Someday the Mountain Might get ‘em, but the Law Never Will.
More Than Meets the Eye issue 8: Scavengers (Part 2): Who’s Afraid of the DJD? August 22nd 2012.
No offense, but your feet are massive.
If John Barber had really worked hard to make a Dinobot Month issue that did what it said on the tin and worked to hook in floating readers, the James Roberts part of the trio of titles (who could forget Regeneration One was also included?) is the one that feels like it was just all a coincidence that editorial decided to capitalise on when they realised all the comics that month had Dinobots in them.
Or, if you want to be less charitable, it’s the first real sign that Roberts will struggle with mandated corporate synergy dictated content.
Either way, anyone buying this just because Grimlock is the promoted guest star will not only be diving into part 2 of a story, but also find Grimlock is barely in it, barely coherent and largely irrelevant.
But, if it fails as a Dinobot Month PR piece, how does it work as part two of introducing everyone’s favourite Nazis this side of ‘Allo ‘Allo?
No offense, but your feet are massive.
If John Barber had really worked hard to make a Dinobot Month issue that did what it said on the tin and worked to hook in floating readers, the James Roberts part of the trio of titles (who could forget Regeneration One was also included?) is the one that feels like it was just all a coincidence that editorial decided to capitalise on when they realised all the comics that month had Dinobots in them.
Or, if you want to be less charitable, it’s the first real sign that Roberts will struggle with mandated corporate synergy dictated content.
Either way, anyone buying this just because Grimlock is the promoted guest star will not only be diving into part 2 of a story, but also find Grimlock is barely in it, barely coherent and largely irrelevant.
But, if it fails as a Dinobot Month PR piece, how does it work as part two of introducing everyone’s favourite Nazis this side of ‘Allo ‘Allo?
Living up to their name.
Scavengers (Part 2) (after some of the grief I gave the Costa era for inconsistent titling, you’d think I’d be annoyed at there not having been a part 1, but the important thing is, this isn’t the Costa era) opens with a flashback, of Fulcrum in a spaceship above Clemency, being greeted and then cheerfully pushed out and into freefall by his fellow “K-Class”, Torque. Who has a “Your first time?” joke that will become clearer as the issue progresses, but safe to say for now, this is not a parachute regiment.
In the present and in the immediate aftermath of the cliffhanger, the Scavengers initial squabble amongst themselves as they both deny being the DJD target and have various mini-breakdowns (including Flywheels praying and auto-transforming because of his inability to lie when asked if he thinks Primus will save them) before Krok, recovering from his own panic attack into expecting his squad to save him, points out no one’s going to admit to it and the DJD make all this up as they go along anyway.
So, the options are:
1: Talk.
2: Run.
3: Fight.
With, much to Fulcrum’s horror as he initially thinks the suggestion is a joke, everyone comes round to what Spinister calls “Options Whatever”: fight. Because “This,” the Decepticon badge, belongs to them, not the DJD.
In the present and in the immediate aftermath of the cliffhanger, the Scavengers initial squabble amongst themselves as they both deny being the DJD target and have various mini-breakdowns (including Flywheels praying and auto-transforming because of his inability to lie when asked if he thinks Primus will save them) before Krok, recovering from his own panic attack into expecting his squad to save him, points out no one’s going to admit to it and the DJD make all this up as they go along anyway.
So, the options are:
1: Talk.
2: Run.
3: Fight.
With, much to Fulcrum’s horror as he initially thinks the suggestion is a joke, everyone comes round to what Spinister calls “Options Whatever”: fight. Because “This,” the Decepticon badge, belongs to them, not the DJD.
"Diplomatic Corps" in inverted commas.
Which is the point that Roberts and Barber will use as the foundation for their rehabilitation of various Decepticons: An army is not its extremists.
So Krok’s plan is to Scavenge what’s to hand…
This issue’s sidesteps to the Lost Light are more concise that in the first part, being effectively just one scene in the oil reservoir (a new location that will become important as we go along), though, once again, this seemingly unrelated subplot will actually connect to the main story in a way that rewards rereading after the fact.
It turns out Skids, based on a conversation with Chromedome we haven’t seen yet in the upcoming annual, has decided his cavalier fresh start attitude to his amnesia is disrespectful to the people he’s forgotten, so, out of their quarters (because Rewind doesn’t like him injecting, plus it’s movie night for their friends in there), Chromedome is going to inject him and fish around for what’s been lost.
Chromedome himself is puzzled by Skids, that he disappeared after “The Heist” (along with the movie Rewind is showing being Proteus’s Promise, setup for the next story) and everyone assumed he was dead. Though it turns out he just joined the Diplomatic Corps, which anyone who’s ever read any spy fiction will know sounds like a euphemism, though the suggestiveness of this is lost on Chromedome.
It’s a good character scene that has a lot of almost casually done setup, even if it does feel like the moment of Skids listing his many and contradictory skills (Metallikato, photographic memory) feels like Roberts thumbing his nose at those early complaints from some fans that the perfect character was a bit of a Mary Sue. Not the last time we’ll get a “I’m not mad” joke at criticism along the way.
So Krok’s plan is to Scavenge what’s to hand…
This issue’s sidesteps to the Lost Light are more concise that in the first part, being effectively just one scene in the oil reservoir (a new location that will become important as we go along), though, once again, this seemingly unrelated subplot will actually connect to the main story in a way that rewards rereading after the fact.
It turns out Skids, based on a conversation with Chromedome we haven’t seen yet in the upcoming annual, has decided his cavalier fresh start attitude to his amnesia is disrespectful to the people he’s forgotten, so, out of their quarters (because Rewind doesn’t like him injecting, plus it’s movie night for their friends in there), Chromedome is going to inject him and fish around for what’s been lost.
Chromedome himself is puzzled by Skids, that he disappeared after “The Heist” (along with the movie Rewind is showing being Proteus’s Promise, setup for the next story) and everyone assumed he was dead. Though it turns out he just joined the Diplomatic Corps, which anyone who’s ever read any spy fiction will know sounds like a euphemism, though the suggestiveness of this is lost on Chromedome.
It’s a good character scene that has a lot of almost casually done setup, even if it does feel like the moment of Skids listing his many and contradictory skills (Metallikato, photographic memory) feels like Roberts thumbing his nose at those early complaints from some fans that the perfect character was a bit of a Mary Sue. Not the last time we’ll get a “I’m not mad” joke at criticism along the way.
The don't make it all about Megatron challenge: Failed.
As Skids prepares to go down memory lane, the Scavengers have put their plan into play: They’ve shoved Grimlock’s sleeping chambre outside and pumped him full of the circuit speeders they got in the first part. So, as long as they can lure the DJD out, he should go nuts upon them.
Which might seem overconfident considering we’ve been told the DJD can take out a planet destroying Phase Sixer, but they’re clearly in awed fear of Grimlock, deciding whoever captured him was crazy for not killing him.
The lure is simple, they just call Tarn back and tell him the one he wants is dead, and in a coffin outside. And conveniently, Tarn doesn’t test this by asking “Name who it was then,” but instead provides the detail it was Fulcrum free of charge.
The Scavengers don’t have time to argue about this reveal, as the DJD land and an at least mildly suspicious (quoting Megatron’s “You are being deceived” like the saddest of nerds) Tarn transforms to go over to the capsule.
Which is as close as we get to any real sign of him having a transforming addiction, but it is quite excessive by the standards of this comic.
Which might seem overconfident considering we’ve been told the DJD can take out a planet destroying Phase Sixer, but they’re clearly in awed fear of Grimlock, deciding whoever captured him was crazy for not killing him.
The lure is simple, they just call Tarn back and tell him the one he wants is dead, and in a coffin outside. And conveniently, Tarn doesn’t test this by asking “Name who it was then,” but instead provides the detail it was Fulcrum free of charge.
The Scavengers don’t have time to argue about this reveal, as the DJD land and an at least mildly suspicious (quoting Megatron’s “You are being deceived” like the saddest of nerds) Tarn transforms to go over to the capsule.
Which is as close as we get to any real sign of him having a transforming addiction, but it is quite excessive by the standards of this comic.
Happy Dinobot month!
Which gives people who bought this for Dinobots what they’ve been waiting for: Grimlock unleashed! With him taking on the DJD with such force, the Scavengers forget their runaway at this point part of the plan, until it becomes obvious the Dinobot is tired and faltering.
At which point, they do decide to flee (again, these are not nice guys at this point, cheerfully using Grimlock as a patsy and leaving him to die), making the standing behind them Helex points out that Misfire’s timing is as bad as his aim.
Our final, brief, return to the Lost Light sees Chromedome pull out of Skids, because he’s realised him amnesia is actually a defence mechanism because of something further in the past that is deeply traumatic. All he’ll say is that the music Skids keeps hearing is called the Empyrean Suite, but he really hopes he never remembers why it keeps filling his head.
Well, that’s ominous.
At which point, they do decide to flee (again, these are not nice guys at this point, cheerfully using Grimlock as a patsy and leaving him to die), making the standing behind them Helex points out that Misfire’s timing is as bad as his aim.
Our final, brief, return to the Lost Light sees Chromedome pull out of Skids, because he’s realised him amnesia is actually a defence mechanism because of something further in the past that is deeply traumatic. All he’ll say is that the music Skids keeps hearing is called the Empyrean Suite, but he really hopes he never remembers why it keeps filling his head.
Well, that’s ominous.
Hmm, now who likes music a lot?
From ominous to violent, as, in one of the most famously gruesome and blackly comic images of the series, Tesarus can’t fit the massive feet of Flywheels into his grinder, so the Duocon gets shoved in headfirst, screaming for salvation from Primus till the last, till his innards splash everywhere.
Followed by Vos asking Krok to “Wear my faaace” (normal talking is still a struggle for him apparently), as it turns out the underside of his mask is all incredibly sharp corkscrews.
Crankcase, meanwhile, gets to meet Kaon’s pet, a Sparkeater who has, in a way that will turn out to be intentional by Roberts, had no attention drawn to him as part of the group up till now. So, it’s no wonder Fulcrum seems to just run away, though the tossed to one side Crankcase does find something as a result…
This torture sequence is effectively the centrepiece of this two parter and Flywheels’ death in particular stuck in the minds of readers to become second only to what will happen to Skids as a source of jokes and memes.
Followed by Vos asking Krok to “Wear my faaace” (normal talking is still a struggle for him apparently), as it turns out the underside of his mask is all incredibly sharp corkscrews.
Crankcase, meanwhile, gets to meet Kaon’s pet, a Sparkeater who has, in a way that will turn out to be intentional by Roberts, had no attention drawn to him as part of the group up till now. So, it’s no wonder Fulcrum seems to just run away, though the tossed to one side Crankcase does find something as a result…
This torture sequence is effectively the centrepiece of this two parter and Flywheels’ death in particular stuck in the minds of readers to become second only to what will happen to Skids as a source of jokes and memes.
The DJD only use the metric systerm, they hate measuring in feet.
It’s also fun to imagine people who just picked this up going “Oh hey, Dinobots, I love that goofball Grimlock” reacting to all this.
Tarn turns out not to be a fan of that goofball Grimlock, rather gleefully telling him that, in his own personal ranking of every single Decepticon from Megatron down to the lowliest and most pathetic (he likes to play Guess Who on who’s most likely to betray the cause), Grimlock has wound up with the six/five—if he gets the number right depends on which edition you’re reading—‘Cons the lowliest and most pathetic look down on.
Of course, as he goes to a whisper, this is mainly about talking Grimlock to death, though if it is working, and there’s a real chance from what we know later that it isn’t, he’s interrupted by Crankcase is a massive walking mecca, a “Cybernaught”, which the Symbol ships were famous for.
Though what seems like it’s going to be a decisive turn is fairly quickly removed from play by a couple of shots from Tarn and a good zapping from Kaon, but the DJD leader has now had enough, and calls Fulcrum out.
Which he does respond, to appearing on top of the Symbol Ship, with a speech that Tarn claims to be not interested in, but for some reason he doesn’t just shoot him, instead letting him go off on one:
Tarn turns out not to be a fan of that goofball Grimlock, rather gleefully telling him that, in his own personal ranking of every single Decepticon from Megatron down to the lowliest and most pathetic (he likes to play Guess Who on who’s most likely to betray the cause), Grimlock has wound up with the six/five—if he gets the number right depends on which edition you’re reading—‘Cons the lowliest and most pathetic look down on.
Of course, as he goes to a whisper, this is mainly about talking Grimlock to death, though if it is working, and there’s a real chance from what we know later that it isn’t, he’s interrupted by Crankcase is a massive walking mecca, a “Cybernaught”, which the Symbol ships were famous for.
Though what seems like it’s going to be a decisive turn is fairly quickly removed from play by a couple of shots from Tarn and a good zapping from Kaon, but the DJD leader has now had enough, and calls Fulcrum out.
Which he does respond, to appearing on top of the Symbol Ship, with a speech that Tarn claims to be not interested in, but for some reason he doesn’t just shoot him, instead letting him go off on one:
If his trick won't work on Grimlock, that's a careless whisper.
That when he was forged, the Decepticons were at their peak and genuinely a force for good against oppression, but thugs and sadists like the DJD have ruined it. Today, however, he’s met real Decepticons who’ve restored his faith by fighting for him and are worth ten of each of the DJD.
Which suggests he has a rosy view of both the early days of the Decepticons and what’s happened today considering the choice the other Scavengers had was basically fight or die regardless of what they thought about him.
But it still inspires him to take a stand for everyone who’s ever run away in protest at what the Decepticons have become and jumps, turning into a comedy bomb, falling towards the DJD…
And landing with a damp splat in the mud. Much to Tarn’s disappointment.
Which suggests he has a rosy view of both the early days of the Decepticons and what’s happened today considering the choice the other Scavengers had was basically fight or die regardless of what they thought about him.
But it still inspires him to take a stand for everyone who’s ever run away in protest at what the Decepticons have become and jumps, turning into a comedy bomb, falling towards the DJD…
And landing with a damp splat in the mud. Much to Tarn’s disappointment.
Falling with style.
But the games are over as Kaon rushes up to reveal they’ve finally tracked the energon signal of Overlord (the idea you can detect specific Transformers across the galaxy is an odd one that will recur, no wonder the war lasted four million years if no one can do a sneak attack. Though, suggesting some ideas aren’t fully formed yet, something else will actually lead the DJD to their Overlord), so naturally, this super squad takes the two seconds it would need to just kill everyone here…
Oh no, they just leave. But with a “We’ll get you next time, Gadget!” promise.
Exactly where they’re going is something we won’t find out for quite a while, with unexpected connections to the end of the issue.
Oh no, they just leave. But with a “We’ll get you next time, Gadget!” promise.
Exactly where they’re going is something we won’t find out for quite a while, with unexpected connections to the end of the issue.
Ultra Magnus Tramp Stamp.
In the epilogue, Fulcrum is surprised to find out that he didn’t explode, because the apparently a genius despite it all Spinister defused him when they were trying to steal his fuel pump.
Krok isn’t so lucky, being alive but unconscious, meaning he doesn’t have to face the fact his squad isn’t out there (with just the suggestion to look in hand sometime to see why).
Fulcrum quickly explains that his punishment for once having fled from an Autobot attack was first prison (in the penitentiary from Spotlight: Hot Rod), and then conversion to K-Class, a literal suicide bomber. But, though the rest of his squad managed it (including one with “ULTRA MAGNUS” painted on their shell, something that will get an unexpected callback later), Fulcrum had performance anxiety and froze, becoming a double coward and on the list.
Though, as no one would have known he was alive until the Scavengers woke him up at the start of the last issue, you have to wonder how he ended up on said list at all.
Krok isn’t so lucky, being alive but unconscious, meaning he doesn’t have to face the fact his squad isn’t out there (with just the suggestion to look in hand sometime to see why).
Fulcrum quickly explains that his punishment for once having fled from an Autobot attack was first prison (in the penitentiary from Spotlight: Hot Rod), and then conversion to K-Class, a literal suicide bomber. But, though the rest of his squad managed it (including one with “ULTRA MAGNUS” painted on their shell, something that will get an unexpected callback later), Fulcrum had performance anxiety and froze, becoming a double coward and on the list.
Though, as no one would have known he was alive until the Scavengers woke him up at the start of the last issue, you have to wonder how he ended up on said list at all.
Say the line, Grimlock.
Also unexpectedly still OK is Grimlock, who Misfire (the leader now, perhaps oddly as Crankcase seems the more level-headed one of the bunch) tries to parley with in the hope of not getting his head ripped off. But all he can get out of the Dinobot is, finally in IDW, a “Me… Grimlock.”
Which leads to him being declared brain dead and a useful bargaining chip with whoever is running Cybertron now as both ‘Bots and ‘Cons will want him.
This is fairly innocuous in and of itself, especially as the Scavengers are not nice guys, but it does start us on the path to some of Roberts more contentious writing in his handling of mental illness and neurodivergent characters (and in particular, how he was not always great at handling any criticism in those areas). But that’s a long discussion for as we go along. For now, the Scavengers are happy to fit an extra person into the W.A.P. as they head to Cybertron, possibly with diversions along the way.
Though not before they’ve stripped the remains of the bottom half of Flywheels of anything useful, after a very token eulogy.
Depending on which edition you’re reading, we do lose a nice reminder of something for the last couple of panels: That Flywheels was obsessed with the Necrobot.
Except in the last issue, it was Misfire who was obsessed, despite Flywheels being the religious one, so for the IDW trades (though Hachette use the original), this reference gets deleted.
Which leads to him being declared brain dead and a useful bargaining chip with whoever is running Cybertron now as both ‘Bots and ‘Cons will want him.
This is fairly innocuous in and of itself, especially as the Scavengers are not nice guys, but it does start us on the path to some of Roberts more contentious writing in his handling of mental illness and neurodivergent characters (and in particular, how he was not always great at handling any criticism in those areas). But that’s a long discussion for as we go along. For now, the Scavengers are happy to fit an extra person into the W.A.P. as they head to Cybertron, possibly with diversions along the way.
Though not before they’ve stripped the remains of the bottom half of Flywheels of anything useful, after a very token eulogy.
Depending on which edition you’re reading, we do lose a nice reminder of something for the last couple of panels: That Flywheels was obsessed with the Necrobot.
Except in the last issue, it was Misfire who was obsessed, despite Flywheels being the religious one, so for the IDW trades (though Hachette use the original), this reference gets deleted.
NO, NOT DIPSTICK
Which is a shame as, 18 months later, the remains of the remains of Flywheels are visited by the Necrobot (who, based on his future appearances, is naked here without his cloak), who adds him to his list.
A list with several Lost Light crewmembers, including Chromedome, Hound, Drift and Ultra Magnus.
An effective cliffhanger, though one we’ll be waiting a long time for the payoff on.
Though it might fail as a Dinobot showcase, that concludes the introduction of the Scavengers will a strong, darkly funny issue that has some lovely and clearly having a great time at the horrors art from Milne.
It is a shame the DJD are called off so easily, especially as the extent they’re caught up in the bureaucracy of mass-murder won’t really become clear till later.
Still, it widens the world of the comic and gives a useful separate thread for the series to revisit, though after a longer gap than you might expect.
So, like Flywheels, not flat-footed.
Next week, back to the other Dinobots!
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ISSUE 8
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
A list with several Lost Light crewmembers, including Chromedome, Hound, Drift and Ultra Magnus.
An effective cliffhanger, though one we’ll be waiting a long time for the payoff on.
Though it might fail as a Dinobot showcase, that concludes the introduction of the Scavengers will a strong, darkly funny issue that has some lovely and clearly having a great time at the horrors art from Milne.
It is a shame the DJD are called off so easily, especially as the extent they’re caught up in the bureaucracy of mass-murder won’t really become clear till later.
Still, it widens the world of the comic and gives a useful separate thread for the series to revisit, though after a longer gap than you might expect.
So, like Flywheels, not flat-footed.
Next week, back to the other Dinobots!
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ISSUE 8
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
