Mars Ain’t the Kind of Place to Raise Your Kids.
The Transformers Issue 19: Space Opera Part 1: The Stars My Destination. May18th 2011.
Ye think Garnak knows that? ‘Ee once mopped the floor with water from the toilet.
Though we’re only just over halfway through the Costa run, and not even halfway through his last full year on the book, it’s worth noting at this point, thanks to the copious information James Roberts (one of his successors) has shared over the years, we know plans for the next era were already well underway at this point, with lots of emails, online meetings and notes being passed about. Which might explain some of the odder things about the opening issue of this new arc…
Which, for all that we once again get a pretentious literary title (and, again, an Alfred Bester one), opens with something of a relief as we pick up from the end of the best issue Costa had managed up to this point, with Rodimus floating about in space, dead to the Universe.
Before he literally crash-lands into a planet, face first. Where he’s found by two cheerful big goons, Codder and, much more importantly to the future of the series, Garnak. Who initially think the body is of the same species as the “Jangle Man” but decide to take it to “The Admiral” for examination for first.
Ye think Garnak knows that? ‘Ee once mopped the floor with water from the toilet.
Though we’re only just over halfway through the Costa run, and not even halfway through his last full year on the book, it’s worth noting at this point, thanks to the copious information James Roberts (one of his successors) has shared over the years, we know plans for the next era were already well underway at this point, with lots of emails, online meetings and notes being passed about. Which might explain some of the odder things about the opening issue of this new arc…
Which, for all that we once again get a pretentious literary title (and, again, an Alfred Bester one), opens with something of a relief as we pick up from the end of the best issue Costa had managed up to this point, with Rodimus floating about in space, dead to the Universe.
Before he literally crash-lands into a planet, face first. Where he’s found by two cheerful big goons, Codder and, much more importantly to the future of the series, Garnak. Who initially think the body is of the same species as the “Jangle Man” but decide to take it to “The Admiral” for examination for first.
This sort of thing happens a lot to Rodimus in IDW.
The broad humour of two daft idiots is already a welcome change from the last few issues, not exactly high aiming stuff, but if falls short by a narrower margin.
“The Admiral” turns out to be another alien species (both having appeared in previous issues), who actually goes to the effort of reviving Rodimus, though it turns out just because he thinks the Matrix buried into his chest can power their ship and get them off this planet they and the mysterious Jangle Man have been stranded on for longer than anyone can remember. Plugging him into the ship will probably kill Rodimus as well, but a small price to pay.
This is something Rodimus disagrees with, so he uses his arm blasters to escape, fleeing as fast as his battered body will take him, until he runs right into a giant monster long time readers will recognise…
As he’s in no state to deal with it himself, he expects to die, until some strange music fills the air, and a blast takes the monster down, revealing his saviour to be none other than Wheelie!
Yes, a sequel to that Spotlight is probably something no one was expecting at this point, considering how standalone and long ago it was at this point. Even Rodimus can’t quite believe it, and there’s some nice comedy of Wheelie (decked out with the translator of the absent from this story Varta and a toothy necklace like in his Wild Boy of Quintessa storybook) having no idea who Rodimus is, because he’s been missing for so long, he barely even remembers being an Autobot.
“The Admiral” turns out to be another alien species (both having appeared in previous issues), who actually goes to the effort of reviving Rodimus, though it turns out just because he thinks the Matrix buried into his chest can power their ship and get them off this planet they and the mysterious Jangle Man have been stranded on for longer than anyone can remember. Plugging him into the ship will probably kill Rodimus as well, but a small price to pay.
This is something Rodimus disagrees with, so he uses his arm blasters to escape, fleeing as fast as his battered body will take him, until he runs right into a giant monster long time readers will recognise…
As he’s in no state to deal with it himself, he expects to die, until some strange music fills the air, and a blast takes the monster down, revealing his saviour to be none other than Wheelie!
Yes, a sequel to that Spotlight is probably something no one was expecting at this point, considering how standalone and long ago it was at this point. Even Rodimus can’t quite believe it, and there’s some nice comedy of Wheelie (decked out with the translator of the absent from this story Varta and a toothy necklace like in his Wild Boy of Quintessa storybook) having no idea who Rodimus is, because he’s been missing for so long, he barely even remembers being an Autobot.
The bitch is back.
This is where things get a little odd though, as it turns out, despite having the same wildlife, this is not the planet from Spotlight: Wheelie, but a second world he has travelled to in a captured Quintesson spaceship, albeit one now worthless after The Admiral has stripped it to get his own vessel working.
Now, the shift in planet is very odd and easy to miss and it would make no difference whatsoever to this story if it were just the same planet and the Admiral had simply taken parts from subsequently crashed ships there. So, what is going on?
As noted, plans were well underway for the next relaunch and we’re only a few issues away from James Roberts introducing the absolutely key to his run Rung (with even a note in the script that is going to be an important character who’ll be recurring, and care needs to be taken with their design).
We don’t know as much about how much John Barber was planning things out, nor his process. Largely due to him still being with IDW until very recently and, very much unlike Roberts, still pursing a career in the industry. Meaning less direct honesty and a somewhat skewed to the one writer historical perspective. At least for now, maybe in a few more years he’ll chose to fill in a few more blanks.
However, we do know Wheelie and his misadventures are going to be a big part of Barber’s plan, so is Costa laying some pipe here under editorial orders? Or, as Costa was meant to be staying on with an Optimus Prime ongoing, is he setting stuff up for that which Barber then took upon himself to resolve when the Great Falling Out happened?
Now, the shift in planet is very odd and easy to miss and it would make no difference whatsoever to this story if it were just the same planet and the Admiral had simply taken parts from subsequently crashed ships there. So, what is going on?
As noted, plans were well underway for the next relaunch and we’re only a few issues away from James Roberts introducing the absolutely key to his run Rung (with even a note in the script that is going to be an important character who’ll be recurring, and care needs to be taken with their design).
We don’t know as much about how much John Barber was planning things out, nor his process. Largely due to him still being with IDW until very recently and, very much unlike Roberts, still pursing a career in the industry. Meaning less direct honesty and a somewhat skewed to the one writer historical perspective. At least for now, maybe in a few more years he’ll chose to fill in a few more blanks.
However, we do know Wheelie and his misadventures are going to be a big part of Barber’s plan, so is Costa laying some pipe here under editorial orders? Or, as Costa was meant to be staying on with an Optimus Prime ongoing, is he setting stuff up for that which Barber then took upon himself to resolve when the Great Falling Out happened?
Children of the night, what sweet music they make.
Or is Costa just very confused about what actually happened in Spotlight: Wheelie and, as he will with many other continuity oddities over the years, Barber decided to make it his life’s mission to not only explain, but to forefront it?
A lot will depend on when they decided not to go forward with Abnett and Lanning as the writers of the second new ongoing, but the possibilities are literally three.
Wheelie has clearly been through a lot, possibly from having read back the last few paragraphs, with only his music soothing him. But, luckily for Rodimus, he starts to remember more and come back to himself as Garnak arrives to try and retrieve the Matrix bearer, knocking him out and saving the ‘Bot he now recognises as a friend.
Garnak turns out to be basically a loveable idiot with no real clue what’s going on, and cheerfully tells everything: That the Admiral was just a nobody on their ship till it crashed with only him and two goons surviving. Effectively long isolation and a bit too much pride in having gotten the ship space worthy again has sent him round the twist, including giving himself an overly fancy title.
A lot will depend on when they decided not to go forward with Abnett and Lanning as the writers of the second new ongoing, but the possibilities are literally three.
Wheelie has clearly been through a lot, possibly from having read back the last few paragraphs, with only his music soothing him. But, luckily for Rodimus, he starts to remember more and come back to himself as Garnak arrives to try and retrieve the Matrix bearer, knocking him out and saving the ‘Bot he now recognises as a friend.
Garnak turns out to be basically a loveable idiot with no real clue what’s going on, and cheerfully tells everything: That the Admiral was just a nobody on their ship till it crashed with only him and two goons surviving. Effectively long isolation and a bit too much pride in having gotten the ship space worthy again has sent him round the twist, including giving himself an overly fancy title.
How did the monsters from the other planet get there? Stay tuned!
Rodimus, feeling guilt over having abandoned his followers on Earth, is now determined to leave no man behind, and promises Wheelie he’s going to get him home and that there are still Autobots out there.
Garnak is now also part of the team, and we get some straightforward subterfuge of him coming back with Rodimus’ “Body,” letting them zoom past the Admiral and Codder, before Wheelie uses his music to set one of the monsters on them.
It won’t be a long-lasting distraction, so Rodimus has to plug-in, and risk being killed, but it’s a choice he willingly makes to save another, getting knocked out, leaving Wheelie piloting and excited to be heading… home.
Whatever the actual reason for doing a Wheelie follow-up, Costa once again seems far more comfortable with a Rodimus focused story set off-Earth than with any of his ongoing main plots. It’s fast, fun froth where the tragic sad Wheelie slowly coming back to himself (if still confusing everyone with his rhyming) being surprisingly well done.
It actually doesn’t feel like it’s written by the same person as the last arc, though perhaps it having to be constrained to a two and a half issue story rather than the more sprawling padded “Epic” of the previous effort is doing something to help.
Garnak is now also part of the team, and we get some straightforward subterfuge of him coming back with Rodimus’ “Body,” letting them zoom past the Admiral and Codder, before Wheelie uses his music to set one of the monsters on them.
It won’t be a long-lasting distraction, so Rodimus has to plug-in, and risk being killed, but it’s a choice he willingly makes to save another, getting knocked out, leaving Wheelie piloting and excited to be heading… home.
Whatever the actual reason for doing a Wheelie follow-up, Costa once again seems far more comfortable with a Rodimus focused story set off-Earth than with any of his ongoing main plots. It’s fast, fun froth where the tragic sad Wheelie slowly coming back to himself (if still confusing everyone with his rhyming) being surprisingly well done.
It actually doesn’t feel like it’s written by the same person as the last arc, though perhaps it having to be constrained to a two and a half issue story rather than the more sprawling padded “Epic” of the previous effort is doing something to help.
Friend find, look... ahead.
Guido Guidi returns on art here and, as usual, cheerfully knocks it out the park, being especially good at creating a feeling of Spotlight: Wheelie without directly copying it.
Throw in a fun new recurring character and the only real negative is it is a perhaps a bit harsh on The Admiral and Codder, neither of whom was really so evil as to deserve their abandoned fate. Though it’s entirely possible they show up again later and I’ve just forgotten.
That means I come out of this feeling more positive about Costa than I have since, well, the last time Rodimus was in an issue.
Will this positivity transfer over to Heart of Darkness next week?
HEART OF DARKNESS ISSUE 2
2011
COMMENT
KO-FI
Throw in a fun new recurring character and the only real negative is it is a perhaps a bit harsh on The Admiral and Codder, neither of whom was really so evil as to deserve their abandoned fate. Though it’s entirely possible they show up again later and I’ve just forgotten.
That means I come out of this feeling more positive about Costa than I have since, well, the last time Rodimus was in an issue.
Will this positivity transfer over to Heart of Darkness next week?
HEART OF DARKNESS ISSUE 2
2011
COMMENT
KO-FI
