I've Taken Care of Yesterday.
Issue 88: Target: 2006 Epilogue: Aftermath. 15th November 1986.
My place in the history tapes is secure.
In theory this should be somewhat unsatisfying, being basically a mopping up exercise dealing with the loose ends left over from the main story, the equivalent of being the poor sod that has to clean up after a really great party. Indeed, it would be true to say this is very much an issue of two halves; one on Earth, one on Cybertron; that are rather drastically different in quality.
Perhaps surprisingly it's the Earth bound stuff that's weakest despite the having been the focus of most of the story to date. It's most notable for introducing us properly to Unicron for the first time as he watches events in 1986 and basically recaps the story to date.
Despite the redundancy of doing that this late in the game (especially as the Transformation page covers a lot of the same ground) it has the advantage of Unicron being written very much in his deeply sarcastic on-screen persona, something that will get a bit lost later on. So it's actually kind of neat that this super villain finds the time to have a good laugh at what he's watching through his time telly, as is the fact he takes the time to place the idea of building Autobot City on the location of the super weapon in Smokescreen's (apparently the weakest willed Autobot, despite Jetfire being there) mind just for shits and giggles.
My place in the history tapes is secure.
In theory this should be somewhat unsatisfying, being basically a mopping up exercise dealing with the loose ends left over from the main story, the equivalent of being the poor sod that has to clean up after a really great party. Indeed, it would be true to say this is very much an issue of two halves; one on Earth, one on Cybertron; that are rather drastically different in quality.
Perhaps surprisingly it's the Earth bound stuff that's weakest despite the having been the focus of most of the story to date. It's most notable for introducing us properly to Unicron for the first time as he watches events in 1986 and basically recaps the story to date.
Despite the redundancy of doing that this late in the game (especially as the Transformation page covers a lot of the same ground) it has the advantage of Unicron being written very much in his deeply sarcastic on-screen persona, something that will get a bit lost later on. So it's actually kind of neat that this super villain finds the time to have a good laugh at what he's watching through his time telly, as is the fact he takes the time to place the idea of building Autobot City on the location of the super weapon in Smokescreen's (apparently the weakest willed Autobot, despite Jetfire being there) mind just for shits and giggles.
Not the first time one of these will be possessed by Unicron.
Unicron also explains something that makes a bit more sense of how events tie into the film, whilst at the same time creating new plot holes for both the movie and all subsequent Unicron appearances. It turns out Hot Rod and company were actually working for Unicron all along, he was able to extend his mind control over to them, "Transport" (this is left vague, but considering there's no point in the film where they could vanish long enough to go to Unicron and then Cybertron by conventional means-even if they could rustle a ship up from somewhere- it pretty much has to be teleportation of some sort) them first to him and then to the time machine and then send them to go do his bidding in the past.
On the one hand, this adds a incredibly creepy undertone to the rest of the story, and the fact some of the good guys were really working for the villain all along is a nice twist, and adds to the feeling Galvatron was really the frustrated hero of the entire story. Will Simpson, who doesn’t get much chance to shine this issue, does a really good moody panel of the three Autobots looking evil as well.
On the other though, if Unicron can mind control Autobots across the distance of space, why bother creating Galvatron at all? Why not just have Hot Rod and the others suddenly turn on Ultra Magnus, shot him repeatedly in the face, grab the Matrix and then destroy it? Why does he never display such amazing powers again (the best he can manage in Legacy of Unicron is being able to take control of minds in his line of sight)? As such, it feels more like a fudge to make things fit in with the film than a clever plot twist.
Whilst Unicron goes off excitedly to take part in the remaining three quarters of the film, 1986 Ultra Magnus manages one of the silliest moments of the entire story as the whole Volcano thing (which, in the timescale of the comic, was the inspiration for him taking one last stand against Galvatron less than two hours before) has managed to completely slip his mind and it takes the ever useless Jetfire to remind him of the fact he's now out of time.
What makes this brain fart even sillier is he then doesn't seem to be in that much of a hurry to get back, only activating his return ticket at the end of the issue after the Cybertron side of things has gone down. He uses the excuse of wanting to make sure Optimus Prime is back OK (but is very careful not to actually meet the great Autobot, presumably so as to avoid the "So how are things on Cybertron?" question) but it's hard to escape the sense he's just staying behind till the last possible second out of feeling sheepish at having to explain he missed the big fight due to forgetting to set his alarm properly.
We do however get the promise from him that he will fight alongside Optimus Prime one day, which is the one and only such promise the comic will make about Magnus it will actually manage to keep.
On the one hand, this adds a incredibly creepy undertone to the rest of the story, and the fact some of the good guys were really working for the villain all along is a nice twist, and adds to the feeling Galvatron was really the frustrated hero of the entire story. Will Simpson, who doesn’t get much chance to shine this issue, does a really good moody panel of the three Autobots looking evil as well.
On the other though, if Unicron can mind control Autobots across the distance of space, why bother creating Galvatron at all? Why not just have Hot Rod and the others suddenly turn on Ultra Magnus, shot him repeatedly in the face, grab the Matrix and then destroy it? Why does he never display such amazing powers again (the best he can manage in Legacy of Unicron is being able to take control of minds in his line of sight)? As such, it feels more like a fudge to make things fit in with the film than a clever plot twist.
Whilst Unicron goes off excitedly to take part in the remaining three quarters of the film, 1986 Ultra Magnus manages one of the silliest moments of the entire story as the whole Volcano thing (which, in the timescale of the comic, was the inspiration for him taking one last stand against Galvatron less than two hours before) has managed to completely slip his mind and it takes the ever useless Jetfire to remind him of the fact he's now out of time.
What makes this brain fart even sillier is he then doesn't seem to be in that much of a hurry to get back, only activating his return ticket at the end of the issue after the Cybertron side of things has gone down. He uses the excuse of wanting to make sure Optimus Prime is back OK (but is very careful not to actually meet the great Autobot, presumably so as to avoid the "So how are things on Cybertron?" question) but it's hard to escape the sense he's just staying behind till the last possible second out of feeling sheepish at having to explain he missed the big fight due to forgetting to set his alarm properly.
We do however get the promise from him that he will fight alongside Optimus Prime one day, which is the one and only such promise the comic will make about Magnus it will actually manage to keep.
Bullet to the head.
On Cybertron things are much tenser and much more interesting as Xaaron gives his speech to a group of facsimile constructs, as nothing more than a dangly bit of big juicy bait he shows that for all his politicking he still has balls the size of his head.
Whilst the Wreckers wonder when Ultra Magnus will be showing up, the ten deadliest Decepticons that the trap has been set for are heading towards them.
Well, nine deadliest as it's not entirely clear if Astrotrain was actually going to join them or was just bringing his message when he arrived. But no plan is perfect.
Indeed, I'd go as far as to say only 8 of the intended targets are part of the initial attack, as their number includes a character never mentioned before in Macabre. Him popping up out of nowhere is often held up as a flaw in Furman's long term planning; in that with a little thought he could have been included amongst the FC's being killed in the Wreckers’ issue.
Whilst I think this is likely true, the suddenness of him showing up actually works. If we assume he's a full of himself nobody actually filling in for the actual tenth deadliest Decepticon (off-sick with the robo nergy) there's something blackly funny about his self important thought bubbles about how he's going to prove how awesome he is by killing Xaaron. Indeed, you can tell hoe valued he is by the way none of the others notice he's carried on when they're ordered back.
Yes, Volcano is a failure. Not because of the absence of Magnus, not because of the weight of numbers, but because of bureaucracy. Megatron has woken up and suddenly realises an American story is imminent, and as such calls Cybertron to order the Insecticons (a third of the team being lured into the trap) to Earth. The palpable look of frustration on the face of Dirge (in what is probably his Marvel highlight) when confronted by his idiot boss is perfect, and gives a pay-off to the Volcano plot that is unexpected, funny and manages to feel more like real life than a cop-out.
Macabre however has other ideas, planning to go to glory, and manages to get the drop on Xaaron as the Wreckers' security has gone lax due to wondering what the fuck just happened. With Xaaron being a non-toy character there's a real risk of danger to him here that creates some nice tension, but ultimately it's Impactor who dies by jumping in front of his leader (Macabre goes the way of the dodo almost immediately, little knowing it would a quarter century before he got a legacy of any kind thanks to Nick Roche and James Roberts).
Impactor's death is brilliantly handled (and is the big impressive moment for Simpson this week), and takes great advantage of how strongly his character has come across over the course of the last three months. He gets a better send off than Optimus Prime himself will come 1987, managing a noble sacrifice, bad ass injury and some cool last words (that act as a call-back to his "Wily old buzzard" comments earlier in the story). It's iconic and seems to have scared a lot of young readers. Farewell Impactor, well, until your second and even more mentally scaring death anyway. You deserved a much better toy than the one you finally got.
Whilst the Wreckers wonder when Ultra Magnus will be showing up, the ten deadliest Decepticons that the trap has been set for are heading towards them.
Well, nine deadliest as it's not entirely clear if Astrotrain was actually going to join them or was just bringing his message when he arrived. But no plan is perfect.
Indeed, I'd go as far as to say only 8 of the intended targets are part of the initial attack, as their number includes a character never mentioned before in Macabre. Him popping up out of nowhere is often held up as a flaw in Furman's long term planning; in that with a little thought he could have been included amongst the FC's being killed in the Wreckers’ issue.
Whilst I think this is likely true, the suddenness of him showing up actually works. If we assume he's a full of himself nobody actually filling in for the actual tenth deadliest Decepticon (off-sick with the robo nergy) there's something blackly funny about his self important thought bubbles about how he's going to prove how awesome he is by killing Xaaron. Indeed, you can tell hoe valued he is by the way none of the others notice he's carried on when they're ordered back.
Yes, Volcano is a failure. Not because of the absence of Magnus, not because of the weight of numbers, but because of bureaucracy. Megatron has woken up and suddenly realises an American story is imminent, and as such calls Cybertron to order the Insecticons (a third of the team being lured into the trap) to Earth. The palpable look of frustration on the face of Dirge (in what is probably his Marvel highlight) when confronted by his idiot boss is perfect, and gives a pay-off to the Volcano plot that is unexpected, funny and manages to feel more like real life than a cop-out.
Macabre however has other ideas, planning to go to glory, and manages to get the drop on Xaaron as the Wreckers' security has gone lax due to wondering what the fuck just happened. With Xaaron being a non-toy character there's a real risk of danger to him here that creates some nice tension, but ultimately it's Impactor who dies by jumping in front of his leader (Macabre goes the way of the dodo almost immediately, little knowing it would a quarter century before he got a legacy of any kind thanks to Nick Roche and James Roberts).
Impactor's death is brilliantly handled (and is the big impressive moment for Simpson this week), and takes great advantage of how strongly his character has come across over the course of the last three months. He gets a better send off than Optimus Prime himself will come 1987, managing a noble sacrifice, bad ass injury and some cool last words (that act as a call-back to his "Wily old buzzard" comments earlier in the story). It's iconic and seems to have scared a lot of young readers. Farewell Impactor, well, until your second and even more mentally scaring death anyway. You deserved a much better toy than the one you finally got.
The armpit of doom.
Things are finished off by Optimus Prime giving a speech, just as he was trying to do when he vanished, which helps create a sense of full circle and means the story really does work in isolation. Attentive readers however will be most interested in the wound in his side; it may look suspiciously like the one he gained saving Skids back in Command Performances! (almost as if an issue is coming up that doesn't know there were any stories featuring Prime with a fixed hip in-between), but it is going to turn out to be very important come issue 100.
So that's Target: 2006, the big behemoth of the UK comic. One interesting thing that's come up in the comments section over the last three months is the number of people who think it considerably overrated. Their thoughts have been well argued (and crossed over with my own more than once), and certainly reading it at a weekly pace has made some of the cracks- such as the poorly handled add on that was the Wreckers introduction- feel far more blatant than they ever did before.
So is it time for an anti-Target: 2006 renaissance? I would say no, for all it may wobble in places this is still a huge grandstanding epic with many great moments with an impact that's still being felt today in the modern comics. It's not perfect (and my personal favourite UK epic is about 70 issues away), but it's still damn good and by doing so much and setting up so much it's still the best place for readers new to the British stories to start. It's out there in multiple forms now, so in the unlikely event you've not read it, go seek it out.
So that's Target: 2006, the big behemoth of the UK comic. One interesting thing that's come up in the comments section over the last three months is the number of people who think it considerably overrated. Their thoughts have been well argued (and crossed over with my own more than once), and certainly reading it at a weekly pace has made some of the cracks- such as the poorly handled add on that was the Wreckers introduction- feel far more blatant than they ever did before.
So is it time for an anti-Target: 2006 renaissance? I would say no, for all it may wobble in places this is still a huge grandstanding epic with many great moments with an impact that's still being felt today in the modern comics. It's not perfect (and my personal favourite UK epic is about 70 issues away), but it's still damn good and by doing so much and setting up so much it's still the best place for readers new to the British stories to start. It's out there in multiple forms now, so in the unlikely event you've not read it, go seek it out.
Spitfire recap border.
The sidebar on the Transformation has the difficult task of trying to make the next batch of stories seem nearly as exciting as the last few months. Tellingly, issue 96 is emphatically declared to be the start of the next "Epic", for the first time the title is making a clear distinction in the importance of the American and British stories (albeit without referring to them as such); the former are fluff and the later are what matter. This will be the prevailing view for the next two years and, whilst possibly hubristic, is going to be the driving force of the UK material getting bigger and bolder right through to the end of the colour era.
Grimlock meanwhile has received an impressive list of 145 Transformers from the toys, comic and cartoon compiled by Paul Darby of Urmston. However Grimlock discounts Gnaw and Tellus as he's never heard of them (presumably because Paul misspelled Telus, who made a blink and you'll miss it appearance back in the Straxus arc, whilst I don’t think Gnaw made it to UK shelves), but worryingly points out there are still some Paul missed. Already around 150 named Transformers as early as 1986, that's just mental that is.
This week also sees one of the most famous Robo-Capers; as it's been all over the internet and was included in the UK Classics series; and has Optimus Prime introduce some comedy Transformers who didn't make the grade, including a street lamp with the mortal enemy of dog piss. That's two in a row with a bodily fluid gag, proof that for all the sophistication of some of his humour, Lew Stringer likes a fart joke as much as the next man (the next man being me).
Though the robot finally appears in Spitfire, as a switched-off unit, there's still no great sense of pace into Professor Swensen's investigation into her father's death. She does get to go all Optimus Prime at the end though, driving off in a truck shouting "Gear up Trouble-Shooters and move out!”
Next week, well it's the hangover after the party. But before that, there are not one but two other new entries today, you lucky, lucky people. First up, the 1986 Winter Special!
ISSUE 87
1986
COMMENT
Grimlock meanwhile has received an impressive list of 145 Transformers from the toys, comic and cartoon compiled by Paul Darby of Urmston. However Grimlock discounts Gnaw and Tellus as he's never heard of them (presumably because Paul misspelled Telus, who made a blink and you'll miss it appearance back in the Straxus arc, whilst I don’t think Gnaw made it to UK shelves), but worryingly points out there are still some Paul missed. Already around 150 named Transformers as early as 1986, that's just mental that is.
This week also sees one of the most famous Robo-Capers; as it's been all over the internet and was included in the UK Classics series; and has Optimus Prime introduce some comedy Transformers who didn't make the grade, including a street lamp with the mortal enemy of dog piss. That's two in a row with a bodily fluid gag, proof that for all the sophistication of some of his humour, Lew Stringer likes a fart joke as much as the next man (the next man being me).
Though the robot finally appears in Spitfire, as a switched-off unit, there's still no great sense of pace into Professor Swensen's investigation into her father's death. She does get to go all Optimus Prime at the end though, driving off in a truck shouting "Gear up Trouble-Shooters and move out!”
Next week, well it's the hangover after the party. But before that, there are not one but two other new entries today, you lucky, lucky people. First up, the 1986 Winter Special!
ISSUE 87
1986
COMMENT
