| Whew, that’s a lot of activity for a single issue. “Transformers: Primacy” # 2 goes by furiously. Megatron is getting the gang back together, so that means he’s sending out the Seekers to carry the all-important message: Scorponok is out, Megatron is back. The Seekers go to different planets, using different techniques, but it turns out what they were looking for were the Combiner teams. Though skeptical at first, the Stunticons, Combaticons and Predacons are back. To make sure he has enough back-up, Megatron even journeys to the Planet of Junk and recruits the no-silly-dancing versions of the Junkions. Meanwhile the Autobots wait around for something to do. Optimus Prime confides in Alpha Trion that though he is happy to have brought back Omega Supreme from the planet’s polar region and out of the futile wait for Nova Prime’s return, Prime is disturbed that Omega Supreme has instead taken up a sentry position watching over Prime’s quarters. Trion tells Prime that it might be awhile before Omega Supreme regains his soul.
Then, of course, the Decepticons strike. Out of the atmosphere comes hurtling the terrible Trypticon, back for round two. Prime once calls on the mighty Metroplex as Autobot City is evacuated. “All will be well,” booms Metroplex as he transforms and looks up. Trypticon slams into him. Boom. End of issue. |
Writers Chris Metzen and Flint Dille waste no time or space for nonsense in “Transformers: Primacy” # 2. Though the issue is mostly just set-up for the coming issues, what a set-up it is. It is refreshing to see the Combiner teams back in this before-Earthfall story. It is nice seeing the Seekers doing some seeking and, with the return of the Junkion ship, any reference to the 1986 “The Transformers: The Movie” is welcome.
It’s fascinating to see how artist Livio Ramondelli was going to differentiate the returning Decepticons. Aside from a small—and forgivable—problem telling the Seekers apart in the shadows (I mean, without the bright colors, how can you tell Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp apart?), Ramondelli does a great job of illustrating the members of the Decepticon Combiner teams. In particular, it’s great Ramondelli gives the Stunticons Cybertron-specific alt modes—but his best job was just giving us a classic and impressive rendition of the rowdy Predacons. Although it remains a mystery why the Predacons would already have Earth-animal alt modes millions of years before the Decepticons step foot on Earth. It’s a great sequence but a bit of a headscratcher.
“Transformers: Primacy” # 2 just roars along, preparing the reader for the next two issues, which promise to be even more action-packed. Metzen, Dille and Ramondelli have succeeded making these prequel series a significant and distinctive part of the IDW Transformers G1 continuity. It’s a particularly violent period, but the creative team has also been busying themselves filling in plot holes in the greater TF story. They already did the whole Scramble City thing (where did Metroplex and Trypticon come from) as well as the Dynobots (later becoming the Dinobots) in the “Transformers: Monstrosity” series. Here, they’re shown how the Decepticons came back together after the fall of Scorponok and explained how Omega Supreme rejoined the Autobot fold. It gives the reader the feeling that we are watching important in-canon events even if it is long before the Earth stories. And that’s why “Transformers: Primacy” remains a must-read.
Next time: Transformers More Than Meets The Eye # 33!
How I wish to see a wheel loader or even an excavator being transformed into an autobot or a decepticon. Perhaps a decepticon since they are not auto, i guess?
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