Ongoing #4 out February 24, 2010.

As promised, elaborations.

This issue wasn't bad - practically a 'Spotlight' for Thundercracker. He's had time to pay attention to humanity, and gain a respect for it and Earth itself. And lo and behold, we get an explanation of why he went from F-15 back to F-22! Granted, we still have no idea why he went from F-22 to F-15 in the first place (and sadly most likely never will), but this small explanation is better than none.

Just reading it and keeping in mind some of what's been said about his upcoming Spotlight, I'm getting the feeling that some of the prickish Prowl that fans liked from AHM #15 is still there - he contacted Magnus, he's seeing the rationality in getting off Earth, and he's sticking with Hot Rod most likely to keep an eye on him and to help keep him sensible. A small part of me even wonders if there's an elaborate plan going on here...

As for Hot Rod now calling himself Rodimus Prime...meh, I'm mixed. On the one hand, Roddy's shown in the IDW-verse that he has some leadership potential - he led a squad, he's roughly equal to Prowl on the overall chain of command, and he's taking initiative and getting things done. On the other, I don't see him leaping at the idea of being called a Prime - his initial hesitation is good, and I can understand him sticking with 'Rodimus', even warming to the idea of being called 'Rodimus Prime' (particularly in light of Optimus' surrender), but him insisting on it so quickly seems a bit off. But I suspect Swindle at least is setting him up to take a fall, so we'll see how it plays out.

Speaking of, I'm beginning to get some suspicions about why the 'Bots are still on Earth in the first place. Springer, Kup and Perceptor managed to get off-planet, so why didn't everyone else? I think Thundercracker's giving us a glimpse at why, and I suspect it's part of why Optimus surrendered to Skywatch. But we'll see, won't we?

Really felt like this issue had a story and characterization direction that the previous two were still finding their feet on, in terms of beginning to end coherence. (Not that I mind the slow start, really. Best to establish your ground rules if you're trying something new.)

I loved G.I. Joe: Cobra, and one of the strong suits in that series was, I felt, the internal monologue. This is one of Costa's strengths, and it helped this issue by letting Thundercracker really put some serious thought into Earth and humanity.

Points I particularly liked: the realization that for a species called "Transformers," they have been deadlocked in the same cycle of behavior for longer than anything on Earth, all of which is inherently transient, has been around, and that although Earthly things are much more short-lived, they display a versatility that these "Transformers" lack.

The fact that he is willing to change his opinions based on additional information also sets him apart from some of the more intractable (Due to ego or lack of intelligence) of his brethren in the Decepticons. Also, I like that he not only observes nature, but the behavior of those in his group.

Speaking of which, enjoyed the Prowl/Magnus/Hot Rod tension. I laughed out loud when Magnus spotted Swindle and instantly started opening fire and citing all of Swindle's past crimes in his usual fashion, and the scene where Swindle was hiding behind the rock. Glad to see that Ultra Magnus "law enforcer" characterization retained; we didn't get nearly enough of this guy in the -Ations, so having him around in this and LSoTW is fun. The fact that Magnus accused Hot Rod of not having a license to operate an interstellar vehicle at the moment....*snerk*.

And it does make Magnus an interesting "Different rules for different times" guy that he only just came from turning a blind eye to the Wreckers' methods, yet is here to bring the hammer down on Hot Rod.

Hot Rod throwing the whole "Rodimus Prime" thing out there felt to me like Hot Rod reacting to Ultra Magnus being this big authority figure who shows up and starting to make demands. Kinda like he took the keys to the family car, ran it into a tree, and dad just showed up.

I also really liked that Prowl asserted the fact that, under the official chain of command, he's next in line after Optimus, and that HE approved Hot Rod's various decisions as being valid in his analysis, and concluded that leaving Earth was the "rational" thing to do; it kinda undercuts Hot Rod's authority a little bit while he's standing next to Prowl, that Prowl more or less said to papa Magnus, "He's doing this stuff with my permission, as I am next in line". I get the impression Prowl is along more to keep an eye on Hot Rod than anything else.

Also appreciated that Hot Rod shrewdly vetoed the whole "We need more Constructicons" idea, and didn't seem gullible to Swindle's arguments on that front. Nice to see him trying to be a diplomat, weighing praise of Swindle against firmness that there have to be some rules. I almost want to trust Swindle...it's those big eyes and the sincere tone. It makes it more disappointing if he sells him out...but not in the "I wish the story hadn't done that" way but in the tragic sense.

He did warm to "Rodimus Prime," after initially saying it was a bit much, but hey, Hot Rod has at least a little ego already, and we know Swindle is a smooth talker. The dramatic irony was neat, too, of Rodimus having no bloody idea that "One more Stunticon, just one more" means that there will be the threat of a gestalt. It was made even funnier due to the fact that he had so judiciously vetoed getting more Constructicons for their project, and Swindle suggested Dead End as an alternative.

And Spike copping to his irresponsibility, also nice to see!

Review from Line Of Fire - Comic Reviews

Thundercracker has always been my favorite Transformer, because he’s a blue jet. When you’re 6 years old, that’s enough. So I was interested to see how he was being characterized in the new Transformers comics from IDW. Thundercracker had been in hiding since being “discharged” by Megatron. Since then, the war between Autobots andd Decepticons ended with humans victorious. Megaton was defeated, Optimus Prime surrendered to Earth authorities, and the remaining robots are scattered and in hiding. Thundercracker is found by some Decepticons lead by Swindle, one of the Constructicons. They've joined Autobots under Hot Rod to build a spaceship to leave Earth. Swindle is manipulating Hot Rod into filling the void left by Optimus, and starts calling him Rodimus Prime. Thundercracker looks at his fellow robots with pity. They are unable to adapt to their new situation. He’s come to realize organic life’s ability to adapt to and overcome obstacles makes it superior. He sees the beauty in life simultaneous fragility and resiliency.

In short, one comic gets me up to speed on recent events, the current status quo, the major players, two continuing plotlines, and one character’s personal growth. You just don’t see that enough in today’s comics.

It looks like Mike Costa is writing a truly epic series about the ongoing war between two alien races. The Transformers are portrayed as more than just the “good guys” and “bad guys” they were on the cartoon show. They have personalities, feelings, desires, and fears. Swindle’s argument for Hot Rod leading them into a post-war age is very persuasive. He plays on Hot Rod’s better nature and his desire to protect his fellow robots. It’s not just clever, it’s downright insidious. Who’d have thought a Transformers comic would have such compelling dialogue?

Figueroa draws the Transformers as truly living machines. These aren’t the block, plain toys we used to play with. Nor are they the random patchworks of metal from Michael Bay’s Crimes Against Culture: 2006 & 2009. Their exposed wires and shifting outer shells create the impression that they are alive and in motion. Older characters haven’t been redesigned to look sleek or modernized. They look more like themselves than they ever did.

I feel like buying more Transformers comics based on this book. And that’s the best sign of a good comic.

Hahahaha, holy crap. He's joking, right?
Living, in motion beings don't sneer constantly like that unless they have rictuses.

Transformers #4

I don't think we need to refer to it as 'ongoing' any more. That should be obvious by now.

So the issue begins by catching up with Thundercracker, detailing what happened to him after Skywarp shot him back in All Hail Megatron #12. Badly damaged, he falls to earth and hides away in one of the destroyed buildings in New York and sets up an s.o.s. beacon. And he spends the next eighteen months waiting for rescue, since he's too badly damaged to fly, and can't risk going out and getting caught. So he watches TV.

That in itself is pretty amusing. And the idea works for Thundercracker where it wouldn't work for Starscream or Skywarp. Starscream is too self-absorbed to care about the humans, and Skywarp isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch. Thundercracker is just thoughtful enough that I can buy it. So he sits down to pass the time, and he ends up absorbing information about humanity. And his disdain for them changes considerably to something like admiration. That's a major shift in attitude for the character, and without his enforced immobility it likely would never have happened. I like the direction Costa has taken Thundercracker, which is capped off at the end of the issue with TC's statement "We have so much to learn here."

We rarely get to see a Decepticon think and act like a reasonable individual. They're usually psychotic, or power-mad, or just plain killers. Isolating and immobilizing Thundercracker and having his attitudes and beliefs change is a great way to make use of his ambiguity about the Decepticon cause. He's no longer just a soldier who may question his orders but ultimately carries them out. He's been on his own long enough to think about and question his assumptions.

As for the rest of the issue, it seems very obvious that Swindle is conning Hot Rod, something Thundercracker observes, noticing also that everyone seems aware of it on some level. It's possible that Swindle is actually on the level, and just trying to get the better deal for his guys, but it seems very unlikely. And Hot Rod's cautious about the whole thing, but more willing to give than Swindle is, meaning Swindle is getting what he wants, bit by bit. And the way Swindle plays on his pride with the "Rodimus Prime" title is not a good sign. Nor is the way Hot Rod eventually goes along with the rather transparent bit of flattery.

So Hot Rod's lost a few IQ points this issue, both for being too trusting and for letting pride get the better of him, something Thundercracker notes. On the other hand, his questions to Magnus about just under what authority he's operating make sense, given that the command structure on both sides of the war has collapsed, and the war is essentially over. Magnus acts like nothing has changed.

This is a strong issue. I very much like where Thundercracker is going, and the Autobot/Decepticon post-war alliance storyline gets some development which was missing last issue. I just hate waiting a month to see what happens next.

This issue has good character building, and you could see how the plot is developing. I enjoyed it, and it is making the overall plot more cohesive. I am glad that Thundercracker's mentality has finally been explored. You can also tell that Hotrod's vain streak is expanding. He did have to make a show, or else Magnus would have undermined his authority (likely demoralizing the Autobots there further). Also, it does bring up the question of, who does Magnus answer to? It would have to be a neutral party. With the surprise of Impactor's addition in LSotW, as well as other characters we had thought were off limits, I'm wondering..... Could he have to answer to the Leige Maximo? Na... couldn't be.

Wreckers mentions Xarron; it would be cool if he turned out to be the Autobot High Justice.

If ever there were a statement issue to reaffirm my faith in the writing talents of Mike Costa, this is it.

Simply put, this is the most intelligently written TF comic to date since Roche gave us the Kup spotlight. For the past three years, I have been begging IDW to push the envelope that much further, and reach out to the readers who approach life from a bit more of a mature angle than what we are usually given from a toy-based comic. Costa has answered that challenge in spades here.

To start, Thundercracker's internal musings are the perfect example of how to use inner monologue effectively. If I wasn't a fan of TC before, I am now. Costa is able to take that ambiguity of feelings that Thundercracker possesses and that the tech specs and McCarthy practically pushed into our faces, and delves much deeper into TC's pysche to explain what that very ambiguity is based on. Clearly, it's based on an intellect that appreciates, in a philosophical way, the finer points of life. In this sense, TC actually comes off as being so much more superior to his fellow Decepticons, Megatron included. In fact, he himself comes to that self-realization of Megatron's real weakness.

And somehow, Costa is able to sandwhich in between this both plot progression and nods to past continuity ala Nick Roche. For example, Swindle's look of abject horror as he makes out, who else, but his nemesis Ultra Magnus making his way over the horizon. Swindle is yet another expertly written character here, as you can see Hotrod unsuspectingly about to get, well, swindled.

I really can't say enough good about this issue. But I'm going to say more anyway. Don is the man. If anyone can convey a sense of power to the TF, it's him. Another great job.

Give it an "A+", the perfect example of what I want out of a TF comic book. IF LSOTW and this issue are any indication of what IDW has got in store for us, it's a damn good time to be a TF fan.

Hmm, Thundercracker finally gets to shine. One thing though. I can't see him reuiniting with the cons or joining the autobots...

So... Will we see a more mature Thundercracker thats kind of like Armada Thundercracker's character. Maybe he still sees himself as a Decepticon because he's a warrior forged in combat. Just that he feels the other Decepticons have it all wrong and he goes on his own to follow a more truer idea of what a warrior is supposed to be. Compared to the other Decepticons version of it.

Is anyone thinking. We'll get Swindle as Decepticon leader for a while. that could be very interesting. I like the idea of a rag-tag group of cons lead by Swindle on earth. So he can acquire power and wealth.

This is slowly becoming like a mature verion of Season3. Only without the 1984 cast being all slaughtered.

If Costa goes in that direction.... I can see things being very, very, very, interesting.

We're getting the Swindle of season 2 and 3 here. I hope we see him hanging out with small dictatorships, selling them weapons. Playing both sides and using the other cons as muscle.

This series also has a interesting reasoning for Autobot city. Transformers being marooned on earth. Without Spaceships. May as well build a city.

Man, I forget sometimes how much I hate reading some of the stuff written online.

Anyway, I read this the other day, and while I've been enjoying this series anyway (thus far), I'll agree that this issue really was a standout one. Just great stuff all around.

I will say that I don't like that Ultra Magnus has now been around for 3 issues and hasn't done much of anything. You think he'd at least be going after Prime, Skywatch or no.

Magnus is still assessing the situation and figuring things out. Besides, his role in this continuity isn't to charge in and rescue Optimus - he'd probably be more likely to arrest him. Not sure what for, however.

That's what I mean. You'd expect him to want to get his hands on Optimus to really figure out why he abdicated.

IDW Magnus seems the sort that does act till he knows everything possible. He's a goverment worker type, even if there doesn't seem like there is anyone for him to answer to, and is likely still doing things 'by the book' as he's being doing them that way for who knows how long.

Well, two issues, really; he only arrived on the last page of issue 2. Plus, he was called there to solve the case of Ironhide's death, specifically (I liked that Prowl mentioned that the procedure when a team member is killed is to summon a special investigator; reminded me of the procedural nature of things that Furman had.), so it seems as if he has his hands full with that at present (esp. now that the previous case of Swindle complicates it.)

I like that Thundercracker may have defied Megatron, but he still sticks with his fellow Decepticons; it reaffirms his statement to Drift that he isn't a traitor, just has philosophical differences with the leadership. Also nice to see a Con who *isn't* interested in jumping into the leadership post the moment it's available.

I also really liked this issue. I wouldn't go so far as to call it Spotlight Thundercracker, but he certainly gets some interesting time. I'd definitely like to see more of him, and that's a good sign. He seems to be the guy that just whole-heartedly went in for Megatron, taking that away leaves him with nothing to go on... so he sits back and just watches, trying to figure out what he does now. The rest of the comic is good too. Hot Rod's taking up the title of "Rodimus Prime" is thought out enough, especially since he's probably just really using it to make Magnus back down. And I'm glad we finally get to see Prowl acting rational again, pulling rank when he needs to... and it's actually quite in line for Prowl to not want to take over command himself, but instead be the number one advisor to the guy in charge (in this case, Hot Rod). And I'm still interested to see where Swindle's going... I'm still hoping that he's not just gonna completely betray the Autobots, as that's a bit cliche, but, that certainly seems to be what Thundercracker's thinking (and Hot Rod is aware of).

The only thing that bugs me is I'd love some more explanation of exactly what Ultra Magnus' role entails... and this isn't really a slam on the current crew, it's bugged me ever since Furman brought it up since the parameters of it don't really make sense. He's supposedly a neutral enforcer, of some agreement the Autobots and Decepticons worked out... that's a bit of a stretch, but understandable I suppose. I can see the two sides agreeing to keep their technology out of other races' hands. But I'm not quite sure why he'd be investigating deaths of operatives like Ironhide or enforcing Optimus' "defection" or Hot Rod's unlicensed transport or what not. Not to mention that with the war supposedly over...

I'm assuming that because both sides left Cybertron they both managed to build their own societies. LSOTW seems to nod to this idea.

I mean we see, the newbie Wreckers wait for pickup and they anger a construction foreman.

I'm thinking that in this series theres actually Autobot and Decepticon civilians.

Well, the Decepticons would probably be mostly warriors still.

Yet, the Autobots would definately have civilians and not be limited to just warriors.

So maybe theres a government and a whole society.


The war being over shouldn't mean anything if theres politicians on both sides.

Also, I doubt the Decepticons would end the war just because Megatron is gone.

Maybe theres a big stall while the idea of who is to rise to leadership takes place. Since the Decepticons have only one absolute leader.

Well, the last is all Costa rather than Furman.

But the basic idea seems to be that he was originally an Autobot cop, and the Tyrest Accord enforcement provisions were given over to the Autobot and (presumably) Decepticon police forces in addition to their internal duties.

Blurs the line a bit (which is probably why Magnus is so tight-wound - outside of LSotW, that is...), but...

Considering that pretty much every Con with any significant power in the -Ations (And Wreckers) seemed to pose an authority problem (Seriously...Shockwave, Soundwave, Sixshot, Overlord, Bludgeon, Scorponok, Starscream and Thunderwing were/are all disobedient to various extents, from doing a few quiet things behind Megs' back to outright defiance, and we also didn't see Banzai-Tron have to answer to Megs once, which leads me to think that he probably reserves a great deal of autonomy for himself. And of course, there's Ramjet, bit player but also not to be trusted.), I'm not sure they wouldn't just pull in a million different directions as soon as Megatron no longer held sway over them.


He even commented in Infiltration that his own troops would forget who was really in charge very easily, leaving it to him to personally remind them. On the troop level, I'm sure there are Decepticon patriots who'd follow Megatron willingly (This was Thundercracker's deal until he thought Megs went too far...also, Starscream, but he became disillusioned much earlier), but I'd reckon there's also a large number who follow him out of fear, or greed (Thinking they will share in the spoils of war.).

But I didn't get the impression, just from what I saw in the issues, that things were terribly sound in the house of Megatron even before AHM, since he was going and putting out fires everywhere.

It's an interesting dichotomy; from the perspective of the Decepticon stranded on Earth, the war would be over in a bad sense because they saw their leader shot in the head, and don't know if he's alive or not, they have barely any resources to get by on (raiding gas stations, etc.), and nothing really worth conquering there (Like Thundercracker said in this issue, "Conquer what?".) Even in AHM, Megatron said that he was more or less just letting them rampage over Earth as a reward for having defeated the Autobots. If you were stranded in the wilderness, the big picture of the empire would probably the last thing on your mind, esp. if you were an average "Joe" Decepticon soldier already.

Plus, the humans have them on the run. Survival takes priority over fighting Autobots, and I could see demoralization set in, since they don't know if anyone is going to even come back to pick them up. They'd start to wonder what the point of mounting a campaign would be at this stage.

From the Decepticons' in space's POV, the war would be over because so many of the Autobots are dead, and the Autobot infrastructure is toasted, i.e. no credible resistance remains. But that victory could turn into defeat if the Decepticons who have the most authority/power start to turn on one another next (Like in "Peace," when they destroy the last Decepticon, and the Autobot civil war begins.). I could see these various powers forming factions and dragging the normal troops along with them.

Did Seaspray on page 8 remind anyone of Voyager Seaspray?

I'm sure it was likely the inspiration! (These guys tend to know toy stuff before we do.) Also, Hoist in issue 3 turned into a very similar truck to the Movie deluxe, even if the robot mode was more "G1 with Dropkick elements" (In the chest window positioning.)

Yeah. And I thought to myself, "Oh no. more fuel for the 'HftD Sea Spray is a Classics toy' crowd." But then, as I was reading one of the earlier issues, I saw that they've already shown his bot mode, which looks nothing like the upcoming toy and everything like what you'd expect if you handed Don his G1 animation model and said, "Do your thing."

But yeah, the vehicle mode is more like the new toy than the G1 version.

Perhaps he'll end up leaving behind schematics on how to combine or something...

Is there any evidence of Combiner tech beyond Devastator? He's usually considered a class of his own, and here he was reverse-engineered from Monstructor, another six-bot Combiner.

Not saying the Stunticons or anyone else can't combine, just wondering if there is any evidence that they can. If not, I can see why Hot Rodimus Prime would be more concerned with the Constructicons.

Speaking of which, it's kind of bittersweet to see the name "Rodimus Prime," handed down from Optimus Prime at the climax of the original Transformers movie when Hot Rod realizes his destiny and destroys the Chaos Bringer, reduced to a sort of suck-up title from Swindle. I'd absolutely love it even more, if not for the fact that it seems like it might be one of those "it's cool to take jabs at Rodimus Prime" things.

On another note, I thought Hot Rod and Prowl had the same rank? So why would Prowl's word be any better than Hot Rod's?

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

Because nobody at IDW bothers with sticking to continuity.
Right now they all seem to be working off Sunbow/Marvel's notions of the characters, and in that, Prowl > Hot Rod. So that's what they go with. To hell with Furman's -ations.

Well... in the story continuity, only Devastator and Monstructor are the known combiners at this point. However, we as the readers know whats coming up because of the comic covers...

Keep in mind guys, one of Swindel's crimes that Ultra Mganus is hunting down for is "stealing Combiner technology", we even got reminded of that in this issue. Swindel defiently has plans for the Stunticons, and by extension his own team eventually. He's clearly playing Hot Rod like a violin.

Man, I got all excited because for a moment I thought Jetfire was Drift.

Dang.

Benefit of the doubt: it's been, what, three or four years since Escalation at least. Prowl may well have risen in the ranks since then.

Also, remember, they were on the same crew in Devastation, but I'd say that Prowl still seemed to be the one in charge of the overall team then (With Prime stepping in if need be, for instance when Prowl wasn't able to handle the fact that the Ark was crashing fast enough. I always saw that as an "okay, I'm better at this, so I'm taking over in this situation" setup, which made it understandable that Prowl could later switch with Jazz, too.)

Certain bots can switch leadership positions given the situation, too, so they have a flexible rank system (Like Jazz; I'd say Jazz was better-suited to deal with the AHM situation than Prowl, who'd have sat around calculating error margins until the Swarm burst in the door).

I'd say in pretty much any situation, deferring to Prowl's authority over Hot Rod's would probably be considered a good idea by most (Especially by Magnus). Even if he's the same rank, he seems to command a lot more authority in the IDW stories in which he's been depicted, and be the de-factor right-hand man to the Prime.

I think Prowl being the "Autobot Shockwave" gives him credence over many others; even if he's not always listened to by his peers. His word carries more weight, becuase other will realize he's thought of all the other outcomes and chose this as the best course. Hot Rod despite being the same rank, and my liking him, is not known for his brains.

Also, Springer had to answer to him in Spotlight: Kup for his actions (And possible in LSoTW), showing that he has authority over people outside of his immediate team, who lead entirely separate teams of their own; you can have an equal rank to someone else, and still be in a position of more authority. Think of Sentinel Prime in Animated, for example: same rank as Optimus (as Prime points out), but a more prestigious posting.

Edit: someone on the IDW board pointed out that Prowl was referred to as "High Command" in Spotlight:Kup.

The thing with Prowl is, he's happy to be second-banana, at least seemingly, to the glory hounds; citing his authority all of a sudden to Magnus, though, was a good way of covering Hot Rod's backside when Magnus showed up. I think Magnus would be more likely to listen to Prowl's explanations than Hot Rod's... (It was also a jerk move because he undercut Hot Rod pretty deftly. It came off to me like, "Don't worry, Magnus, *I* approved this.")

I enjoyed the Thundercracker characterization. It's good character evolution, taking him to the next logical step.

However, Hot Rod is becoming more and more out of character with each issue. Insisting on being called a "Prime" is totally antithetical to his character - he's the leader who doesn't want to be. Now, for no real reason, he's usurping the role of "Prime"?

Really iffy on Ultra Magnus too. I like his behavior, but his motives are confusing. If the war is technically "over" like all the characters keep insisting, then why does he keep on enforcing the rules of the war? I can't believe they played the "license to operate the space ship" thing seriously either.

I'm still not sold on Costa's capabilities as a character-writer. He did good with Thundercracker, but he has yet to account for his perversions of Prowl and Hot Rod.

The fact the Autobots were "defeated" pre AHM could've moved Prowl up in the ranks as well.

He clearly wasn't entirely comfortable with the flattery ("That's a bit much")...he's not exactly devoid of ego, but he kind of liked the idea after awhile.

As for insisting, I just read that "Rodimus Prime. Please." as his reaction to Magnus showing up and coming down on him like that all of a sudden. Magnus comes off like dad showing up to poke his nose into what the kids have been up to.

I suppose Rodimus' characterisation is possibly some intentional similarity to how Spike is towards his own father.

It's weird how a lot of comics have scripts and dialogue in equal lengths, yet I felt like I get more out of some than others.
And this issue was a glut of satisfying robot intrigue. Don's art is superb, as always, and I'm getting used to the weird faces.

Well I just got around to reading this issue.

And I like it. The writing especially.
Hot Rod's being fleshed out beyond the jerk he was in the first issue, Swindle's swindling is beautifully subtle, Prowl and Ultra Magnus both feel right, and since Prowl seems to have Hot Rod in check... his being less of a prick makes sense, what with things going his way.
Costa's writing is strong here, and the ongoing is definitely growing on me. Also makes me look forward to Prowl's Spotlight and Ironhide's mini.

Also, side note to another IDW writer who shall remain nameless: see what Costa's doing with Thundercracker? THIS is how you turn a villain sympathetic! Learn from it.
Seriously, I loved reading Thundercracker's gradually developping respect for the humans and Earth in general. His words on the last page were just great.

As for the art... it's improving, but it still puts me off. The skeletal faces seem just unable to pull off a smile and generally only look good when they're emoting without their teeth grit shut. I'd really rather see someone else like Guido or EJ on this book... someone who can draw facial expressions worthy of the characterization Costa is portraying here.

But all in all... I'm finally sold on this book. Bring on the next issue!

Good summation! Glad you enjoyed the issue. Gives the lie to the "unpleasable fanbase", too.

Right now, I'm still interested in seeing if Don can pull off emoting with the faces (I see it more and more compared to the early couple issues...and it makes the characters more endearing over time), or modify them in some way; I really love the bodies, but the faces are at this point more intriguing to me than outright great or annoying. I want to see if he can make this challenge he's created for himself work.

I think part of it is that I wasn't fond of Don's old faces...something in the eye shape I didn't like, maybe? I wouldn't object to something along the lines of Milne's drawing, where they had more traditional faces. You look at Roche's work, and it's impressive how effortless he makes it, but though that's all talent, part of that is having faces that lend themselves to all those great contortions, letting the man do his job to he best of his abilities. C'mon, IDW...if you can make G.I. Joe Origins and Cobra into ongoings, give the man a Wreckers ongoing! Oops, Roche tangent, sorry...

In any case, I figure someone else will step in for awhile on art duties before long...however, Don did do like 10 issues of DW G1 straight, so...I would LOVE for EJ to have a stint on the book, or Guido...Guido's art was really what carried AHM for me. But EJ, man, I have missed him! Those few pages in AHM weren't enough, but the man's got to live his life.

Hey man, like my user title says... Give me good fiction.
And this happens to be good fiction.

I may be an overbearing, opinionated jerkass... but I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong.

Costa's really on a roll.

Outstanding issue.

I also thought it was a good issue. Ultra Magnus is always fun to have in the mix, especially with his independant hardnosed investigator role. Seeing him on the other side from Autobots other than crazy rouge Arcee really brings that role home.

The ship license objection felt like UM didn't like what was going on, so he was throwing out every violation he could think of to say hey, this stuff has to stop. Real cops know that you can always find SOMETHING to pull someone over for.

I really like the dual nature this universe is taking on for the moment, with Earth's war being over (It's never over....but for the moment), but the interstellar conflict still going on. It seems like UM would be commanding these Autobots to get back out there, but then you remember he's a special investigator/enforcer, not the commander of this group.

Prowl's mentioned before he doesn't have the charisma to lead, so he'll stay in the background mostly. But I did like when he stepped forward to throw his weight around a bit. He is definitely the "Primer Prime" of the two, and I think most anyone in authority's going to recognize that.

The setup for Menasor is obvious, and it's kind of sad to watch Rodimus walk right into this trap with his ego and overwhelming desire to get off earth. And while wanting leadership isn't what his G1 self wanted, this is a totally different ball game. In G1 he was absolutely in hero worship of Optimus, and a lot of his leadership angst came from knowing he wasn't as good as Optimus and the guilt of thinking he had gotten Optimus killed in the first place. This time he think's Optimus wasn't doing the right thing, and abandoned them. Plus Hot Rod was a bot who didnt' appear to be in charge of anyone in G1, while in this one he has been commanding others here and there for a long time. So I can see this Hot Rod having different characterization, and in fact welcome it.

Does anyone know who that yellow autobot next to hotrod on page 14 is?

There havent been any generic autobots (have there?) in the on going yet, so I figure he HAS to be somebody.

That's Sandstorm, going for more of his toon/original comic look over his toy/Stormbringer design. I like his legs...