And that’s just for jaywalking. You don’t want to know how they handle litterbugs.
Transformers: Stormbringer #5
IDW Publishing (September, 2006)
WRITER: Simon Furman
ARTIST: Don Figueroa
COLORIST: Josh Burcham, assisted by grungewerx
LETTERER: Robbie Robbins
EDITORS: Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor
Thunderwing destroys Nebulos, which is what the incoming group of Decepticons wanted to do, but leaving some resources behind. They try to attack the mindless death machine and only get a bunch of them scrapped for it, Darkwing and Dredwind racing back to the ship to call Megatron, who orders Thunderwing taken down by any means necessary, even destroying Cybertron. Optimus Prime and the Wreckers manage to rescue and aid Nosecone and Afterburner, then break into Bludgeon’s base. Bludgeon meanwhile has undergone the same grafting process as Thunderwing, but all that research wasn’t enough as Bludgeon goes mad and locks up, presumably forever. They destroy the panel that nudged Thunderwing on Bludgeon’s intended path, but that means he’s coming back to Cyberton.
What they got right: You do get a good sense of the destructive force that is Thunderwing, a credit to the art team. For fans of the Wreckers they get a good showing here, and prove why their the best at what they do.
What they got wrong: It’s odd to see Furman take two of his more popular characters, Thunderwing and Bludgeon, and pretty much ensure they won’t be part of this new continuity. And he’s also making sure that the Pretender gimmick is another victim on the war against the G1 toy gimmicks like he has the Headmasters by destroying Nebulos, the planet key to the concept, which makes me wonder what IDW is going to do if the third phase of Hasbro’s “Prime Wars Trilogy” is Pretenders, considering how IDW had to do this with Combiners and Headmasters in light of “Combiner Wars” and the current “Titans Return”.
Recommendation: It’s not a bad story so far, but there are a few flaws. For the most part it may be worth looking at. Next week is the final issue and we’ll see what happens there.
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