“This headache is killing me!”
Transformers: Generation Two #1
Marvel Comics (November, 1993)
“War Without End!” WRITER: Simon Furman ARTIST: Derek Yangier COLORIST: Sarra Mossoff (not Nel Yomtov? I thought that was a rule at Marvel?) LETTERER: Richard Starkings & Gaushell EDITOR: Rob Tokar
Okay, let’s get this out of the way right now. The art is terrible. Before I even get to everything I have against the story, the art is terrible. The brief scene with humans are over-exaggerated. The Transformers, the majority of the story (since Michael Bay isn’t around) look like they were drawn with a series of boxes. The eyes are too small, Optimus especially looking rather (bad) Asian (stereotype). The ones that have faces are all angry and grimacing and the story has them blowing up everything they can and loving it. AND THAT’S THE AUTOBOTS! The 90s are infused into this comic like a lethal injection.
A squad of Autobots are shown attacking a terraforming operation, or rather a cyberforming operation, and scaring the natives with how violent and loving it they are. Prowl speaks up and is immediately shown to be in the wrong by Blades. Already I’m not becoming endeared to these Autobots. They’re acting like Decepticons!
Speaking of whom, we also get introduced to a new breed of Decepticon, ones who claim the war is over and their ideals are the only one that matters, thus not understanding half of the reason the war began in the first place. (The other being Megatron just launched a war on the planet…actually, that’s probably more than half, but the whole ideals thing, which they’ll never be properly called out on, is still a major part.) When Optimus Prime’s team meets up with Grimlock’s, the (not called this officially but I’m going with it for better identification when the regular Decepticons return) Neo-Decepticons (they think of themselves as Cybertronians but I don’t care, they have the G2 toy Decepticon logo, so they’re Decepticons in my book) attack. Optimus and Grimlock are taken in front of the general in charge, Jhiaxus (another fine fail of a Transformer name, along with Xxaron), who gives the usual “join us because we’re right” spiel, and return to their cells. The usual cliché by the bad guy.
And because this is a Furman story, it’s Grimlock who has to get Optimus to stand up and fight. The Autobots make their escape but Jhiaxus has their ship bugged (remember when that worked so well for Grimlock?) to follow them back to their “nest”…you mean Cybertron? Anyway, that’s not on Prime’s mind because he’s having visions of a darker future coming, because that’s how Furman operates, while the GI Joe team try to call the Autobots to warn them about Megatron returning in their comic.
If you don’t believe me that this comic is bad, check out Linkara’s review. He’ll back me up on this one. Only he doesn’t have to review the next eleven over the next eleven weeks. I’d envy him but considering what he usually reviews I think I’m good.
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