Galaxy Shuffle: More Than Meet The Eye # 38!

IT may not seem like it at first, but “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF:MTMTE”) # 38 is one of the most important TF comic books ever made. That’s because the timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly plot that writer James Roberts has been laying out—with its alternative timelines and time travel bot-hunt—all come to fruition as well as a definitive conclusion in this very issue. Amid the burst of excellent issues, “TF:MTMTE” # 38 is a worthy way of ending the affair. As Rodimus’ team chases him back in time, the Decepticon double-agent Brainstom has finally arrived at his target. And it turns out, everyone was wrong. He didn’t travel back in time to kill Orion Pax so he never becomes Optimus Prime. He traveled back in time to kill Megatron before he becomes, well, Megatron. The double-agent turned out to be a triple-agent. The issue begins on the Lost Light, where Perceptor and Ultra Magnus are trying to stop Megatron from trying to travel back in time so save himself. It turns out that there isn’t enough energy left in the time machine to do it anyway. Rodimus’ team arrives just in time to see Brainstrom aiming a gun at an inert Megatron—a grenade takes him down.

Twin Twist: More Than Meets The Eye # 37!

FOR a change, I’m going to keep things as short as I can—to encourage readers to actually pick up IDW Publishing’s “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) # 37 because writer James Roberts and artist Alex Milne continue to produce one superlative issue after another. Last issue was a mind-blowing issue, and this one starts off seeming like it’s going nowhere, begins to turn towards a different direction, and then plunges right into a shock ending.

            There is so much going on in this issue that I will just keep to the most important bits (since it can be argued that every little and big thing here is really important). After missing the time-traveling Decepticon double agent Brainstorm, Rodimus’ own time-traveling squad has arrived in the City of Rodion in the past. It’s the time of the Clampdown, when the oppressive Senate has enforced curfews and the functionist movement is gaining strength—just as the Decepticon movement is growing. Cyclonus is shocked by how beautiful Rodion is. Back in the present, Perceptor and Rodimus realize that time itself seems to be starting to re-write itself, because the very act of Brainstorm traveling back in time has already created a new timeline even if he hasn’t succeeded yet in assassinating Orion Pax, the future Optimus Prime. The funniest scene is the Maccadam’s Oil House in the past, where Rung, distracted by seeing his past self, misses Brainstorm completely. We get an insightful conversation between Nightbeat and his partner Quark about the oppressive nature of the Clampdown. “The dirtier your job, the greater your chances of survival,” says Quark of the coming Decepticon revolution.

           

Past Perfect: More Than Meets the Eye # 36!

THE start of the New Year is an auspicious time to read one of the best Transformers issues—ever. Already known as the best-written IDW continuity series, “Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) gives writer James Roberts the space and opportunity to do whatever he wants. This issue is an example of why that is always a good thing.

            “TF: MTMTE” # 36 begins on Cybertron four million years ago, with a group of Autobot outlaws, led by Orion Pax, are protecting the Alyon region from attack. Then, they are interrupted by the sudden appearance literally out of nowhere by a group of Transformers readers will recognize as members of the crew of the Lost Light: Rodimus, Chromedome, Whirl, Tailgate, Cyclonus, Rung, Rewind and Sky Byte. They have clearly traveled back in time. “’Sup,” Rodimus says.

            Then we get a flashback—or a flash-forward in this case—on the Lost Light. They’ve figured out that Decepticon double agent Brainstorm has gone back in time to the time frame of 1^st Cycle 502 to assassinate Pax—who would later become Optimus Prime—and win the war for the Decepticons. Led by an uncomfortable Megatron, they agree that the only way to stop Brainstorm is to send their own team back in time. They also have to be careful, as they can’t change the events of the past either. “Chromedome’s got it covered,” Rodimus says.

Big Ideas: More Than Meets The Eye # 33!

“Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) # 33 should be dubbed “The Explanation Issue,” because writer James Roberts literally explains everything that’s been going on in the series, all the way back to the beginning. He explains both the big ideas (the disappearance and the subsequent reappearance of The Lost Light) and small details (a certain crewmember’s faceplate). And he does so with style. After the events of last issue, the surviving crew of The Lost Light have boarded the other Lost Light and found a lot of mutilated Cybertronian corpses as well as the ship’s engines surrounded by quantum foam. The big shocker is that they have found the previously-dead Rewind—alive but unconscious. It is notable that the crew has been shrunk to the point that there are only six Autobots left (Megatron, Skids, Getaway, Nautica, Nightbeat, Nautica, Riptide) plus the discoveted stowaway Ravage. From the suddenly spacious roll call page on, “Slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken” is a blow to the head and a kick to the stomach. As they work to revive Rewind, Nautica, thanks to a joke by Riptide, figures out the mystery of The Lost Lights and manages to explain it in a satisfying manner, with a little help from Nightbeat...

Present Tense: More Than Meets The Eye # 32!

Wow, it feels like forever since the last issue of IDW Publishing’s “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) How many mega-cycles has it been since “TF: MTMTE” # 31? The answer is 12.387 mega-cycles (that’s 48 days for us non-Cybertronians). That wait feels especially long considering that “TF: MTMTE” is the best of IDW’s TF comic series, and that writer James Roberts has the crew of the Lost Light is the middle of a major mystery. Good thing “TF: MTMTE” # 32 is here or fans would start breaking the Tyrest Accords in frustration. “Slaughterhouse” is an apt title for this issue as the remaining crew of the Lost Light have just discovered that all those on the ship’s original crew have vanished, as has the ship itself. But the accidental skeleton crew led by disliked captain Megatron and the detective Nightbeat are surprised to find an older, virtually destroyed version of the Lost Light has appeared covered in quantum foam, meaning –time travel! As the survivors enter the dead hulk, they discover body after body of dead Autobots (including Ultra Magnus, Tailgate, Drift, Ratchet, among others) in various states of mutilation.

Vanishing Points: More Than Meets The Eye # 31!

Wow, just when you thought James Roberts couldn’t write a better, more jam-packed issue of the excellent IDW Publishing series “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) # 31. Not only does this issue go back to the earliest issues Roberts wrote for IDW and answers many questions that TF fans didn’t expect would be answered so soon or so well. The issue starts with a flashback two years back, where we see Drift, Riptide and Pipes trolling New Iacon for a new ship, encountering a group of rogbots who communicate by moving their fingers. Drift succeeds in acquiring a ship—which is soon renamed The Lost Light. So that’s where that came from. Back to the present, the Autobots (Megatron is now officially one of them) are floating in shuttles (and Rodimus’ Rodpod) after the aforementioned Lost Light started to disappear part and part, before vanishing completely. Swerve and Skids kibitz. But even before they can get around to figuring out what happened, there is a sudden blackout on the Rodpod. When the lights come back on, several of the crew have vanished into thin space air. An upset Tailgate points a pistol at Megatron and soon guns are drawn in an old-fashioned (if space-set) Mexican standoff.

TF Spotlight: Orion Pax in "Omega's Conundrum!"

06.30.2014 – For long time Transformers fans everyone know who was Optimus Prime in a previous life, which was first seen in season 2 of the classic series. It also featured the story of the Aerialbots travelling back in time during the Golden Age of planet Cybertron. There’s not much spotlight on Pre-Prime persona of Orion Pax that was only seen in the TF G1 series. IDW Publishing the current publisher for Transformers comic books had expanded that story through the ‘Transformers Spotlight’ series when they released a one-shot story in 2012. This one-shot feature about Orion Pax was included in the Deluxe Class release of the same action figure along with Bumblebee, Trailcutter (formerly known as Trailbreaker), and Megatron (Stealth Jet ) celebrating the ‘Thrilling 30’ years of the Transformers Brand with a new cover. It never was explained what really happened to Orion Pax when this was mentioned in this issue that he’s trying to get accustomed to his new body refit. This story takes place before the events of ‘Transformers: Autocracy’ (check your local comic shop for that graphic novel).

Moving Parts: More Than Meets The Eye # 30!

TALK about a big issue. It’s already been established that “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF:MTMTE”) is the best among IDW Publishing’s current TF comic book series. Writer James Roberts has packed so much into this series that it feels like so much is happening at the same time. “TF:MTMTE” # 30 is therefore the best issue of the series so far. Oh, where to begin? One of the series’ great mysteries is how Megatron—being tried on the Cybertronian moon Luna 2 for war crimes as leader of the Decepticons—got off without being executed and then appointed captain of The Lost Light as the quest for the Knights of Cybertron and Cyberutopia continued. The previous issues had shown what happened before the trial and what happened after. This issue fills in that huge gap. The solution is smart and ambitious; it just depends if you buy it or not. The turning point of the trial and the Megatron-as-captain development are all crammed into this issue and at times it’s almost like we’re spoiled for choice in terms of story. And, wow, Cybertronian law is weird.

Ghost Ship: More Than Meets The Eye # 29

IT is clear from the brand new characters page that “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (TF: MTMTE) # 29 is barreling straight into the depths of its first post-“Dark Cybertron” story arc as part of “Dawn of the Autobots.” The issue’s Cover A, by the series’ penciller Alex Milne, shows not only the two important characters for the issue, but also the different moods, with a glowering Megatron towering over a humorous and tiny Tailgate. The scary and funny moods work all throughout the issue. Written by James Roberts and illustrated by Milne, “World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air” continues the events from last issue. The Lost Light is out to space again in its search for the Knights of Cybertron and Cyberutopia, but with Megatron as the ship’s captain. Very quickly we get a taste of Megatron’s new leadership as he stomps around the ship issuing orders and fixing problems. He is scarily effective. The fact that Swerve does the summation of the past issue’s events all by himself confirms the issue’s intent to amuse. Meanwhile, Tailgate (welcome back! Plus he has an IDW-accurate toy now!) has just awakened from recovery and is shocked at all the changes even as he earnestly tries to lighten the mood.