And Lord, I’ve Been a Long Time Gone.
Last Stand of the Wreckers Issue 2. February 17th 2010.
You can’t beat “Wreck ‘N’ Rule,” pure poetry.
This is a massive, transformative moment for IDW here, when, after “consulting” on Roche’s All Hail Megatron story, James Roberts comes aboard as a co-writer, setting him on a course for working solo on what will be the big breakout critically acclaimed IDW Transformers book. One that, impressively for an already middle-aged British man, will perfectly capture a moment in contemporary pop culture that will speak to people a lot younger and more diverse, not unlike Patrick McGoohan managed with The Prisoner.
Here, in terms of how things are divided between him and Nick Roche, I believe Nick (who of course had plotted the entire thing before needing to bring in help) once summed it up so: If it’s a wrestling reference, it’s Roche, if it’s a Red Dwarf reference, its Roberts.
Well, that clears that up.
In terms of what I said about the first issue and Roche being his own worst critic at times, I’d say this is the issue the creators have been publicly least happy with, feeling frustrated that it is basically an entire issue of travelling to get to the plot. Something that, as mentioned, was largely an editorial mandate, and they subtly acknowledge this annoyance by having Guzzle declare “This journey’s taking too long, it’s making me twitchy.”
That might be what the writers think, but how well does it work for the reader?
Things start with a bang, as we open on a flashback to Overlord ripping his way through an Autobot army on Caldoon 4, including an extremely battered Kup.
You can’t beat “Wreck ‘N’ Rule,” pure poetry.
This is a massive, transformative moment for IDW here, when, after “consulting” on Roche’s All Hail Megatron story, James Roberts comes aboard as a co-writer, setting him on a course for working solo on what will be the big breakout critically acclaimed IDW Transformers book. One that, impressively for an already middle-aged British man, will perfectly capture a moment in contemporary pop culture that will speak to people a lot younger and more diverse, not unlike Patrick McGoohan managed with The Prisoner.
Here, in terms of how things are divided between him and Nick Roche, I believe Nick (who of course had plotted the entire thing before needing to bring in help) once summed it up so: If it’s a wrestling reference, it’s Roche, if it’s a Red Dwarf reference, its Roberts.
Well, that clears that up.
In terms of what I said about the first issue and Roche being his own worst critic at times, I’d say this is the issue the creators have been publicly least happy with, feeling frustrated that it is basically an entire issue of travelling to get to the plot. Something that, as mentioned, was largely an editorial mandate, and they subtly acknowledge this annoyance by having Guzzle declare “This journey’s taking too long, it’s making me twitchy.”
That might be what the writers think, but how well does it work for the reader?
Things start with a bang, as we open on a flashback to Overlord ripping his way through an Autobot army on Caldoon 4, including an extremely battered Kup.
Kiss me, you fool.
Overlord is having a great time but has to break-off to go to a meeting back at headquarters, as Megatron, Black Shadow and Sixshot are waiting on SPACE Zoom. And Megatron has great news, he’s settled on the “Six-stage infiltration protocol,” and these three guys are going to be the Phase Sixers, from now on their job will just be to wreck planets right at the end of an invasion. Something that delights the other two, though that won’t last long.
Overlord, however, asks what will happen if he wants to be more than a pet warhead, to which the response is, he has two options. Do as Megatron says, or don’t and wind-up torn limb from limb.
Overlord, however, asks what will happen if he wants to be more than a pet warhead, to which the response is, he has two options. Do as Megatron says, or don’t and wind-up torn limb from limb.
Four characters in four lines.
Considering they’re not even in the same room as each other, Nick really sells the simmering tension between them and even manages to have Overlord’s big wide eyes hint as his real longing for recognition, even as he’s standing up Megatron.
Speaking of tension, back on Ultra Magnus’ ship (where the caption is “Now,” along with Magnus leaving here to go to his role in the ongoing, the implication seems to be it’s taken them 8 months to get this far? Which, even allowing for the mandate to portray journeys as taking time, seems a lot), the “Grown-ups” have gone for a meeting with Impactor, leaving the new boys outside the room and entertaining themselves.
This includes Pyro deciding he needs a motto and only managing to produce ones that ape that of Optimus Prime (“Sentience is the guarantee of autonomy”). To which Rotorstorm suggests all you really need is a war cry to scream, Ironfist thinks you can’t beat “Wreck ‘N’ Rule” and Guzzle suggests all he needs is incoherent shouting.
Speaking of tension, back on Ultra Magnus’ ship (where the caption is “Now,” along with Magnus leaving here to go to his role in the ongoing, the implication seems to be it’s taken them 8 months to get this far? Which, even allowing for the mandate to portray journeys as taking time, seems a lot), the “Grown-ups” have gone for a meeting with Impactor, leaving the new boys outside the room and entertaining themselves.
This includes Pyro deciding he needs a motto and only managing to produce ones that ape that of Optimus Prime (“Sentience is the guarantee of autonomy”). To which Rotorstorm suggests all you really need is a war cry to scream, Ironfist thinks you can’t beat “Wreck ‘N’ Rule” and Guzzle suggests all he needs is incoherent shouting.
You've got to hand it to him.
Which is also how I write these pieces.
Ironfist is also using a knife to scrawl the Wrecker motto in the table he’s sat at, which oddly is not the last time Roberts will have a character defacing a table in that way. Which lets him resume nerd mode, pointing out it was Springer who came up with that whilst using a sky sled to rescue Xaaron from the sonic canyons.
He’s also convinced that whatever made Impactor walk from the Wreckers after Pova and wind up in jail for a minor crime of dodgy circuit booster selling, it’s all a cover up and something far bigger was going on. And there must be a hell of a reunion going on.
Which is one way of putting it, as Springer remembers Impactor’s last words to him: “If I never see you again, it’ll be a thousand years too soon.”
Impactor, on the other hand, can’t remember Springer’s last words to him as he was too busy being dragged to the cells.
Not helping the mood is Perceptor, who acknowledges he’s out of practice, having Impactor’s head open so he can remove the bomb that was meant to kill him if he escaped (luckily Fortress Maximus was the only one who could “BOOM” it).
Springer starts to apologise, but quickly turns to the subject to how Impactor got out of his cell. Which he reveals was down to the looking uncomfortable last issue Snare letting him out. The Decepticon is too scared of Overlord to run, but big powerful Autobot Impactor won’t have any fear in going for help.
To which a revealed to be one-armed Impactor angrily declares “Autobot? I’m a Wrecker, Snare, first and foremost.”
Ironfist is also using a knife to scrawl the Wrecker motto in the table he’s sat at, which oddly is not the last time Roberts will have a character defacing a table in that way. Which lets him resume nerd mode, pointing out it was Springer who came up with that whilst using a sky sled to rescue Xaaron from the sonic canyons.
He’s also convinced that whatever made Impactor walk from the Wreckers after Pova and wind up in jail for a minor crime of dodgy circuit booster selling, it’s all a cover up and something far bigger was going on. And there must be a hell of a reunion going on.
Which is one way of putting it, as Springer remembers Impactor’s last words to him: “If I never see you again, it’ll be a thousand years too soon.”
Impactor, on the other hand, can’t remember Springer’s last words to him as he was too busy being dragged to the cells.
Not helping the mood is Perceptor, who acknowledges he’s out of practice, having Impactor’s head open so he can remove the bomb that was meant to kill him if he escaped (luckily Fortress Maximus was the only one who could “BOOM” it).
Springer starts to apologise, but quickly turns to the subject to how Impactor got out of his cell. Which he reveals was down to the looking uncomfortable last issue Snare letting him out. The Decepticon is too scared of Overlord to run, but big powerful Autobot Impactor won’t have any fear in going for help.
To which a revealed to be one-armed Impactor angrily declares “Autobot? I’m a Wrecker, Snare, first and foremost.”
The three widest bois.
You get a very James Roberts moment here as how silly some Transformers names are will become a minor obsession for him (you can make the fan a professional, but you can’t take the fan out of him) as Impactor asks why he should trust a guy called “Snare”, and the bleak shot of Impactor sitting alone in his cell, unmoving and uncaring, is brilliantly moody.
In the present, Springer dismisses Impactor, causing a meltdown as he’s no intent of being the one taking orders, making Springer remind him of how he lost the right after locking himself in a room on Pova.
This causes Impactor to storm out (past an eavesdropping Verity), stating he used to think Springer would have done exactly the same as him for all his protesting, but now he knows he wouldn’t have, and that makes him far worse.
That’s about half the issue, and it really uses the breathing space of having to show this journey well. Overlord, the new recruits and most importantly as he’d have been new to many readers, Impactor all get chance to show who they are a little more. It’s a luxury of time that many future Transformers comics would be envious of.
And the Impactor/Springer dynamic is immediately fantastic, the mentor and student turned disappointed in each other. And whilst mentioning it twice in five pages makes Pova a bit too immediately important seeming, that it is a cloud over the characters pasts in interesting.
This is all followed by a very odd moment of Ultra Magnus pointing out they need Impactor and—when Springer agrees and points out all the tactical reasons for doing so—smiles wryly and says he just thought Springer would need the muscle.
In the present, Springer dismisses Impactor, causing a meltdown as he’s no intent of being the one taking orders, making Springer remind him of how he lost the right after locking himself in a room on Pova.
This causes Impactor to storm out (past an eavesdropping Verity), stating he used to think Springer would have done exactly the same as him for all his protesting, but now he knows he wouldn’t have, and that makes him far worse.
That’s about half the issue, and it really uses the breathing space of having to show this journey well. Overlord, the new recruits and most importantly as he’d have been new to many readers, Impactor all get chance to show who they are a little more. It’s a luxury of time that many future Transformers comics would be envious of.
And the Impactor/Springer dynamic is immediately fantastic, the mentor and student turned disappointed in each other. And whilst mentioning it twice in five pages makes Pova a bit too immediately important seeming, that it is a cloud over the characters pasts in interesting.
This is all followed by a very odd moment of Ultra Magnus pointing out they need Impactor and—when Springer agrees and points out all the tactical reasons for doing so—smiles wryly and says he just thought Springer would need the muscle.
Kup never has any luck.
He then points out he really can’t stay himself (and makes a point that the too small for the whole team shuttle we saw him arrive on Earth in the ongoing is faster than his own ship to explain why it won’t take him 8 months to get back) because it’s far easier for him to turn a blind eye to all the crimes the Wreckers do if he doesn’t see them.
Now, smiling and crime ignoring Magnus is drastically at odds with what he will become, but even before he winds up Flanderised, this does not seem very like the always serious about his work Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord.
He also makes it clear there’s another reason for this mission, one word Prowl gave him: Aequitas.
With the character work done, its time for a briefing, one Ironfist can barely contain himself about, having fixed Impactor up with a replacement harpoon hand. But the reveal Overlord is the real mastermind behind what is going on snaps him out of it and induces an odd call-back to the “This is not happening” moment from last issue.
Verity needing to ask who Overlord is, means Kup can give us the other side of the opening flashback, as he wound up in Overlord’s hands and about to be killed in the resumed battle…
…before Overlord simply says “Tell Megatron I’ve chosen option 2, and I’ll be waiting for him”, and leaves, vanishing from Autobot knowledge and leaving them with the assumption he must be dead. Until now.
Now, smiling and crime ignoring Magnus is drastically at odds with what he will become, but even before he winds up Flanderised, this does not seem very like the always serious about his work Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord.
He also makes it clear there’s another reason for this mission, one word Prowl gave him: Aequitas.
With the character work done, its time for a briefing, one Ironfist can barely contain himself about, having fixed Impactor up with a replacement harpoon hand. But the reveal Overlord is the real mastermind behind what is going on snaps him out of it and induces an odd call-back to the “This is not happening” moment from last issue.
Verity needing to ask who Overlord is, means Kup can give us the other side of the opening flashback, as he wound up in Overlord’s hands and about to be killed in the resumed battle…
…before Overlord simply says “Tell Megatron I’ve chosen option 2, and I’ll be waiting for him”, and leaves, vanishing from Autobot knowledge and leaving them with the assumption he must be dead. Until now.
Self-aware Springer.
Kup speculates that, even though Overlord was interested on in sadism and elevating from homicide to genocide, Megatron was so used to backstabbing he’d just assumed Overlord would turn on him and was trying to exert more control over the psychopath, with this as the result.
Which actually gives us a very funny moment of Ultra Magnus having to ask him to stop bigging up the enemy too much.
With the new information, the goal is now twofold:
1: Rescue the Autobot prisoners.
2: No Guzzle, not kill Overlord. But thanks for the enthusiasm. But stop the Decepticons getting something hidden in the prison only a few of them will recognise the name of: Aequitas.
Which gives us a very moody close-up of Impactor.
A mood that’s broken by Ironfist realising that, to get past the prison’s lattice forcefield, they’ll be using the same tactics the Wreckers employed in Operation: Volcano (Mission 078/088).
You can try a bit too hard with the fan references.
Still, this is to hit the forcefield at two weak spots at the same time with two craft, both of which will be piloted by a very confident Rotorstorm simultaneously.
As Springer says, what can go possibly go right?
Which actually gives us a very funny moment of Ultra Magnus having to ask him to stop bigging up the enemy too much.
With the new information, the goal is now twofold:
1: Rescue the Autobot prisoners.
2: No Guzzle, not kill Overlord. But thanks for the enthusiasm. But stop the Decepticons getting something hidden in the prison only a few of them will recognise the name of: Aequitas.
Which gives us a very moody close-up of Impactor.
A mood that’s broken by Ironfist realising that, to get past the prison’s lattice forcefield, they’ll be using the same tactics the Wreckers employed in Operation: Volcano (Mission 078/088).
You can try a bit too hard with the fan references.
Still, this is to hit the forcefield at two weak spots at the same time with two craft, both of which will be piloted by a very confident Rotorstorm simultaneously.
As Springer says, what can go possibly go right?
CHARACTER MOMENTS
Here, the writers again get to take a moment for the characters as we see everyone prepare in their own way. Ironfist handing out guns with bullets that target brain modules (Guzzle’s “Impossible odds, weird brain bullets, it doesn’t get much better than this!” would become something of a tagline for the series); Impactor sitting alone like he was in his cell, staring at an X he scrawled on the floor; the Jumpstarters worrying about “Something” that is happening more and more; Verity writing a goodbye message to Magnus in a giant font, photo of her with Hunter and Jimmy by her desk; and Magnus and Springer discussing and ultimately dismissing Ironfist passing out.
All of which are moments setting up things that will be paid off, but my favourite is the last: Rotorstorm by himself, having a panic attack about his ridiculous boast of being able to pilot two ships at once.
Without ruining the next issue, Rotorstorm is going to have the least chances for character development, so getting to see him without the façade and confronting himself is a very welcome and needed moment.
Which leads us to the big action scene, as the two pods—intentionally drawn to look like the front section of Starbug from Red Dwarf (giving us the first instance of a new drinking game)—hit the forcefield and breakthrough into a battle against the Decepticon forces.
All of which are moments setting up things that will be paid off, but my favourite is the last: Rotorstorm by himself, having a panic attack about his ridiculous boast of being able to pilot two ships at once.
Without ruining the next issue, Rotorstorm is going to have the least chances for character development, so getting to see him without the façade and confronting himself is a very welcome and needed moment.
Which leads us to the big action scene, as the two pods—intentionally drawn to look like the front section of Starbug from Red Dwarf (giving us the first instance of a new drinking game)—hit the forcefield and breakthrough into a battle against the Decepticon forces.
Thighs in the skies.
But not before Verity pops out of a ceiling vent, having chosen certain death over going back to Earth.
I think anyone who has been to Earth can sympathise. Though she’s being very optimistic in insisting she’s there to help.
The arial fight gives us our last real instance of Sniperceptor, as from now on he really will just be normal Perceptor, but with an eyepiece and, occasionally a big gun. It’s a great last hurrah though, as a whole gets blasted in the side of the pod and Perceptor asks Topspin to hold his legs as he feels “The urge to shoot someone.”
Giving us a fantastic visual of him hanging upside down from under the pod, blasting Decepticon jets out of the sky.
Impactor and Twin Twist using a weapons platform can’t match it.
The issue ends with the pod carrying Verity crashing, leaving her wondering “What happens now?” only to find that they’ve managed to smash into and be deposited in Overlord’s throne room, right in front of him. Making him reply “Now, things go from bad to worse.”
He must know it’s a Mike Costa issue next.
I think anyone who has been to Earth can sympathise. Though she’s being very optimistic in insisting she’s there to help.
The arial fight gives us our last real instance of Sniperceptor, as from now on he really will just be normal Perceptor, but with an eyepiece and, occasionally a big gun. It’s a great last hurrah though, as a whole gets blasted in the side of the pod and Perceptor asks Topspin to hold his legs as he feels “The urge to shoot someone.”
Giving us a fantastic visual of him hanging upside down from under the pod, blasting Decepticon jets out of the sky.
Impactor and Twin Twist using a weapons platform can’t match it.
The issue ends with the pod carrying Verity crashing, leaving her wondering “What happens now?” only to find that they’ve managed to smash into and be deposited in Overlord’s throne room, right in front of him. Making him reply “Now, things go from bad to worse.”
He must know it’s a Mike Costa issue next.
A bigger boy.
I love this issue for the main reason the writers aren’t too sure about it. It takes its time. At its core, this is a comic where you get introduced to a vast number of new characters who are going to die before the end, if the intent was to make you care about redshirts, making sure you care about the redshirts is incredibly important.
So, every joke, every moody implication, every secret confession, means by the time they hit that forcefield, you know these people in more than just broad strokes. You can never have heard of Marvel UK and now have an investment and interest in Impactor.
As noted, a lot of future comics won’t have that luxury, and this really takes advantage of it to not only do all that character work, but really hint hard at some mysteries and provide a decent dogfight.
It may not have been the issue Roche and Roberts would have done instinctively, but it’s exactly the issue it needed to be and means the final three parts can hit the accelerator hard.
And alongside this, you’re getting another look at one of the trade extras, as I ask if the second prose short story gets more than zero out of ten.
BUMBLEBEE ISSUE 3
2010
COMMENT
KO-FI
So, every joke, every moody implication, every secret confession, means by the time they hit that forcefield, you know these people in more than just broad strokes. You can never have heard of Marvel UK and now have an investment and interest in Impactor.
As noted, a lot of future comics won’t have that luxury, and this really takes advantage of it to not only do all that character work, but really hint hard at some mysteries and provide a decent dogfight.
It may not have been the issue Roche and Roberts would have done instinctively, but it’s exactly the issue it needed to be and means the final three parts can hit the accelerator hard.
And alongside this, you’re getting another look at one of the trade extras, as I ask if the second prose short story gets more than zero out of ten.
BUMBLEBEE ISSUE 3
2010
COMMENT
KO-FI
