The Combiner Wars Continue: Transformers # 40!

AFTER the “Opening Salvo” and Part 1 of the first two issues in IDW’s Combiner Wars crossover, “Transformers” # 40 shows the readers the pieces of the puzzle. And there’s a lot of moving pieces. The issue begins by showing a shuttle on its way to Cybertron. The shuttle is commanded by Jetfire, and is manned by the OG Protectobots. In this continuity, they’ve never been a team, much less a combiner. Despite the fact that the Protectobot Rook was introduced in the Combiner Wars toyline, here you have Hot Spot, Groove, Blades Streetwise and First Aid, who has arrived after spending a lot of time on the ship The Lost Light of “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” fame. Streetwise even jokingly themselves “Protectobots,” because they are composed of “a doctor, a cop, a firefighter, an infiltration expert and a fire.” Guess that team name is in continuity now. Interestingly enough, First Aid is here due to his capacity as doctor of Patient 619, who is being ferried to Cybertron for treatment. Patient 619 happens to be Mirage, who is experiencing nasty visions of a burning Cybertron. In his vision, he says “I must help them choose,” to Ironhide—who also happens to be having the same visions on Cybertron.

A Whole New World: Windblade (2015) # 1!

FROM the very first time that Windblade, Chromia and Nautica first appeared in the IDW continuity, readers have been wondering exactly where they came from. The three fembots spoke about their home, the lost Cybertronian colony Caminus, and how their home planet was running out of resources. Out of caution, Optimus Prime and the Autobots had stayed clear of Caminus. Combiners can change so many things. After the events of “Transformers # 39,” the Combiner Wars are on. At the end of that issue, the devious Starscream, after taking possession of the fabled Engima of Combination, fooled Swindle and Menasor—the combined form of the Stunticons—to travel to Caminus via the new-operational space bridge to rob the planet. The Combiner Wars continue, with its first full chapter in the second “Windblade” mini-series, which we will refer to as “Windblade (2015).” At the issue’s beginning, we get a quick look at Caminus and its inhabitants. They are clearly Cybertronians but possess what appear to be more ornate forms and a seemingly medieval form of society. There are also a lot of fembots here—but, it is important to note, not all the Camiens are female.

Let the War Begin: Transformers # 39!

After all the build-up, the Combiner Wars are finally here. The Combiners War arc will run through the ongoing “Transformers” series and the new “Transformers: Windblade” mini-series (we’ll refer to it as “Windblade (2015)” for clarity. The other ongoing, “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye,” will run completely apart from Combiner Wars.

            “Transformers” # 39 is technically the prelude to the Combiner Wars itself: The cover bills the issue as “Combiner Wars: Opening Salvo,” but a cursory evaluation of the issue’s contents reveals it to be the actual first shot to be fired in this war.

            After the end of the seemingly never-ending Onyx Interface story arc, the Enigma of Combination (which allows for the creation of non-insane gestalts) has been stolen by Scoop to be brought back to Cybertron and into the hands of the chosen ruler of the planet, the ever-devious Starscream. It becomes clear that this is the only real development of importance from the Onyx Interface story arc, leading credence to the observation that those issues were merely spinning their wheels in preparation for Combiner Wars.

            In fact, “Transformers” # 39 is actually the continuation of the events in the one-shot “Transformers: Punishment.” Optimus Prime is back on Cybertron to celebrate the anniversary of receiving the Matrix of Leadership. This issue is also a spiritual continuation of the first “Transformers: Windblade” mini, as the Autobots from Caminus, Windblade and Chromia, are heavily involved—as is Caminus itself.

            The issue begins with Optimus Prime and his Autobots still fighting off the Decepticon rabble in Decepticon territory as shown in “Punishment.” A closer look reveals that the ‘bots Prime and company beats down promise to play a bigger role: Swindle and Motor Master.

           

Optimus Time: Transformers Punishment!

ONE of the best things about manga and anime is the openness to doing stories which run parallel to the main story. They even have a great term for it: side stories. These in-continuity tales enable creators to fit in characters and plotlines that would be obscured by the weight of the main narrative.

            And that’s exactly what we’ve got with the new “Transformers: Punishment” one-shot. This extra-sized one-shot is actually a print version of a comic book originally created for the interactive Madefire platform. Reading it, it’s hard to believe this wasn’t originally scheduled for a release from IDW Publishing considering how good it is.

            Fans of writer John Barber and artist Livio Ramondelli will get a thrill because they get an extra helping of the two this month. “Punishment” is the kind of side story you get when the characters aren’t all trying to save planets.

            That being said, this is still Optimus Prime’s show. In “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” and “The Transformers,” Prime bids the Autobots farewell seemingly on a lark to go back to Cybertron. He doesn’t tell anyone why he’s going back right now, only that he must and that he will be back.

            “Punishment” details what happens on his trip to Cybertron. The book begins with the death of three Decepticons—Wilder, Treadshot and Brisko—at the hands of an unknown assailant.  This is apparently not an isolated incident, and Cybertron’s supreme leader Starscream soon arrives on the scene with Decepticon detective Barricade at his side. There’s someone killing Decepticons in what is called a Decepticon ghetto.

Wake-Up Call: Robots in Disguise # 33!

FROM the beginning, “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” (“TF: RID”) has been considered good but not as good as its sibling title, “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”). Since the resident artists are quite similar in talent and style (Andrew Griffith on “TF: RID” and Alex Milne on “TF: MTMTE”), the difference lies in the books’ writers (John Barber on “TF: RID” and James Roberts on “TF: MTMTE”). This is interesting since together, Barber and Roberts have ushered in the most critically acclaimed era in TF comics history. But the observation is that Roberts simply knows how to get the best out of the big ideas that have characterized the resurgence. That’s important to note because Barber is pretty good—just not as good as Roberts. “TF: RID” # 33 is typical of the kind of issue where Barber has something really interesting to run with but doesn't quite go as far as he can go with it. That being said, “The World of Tomorrow” has some fascinating moments. One of the two best moments comes at the very beginning, when a character thought dead returns to a world that he does not recognize, and Barber plays this up really well.

Endgame: Windblade # 4!

It all comes down to this last issue of the “Transformers: Windblade” mini-series—well, at least until the coming of the announced second mini-series, “Transformers: Windblade Returns.” In the meantime, IDW Publishing lucked out on choosing to go with a very unusual approach to the TF franchise and a talented creative team, just the elements needed to push the first post-Arcee fembot star, the sword-wielding Windblade. After the mysterious power outages and the attempt on her life, Windblade has journeyed into the bowels of Metroplex to discover that Starscream is secretly mining a powerful ore. After being captured, tortured and escaping, Windblade realizes that Starscream was not behind the assassination attempt. Then, the spacebridge at Metroplex’s heart spins up. Where is it going and who is behind it? Probably caused by the fact that this is the last issue of the current run, “Windblade” # 4 feels very cramped and condensed. There’s a lot of exposition at the very end, explaining everything that has to be explained.

The Usual Suspect: Windblade # 2!

The quirkiest of IDW Publishing’s Transformers comic titles continues with “Transformers: Windblade” # 2, featuring the female Autobot in the lead role. Two issues in, “Windblade” starts to expound on the mystery established in last month’s inaugural issue. Written by Mairghread Scott and illustrated by Sarah Stone, “Windblade” # 2 picks up where the first issue left off. In the aftermath of the attempt on her life, city speaker Windblade suspects that Starscream is behind the assassination attempt and isn’t quite done yet. Together with Chromia, Windblade tries to get to the bottom of the plot, while Starscream and Rattrap whisper about what’s next (“I’ve got something real special in mind,” Rattrap says). A journey to Metroplex reveals nothing. But they find something—or rather, someone—in Blurr’s bar: Waspinator. It turns out life’s favorite chew toy (as the character page says) turns out to have heard something important, even as he says trademark Waspinator lines: “Everyone hurtzzz Wazzpinator.” At trip into the bowels of Metroplex’s filtration systems reveals that Starscream may be mining a dark secret.