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Round Table Review for Transformers Cyberverse Episodes 9 and 10
Episode 9 Shadowstriker
Synopsis: Bumblebee revisits memories of his archnemesis Shadowstriker and learns there's more to being a hero than just knowing how to fight.
What you liked best about episode 9
I like how this show cements the fun premise that this show will be told out of order and that questions will be answered. We had seen Shadowstriker before for a very short time and she was acting like Frankenstein's monster, presumably with no reason given. And now we see why. I like that. Plus it's a good origin story to the rivalry between Bumblebee and his new nemesis. I also love whenever Shockwave is used properly and we see how important he was to the war effort here, being the mad scientist he is. There is also some great Transformers imagery here involving Optimus in a similar pose to the famous Wolverine cover by Mark Silvestri. - William-James88
I liked the fact that this episode gave depth to one of the completely new characters for the franchise, Shadow Striker. Up to now we didn't know a lot about her or why she looked the way she did. By shining the spotlight on her, we got to see her a lot better. -ZeroWolf
The episode, once again, is very serious and considerably darker than other episodes. The episode has a great overall mood and well-written story. This episode explains the story behind Shadow Striker, the bounty hunter lad. I don't want to get into spoilers, let’s just say, she's a bit traumatized, eh? There is a funny scene, where her Seeker guards' were having a conversation about nothing. Literally nothing. It's actually pretty funny. -notirishman
Fleshing out Shadowstriker the way they did. They kind of took a more original path with her, making her one of the best Decepticons who is ruthless and really good. And then they have the main character accidentally blow her up, and the end result is she is the core spark of her former self, but with a freakish appearance from the reconnected body parts of her subordinates, who can no longer physically do what she used to and must make do, and as make do in a very angry way. They made her scary, but with reason. Used to be good, but now struggling to make do and fueled by vengeance. They made her a good character, and this was basically her spotlight. -D-Maximal_Primal
What you liked least about episode 9
It was a tad bit confusing at times and I do not know how Windblade knows certain things if she is not part of those memories we are seeing. - William-James88
Honestly, they could have just left out the wrap around with Windblade sparring with Bee. The time could be used better to add to Shadow Striker's parts. -ZeroWolf
When Shadow Striker blames Bumblebee for her life, he seems very angry at Shadow Striker trying to shoot him, despite she clearly losing a lot more? Also, how exactly did Shadow Striker get Optimus? -notirishman
I would not have minded if Shadowstriker looked a little more Frankenstein like. I feel she could have done with a little bit more in the patchwork department, especially since she's a car and her subordinates were seeker jets (that we saw). This could have provided some fun moments too, if she had jets in her boots from the other's parts and she could jump really high or even fly. -D-Maximal_Primal
Your overall thoughts on episode 9
I love rivalries in fiction and it's fun to see a new one within the Transformers lore involving Bumblebee. Plus more Shockwave experiments are always fun and this show further proves that it can handle darker subject matters (though not as dark as destroying Bumblebee's voice box). - William-James88
This was a strong episode, showing what Shockwave won't hesitate to do, and what's motivating Shadow Striker. I can see more encounters with Bee and friends. Will she remember his act to spare her? Or is she going to take any chance to take him out.-ZeroWolf
A very entertaining, well-written episode! Definitely the best after episode, or well... second. -notirishman
Great episode, this one feels like a great origin story, and as a whole the series feels like it's getting some good legs in under it. I enjoyed the banter between Bee and Shadowstriker, and I enjoyed the pity Bee feels while also still finding her an enemy. They have a pretty decent dynamic, and it can set up for some great moments to be explored later on. -D-Maximal_Primal
Episode 10 MacCadam's
Synopsis: Bumblebee remembers MacCadam's, his favorite hangout on Cybertron, at three different points in its storied history.
What you liked best about episode 10
DEADLOCK!!!!!!! Not that Drift/Deadlock is that much of a favourite of mine, but more that this show (both the show Cyberverse and this particular episode) is the most steeped example of new IDW Transformers lore put on screen. There is a lot more that reminds me of James Robert's G1 here, such as seeing Megatron in the Macadams bar before the war, plus the story not being told linearly and that becoming a plot point in and of itself. And we get to see Soundwave show off some great dance moves. - William-James88
Everything, well not quite everything (see below) but this was the best episode I've seen yet. I loved the first memory, showing again how everyone got along before the war, seeing Wheeljack and Shockwave being friendly was hilarious. I want to see more of that time period, what other friendships were destroyed? -ZeroWolf
This episode is just... really crammed with Transformers lore! While I won't delve into it too much, I will say that this is in fact, the first time Maccadam appeared in an animated cartoon! He sneakily appears in the title sequence for the whole season! One thing in the episode I liked was that you could see the effect of the war on the bar and its customers. It was something you didn't really see in Transformers cartoons, and was very nice to see! Also am a fan of the IDW universe references, namely Chromia pleading Windblade to return to their world Caminus, and Deadlock (Drift), finding safe passage in Maccadam's. -notirishman
The entire Maccadam's setting. It is so cool to see this public fun location over the course of 3 very different time periods, and what this place means to those assembled and present. It is cool to see how the characters all interacted before they became mortal enemies, with the Shockwave and Wheeljack friendship, and the dancing Soundwave and seekers as examples. It was fun! It was enjoyable! And no matter if it was in peace or in war, the place was nice to view, and it was also great because we got moments where fighting wasn't allowed, so everyone had to interact peacefully. -D-Maximal_Primal
What you liked least about episode 10
I guess the only thing I would like at this point is for them to drop the Bumblebee radio voice gimmick in the present, but that's old news. There wasn't much to complain about here aside from that it was too short and I want more pre/early war stories. - William-James88
We didn't get any longer in the pre-war memory. Even this us a minor quibble. -ZeroWolf
Deadlock didn't talk at all, which is fine, so, I mean, this episode really had little wrong in my eyes! -notirishman
I feel like this episode really didn't have a weak spot. It was all around strong in so many ways, and between the characters, the setting, and the jump around in time, it was paced well and enjoyable! So there really isn't something I did not like, or at least liked the least, in this episode. -D-Maximal_Primal
Your overall thoughts on episode 10
Best episode in the series so far and a nice deep cut within Transfomers lore for fans of all ages to enjoy. - William-James88
More like this please. The nods to other continuities was great, and it was nice to see macadams finally animated and to get a look at this version of the character, whose face looks a little like a ships psychiatrist from an IDW series that's ending. I think it's because of the eyes. It was also a fun cameo from Deadlock, from the point where he's trying to join the Autobots, so maybe Drift is in Cyberverses future? So far this is the high point of the show for me, let's wait and see now what the next batch bring. -ZeroWolf
This was my favorite episode in the show; it was well written, was jammed full of lore, and was very entertaining. -notirishman
Excellent episode, probably one of the best we have gotten over the course of the past few years in Transformers cartoons. It's certainly up there in terms of quality, has lots of good Easter Eggs, has a lot of fun, and shows us a great look at Cybertron through time. It even finally gives characterization to its longtime bartender and owner, and I like this version of Maccadam. It's really cool and it's 11 minutes of your life you really need to watch and enjoy. -D-Maximal_Primal
Transformers BOTBOTS are the newest craze Hasbro has brought us and we're excited to share a video about the subject with Seibertron as he sits down with his daughters (Madelyn and Katelyn) to discuss the upcoming line and their excitement for it. We recently revealed the product makeup of the series on Monday and so today we're having a discussion about the toyline coming this holiday season to retailers. Transformers BOTBOTS are really invoking and channeling the same energy from the Shopkins brand of toy lines of the past, but with a Transformers twist to it. Check out the video below, as it is extremely adorable, regarding this new line and our excitement for it here at Seibertron!
Unless you have been living under a rock, the theme right now with all things Transformers is G1 (referring to the first generation of Transformers Toys/Characters/Show), now more than ever. I mean, everywhere you look you see callbacks to
G1
G1!
G1!!
G1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So basically, right now the theme is G1, G1 and more G1 with the biggest toy output since the brand's inception (4 simultaneous toylines on the same shelf space, not counting retailer exclusive lines).
And I think this is all great and that it's about time we get all this product. The G1 reissues are selling like hot cakes (even at inflated prices for some) so no need to convince anyone that those are wanted and since I will be sticking to toys, I will be looking at my excitement for the heavy G1 theme of both the Generations and Cyberverse lines. While we are getting G1 characters with scales and looks matching the old cartoon for older kids and collectors in the Generations Siege line, Cyberverse provides an entire line of simpler toys at all price ranges and sizes all based on prominent G1 characters with their G1 inspired looks. And those toys are not by the same design team, meaning that the influence is not just the choice of a particular team (or manager) but company wide instead.
Just so you know, I was born in 1988, so my childhood was all Beast Wars and so is all my nostalgia. However, when learning of the brand's history, it is crazy to discount the importance of that first show and those early toys. Especially looking at this all in a retrospective fashion and as a collector, I find that my collection of G1 characters is lacking, especially when it comes to Decepticons at the right scale.
Since I have no particular attachment to a particular representation of a G1 character, what I seek is something of a uniformity. For instance, my season 3 cast is pretty solid, so thanks for that Hasbro and Takara
But when I comes to bringing out the earlier season bots to do a battle scene, I realize how much of a hodge podge it is. Here are my Decepticons with a placeholder Soundwave and Shockwave (you know, the brand's MAIN DECEPTIONC CHARACTERS!!) and of course no Starscream in sight (due to the very odd looking take of the POTP Voyager Starscream).
So that is three characters at the voyager scale fans have wanted for a long time and them missing is obvious. Now, thanks to the Siege line I will have a Soundwave, Shockwave and Seekers that fit to have a more cohesive Decepticon team. And you will notice I did not add Blitzwing in Megatron's triple changer army. I could have but it would have looked a bit weird since he has the same body as that voyager Megatron. It's actually the reverse really, Megatron has Blitzwing's body. It is kind of nuts when you think about it though, but the last time we ever had a G1 styled Megatron toy designed to be principally Megatron in the voyager scale, was 12 years ago, and that one turned into a Nerf gun. So it really is about time that we get the following:
I mean here we are after having had amazing updates to combiners, headmasters and season 3 characters and yet the main G1 cast only ever had placeholders. We are finally getting good toys of the main G1 cast at the scale where most characters are available and affordable. How could I not be excited?! And that goes true for the main character of the entire franchise, Optimus Prime.
As you can see above, the choice for Autobot representation in a classics collection is pretty good at the moment but the one character I am missing is, oddly enough, a good Optimus Prime. That character keeps getting released time and time again, for every line but it always misses the mark in some way (and always seems to be opportunistic release due to his common mold sharing). Seriously, we have not had an original G1 styled voyager Optimus Prime mold since the classics version from over a decade ago. And that one was purposefully meant not to be full on G1 themed (with the new alt mode). This Optimus is a manifesto of this line itself. No more fooling around, just a straight up gimmick free toy of a character made uncompromisingly with that character in mind, in a line everyone young or old can access.
Before I move on to Cyberverse, I will leave you with a comment from a friend in our community:
Wolfman Jake wrote:I don't understand how some people could be unimpressed by Siege Optimus Prime and Megatron. They are figures of beauty, and representations of these iconic characters that have been a long time coming. They're the right scale, look right, and aren't mold shares with classically unrelated characters. I remember a lot of people being tired of Bumblebee toys in Generations when the Titans Return Legends Bumblebee came out, despite it being the best Bumblebee toy we've ever gotten in Generations, in terms of scale, sculpt, and G1 likeness. My reaction is "at last," not "oh well, too little, too late."
I am a young father and my kids will always be curious of the toys I have. While it will be fun to have Generations toys of characters they recognize (simply from the brand's general marketing, or the Animated film) that I don't mind showing them (unlike my MP representations), the real fun will come with toys they can actually transform. There is a major aspect that is downright ignored when looking at G1, and that is how accessible the toys were for kids who had no clue what a Transformer was. Technical limitations made that the initial Transformers toys were rather simple, mostly rearranging limbs and extending parts with telescoping. We never really stop and think that this simplicity in design may have contributed greatly to the brand's success.
This was, after all, the first time toys of this sort were ever given to kids (in this part of the world) and if they were overly complex (ie, high amount of steps) and frustrating (ie. lots of panels), it might have resulted in a far more niche toyline that is only supported by one or two high end collectibles today. It wasn't the case though, these were simple toys that 80s kids could understand without their parents helping them. Sure, proportions were off and maybe some parts were not very articulated but you could do it on your own. Why can't today's kids be given the same chance 80s kids had when discovering Trasformers toys for the first time?
That is what Cyberverse is all about. It is basically G1 all over again for a new generation. Their designs are a slightly more animated/streamlined version of the evergreen designs Hasbro had developed as an update to G1 designs that can be used across different initiatives for the years to come. While there are some changes to incorporate more recent changes to characters (Bumblebee as a muscle car and Megatron as a tank), the main G1 essence is still very present and instantly recognizable to anyone. And especially recognizable to my three year old who watches the Optimus vs Megatron movie fight on a loop.
So thanks to Cyberverse I now have a full array of toys made just with young kids in mind that I can give to my 3 year old so that she can have a pretty good representation of what she sees on screen, whether she watches the new Cyberverse show or the 80s cartoon/film, and which she can transform by herself. The Hot Rod one step even has a sawblade action gimmick like in the 86 film, so she can recreate that action herself instead of me showing her my masterpiece toy from 5 feet away behind an impenetrable glass window.
So basically, Hasbro has finally given us a full blown reboot of G1 in toy for, something that was always teetering at the seams, through two lines. In a few months, I will be able to have a great representation many main g1 cast members at the voyager scale with them looking as they should. And I will have my three year old next to me with her own G1 cast Transforming them back and forth as she watches those same characters onscreen (be it the G1 show or Cyberverse). About time!
Round Table Review for Transformers Cyberverse Episodes 7 and 8
Episode 7 Cube
Synopsis: Bumblebee learns how he first met Windblade and relives a Golden Age encounter with a young Starscream and his Seekers.
What we liked best
I find it super cool how this show really just embraces all of what may be called G1 into one big package. In this episode we saw that Windblade retained everything we know of her through the IDW comics,like her being a city speaker, comes from caminus - William-James88
I love the idea of Cube, a sport that could be the cybertronian equivalent of football (soccer for US readers!) and a nice introduction for how Windblade met Bee. - ZeroWolf
We got to see Starscream shine, not as a backstabbing weasel, but as an impatient and devious rascal! It was also nice seeing more of the culture aspect of Transformers, since we saw a game of Cube (a mix between rugby and, funnily enough, the fictional Quidditch). Here, we get to see how Autobots and Decepticons used to act like together before the war, something that is more apparent in the later episode "Maccadam's." Something else nice was the appearance of two of the Coneheads (besides a cameo in "Allspark"). And hey, Windblade is from Caminus in this continuity too! And there was this bot that looked like Trailbreaker. I can go on... - notirishman
What we liked least
The main confrontation here is Bumblebee and Windblade vs Starscream, Ramjet and Dirge. Now that sounds like par for the course for a Transformers cartoon, but my problem with taht is that it was a flashback sequence from before the war. After the previous episode, Megatron is my Hero, went out of its way to show that it was not always the same old story and that villains were not always villains, we get this episode here that just discards all that. Starscream and his goons were always villains, which is pretty dull. - William-James88
That not much thought was actually put into Cube past the concept. This would have been a perfect chance to put some cameos into the teams. You could have had future Decepticons and Autobots on the same team, enhancing the idea that the war really separated everyone into two sides. - ZeroWolf
While it was cool seeing the Coneheads, they didn't speak at all... like at all. Also, Bumblebee is totally jet-cist. - notirishman
Our overall thoughts
I found this episode rather dull in general since I did not care much for the backdrop being a Cybertronian Quittish game. I did like seeing Dirge and Ramjet, despite of course making them act just as goons in an era where we could have seen something more interesting. - William-james88
A fun but flawed episode, while the whole subplot with Starscream could have been done away with, it had its moments, I'll echo Williams comments here about Windblades integration with a lot of her IDW backstory appearing, I love it. I also like how it is just not even going to attempt to answer the question about why there is fembots, it just accepts it and moves on. While in terms of the on-going narrative, this episode adds nothing but it is a good character episode - Zerowolf
It was a good, well balanced, fun, episode! It was generally pretty entertaining!- notirishman
Episode 8 Terminal Velocity
Synopsis: Bumblebee explores a nightmarish memory of his visit to Velocitron while Windblade pilots the shuttle in a relentless dogfight with the Decepticon Seekers.
What we liked best
It is always fun when any kids cartoon gives you some semblance of inner machinations, lie the writers really thought something through. I felt that here in a great scene where a group of Seekers, headed by Slipstream, go after Windblade who is piloting a Decepticon ship. The way Windblade looses them is by heading out into space where Slipstream cannot chase her, and I found that super cool since it revealed to me that in this rendition of the franchise, when you take on an earth based alt mode, you take on all its components, including its mechanical limitations. That was a great example of showing and not telling. I also loved everything with Blurr but I won't spoil anything. - William-james88
I liked the dual nature of the episode. We had a creepy showing at what cosmic rust was capable in one half, while in the other there was a frantic dogfight between Windblade and the Seekers. Also Hot Rod! There was also more use of the colony idea. - Zerowolf
Ooh, this episode took a dark turn. Pretty much, this episode introduces the "Plague of Rust" which you can think as Cosmic Rust, but on steroids. It is shown reducing planets to nothing! Blurr was a nice bonus to see, and so was Hot Rod, who are both well personalized in this episode. Back to what I was saying, this is a drastic dark turn for the show, as there is some major death. Also hey, Acid Storm and Thrust were in this episode! - notirishman
What we liked least
It's odd but for a show where the designs are very fun, they settled on the least exciting design for Hot Rod's alt mode. The character has always had a flashier and unique car mode that easily sets him apart from others. But here it is just a box. - William-james88
The dual nature is also a bit of a double edged sword as we could have done with seeing more about Velocitron. There was also a mystery hinted with the worker (who is a reuse of Wheeljacks animation model) but is never played upon. - Zerowolf
It was a bit anticlimactic. Since we didn't get attached to those who end up dieing within 10 minutes, their deaths didn't have much of an impact. We also only saw Blurr use his fast speed once, which I'm indifferent about, actually. But seriously, how did Bumblebee forget/ignore that there was a guy obviously holding a plague that kills planets?- notirishman
Our overall thoughts
Much better than Episode 7 with nice nods to cosmic rust and some fun action set pieces. - William-james88
This is another filler episode or at least it seems it on the surface. Nothing is really advanced but we know a little bit more about the universe this series inhabits. Will we see more about the rust in future episodes? Was Hot Rod aboard the Ark? I can't wait to see what this show has in store. The dramatic shift between this episode and the last cannot be understated, ep 7 was bee and Windblade fighting to stop Starscream being a jerk, ep 8 was about bee and Windblade fighting to stay alive. - Zerowolf
It was a dark episode, but I liked it! But, I mean, Mr. Bee, I don't wanna go... - notirishman
Whether you like it or not, the Holidays are upon us, Seibertronians. If you still think you need something TF-related to spruce up your tree, drop into a Hallmark store, as their new Transformers Ornaments are now available. We've previously reported on Starscream a couple times, (this year's entry in a series of non-transforming ornaments based on the original G1 toys that included Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, and Grimlock in year's past), and now we have in-hand images courtesy of yours truly. We also have in-hands of a Transformers "Customizable" stocking ornament that we hadn't seen before, featuring an image of Optimus Prime on the front. Check them all out below!
Rebirthing A Seibertron.com Spoilerish Review of IDW Transformers: Unicron #5
Synopsis
THE END IS HERE! The Transformers make one last, desperate stand against Unicron, as Optimus Prime plunges deep into the monster—and into the dark history that spawned them both.
I need a way out
I don't believe that it's gonna be this way
The worst is
The waiting
In this world I'm suffocating
Story
So here we are once more, with the issue before the end, the final non-final issue. And as a windup to the ultimate climax, did the book deliver? Well, see below.
Feel Your presence
I take You in
So here's the thing about this particular book: the pacing felt much better in this issue and it feels the more cohesive compared to the other issues so far. While it was not particularly full of action, it wasn't supposed to be, as it is the calm after the destruction of Cybertron and before the final confrontation before the universe truly ends. And Jetfire and Prowl even say as much.
It also takes place following the Optimus Prime 24 comic that came out a week later (see the review from earlier today!), so it was spoilerish to review, hence the review waiting to give people time to access and process that book.
It was also cool that this book managed to make itself a Hasbro Universe book, more so than really any other book done so far. And unlike past Hasbro U events, this one finally has a proper team up across the board, even if the events feel a bit rushed, pushed, or forced. But hey, at least we got a large part of this mad universe together in some fashion!
Breathe for the first time now
I came alive somehow
But the main issue I find in the story is the personalities of the people involved at times, as with little action and mainly setup, it feels like we got some big personalities that are clashing with each other more so than in previous issues. And with a grand total of 3 issues left in this Universe period after today with Optimus Prime 24, it feels like some of those characters may not get the ending of the story that they need or deserve. Slide is one that particularly bothers me, Spike is sort of there but not really, Prowl returning with a protege of sorts in Stardrive, and while Stardrive does play off nicely and her wraith moments are good, especially with other wraith-infected members, her taking a sort of Prowl approach doesn't really sit well with me, and it's kind of a bummer.
Shockwave is sort of still doing stuff, and the final standoff between masters of logic are set up, but I can't help but feel that this doesn't feel as rewarding as it should. The same way with the Maximals: we have memorable faces and names, but they have a small amount of lines between them, and nothing really to back them up beyond their mere recognizable appearance.
One thing the book definitely did get right though was Thundercracker, and as his story nears completion, I love the character that was made, and I love how he, Marissa, and Buster are a nice little family that loves and trusts each other. I also appreciated Trypticon and his direction, and the new generation and the protection so many feel over them. Well done there.
I wanna break out
I found a way out
I don't believe that it's gonna be this way
But again, overall I felt there was a little bit more clashing than there could have been with different characters, and the story reads a bit less cohesively as it could, but the pacing here felt good as a pseudo-breath catcher. We got good moments, just maybe not as powerful as they deserved to be.
art
Art duties fall for the second-to-last time to Alex Milne and David Garcia-Cruz, and once again they do a masterful job. The art for the series has been fantastic, but seeing the different parts of Unicron looming over Earth, and really getting a good idea of the scale of the robot mode Unicron compared to the Earth is pretty awesome. We finally get a good scale done right for Unicron.
Scale does seem to be a good strength of the book too, as we get Titans involved as well, and the background scenery is very well done considering we jump from the US to a destroyed Canadian cityscape to the African jungles to space. I appreciate the level of detail and the coloring that went into each shot as well. The colors are dark and foreboding where they are needed, vibrant and bright when action is intense or Unicron's glow is present, space is beautiful, and it does a good job of mixing together the darkness (figurative and literal) of the end while still bringing some natural beauty and properly expressing the mood of the series.
Tell me when I'm gonna live again
Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside
Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive
If there is one complaint I would have, it would be that the Decepticons in Africa almost appear too lightly colored compared to what we see later and are used to, but it's a minor nitpick.
Letters are handled by Tom B. Long, who does his level best (and succeeds) in making sure those previously discussed lines and colors are enjoyed to the fullest extent to give us proper scenery and people on screen while still delivering the dialogue. Kind of a cool thing to note too is Bludgeon and his speech bubbles. He continues the "God of Death" black bubbles for most of the issue, but there is a particular moment where he loses that, and he falls back to regular Bludgeon, and the lettering pulling that off was a neat touch.
Final Thoughts
When writing up this review, it was hard to give this book a score and proper credit. It's a pretty good book, a decent read, and fun to look at. But while it is a good book, it's not necessarily a good Transformers book. It tries its hardest, but ultimately, I think the overall series needed a little bit better pacing to make it a proper and good Transformers book, especially when this book showed that proper pacing can allow you to better grasp what is happening and allow you to breath for a second and take in what you are reading.
Rebirithing now
I wanna live my life
Wanna give You everything
Make no mistake though, it's still not bad. It is fun, dark, has some good character moments, some questionable characters, kind of a lot going on to the point of a bit too much, but also clever, and it even managed to make "Titan-Mastering" a verb.
So should you read this? Yes, I think you should. Is this Lost Light 22 good? Not quite. Is it Wreckers Trilogy good? Not by a decent amount. But is it still worth your time and effort? I'd say yes. Unicron himself may not be everything we wanted him to be, but he looks amazing, and his story ultimately fits in with what the Mythos is for this universe.
Take it like that, and you can enjoy this issue as a whole.
out of
As has become the theme for the Unicron reviews, this week's issue anthem is Rebirthing by Skillet!
Synopsis
YOUTH IN REVOLT! As Unicron approaches, Optimus Prime’s colonist soldiers take matters into their own hands. With Autobot forces spread thin, will anybody stand in their way? And–more importantly–SHOULD anybody stop them?
that solicit feels more like last issue
Story
We continue, after a fashion, the almost parallel story being told between the Unicron mini-series and the Optimus Prime ongoing, after the latest events in the two series and the splitting up of the stories, as they reconnect in Unicron #5 - the review for which will follow this one, as the story does so in the books. But for OP? Read on below!
brutal recap
The story, or rather stories, that are taking place in this one issue have seemingly little to do with the opening - very funny - scene with Thundercracker retelling events from the GI Joe books. I say seemingly, as the leitmotif of the TF universe has effectively been 'stories are just stories being told in different ways from different storytellers' - and that leads us into, finally, a conclusion to Slide's grief, anger and legitimate (but dragged out) resentment towards Optimus himself.
FINALLY
This latter frame, while needed, can create some confusion on the overall book, as the subsequence of multiple perspective flashbacks and present time retelling of the flashbacks, with a shift into the actual present time actions that follow that retelling... Nonetheless, several of the cast members here, and it's an impressively enormous cast by now, get their character moment, even if just one line, one panel, one frame.
This one's Snarl's
That said, there isn't ..that much happening in the issue overall, though some serious conversations and interactions take place. Which is, again, an odd choice, being so close to the end - with Unicron #5 and #6 continuing this story before we fall into the conclusive issue #25 - and that may not sit well with everyone still along for the final rush to the finish line, despite what good comes from the single moments - such as the final two pages.
Art
On art duties, we find both Andrew Griffith and Sara Pitre Durocher, working more or less in tandem on the different timeframes of the overall story: Griffith has a specific task with Thundercracker, of course, and SPD works particularly well with Jazz and Prowl scenes - but both deliver some excellent panelwork, and the multiple splash pages and spreads are a testimony to their skill, and the synchronicity of their collaboration.
DOC MISSES BUSTER
Something that Josh Burcham's colouring work only seems to highlight, as on the first read - bar some obvious exceptions, such as the opening scenes - I wasn't entirely sure on which pages were done by which artist, and that is something the colours have been able to do for the entire series, just even more so here. And I am so very impressed.
Your New Robot Monster Girlfriend
Tom B Long doesn't have an easy job of keeping track of the multiple time and story frames, but the story progresses nicely with his help too - and the captions, the colour coding of the stories being told in them, and their placement, ensure that readers are really on board with who's speaking at what moment, and why that matters. Because it does.
As for covers, you can find all three (admittedly two, given the Kei Zama retailer incentive in black and white lineart) in full size in our Vector Sigma Database entry, and the one found in the thumbnail is the Griffith / Joana Lafuente B Cover, with yet again the leitmotif in plain sight.
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
If you're looking for a big fight against Unicron, or even under Unicron at this stage, last issue is where you want to look for, as the breather - an odd choice of pacing for an ending series, admittedly - is what we find here. And it may not be John Barber's most political issue overall, but it has some of his most poignant reflections on the themes he's explored so far, from leadership, to community, to tyranny and fascism, via personal loss and anger.
Till All Are ...oh
So even with the odd 'breather' pacing issues, I enjoyed the book - but more so on a second read, and I'm glad it's coming out close enough to Unicron #5 as we'd otherwise have too much space of not much happening in the same storyline across two books. Visually, the last Griffith page is magnificent, SPD's Prowl is brutal, and Stardrive is still as great and sharp as she is (/will be) in Unicron #5, with the full force of Prowl's influence on her after a long stint alone.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Transformer Toys Japan Never Got (Molds and Retools)
Western fans whose purchases are predominantly Hasbro's standard Transformers toys sometimes feel like the grass is greener in Japan. And why wouldn't we? Just look at the exclusive molds, remolds and redecos Japan got in the Transformers Prime line and more recently in the Generations Combiner Wars and Robots in Disguise lines. Just to shove it in our face, they even re-released at retail the Tank Frenzy and Rumble molds for the cassette characters which Hasbro never released at retail (even though Hasbro designed it)(LINK). Plus there are all the Masterpiece Transformers we may never get and the list goes on.
But with all that going on, it is very easy to forget that Hasbro themselves have had dozens (hundreds?) of exclusives, many of which were just found at retail, and this list is to remind all Westerners (and Oceanians) that we sometimes get things Japan doesn't get (and might never ever get). Yes, many of those Hasbro exclusives are toys nobody wants (like Supreme Beast Machines Cheetor, Supreme Cybertron Starscream and quite a bit of the Titanium line) but we have some really good stuff too that quite a few Japanese fans had no choice but to import (now it's their turn to pay that shipping muahahaha). I will stick to just retail here (we will leave show exclusives for other lists), and in the next two weeks, I will try to mix it up with a wide array of exclusive molds, remolds and decos that both Japan or Takara (they can be mutually exclusive) didn't get. For now we start with tooling so either a new mold or a retool that Japan never got at retail.
While not show accurate in the least, this is by far the best toy to come out of this design. I loved Prime Megatron's robot mode but the vehicle left a lot to be desired. There was that visible head syndrome, robot arms just hanging out in the back adding nothing to the vehicle mode, and I couldn’t quite get what the front was all about. Was it a head? Couldn't really make heads or tails of it (not quite as bad as Megatron's Animated Cyertronian design of course) and not something I cared to Transform this excellent robot mode into.
But man, talk about an overhaul with the Beast Hunters retool of Sharkticon Megatron. Many problems I had with the original vehicle mode design were fixed. No more visible head syndrome for starters but more than that, the ship looked like something. It had this incredible bio mechanical look to it, which reminded me a lot of HR Geiger, with a very prominent head and fins in the back. Those are the obvious bits of remolding but when actually taking a good long look at this toy you realize it's mostly new parts. The arms and legs and even head have all been changed to add detail contributing to the more underwater theme. The deco is pretty stellar too, reminding me of the colour palette in the Bioshock games. And he comes with the Tartarex Warp Sword which not only is a badass shark sword gun made for pure slaughter but also a very clever reference to the abyss from Greek mythology, Tartarus.
There are several Beast Wars Transmetals toys Japan did not get at first but some eventually found their way there in one way or another. This one never did. I will be honest, that pun of a name scores him some pretty high points but the toy is great overall as well. The Transmetals 2 line is known for inventive designs, premium deco and serious gems (with the notable exception of Cheetor) and Ramulus is all of that. Add to that the very original beast mode, that of a Nubian Ibex (wild goat from the Middle East), which I think is his better looking mode. I do like that as with many Beast Wars toys, the robot head takes inspiration from his beast mode, and he has these adorable horns (which are only beaten by that adorable little goat tail).
What, 2 Transformers Prime toys on this list?! Well what can I say, Transfomers Prime was the paragon of cartoon based toylines which has yet to be beaten, so you bet your ass it had some damn good toys. Japan got some excellent exclusives for that line (Ironhide, Jet Vehicon, Breakdown ) but we got some too, like this awesome dude right here. He is beautiful, nice and lean, imposing with a terrific transformation, which I prefer to the far more expensive Ultimate Predaking. Despite being classified officially as a voyager, he's HUGE, which gives this toy incredible value. Plus he has a generous amount of paint apps and I love those translucent wings. This is the best Predaking toy from the Prime line.
2. Transformers Titans Return Sky Shadow (aka Black Shadow)
In the G1 era, Japan got Black Shadow, a toy that was never released by Hasbro (we got Thunderwing instead). But now it's payback time with Hasbro releasing the best rendition of that character through leader Sky Shadow, a toy that just oozes cool. Even for those who don't know the character, the design and colour scheme are undeniably stylish. He just looks intense and a Decepticon truly worthy of being in the highest ranks. The transformation was simple but clever and all modes look great. The chunkiness also reminds me of the Cybertron era, but with today's articulation - it's awesome! I like him even better than Overlord, a toy we have been waiting agse for, since this seems like an evolution in design (which I always like) rather than simply just doing G1 with articulation (which often ends up rather dull).
1. Practically all the best Beast Machine Toys
Japan skipped so many molds from Beast machines that the line might just as well been Hasbro exclusive (and it technically was until 2004 when a dozen molds showed up in Japan). Basically, Takara only released their version of the toys for show characters, and only 1 toy per character (the more show accurate one). So for instance, they only released the Tank Drone as their Tankor instead of the awesome Mega toy. They also missed out on all those incredible basic class toys of non show characters like Quickstrike, Longhorn, Night Viper and Scavenger, all toys that I would recommend anyone to have in their collection. And yes, many of these toys mentioned are better than the previous toys mentioned on the list, I just didn't want this list and the upcoming "Top 5 Beast Machines Toys" to be the same.
He's here for two reasons. Firstly, it's possible that Titanium The Fallen might've been imported to Japan by Tomy Direct and I am not sure if that counts or not. Secondly, it's not as good as the other toys on this list. The idea though is that the Titanium line was Hasbro exclusive and Takara didn't release their version of it. I know, I know, good for them. They were able to avoid some of the worst toys ever made for the Transformers line, and I say this with no exaggeration. They were also able to avoid an Optimus Primal toy which didn't have a Beast Mode (well done on that one Hasbro). But they still missed out like with Fire Convoy and the Fallen. People forget, but this toyline got us our first figure for The Fallen (aka Megatronus, one of the Primes). And fun fact, this toy's design is taken from the IDW comics Stormbringer Megatron design, so that's one more Stormbringer design for fans to have in toy form.
It is very hard to judge G1 toys in fairness due to their iconic status. I love Bludgeon and collect his modern toys, but I would be hard pressed to say that the original holds up to everything else on this list. Pretenders are very love em or hate em in this community while I remain indifferent on the subject. I do love both Pretender designs. Of course, it would help to talk about it more if it was available for me to purchase at a decent price. I still find it very bewildering that of all the G1 toys not to be released in Japan, it is the one deliberately styled after a part of their culture and the first Transformer to bring in the Samurai motif. That has since been found across different characters. It's an aspect I like a lot since in the more modern era I find it fascinating how designers will use pieces of the alt mode to turn it into a samurai style armour, for example. And yes, Octopunch, the tentacle monster Transformer, also never made it to Japan.
That is a question I had the moment I saw the figure. This is the first time in history we have ever had a mainline shockwave toy based on his G1 look at the voyager scale from Hasbro. Unlike other contenders for a spot on a classics shelf, he has most of the articulation points required (including awesome ankle tilt) and has the right look at every angle, especially the side and back with a G1 styled backpack.
However, this is still a toy from a line targetted at young kids with a more cartoon design than what we have seen in the Generations line. So, does he really work? Well I attempted to find out by purchasing him and taking photos of him next to various toys from the Generations line. Below are shots of him with his fellow decepticons, to show you how he scales, and to show you how the styles work (or don't) together.
Here he is putting up the good fight agains the autobots.
Here he is victorious.
And here he is ... not.
All in all, I think this works super well until we get a voyager sized shockwave in the Generations line.
The picture above is thanks to Jan who posted on our Facebook page.
Fans were given a chance to see the 1986 Transformers film on the big screen again last week (with some more showings still available in international markets). What was not advertised was the bonus featurettes that would be shown as well including a scene from the Bumblebee movie.
I went with my 3 year old daughter and I will share my thoughts, along with hers on the experience, freebies and bonus featurettes, with other fellow Seibertronians pitching in.
Event freebies
A poster of the new Blu Ray cover by Livio Ramondelli was available for those who wanted it. At my showing they were stacked on a table for anyone to take. It made my daughter happy.
The sun was in her face
Featurettes
After the standard current trailers (I got a Star is Born with Lady Gaga, what did you all get?), fans were treated to some Bumblebee movie themed goodies. The first was a featurette with the director Travis Knight and the cast talking of the film one at a time intercut with quick shots from the movie.
We got a real treat right after that though where they actually showed a completed scene from the movie. It is the fll version of the scene in the trailers where Bumblebee transforms for the first time after Charlie sees his visible head underneath the car. We see more comedic elements not shown in the trailer like objects falling on Bumblebee's face as he tries to hide in the corner. Charlie introduces herself and after seeing that the robot does not know what his name is, she chooses to call him Bumblebee due to the buzzing sounds he makes with his broken voicebox and comments on how that also matches his colour.
I loved seeing this, since the only other way of seeing this before was to be at SDCC. It did surprise me a bit just how goofy some of the gags are but I will take pratfalls aimed at kids over Wheelie humping Megan Fox any day of the week. The scene resonated with my daughter so well that when we were walking out of the movie and I asked her what her favourite part was, she referred to the live action Bumblebee footage. I guess I could have just stayed at home and watched the trailer instead. Kids these days, such ingrates.
The Main Event
From what I am told, this rendition of the 86 movie looked mostly the same as the recent Blu Ray we got but for some reason the errors on that Blu Ray were made even worse here. Like how blurry it is when we first see with Hot Rod and Daniel.
Just to say how bad it was, I thought there was a mistake with the film projector and was thinking the guy handling it fell asleep or went for a piss. But then I remembered that this isn't 1998 anymore and it's all digital.
If anyone is curious as to the quality, here is a video comparison I found. I personally don't notice anything that different.
Here are some more technical based feedback from our staff:
Scotty P wrote:The sound mix was awful and a movie so recognizable by its soundtrack deserved better. Voices and effects were mostly fine but needed a bit more channel separation for some lines, Unicron especially as his words got garbled in places. The music? Sounded like it was coming out of someone's 1986 cassette player, one of the ones without any kind of low-end, maybe mono.
As for the movie itself, watching it on the big screen was fun. I wasn't born in 1986 and neither was my 3 year old, so it was our first time viewing it this way. And it was also my first time really paying attention to this film and seeing it from beginning to end in one sitting. The animation and details are really stellar at time. The first twenty minutes are basically the greatest G1 episode of all time.
Some more notes:
- It is indeed obvious that not only Optimus turns grey when dead, as we do see a colour change for Prowl as well.
- I love Ironhide, so much
- Not too keen on how Wheeljack was killed offscreen like that, reminded me of Admiral Ackbar in The Last Jedi.
- I did find it odd how close Optimus is to Ultra Magnus on his deathbed, when no backstory was given to him in this film, especially not in his relation to Prime.
- Yup, that "Cyclonus and his armada" part truly is confusing.
- My daughter completely tuned out when Hot Rod and Kup end up on their own adventure with the Quintessons. The movie does take a really odd turn there, introducing a bunch of new and nonensical things all at once (a tiny rhyming bot, floating heads that mean the opposite of what they say)
- She was confused as to what happened with Bumblebee and Spike, since we don’t see them for a loooooong time
- Where the hell is Snarl?
- The audio for the Junkions sounded worse than I remember. I couldn’t make out much.
- I forgot how badass Springer was in the film. Reminded me of the recent portrayal of Orion Pax in IDW flashbacks.
- I do like how Galvatron still is Megatron, keeping all his memories. They do a pretty good job at showing how this is an evolved version of a character we already know and his actions and words do have callbacks from who he used to be (especially how he taunts Hot Rod at the end).
- There is a really beautiful shot of Hot Rod seeing the Matrix lighting the darkness in Unicron before we see that it is still attachd to Galvatron's neck. Now i am sure the similar scene in Autocracy when Optimus find the Matrix is in reference to that.
Stan Bush featurette
There was some bonus Bush once the movie was finished. Here are thoughts from the staff
Scotty P wrote:The Stan Bush vignette after the credits was very fun and the acoustic renditions of The Touch and Dare were a neat listen despite aforementioned and ever-present sound quality greebles.
Rodimus Convoy wrote:I liked the Stan Bush interview.
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