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Comic Reviews, Transformers: Generation 2

TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #7: MEGA(TRON) MEMORiES

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Once more Derek Yaniger‘s art is a storming start to the latest issue of Marvel US‘ Transformers: Generation 2 comic from 1994 and inside it’s all-action. Written by Simon Furman, New Dawn begins with Megatron‘s Decepticons purging a planet of its robotic life in order to steal its natural resources, giving penciller Manny Galan, inker Jim Amash and colourist Sarra Mossoff a chance to introduce some of the new G2 toys as dramatically as possible!

There are a handful of brand new robots I’d never heard of before but it was the reintroduction of an old character that really caught my eye. With the Matrix captured (far too easily) last time, Megatron has been busy creating (and recreating) an army and to see an old favourite return in this way was a thrill. It’s just a shame Simon got their name wrong. But when I read this initially (before researching for the review) I wasn’t aware and just enjoyed the shock and awe.

In G1 Darkwing and the UK letter answerer Dreadwind combined into the giant jet toy called Dreadwing. It’s this name Hasbro went with for this stealth bomber Decepticon in the G2 range but Simon has named it Darkwing. Just to add more confusion, back in #5 Darkwing was named as a downed Decepticon jet (hence he needed rebuilt by the power of the Matrix) but his colour scheme was that of Dreadwind. So that’s that cleared up!

The attack goes flawlessly for the Decepticons but in the background one of their ilk isn’t happy with how he’s being used; he’s been resurrected for a single-minded purpose just to be disposed of when the job is done. No prizes for guessing it’s Starscream, once more raising the questions of why Megatron chose him in the first place and why has he a head full of human teeth.

He seems to have picked up on some classic Earth sayings in his time on our planet during G1, which I admit I did chuckle at. With his army back at full strength Megatron addresses his troops, rallying them for the fight ahead against Jhiaxus‘ new generation of Cybertronians. It gives the comic a reason to include one of those great crowd scenes it was always so good at, and Manny et all don’t disappoint.

That’s a bit harsh of Megatron shouting “Death to the Pretenders!” so close to Fangry and Stranglehold, though. Not really, it’s a funny little in-joke and at least Octopunch in the bottom-right corner stops himself from inadvertently referring to his former boss! This sort of build up is something we saw a few times over the course of the epic first generation comic, which makes what happens next all the more shocking.

First we get a moment of reflection with Jhiaxus bemoaning the fact that “tact and diplomacy” haven’t worked. If what he’s done was tactful and diplomatic then the comic successfully predicted some of our idiotic world leaders today. While the Deceptions are the ones to initiate the fighting, it’s actually their ship that’s boarded by Jhiaxus’ troops. What follows is nothing short of a massacre!

This has echoes of the Autobot Ark being boarded by Megatron and his army right back at the very beginning of the G1 comic, which adds to the dramatic outcome and the shock felt with the deaths of so many long-standing characters. Manny’s art is superb, even if an acid “drop” in zero gravity makes no sense. In the end, Megatron takes the fight to Jhiaxus… and subsequently gets seven shades of grey and green smacked out of him, as per the cover.

We see Megatron burning up upon entry to the planet below and have to take a breath to fully appreciate how everything has changed in the course of one issue. There’s a point where the story feels rushed, when Megatron sees Skullgrin‘s ship crash after an attack and suddenly he believes everything Prime told him last issue. Much in the same way as he claimed the Matrix, there are elements that feel they’ve been sped up from what Simon may have originally intended, in order to get the story to a finishing point for the final issue.

But it’s a testament to the quality of the comic that despite this it’s still so damned enjoyable. Soundwave takes some troops (including one of my favourite childhood Transformers toys, Dragstrip) down to the planet and discovers what they initially think are Megatron’s remains. However, as you can see it takes more than a savage beating in the depths of space, unprotected planetfall and a full speed descent over many miles into the solid ground to keep a good Decepticon down.

Tales of Earth continues as the backup strip and, while not an awful lot happens in part four, what it does contain are a few pages that are my absolute favourite of the whole issue, perhaps of the whole Generation 2 series so far. As Optimus Prime lies on an operating table getting slowly mended by medical drones, his thoughts wonder.

Having been close to death so many times must play on your mind, right? Reading that panel above, we know Prime is thinking back over the millennia and the endless war between the Autobots and Decepticons and the futility of it all. The back and forth between wins and loses, the only winner will surely be death, for them and their race. They’ve even saved one another upon occasion. Do they somehow know they actually need each other?

All of these thoughts are interesting enough but it’s how they’re presented that really grabbed me. I’m positive readers at the time loved these next few pages just as much and I know fans reading them here for the first time will feel exactly the same. Beginning with a double-page spread presented in landscape format, Prime’s thoughts trace back over specific key moments from the seven-plus years of the original comic.

His inner monologue is brought to the page wonderfully by Richard Starkings alongside new partner Bill O’Neil (Gen13, writer on Fathom and John Carpenter’s Snake Plissken Chronicles) and their unique lettering, punctuating a glorious spread by Derek, Jim and Sarra that includes the aforementioned Ark assault and even the moment between Ratchet and Megatron atop a clifftop on Earth from the early days. Speaking of Ratchet, look at that final memory carefully and you’ll see extra limbs and a familiar head shape in that Megatron-like silhouette.

Seeing this on the next page again was thrilling! What a surprise! It was a huge moment in the final year of the original comic and wonderful to see it play a key role in the Generation 2 story, as Prime remembers how he saved Megatron and Ratchet, despite the latter’s wish to be killed so that their enemy wouldn’t survive. What a moment. What an issue this has been. At the end the cliffhanger is a half-destroyed Megatron bursting in and standing over the helpless Optimus. You’ll see him in all his battered glory in next month’s review. Things just stepped up a gear. No pun intended.

In the middle of the comic is an eight-page pullout and a removable cardboard order form for the Marvel Mart, which according to its own cover is “Marvel’s First Catalogue Ever”. It says it’s full of rare merchandise yet the majority of it is comics and box sets, with merchandise relegated to the usual t-shirts, posters and the like on one page. I did spot the Transformers Generation 2 box set that I owned, which confusingly didn’t contain part one of the G.I. Joe crossover. (Possibly because only four issues would fit inside the boxes used.) It’s basically an eight-page advert.

At the beginning of the comic, right opposite the dramatic Darkwing/Dreadwing page is an advertisement for some chewy sweets with an incredibly unfortunate name. I mean, how on Earth did this get past the initial idea stage, never mind into the shops? It’s funny to look back on, but can you imagine if these were advertised today in a kid’s comic? You’d be able to hear the keyboards of Daily Mail readers across the land.

With that rather strange look at 90s American candy we come to the end of this month’s real time review. If this is the quality this comic achieved by only its seventh issue, I can’t help but wonder where it could’ve gone and the heights it could’ve reached over another seven year run! Now more than ever the month between this and the next issue is going to be a long one. Transformers: Generation 2 returns on Sunday 27th April 2025 with #8.

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TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #6: WHAT’S NEW iS OLD AGAiN

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It’s Opposites Day in Marvel US’ sixth issue of Transformers: Generation 2. The six-page back up strip Tales of Earth is up first, with the main, 16-page The Gathering Darkness starting on the very next page. The shorter story’s build up must be coming to its climax and melding into the main story. But even more excitingly than that, the human co-stars who started this whole series return.

That’s right, G.I. Joe are back! With Bludgeon’s Decepticons levelling city after city across the globe it was only a matter of time until they were the only appropriate human response. But they’re not happy! First though, writer Simon Furman’s back up kicks off with an explanation at last from Megatron as to his choice of Deceptions to resurrect. Although, what he says is more like proof he was right after the fact, rather than the reason he chose Starscream in the first place.

It’s a bit better than, “Because it’s a Transformers comic and it wouldn’t be the same without our tête-à-tête, and they reissued his toy so I had no choice. All hail Hasbro!” Tales of Earth ends with the page below and the return of Optimus Prime to our planet at last. I love how this momentous moment is completely undercut with Duke’s response to his arrival. Derek Yaniger’s art is perfect for this comic once again and I love his rough-and-ready depiction of the Joes.

Standing in the flattened Capitol, Hawk lists a handful of major world cities all destroyed by the Decepticons. I’d no idea this comic went this far! It makes Prime’s reasoning all the more ridiculous though, especially when he just stands there and watches Starscream shoot down a G.I. Joe jet with its pilot still inside. While he states every human life lost weighs on his “already overburdened conscience”, he suggests that an assault by the Autobots would aggravate the situation. I think that ship has sailed!

There aren’t many Decepticons and the majority of the damage was done by their ship in space, which is one big target! It’d be an easy win (especially given how easily the Autobots do win their battle later), but the threat of Jhiaxus is so great that Prime wants to talk to Megatron instead. Is this going to come down to putting differences aside or they’ll all die again? This feels somewhat overdone by this point after the first generation. Although we do get to see Prime fighting his way to Megatron through Tantrum, a fan-favourite Predacon and it was great to see them again after their terrific Marvel UK stories.

Penciller Manny Galan, inker Jim Amash and colourist Sarra Mossoff really do pull out all the stops with the set pieces here, I can’t deny that. Still loving Richard Starkings’ and John Gaushell’s speech balloons too. So it’s already not going to plan for Prime, but surely he should’ve known that would happen? Then again, his actions so far (or rather, lack thereof) feel like he’s forgotten about his promise to our planet and the people on it, so maybe he’s had a bump to the head and thought Megatron wouldn’t obviously betray him.

Unfortunately, this is immediately followed by another issue I have with this chapter. Megatron defeats Prime far too easily and his plan is so basic, and accomplished so effortlessly, I can’t help but wonder why he never did it before now? With Optimus down he rips open the chest of the Autobot leader and connects a siphon to drain the Matrix of its power which he can then use to raise a new Decepticon army.

I do like the fact Prime has a mouth in behind his plating. It reminds me of how the live-action movies depicted him and the cheer that came out of the audience (and me) when his plating slid out in battle. But why does he have teeth? Anyway, I’m getting distracted, so back to the story. A few pages earlier Grimlock and Prowl were arguing (as always) about what to do and Prowl reminded the Dinobot leader that Optimus wanted to go in alone to prove the gravity of the situation to Megatron.

Obviously this didn’t sit well with Grimlock (who now has a speech pattern that’s a combination of the original UK and US comics) but orders are orders, right? Well, this led to that inner thought about orders above. On the opposite page to that is the image below which you can’t help but notice upon turning the page, resulting in that thought above being superbly funny!

What follows are a few pages of good old-fashioned fighting between a lot of the classic characters from the earlier days of the original comic, so they’re a blast to read. Even the art continuing not to show transformations (instead showing a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of the character in the same panel) can’t dampen what is an exhilarating battle. In the end the Autobots win, naturally, and the Decepticons tractor beam themselves off Earth, taking the drained Matrix energy with them. Again, they could’ve done this in the beginning!

The last two pages hark back to the gathering darkness of the title. Prowl recycles a line from the cartoon movie as Prime gives us a hint of what battles we should expect in coming issues. I’m going to guess Megatron takes on Jhiaxus’ Decepticons and the Autobots have to come to their rescue. Of course, when I try to guess what’s going to happen in my comics I’m hoping my guess is always wrong and that I’m going to be surprised instead. Speaking of surprises, the people of Fara get a particularly nasty one.

This darkness reminds me a lot of both the void creatures Skids battled in the Marvel UK comic and the corrupted Matrix when it took over Thunderwing in the later issues of the original run. This kind of sums up this issue for me. It’s just too familiar. The nostalgia is welcome in the battle between the opposing sides but elsewhere it feels like a well-trodden path. It’s still enjoyable, in the way that catching a repeat of Knight Rider on TV is enjoyable even though my complete Blu Ray set is on a nearby shelf.

I own the complete Marvel UK run of Transformers G1 and admittedly am reading Generation 2 just after finishing it instead of a few years later, but it still feels a bit too much like a repeat in its overall story and some of its character moments. Unfortunately, there’s also a sense of trying to rush through the plot to get to a certain point, such as with Prime’s sudden disregard for us and Megatron’s ease at gaining the power of the Matrix. Had word reached Simon that the comic wasn’t going to be the ongoing epic he’d envisioned?

Nostalgia isn’t always a good thing

As a result this is the weakest issue so far. The fact it’s still so enjoyable from the nostalgia point of view speaks volumes to the high quality of this series as a whole. This is the first issue of the second half of the run, so I’ll be interested to see if it continues at this pace in order to reach a proper ending. Before I go, an advert in the middle of the comic caught my eye to prove that nostalgia isn’t always a good thing.

To say that’s a problematic advert is a bit of an understatement. In these more enlightened times it’s quite a shock to see it in a kid’s comic. It doesn’t exactly send the right message about women to any young boys reading, does it? I remember the TV show (and the movie it was based on) but I’ll admit I never watched it. From what I’ve heard she actually taught the boys a lot about women throughout the series, but even when I was the exact target audience it never sat right with me, maybe because there were a lot of girls in my friends circle.

Anyway, as I close this latest issue and see that front cover by Derek again I lament how the inside didn’t quite match up to its promise. If the plot having too many convenient things happen is to ensure we’ll reach a proper ending point before cancellation then it’ll go down as a necessary evil. Let’s see how things pan out when Transformers: Generation 2 #7 hits the blog on Sunday 30th March 2025.

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TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #5: HEAD MASTER

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My heart sank a little with this Derek Yaniger cover. Don’t get me wrong, it’s another superb piece by him, we’ve come to expect nothing less these past few months (unfortunately his only contribution to this issue). The problem for me is that Bludgeon is my favourite leader of the Decepticons! He may only have come to the fore over the last year or two of the original Marvel UK run but he made a huge impact on me.

That’s for our backup strip though and first we’ve got the next chapter in our main story, which begins by setting the tone in a familiar way to long term readers, describing Cybertron in a way we’ve seen a few times before, and drawn by Manny Galan, inked by Jim Amash, lettered by Richard Starkings and John Gaushell, and we welcome Chia-Chi Wang (The Punisher, Venom, G.I. Joe) on colours. This familiarity isn’t a complaint, it’s evocative and usually comes before some epic moment or storyline so the levels of anticipation are high. Plus I love the word “bio-chanic”!

But there’s a twist. Optimus Prime is beginning to doubt all of this. Hooked up to a new machine in a vast resonating cavern to allow connection between him and the small part of the Matrix in his mind. No, it doesn’t make sense but it’s a comic about giant alien robots that transform into cars, it only has to sound like it does. The story plays on the psychic nature of the Matrix, which the UK comic did quite a bit. So did the live-action films, again proving some “fans” who complained about such things need to go back and read the original comics.

Meanwhile, on a beautiful, natural, green world somewhere writer Simon Furman doesn’t hold back with his eco message for young readers. This isn’t new to Transformers, their own world was dying and the Decepticons wanted to strip Earth of its natural resources way back at the very beginning of the original comic. Simon also wrote more environmental messages into the UK comic like the wonderful Christmas tale, The Greatest Gift of All.

However, Jhiaxus is more concerned about an attack from the Autobots. Interestingly, it’s the fact they haven’t attacked that concerns him. It must mean Prime is up to something much bigger if this wanton destruction is being ignored. Back with Prime and what’s consuming his thoughts, and we actually get to see Primus create the first ever Transformer life. This is cool, even if the comic always struggled to produce original designs anywhere near as good as the toys.

So what are these disturbing visions trying to tell him? For us, it’s a rewriting of Transformers history as we know it, when Prime realises that they weren’t just created and left to use the Matrix to create new Transformers like all who had come before. For a long, long period of their history they too evolved just like organic life on other planets.

Primus couldn’t just create the life needed to destroy Unicron, his creations had to learn and grow and evolve until they were ready. But they were programmed to stop doing so. Somehow, Jhiaxus unlocked this genetic code, he and his fellow Transformers continuing to evolve into something… else. I have to say, this is a neat way of getting ‘Generation 2’ into the actual story of the comic rather than just being the name of the toy line. It’s quite wonderful, in fact.

Angry, Prime rips himself out of the machine. His race was already at the edge of what it was created to be: a force for good. Megatron and the Decpeticons crossed that line, but what have the Transformers become under Jhiaxus, without a conscience? But as Prime leaves, we readers get to see what the machine would’ve shown him next.

It’s Jhiaxus’ evolutionary process, repeating and repeating until the darkness within transforms into something else and makes its way out into the cosmos. Is this what Prime’s visions in previous months were all about? Is it linked to the vast powers from the time of Primus and Unicron, the reason their evolution was programmed to stop? The story is going very big, very quickly and I like the messages and questions it’s bringing to what would’ve been younger readers at the time. My anticipation for the rest of the run is sky high!

The six-page Tales of Earth: Part Two is also written by Simon and is drawn by the same team, however I’m glad to see Sarra Mossoff back on colours. According to Bludgeon modern day Earth has been completely subjugated by the Decepticons. This is a strange route to take, seeing as how kids could look outside and go, “No it hasn’t.” Personally, setting it just a year or two later as a possible future would’ve made it more dramatic.

Why has Starscream got what looks like a snake’s tongue all-of-a-sudden? Anyway, the story is basically a fight between the two leaders, the outcome of which we already know thanks to the cover and Megatron easily rips off Bludgeon’s head. He’s a Pretender though, so while we know any pain felt by a Pretender shell is also felt by the occupier, Bludgeon battles through, throwing himself out of his shell and straight into his tank mode. Behind all of this we get a funny moment showing the newly restored Starscream is still the same Starscream he’s always been.

At one point Megatron blows up one of Bludgeon’s Decepticons and calls the now-deceased jet ‘Darkwing’, but the colour scheme is that of Dreadwind, a fan favourite among Marvel UK readers as he was one of our letter answerers. I hope it was just a colouring error! In the end things are finished quite easily, with Megatron simply turning into his new tank mode and destroying Bludgeon. A shame, because I always preferred him over Megatron or Galavatron.

On the letters page, Vincent Grisanti may have (unbelievably) preferred Nel Yomtov’s colouring over Sarra’s and he may not like Richard’s word balloons, but he does bring up one good point. Namely, he questions the continuity between the end of the old series and the sequel, in particular the Nucleon storylines which resulted in some Transformers gaining great strength but losing their ability to transform, something they can all do again in Generation 2.

I hate the answer given here. The Action Masters toys may have been criticised at the time (these days non-transforming Transformers seem to sell well) but Simon crafted a wonderful storyline to explain them. This is thrown out with a pithy one-sentence response that I feel mocks all of those dramatic stories (particularly for Grimlock), stopping just short of ignoring them completely.

Of course, here in the UK the final Transformers Annual had a wonderful, character-driven prose story which opened up the doors to those Autobots transforming again. But who cares, right? Just chuck all of that wonderful work away! If the comic carried on beyond its first year I’d loved to have seen this addressed but clearly it wasn’t going to be. I feel cheated. Anyway, before we finish off two adverts from this issue caught my eye from the perspective of cost!

$70 for Sonic the Hedgehog 3?! A game even I could finish in an afternoon? I remember the prices of Sega’s and Nintendo’s cartridges being on the news at the time. No wonder! The Screen Posters are desktop wallpapers. When we now can take any image from the internet or any of our own personal photos and make them our wallpapers with a few clicks, it’s so quaint to remember a time when companies could sell them to us. But without that offer they’re $30! The fact the prices from these adverts are from the early 90s makes them even more shocking!

The best issue so far in this series comes to an end. As the two strips appear to be coming closer together, and as the main one becomes more complex, I can see why this run has been held in such high regard. I can’t believe this is a comic series that would ultimately be cut short. Next month we’re only half way through though, so there’s still plenty to get stuck into yet. The sixth issue of Transformers Generation 2 will be here on Sunday 23rd February 2025. It can’t come bloody soon enough!

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TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #4: GRiMLOCK-AND-LOAD

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I seem to recall this cover being used on one of Fleetway‘s UK issues, although after dipping my toes in with #1 of their comic I’d decided it wasn’t for me, so I must be remembering it from the newsagent’s shelves. Any fans of the Dinobots would’ve lapped this up, Derek Yaniger’s art perfectly capturing what drew young children to these characters. They were just so much fun, and inside Grimlock is the star.

He actually goes through quite a bit here, from leader, to remorsefulness, to having a blast stomping on baddies, making this the best issue yet! This fourth edition of the original US Transformers: Generation 2 begins with Optimus Prime having more visions of a dead world, slain Transformers rising from the ashes and once they touch him his body begins to dissolve, revealing his inner workings.

Interestingly, he hasn’t hidden these visions from his friends; everyone knows of them and no one is questioning his leadership. After his visions in the G1 comics this makes sense. Everyone appears to be on hand to help. It’s then we find out Grimlock has taken a captured Deception shuttle craft and left with some troops. Has he abandoned Prime? No, not quite. In fact, he’s doing it for Prime, even though they were all instructed to stay put.

Grimlock has decided to use a Decepticon craft to land aboard Jhiaxus’ ship Twilight and use the element of surprise to overwhelm the crew and stop their evil crusade in one fell swoop. This hasn’t come out of nowhere, there’s reasoning behind it, although he could’ve told the others. Judging by the panel below they all look miserable as hell!

They’re probably meant to be looking mean, ready for the attack, but instead they look like they’ve been told they’re not allowed any sweets before dinner. Behind all the bravado though, Grimlock has embarked on this unsanctioned mission to try to redeem himself in his own mind. He sees his “running to Prime” in #1 (when he realised the scale of the problem) as a sign of weakness, even though no one else does.

After everything he went through in the last couple of years of Generation 1, especially his dalliance with Nucleon which almost saw the end of the Transformer race’s most unique ability, he’s become much more critical of himself. Though he’ll never admit it out loud, his inner thoughts betray how he worries about his friends and the danger he puts them in with his decisions. I’ve always loved the comic version of Grimlock and here he’s better than ever.

Well, it was meant to be a surprise hit-and-run attack anyway. After pages of build-up, including Grimlock’s detailed tactics being really rather interesting, I actually laughed at it all coming to an ignominious end as soon as they set foot aboard the Twilight. However, Jhiaxus doesn’t kill them. Instead, he tells them they’re now prisoners and will be taken to “The Leige Maximo”, but not before Red Alert tries to launch his own surprise attack which fails spectacularly.

This comic certainly isn’t shy about killing off recurring characters right out of the gate! Grimlock asks what The Leige Maximo is, a person or a place, but he gets no answer. However, as their shuttle takes off Jhiaxus ponders if Grimlock will end up wishing they’d been killed by the Decepticons, and he appears surprisingly remorseful about sending them off to this… thing. Has Jhiaxus been on the receiving end of whatever this thing is? Is it his secret boss? Colour me intrigued! (No spoilers please.)

Back on board, Grimlock’s internal struggle resurfaces. Despite the cartoon depicting him as a dimwitted brute, the comic always gave him great depth. Well, apart from that awful moment in the original series when he became more like the cartoon just as he became Autobot leader but that was thankfully temporary! Apart from that blip he’s always been one of the more interesting characters.

Once again he’s wracked with guilt over the death of someone under his command and his respect for Optimus Prime is clear, albeit internally. I actually feel for him. His pride stops him from admitting any of this and it keeps getting him into trouble, despite his honourable intentions and clear wish to do good by Prime. Ironically, his internal struggles are what make him perfect leadership material, he and Prime unaware they both share the same doubts about themselves.

Who’d have thought all of this would be part of a toy comic, eh? Anyway, they’re soon attacked by another Decepticon craft and Grimlock is quick to transform into his dino mode and take advantage of the confusion to free his troops. And who says T-rex arms are too small to be of any use?

As it turns out the ship had actually been commandeered by Prime, Hot Rod, Kup, Hound and Prowl as a rescue mission. Below, Prime’s politeness while brandishing a huge cannon against the pilot he’s being so polite to is funny, and I can hear Peter Cullen’s voice when I read his “I disagree” speech balloon. Plus, doesn’t Grimlock just look like he’s having the time of his life in that middle panel?

I’ll give penciller Manny Galan kudos for how expressive his dinobots are in their alt-modes! Jim Amash’s and Marie Severin’s inks are as bold as ever and Sarra Mossoff’s colours pop more than ever. Still loving how Richard Starkings’ and John Gaushell’s letters give differently coloured boxes to each character and how they can change depending on the intensity of what they’re saying. A little bit of genius, that.

All of this fun art distracts somewhat from the ludicrous necks to be found elsewhere (see last issue) and writer Simon Furman rounds things off with a final twist in the tale as our two leads meet up and Prime offers Grimlock the position of Commander of the Autobots! Prime is returning to Cybertron as he believes his visions are a warning from the Matrix and he jokes that Grimlock’s only mistake was not stealing the crew too (because they clearly reported back). I think it’s clear Prime actually did know Grimlock struggled mentally and sees a kindred spirit.

The main strip was fantastic this month but yet again the back up (same creative team but with Derek’s art) is even better and begins with this apocalyptic scene on Earth as Bludgeon’s ship bombards the surface from orbit, his plan being to lure Optimus out from wherever he is in the galaxy, kill him and steal the Matrix in order to bring life to new Decepticons. I have to say, Bludgeon and his fellow Decepticon Pretenders are perfectly drawn by Derek.

News reports claim hundreds are already dead which makes this probably the most successful Decepticon strike ever. Well, apart from that alternate future where we saw Galvatron reduce America to rubble. Back in our reality this new, smaller army seems unstoppable. Unstoppable that is, until Bludgeon’s sword is blasted away by another Transformer weapon and we turn the page to be met with this scene.

Oh my! There’s so much to be excited by here! This is also just ‘Part One’ so it feels like one of those self-proclaimed ‘mini-epics’ the original UK comic ran to add depth to the main stories (when it switched to the three-story format), and given their history it’s interesting Megatron chose Starscream to reanimate! This begs the question, “why”? Whatever the answer, it can’t be good for Earth.

It’s the season of goodwill to all and someone really should’ve told Marvel US’s Ralph Macchio. His column in this month’s Bullpen Bulletin is horrendous! Some creatives had become disgruntled by Marvel and had left to set up their own indie comics. I can understand he’d be upset, but comparing that to communism?! Really? Wow! Around the border of the page there’s a disclaimer from the company. If they were so worried by this column they simply shouldn’t have printed it!

That’s insane, isn’t it? At least in the main bulk of the page we find out about Transformers Generation 1 colourist Nel Yomtov’s musical talents and his “Golden Harp” nickname, so there’s always that. But just… wow. I can’t get over that column. ‘Bitter’ doesn’t even cover it and this really paints Marvel in a bad light. I can’t understand how he thought that would be a good column to write and I’d say it probably had the opposite to the intended effect.

To end on a brighter note, the stories this month have been brilliant, the art has been incredible and I’m fully invested in this superb sequel comic. It may not have lasted as long as it so clearly deserved to but there are still eight glorious (I’m sure they’ll be glorious) issues to come and I can’t wait to see what 2025/1994 has in store. We’ll continue our galaxy-spanning adventure on Sunday 26th January 2025.

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Comic Reviews, Transformers: Generation 2

TRANSFORMERS GENERATiON 2 #3: OLD SCHOOL NEW

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I was very happy to find the main strip in this third issue of Marvel US’s Transformers Generation 2 ended after only 16 pages. Not because I was glad that particular story was over or anything, rather because it meant there was another back up strip to enjoy. After hoping we’d see the same format as last time return, the issue is off to a great start for this fan of Marvel UK’s winning formula, which the US comic is now embracing.

The main story, as ever written by Simon Furman, is called Primal Fear and I needn’t have worried about its title being similar to ones from the previous generation. Although the ‘ancient evil’ storyline is still to be built upon, for now this involves a sector of the galaxy that preys on hidden fears and aggression buried deep within the subconscious of any visitors.

It kicks off with this first page that’s notable for its heavy use of wiring and hoses within the framework of the robots. It reminds me of the live-action Transformers and something certain dark corners of the internet complained were unnecessary and ugly, proving some fans really don’t know their history (much like story elements of the films they complained about which were actually inspired by the original comics or cartoon).

Manny Galan (Sonic the Hedgehog, The New Warriors, Street Sharks) has taken over as penciller on the main story with inks by Jim Amash (Archie & Friends, Deadpool, Night Thrasher) and Marie Severin (Kull the Conqueror, The Haunt of Fear, Alf). I’m not sure how I feel about it if I’m honest. At times it feels like some of the earlier UK art and I’m all for that, it has a real classic vibe to it. However, at other times it comes across like they’re struggling with how the Transformers move; they can come across stilted, as if drawn from how the action figures moved.

Hound in particular looks like he could decapitate himself with a good sneeze

But it’s those necks full of robotics that I can’t help but notice. I may have been a big fan of the realism brought to giant alien robots in the live-action films, but here the necks in particular can look ridiculously elongated. Below are two such examples. This doesn’t happen on every page, but when it does it’s like the artist is trying too hard. Upon occasion it’s just too extreme for me. Thank goodness for Richard Starkings’ and John Gaushell’s letters and Sarra Mossoff’s colours returning.

Hound in particular looks like he could decapitate himself with a good sneeze, or perhaps he’s starring in an 80s futuristic movie with a person dressed up in a robot suit, the excess of wires hiding the shape of the actor’s neck. I do, however, like the reflection of Jhiaxus on Prime’s mouth guard. So, what’s this about an ancient evil feeding off others’ primal instincts?

The Transformers were created by Primus to fight and destroy Unicron, which they successfully did in the final year of the original comic. But that in-built aggression is a natural element of their being and something Jhiaxus argues is their true nature, believing Prime and the Autobots’ wish for peace is sacrilegious and ultimately doomed to failure. It’s these deeply buried instincts that Prime has been more willing than normal to embrace over these first few issues.

Indeed, Prime goes very dark in some parts of this early fight and initially I didn’t like these scenes at all. I thought they were just following on from the previous issues and were another example of how his character was more hard-edged. A lot of this is very out of character indeed, but once Simon gets the chance to explain all about this sector of the galaxy (and what’s really happening to Prime) I breathed a sigh of relief, and it’s a great little story.

Optimus eventually gets through to Jhiaxus as only he can, by talking him down and trying to make him see reason. Every ounce of Prime wants to fight back as Jhiaxus continues trying to violently finish things. But we soon realise Jhiaxus is fighting back so desperately because in the heat of battle he gets an element of peace from his own devastating past. He doesn’t want to remember who he was… but he does, below.

Confusingly, the page above is read in columns, although by looking closely you can see the first panel crumbling away into the image of the screaming Decepticon leader. He was a sadistic killer, murdering for the sport, and his greatest fear is that his so-called ‘higher calling’ of galactic conquest in the name of his race is nothing more than his past self dressed up in a more respectable cloak.

As Prime states, they were all created to fight and kill. It’s a heavy moment that hadn’t really occurred to me until now. No wonder Prime’s been struggling to hold back those darker feelings, when the events of the previous two issues seemed to outdo everything they’d achieved over millions of years. Something is forcing them to regress into what they were eons ago; earlier selves they’d overcome to become something greater, even if they’re on opposing sides of the conflict. This is the Prime I remember!

Much like a twisted version of Peter Pan’s shadow, the creatures have attached themselves, but they weaken as the Transformers walk away. And walk away they must. They can’t fight these things, or each other. To do so would release more rage and simply bait these creatures further. It takes a much stronger character to walk away from a battle and the two leaders order their warriors to back away and leave, agreeing to a temporary truce until they next meet.

However, on the last page of the story Jhiaxus can’t help himself and decides to wipe out all life on the planet to prepare it for colonisation. If this will come back to bite him in the time we have with this comic I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. Jhiaxus’ anger at letting the Autobots live grows as he gives his orders. Is this anger being fed by the aliens? He’s made for an excellent baddie so far and we’ve only scraped the surface of his character. A truly excellent creation of Simon’s.

Old Evils is the back up strip and, speaking of great baddies, one of my absolute favourites is back. Firstly though, it carries on from the main strip as Jhiaxus returns to his ship, thankful there’s no sign of any Decepticons from the millennia-old war still alive to tarnish what he’s trying to do in the Decepticon name. Then, elsewhere in the galaxy we see an alien vessel attacked by a much larger ship commanded by none other than Bludgeon!

I’m sure this small strip is very much a prelude of what’s to come, much like the best black and white stories in the original UK comic’s later life; stories which added more depth and foreboding to the US strips, when we’d see elements of storylines long before American readers. The main point here is to bring Bludgeon and the Decepticons we all know so well back into the picture and send them off to our home planet!

I was wondering if Earth was going to get a look in since all of the stories so far have been set in deep space and it’s only a 12-issue run. Not that it was meant to be a 12-issue run of course… or was it? The first Transmissions page contains a surprise in the very first letter, in which reader Benson G. Yes says he’s aware of the current storyline ending with #12! Of course, he could just mean this particular story involving Jhiaxus rather than the comic itself, but it was still a surprise to read this as I’d assumed something had already slipped out that the comic was scheduled to end.

I was thrilled to read the confirmation that the two-strip format is going to remain, and even more thrilled that the stunning art of Derek Yaniger will continue to thrill me, even if it is only within the back ups. After this, the Marvel Bullpen Bulletin makes a brief mention of long-time Transformers writer Bob Budiansky who had moved over to run the company’s trading cards division, and that’s it for another issue.

I’m glad the main strip was more self-contained than the previous two. While it continued the overall story (particularly for Optimus Prime’s and Jhiaxus’ character arcs), the fact it also had a proper beginning, middle and end was like proper old-school Transformers. Three issues in and it feels like it’s just the beginning of true greatness. Transformers Generation 2 continues with #4 during the what-day-of-the-week-is-it-anyway period of the festive season, on Sunday 29th December 2024. Catch you then.

iSSUE TWO < > iSSUE FOUR

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