Shout, Shout, let it all Out, these are the Things That We’re All About.
Autocracy Chapter 11: Broadcast. June 6th 2012.
The Decepticons are large and in charge, and they’ve been crackin’ down on anyone speakin’ the truth!
For people coming to Autocracy having read the later comics, the biggest surprise about the penultimate part is going to be how chatty Metroplex is, this coming before one of the few really overt (and very successful) retcons under John Barber of Titan’s needing to communicate through a “City Speaker.”
He uses this verbosity to be cryptic—talking about how he knows Prime under a different name and in a different time and all this has happened before and all this will happen again (because, as mentioned before, Battlestar Galactica was the most recent big influential SF series)—and to talk himself out of involving himself in the story before the last issue by saying he’s going to stay here and protect the civilians.
So Prime is going to need help to rally the troops, which is where popular radio personality Blaster comes in. It’s hard to tell if him being the “voice” of the people is an intentional use of his established Spotlight persona, or if it’s just the single most obvious thing for Blaster’s pre-war life to have been, but, even with some gratuitous Transformers: The Movie references, the bluster Blaster brings adds some much-needed energy to the comic.
The Decepticons are large and in charge, and they’ve been crackin’ down on anyone speakin’ the truth!
For people coming to Autocracy having read the later comics, the biggest surprise about the penultimate part is going to be how chatty Metroplex is, this coming before one of the few really overt (and very successful) retcons under John Barber of Titan’s needing to communicate through a “City Speaker.”
He uses this verbosity to be cryptic—talking about how he knows Prime under a different name and in a different time and all this has happened before and all this will happen again (because, as mentioned before, Battlestar Galactica was the most recent big influential SF series)—and to talk himself out of involving himself in the story before the last issue by saying he’s going to stay here and protect the civilians.
So Prime is going to need help to rally the troops, which is where popular radio personality Blaster comes in. It’s hard to tell if him being the “voice” of the people is an intentional use of his established Spotlight persona, or if it’s just the single most obvious thing for Blaster’s pre-war life to have been, but, even with some gratuitous Transformers: The Movie references, the bluster Blaster brings adds some much-needed energy to the comic.
We've all used that line.
Indeed, him shit talking about the takeover means Megatron has sent some Stunticons to his studio to kill him, not unlike a scene in The Stand. Unlike Kathy Burke though, Blaster survives thanks to Prime’s arrival at the key moment (complete with quip, “So much for freedom of speech”). And, after assuring him they want the truth rather than PR, Blaster agrees to help.
There’s then a sneaky bit of padding where, even though he was broadcasting well enough to have annoyed Megatron from where he was, they need to go to another, separate broadcasting station before they can put the message out. Though it does give us a nice moment of Prowl finding it annoyingly difficult to call Pax “Prime.”
Oddly, having made a fuss of grabbing Blaster to do this, in the end, all he does is provide an introduction to Prime’s big rabble-rousing speech, calling on all civilians to march on Iacon to take back their city and he’s a totally different sort of Prime, not having been selected by “Ancient ritual or ascent of committee.”
No, he was picked by a magic 8 ball. Very different and much more democratic.
There’s then a sneaky bit of padding where, even though he was broadcasting well enough to have annoyed Megatron from where he was, they need to go to another, separate broadcasting station before they can put the message out. Though it does give us a nice moment of Prowl finding it annoyingly difficult to call Pax “Prime.”
Oddly, having made a fuss of grabbing Blaster to do this, in the end, all he does is provide an introduction to Prime’s big rabble-rousing speech, calling on all civilians to march on Iacon to take back their city and he’s a totally different sort of Prime, not having been selected by “Ancient ritual or ascent of committee.”
No, he was picked by a magic 8 ball. Very different and much more democratic.
Apparently Primus demands his Primes have the biggest crotch in the room at all times.
Still, it is fun to see the different groups listening in, including a rare for this series coherent wider continuity reference with clothes wearing Alpha Trion and the Dynobots.
All of this surprises Megatron, with him actually having to work to hide his shock as a gleeful Starscream needles him about having failed to kill Pax after all. With the Seeker getting even more cocky when it turns out Prime’s speech has actually worked, and a huge crowd is now coming down the street, Optimus and a massive Autobot flag he got from somewhere at the head.
Of course, Starscream’s smugness doesn’t last long as, when he tries to show Megatron how to do it by leading a squadron attack on the march, he gets easily chased off by the Aerialbots.
As the citadel’s guns fire down on them, Prime screams they will not turn back now, and that it’s “Over” at Megatron, making the Decepticon leader reply “It’ll take more than you imagine, Optimus Prime.”
Phhhhhhh.
All of this surprises Megatron, with him actually having to work to hide his shock as a gleeful Starscream needles him about having failed to kill Pax after all. With the Seeker getting even more cocky when it turns out Prime’s speech has actually worked, and a huge crowd is now coming down the street, Optimus and a massive Autobot flag he got from somewhere at the head.
Of course, Starscream’s smugness doesn’t last long as, when he tries to show Megatron how to do it by leading a squadron attack on the march, he gets easily chased off by the Aerialbots.
As the citadel’s guns fire down on them, Prime screams they will not turn back now, and that it’s “Over” at Megatron, making the Decepticon leader reply “It’ll take more than you imagine, Optimus Prime.”
Phhhhhhh.
All my readers in one place.
I must admit, finishing this issue this morning, that last, gratuitous movie quote left a bad taste in my mouth and soured the whole thing for me.
But, talking it through now, it’s actually one of the better issues of the series, with Blaster being great (if pointless), and the big crowd of pissed off citizens making for a nice cathartic start to the finale and giving some strong Livio visuals.
So, as flawed as this series has been, it at least seems to be gearing up for a solid ending.
Next week, it’s Pax back time.
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ISSUE 5
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
But, talking it through now, it’s actually one of the better issues of the series, with Blaster being great (if pointless), and the big crowd of pissed off citizens making for a nice cathartic start to the finale and giving some strong Livio visuals.
So, as flawed as this series has been, it at least seems to be gearing up for a solid ending.
Next week, it’s Pax back time.
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ISSUE 5
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
