Comic Review: Prime 2 [Titan] [uploaded]

Working area for reviews.

Moderators: Skyquake87, ganon578

Post Reply
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Comic Review: Prime 2 [Titan] [uploaded]

Post by inflatable dalek »

Transformers Prime Issue 2 [Titan]

War Story.

Script:
Robin Etherington.
Art: Horacio Domingues.
Colour: Nestor Pereyra [See Goofs].
Lettering: Comicraft.

Synopsis:

The Valley of Fire: The Autobots and their human allies are taking a rare day off to enjoy the local scenery, with Miko being keen to learn more about the war, especially Megatron. Optimus decides to tell her a story from a time when, though the war was underway, Megatron still possessed bravery and compassion.

Megatron had built up his original army from the downtrodden and neglected elements of Cybertronian society, and had quickly overrun most of the planet, leaving Iacon as the most significant of the few remaining Autobot controlled City States.

Using a small team, Megatron infiltrated the Iacon energon refinery. As it was placed directly beneath Autobot headquarters destroying it with bombs will firmly place Iacon in Decepticon hands.

However, Optimus has anticipated this, and is waiting with his own strike force, which quickly takes down most of the Decepticons with only the one bomb planted. However, even though Megatron could run, he instead rallies round his fallen troops, pulling them to safety before detonating the one bomb to cover their retreat. Optimus could have taken him out with a shot to the back as he rescued Soundwave, but the Autobot commander was so impressed by Megatron's sense of self sacrifice he couldn't bring himself to do it. Though he was later severely reprimanded by his own superiors for not taking the the shot, he still thinks to this day that he upheld the values of Cybertron. However, the next time Megatron is in his sights, his hand will not falter.

Characters Featured: Arcee, Optimus Prime [Present and Flashback], Miko, Raf, Jack, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Megatron [Flashback], Soundwave [Flashback].

Notes:

The flashback is set during the War for/Fall of Cybertron era, though it uses the Prime character designs rather than those from the games. Soundwave could speak at this point in time.

Place names mentioned as well as Iacon include Kalis, Tarn and Vos, the gladiator origin for the Decepticons also gets a reference.

This is the first time we've seen Cybertron in the Titan comic since way back in issue #1 of Revenge of the Fallen nearly three years ago.

As there's no pull out this month, this is also the first Titan issue with (baring an advert and competition for the DVD and a couple of questions in the letters page) no Movie content at all.

Goofs:

The lined up Autobots on the opening page are all slightly out of scale with one another.

Colourist Nestor Pereyra gets his name badly mangled as Perayera Nestor.

Miko gets the right first name this issue, but in the Team Prime feature her surname is incorrectly spelt as Nakaki.

Assuming the Valley of Fire is the same one the exciting Three Pensioners Ineffectually Punching One Another climax to Star Trek: Generations was filmed it's not anywhere near as green as the opening page makes it look.

The cover promises “Megatron Returns!”, which, unless it refers to the Darkness Rising synopsis, is a bit of a lie.

Fantastic Free Gift!: A Prime missile launcher.

Extras:

Team Prime: The Humans, quick bios of the lovable fleshling cast;
The Missing Link, picture puzzle;
Episode Guide Volume 1: Darkness Rising Part 2, no star rating this month;
Go Go! Energon Game!, a board game;
Megatron poster;
Competitions for Dark of the Moon on DVD yet more Kre-O toys, the 2012 Transformers Annual and a choose your own fate The Ultimate Adventure: Mars book;
Find Miko! game;
Mega Mouth.

Review:

If issue #1 was a good solid start to the series here we get what's easily Etherington's best story for Titan to date. It manages to add shades of grey to Megatron's character without either undermining his EVIL nature or being overly smaltzy. He's shown to care about his troops, but is still an epic bastard and the way Prime reveals, most unusually for a kids comic, he'd shoot Megatron now adds some shades to him as well.

If there's a flaw, it's the framing device is a bit dull, effectively being Optimus having his day off ruined by having to talk about work. What a bitch that Miko is. It's also a shame only two issues in to have the rest of the Autobots reduced to background players, it might have been nice for some of them to be in the flashback fight as well.

Despite this, this shows the title can do a lot in its short page count, and hopefully that will continue in the coming months.

[Three and a half cubes].
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
Post Reply