You're Not the Boss of Me Now.
Issue 46: The Icarus Theory Part 2. 25th January 1986.
You're dead.
First off the bat this week: Wank News Update. Regular reader Nick (mentioned two weeks ago) was so inspired by my attempt to create an internet meme out of Thundercracker's inadvertent hand gesture on the cover of issue 44 he's drawn his own version, which is rather fun and can be found at the end of this write up. It's like I'm the new Tony Hart. Why not check out Nick's Deviant Art page HERE?
Back in January 1986 we open with Furman using a technique he first played with back in The Enemy Within!, a page split down the middle, with each half devoted to a different character and the parallels between them. In this case Swoop and Morris, and it provides an effective way of recapping the story so far with some style.
Swoop is interesting amongst the S Dinobots in that he's got far more attention over the years from a variety of writers across the various media than the other three put together, seemingly by complete coincidence.
Furman will generally treat him as the spokesperson for the others in opposition to Grimlock, in the cartoon he was the only one other than the leader to get a lengthy solo scene (and for some reason the stuff with him on Cybertron's tube in Desertion of the Dinobots is indelibly stuck in my mind from the WACADAY screening around this time when I'd forgotten pretty much everything else before seeing it again on DVD) and to date he's got to be the sensible one in Monstrosity.
I'm not sure why the writers have latched onto Swoop more than Slag Sludge or Snarl, perhaps it is because he has by far and away the most stable personality making him easier to work with. But it does mean he's one of my favourite characters, even if it might have been nice to let the other three get a word in more often. I've even come to forgive him for the terrible way he's written in Maximum Dinobots ("I hate you and I'm leaving! No, I'm back. Actually, I'm off. No, only joking! Why do I look like the Rocketer's bastard love child!?!").
You're dead.
First off the bat this week: Wank News Update. Regular reader Nick (mentioned two weeks ago) was so inspired by my attempt to create an internet meme out of Thundercracker's inadvertent hand gesture on the cover of issue 44 he's drawn his own version, which is rather fun and can be found at the end of this write up. It's like I'm the new Tony Hart. Why not check out Nick's Deviant Art page HERE?
Back in January 1986 we open with Furman using a technique he first played with back in The Enemy Within!, a page split down the middle, with each half devoted to a different character and the parallels between them. In this case Swoop and Morris, and it provides an effective way of recapping the story so far with some style.
Swoop is interesting amongst the S Dinobots in that he's got far more attention over the years from a variety of writers across the various media than the other three put together, seemingly by complete coincidence.
Furman will generally treat him as the spokesperson for the others in opposition to Grimlock, in the cartoon he was the only one other than the leader to get a lengthy solo scene (and for some reason the stuff with him on Cybertron's tube in Desertion of the Dinobots is indelibly stuck in my mind from the WACADAY screening around this time when I'd forgotten pretty much everything else before seeing it again on DVD) and to date he's got to be the sensible one in Monstrosity.
I'm not sure why the writers have latched onto Swoop more than Slag Sludge or Snarl, perhaps it is because he has by far and away the most stable personality making him easier to work with. But it does mean he's one of my favourite characters, even if it might have been nice to let the other three get a word in more often. I've even come to forgive him for the terrible way he's written in Maximum Dinobots ("I hate you and I'm leaving! No, I'm back. Actually, I'm off. No, only joking! Why do I look like the Rocketer's bastard love child!?!").
How I react to orders from my boss as well.
A sign of the standing Swoop has is not only that he gets two issues for his reintroduction when the other Dinobots will only get one each, but that he is the only one who gets chance to be himself, indeed, his personality is key here. Over the next month the others, even Grimlock, will be more plot devices than characters.
About half the issue is taken up by a Swoop Vs Everyone fight. It does make the Autobots look slightly inept as he continues to make easy pickings of them, true Prime doesn't want to kill Swoop but just two issues ago he managed to take out virtually all of the Decepticons with non-lethal force by himself. One Transformer suffering from post nuke in the face damage shouldn't be that much of a challenge.
About half the issue is taken up by a Swoop Vs Everyone fight. It does make the Autobots look slightly inept as he continues to make easy pickings of them, true Prime doesn't want to kill Swoop but just two issues ago he managed to take out virtually all of the Decepticons with non-lethal force by himself. One Transformer suffering from post nuke in the face damage shouldn't be that much of a challenge.
Guilt and anger.
Kitson also continues to struggle with crowd scenes, resulting in lots of distracting generics and mish mash character models. Though to counter that there's some lovely work on Swoop's almost Two Face style battle damage, something that's subtly done (to the point its never really jumped out at me in reprints) but ensures there's at least some reminder of what was supposed to be a full on nuclear detonation.
The highlight though is how the fight is resolved; in character rather than action. Prime realises Swoop must be under some sort of external control as he's at heart a loyal Autobot (over the years Flanderisation will make the Dinobots more and more maverick) and does the one thing that he knows will so enrage his mind controlled colleague Swoop will fight off the influence. He gives him a direct order.
The instant effect this has on Swoop is not because he's some rule hating "bad ass", but because he has some specific beef with Prime personally, as a result of something that happened when Optimus was in command of the Elite Flying Corps.
Skipping past the obvious joke of Prime being so awesome he can command fliers without being able to fly (presumably he was in a supervisory role) this intriguing bit of back-story gives Swoop some added mystery that future stories will develop.
The highlight though is how the fight is resolved; in character rather than action. Prime realises Swoop must be under some sort of external control as he's at heart a loyal Autobot (over the years Flanderisation will make the Dinobots more and more maverick) and does the one thing that he knows will so enrage his mind controlled colleague Swoop will fight off the influence. He gives him a direct order.
The instant effect this has on Swoop is not because he's some rule hating "bad ass", but because he has some specific beef with Prime personally, as a result of something that happened when Optimus was in command of the Elite Flying Corps.
Skipping past the obvious joke of Prime being so awesome he can command fliers without being able to fly (presumably he was in a supervisory role) this intriguing bit of back-story gives Swoop some added mystery that future stories will develop.
I hope the winner still has that art.
It also includes the first ever gratuitous obscure in-joke in the comic. Uncle Bob's surviving documentation shows Swoop's original name was Divebomb. The UK seems to have gotten some form of this (perhaps a photocopy of the original version with hand written alterations?) and Furman slightly randomly references that here with Prime revealing Divebomb was indeed what Swoop used to be called. In one of those happy little coincidences when Bob reuses the name for the other Divebomb this small detail will be the catalyst for the aforementioned follow up story.
The peak of the issue though is Swoop going to deal with Morris. No preamble, no speeches, just a simple stark "You're dead". Which Morris, realising both that he was wrong about the Autobots and that he's a murderer, accepts with equal starkness. It's ultimately his patheticness that saves him as Swoop decides he's just not worth it, but its still a sequence full of power.
The story then seems to be just dealing with wrap up, and in an especially nice detail Prime forgives Morris for his actions against them but not the crimes his fellow humans will have to judge him for.
However, just as things seem to be winding down, Swoop goes nuts again, this time without external influence. After being subdued Ratchet's examination reveals being stuck in a tar pit for four million years is bad for your health and this had caused Swoop to, in technical terms, go snooker loopy. Realising the other Dinobots have likely suffered the same Optimus declares they must be found!
Considering this story could have been straightforward set up for the forthcoming mini-epic it's surprisingly dense. We get an effective new human villain (the first real one to work), lots of seeding for stories that will take us well into the following year and some fantastic character moments that add hugely to both Swoop and Prime. Despite some wobbles on the art (though again, Kitson nails the final Swoop/Morris meeting) this one's a keeper.
And as one final, random fact, this is the first story with no Decepticon representation at all.
Elsewhere, Transformation reveals the winner of the insane X-Men/TVAM crossover art and has a couple of sweet pictures of cosplayers from the comic mart where it was announced. We also get a full page of Matt and the Cat. Ho and indeed, hum.
Considering it was originally printed as a one off I was surprised at how dark the end of the Iron Man story was, Tony is defeated and humiliated in both his personas and hits the bottle hard as a result. It'll be interesting to see if next week's story picks up on any of this.
Speaking of which, join me in seven days as the hunt for the other Dinobots starts in earnest, and some of the forgotten characters get what is effectively their last chance to shine before the avalanche of the second year toys begins in earnest.
ISSUE 45
1986
COMMENT
The peak of the issue though is Swoop going to deal with Morris. No preamble, no speeches, just a simple stark "You're dead". Which Morris, realising both that he was wrong about the Autobots and that he's a murderer, accepts with equal starkness. It's ultimately his patheticness that saves him as Swoop decides he's just not worth it, but its still a sequence full of power.
The story then seems to be just dealing with wrap up, and in an especially nice detail Prime forgives Morris for his actions against them but not the crimes his fellow humans will have to judge him for.
However, just as things seem to be winding down, Swoop goes nuts again, this time without external influence. After being subdued Ratchet's examination reveals being stuck in a tar pit for four million years is bad for your health and this had caused Swoop to, in technical terms, go snooker loopy. Realising the other Dinobots have likely suffered the same Optimus declares they must be found!
Considering this story could have been straightforward set up for the forthcoming mini-epic it's surprisingly dense. We get an effective new human villain (the first real one to work), lots of seeding for stories that will take us well into the following year and some fantastic character moments that add hugely to both Swoop and Prime. Despite some wobbles on the art (though again, Kitson nails the final Swoop/Morris meeting) this one's a keeper.
And as one final, random fact, this is the first story with no Decepticon representation at all.
Elsewhere, Transformation reveals the winner of the insane X-Men/TVAM crossover art and has a couple of sweet pictures of cosplayers from the comic mart where it was announced. We also get a full page of Matt and the Cat. Ho and indeed, hum.
Considering it was originally printed as a one off I was surprised at how dark the end of the Iron Man story was, Tony is defeated and humiliated in both his personas and hits the bottle hard as a result. It'll be interesting to see if next week's story picks up on any of this.
Speaking of which, join me in seven days as the hunt for the other Dinobots starts in earnest, and some of the forgotten characters get what is effectively their last chance to shine before the avalanche of the second year toys begins in earnest.
ISSUE 45
1986
COMMENT
With thanks to Nick.
