So, You’re Back, From Outer Space, I Just Walked in to Find You Here with That Sad Look Upon Your Face.
Heart of Darkness Issue 4. June 29th 2011.
How can he be back? How in the Universe is Nemesis Prime back? What is he?
This comic is already infamous for killing the miniseries format for this era, and for the sheer daft stupidity of the name “D-Void”, but here, right at the end, it manages to give us one last moment that has lived on the annuls of “What the hell were they thinking?”.
Normally, I just pick a cover at random for the IDW comics, but there could really only be once choice today. In one of the more baffling choices that could have been made, the Farinas cover pays tribute to what everyone remembers the main Star Wars poster as being (though it actually isn’t, it’s just the Mandela Effect), with big beefy hunk Galvatron and phat assed Arcee clinging onto his leg seductively.
Now, OK, Arcee is visually based on Princess Leia, but this is so at odds with her character, and even if it weren’t, it would still be slightly uncomfortable to be doing this with literally the only woman in the books at the moment. And that’s even without what later issues will reveal about their past relationship, something that will make this even more icky and derided, effectively becoming the defining image of the series and having a massive, albeit not entirely unfair, effect on how its remembered.
How can he be back? How in the Universe is Nemesis Prime back? What is he?
This comic is already infamous for killing the miniseries format for this era, and for the sheer daft stupidity of the name “D-Void”, but here, right at the end, it manages to give us one last moment that has lived on the annuls of “What the hell were they thinking?”.
Normally, I just pick a cover at random for the IDW comics, but there could really only be once choice today. In one of the more baffling choices that could have been made, the Farinas cover pays tribute to what everyone remembers the main Star Wars poster as being (though it actually isn’t, it’s just the Mandela Effect), with big beefy hunk Galvatron and phat assed Arcee clinging onto his leg seductively.
Now, OK, Arcee is visually based on Princess Leia, but this is so at odds with her character, and even if it weren’t, it would still be slightly uncomfortable to be doing this with literally the only woman in the books at the moment. And that’s even without what later issues will reveal about their past relationship, something that will make this even more icky and derided, effectively becoming the defining image of the series and having a massive, albeit not entirely unfair, effect on how its remembered.
Well, I guess he has an excuse for being ugly.
Mind, a likely reason for the cover overwhelming everything else in how this is remembered is how little else is going on here.
The bulk of the issue is a big fight between Galvatron (and his army) and Nemesis Prime, who along the way merges even more with D-Void to become… well, I think it’s meant to be Lovecraftian, but just looks ludicrous, I suspect there’s a reason why this sort of insane gonzo monster imagery will largely be the exclusive domain of Livio Ramondelli going forward.
There’s a lot of talking of nonsense as they fight, with one lowlight being the claim that Nemesis and Galvatron have are “Old” rivals, something not born out by any of their previous stories where Galvatron seems have been a loyal servant in all but the odd sneaky thought right up till the end of Revelation.
For all the swagger of Neme-Void, Galvatron is able to lure him to the dimensional portal and then have his full and very random looking army (across the issue it includes things such as a flying tape-deck and cassettes) blast it back through and destroy the entrance.
Which, though it’s not the end of D-Void, is, I think, the last we’ll see of Nemesis Prime in the Chaos “Event,” making it feel like bringing him back at all was a waste of time.
The bulk of the issue is a big fight between Galvatron (and his army) and Nemesis Prime, who along the way merges even more with D-Void to become… well, I think it’s meant to be Lovecraftian, but just looks ludicrous, I suspect there’s a reason why this sort of insane gonzo monster imagery will largely be the exclusive domain of Livio Ramondelli going forward.
There’s a lot of talking of nonsense as they fight, with one lowlight being the claim that Nemesis and Galvatron have are “Old” rivals, something not born out by any of their previous stories where Galvatron seems have been a loyal servant in all but the odd sneaky thought right up till the end of Revelation.
For all the swagger of Neme-Void, Galvatron is able to lure him to the dimensional portal and then have his full and very random looking army (across the issue it includes things such as a flying tape-deck and cassettes) blast it back through and destroy the entrance.
Which, though it’s not the end of D-Void, is, I think, the last we’ll see of Nemesis Prime in the Chaos “Event,” making it feel like bringing him back at all was a waste of time.
I wonder what was occupying the art team.
This leaves us with six pages of the issue left, which are just used to repeat scenes from other issues, but worst drawn. Starting with Galvatron going to Earth for Infestation (even repeating a typo on “Jihaxus”), with Abnett and Lanning at least being able to poke a little fun of their own work as he is completely dismissive of the relevance of the zombie plague upon his return from that failed mission.
More extensively, after deciding Cybertron is where they need to make their stand against D-Void, they arrive, a Sweep attacks a ship and—after failing to make Rodimus hear his call for support—Galvatron watches it take off, knowing they’ll be back.
Which doesn’t quite line up with what we just saw in the last Costa issue, where Galvatron’s forces are meant to have arrived on Cybertron before Hot Rod and Wheelie, and been harassing them enough for Ironhide to have initially assumed the new arrivals must be related and to go in aggressively.
A more minor concern compared to all that is the ship itself looking completely different.
More extensively, after deciding Cybertron is where they need to make their stand against D-Void, they arrive, a Sweep attacks a ship and—after failing to make Rodimus hear his call for support—Galvatron watches it take off, knowing they’ll be back.
Which doesn’t quite line up with what we just saw in the last Costa issue, where Galvatron’s forces are meant to have arrived on Cybertron before Hot Rod and Wheelie, and been harassing them enough for Ironhide to have initially assumed the new arrivals must be related and to go in aggressively.
A more minor concern compared to all that is the ship itself looking completely different.
Far more wide-eyed than this scene was in issue 20.
It’s such an odd fit, it actually makes issue 20 encouraging you to read this to understand what’s going on all the funnier, as all it really makes clear is that, yes, Galvatron is fixing that Sweep who crashed.
The issue ends with Galvatron dramatically standing in front of his army and declaring the line will be drawn here, this far and no further. With the reader once again being told to check out another comic to find out what happens next, though at least this time, issue 21 of the ongoing is actually coming out in the right order.
What a miserable little miniseries this has been, as well as incredibly ugly, all the major events could have easily been compressed into two issues and it’s far, far too easy to see why Abnett and Lanning went so quickly from being a coup to have gotten to having a coup carried out against the plans to have them write more.
The issue ends with Galvatron dramatically standing in front of his army and declaring the line will be drawn here, this far and no further. With the reader once again being told to check out another comic to find out what happens next, though at least this time, issue 21 of the ongoing is actually coming out in the right order.
What a miserable little miniseries this has been, as well as incredibly ugly, all the major events could have easily been compressed into two issues and it’s far, far too easy to see why Abnett and Lanning went so quickly from being a coup to have gotten to having a coup carried out against the plans to have them write more.
Can't wait to see this army of distinct individual troops again.
That this is just about the shortest piece I’ve written for this site since the very earliest days of Transformation and that’s probably the best summing up of how little this series has to say there can be. I can’t even work up any enthusiasm to mock Galvatron being up to date with Rodimus’ name change.
Wait…
Hang on a sec…
Arcee isn’t even in this issue!
Next week, read to find out what happens to Galvatron next!
TRANSFORMERS ISSUE 20
2011
COMMENT
KO-FI
Wait…
Hang on a sec…
Arcee isn’t even in this issue!
Next week, read to find out what happens to Galvatron next!
TRANSFORMERS ISSUE 20
2011
COMMENT
KO-FI
