I like what they did with Dinobot:

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• We still haven’t seen enough Cheetor yet, but his concern for Nyx suggests he’ll be a good team player.
• Optimus Primal and Rhinox are still assuming Nyx is fine...
• ...but she isn’t, because she’s under torture by the Predacons, except for Dinobot who sees no honour in his.
• Apparently the original Megatron is not that well remembered.
• Tarantulas creates a device that depowers Nyx, and the torture continues outside.
• Dinobot has enough and destroys the devices, and locks the Predacons in their ship, annoying Skold.
• Megatron votes to execute Dinobot

Treading the line of following the structure from the TV while adding new elements is fine for me. It creates a familiar yet different experience, and I’m hoping that eventually, the series starts to deviate more and become its own original thing.

But three issues in, and I’m excited to see what the future issues have for us!

 

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If you ask me, Dinobot's defection is handled rather well. It builds on what was foreshadowed by the first issue-- Dinobot sees no reason to kill an unarmed combatant. The fight is also pretty well done, with Dinobot throwing Skold at them like a discus and eventually just locking them all in the Darksyde, buying him enough time to escape wile Scorponok is left to try and reprogram the ship's computer to open the blast doors back up. I think saying that Nyx was "let go" is frankly disingenuous. The other Predacons clearly intended to kill her for sport. It demonstrates the dangers of energon exposure for the first time in this comic, though it's unclear how destroying the Transformation lock lens prototype enabled her to transform again, as if memory serves the completed unit in the show required a trip to the CR chamber to undo its effects.

If there's one complaint I can voice about this comic thus far, it's one that I've seen crop up a lot already: this comic is exceptionally verbose. Nearly every panel is filled to the brim with dialogue that, frankly, could've been cut in half and would've resulted in a far tighter, punchier script. The battle between Dinobot and the other Predacons honestly would've been far better if Dinobot had carried it out mostly silently-- I think we can all intuit why he turned on Megatron and the others.

Still, plot-wise this comic is finally shifting into gear. Nyx is free, Dinobot's on the run, the Predacons will be hunting him down the instant they can reprogram the Darksyde's computer and lower the blast doors. The action can only ramp up from here.

 

Decent issue I guess. Some of the dialog felt clunky. I would have preferred Predacon Dinobot to last a little longer than this, but I'm happy that the plot is moving a bit at least. Also, did they really need to waste a whole page on the ship door shutting?

 

Liked it much better than the second issue.

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Dinobot's face turn came too quickly IMO, but him tossing the Predacons in the ship was a nice moment that showed how calculated his betrayal was. Very different from the show where Megatron blasted him out the moment

I think I've got a good handle on all the characters' personalities at this point, which is great. Cheetor got some much needed panel time, as did Skold.

Transformation lock was a fun reference to the show. Sure, it has a different role here, but it really was just there to execute Nyx in a cruel way. And since it's a prototype, the door is still open on Tarantulas using the finished version against the Maximals.

Agreed that it was a bit too verbose. The art during he fight scene also has some story boarding issues.

 

Was hoping Dinobot would have lasted a bit longer as a Pred, at least the opening arc.

Interesting to see Tarantulas is apparently already well-known in-universe.

 

If I remember right, someone in an earlier discussion (either issue thread or maybe a preview thread) said that Burnham had said in an interview that the series would be similar in the first arc (first six issues?), and would start really branching off after that.

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Have to disagree there. We the readers can figure out why Dinobot is betraying them, but the Predacons can't. And that's important because of both Waspinator's traditional wishy-washyness, and Skold. Dinobot is explicitly talking to Skold for a significant amount of that fight, not the reader. He points out that she's still young, she still has a chance to decide who to be for herself. He's actively trying to convince her there's a better way of being a Predacon than Megatron's way. That scene wouldn't work if Dinobot had remained silent. And I have to assume it's setting up a personal conflict between the two later on.

 

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I'm interested in how the Maximals are going to react when they find out what happened to Nyx. Primal's cavalier behavior here is going to be less endearing when they find out she was captured, tortured, and nearly executed.

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One nice detail is that Dinobot's blunt interruption last issue takes on a new context.

 

I don't think the issue was that bad. I enjoyed it more so than the last two.

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So, I think things went down as pretty much as we surmised. Really liked Dinobot using Skold as a frisbee LOL. I found I was a bit annoyed they had the "female" character be the one to be captured -   - but it's not THAT big a deal. I can see why they did it. Will be interesting to see how things pan out. Will keep reading

 

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I say let go(?) because it was all too easy. It was 6 Predacons versus one unarmed, under-powered Maximal, escaping by foot, and yet the Predacons couldn't land a hit. When Dinobot turns, it's then 6 versus 2, but the entire focus shifts to Dinobot, who himself, escapes with only a single hit, delivered by Skold. If he was going to stand there and deliver dialogue, I would have much preferred to see him using his shield to deflect incoming fire while doing so.

 

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They weren't trying to hit her. They were continuing their torture. Have you never seen a cat toy with a crippled squirrel or bug? It's like that. They wanted to prolong the agony for their own amusement. When Dinobot turned on them, they naturally focused everything on the active and real threat, instead of the barely functional person. Another, similar example is that old western trope of the villain shooting at the ground of their victim's feet to make them "dance."

 

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I'm going to echo what was said above regarding the Predacons toying with Nyx. They were clearly wanting her to die from energon poisoning, not from their guns. The guns were more so to control her.

Regarding Dinobot, remember that a) he had the element of surprise when he turned, b) he is the security officer, so we expect him to be better rained than the rest c) It seemed like he was planning his betrayal for a few moments, so he was planning his method of attack for at least a few minutes and d) He didn't actually defeat them in combat, he took them by surprise and locked them in their ship. I definitely didn't feel like it was too exceptional a feat given the context. Like the others, Dinobot is also definitely a different character from what we've seen in the show. His motivations were different, and his personality is fairly different as well. I'm okay with it, and I'm just along for the ride. I'm not 100% sold on it either way, but I'm definitely along for the ride, looking to see what happens next. Once we get a full 12 issues, I'll be really interested to see wehre we are at that point.

 

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They were just as "accurate" in hitting Dinobot as they were Nyx.

 

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6 vs 1, with conversation, and came away with a single hit.

 

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Nyx is heavily injured and they're actively trying to not hit her. Dinobot is in peak physical condition and actively trying not to get hit. Different contexts entirely.

 

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You can't just ignore the context though.

 

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Forgive me for thinking the Preds were a little better than Stormtroopers.

 

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*Sigh* It has nothing to do with bad aim. You are intentionally ignoring context in order to find something to complain about. Look, I get it - going off your comment about his shield, you expect Dinobot to act just like he did in the show - tank hits because he's the big guy. And that was fine for a 90s kids show where part of the fun was watching bots get blasted apart, or act tough and cool. But in a "realistic" (relatively speaking) situation, tanking hits is not only stupid, it's suicide. Unless you're invincible like Superman, or can naturally regenerate like Wolverine or Hulk, eventually those hits will wear down your defenses and stamina. A warrior acting in a realistic way is going to do everything they can to avoid getting hit in the first place, no matter how tough they are. Especially if they're trying to escape a situation alive, in an unknown land where being injured could mean the difference between life and death.

Again, it is not that the Predacons have bad aim, it's that in one situation they are toying with prey, and in the other they are fighting an an experienced combatant focused on survival.

 

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Haha, realistic? Again, 6 vs 1, having a chin-wag with your assailants and coming out without a scratch.

I'll take the "90s kids show" approach any day.

 

[SPOIILER] But dude, you aren't even TRYING to address the context. Repeating 6 vs 1 doesn't change any of the other facts... as I said before:

a) He took them by surprise.
b) He had time to plan and antisipate their reponse
c) HE IS THEIR SECURITY OFFICER, so one expects better trained in combat
d) He didn't actually defeat them at all, he locked them away and ended the fight.

If you bring in this context, it stops being unrealistic. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No. It's not like if someone told me that happened in real life I would refuse to believe no matter what.
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