“Careful, you’re damaging the logo!”
Transformers: The War Within #3
Dreamwave (December, 2005)
WRITER: Simon Furman PENCILER: Don Figueroa INKER: Elaine To COLORIST: Rob Ruffolo GRAPHIC DESIGN: Kevin Lee LETTERING: Dreamer Design ASSISTANT EDITOR: Matt Moylan
The Recordicons don’t do very well against Optimus, forcing Megatron to go below. Starscream, having had enough of being kept out of the loop as second-in-command, pushes Megatron a bit too far, but it’s Starscream that’s been pushed too far and takes the opportunity to take out both Optimus and Megatron, and then plots to use one of the engines to blow up Iacon. Yes, engines. As Megatron did finally tell Starscream, he has learned Cybertron used to be a mobile planet, with the Matrix as the power source. Meanwhile, as the attack continues above, Prowl gives Grimlock and his team a mission they won’t like.
What they got right: I can’t believe I’m praising Furman of all writers for this, but he actually gave Starscream a little extra character development. In this continuity (as seen in the preview) Megatron recruited his Decepticons through gladiatorial games (something IDW chose to do as well later on) and as far as Starscream is concerned everything has been about pain, such as the pain he experienced climbing the ranks to join Megatron’s elite. I like seeing a Starscream that isn’t just “cowardly, incompetent narcissist”. It’s so rare that we don’t get the G1 cartoon version with slight variants.
What they got wrong: The preferred Dreamwave Pose (resembling someone squatting to take a poo) rears it’s head here. It’s like they’re trying to show off as much of the character as possible no matter how silly it looks and this is something Pat Lee in particular and Dreamwave in general is put down for by fans I know.
Recommendation: It’s weird to say I’m enjoying a Simon Furman-written Transformers story but here is one I can actually recommend. Weird, I know.
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