So Let’s Head for Home Now, Step by Step, and Day by Day, Every Second Counts, I Can’t Break Away.
Robots in Disguise issue 1: The Autonomy Lesson. 25th January 2012.
What? Somebody tried to leave, and they blew up?
The second in our two-pronged launch gives me my first real chance to talk about John Barber, other than throwing vague shade at some of his decisions I’m not too keen on.
His Transformers work actually started with some of the later film tie-in comics, so you might have expected me to do an Addendum looking at them. But to be honest, as a fan of the films, the IDW comics, regardless of who is writing them, are so bad and so contemptuous of the source material, it would be unfair to come into Barber’s stuff with such a strong moan as they’re only really typical of his main work in one way.
That is, he received praise for his Bayverse comics, not for them being good or in any way resembling the films (because none of the people reading at that point actually liked the films, they were just the sort of people who had to read every single Transformers comic, even if they hated themselves as they did it), but because he “Solved” various continuity issues that resulted from things like Paramount completely ignoring the nasty half-arsed tie-in comics when it came to making the actual movies.
This seems to have set him up as the Continuity Guy and given him the firm belief that it doesn’t matter if an old idea was good or abandoned for a reason, what people want is all the pieces to fit together nicely. And that’s going to fuel a lot of what’s to come.
What? Somebody tried to leave, and they blew up?
The second in our two-pronged launch gives me my first real chance to talk about John Barber, other than throwing vague shade at some of his decisions I’m not too keen on.
His Transformers work actually started with some of the later film tie-in comics, so you might have expected me to do an Addendum looking at them. But to be honest, as a fan of the films, the IDW comics, regardless of who is writing them, are so bad and so contemptuous of the source material, it would be unfair to come into Barber’s stuff with such a strong moan as they’re only really typical of his main work in one way.
That is, he received praise for his Bayverse comics, not for them being good or in any way resembling the films (because none of the people reading at that point actually liked the films, they were just the sort of people who had to read every single Transformers comic, even if they hated themselves as they did it), but because he “Solved” various continuity issues that resulted from things like Paramount completely ignoring the nasty half-arsed tie-in comics when it came to making the actual movies.
This seems to have set him up as the Continuity Guy and given him the firm belief that it doesn’t matter if an old idea was good or abandoned for a reason, what people want is all the pieces to fit together nicely. And that’s going to fuel a lot of what’s to come.
A planet of weird little guys.
And before diving into the actual issue, the biggest thing to remember is, as editor, he is all over every single issue I’ll be looking at for the foreseeable future. As said before, Roberts may be as close to a public face as these comics get because he loves to be out there talking his process online and at conventions, but John Barber is the real architect of this golden era.
And like any good editor, he’s aware of the need to establish the status quo of this new book quickly for people who are just picking up an issue 1 without having read either of the two issues we’ve already had in this relaunch. This,regardless of the fact that, at this point, pretty much everyone is aboard for all the issues. Because, in sales terms, the only difference between Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets the Eye at this last point in time physical sales really indicate anything, is that the one that came out first in the month would sell slightly more, otherwise, they’re level pegging.
I’ve already been critical of the first-person narration Barber is so keen on hammering into the ground, and they’ll be a lot more for me to say as we go along, but here it makes sense to open with Bumblebee describing the state of Cybertron, the NAILs, how there is no longer one Cybertronian race and the difference in attitudes between him and Rodimus.
All over an opening page of a ship trying to land and being dragged down by a hostile planet, followed by a double page spread showing shanty town Iacon now full of weird, wonderful and varied Cybertronians.
No women though, it’ll take a Hasbro mandate to achieve that in about a year.
And like any good editor, he’s aware of the need to establish the status quo of this new book quickly for people who are just picking up an issue 1 without having read either of the two issues we’ve already had in this relaunch. This,regardless of the fact that, at this point, pretty much everyone is aboard for all the issues. Because, in sales terms, the only difference between Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets the Eye at this last point in time physical sales really indicate anything, is that the one that came out first in the month would sell slightly more, otherwise, they’re level pegging.
I’ve already been critical of the first-person narration Barber is so keen on hammering into the ground, and they’ll be a lot more for me to say as we go along, but here it makes sense to open with Bumblebee describing the state of Cybertron, the NAILs, how there is no longer one Cybertronian race and the difference in attitudes between him and Rodimus.
All over an opening page of a ship trying to land and being dragged down by a hostile planet, followed by a double page spread showing shanty town Iacon now full of weird, wonderful and varied Cybertronians.
No women though, it’ll take a Hasbro mandate to achieve that in about a year.
"Good afternoon, I am the officially appointed areshole"
This is Andrew Griffith’s (another refugee from the terrible movie comics and therefore, we won’t go into that either) first chance to flex, and he shows the valuable skillset he brings to a potentially visually confusing book. He produces strong, solid, defined art that’s always clear and easy to follow. Effectively, a modern Jeff Anderson. It makes it easy to underestimate him because his work is not as innately showy or different as some of the other art we’ve seen recently, but it will be the strong backbone of this entire series.
Someone who must also have a strong backbone, considering how wide he is, is Metalhawk, and the establishment of the series continues as he and Bumblebee greet the captain of the ship that was dragged down.
Who is disgusted by the state of Cybertron, giving Metalhawk the chance to really put the knife in, emphasising that this is all the fault of a war the Autobots fought, and that the radiation in orbit is the result of Rodimus’ ship exploding right after he had an argument with Bumblebee. Which results in the disgruntled new arrival going off with the NAIL for the tour, leaving Bumblebee realising he has fumbled the ball badly there.
In The Death of Optimus Prime, I wondered how much of an arsehole Metalhawk was meant to come across as being, or if that sort of “Both sides” pundit having become so much more insufferable in the last decade was colouring a modern reading. Here though, it’s clear that he is a nasty, smarmy piece of work, just one who also happens to have some valid points about the war and what it’s resulted in. Valid points he’s using for his own ends.
Someone who must also have a strong backbone, considering how wide he is, is Metalhawk, and the establishment of the series continues as he and Bumblebee greet the captain of the ship that was dragged down.
Who is disgusted by the state of Cybertron, giving Metalhawk the chance to really put the knife in, emphasising that this is all the fault of a war the Autobots fought, and that the radiation in orbit is the result of Rodimus’ ship exploding right after he had an argument with Bumblebee. Which results in the disgruntled new arrival going off with the NAIL for the tour, leaving Bumblebee realising he has fumbled the ball badly there.
In The Death of Optimus Prime, I wondered how much of an arsehole Metalhawk was meant to come across as being, or if that sort of “Both sides” pundit having become so much more insufferable in the last decade was colouring a modern reading. Here though, it’s clear that he is a nasty, smarmy piece of work, just one who also happens to have some valid points about the war and what it’s resulted in. Valid points he’s using for his own ends.
Taking a blow to the side of the head like that, lucky he doesn't have big ears.
The tensions surrounding Bumblebee are then shown as everyone’s favourite Noddy lookalike, Tappet, is scrawling “Cyberton for Cybertronians” (who knew Noddy would like a racist dog whistle) graffiti on a wall, till Needlenose and Horri-Bull used their newly appointed law enforcer status to rough him up rather brutally.
Leading to a standoff with Prowl, whom Needlenose tires to goad into joining in as he must hate the NAILs (and twee children’s literary characters) just as much as they do, with only the threat of the I/D chips making them stand down.
And Prowl still has the NAIL arrested for disturbing the peace, much to Blurr’s obvious disgust. Put a pin in that.
At the Decepticon camp in Kimia, Ratbat is unimpressed by the misuse of his people, but not as unimpressed as Prowl is with the idea that Ratbat is still playing leader. Even making a rather brutal “Animal” quip as he leaves, which is incredibly harsh when you remember how Ratbat ended up the way he did.
Mind, Ratbat tries way too hard to emphasise the I/D chips not only stop the Decepticons transforming, but they also totally and truly stop Skywarp teleporting. Honestly. So maybe he’s not well suited to the big job, especially as, once Prowl leaves, the other Decepticons just stare at him (indeed, Needlenose even points out the likes of Shockwave and Soundwave aren’t doing anything else but stare lately) as he tries to talk them out of doing the Autobot’s dirty work.
Leading to a standoff with Prowl, whom Needlenose tires to goad into joining in as he must hate the NAILs (and twee children’s literary characters) just as much as they do, with only the threat of the I/D chips making them stand down.
And Prowl still has the NAIL arrested for disturbing the peace, much to Blurr’s obvious disgust. Put a pin in that.
At the Decepticon camp in Kimia, Ratbat is unimpressed by the misuse of his people, but not as unimpressed as Prowl is with the idea that Ratbat is still playing leader. Even making a rather brutal “Animal” quip as he leaves, which is incredibly harsh when you remember how Ratbat ended up the way he did.
Mind, Ratbat tries way too hard to emphasise the I/D chips not only stop the Decepticons transforming, but they also totally and truly stop Skywarp teleporting. Honestly. So maybe he’s not well suited to the big job, especially as, once Prowl leaves, the other Decepticons just stare at him (indeed, Needlenose even points out the likes of Shockwave and Soundwave aren’t doing anything else but stare lately) as he tries to talk them out of doing the Autobot’s dirty work.
The guy really in charge is in this image.
In Autobot headquarters, Bumblebee is horrified by the chain of events that led to Tappet’s arrest, and demands Prowl keeps the ‘Cons under control whilst shaking and waving his I/D chip detonator about wildly, making him look a lot more on edge than his narration does.
Prowl simply says Ratbat is going to be a problem, and when he gets called out for not listening to Bumblebee, he, again brutally, says he was listening, it just wasn’t interesting enough to more than compartmentalise and move on from before he focuses on the next problem.
Which is that Ratbat is clearly going to try something at the memorial for the Lost Light (everyone does indeed think they’re dead), so it should be cancelled.
And for all his claims that he totally does care about the dead and it’s just a necessary reaction to how increasingly outnumbered they are now (Broadside announces the arrival of another NAIL ship as they’re talking), Bumblebee is left flabbergasted and, reluctantly, calls in Metalhawk for a chat.
Prowl simply says Ratbat is going to be a problem, and when he gets called out for not listening to Bumblebee, he, again brutally, says he was listening, it just wasn’t interesting enough to more than compartmentalise and move on from before he focuses on the next problem.
Which is that Ratbat is clearly going to try something at the memorial for the Lost Light (everyone does indeed think they’re dead), so it should be cancelled.
And for all his claims that he totally does care about the dead and it’s just a necessary reaction to how increasingly outnumbered they are now (Broadside announces the arrival of another NAIL ship as they’re talking), Bumblebee is left flabbergasted and, reluctantly, calls in Metalhawk for a chat.
Even Prowl has a pal.
The next scene is just a brief cutaway to Ironhide making a crash into Omega Supreme return from a scouting mission, from which he has to report to Wheeljack that it’s hell out there and the static makes it hurt a lot outside of Iacon. Which is all key stuff for future issues, so put a pin in that as well.
An even shorter, but even more important, scene follows as Prowl, watching a sunset from a balcony, is greeted by someone who, in the grand Marvel era tradition, is so good at hiding in shadow, they’re darker than the shadows they’re hiding in (though you may find they’re outline familiar). But they’re someone Prowl doesn’t want anyone to know is on Cybertron, who claims to be on his side and that it’s good thing they’re around when he insists he doesn’t want to be ruthless (not convincingly).
From the small acorn of this one page, we’ll get the greatest act of character (and terrible idea) rehabilitation in all of IDW. It also brings in the running joke of Earth being mispronounced as “Eart” by characters who haven’t been there. But, for now, that’s another pin in it.
Lucky this comic isn’t a balloon from how many pins I’m throwing at it.
An even shorter, but even more important, scene follows as Prowl, watching a sunset from a balcony, is greeted by someone who, in the grand Marvel era tradition, is so good at hiding in shadow, they’re darker than the shadows they’re hiding in (though you may find they’re outline familiar). But they’re someone Prowl doesn’t want anyone to know is on Cybertron, who claims to be on his side and that it’s good thing they’re around when he insists he doesn’t want to be ruthless (not convincingly).
From the small acorn of this one page, we’ll get the greatest act of character (and terrible idea) rehabilitation in all of IDW. It also brings in the running joke of Earth being mispronounced as “Eart” by characters who haven’t been there. But, for now, that’s another pin in it.
Lucky this comic isn’t a balloon from how many pins I’m throwing at it.
Having a normal one.
At the Autobot base, Metalhawk has gotten Tappet released (and say what you like about the guy, he’s the only person in this issue to have bothered to learn Tappet’s name), before going on a vehicle mode trip with Bumblebee, which is largely so Metalhawk can comment on how everyone has adopted new modes and to make sure they’re near the climax of the issue when needed.
Bumblebee tries to encourage Metalhawk to bring the NAILS to the memorial so the planet can stand together, only for Metalhawk to deride the offensive name and to, with an almost Prowl level of brutality, point out “People” are saying Bumblebee killed all those Autobots anyway.
Which is a breaking point for Bumblebee, something not helped by Metalhawk saying that Rodimus being his friend just makes Bumblebee more ruthless. The strain and anger filling the Autobot leader makes this exactly the wrong moment for what happens next.
Which is a scream, and the discovery that Needlenose and Horri-Bull are once again brutalising a NAIL (Zetca this time).
Bumblebee tries to encourage Metalhawk to bring the NAILS to the memorial so the planet can stand together, only for Metalhawk to deride the offensive name and to, with an almost Prowl level of brutality, point out “People” are saying Bumblebee killed all those Autobots anyway.
Which is a breaking point for Bumblebee, something not helped by Metalhawk saying that Rodimus being his friend just makes Bumblebee more ruthless. The strain and anger filling the Autobot leader makes this exactly the wrong moment for what happens next.
Which is a scream, and the discovery that Needlenose and Horri-Bull are once again brutalising a NAIL (Zetca this time).
What a horrible man.
And this time, there’s no backing down when challenged, Horri-Bull even ignoring Needlenose saying it’s time to step back as he goads Bumblebee into activating the I/D chip, gloatingly asking what he thinks will happen to this fragile peace if the Autobots start executing Decepticons?
Unfortunately, he’s picked the wrong moment to test Bumblebee, who decides to find out exactly what will happen as he presses the button, making Horri-Bull’s head explode.
Which is the moment a watching Skywarp teleports away (who’d have thought he could still do that after Ratbat insisted he couldn’t for no reason), leaving those below around the body in shocked horror.
Which is the one part of the issue where the narration becomes a pain, the strength of the visual doesn’t really need Bumblebee spelling out (after he’d earlier said the respect even his enemies have for Prime means he has to work twice as hard to stand still in comparison) that Optimus never had to deal with this sort of thing, but he will fight for Cybertron… no matter what.
Unfortunately, he’s picked the wrong moment to test Bumblebee, who decides to find out exactly what will happen as he presses the button, making Horri-Bull’s head explode.
Which is the moment a watching Skywarp teleports away (who’d have thought he could still do that after Ratbat insisted he couldn’t for no reason), leaving those below around the body in shocked horror.
Which is the one part of the issue where the narration becomes a pain, the strength of the visual doesn’t really need Bumblebee spelling out (after he’d earlier said the respect even his enemies have for Prime means he has to work twice as hard to stand still in comparison) that Optimus never had to deal with this sort of thing, but he will fight for Cybertron… no matter what.
When you get consistently good Transformers comics again after the last few years.
Still, that’s a very strong opening issue, setting out all the characters and their relationships in a clean and fast way, whilst throwing out lots of foreshadowing. Some of which will play out over years. And the political commentary is very strong.
This really shows Barber’s strengths as a nuts-and-bolts writer, with very few of his weaknesses. Andrew Griffith is also off to an incredibly solid start as well.
It’s easy to see why More Than Meets the Eye got more immediate attention, its style is more radically different from what we’ve had before, but this really does the job of setting up the other book in a strong, no-nonsense way, creating a solid foundation going forward.
I’d say Barber gave the book a good head-start, but that’d be insensitive to Horri-Bull.
Next week, as a sign of how we haven’t quite left the old era behind, it’s revenge of the zombies in Infestation 2.
AUTOCRACY ISSUE 1
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
This really shows Barber’s strengths as a nuts-and-bolts writer, with very few of his weaknesses. Andrew Griffith is also off to an incredibly solid start as well.
It’s easy to see why More Than Meets the Eye got more immediate attention, its style is more radically different from what we’ve had before, but this really does the job of setting up the other book in a strong, no-nonsense way, creating a solid foundation going forward.
I’d say Barber gave the book a good head-start, but that’d be insensitive to Horri-Bull.
Next week, as a sign of how we haven’t quite left the old era behind, it’s revenge of the zombies in Infestation 2.
AUTOCRACY ISSUE 1
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
