City on Fire, Rats in the Grass, and the Lunatics Yelling in the Streets.
Autocracy Chapter 6: Purge. March 28th 2012.
I’m just about done getting blown up today.
The action beat of this issue is fairly straightforward: In order to let the civilians of Nyon escape, Pax’s team take on the approaching Omega Destructor, taking it down with detonators and firepower and Transformers the Movie paraphrasing (“Didn’t even scratch it”), before it simply gets back up and carries on.
At which point Zeta Prime arrives, knocks everyone still standing down, and declares he has won.
The most interesting part—well, unless you’re a Megatron/Prime shipper, in which case the most interesting part is that Megatron is still watching all this on his TV and is especially keen on seeing what Pax will do next—is the Hot Rod part of the issue.
In which, realising the Autobots can’t stop the Destructor, and nothing will save the civilians still within the city, he puts into place a contingency he and his fellow rebels have prepared for…
I’m just about done getting blown up today.
The action beat of this issue is fairly straightforward: In order to let the civilians of Nyon escape, Pax’s team take on the approaching Omega Destructor, taking it down with detonators and firepower and Transformers the Movie paraphrasing (“Didn’t even scratch it”), before it simply gets back up and carries on.
At which point Zeta Prime arrives, knocks everyone still standing down, and declares he has won.
The most interesting part—well, unless you’re a Megatron/Prime shipper, in which case the most interesting part is that Megatron is still watching all this on his TV and is especially keen on seeing what Pax will do next—is the Hot Rod part of the issue.
In which, realising the Autobots can’t stop the Destructor, and nothing will save the civilians still within the city, he puts into place a contingency he and his fellow rebels have prepared for…
Activating a series of charges that destroy Nyon in flames, preventing anyone becoming fuel for Zeta’s war machine, by killing everyone still within the city.
This is a shocking, dark and not what you’d expect from Hot Rod moment. It even disturbs Bumblebee. Though, in probably the most telling bit of character this entire story has given him, Pax understands both the weight of the decision and that Hot Rod had no choice, them all having been pushed into a no-win scenario by Zeta.
It’s the sort of thing that should have redefined his character for the rest of IDW, giving him a great deal of extra weight and trauma.
But it will never be mentioned or even hinted at in a present-day story written after this. Even when his primary writer going forward, James Roberts, does use some elements of Autocracy in Rodimus’ backstory, this is resolutely ignored. As if it actively annoyed him and his plans.
This is a shocking, dark and not what you’d expect from Hot Rod moment. It even disturbs Bumblebee. Though, in probably the most telling bit of character this entire story has given him, Pax understands both the weight of the decision and that Hot Rod had no choice, them all having been pushed into a no-win scenario by Zeta.
It’s the sort of thing that should have redefined his character for the rest of IDW, giving him a great deal of extra weight and trauma.
But it will never be mentioned or even hinted at in a present-day story written after this. Even when his primary writer going forward, James Roberts, does use some elements of Autocracy in Rodimus’ backstory, this is resolutely ignored. As if it actively annoyed him and his plans.
Now, you can argue it’s unfair to judge a story entirely on what other writers would do with it beyond its control, but that More Than Meets the Eye Rodimus has never killed a city of civilians was blatantly obvious even at this point, and that’s where maybe using another character would have been better for this story.
But, of course, if it had been, say, Bluestreak, the whole thing couldn’t be a gratuitous Transformers the Movie tribute act.
Next week, it’s back-to-back Dille-dallying as Megatron saves his boyfriend.
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ISSUE 3
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
But, of course, if it had been, say, Bluestreak, the whole thing couldn’t be a gratuitous Transformers the Movie tribute act.
Next week, it’s back-to-back Dille-dallying as Megatron saves his boyfriend.
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ISSUE 3
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI