Released Wednesday, October 3rd.

Excellent issue.....love how all the pieces of the story are coming together nicely.
As always, the story felt a bit short, probably because i skip the pages we've seen the previews of.
Thank God issue 2 should be released next week though.

Love the Megatron-Sixshot scene. Sixshot is one of my favorite post-movie toys so it's great seeing him shine here.
Great touch having Starscream's squad peak around the corner trying to listen in and also liked how Sixshot, powerful as he is, still gives of the impression that he wouldn't want to take on Megatron.

Also liked the shuttle moving from A to B scene. It's scenes like that providing the overall new "feel" of this continuity.

Su's art has really grown on me. When his first stuff showed up pre-launch it just wasn't impressing me at all, but I've really changed my mind on him. It's such a simple technique using those speed lines, but it works so well. Some of his stuff still looks a bit goofy to me, like his Ratbat (yes Ratbat is in it ) and some of the facial expressions, but overall I'm very happy with his art.

Oh Hot Rod's avatar is totally right for him

Go buy it right now!

That....cliffhanger....wow...

That Megatron/Sixshot scene just oozed cool as well.

Ratbat turns into a CD player, neat!

Well worth the wait for this issue. Lots of plotlines advancing.

I have to wonder.. is Skywatch bringing Ravage to Brasnya just to get the other TFs' "scent?" Felt like a weird scene to me.

And it's good to know that Starscream is still in one piece. Though I have to disagree with Astrotrain. I don't think there's a bot alive that can make Megatron see how nutty he's getting.

Speaking of Megs' nuttiness, Sixshot's confusion was great. Great characterization compared to Spotlight's Mr. "I AM the void."

The Autobot scenes were kinda dull this issue. Though I did enjoy seeing Sideswipe get his way. Hopefully Hound will stop being a Prowl clone when he comes to Earth.

sixshot= major badass

"Now, are you SURE you want me to devastate, annihilate, and otherwise wipe out every trace of life on the face of this planet?"

"Yes."

"'Kay."

CH-CHK

Prowl has got to be one of the worst field commanders in the Autobot army. Bad enough he's an inflexible prick lacking anything remotely resembling charisma, but apparently it never once occurred to him to do routine recon around the base perimeter. Sunstreaker's kidnapping is entirely his fault, the prick.

Strong issue, really enjoyed it.

I would say of the Infiltration/Escalation/Devestation series, it's probably one of my favorite thus far, mainly because the story seems to be moving forward now.

After thirteen issues, it is absolutely critical that things really pick up and subplots get concluded. So I was pleased to see the Ark-19 take off, and I anticipate the story itself is about to too.

One of the benefits of sticking with something this long is we get some character development that can't happen in just a few issues. Characters like Prowl, Ratchet, Ironhide, Sunstreaker, etc. have been given ample time to develop, which allows Simon more room to grow the cast somewhat. Looks like Sideswipe and Hound's group will be joining the fray, and I'm okay with that because Simon was given ample opportunity to flesh out the original bots in these past two series.

What I didn't like? Well, I still don't like Simon's portrayal of Sixshot, a bot I always felt should have been the silent, deadly type. Here, he's talkative, like most of Furman's characters. Even classically quiet abrupt bots like Omega Supreme and Soundwave have been given verbose characterization in this continuity thus far. I feel this "cookie-cutter" dialogue trap detracts from individualization.

Ratbat was a surprise. Here's to hoping his current persona jives with Holmes' from the Megatron Origin.

Artwise, I was a bit disappointed with the faces. They are tending to look somewhat two dimensional.

Overall, a solid "A-" issue for me. Looking forward to the next issue, which thankfully isn't but two weeks away!

Yeah good point about Ratbat & the Megs Origin story as I'm a bit worried about that as well. With DW, Mcdonough and Furman seemed to go in totally different directions with characters as if they were just kinda ignoring each other's work.
I love seeing a few different authors take a stab at the property, but things need to stay in flow with each other for it to work.

I don't think it'll be a problem.

I think I read somewhere that Holmes consulted with Furman on this. They want these stories to mesh, after all.

After all, IDW seems to be taking a more organized tack to their continuity.

I thought Sixshot was characterized as being highly talkative according to his toy bio, other bios and his cartoon appearence.

Yes, Ninjas are the silent ones. Ninja Consultants will apparently talk your ear off.

So ehhh.....who here thinks ol' Hardhead is going to get offed here pretty soon. That guy has road kill written all over him for me for some reason. I don't really rate the survival chances of Hound's little group of nubs either. (the G2 bots that is, I'm sure Warpath will live through it)
The cast seems like it's getting too big and I think Furman is going to go a little G2 on us here pretty soon.

I dunno. With Scorponok and the Machination seemingly about to reveal Headmaster technology, I would tend to expect Hardhead to be sticking around.

I hear that point and raise one of my own; any Transformer can be a Headmaster in IDW-verse, as Sunstreaker will likely show...

And things are screwed for Hot Rod and Wheeljack if that BW preview is of any indication. Sky Watch (*snerk* they pulled a DW Lazarus move on Ravage) and Machination are truly... strange. Never was too fond of Headmaster tech but I'll wait.

Prowl needs some high-grade. Via IV. >:3

I am hoping SO MUCH that we'll be tricked into thinking it looks likely Hardhead will become a Headmaster, only to have the comic do a 180 and it happens to Wheeljack instead, and Hardhead keeps his own noggin.

why does everyone think its scorps?

The "head" of the Machination uses the same M.O as Scorponok from the Ultra Magnus spotlight. That, and we saw the claw accessories in a earlier pic + iirc the head we saw looks similar to that of Scorponok + Scorponok presumably started the HM process with Zarak....I mean, the Nebulon scientists all had TF tech implanted and the guard robots were all headless.

Of course, this could just be what Furman wants us to believe and it turns out to be Perceptor for all we know

And the Zarak Consortium and Machination HQ look exactly the same from the outside.

Look at the outside view of the Consortium in Spotlight Magnus and the first page of Escalation # 5.

i'll never tell

Dammit.....well I'm no Nightbeat, that's for sure .........Black Zarak???? Oh I give up

you'll find out verrrry soon

OBJECTION!

Soundwave has actually said very little out loud to other Transformers in this continuity. Most of Soundwave's monologues and observations from his own Spotlight were to himself inside his own head.

Oh dear someone ruined Megatron's mascara.

Anyone else feel like Sixshot feels like a supermarket stockboy being told by his manager to do a really dangerous job that goes against safety rules and regulations?

Really liked how both Prime and Meg's smashed their fists at the same moment. Amusing.

Anyways great issue. Loved the moments that involved the Decepticon infiltration team the most it's really cute and funny.

Keeps making me think were going to get a family moment between the cons later on. Heh.

The ramifications of Sixshot's attack will probably be really huge. If everyone on earth is aware of the Decepticons. It's easy to see how their infiltration plan will be conpromised and how earth might turn into the scene for another deadlock war like on Cybertron.

Wonder how the earths governments and militarys will respond.

Also have to wonder if the cons are actually worried about other alien races other than just fleshies noticing them...

I haven't been too big on the mainline IDW series up to this point. I thought Infiltration was far too decompressed, far too human-centric, and far too simple in plot. Escalation was better, but still felt really decompressed to me. I finished the six issues, and couldn't help but feel that the whole thing could have fit in half that number. The rest of IDW's offerings, Stormbringer and Spotlights, I've been loving; they're creating a sci-fi epic, one character at a time, that is truly bringing something new and good to Transformers.

And now we're at Devastation #1.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this issue. Here we are, back on Earth, but things are happening now. Sixshot not only premiered, he blew up the Autobot ark! Starscream's fate was finally revealed, and hints of his future are being offered. Sideswipe and crew are on their way to Earth! Skywatch has gone from being your everyday amoral-government-agency-watching-you-sleep to fielding brainwashed Decepticons. And Ratbat appeared with a modern design! The content of the spotlights is starting to jump into the main story, in big ways.

Things are happening here.

It turns out the titles of these comics were very appropriate. Infiltration slyly crept back into the comics market. Escalation picked the plot up. And now Devastation is giving us the pyrotechnics goofballs like me have been waiting for. I'm looking forward to the rest of the arc maintaining this pace.

I'm still not a fan of EJ Su's work, but I can't fault it in any way. Everybody is distinct and recognizable, and I can always follow the action. Maybe more "shiny" coloring would get me on board. I don't know.

Great, now I'm picturing Sixshot in a Shortpacked! uniform.

Have I said how much I love this series lately, I think I said it last for a Spotlight.

Well, I'll say it again, I love this TF series.


All of it, Nightbeats investigation, Sixshot getting his orders (I want to know what each phase is), Starscreams group going to get him, Skywatch and Ravage (although I hope it won't be too much like DW), Sideswipe getting to go to Earth and then the last five pages, my jaw nearly hit the floor with that end.


Now, anybody from Hasbro, please, pleeaase! Make a RealGear style Ratbat, he looks similar to Booster-X10, but I know I can't kitbash at all, let along good enough to look like the comic.

But I would buy one in a heartbeat.

EASILY the best cliffhanger IDW has done so far. EASILY.

Although I'm wondering now, are lotsa people gonna die or is the Ark going to miraculously pull-up and land in a deserted area...I hope Furman doesn't pull punches here.

I love the way EJ draws Sixshot in robot mode. Ruffolo drew him too bulky and like a toy, but EJ does more humanoid proportions and makes this twenty year old design look right at home with all the modern TF designs he's done.

I do hope we get some exposition or a hint as to the stark shift in Ratbat's status from Origin to present day.

Phase 1: Infiltration
Phase 2: Escalation
Phase 3: Devestation
Phase 4: Steal Underpants
Phase 5: ?
Phase 6: Profit

The first thing that popped in my head was an Autobot pulling an Optimus Primal in "Victory", but none of the current Earthbound Autobots can fly...I don't think Sideswipe can get to Earth fast enough. Machination-controlled Shockwave and/or Dinobots? Probably not. Hmm...

That does make me think though, maybe we can get an awesome Sixshot vs. Shockwave "Giant Flying Gun" battle later.

Hey Shockwave is a good one. Kind of a cool reversal of what happened in the old Marvel issues if it's Shockwave who's been decapitated
Sixshot Vs Shockwave would indeed be very awesome.

Nice, well Sixshot said he's a phase 6 kinda bot.

And Revelation will provide the answers to everything.

But it was Skywatch who found Shockwave, not the Machination. And they haven't dug him out yet as of the end of Escalation, so he sure can't be the one pulling the strings since the beginning.

Good issue, one question.

Why did Sixshot fly as a gun? He has a jet mode, why not use it and turn into a gun to blast the Ark? Am I the only one who thinks flying guns are stupid?

Maybe his gun mode is much smaller, hence harder to detect.. by both humans and Autobots.

Gah, Skywatch and the Machination are separate entities? Somehow I completely failed to realize this.

So the Machination has Sunstreaker and is secretly run by Scorponok, and Skywatch is the one that has Shockwave/Dinobots/Laserbeak/Ravage right?

GOD I love Su.


M "Delicious, Clean, Emotive, Actiony Art Every Time" Sipher

I hear that. I can't believe a good portion of people were bashing him when Infiltration hit.

Looking at the cover for next month, it really looks as if Sixshot *is* standing amidst the wreckage of that Ark. 'Course, they could end up avoiding the town (Good lord, that cliffhanger...!) but crash elsewhere. Either way, I'm sure they're going to make a pretty big impact. (I know, bad pun...but hey, Hot Rod made that "Pressed for time" pun re: Ironhide being flattened, so I'm allowed...! ^ ^)

One thing I particularly liked character-wise was how Sixshot continues to not be an extraordinarily kill-happy 'bot, but more questioning and even moody. (As seen in his introductory issue). He does his job, and with huge effect, but it's not exactly like he's falling all over himself to slag everything and prove what a badass he is. That's rather refreshing from a character with such power at his disposal.

And man, Megs is really losing it. I really like seeing signs of his chronic anger from his early days in the modern character; he doesn't just explode with rage like he used to, but he isn't exactly Mr. Cool, either. That was nifty development for his troops, there; nice to see they really do buy into the systematic "Phase" philosophy; it isn't as if they're all nutters with just Megs or another leader holding them in check.

...Hey, Hardhead picked up an Earthen disguise! I love how they just have them assume new forms without a great deal of "Look, he's upgrading!" fanfare. Feels very realistic for such a species. Although, he looks more like he's be a multi-wheeled combat vehicle like Movie Wreckage than a tank, judging from his design elements. (Individual wheels on the arms, a chest similar to Wreckage's in shape.) Well, that's fine, considering Hound's team includes Warpath; it'll differentiate 'em.

Anything else for now? Oh, I liked how the Bumblebee cover actually represented something that happened in the comic between the time Nightbeat pages Bumblebee and the scene where they're revealing the observation devices to Prime.

Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it does tie in better with the Megatron Origin. On the other hand...I dunno, we haven't really gotten a lot of chances to see "in-control" Megs. Kinda relates to M Sipher's comment that we're seeing the whole phase system blown up before we've even seen it happen once. I guess it feels a bit like we're being too much told stuff, not enough show...I dunno.

EDIT: Heh, I just noticed "BINALTECH" on the laptop of the guy controlling Ravage. Cute.

I'm hoping the Ark really does crash into those houses. I really wan't to see earths reaction to this sudden devastating crash of a spaceship and a giant robot. I'm guessing Skywatch may get involved but the Transformers existence will be compromised and both sides will have to be twice as covert. Considering that now they will be compromised.


I can't help but think that Shockwave may be replacing Megatron as leader eventually. At least in this continuity it isn't because Megatron's incompetant it's more because of his character. I wonder what Megatron's reaction will be to Shockwave showing up. Will he be treated like a traitor/desserter? Also will Shockwave somewhat blame Megatron's leadership for the Destruction of Cybertron and does this mean that maybe seeing Megatron break his own rules will push him to replace him?

Either way I really like how Megatron is being handled. I'm wondering if there will be a better Shockwave/Megatron rivalry this time. I can see this Shockwave as being a little more analytical than the marvel one and probably slow the agressiveness of the cons quite a bit. Which would stretch things out during the fight on earth. Problem is that he probably won't be able to be heavily aggressive like Megatron when it's truly neccessary and might be slower to react to things. So both will probably have weaknesses that draw from the Decepticons chances of winning.

Oh man. Stop it your giving Walky ideas.

"Five up, five down! Its like shooting cyber-ducks in a barrel!"

No, him talking is in character. I suppose he just felt out of place in his own spotlight. Probably feels more comfortable in his surroundings on Earth.

I just got my new sig...

Love it!

Transformers: Stealing Underpants- Does that not sound like an awesome story arc? Imagime the cover: Starcream raising his hand in victorys holding up Omega Supreme's boxers. Ok.. maybe not

It would be awesome if South Park did a "Transformers" episode in the similar way they did the "Good Times With Weapons" or "World Of Warcraft episodes" Those are 2 of my favorite episodes.

And am I alone in getting the impression that Megatron NEEDS Starscream? And not just stratigically, but for Survival. I mean, Megatron practically slagged him, but made sure to keep him alive. In addition, the other Decepticons are bringing him back to tell Megatron that he's lost it. So obviously Screamer has alot of pull with Megs. and lets not forget Origins.. We'll soon find out what Starscream knows about Megatron that no one else does.

I'm personally cracking up at the fact that in the next issue (Preview), the Microman and Acroyear Inns are across the road from each other.

Megs seems to be pretty cunning in the Origin series, actually. He's intensely charismatic, for one, and he came up with a plan HIGHLIGHT to view:
to escape and slag the Senate, as seen in the Origin 4 preview on DA while in prison. Plus, he's capable of covert activity that vexes even the Prime and his staff, and knows to strike at strategic parts of Cybertron in Origin 3 instead of just lashing out at everything. Really, even his decision to kill Clench had the same intense pragmatism as destroying Cybertron to stop Thunderwing or quickly stamping out rebellions while keeping the troops alive; Clench was unable to think his way out of a situation that threatened his unit's lives, so Megatron took control.

And in Infiltration, although he was TICKED, he dealt with the situation swiftly and economically. Moving on to Escalation, he was generally pretty calm and in control until he had an opportunity to slag Prime, as well. Heck, going back to Origin again, he showed himself to be capable of serious introspection (Wish we'd gotten to see his thoughts) on whether he should kill his first victim in cold blood or not. And most of the time in the Arena, he looks like a capable team leader and not a rageaholic.

Really, the only times he seriously flips out in that Mini-series were when he killed the guard (After which he expressed horror), when he kills Bumper, and momentarily when he's cornered during the Autobot sting. Even in that last instance, he recovers his calm from "Rahhhr" quickly enough to at least threaten Sentinel Prime. "Just...wait".

So I guess I can see where Prime's coming from when he says to Megatron, "The Megatron I know" is generally in control.

But before we get too far into talking about Megs being in control, I guess we should remember that even if he usually has a grip on things, he's never exactly Shockwave in terms of emotional control.

He still seems to me to usually be more just different ranges of angry in the Furman books than really totally in control of his rage. It's more like it's evened out from his early days where he'd either be brooding or charismatic with explosions of anger, to a more general "Pissed off most of the time but doing his job despite it" personality.

Right now he's furious, but even when he first appears in the story, and he's relatively in control compared to, say, reacting to the "Psychopath" comment...he still bellows at Starscream (From miles away, even) when he first arrives on Earth and acts pretty brutal toward all of his subordinates.

Plus his dialog when he's using the Ore-13 about not being able to cut loose often enough suggests that even when he isn't using the fuel, he still has the same violent impulses that motivated him to kill in the first place. He just tempers them because of his position. See: "One of the downfalls of a command-level existence," he says, is that he doesn't get the opportunity to "cut loose" as much as he'd like. That line says to me that when he fights Prime, he gives in that angry, violent side of himself much more fully instead of tempering it; he's not just exploding into fury like he did in Origin. I like it; it indicates a degree of maturation on his part.

It's also almost like a less extreme version of what Shockwave does in this Universe. Remember how he was all cold and emotionless, but then he made a calculation that it was "okay" to express his emotions, and suddenly becomes this brutal ass-kicker...and then has to regain control of himself.

This isn't the first time Binaltech shows up in an IDW book. In Escalation #4, at the shop Jimmy and Verity are spying in, at one point there's a display case shown. On the top of it there's a pack of flyers with "SEIBERTRON" on it, and inside there's a package that reads "BINALTECH AIRFILTERS".

Also, loved the issue, the cliffhanger is bound to keep me on the edge of my seat until the next one comes out. EJ's art rocks. Where was he hidden all this time anyway?

Also, I'm afraid that Hound's unit, mainly Road Rocket, Skram and quite possibly Warpath will just be used as cannon fodder for the conflict... I hope Furman will prove me wrong... I just don't want another G2 where everyone just dies senselessly.

And who will Hunter end up binary bonding with? Sunstreaker, Hardhead or Nightbeat?