All Your Life is Channel 13, Sesame Street, What Does it Mean?
Transformers Issue 4: Things Fall Apart Chapter 3: Seasons in Flight. February 24th 2010.
I’m sorry to be a victim of old prejudice, but that’s how it is.
It says a lot about the care and attention given to the comics by editorial at this point that it’s now, three parts in, the overall story name is suddenly added to the comic. It will be interesting to see if they manage to stick to that for the remaining two parts.
What is absent, despite the cliff-hanger to the third issue, is Optimus Prime as his reaction to Spike’s threat happens entirely off-page. Instead, the focus is on what is pretty much the one thing everyone agrees was a success from Costa’s run, and the only thing to have any lasting presence right up till the end: his take on Thundercracker.
And to be fair, and it shows how little this sank in when I did read the series previously, that includes explaining why he was with the other Decepticons in the attack on Omega Supreme, as he thinks back on the power and presence he had as a Seeker… until his betrayal and in turn being taken out by Skywarp.
I’m sorry to be a victim of old prejudice, but that’s how it is.
It says a lot about the care and attention given to the comics by editorial at this point that it’s now, three parts in, the overall story name is suddenly added to the comic. It will be interesting to see if they manage to stick to that for the remaining two parts.
What is absent, despite the cliff-hanger to the third issue, is Optimus Prime as his reaction to Spike’s threat happens entirely off-page. Instead, the focus is on what is pretty much the one thing everyone agrees was a success from Costa’s run, and the only thing to have any lasting presence right up till the end: his take on Thundercracker.
And to be fair, and it shows how little this sank in when I did read the series previously, that includes explaining why he was with the other Decepticons in the attack on Omega Supreme, as he thinks back on the power and presence he had as a Seeker… until his betrayal and in turn being taken out by Skywarp.
How I felt for a week after TFN.
Which is survived (sloppy Skywarp), spending months in the wrecked heart of New York trying to fix his distress beacon, with only a TV for company. And as he watches nature documentaries and sitcom Nurse Whitney (with catchphrase “Well, that’s just beyoootiful”), he comes to appreciate the variety of organic life and the ability to change and adapt of humans.
Meaning when other Decepticons do find him (supposedly all ones that weren’t there when he turned, but no one told Don Figueroa as he puts in characters like Tankor), he feels unable to take charge despite being senior, letting Swindle take the vacuum and now he’s worried…
Though he’s not as much the beloved comedy character he’ll become, all the basics for the definitive take on Thundercracker are here, including his obsessive love of television. Though considering how covid shut LA down, I’ve no idea how the TV industry got back on its feel so quickly that Nurse Whitney (which I’d completely forgotten is a with a laughter-track sitcom, I’d assumed from later stories that Thundercracker was really into a soap opera) can be promising new episodes for the fall in the wake of a cities destroying invasion.
Still, even if the character isn’t there yet, it’s a good enough vignette for it be obvious to see why readers grabbed onto it like a drowning man reaching for driftwood, and it actually would have made a better Coda than some of the ones we did get.
Meaning when other Decepticons do find him (supposedly all ones that weren’t there when he turned, but no one told Don Figueroa as he puts in characters like Tankor), he feels unable to take charge despite being senior, letting Swindle take the vacuum and now he’s worried…
Though he’s not as much the beloved comedy character he’ll become, all the basics for the definitive take on Thundercracker are here, including his obsessive love of television. Though considering how covid shut LA down, I’ve no idea how the TV industry got back on its feel so quickly that Nurse Whitney (which I’d completely forgotten is a with a laughter-track sitcom, I’d assumed from later stories that Thundercracker was really into a soap opera) can be promising new episodes for the fall in the wake of a cities destroying invasion.
Still, even if the character isn’t there yet, it’s a good enough vignette for it be obvious to see why readers grabbed onto it like a drowning man reaching for driftwood, and it actually would have made a better Coda than some of the ones we did get.
A defining character moment.
It also has nothing to do with the rest of the issue until we return to Thundercracker’s POV on the last few pages. It’s completely, gratuitous, padding for a story that is clearly under orders to drag itself out till issue six and the first trade, but doesn’t have enough material on its own to do it.
The actual plot is almost entirely focused on Hot Rod (I assume to give some space for the Bumblebee series to happen) and sees him being very successfully wound round Swindle’s little finger. He initially rejects the idea of going to grab some Constructicons to help with building their spaceship but is won round to the idea of more Stunticons after Swindle appeals to his ego and points out everyone now so firmly believes in him and his efforts to unite both sides, that they’ve started calling him Rodimus Prime, which Rodimus both refutes and immediately adopts.
The actual plot is almost entirely focused on Hot Rod (I assume to give some space for the Bumblebee series to happen) and sees him being very successfully wound round Swindle’s little finger. He initially rejects the idea of going to grab some Constructicons to help with building their spaceship but is won round to the idea of more Stunticons after Swindle appeals to his ego and points out everyone now so firmly believes in him and his efforts to unite both sides, that they’ve started calling him Rodimus Prime, which Rodimus both refutes and immediately adopts.
Also a defining character moment. Who knew Costa had him in it.
Which, and this may be the fist time I’m saying this about Costa, is genuinely brilliant and by far the best IDW example of a character choosing to change their name to cover legal/trademark issues. It’s very Swindle that he’d completely make this up to stroke Hot Rod’s ego, and it’s very Hot Rod (especially IDW Hot Rod as we’ll come to know and love him) to completely take that at face value and embrace it.
It’s good enough to make ignoring Swindle’s nipple rings easy.
Having less success is a dishevelled Spike, who is in a sulk because his attempt to get anything out of Prime with threats to his troops has totally failed (which sounds like a god, dramatic scene, so of course we don’t see it), and he really needs something to show his dad… I mean, the brass so as to get back in their good books for missing all the important stuff whilst taking booty calls.
Which is a nothing scene where, frankly, it would have been better just to sit Prime out this issue (as with Bumblebee) if there was going to be no plot advancement beyond Spike being annoyed at there being no plot advancement. But, if nothing else, the idea Prime has no time for Tracks and will cheerfully stay stum whilst he’s tortured is, albeit unintentionally, very funny.
Not finding things funny is Ultra Magnus, who arrives to talk to Hot Rod about Ironhide and trying to go AWOL in his own ship without a pilot’s licence, only to find him in cahoots with wanted criminal Swindle and a bunch of other Decepticons. And his over-the-top reaction to Swindle (which starts him screaming about the Tyrest Accord) is very funny. He's also oddly more like the James Roberts Ultra Magnus will be than the one actually written by James Roberts we just saw in Last Stand of the Wreckers.
It’s good enough to make ignoring Swindle’s nipple rings easy.
Having less success is a dishevelled Spike, who is in a sulk because his attempt to get anything out of Prime with threats to his troops has totally failed (which sounds like a god, dramatic scene, so of course we don’t see it), and he really needs something to show his dad… I mean, the brass so as to get back in their good books for missing all the important stuff whilst taking booty calls.
Which is a nothing scene where, frankly, it would have been better just to sit Prime out this issue (as with Bumblebee) if there was going to be no plot advancement beyond Spike being annoyed at there being no plot advancement. But, if nothing else, the idea Prime has no time for Tracks and will cheerfully stay stum whilst he’s tortured is, albeit unintentionally, very funny.
Not finding things funny is Ultra Magnus, who arrives to talk to Hot Rod about Ironhide and trying to go AWOL in his own ship without a pilot’s licence, only to find him in cahoots with wanted criminal Swindle and a bunch of other Decepticons. And his over-the-top reaction to Swindle (which starts him screaming about the Tyrest Accord) is very funny. He's also oddly more like the James Roberts Ultra Magnus will be than the one actually written by James Roberts we just saw in Last Stand of the Wreckers.
Everyone is looking at something different but presumably very exciting that is happening outside of the panel.
Though Prowl continues to be out of character, insisting Rodimus has acted perfectly legally because he’s Prime’s second in command, and therefore next in authority, so if he says Rodimus is good, he is. Which is a bold gambit considering it turns out he called in Magnus before Rodimus convinced him to leave, so he knows the Duly Appointed Enforcer will have come straight from actual leader Bumblebee.
Of course, it’s not just out of character at the time, but Prowl as Rodimus’ loyal wing man is only weirder in retrospect.
There is also a good moment of Rodimus calling out Magnus by asking what authority he actually has now the war is over, but that gets rather undermined by Magnus just deciding to leave for now (albeit in a very Ultra Magnus way, “This is outrageous”), meaning nothing actually really happens to advance this plot this issue either.
This lets us end back with Thundercracker, just at the point you’d have likely forgotten this was a Thundercracker issue, as he muses on how his people never change (again, a big Costa concept he was very keen on), whilst humans live and die and find beauty and…erm… find Jesus all in such a short span, which makes him decide to fly off, because there’s so much to learn here and all his fellows want to do is leave.
Which, again, is a nice little scene, but one completely devoid from the rest of the comic.
Of course, it’s not just out of character at the time, but Prowl as Rodimus’ loyal wing man is only weirder in retrospect.
There is also a good moment of Rodimus calling out Magnus by asking what authority he actually has now the war is over, but that gets rather undermined by Magnus just deciding to leave for now (albeit in a very Ultra Magnus way, “This is outrageous”), meaning nothing actually really happens to advance this plot this issue either.
This lets us end back with Thundercracker, just at the point you’d have likely forgotten this was a Thundercracker issue, as he muses on how his people never change (again, a big Costa concept he was very keen on), whilst humans live and die and find beauty and…erm… find Jesus all in such a short span, which makes him decide to fly off, because there’s so much to learn here and all his fellows want to do is leave.
Which, again, is a nice little scene, but one completely devoid from the rest of the comic.
Jesus Christ.
Still, this is the best Costa issue yet, there’s a couple of nice jokes, Rodimus and Swindle and well characterised and the framing Thundercracker sequence is solid, and you can even argue it benefits from him being less of a one-note joke than he’ll be after watching too much TV. And by this point, you’re either used to Don’s art, or have given up on the book (though his close up of Thundercracker’s face enjoying television is terrifying).
It’s also an issue you could skip entirely and not realise as there is no plot movement at all, characters at best say they’re leaving now, but will do something soon. The Thundercracker framing should feel like the arrival of an iconic take on the character but is so at odds with everything it’s hard to understand why it’s not its own issue. It’s ironic that this is the first story in this arc to give the title, when it’s the most irrelevant.
More relevant, hopefully as it’s the grand finale, is next week’s issue, the conclusion of Bumblebee.
ADDENDUM 8: ZERO POINT
2010
COMMENT
KO-FI
It’s also an issue you could skip entirely and not realise as there is no plot movement at all, characters at best say they’re leaving now, but will do something soon. The Thundercracker framing should feel like the arrival of an iconic take on the character but is so at odds with everything it’s hard to understand why it’s not its own issue. It’s ironic that this is the first story in this arc to give the title, when it’s the most irrelevant.
More relevant, hopefully as it’s the grand finale, is next week’s issue, the conclusion of Bumblebee.
ADDENDUM 8: ZERO POINT
2010
COMMENT
KO-FI
