Transformation 61: The Sparkplug/Smokescreen Double Act.

12/7/2013

It's dream time for an especially ugly Buster and a day at the races for the Constructicons as Furman would clealry rather be writing about anything else other than the Special Teams.

All in my look at:

Devastation Derby! Part 1.

4 Comments

Ryan F

13/7/2013 04:15:16 pm

Interesting reading of the plot - until you mentioned it in your post, I'd never considered that the Matrix itself was instigating all this as part of a grand plan to create the Special Teams. All these years, I just assumed the dreams were just a random residual side-effect...

Simon Hall

14/7/2013 12:55:57 am

...I quite like Will Simpson's art. Why do so many people dislike it? I do find though, its much better when he tones down the hatching - the stuff he does on 'Prey' i really like. He is also one of the few artists on transformers whose work beenfits from the 'flatter' colouring technique used later on. The painted colours just make his work look a bit too busy. I will admit, his version of Devastator is pretty horrible - but then the Sunbow model is a bit of a grim gangling nonsense. Perhaps he should have worked from the toys...? Cool sequence where the Constructicons split into their component members at the start.

Spot on observation about Sparkplug. A line of dialogue along the lines of 'you got my son into this, now he's having breakdowns and drawing on doors in his sleep - what have you done to him?!' would have fixed this seemingly out of character moment.

Stuart

14/7/2013 02:39:37 am

@ Ryan: I'm possibly biased by having seen Rebirth before reading this story, but it has always read to me as a deliberate desire by the Matrix to bring in the Second Generation.

@ Simon: I should say that, whilst I'm not a huge fan (which isn't down to anything he's drawn so much as just my own preference for the artists who the more chunky robot style) I usually don't mind Simpson, but I do think he's really off his game here.

On the other hsnd, I think he really shines whenever he has to draw a Tranformer that's fucked up in some way. Be in insane drill hand Soundwave in Christmas Breaker, rampaging Snarl in Dinobot Hunt or, and this is what I regard as his peak, zombie Jazz, at those moments he really knocks it out the part.

Ryan F

16/7/2013 11:12:46 am

Actually, Stuart, a quick bit of research proves you correct!

From the '86 Annual text story/recap, "In The Beginning":

'The Matrix had left behind a special message in Buster's mind that told of the Special Teams.'

Transformation 61: The Sparkplug/Smokescreen Double Act.

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