“Yesterday’s” Comic> G.I. Joe & The Transformers #3

“Way to go, Shockwave! Now we’re going to get an F on our science project.”

G.I. Joe & The Transformers #3

Marvel Comics (March, 1987)

Shockwave plans to turn Power Station Alpha into a tool to destroy the Earth, using the energies released to power Cybertron. Learning of their “ally’s” plans, Cobra instead sets up a way to meet with the Autobots. Meanwhile, the Joes, aided by Blackrock, have gotten Bumblebee online and prepare their own meeting, but Hawk is distracted after learning that Senator Larkin worked with Cobra to get the station created. Back with the boy, the cerebro-shell is removed and Dr. Mindbender has seen what happens to Bombshell when someone starts playing with it. (Told you this was important to the story.)

What they got right: Give the mini-series credit. This is a threat worthy of a crossover, and forcing the three factions together to oppose it. I don’t care how scientifically accurate it is or isn’t. The fact that’s it’s a decent threat suffices for me. All sides get a moment for story, as well as the funeral for Optimus Prime, which is why the comic is placed here in my longbox’s timeline.

What they got wrong: So Ravage is back out of the well and talking again? We could just say Furman missed this event, but unless Ravage didn’t have a lot to say last time we saw him (and the birds still haven’t talked since The Transformers issue #4) he shouldn’t be talking. Which might have been to his benefit since the dialog is a bit stiff in part, and the scene where Hawk and Senator Garcia are talking looks like it should have been lettered so that Hawk is trying to interrupt Garcia with each accusation. Not that the subplot with Senator Larkin has any impact on this story anyway. I don’t know what was going on in the G.I. Joe comic at the time so maybe it fit better there but it’s almost a distraction here.

Analysis: I think this is the weaker of the four issues thanks to stiff dialog and being the necessary exposition issue, but as part of the whole it still works.

Related articles

• “Yesterday’s” Comic> The Transformers #23
• “Yesterday’s” Comic> G.I. Joe & The Transformers #1
• “Yesterday’s” Comic> The Transformers #24
• “Yesterday’s” Comic> G.I. Joe & The Transformers #2
• “Yesterday’s” Comic> The Transformers #25
• “Yesterday’s” Comic> The Transformers #26