TRANSFORMERS ENERGON #22

Cover Date: April 2004
Story: Simon Furman
Pencils: Guido Guidi
Inks: Rob Armstrong
Lettering: Ben Lee
Setting: Unicron. Western Australia – Earth. Cybertron.

Plot Summary: Flashing back to Megatron’s final moments, (presumably after the events of Armada #18) he narrates that his body was assimilated by Unicron, while his spark was absorbed by the Chaos Bringer. He then says that he tested the limits of his captivity, and is currently rebuilding his body.

The scene shifts to Earth, where Scorponok and the Terrorcons hold Alexis and Kicker captive, Scorponok telling Tidal Wave and the others in no uncertain terms that Kicker will be useful in their efforts to gather Energon, all of which is seen by Rad, realizing why Dr. Jones said Kicker was “special”. He also overhears that if Kicker refuses to cooperate, Battle Ravage will kill Alexis.

On Cybertron, Optimus and the other Autobots receive the distress signal sent by Carlos (in #20) and head for Earth. As they do so, Megatron appears to Prime again, reminding the Autobot leader that he needs to be rescued in order to defeat Unicron. Dismissing it as they arrive on Earth, he and the other Autobots head off to meet the Terrorcons, as Scorponok places Kicker in a hunk of metal as he and the other Decepticons power up on Energon and head off to meet them.

As the two sides fight, Rad heads for Alexis, only to be stopped by Battle Ravage. Signaling Carlos, he has him pilot his vehicle directly into an Energon collector, causing an explosion. Seeing this, Scorponok orders the Terrorcons to collect what they have and retreat.

After the Decepticons are gone, Optimus receives another message from Megatron: Rebuilt in a new and more powerful body, he is ready…and waiting.

Transformers/Humans Featured (in rough order of appearance): Megatron (Armada), Dead-End (Unicron’s Mini-Con), Scorponok, Kicker, Insecticon, Battle Ravage, Cruellock, Tidal Wave, Divebomb, Rad. , Carlos, Optimus Prime, Iromhide, Jetfire, Inferno, Hot Shot, Megatron (Energon).

Other Notes: Rad is wearing a battle suit similar to the one that Kicker will eventually wear. Kicker’s brain resonates sensory node impulses throughout his entire body whenever he is in close contact with Energon. Carlos quotes from an actual news website (http://www.reuters.com/) when discussing Alexis’ post high school activity. The history between Tidal Wave, which will be described in Energon #24, is touched upon here.

Review: First off, I must say how happy I am that they did not blot out what E-Megs looks like on the cover. For those who don’t know, every picture of the cover that has been seen up until this time has had Megatron covered up, in what was obviously an attempt to keep what he looks like a secret. This is a good idea…until you realize that when the picture was first seen, pictures of the toy were starting to float around the net, and he had made (or was about to make) his dramatic reappearance in the cartoon. Considering both of these factors, the fact that they went to some effort to keep it a secret makes me think that someone at either Dreamwave or Hasbro (and why do I believe that it’s the former…) doesn’t have a brain in his or her head.

There. I got that out of my system. Now onto the issue itself. Well, I can’t say that it’s good. I can’t say that it’s bad, either. It seems to me that it’s basically the issue prior to the finale of a story arc, in which they have to build to an explosive conclusion. Unfortunately, Dreamwave has had a past history when it comes to these types of stories. (Prime Directives #5, War Within #5, Armada #10, Armada #17, War Within: Dark Ages #5) And even more unfortunate, they have a track record of not pulling it off in the end. It certainly doesn’t help that four of the five issues mentioned are written by Simon Furman, the same man who is writing this series. From those prior instances, it has become clear that Furman is unable to close out a story in anything resembling a good way. Hopefully he can break this streak with the next issue since, after this issue, it seems that Energon will concentrate on one shot stories for the time being, and I would like to believe that Furman can close out a story arc in a good way.

The other problem I have with this issue is Megatron. Putting aside for a moment my already stated dislike of his new look being treated like some big wicked secret, the preview of this issue indicated to me that he would play a more integral role in the issue. I mean, was I the only one hoping that Megs would appear out of nowhere and start kicking Transformer butt left and right? Instead, we get a single panel appearance of him in his new body, in what was obviously an attempt to keep his look a surprise…my dislike of which has already been stated. And to top it off, the previews for the next three issues indicate that he is not going to be appearing at all. So, in conclusion, we have an issue in which the big evil that is Megatron is hyped up beyond belief, only to discover that, not only is it a big letdown, but there are no indication that he figures into the ongoing Energon storyline. Sounds like the writer is blowing a big opportunity. Oh, wait. It’s Simon Furman. Never mind. Frankly, I’m not too excited about Energon #25, since it has been previously established that Furman is incapable of completing a storyline in a less than perfect way. I’m going to hope to Primus he can pull it off. So far, my opinion of Energon has been so-so. I didn’t want to get this series to begin with. I hope Furman doesn’t go and prove me right.

Review by Bombshell