So, I’m Back up in the Game, Running Things to Keep my Swing.
The Transformers Issue 21: Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix/Police Action: Prologue. July 6th 2011.
So this is Earth, huh? Kinda smells bad.
There’s very little hyperbole is saying Heart of Darkness was considered a disaster even before it finished publishing, to the extent it completely changed the plans and direction for its adjacent series, with huge knock-on effects.
Notably, the already mentioned abandonment of any more miniseries or spinoffs for the foreseeable future. Meaning the two that were planned, a two-issue double Spotlight style story from James Roberts and the grand finale to the entire Costa era miniseries, were instead absorbed into the ongoing.
To do that and still end the run by the end of the year (because apparently losing any of the planned story for the ongoing wasn’t an option), the most immediate effect is that the comic now goes twice a month. Which, as two (and at one point, three) ongoings were already being planned for After Costa, is a handy way of testing the sustainability of the idea.
Going forward, we will have alternating stories, with issues 22 and 23 given to Roberts, before going back and forth between the Chaos event and the intended ongoing plot, from issue to issue.
That means issue 21 actually has two stories, one to set up each arc.
Naturally, this is quite convoluted (to the point this issue has an afterward from Andy Schmidt trying to explain it all and big up the changes coming at the end of the year in a slightly desperate sounding way, see the very end of this article for it and keep it in mind for the rest of 2011), and no trade collection has followed this pattern, separating the two separate arcs neatly (and placing Chaos last), with the attendant result that issue 21 is also split between two different trades.
So this is Earth, huh? Kinda smells bad.
There’s very little hyperbole is saying Heart of Darkness was considered a disaster even before it finished publishing, to the extent it completely changed the plans and direction for its adjacent series, with huge knock-on effects.
Notably, the already mentioned abandonment of any more miniseries or spinoffs for the foreseeable future. Meaning the two that were planned, a two-issue double Spotlight style story from James Roberts and the grand finale to the entire Costa era miniseries, were instead absorbed into the ongoing.
To do that and still end the run by the end of the year (because apparently losing any of the planned story for the ongoing wasn’t an option), the most immediate effect is that the comic now goes twice a month. Which, as two (and at one point, three) ongoings were already being planned for After Costa, is a handy way of testing the sustainability of the idea.
Going forward, we will have alternating stories, with issues 22 and 23 given to Roberts, before going back and forth between the Chaos event and the intended ongoing plot, from issue to issue.
That means issue 21 actually has two stories, one to set up each arc.
Naturally, this is quite convoluted (to the point this issue has an afterward from Andy Schmidt trying to explain it all and big up the changes coming at the end of the year in a slightly desperate sounding way, see the very end of this article for it and keep it in mind for the rest of 2011), and no trade collection has followed this pattern, separating the two separate arcs neatly (and placing Chaos last), with the attendant result that issue 21 is also split between two different trades.
Phew, that look nearly as long to write as the title of the conclusion to Space Opera. Which has a pretention that the story itself actually manages to exceed.
Not that you’d tell from the first few pages, which are given over to a couple of Skywatch guys outside Omega Supreme, having a good moan about having to guard the robots they signed on to kill, before cutting to the inside to show Bumblebee is now up and about again, albeit having to use a cane.
It’s when he gets called outside things get strange, as “Hot Rod” (for some reason, after actively avoiding calling him that even when trying to remind Wheelie who he is for the last few issues featuring him, Costa has decided to revisit the name change) has returned with some thought to be long dead old friends.
For some reason though, this page and some (but not all) of the following ones, has an omnipresent narration from “The Vector Sigma Archive”, that apes ye olde Biblical style writing. “It was said upon that day, that unlooked for came Hot Rod, shining like a Prime of older days, and glory went before him” is how it starts, and it only gets worse from there.
This is a frankly baffling choice. The narration adds nothing. There’s no humour from the historical record not quite reflecting the reality (the sort of trick Furman was doing with his narrated stories 25 years earlier), there’s no added subtext from them and they don’t tell you anything just putting some dialogue boxes on the pages wouldn’t have revealed.
Not that you’d tell from the first few pages, which are given over to a couple of Skywatch guys outside Omega Supreme, having a good moan about having to guard the robots they signed on to kill, before cutting to the inside to show Bumblebee is now up and about again, albeit having to use a cane.
It’s when he gets called outside things get strange, as “Hot Rod” (for some reason, after actively avoiding calling him that even when trying to remind Wheelie who he is for the last few issues featuring him, Costa has decided to revisit the name change) has returned with some thought to be long dead old friends.
For some reason though, this page and some (but not all) of the following ones, has an omnipresent narration from “The Vector Sigma Archive”, that apes ye olde Biblical style writing. “It was said upon that day, that unlooked for came Hot Rod, shining like a Prime of older days, and glory went before him” is how it starts, and it only gets worse from there.
This is a frankly baffling choice. The narration adds nothing. There’s no humour from the historical record not quite reflecting the reality (the sort of trick Furman was doing with his narrated stories 25 years earlier), there’s no added subtext from them and they don’t tell you anything just putting some dialogue boxes on the pages wouldn’t have revealed.
It is the ultimate sign of a writer who is absolutely convinced he’s too good for this toy comic and is determined to show it, whilst not actually having the talent to come remotely close to pulling off what he’s trying to do.
It’s genuinely a painful, hard to penetrate read that makes those pages with it a struggle. And the contrast with the no-narration pages makes for a wildly uneven read. You go from the American TV preacher voiceover to a genuinely quite fun burn of Hot Rod just brushing past Bumblebee to go straight to Optimus.
Though as the narration insists, all Hot Rod wants to do is return the Matrix, there’s no ego there as he has now learnt to be a better, humbler and level-headed person.
And, as this is narration from at some point in the future, we can be confident that he will never regress backwards on that point.
Optimus is also gracious enough to formally allow Rodimus to change his name. Even though he’s been going by “Rodimus” for about a year at this point.
Alongside this, we see Sunstreaker reunite with the Autobots he betrayed, which you’d expect would be a rich source of drama, especially when Cliffjumper and Mirage give him a dirty look…
It’s genuinely a painful, hard to penetrate read that makes those pages with it a struggle. And the contrast with the no-narration pages makes for a wildly uneven read. You go from the American TV preacher voiceover to a genuinely quite fun burn of Hot Rod just brushing past Bumblebee to go straight to Optimus.
Though as the narration insists, all Hot Rod wants to do is return the Matrix, there’s no ego there as he has now learnt to be a better, humbler and level-headed person.
And, as this is narration from at some point in the future, we can be confident that he will never regress backwards on that point.
Optimus is also gracious enough to formally allow Rodimus to change his name. Even though he’s been going by “Rodimus” for about a year at this point.
Alongside this, we see Sunstreaker reunite with the Autobots he betrayed, which you’d expect would be a rich source of drama, especially when Cliffjumper and Mirage give him a dirty look…
…Before going over to hug him, with everything forgiven. Effectively setting the stage for how Sunstreaker will be treated for the rest of the IDW run: As an almost entirely irrelevant character.
Also feeling irrelevant is Bumblebee, as Optimus comes out and gives a big, rousing speech about what Rodimus has told him about Galvatron (including things about how long Galvatron has been on Cybertron he couldn’t have learnt from the Heart of Darkness portrayal of those events, but Ironhide could have found out in the version seen last issue) and asking for volunteers to go free their now safe home world from this insane madman.
Plus, getting the Matrix and Megatron away from Earth is probably a good idea anyway, as they’ll both be big Decepticon targets.
Even with it being made clear that this is likely a suicide mission because they know so little going in, every Autobot (including Omega Supreme, who’s going to have to split himself in two, leaving his main body behind in base mode, to come along as transport) puts their hands up.
Except Bumblebee, who hadn't even been asked about this beforehand. Who points out to Prime afterwards he never had a chance as leader, to which Prime, rather cruelly points out, he himself is no longer in a position of authority and can do what he likes, hard potatoes if everyone else wants to come with him.
Also feeling irrelevant is Bumblebee, as Optimus comes out and gives a big, rousing speech about what Rodimus has told him about Galvatron (including things about how long Galvatron has been on Cybertron he couldn’t have learnt from the Heart of Darkness portrayal of those events, but Ironhide could have found out in the version seen last issue) and asking for volunteers to go free their now safe home world from this insane madman.
Plus, getting the Matrix and Megatron away from Earth is probably a good idea anyway, as they’ll both be big Decepticon targets.
Even with it being made clear that this is likely a suicide mission because they know so little going in, every Autobot (including Omega Supreme, who’s going to have to split himself in two, leaving his main body behind in base mode, to come along as transport) puts their hands up.
Except Bumblebee, who hadn't even been asked about this beforehand. Who points out to Prime afterwards he never had a chance as leader, to which Prime, rather cruelly points out, he himself is no longer in a position of authority and can do what he likes, hard potatoes if everyone else wants to come with him.
It’s nice to have the big elephant in the room of Bumblebee’s inept and constantly undermined leadership finally addressed properly, though it’s too little too late and, considering the bigger crisis, he just seems pathetic and lost here.
He does try and regain some authority after Prowl tells Optimus something and Optimus in turn passes it on to a shocked ‘Bee, giving the order that Ultra Magnus and enough guys to help him follow through on this new information are to stay behind, whether they want to or not. But, once again, it’s too little too late for him to be anything but floundering.
No wonder Ironhide is confused by all this, and, as they load up Omega Supreme, he has to ask Bumblebee is he’s really leader and why they’re even still on Earth in the first place.
He does try and regain some authority after Prowl tells Optimus something and Optimus in turn passes it on to a shocked ‘Bee, giving the order that Ultra Magnus and enough guys to help him follow through on this new information are to stay behind, whether they want to or not. But, once again, it’s too little too late for him to be anything but floundering.
No wonder Ironhide is confused by all this, and, as they load up Omega Supreme, he has to ask Bumblebee is he’s really leader and why they’re even still on Earth in the first place.
There’s also a moment of Spike offering to come along and Prime declining, but talking to him like they’re great pals, which is very funny considering what we’ll find out Prowl has just told him.
Omega Supreme then blasts off, with the narration ominously telling us most aboard will never see Earth again…
Which is when you need a Ron Howard voice to come in and say, “Most of them did see Earth again”.
Despite some great art from Guido Guidi (that often conveys what’s happening so well, it doesn’t need the narration) and some long overdue acknowledgement of Bumblebee’s uselessness, this first story is absolutely abysmal. The Vector Sigma narration (which I think is the first time Vector Sigma has come up in IDW?) is so needlessly, badly overwritten a very slight and simple story becomes an utter slog. This is Costa at his worst and makes the fact we’re getting a different written next issue all the most a relief.
Omega Supreme then blasts off, with the narration ominously telling us most aboard will never see Earth again…
Which is when you need a Ron Howard voice to come in and say, “Most of them did see Earth again”.
Despite some great art from Guido Guidi (that often conveys what’s happening so well, it doesn’t need the narration) and some long overdue acknowledgement of Bumblebee’s uselessness, this first story is absolutely abysmal. The Vector Sigma narration (which I think is the first time Vector Sigma has come up in IDW?) is so needlessly, badly overwritten a very slight and simple story becomes an utter slog. This is Costa at his worst and makes the fact we’re getting a different written next issue all the most a relief.
Police Action: Prologue is at least shorter and simpler. Prowl has a quick chat with Megatron (and you can perhaps feel how Costa views the next couple of issues as he has Prowl say he’s the only person who wants to talk to Megatron), getting some information out of him by pointing out that, as he hates Prowl, he’d love to share something that will really annoy him.
This has Prowl pass on the message he gave to Prime in the main story and, though being extremely patronising about it, he’s impressed with how Bumblebee takes the news.
After trying, and failing, to get Thundercracker to stay, he has a brief, friendly chat with Spike before going to his officer… where he’s surrounded by images of Spike (and, hilariously, the Dataslug from Last Stand of the Wreckers, what a story to reveal that Prowl didn’t destroy it in) because that’s who he’s investigating!
Which, we already knew. So, I’m not sure why this is played as a reveal. But at least this is short enough to not do any real harm, and Brendan Cahill does an equally solid job on art. But harmless is not enough save a pretty miserable issue overall. The great advantage of the trades splitting it in half is you don’t have to suffer through it all in one go.
Next week… Well, it’s from the ridiculous to the sublime (at least as far as popular perception goes), as everything changes.
In theory, at least.
HEART OF DARKNESS ISSUE 4
2011
COMMENT
KO-FI
This has Prowl pass on the message he gave to Prime in the main story and, though being extremely patronising about it, he’s impressed with how Bumblebee takes the news.
After trying, and failing, to get Thundercracker to stay, he has a brief, friendly chat with Spike before going to his officer… where he’s surrounded by images of Spike (and, hilariously, the Dataslug from Last Stand of the Wreckers, what a story to reveal that Prowl didn’t destroy it in) because that’s who he’s investigating!
Which, we already knew. So, I’m not sure why this is played as a reveal. But at least this is short enough to not do any real harm, and Brendan Cahill does an equally solid job on art. But harmless is not enough save a pretty miserable issue overall. The great advantage of the trades splitting it in half is you don’t have to suffer through it all in one go.
Next week… Well, it’s from the ridiculous to the sublime (at least as far as popular perception goes), as everything changes.
In theory, at least.
HEART OF DARKNESS ISSUE 4
2011
COMMENT
KO-FI