Comic Review

I am going to venture on with his idea and do the comic review. Anyone who wants to take part can do so and the review will be done every time I get a minute to do it. Just to give everyone time who wants to take part. I am hoping that these reviews won't turn out to be spoilers, more appetite wetters!! So without further ado first up is the U.S. storyline. The issues 1-6/or the graphic novel called Beginnings.

Every story has a start....

Issue 1-6

Issue 1 Tells of the Transformers war on Cybertron, a war that was started by Megatron and forced upon the peace loving Autobots. Then came the assault on the Ark, that wound up with us buried in Mount St Hilary for 4 million years. The Decepticon jets, Soundwave and Ravage first battled the Autobots on Earth.

Issue 2 The Decepticons stripped the Harrison Nuclear powerplant to make their HQ. As Sparkplug put it "They are like modern man trying to hack it in the cavemen days" Prime and Megatron clashed for the first time and the Decepticons abducted Sparkplug Witwicky to make their fuel.

Issue 3 Sparkplug makes the fuel and the Decepticons are as powerful as ever!! Spiderman enters the fray and helps the Autobot Gears rescue him. They manage to KO, Davage, Soundwave, Rumble and Fenzy. Then come face to face with Megatron. Gears realises that the proverbial has hit the fan and they try to escape. they do, when Megatron blasts a hole in the floor and they fall. Spiderman catches Gears and Sparkplug, but the web holding Gears snaps and he falls. To what the webslinging flesh creature thinks is his death. They return to Autobase and gears is restored to minimum operating level and tells the astounded Autobots that Sparkplug Witwicky gave Megatron what he wanted.


Issue 4 The Autobots argue over what to do next as Buster and Sparkplug try to run away from them. Jazz shoots a flame from his flame thrower to block his path and he suffers a mild heartattack.
Meanwhile back at Decepticon HQ Starscream begins to question Megatron for allowing Sparkplug to escape and return to the Autobots. Megatron shoots Starscream for his tone. Shockwave is seen for the first time in the comics as are the Dinobots, albeit only briefly. The Autobots and Decepticons clash again, the winner of this battle was Shockwave!!! Sparkplug had poisoned the fuel he made the 'cons and when the battle was all but over they collapsed. Shockwave arrives and levels the reamining Autobots.

Issue 5 Shockwave assumes command of the Decepticons while Megatron is being repaired. The Autobots are strung up like sides of beef in a butchers fridge while Shockwave has optimus head removed from his body as he seeks to extract the Matrix. (The matrix was stored in Primes mind at this point and was not the Matrix we have come to know.) Buster finds him and is shocked to see the Autobot leader in such a bad way.

Issue 6 Shockwave attacks an oil rig belonging to GB blackrock and inadvertently creates Circuit Breaker. She was known as josie beller and a massive electrical feedback left the computer genius paralysed, except for her right arm. She came to hate robots, Autobot and Decepticon alike.As for Shockwave he spout his logic tripe at Megatron and it begins to irk the former commander. Megatron tries to relieve him of command and fails. They fight and Shockwave beats him in battle because Megatron had not fully recovered from his injuries. To rub it in, Megatron had to swear allegiance to Shockwave in front of the rest of his Decepticons....

These first issues were a means of "introducing" the characters to the general (paying) public. When they awaken on Earth the characters give account of themselves and mention a little bit of their personality/weaponry in their intro's. Throughout the first 6 issues there were a lot of references to personality traits, weaponry and little personal storylines such as Megatron and Starscream. All in all, an enjoyable read and a good "Beginning" for anyone interested in gathering up the comics.

It's so wonderful to look back on these once in a while.
And notice how much the art, and writing has improved so much over the years

maybe a bit out of place here, but is there someone who can help me to a pair of scans from the comics? always wanted to have a go on them to learn more about em'

Kup wrote:maybe a bit out of place here, but is there someone who can help me to a pair of scans from the comics? always wanted to have a go on them to learn more about em'

What scans are you looking for?

as i have none , any would suffice

Issue 7 Ratchet finds himself as the last Autobot. He wanders around a forest with buster until he decides to return to the ark to see for himself what has happened to his comrades. He finds the hung up Autobots and Optimus Prime. Prime speaks to him and tells him he must find a way to defeat the Decepticons and Megatron. Soundwave has per Shockwaves orders has taken G.B. Blackrocks jet assembly plant, in the name of the Decepticon cause.

Back at the Ark Ratchet is looking for Megatron, he didn't have to look hard Megatron found him. Megatron tosses him around for a while and then Shockwave appears on a transmission screen and tells him to stop whatevr he is doing and prepare Primes head for transport. Megatron rages and Ratchet takes full advantage of the flaw he has found. He tells Megatron he can help him defeat Shockwave. Megatron proceeds to share his thoughts on Shockwave (I won't spoil it by going into detail) and what happened. Megatron agrees and himself and the Autobot Doctor perform the rite of oneness a sacred Cybertronian ritual that states that whomever breaks the bond must give their life in forfeit. Megatron is in a win win situation.....

Issue 8 Ratchet finds the Dinobots buried in a tar pit and digs them out. He then contacts Megatron and tells him to meet him at the prearranged place. They meet and Ratchet has the Dinobots laying in wait as he knows that Megatron is not going to fulfill his part of the bargain. The Dinobots attack and Megatron disposes of the five of them, onlt to be bettered by a freak accident after Ratchet attacks him.

At the newly aquired powerplant Shockwave make s reference to the 6 new Decepticons that Primes creation Matrix will give life to. Josie Beller is about ready to unveil Circuit breaker...

Issue 9 With Shockwave gone from the Ark and Megatron defeated Ratchet resumed control of it and restored all the Autobots to operational status, except Sunstreaker. (Sorry Charis!) G.B. Blackrock claims to have a weapon that can destroy Transformers, Shockwave sends |Frenzy and Starscream to destroy the weapon. Jazz and Wheeljack make contact with Blackrock and he agrees to a deal with the Autobots in return for protection.

At the race track where he is planning to unveil his weapon Jazz and Wheeljack get into a fight with Starscream and Frenzy. Circuit Breaker shows up and blasts Wheeljack and Starscream. The "cons escape and Circuit Breaker destroys Blackrocks weapon.

Issue 10 The birth of the Constructicons and Devastator. They are created using the last of the Matrix that is in Primes mind.The Decepticons send a message to Cybertron and the Autobots try and stop them. They fail, most of the message is sent when Huffer dithers over the destruction of the transdimensional radiowave scrambler. In later issues it becomes clear that his homesickness was a grave error of judgement on his part. Shockwave tries to infuse life into Jetfire, nothing happens. Prime has no Matrix left so Shockwave threatens to erase his existence...

Issue 11 Shockwave realises that Prime must have hidden the Matrix somewhere and finds out that Buster has it. Needless to say Optimus is distraught when he realises wht he has done, namely putting a human life in danger. Jetfire is preprogrammed and sent to retrieve Buster, the Autobots have sent Bluestreak and Bumblebee to protect him. Jetfire attacks and KO's Bluestreak but Bumblebee tells Buster that he can stop Jetfire, which he does. Stripping him down to his component parts. Shockwave realises that there is an eavesdropping device in the Aerospace assembly plant and proceeds to set a trap for the Autobots. He tells Prime that "We shall proceed with your execution immediately"

Issue 12 Buster takes Jetfire to the Aerospace plant to carryu out a plan devised by Bumblebee. Jetfire comes under attack from human jets and due to the G forces Buster passes out. Jetfire delivers Buster to Shockwave. the Autobot go to the co-ordinates that Shockwave had said he was going to dispose of Prime's head at. A putrid swamp. The Autobots get the head before it sinks and reconnect it to his body. It's a fake head, Prime shoots Prowl, Windcharger, Trailbreaker and Cliffjumper. Who looks up and sees Prime standing with Soundwave and his cassettes.

Buster regains consiousness and realises what is going on. He orders Jetfire to KO Shockwave and take the true Prime head to his body. He does and the true Optimus Prime tears through the ranks of the Decepticons like a tornado. Shockwave recovers and goes after Prime. They battle and Prime throws him into the swamp where he is sucked down and vanishes. Prime rushes back to the plant and retrieves the Matrix from Buster's mind. Prime vows never to endanger human life again....

Next up will be isuues 13-18/ Graphic Novel:Cybertron Redux.