Till I Woke with a Yawn in the First Light of Dawn, and I saw Him and Through his Disguise.

The Transformers Issue 10: International Incident Part 2: “Ranks of Bronze”. August 11th 2010.
I’m unfamiliar with “Patton.”
If there’s one thing Mike Costa loves, it’s an overdrawn opening, and, even though at least it’s not completely dead space this time, no less than 7 pages of the opening of this issue are given over to “How do the Autobots get to South Korea, secretly?”, which winds up rather a nothing question.
It turns out, they’ve been shipped from the US as a new delivery of American cars (and a truck), for immediate sale to try and get ahead of the newest Decepticon shenanigans.
Which, as the South Korean dock hand points out to a Skywatch guy (who turns out not to be Spike, despite looking very like him in the hard hat that covers the identifying distinctive haircut), is ridiculous. As is shipping just seven vehicles. And what sort of contacts does this company have that they could open up a dock in the middle of the night during an invasion for cars anyway? And why does the paperwork say they’ve come from San Pedro when Mr Skywatch says Detroit? And…
Well, if the point of this character were to try and lampshade the questions the reader might be asking, he’s now outlived his usefulness, as the guy he’s talking to decides, much to Spike’s bafflement, to choke him unconscious and then throw him into the water. With a very “Duke has gone into a coma” feeling line about him having a lifejacket on to try and make this blatant murder not feel like one.
I’m unfamiliar with “Patton.”
If there’s one thing Mike Costa loves, it’s an overdrawn opening, and, even though at least it’s not completely dead space this time, no less than 7 pages of the opening of this issue are given over to “How do the Autobots get to South Korea, secretly?”, which winds up rather a nothing question.
It turns out, they’ve been shipped from the US as a new delivery of American cars (and a truck), for immediate sale to try and get ahead of the newest Decepticon shenanigans.
Which, as the South Korean dock hand points out to a Skywatch guy (who turns out not to be Spike, despite looking very like him in the hard hat that covers the identifying distinctive haircut), is ridiculous. As is shipping just seven vehicles. And what sort of contacts does this company have that they could open up a dock in the middle of the night during an invasion for cars anyway? And why does the paperwork say they’ve come from San Pedro when Mr Skywatch says Detroit? And…
Well, if the point of this character were to try and lampshade the questions the reader might be asking, he’s now outlived his usefulness, as the guy he’s talking to decides, much to Spike’s bafflement, to choke him unconscious and then throw him into the water. With a very “Duke has gone into a coma” feeling line about him having a lifejacket on to try and make this blatant murder not feel like one.

What also makes this ridiculous is it will turn out the Autobots have air and sea support that could have gotten them into the country just as “stealthily” (and indeed, will turn out to be how they’re planning to get out), making all this completely pointless.
Still, with Prime (who is being very sarcastic about Spike’s leadership) and six guys (including Smokescreen, who has been watching Patton Oswalt stuff as part of a “Cultural exchange,” I wonder if James Roberts later forgot which Datsun was into Earth stuff when he gave Bluestreak this tic) are unpacked and have the plan repeated to them:
The entire world is watching, they cannot have Transformers be seen to be working with US troops (that Skywatch isn’t US has been quietly forgotten, is Costa trying to make them seem less NEST?), because if that happens, the President will probably be impeached.
Which seems very naive considering more recent history.
So, the entire following battle must be done in vehicle mode. Albeit with the help of some very big guns which, in one of the better moments of the issue, Wheeljack is absolutely delighted to kit everyone out with.
Still, with Prime (who is being very sarcastic about Spike’s leadership) and six guys (including Smokescreen, who has been watching Patton Oswalt stuff as part of a “Cultural exchange,” I wonder if James Roberts later forgot which Datsun was into Earth stuff when he gave Bluestreak this tic) are unpacked and have the plan repeated to them:
The entire world is watching, they cannot have Transformers be seen to be working with US troops (that Skywatch isn’t US has been quietly forgotten, is Costa trying to make them seem less NEST?), because if that happens, the President will probably be impeached.
Which seems very naive considering more recent history.
So, the entire following battle must be done in vehicle mode. Albeit with the help of some very big guns which, in one of the better moments of the issue, Wheeljack is absolutely delighted to kit everyone out with.

At the centre of the invasion, the Combaticons are taking some time out for energon and a sit down, with Onslaught being very pleased not to have bossy idiots like Swindle and Megatron about.
Turns out though, there’s always a bossy idiot, as Kim Jong Du, still personally walking about a war zone, arrives and tells them off for not working hard enough for the great peoples’ collective and they need to go take care of the remaining “Occupying” army outside.
Onslaught doesn’t like this but has to embarrassingly admit he has no better plan to get energon. Making Vortex wish Swindle were there after all.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with a drastically different take on a Transformer. Bob Budiansky ignored his profile for Blaster in his comics. James Roberts will later come up with a very divergent take on Star Sabre. But it does feel odd in a comic that feels more like an episode of the cartoon (but with POLITICS) and where the Combaticons looks very close to their original models, to have their tactical genius be an idiot.
Speaking of tactical idiots, the commander of the US troops outside sees Smokescreen, with a massive gun strapped to the roof, go zooming past and has to ask, “Was that a sports car?”
Turns out though, there’s always a bossy idiot, as Kim Jong Du, still personally walking about a war zone, arrives and tells them off for not working hard enough for the great peoples’ collective and they need to go take care of the remaining “Occupying” army outside.
Onslaught doesn’t like this but has to embarrassingly admit he has no better plan to get energon. Making Vortex wish Swindle were there after all.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with a drastically different take on a Transformer. Bob Budiansky ignored his profile for Blaster in his comics. James Roberts will later come up with a very divergent take on Star Sabre. But it does feel odd in a comic that feels more like an episode of the cartoon (but with POLITICS) and where the Combaticons looks very close to their original models, to have their tactical genius be an idiot.
Speaking of tactical idiots, the commander of the US troops outside sees Smokescreen, with a massive gun strapped to the roof, go zooming past and has to ask, “Was that a sports car?”

The abilities of the Transformers are not a secret to the humans at this point, I can’t see any way that you could watch a bunch of heavily armed non-military vehicles attacking Cybertronians and not just assume they are also Cybertronain.
Especially when the Skywatch mech suits join in.
Especially when Jetfire flies in to take on Vortex.
Especially when Broadside (in, to be fair, a rare use of his aircraft carrier mode in an offensive capacity) joins in, blasting the Combaticons from the coast as they get forced towards the sea.
Especially when the Skywatch mech suits join in.
Especially when Jetfire flies in to take on Vortex.
Especially when Broadside (in, to be fair, a rare use of his aircraft carrier mode in an offensive capacity) joins in, blasting the Combaticons from the coast as they get forced towards the sea.

Despite all this, being stuck in vehicle mode means the Combaticons manage to overcome the element of surprise, escaping after taking down Jetfire (the Autobots’ route out of the country) and crashing him into Broadside first.
After a cut to a warehouse that neatly avoids showing how they got away from the American troops, we actually get a nice moment of Prime having to point out Jetfire is a scientist and no match for a combat veteran like Vortex, a rare acknowledgement that just having the biggest toy doesn’t mean you’re the best fighter.
Still, with it going to take some time for their two modes of transport to recover, they’re now trapped. And without air support when against a flyer. Luckily, Prime is able to say Bumblebee is working on that right now. Which makes Cliffjumper wonder why their boss isn’t out here taking the knocks with them.
It turns out Bumblebee is back in America, trying to encourage someone to help out by pointing out too many Transformers don’t want to change to face their new circumstances, but, like Bumblebee is friends with Drift now, he thinks the person he’s talking too can change, so what will Thundercracker do?
Well, least that ending promises we’ll be returning to one of the elements of the series that has actually worked well next issue.
After a cut to a warehouse that neatly avoids showing how they got away from the American troops, we actually get a nice moment of Prime having to point out Jetfire is a scientist and no match for a combat veteran like Vortex, a rare acknowledgement that just having the biggest toy doesn’t mean you’re the best fighter.
Still, with it going to take some time for their two modes of transport to recover, they’re now trapped. And without air support when against a flyer. Luckily, Prime is able to say Bumblebee is working on that right now. Which makes Cliffjumper wonder why their boss isn’t out here taking the knocks with them.
It turns out Bumblebee is back in America, trying to encourage someone to help out by pointing out too many Transformers don’t want to change to face their new circumstances, but, like Bumblebee is friends with Drift now, he thinks the person he’s talking too can change, so what will Thundercracker do?
Well, least that ending promises we’ll be returning to one of the elements of the series that has actually worked well next issue.

This is just bad on every level. The idea of the Autobots being forced to fight in vehicle mode is a decent, fun, one, but it says a lot that the cartoon came up with a more sensible conceit for this story twenty-five years earlier.
Otherwise, Guidi’s art remains uncharacteristically off his best, the action is deeply uninteresting and what story there is (Skywatch doing a little murder as a treat) is wafer thin and terrible. The best part is literally the one panel of Wheeljack’s happy little face when he sees guns.
I’m posting this on the 25th of December, and even on Christmas Day, I don’t want this much turkey.
Still, next week, it’s a new year and a new series as we Drift into 2023.
IRONHIDE ISSUE 4
2010
COMMENT
KO-FI
Otherwise, Guidi’s art remains uncharacteristically off his best, the action is deeply uninteresting and what story there is (Skywatch doing a little murder as a treat) is wafer thin and terrible. The best part is literally the one panel of Wheeljack’s happy little face when he sees guns.
I’m posting this on the 25th of December, and even on Christmas Day, I don’t want this much turkey.
Still, next week, it’s a new year and a new series as we Drift into 2023.
IRONHIDE ISSUE 4
2010
COMMENT
KO-FI