JFK, Blown Away, What Else do I Have to Say?
Robots in Disguise issue 2: The World & Everything in it. February 22nd 2012.
Fantastic. I’ll go back to Earth and strike up a conversation with a fortune cookie when I want nuggets like that.
One side effect of doing these issues in publication order I hadn’t anticipated is, at least for the moment, I’m basically reading the two main series in “Real” time, one issue a month of each. That will change now Infestation 2 has finished (there’s no fourth series for the rest of the year), but for the opening salvo, I’m probably the first person in a decade to read the issues as intended.
Which is an advantage when going into the second issue of Robots in Disguise, opening as it does with a repeat of the final moments of the previous issue, even with some copied and pasted panels, showing Horri-Bull’s death and some more dialogue from the watching Skywarp showing him getting the order to let his fellow Decepticon die.
Reading it consecutively in trade, this would be a slightly awkward reprise on consecutive pages, but reading this way, it’s actually a much-needed way of putting you back into the world of the story as we left it.
Fantastic. I’ll go back to Earth and strike up a conversation with a fortune cookie when I want nuggets like that.
One side effect of doing these issues in publication order I hadn’t anticipated is, at least for the moment, I’m basically reading the two main series in “Real” time, one issue a month of each. That will change now Infestation 2 has finished (there’s no fourth series for the rest of the year), but for the opening salvo, I’m probably the first person in a decade to read the issues as intended.
Which is an advantage when going into the second issue of Robots in Disguise, opening as it does with a repeat of the final moments of the previous issue, even with some copied and pasted panels, showing Horri-Bull’s death and some more dialogue from the watching Skywarp showing him getting the order to let his fellow Decepticon die.
Reading it consecutively in trade, this would be a slightly awkward reprise on consecutive pages, but reading this way, it’s actually a much-needed way of putting you back into the world of the story as we left it.
Not the first politician with an upside down view of the world.
Skywarp teleports back to the Decepticon’s makeshift base, where’s mildly disgusted at what they just let happen, whilst Ratbat is absolutely delighted the Autobots still think the I/D chips work and that the other Decepticons have been shown what happens if they mess up. And hey, don’t you all remember how he was directly responsible for the rise of the Decepicons through his work as a senator?
Starscream is having none of this and, after being puzzled at how compliant Soundwave and Shockwave are, storms out and down the street (with Ratbat sending Long Haul to keep an eye on him), thinking, as he is our first-person narrator this issue, how full of crap Ratbat is and it was actually him and Soundwave who executed the senate back in the day.
Which feels like shots fired at Autocracy.
Starscream is having none of this and, after being puzzled at how compliant Soundwave and Shockwave are, storms out and down the street (with Ratbat sending Long Haul to keep an eye on him), thinking, as he is our first-person narrator this issue, how full of crap Ratbat is and it was actually him and Soundwave who executed the senate back in the day.
Which feels like shots fired at Autocracy.
Turns out Metalhawk was right.
It also, after his absence from the first issue, properly introduces major player Starscream to the series and sets out his store: His ambitions are bigger than Ratbat’s, and he’s going to achieve them over his “Flappy little friend”, even if it means going for a friendly chat with the enemy…
At the Autobot base, Prowl doesn’t seem very sincere in his sadness his use the ‘Cons as cops plan has gone wrong, as Bumblebee is resigned an attack is coming and it is now just a question of if it’ll be before or after the memorial for Rodimus and company.
Which gives us our first moment of me actually agreeing with Metalhawk, as he’s aghast at the entire thing, again having to point out that NAILS and Decepticons are not anyone’s people, but just people and they’re steamrolling towards disaster.
Adding to the sense the Autobots are on the edge of going too far is how excited Sideswipe is to see Starscream approaching, because it could give him a chance to just shoot the unarmed guy in the face.
At the Autobot base, Prowl doesn’t seem very sincere in his sadness his use the ‘Cons as cops plan has gone wrong, as Bumblebee is resigned an attack is coming and it is now just a question of if it’ll be before or after the memorial for Rodimus and company.
Which gives us our first moment of me actually agreeing with Metalhawk, as he’s aghast at the entire thing, again having to point out that NAILS and Decepticons are not anyone’s people, but just people and they’re steamrolling towards disaster.
Adding to the sense the Autobots are on the edge of going too far is how excited Sideswipe is to see Starscream approaching, because it could give him a chance to just shoot the unarmed guy in the face.
Having a normal one.
Bumblebee does go out to meet Starscream, but isn’t doing much better, refusing to listen as the Decepticon tries to ask for a private chat, ranting at the sky to imaginary enemies, encouraging them to try and shoot him and, without provocation, using what turns out to be an electrified walking stick to zap Starscream unconscious.
Which is definitely not the way to impress all the surrounding NAILS, but does leave Prowl in awe. Especially when he hears Wheeljack made the killer walking stick, something he plans to have a word with the scientist about…
But not before he’s had a word with Starscream, in the cells (and that building cells was apparently a priority for this new Iacon says a lot), cells he’s been thrown into for no reason.
Starscream is fairly upbeat though, he regards himself as, unlike Megatron, being someone who’s learnt a few things over the millions of years rather than staying deluded and stuck in the same patterns of trying to usurp Megatron whilst Megatron tries to conquer the Autobots.
That he assumes Megatron has not changed says a lot.
Still, because he does see himself as adaptable, he tries something he’s never done before: Telling an Autobot the (partial) truth. The I/D chips don’t work on Skywarp and Ratbat is going to have him assassinate Bumblebee at the memorial.
Which is definitely not the way to impress all the surrounding NAILS, but does leave Prowl in awe. Especially when he hears Wheeljack made the killer walking stick, something he plans to have a word with the scientist about…
But not before he’s had a word with Starscream, in the cells (and that building cells was apparently a priority for this new Iacon says a lot), cells he’s been thrown into for no reason.
Starscream is fairly upbeat though, he regards himself as, unlike Megatron, being someone who’s learnt a few things over the millions of years rather than staying deluded and stuck in the same patterns of trying to usurp Megatron whilst Megatron tries to conquer the Autobots.
That he assumes Megatron has not changed says a lot.
Still, because he does see himself as adaptable, he tries something he’s never done before: Telling an Autobot the (partial) truth. The I/D chips don’t work on Skywarp and Ratbat is going to have him assassinate Bumblebee at the memorial.
My readers, hanging on my every word.
Prowl, being the sort of guy who remembers All Hail Megatron is doubtful of trusting Starscream again. But the ‘Con’s argument as to why is valid: Ratbat is an idiot, the plan is terrible and if it fails, Starscream’s standing amongst the other Decepticons will rise again.
This is by far the best character work Starscream has had in IDW to date, really showing his layers and nuance over doing a straight Chris Latta impression.
And it actually works well enough for Prowl to release him, at which point he decides to stay low till the memorial, because obviously Ratbat will have someone on him.
This is by far the best character work Starscream has had in IDW to date, really showing his layers and nuance over doing a straight Chris Latta impression.
And it actually works well enough for Prowl to release him, at which point he decides to stay low till the memorial, because obviously Ratbat will have someone on him.
Stab'em in the tits.
As does poor old luckless Zetca. Because, being an American, John Barber thinks of political assassination in terms of JFK, in particular some of the more conspiracy driven theories around it. And as Skywarp blames Zetca for what happened to Horri-Bull, he gets to be the Lee Harvey Oswald style patsy.
So, the NAIL is knocked out, and teleported to a high tower overlooking the square the memorial is going to happen in, with Skywarp (out for payback after their fight in the Bumblebee miniseries) gleefully ready to kill the Autobot leader, then kill Zetca in a way that makes it look like a suicide and teleport away.
Below, Bumblebee does at least get to give his whole speech about the Lost Light crew, and no doubt Rodimus would be pleased to hear Bumblebee end his speech with “Till all are one”. And I wonder if dropping that in was a little coordination between authors to make the intended repeated use of the phrase in the other book not stand out so much (though I think in the end, Roberts draws attention to it himself before not too long).
It’s when he moves on to rather cynically using the memorial to make a political move—giving a big speech about unity and asking Metalhawk to join the government in a way and at a time he cannot easily refuse—that Skywarp goes to fire at Bumblebee…
So, the NAIL is knocked out, and teleported to a high tower overlooking the square the memorial is going to happen in, with Skywarp (out for payback after their fight in the Bumblebee miniseries) gleefully ready to kill the Autobot leader, then kill Zetca in a way that makes it look like a suicide and teleport away.
Below, Bumblebee does at least get to give his whole speech about the Lost Light crew, and no doubt Rodimus would be pleased to hear Bumblebee end his speech with “Till all are one”. And I wonder if dropping that in was a little coordination between authors to make the intended repeated use of the phrase in the other book not stand out so much (though I think in the end, Roberts draws attention to it himself before not too long).
It’s when he moves on to rather cynically using the memorial to make a political move—giving a big speech about unity and asking Metalhawk to join the government in a way and at a time he cannot easily refuse—that Skywarp goes to fire at Bumblebee…
Ratbat reacting like Furman.
At which point we get the issue’s second most memorable action scene, as Prowl jumps in and attacks him with two sticks. Two sticks that turn out to have been the result of his visit to Wheeljack, enabling him to take down the Decepticon with a massive electric shock. Which is actually quite benign for Prowl, it’s surprising he didn’t go for a shot to the back of the head.
Starscream has been in the crowd and had a very pleasant chat with Long Haul (who cheerfully admits he’s not choosing sides yet) and, when the assassination doesn’t happen, encourages him to lie and report back that it has.
Because they’re Decepticons. You know. As John Cena would also notice one day.
With Ratbat under the delusion his plan has worked (though apparently no one is broadcasting this state funeral to those who can’t make it), and after making a point of drawing the reader’s attention to the fact Soundwave still can’t talk after his injuries, goes to his room to prepare for government.
At which point, Arcee (Prowl’s mystery visitor from issue 1) drops in on him.
This starts the greatest character arc Barber will do, and the boldest and best use of his continuity fetish. I think any other writer would have either never used her again or used an absence of a few years to bring her back as a whole new, more traditional, take on the character.
But instead, Barber stays true to the dangerous, possibly insane (though she will wind up probably the sanest person on Cybertron) killer and develops her in ways no one could have predicted in 2012.
Starscream has been in the crowd and had a very pleasant chat with Long Haul (who cheerfully admits he’s not choosing sides yet) and, when the assassination doesn’t happen, encourages him to lie and report back that it has.
Because they’re Decepticons. You know. As John Cena would also notice one day.
With Ratbat under the delusion his plan has worked (though apparently no one is broadcasting this state funeral to those who can’t make it), and after making a point of drawing the reader’s attention to the fact Soundwave still can’t talk after his injuries, goes to his room to prepare for government.
At which point, Arcee (Prowl’s mystery visitor from issue 1) drops in on him.
This starts the greatest character arc Barber will do, and the boldest and best use of his continuity fetish. I think any other writer would have either never used her again or used an absence of a few years to bring her back as a whole new, more traditional, take on the character.
But instead, Barber stays true to the dangerous, possibly insane (though she will wind up probably the sanest person on Cybertron) killer and develops her in ways no one could have predicted in 2012.
Arcee will get over her cop phase.
And even though this opening appearance is entirely in keeping with how she’s behaved so far, including rather cruelly telling Ratbat she won’t kill him before going “Psych!” and doing just that by pinning him to the wall with her swords, it already feels a much more solid take on it.
It turns out Bumblebee is such a bore; his speech is still going on as Arcee returns to the square and agrees with Prowl that Ratbat died resisting arrest.
Bumblebee may well have carried on for hours, so we have to thank Starscream for interrupting him by coming on stage and declaring the only real way forward for everyone and to put the past behind them, and to make sure everyone is represented, is for him to join the government as well!
Which, as his inner monologue points out, is as close to the truth as he ever gets.
It turns out Bumblebee is such a bore; his speech is still going on as Arcee returns to the square and agrees with Prowl that Ratbat died resisting arrest.
Bumblebee may well have carried on for hours, so we have to thank Starscream for interrupting him by coming on stage and declaring the only real way forward for everyone and to put the past behind them, and to make sure everyone is represented, is for him to join the government as well!
Which, as his inner monologue points out, is as close to the truth as he ever gets.
Big S Swagger.
That’s a real banger of an issue, containing everything John Barber loves to do at its best. In particular, having signposted his love of first-person narration as something I found annoying from being overused as he went on, here he has Starscream voice events in exactly the right way, to add some nuance and clarity to events rather than beating you over the head with exactly what you should be thinking about a character.
Ratbat’s sad delusions of power are also well played and, if you’ll pardon the pun, his pathetic end is well executed.
The setup for the political shenanigans to come is pretty much perfect as well, with even Metalhawk feeling like he has a valid point of view. Not all of it will payoff well, but things like Prowl’s pushing of the line and how a Decepticon in government will work are extremely exciting threads to follow going forward.
Plus, even at this stage, Arcee feels full of potential now she’s free of her troublesome past.
With Andrew Griffith settling in nicely, the big dick energy on Starscream especially is fantastic, the main parts of the relaunch continue to impress.
Next week, back to the past and Pax.
ADDENDUM 15
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
Ratbat’s sad delusions of power are also well played and, if you’ll pardon the pun, his pathetic end is well executed.
The setup for the political shenanigans to come is pretty much perfect as well, with even Metalhawk feeling like he has a valid point of view. Not all of it will payoff well, but things like Prowl’s pushing of the line and how a Decepticon in government will work are extremely exciting threads to follow going forward.
Plus, even at this stage, Arcee feels full of potential now she’s free of her troublesome past.
With Andrew Griffith settling in nicely, the big dick energy on Starscream especially is fantastic, the main parts of the relaunch continue to impress.
Next week, back to the past and Pax.
ADDENDUM 15
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
