“Is that bus getting here soon?”
Transformers Armada #9
Dreamwave (March, 2003)
WRITER: Simon Furman PENCILER: Guido Guidi INKER: Elaine To COLORISTS: Shaun Curtis, Alan Wang, & DAvid Cheung LETTERING: Dreamer Design GRAPHIC DESIGN: Matt Moylan
On the moon, the Mini-Cons meet their “rescuers”, the Destruction Team, who brought the Mini-Cons to their well-defended moonbase. The Decepticons launch an assault while the Autobots try to find a way to activate their space bridge without alerting the Decepticons to the Cybertronian Autobase so they can get what they need to go to the moon themselves (Megatron having blown up their shuttle.) And if the Autobots do find a way up there the Destruction Team, knowing the Mini-Cons are less likely to agree to the good guys being shot up, have another plan…namely Rad!
What they got right: Giving the Autobots the extra challenge of needing to stealthly use their spacebridge was a good idea. We also get to actually see Laserbeak spying this time. Having a group of Mini-Cons forcing the others to follow their idea of protection was a good idea as well, and the moon Mini-Con base fortifications were thought out.
What they got wrong: Thrust joins the Decepticon side, only he just kind of appears. He gets named and brings the gear so Megatron can fly up to the moon (having a ground based mode…but how does Cylonus, a helicopter in this series. get up there?) and just gets invited along in the span of one page. Granted, some of his compatriots will get less than that later on, including two even the cartoon was able to make good use out of.
Recommendation: I’m still into this storyline. It’s nice to see that Furman CAN make a good series and the first The War Within wasn’t a fluke. What happened after that and this I wish I knew. Still, here’s one I can recommend from him.
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