Review - TF Timelines: Shattered Glass!

This Transformers comic ain't new, but by Primus, it's a one shot legend. Shattered Glass finally gave the TF fandom an alternate universe with bad versions of good guys (with facial hair!) and good versions of bad guys - a Transformers Earth-3 if you will. Published by Fun Publications in the "Classics" continuity, this comic was, rather unusually, pretty much unanimously loved by fans. Several prose-with-pics sequels have followed, but none of them have compared to the original ("The original and the best" as we say). Read on, scroll down, be amazed.

Synopsis: On Cybertron, a space portal opens, spewing forth Cliffjumper. Disorientated and confused, Cliffjumper tries to get his bearings. Suddenly Triggercon Ruckus (with weird color scheme) appears out of nowhere and crashes into Cliffjumper. Ruckus apologizes and pleads to be let go, when he is suddenly slagged by laser fire. The firer is none other than Rodimus. He jokingly criticizes Jumper being jumped by a 'Con, comments on his "sweet paintjob" and seems to think Jumper was "dead". Cliffjumper looks confused, but stops when he sees Rodimus has a handlebar moustache. Rodimus shows it off, then takes Cliffjumper to Iacon, where they meet Optimus

Prime (who has a purple and black paintjob). Optimus welcomes

'Jumper back, and walks him through a trophy room with slagged Decepticon corpses on display. Cliffjumper is shocked.They arrive at The Smelting Pool, where Cassetticon Rumble is on trial. He is about to be dumped into the pool. Cliffjumper asks what is going on, and Optimus launches into a tirade about 'Jumper loving torturing the 'Cons. Cliffjumper refuses and is blasted unconscious by Optimus, who dumps him in the scrapyards.

Two Constructicons pick him up just as he goes into stasis lock...

Cliffjumper wakes up in a medical room of some sort, and tries to escape, pushing two Constructicons (in medical color scheme). While running, he crashes into ... Megatron, who asks if Cliffjumper is OK. Sideswipe is nearby and takes Cliffjumper aside. He discerns that

 Cliffjumper is not the "real" Cliffjumper. He shows 'Jumper that is made of different stuff than the others, and is obviously from another universe. He tells Cliffjumper how Optimus was originally a scheming backstabber who preached advancement through conflict, and who

upgraded himself and his followers for combat. He attacked and killed many 'bots, but met resistance from a small resistance movement and Megatron, who invented tranformation. Optimus managed to copy this, and the two sides reached a stalemate. After this talk, Cliffjumper agrees to stay with the Cons.

Elsewhere, Optimus is informed by Blurr of the new developments on their ship The Ark as he slags the training 'bots he is fighting with.

Back in the Cons' headquarters, Megatron gives Cliffjumper the lowdown on their plan of attack for attacking The Ark, and says that they are outgunned. Starscream suddenly comes up with an idea  - use Cliffjumper's glass gas (obviously SG Cliffjumper had this stuff as well) to break The Ark's launching platform, destroying The Ark itself. Megatron praises Screamer for this genius (Shock horror - Megs praising Screamer!).

Later, the Predacons quickly incapacitate/decapitate the launch site guards, and the glass gas bombs are dropped on the platform. Battle ensues. Cliffjumper is confused, fighting with his

"enemies" against his "friends". Optimus, enraged at Jumper for betrayal, blasts at him, but Megatron takes the laser blast. Cliffjumper, aiming to finish the battle, uses his glass gas on the platform which finally crumbles. Optimus swears revenge, but is blasted into silence.

 Retreating, Megatron asks  'Jumper to join the Decepticon forces. Cliffjumper agrees.

The Good: Don Figueroa's art for this was absolutely amazing. I loved the re-interpretations of the characters, the dialog, pretty much everything. Highlight was Starscream - heroic, selfless and obedient, a complete antithesis of his normal incarnation. Loved it.

The Bad: This is only a small gripe, but I must bring it up nonetheless. This issue is very wordy - loads of dialog absoloutely crammed into the panels. Nothing else, it's a one-shot so I won't gripe any further.

The Ugly: one solitary ugly - in the flashback sequence when Optimus attacks with his Autobots, his left (our right) antenna and audio receptor is missing. That is all.

Overall, I'm rating Transformers Timelines: Shattered Glass at 9/10. I consider this issue a great addition to my collection of TF comics. A bit wordy, but nonetheless a very well-written comic. A gem. And also included within this issue is the three page fake preview of Shattered Glass that has come to be called Shattered Expectations. Here are links to two of them, in all their glory (art in style of Derek Yaniger of G2, with 90's era flat colors). Click here for page 1 and here for page 2

Posted by Fanbot at 7:30 pm, THURSDAY 13 August