Life is Quite Absurd, and Death's the Final Word.
Issue 106: Afterdeath! Part 2. 21st March 1987.
Or maybe you’re just strange.
We are now into the half of the story with the big, controversial ending. The bit everyone remembers above and beyond anything else in this adventure. This week’s entry is going to spend an awfully long time talking about it, but it’s also worth remembering there are 10 pages before this happens that everyone sort of forgets about. So, how do the (mega)-Tron parts of the issue hold up?
As far as mid-period Uncle-Bob goes, it’s actually good fun. The conceit is a simple one- The Protectobots (at their own insistence) and Combaticons (as the result of Megatron kicking Onslaught up the bum) go ahead of their leaders into the computer world in order to take out the other’s support so that they can have that one on one fight without interruption.
With each team split into three groups, we basically get three variations on the same scene. A couple of Protectobots come across something in a level they treat with respect and friendship, so that when a couple of Combaticons turn up and act evilly, the local environment actually helps the Autobots, resulting in all the Combaticons being “Killed”.
Doing this three times is arguably padding of the highest order, but there’s some lovely stuff here and all the Protectobots come off well, with a decent line of banter amongst all of them and a couple of nice touches like acknowledging Blades would much rather be killing things than helping save them. The Combaticons, sadly, are more generic evil with even Swindle (who in terms of personality has basically become the poster child for the group over the years) not getting much in the way of distinctive dialogue.
Or maybe you’re just strange.
We are now into the half of the story with the big, controversial ending. The bit everyone remembers above and beyond anything else in this adventure. This week’s entry is going to spend an awfully long time talking about it, but it’s also worth remembering there are 10 pages before this happens that everyone sort of forgets about. So, how do the (mega)-Tron parts of the issue hold up?
As far as mid-period Uncle-Bob goes, it’s actually good fun. The conceit is a simple one- The Protectobots (at their own insistence) and Combaticons (as the result of Megatron kicking Onslaught up the bum) go ahead of their leaders into the computer world in order to take out the other’s support so that they can have that one on one fight without interruption.
With each team split into three groups, we basically get three variations on the same scene. A couple of Protectobots come across something in a level they treat with respect and friendship, so that when a couple of Combaticons turn up and act evilly, the local environment actually helps the Autobots, resulting in all the Combaticons being “Killed”.
Doing this three times is arguably padding of the highest order, but there’s some lovely stuff here and all the Protectobots come off well, with a decent line of banter amongst all of them and a couple of nice touches like acknowledging Blades would much rather be killing things than helping save them. The Combaticons, sadly, are more generic evil with even Swindle (who in terms of personality has basically become the poster child for the group over the years) not getting much in the way of distinctive dialogue.
Leading by example.
However, these parts of the issue are still good fun, and the scene set in the Cloud Steppes zone is probably the highlight of the entire story, with Blast-Off and Vortex being defeated by tiny naked men throwing clouds at them. If you like your Transformers serious this will probably annoy you as much as the end of the issue, but this scene is probably the highlight of Budiansky’s surrealistic flights of fancy.
There’s also a couple of really interesting ideas here. The first is the notion of what Transformers would count as “life”. At this stage there’s no quasi-mystical element to the aliens, they’re straightforward robots that just happen to have very advanced programming. The inhabitants of the game are arguably far more like them than any organic animal on Earth, an extremely primitive counterpart to be sure but the Autobots going out of their way to avoid damaging the environment makes sense, it’s akin to how Superman would probably avoid blowing up a load of innocent sheep even if it would help him defeat a villain.
Note though, that it makes sense in the context of the first half of the issue, more on this later.
The other interesting thing is the morality on display- According to Optimus Prime (and presumably Bob as well) the reality of the situation doesn’t matter; you should always endeavour to live up to your principels.
There’s also a couple of really interesting ideas here. The first is the notion of what Transformers would count as “life”. At this stage there’s no quasi-mystical element to the aliens, they’re straightforward robots that just happen to have very advanced programming. The inhabitants of the game are arguably far more like them than any organic animal on Earth, an extremely primitive counterpart to be sure but the Autobots going out of their way to avoid damaging the environment makes sense, it’s akin to how Superman would probably avoid blowing up a load of innocent sheep even if it would help him defeat a villain.
Note though, that it makes sense in the context of the first half of the issue, more on this later.
The other interesting thing is the morality on display- According to Optimus Prime (and presumably Bob as well) the reality of the situation doesn’t matter; you should always endeavour to live up to your principels.
OK, this is cool.
The history of gaming is pretty much unfamiliar to me (the last console I owned was an N64 and the last game I played properly was Goldeneye, good Goldeneye that is, none of this Daniel Craig tie in game rubbish) so I don’t know if the now standard debates about the effects of violent games on players were already well underway, but at the very least it seems to be feeding off them and might even be pre-empting decades of arguments. And Budiansky’s stance is clear: Computer games do have an effect on the player and the content within them and the conduct of those involved do matter.
Is this a slightly hypocritical stance from someone writing an action comic, a genre that has in the past also been accused of affecting young minds adversely? Possibly, and certainly he seems to have no time for the idea of games being an escapist form of entertainment (I loved walking around as Robbie Coltrane blowing the shit out of Russians with my golden gun because it was so gloriously over the top and unrelated to reality, not because it was something I wanted to emulate in real life), but it’s certainly surprising amongst all the silliness to have some genuinely thoughtful moral quandaries presented.
And.
Then.
He.
Has.
To.
Go.
And.
Ruin.
It.
The fact things are about to go off the rails is signposted at the point where Megatron, who is now alone in the game and certain to lose as he’s up against Prime and all the Protectobots, is told by Vortex about the “Afterdeath” cheat he overheard Ethan mention last week. This is despite the last issue mentioning that when in the game players wouldn’t be able to see and hear what was going on in the real world, and also involves the two SHOUTING VERY LOUDLY at one another when standing next to Ethan, yet he completely misses the conversation and has no idea how Megatron is still in play after seemingly being killed by Defensor falling off a cliff with him.
That stupidity is nothing compared to the famous ending though. Now, I’ve said I liked the idea of the Transformers considering the computer characters “alive” is a good one. And there are humans who will go to extreme lengths to protect animals. Optimus Prime caring about the constructs of the game world and being saddened by accidentally having caused some of their deaths in his defeat of Megatron is a good and interesting development.
However, him being so upset he declares his victory null and void and therefore insists he be the one to be blown up (and it’s a massive body destroying explosion, you don’t have to ask Ethan to rig up a brain bomb twice), is insanely, snot dribblingly stupid on every level.
Is this a slightly hypocritical stance from someone writing an action comic, a genre that has in the past also been accused of affecting young minds adversely? Possibly, and certainly he seems to have no time for the idea of games being an escapist form of entertainment (I loved walking around as Robbie Coltrane blowing the shit out of Russians with my golden gun because it was so gloriously over the top and unrelated to reality, not because it was something I wanted to emulate in real life), but it’s certainly surprising amongst all the silliness to have some genuinely thoughtful moral quandaries presented.
And.
Then.
He.
Has.
To.
Go.
And.
Ruin.
It.
The fact things are about to go off the rails is signposted at the point where Megatron, who is now alone in the game and certain to lose as he’s up against Prime and all the Protectobots, is told by Vortex about the “Afterdeath” cheat he overheard Ethan mention last week. This is despite the last issue mentioning that when in the game players wouldn’t be able to see and hear what was going on in the real world, and also involves the two SHOUTING VERY LOUDLY at one another when standing next to Ethan, yet he completely misses the conversation and has no idea how Megatron is still in play after seemingly being killed by Defensor falling off a cliff with him.
That stupidity is nothing compared to the famous ending though. Now, I’ve said I liked the idea of the Transformers considering the computer characters “alive” is a good one. And there are humans who will go to extreme lengths to protect animals. Optimus Prime caring about the constructs of the game world and being saddened by accidentally having caused some of their deaths in his defeat of Megatron is a good and interesting development.
However, him being so upset he declares his victory null and void and therefore insists he be the one to be blown up (and it’s a massive body destroying explosion, you don’t have to ask Ethan to rig up a brain bomb twice), is insanely, snot dribblingly stupid on every level.
What an epitaph.
First, it’s out of character, every single battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth risks putting some innocent in danger. If he were really that hung up on it he’d spend all his time hiding under his bed in the Ark rather than, say, leading daring raids past army blockades to raid the Decepticon coal mine. Of course Prime doesn’t want to see anyone hurt, but if he really couldn’t cope at all with accidents he would be completely useless at his job and would have almost certainly committed suicide around the time Jazz caused Sparkplug to have a heart attack.
Secondly, the computer characters aren’t really dead, Ethan can easily reboot the whole thing and bring everyone back just fine. As such, committing suicide over this seems like an insane overreaction. Prime’s argument that he wouldn’t have done this in the real world and thus that discounts his victory doesn’t wash either, if he’s going to roll with these guys being valid life forms in their own right he should be able to deal with and accept their differences from organic beings and not attempt to react to the loss of the one as if it were as permanent as the other.
I mean, remember when Gears died and Optimus was stoic and unmoved simply because he knew the Autobots would be able to throw him back together again? If he can react like that to the brief loss of a long standing friend why can’t he cope as well with the similarly brief loss of strangers, at worse all he owes anyone is an apology to the creatures for having inconvenienced them.
None of this is helped by Megatron’s reaction. He’s finally defeated his oldest, deadliest, foe, what is his reaction going to be? Something deep and thoughtful? A cool arch villain one liner (which would be in keeping with his current loon portrayal)? No, he goes “I can’t say I’ll miss you. Heh heh”. Like he’s bloody Mutley.
In the context of the British comic, coming right after Furman has given brilliant faux deaths to both characters, this entire farce comes over even worse than it must have for American readers. Especially as part of the whole point of Prey!, that was never properly resolved, was Prime being worried that his troops were doomed to flounder without his leadership. His suicide over some easily to resurrect computer characters should- and would if not for the troubles that are about the engulf the Decepticon leadership- doom those he is responsible for to defeat and ensure that the innocent planet he is pledged to protect would come under Decepticon dominion. How many blameless lives would have been lost then Prime? Was it really worth it?
Indeed, from now until his return, I’m going to keep a careful eye on damage to human property and (mostly implied) life and work out a tally. The Autobots are not going to be at their best for the next two years and it’s not too hard to argue that even though the worst case scenario is avoided there’s still a lot of needless destruction that could have been avoided with a more stable hand on the Autobot helm. Expect a running total to start from... well now.
It’s barely worth mentioning the “Out” for Prime’s inevitable return where Ethan has his entire personality on floppy disc. Yes, it’s silly and betrays a basic misunderstanding of how computers (of the time) worked, but it is in keeping with the gonzo insane power of the Multi World computer and, at this stage, it’s the least of the issue’s worries.
On art, Don Perlin does get to have a lot of fun with the virtual world, and Prime’s explosion is if nothing else a fantastic splash page. Though even a polished turd is still a turd.
Secondly, the computer characters aren’t really dead, Ethan can easily reboot the whole thing and bring everyone back just fine. As such, committing suicide over this seems like an insane overreaction. Prime’s argument that he wouldn’t have done this in the real world and thus that discounts his victory doesn’t wash either, if he’s going to roll with these guys being valid life forms in their own right he should be able to deal with and accept their differences from organic beings and not attempt to react to the loss of the one as if it were as permanent as the other.
I mean, remember when Gears died and Optimus was stoic and unmoved simply because he knew the Autobots would be able to throw him back together again? If he can react like that to the brief loss of a long standing friend why can’t he cope as well with the similarly brief loss of strangers, at worse all he owes anyone is an apology to the creatures for having inconvenienced them.
None of this is helped by Megatron’s reaction. He’s finally defeated his oldest, deadliest, foe, what is his reaction going to be? Something deep and thoughtful? A cool arch villain one liner (which would be in keeping with his current loon portrayal)? No, he goes “I can’t say I’ll miss you. Heh heh”. Like he’s bloody Mutley.
In the context of the British comic, coming right after Furman has given brilliant faux deaths to both characters, this entire farce comes over even worse than it must have for American readers. Especially as part of the whole point of Prey!, that was never properly resolved, was Prime being worried that his troops were doomed to flounder without his leadership. His suicide over some easily to resurrect computer characters should- and would if not for the troubles that are about the engulf the Decepticon leadership- doom those he is responsible for to defeat and ensure that the innocent planet he is pledged to protect would come under Decepticon dominion. How many blameless lives would have been lost then Prime? Was it really worth it?
Indeed, from now until his return, I’m going to keep a careful eye on damage to human property and (mostly implied) life and work out a tally. The Autobots are not going to be at their best for the next two years and it’s not too hard to argue that even though the worst case scenario is avoided there’s still a lot of needless destruction that could have been avoided with a more stable hand on the Autobot helm. Expect a running total to start from... well now.
It’s barely worth mentioning the “Out” for Prime’s inevitable return where Ethan has his entire personality on floppy disc. Yes, it’s silly and betrays a basic misunderstanding of how computers (of the time) worked, but it is in keeping with the gonzo insane power of the Multi World computer and, at this stage, it’s the least of the issue’s worries.
On art, Don Perlin does get to have a lot of fun with the virtual world, and Prime’s explosion is if nothing else a fantastic splash page. Though even a polished turd is still a turd.
Inhumanoids recap framing.
Transformation, realising that trying to sell this as a “real” death after recent events is going to be tricky, goes to town on trying to reassure readers this isn’t a trick or deception, the death is totally real and honestly isn’t a cheat in any way shape or form. Floppy disc notwithstanding
There’s another Captain Rik comic as part of the competition (and I spotted him this time, next to Optimus Prime on the recap border for the main strip. For the curious Tim Roll-Pickering pointed out he was in Inhumanoids last week). Sadly the comic isn’t as full as blatantly phallic imagery as the first one was.
After his three week absence Grimlock is back and we get something of a major moment. Wayne Justin from Swan View Australia has written in to share information about the Transformers fan club he and his friends have set up and not only encourages the Brits to do the same but offers his full address for people to get in touch.
This is effectively the first humble step towards organised fandom, it’s possible the club didn’t last very long (though I hope it did and that Wayne is still knocking about the forums) but it won’t be the only one, and using the comic’s letters page as a means of establishing contacts and friendships will see the rise of groups that have had a huge impact on fandom, most obviously the TMUK boys and girls.
There’s also another letter from Australia, in this case Curtis Pitt of Queensland. So presumably the comic is really starting to take off there now after being on sale down under for a while.
Or it’s just taken this long for the letters to arrive. We all know what Aussie post men must be like, swinging back Foster’s and having a barbie rather than doing their job. Am I right or am I right?
Inhumanoids picks up the pace and has some rather fun fights between the monsters (who get names and therefore presumably are part of the toy-line as well after all) and the Centurions wannabees. Sadly the treatment of the one female character is rather poor, not only needing to be rescued by the manly men but her clothes get torn in a sexy way as well.
Next week, it’s time for Megatron to approach his own departure from the book, are we going to be looking at another elaborate suicide?
Tally of damage to human life and property since Optimus Prime committed suicide because he couldn’t handle the idea of having hurt innocents even in a computer game:
Property Damage: 1
Implied Human Deaths: 0
Right off the bat his death allows the Decepticons to steal the hydrothermocline. Whilst this won’t have much impact of the British stories (beyond the financial effect that no doubt ensued on Ethan’s employers) in the U.S. series this would go to Cobra as a sweetener for their partnership in the G.I. Joe crossover, and would therefore be responsible for large chunks of the carnage and death caused in that series.
Way to go Optimus.
ADDENDUM 5: TRANSFORMERS IN 3D
1987
COMMENT
There’s another Captain Rik comic as part of the competition (and I spotted him this time, next to Optimus Prime on the recap border for the main strip. For the curious Tim Roll-Pickering pointed out he was in Inhumanoids last week). Sadly the comic isn’t as full as blatantly phallic imagery as the first one was.
After his three week absence Grimlock is back and we get something of a major moment. Wayne Justin from Swan View Australia has written in to share information about the Transformers fan club he and his friends have set up and not only encourages the Brits to do the same but offers his full address for people to get in touch.
This is effectively the first humble step towards organised fandom, it’s possible the club didn’t last very long (though I hope it did and that Wayne is still knocking about the forums) but it won’t be the only one, and using the comic’s letters page as a means of establishing contacts and friendships will see the rise of groups that have had a huge impact on fandom, most obviously the TMUK boys and girls.
There’s also another letter from Australia, in this case Curtis Pitt of Queensland. So presumably the comic is really starting to take off there now after being on sale down under for a while.
Or it’s just taken this long for the letters to arrive. We all know what Aussie post men must be like, swinging back Foster’s and having a barbie rather than doing their job. Am I right or am I right?
Inhumanoids picks up the pace and has some rather fun fights between the monsters (who get names and therefore presumably are part of the toy-line as well after all) and the Centurions wannabees. Sadly the treatment of the one female character is rather poor, not only needing to be rescued by the manly men but her clothes get torn in a sexy way as well.
Next week, it’s time for Megatron to approach his own departure from the book, are we going to be looking at another elaborate suicide?
Tally of damage to human life and property since Optimus Prime committed suicide because he couldn’t handle the idea of having hurt innocents even in a computer game:
Property Damage: 1
Implied Human Deaths: 0
Right off the bat his death allows the Decepticons to steal the hydrothermocline. Whilst this won’t have much impact of the British stories (beyond the financial effect that no doubt ensued on Ethan’s employers) in the U.S. series this would go to Cobra as a sweetener for their partnership in the G.I. Joe crossover, and would therefore be responsible for large chunks of the carnage and death caused in that series.
Way to go Optimus.
ADDENDUM 5: TRANSFORMERS IN 3D
1987
COMMENT
