I’m in Turmoil, Forgiving Treasons, We’re Only Appeasin’ Now.
Robots in Disguise issue 7: Interference Patterns. July 4th 2012.
I-I don’t care w-what people say. You’re a-an alright guy.
On the surface, this Independence Day issue is mainly here to provide another breather after the heavier and plot driven Pax sidestep.
In practice, Interference Patterns is a story of testing boundaries, with Barber (presumably already having ideas about doing something heavily non-linear in the near future) testing both the audience acceptance of something structurally less conventional, and probably whether he himself could pull off something outside his usual bailiwick.
So, this issue is carefully structured, cutting between one-page cut into 16 panels (some larger panels cut into segments) set in the “Now” and longer, more traditional scenes set in the recent past and explaining how this issue’s focus character of Wheeljack got into his situation.
Normally of course, the first page of an American comic will have a minimal number of panels, three or four at most, to be more eye-catching to anyone flicking through in the shop, so opening with a 16 panel Brendan Cahill spread with rougher more handwriting lettering beneath them was certainly a confident gambit.
I-I don’t care w-what people say. You’re a-an alright guy.
On the surface, this Independence Day issue is mainly here to provide another breather after the heavier and plot driven Pax sidestep.
In practice, Interference Patterns is a story of testing boundaries, with Barber (presumably already having ideas about doing something heavily non-linear in the near future) testing both the audience acceptance of something structurally less conventional, and probably whether he himself could pull off something outside his usual bailiwick.
So, this issue is carefully structured, cutting between one-page cut into 16 panels (some larger panels cut into segments) set in the “Now” and longer, more traditional scenes set in the recent past and explaining how this issue’s focus character of Wheeljack got into his situation.
Normally of course, the first page of an American comic will have a minimal number of panels, three or four at most, to be more eye-catching to anyone flicking through in the shop, so opening with a 16 panel Brendan Cahill spread with rougher more handwriting lettering beneath them was certainly a confident gambit.
An example of the "Present" page layout. Notice the darker, more worn old comic colour to the boarders as well.
Said page shows Wheeljack sneaking through a Decepticon ship, musing on how if he’s caught, he’s dead. And the difficulty of looking for something invisible when in hostile territory without being invisible yourself. But that’s how this all started…
Leading us back to a series of panels showing a Decepticon ship suddenly appearing in Cybertron orbit from nowhere, as an annoyed Bumblebee tries to reach a “busy” Wheeljack on the phone, because the science guy is needed now. Because no one detected this ship approaching, meaning it might have a cloaking device. Meaning there could be an invasion force worth of invisible Decepticon ships out there as well…
Cutting to the first of a couple of famously memorable panels, as “Busy” Wheeljack is in fact seemingly pissing about, reading a tablet whilst floating upside down in a forcefield bubble of the sort that will give anyone who’s seen Time and the Rani flashbacks. Though, wonderfully, it’ll turn out to be more than just a sight gag.
In the present, Wheeljack continues his sneaking, musing how, on the one hand, everyone on Cybertron had been fighting so long, all the reasons for fighting in the first place are long gone. But the peace still feels tenuous because there’s a lot of missing Decepticons…
In the past, as Wheeljack arrives in the seat of government, the various parties are taking their now traditional stances. Metalhawk insists the arrivals be treated fairly (pointing out the last Decepticon to arrive was just a beat poet); Starscream playing it safe by advising caution because he knows Decepticons and Prowl down at the landing bay and ready for a kill order. All whilst Bumblebee is just exasperated with everyone around him.
Leading us back to a series of panels showing a Decepticon ship suddenly appearing in Cybertron orbit from nowhere, as an annoyed Bumblebee tries to reach a “busy” Wheeljack on the phone, because the science guy is needed now. Because no one detected this ship approaching, meaning it might have a cloaking device. Meaning there could be an invasion force worth of invisible Decepticon ships out there as well…
Cutting to the first of a couple of famously memorable panels, as “Busy” Wheeljack is in fact seemingly pissing about, reading a tablet whilst floating upside down in a forcefield bubble of the sort that will give anyone who’s seen Time and the Rani flashbacks. Though, wonderfully, it’ll turn out to be more than just a sight gag.
In the present, Wheeljack continues his sneaking, musing how, on the one hand, everyone on Cybertron had been fighting so long, all the reasons for fighting in the first place are long gone. But the peace still feels tenuous because there’s a lot of missing Decepticons…
In the past, as Wheeljack arrives in the seat of government, the various parties are taking their now traditional stances. Metalhawk insists the arrivals be treated fairly (pointing out the last Decepticon to arrive was just a beat poet); Starscream playing it safe by advising caution because he knows Decepticons and Prowl down at the landing bay and ready for a kill order. All whilst Bumblebee is just exasperated with everyone around him.
The thing with Wheeljack is, you have to admire his balls.
Metalhawk is in the middle of another tirade about violence not being the option here when, much to the surprise of everyone (especially Broadside, who can only go “He’s dead! I helped kill him!”), the Decepticon ship opens and out comes… Turmoil!
Turmoil… you know. From Spotlight: Drift? And the Drift miniseries? No?
Of course, it is amusing, and something that is only going to be apparent when reading the issues this original publication way, that both Roberts and Barber did a big surprise return of a character last seen in the Costa era moment so close together. But, whilst Fortress Maximus was almost an inevitable character to show up again (being from a popular book involving the same author), I don’t think anyone would have ever predicted Turmoil, from at best indifferently met books and not considered an especially memorable original character, would ever appear again.
Especially in the comic without Drift, effectively the only reason the character existed in the first place. But we’ll see how Barber will square that circle soon enough.
It’s the most extreme example of Barber’s continuity fetishism yet, but still early enough in the run it feels more cheeky and fun than laborious
Turmoil… you know. From Spotlight: Drift? And the Drift miniseries? No?
Of course, it is amusing, and something that is only going to be apparent when reading the issues this original publication way, that both Roberts and Barber did a big surprise return of a character last seen in the Costa era moment so close together. But, whilst Fortress Maximus was almost an inevitable character to show up again (being from a popular book involving the same author), I don’t think anyone would have ever predicted Turmoil, from at best indifferently met books and not considered an especially memorable original character, would ever appear again.
Especially in the comic without Drift, effectively the only reason the character existed in the first place. But we’ll see how Barber will square that circle soon enough.
It’s the most extreme example of Barber’s continuity fetishism yet, but still early enough in the run it feels more cheeky and fun than laborious
Shane McCarthy fans go wild.
It is though perhaps unfortunate that this is immediately prior to the first proper appearance of Tarn over in More Than Meets the Eye, another big black robot with a ridiculous Megatron aping canon and a facial scar (as Turmoil has now lost an eye). Though you could perhaps argue it adds to the point that will get hammered home later in that comic, that Tarn is the most try-hard Decepticon possible. And considering their similar build and look, it meant Turmoil never get included in the “Who is Tarn?” debate either.
Metalhawk, and this issue is really about trying to give him a less one-dimensional character, is clearly not a fan of comic original characters as, just as Bumblebee is (with a deep sigh) is agreeing with his usual stance of giving the new arrivals a clean slate, Metalhawk insists that killing Turmoil where he stands is the safest bet all around.
In the present, Wheeljack brings readers brought on by the relaunch up to speed (and I’d still love to hear from some of those readers about how all these callbacks to the Costa era worked for them) on Turmoil and Drift and that only Broadside and Blurr are on Cybertron from the team that seemingly killed the Decepticon.
Oh, and maybe Turmoil wasn’t lying because the device he just found definitely isn’t a cloaking device.
Metalhawk, and this issue is really about trying to give him a less one-dimensional character, is clearly not a fan of comic original characters as, just as Bumblebee is (with a deep sigh) is agreeing with his usual stance of giving the new arrivals a clean slate, Metalhawk insists that killing Turmoil where he stands is the safest bet all around.
In the present, Wheeljack brings readers brought on by the relaunch up to speed (and I’d still love to hear from some of those readers about how all these callbacks to the Costa era worked for them) on Turmoil and Drift and that only Broadside and Blurr are on Cybertron from the team that seemingly killed the Decepticon.
Oh, and maybe Turmoil wasn’t lying because the device he just found definitely isn’t a cloaking device.
The most terrifying weapon: Costa era continuity.
Cutting to Turmoil making the same claim after his disembarkation: No, he doesn’t have a cloaking device, but he does have something even more amazing, he’ll be prepared to share in exchange for a deal that lets him and his live on Cybertron safely.
Metalhawk isn’t having any of this, because of the horrible massacre he saw carried out by Turmoil’s troops on Dabola. Which is referencing the one and only prior appearance of Metalhawk prior to the relaunch in the Drift miniseries.
Where, as Turmoil takes great delight in pointing out (as Starscream facepalms over no one having told Metalhawk this), the whole thing was done against his order by his second in command, a guy who became an Autobot called Drift.
Which is the main area of this issue that doesn’t work, the rest of the issue treats this as some great betrayal of Metalhawk because no one has told him Drift was a former Decepticon who caused his pain.
Which doesn’t really make any sense, he arrived after Drift was gone and the guy has never even been mentioned in his presence. It’s more surprising his reaction to this news isn’t “Who’s Drift?”
He also has never mentioned having been involved in the massacre before, so how was Bumblebee or whoever to know there was something to tell him?
Metalhawk isn’t having any of this, because of the horrible massacre he saw carried out by Turmoil’s troops on Dabola. Which is referencing the one and only prior appearance of Metalhawk prior to the relaunch in the Drift miniseries.
Where, as Turmoil takes great delight in pointing out (as Starscream facepalms over no one having told Metalhawk this), the whole thing was done against his order by his second in command, a guy who became an Autobot called Drift.
Which is the main area of this issue that doesn’t work, the rest of the issue treats this as some great betrayal of Metalhawk because no one has told him Drift was a former Decepticon who caused his pain.
Which doesn’t really make any sense, he arrived after Drift was gone and the guy has never even been mentioned in his presence. It’s more surprising his reaction to this news isn’t “Who’s Drift?”
He also has never mentioned having been involved in the massacre before, so how was Bumblebee or whoever to know there was something to tell him?
It's all downhill from here for IDW.
If it focused more on the horror of finding out there are Autobots who have done terrible things as well it might work better (though both sides being as bad as each other is Metalhawk’s default stance anyway), but the focus remains on it being Drift as the important part, and it just doesn’t work. It’s continuity over what would work best for the story. Something we’ll see more of over the years.
“Now, that’s a surprise” is Wheeljack’s reaction. But not to the Drift reveal, as in the 16 panels, he’s found the mysterious technology is far too sophisticated for a warlord and his goons to have put together. Which, after some appropriately Star Trek talk about photons and tachyons, makes him go looking for whoever aboard built Turmoil a time machine.
In the past, Starscream has taken Metalhawk for a drink in Maccadam’s, where we get the other great memorable panel of this issue: Jazz and Sky-Byte as a jazz beat combo on stage, Jazz playing guitar and Sky-Byte (in shark mode, importantly) doing what seems to be improv poetry. It’s hilarious whilst also being exactly right for both characters and belongs on a poster.
Starscream, finding Metalhawk charmingly outside his frame of reference, is completely… well, can you say “honest” about Starscream? Maybe with the inverted commas… He’s completely “honest” that even the best Decepticons (and he isn’t the best) aren’t great guys, and his main goal is to keep the good thing they’ve now got going and not to have things divide along old lines. And not for Metalhawk to turn against the Autobots.
Which is where the amazing “coincidence” of them just happening to be in Blurr’s bar comes in handy. Letting the other Wrecker from that raid on Turmoil's ship, after some snarky back and forth with Starscream, explain that yep, Turmoil was terrible, but Drift was a good, honourable guy.
“Now, that’s a surprise” is Wheeljack’s reaction. But not to the Drift reveal, as in the 16 panels, he’s found the mysterious technology is far too sophisticated for a warlord and his goons to have put together. Which, after some appropriately Star Trek talk about photons and tachyons, makes him go looking for whoever aboard built Turmoil a time machine.
In the past, Starscream has taken Metalhawk for a drink in Maccadam’s, where we get the other great memorable panel of this issue: Jazz and Sky-Byte as a jazz beat combo on stage, Jazz playing guitar and Sky-Byte (in shark mode, importantly) doing what seems to be improv poetry. It’s hilarious whilst also being exactly right for both characters and belongs on a poster.
Starscream, finding Metalhawk charmingly outside his frame of reference, is completely… well, can you say “honest” about Starscream? Maybe with the inverted commas… He’s completely “honest” that even the best Decepticons (and he isn’t the best) aren’t great guys, and his main goal is to keep the good thing they’ve now got going and not to have things divide along old lines. And not for Metalhawk to turn against the Autobots.
Which is where the amazing “coincidence” of them just happening to be in Blurr’s bar comes in handy. Letting the other Wrecker from that raid on Turmoil's ship, after some snarky back and forth with Starscream, explain that yep, Turmoil was terrible, but Drift was a good, honourable guy.
Epic transitions part 1...
But all Metalhawk can say is they still didn’t trust him with these apparently self-evident Drift is great facts (hilarious considering the other comic is setting him up for a villain arc that will be aborted). But again, there was nothing to suggest before this issue there was anything to share with Metalhawk, and Blurr absolutely would have told him anything, honestly, if asked.
We’re then into quicker cutting between the two time periods as they come closer to meeting, so as Wheeljack wonders who would give Turmoil a time machine and why he’d need stores of organic food, he’s also keen to go aboard the ship to search it because he thinks Metalhawk was betrayed by them (hmm), and he need to know if Turmoil is lying or not.
His investigation leads him to a computer terminal with deleted CCTV footage, that he uses the time machine to retrieve (somehow), revealing the makers of the time machine were of the same species as the rhyming alien Wheelie befriended in his Spotlight (a smart way to put that story in the minds of long-time readers, let’s just say it’s not a coincidence this ship with a time machine is of the same design as the one that had crashed on the planet in that Spotlight), who then got spaced once the call to return to Cybertron came in, to remove the evidence of who made the technology Turmoil is offering.
We’re then into quicker cutting between the two time periods as they come closer to meeting, so as Wheeljack wonders who would give Turmoil a time machine and why he’d need stores of organic food, he’s also keen to go aboard the ship to search it because he thinks Metalhawk was betrayed by them (hmm), and he need to know if Turmoil is lying or not.
His investigation leads him to a computer terminal with deleted CCTV footage, that he uses the time machine to retrieve (somehow), revealing the makers of the time machine were of the same species as the rhyming alien Wheelie befriended in his Spotlight (a smart way to put that story in the minds of long-time readers, let’s just say it’s not a coincidence this ship with a time machine is of the same design as the one that had crashed on the planet in that Spotlight), who then got spaced once the call to return to Cybertron came in, to remove the evidence of who made the technology Turmoil is offering.
Epic transition part 2.
So, I guess Turmoil was hoping the machine would never need maintenance or major repairs. But then, Wheeljack did say no one on this crew was very bright.
Wheeljack is rightly disgusted by this, and it’s also handy because otherwise Turmoil has been entirely honest about not having a cloaking device but possessing an amazing new bit of technology. Without him having killed innocents with no reason, he’d have actually had a valid point with what he’s about to say.
Because this is where we get the brilliant payoff to the structural experiment of this issue, as a speech bubble suddenly intrudes on the previously all mute Wheeljack page (“I tire of Autobots boarding my ships…”), and present and past catch up as we go into a full-page spread of Turmoil blasting a massive hole through Wheeljack’s chest (“But I never tire of killing them”).
Turmoil is actively pissed at the lack of trust here, but Wheeljack is still alive, and we get that great payoff to the opening splash page, as it turns out the forcefield bubble he made wasn’t just goofing, it’s a weapon. One he traps Turmoil in, cheerfully telling him not to fire his canon in there because of backblast…
Oh, too late.
Now, he just needs to escape without running into all of Turmoil’s troops.
Oh, too late.
Wheeljack is rightly disgusted by this, and it’s also handy because otherwise Turmoil has been entirely honest about not having a cloaking device but possessing an amazing new bit of technology. Without him having killed innocents with no reason, he’d have actually had a valid point with what he’s about to say.
Because this is where we get the brilliant payoff to the structural experiment of this issue, as a speech bubble suddenly intrudes on the previously all mute Wheeljack page (“I tire of Autobots boarding my ships…”), and present and past catch up as we go into a full-page spread of Turmoil blasting a massive hole through Wheeljack’s chest (“But I never tire of killing them”).
Turmoil is actively pissed at the lack of trust here, but Wheeljack is still alive, and we get that great payoff to the opening splash page, as it turns out the forcefield bubble he made wasn’t just goofing, it’s a weapon. One he traps Turmoil in, cheerfully telling him not to fire his canon in there because of backblast…
Oh, too late.
Now, he just needs to escape without running into all of Turmoil’s troops.
Oh, too late.
They ballin'
Unfortunately, it does get a bit Joss Whedon when a Cyclonus looking guy asks Wheeljack for some last words… making him break out in laughter because he can’t believe they’ve given him an opening to go “Hello Metalhawk.”
Who uses the wings on his arms as fairly brutal swords, whilst squaring it with his pacifism by saying “They’ll live.” The incredibly versatile forcefield bubble is then their way out of there, bouncing them along to freedom.
On the trip, Metalhawk explains that he came because what everyone has said to him had actually gotten through. Turmoil will never change, but Drift did, and Metalhawk believes Strascream and Bumblebee and even Wheeljack can as well. So, he’s standing with them. Rather wonderfully (and perhaps, depending on the lead-in time, Barber commenting on the negative comments about Metalhawk online after the first few issues), this makes Wheeljack tell Metalhawk he doesn’t care what people say, he likes the guy.
The 16-panel layout returns for the final page, with Wheeljack wondering what the lesson is here as everyone on Turmoil’s ship gets carted away. He decides it’s not anything to do with trust, but simply to be “Ready for anything” (under a panel with Prowl in it, interestingly), and they’re keeping the time machine, even with the horror of how it was made. Because there’s no room for guilt in this new world…
Who uses the wings on his arms as fairly brutal swords, whilst squaring it with his pacifism by saying “They’ll live.” The incredibly versatile forcefield bubble is then their way out of there, bouncing them along to freedom.
On the trip, Metalhawk explains that he came because what everyone has said to him had actually gotten through. Turmoil will never change, but Drift did, and Metalhawk believes Strascream and Bumblebee and even Wheeljack can as well. So, he’s standing with them. Rather wonderfully (and perhaps, depending on the lead-in time, Barber commenting on the negative comments about Metalhawk online after the first few issues), this makes Wheeljack tell Metalhawk he doesn’t care what people say, he likes the guy.
The 16-panel layout returns for the final page, with Wheeljack wondering what the lesson is here as everyone on Turmoil’s ship gets carted away. He decides it’s not anything to do with trust, but simply to be “Ready for anything” (under a panel with Prowl in it, interestingly), and they’re keeping the time machine, even with the horror of how it was made. Because there’s no room for guilt in this new world…
Be ready for anything from Prowl!
It’s a shame the Metalhawk dilemma didn’t really work for me, because this otherwise continues the strong run of the series, with the structural experiment working well (and having that great moment the two strands meet), has some lovely solid character work for Wheeljack and is deceptively light whilst setting up some new pieces on the board as well as giving the author more confidence to go further with thinking outside the box going forward.
Cahill, who will sadly remain in the always a guy you call in for a fill-in but never get a sustained run circle, does a great job as well. It feels very much in the same world as Griffith (something important after the previous issue had been such a departure) and is clearly enjoying the challenge of the 16 panel pages as well.
So, another winner from team Barber.
Next week, let’s meet an infamous big black Decepticon with a facial disfigurement and a massive arm canon.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE ISSUE 6
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
Cahill, who will sadly remain in the always a guy you call in for a fill-in but never get a sustained run circle, does a great job as well. It feels very much in the same world as Griffith (something important after the previous issue had been such a departure) and is clearly enjoying the challenge of the 16 panel pages as well.
So, another winner from team Barber.
Next week, let’s meet an infamous big black Decepticon with a facial disfigurement and a massive arm canon.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE ISSUE 6
2012
COMMENT
KO-FI
