Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #5 review

And so it ends ... well, at least this series anyway. And what an end Simon and Nick have brought us. Death, resurrection, retribution and vengeance, all packed into 22 pages. Wow. Things in Dallas kick up to the highest possible notch, with Grimlock and co. seemingly defeated by Scorponok, with Shockave arriving to slag Scorponok. Before I get into this review, please let me direct your eye over to the cover, seen right. Art by Nick Roche, colors by Priscilla Tramontano. The colors and compostiton for this are off the charts, way better than any other except for #2. But why is Sunstreaker here, driving out of a fireball? Ain't he suppposed to be inacapacitated and headless? But anyway, here's the scoop...

Synopsis: Grimlock is in shock at the sight of Sludge’s dead body, and Scorponok and Shockwave begin to fight over who gets to kill the Autobots. The other Dynobots decide to run whilst they can, but for Grimlock it’s now personal. Hot Rod decides to stay with him even though he can barely stand.
Agent Red hurtles towards the scene on a Skywatch truck, where his minions brief him on the fact Shockwave has seemingly been keeping his end of the bargain (by first leading them to the Seekers before heading to the main concentration of aliens.) As the 24-hour timer on Shockwave’s bomb has almost run out he orders that if it looks as if all the robots are present it should be allowed to detonate, if not it should be reset.
As Grimlock tries desperately to revive Sludge, Shockwave takes advantage of the fear of the vulnerable Dante being within Scorponok to beat him. Shockwave doesn’t kill the human, though, as it’s more logical for the Headmaster to just step down and use his escape route and to let him finish the Dynobots. Scorponok agrees and flees underground; Grimlock attempts to give chase but is soon fighting Shockwave instead.
At the Monsterbot ship the Dynobots hesitate about leaving their commander, and after deciding they’re not like the mercenary renegades they return. Meanwhile, within Machination Headquarters Hot Rod finds both Hunter and Scorponok’s real head. Hunter explains that disconnecting it will shut Scorponok down, but before Hot Rod can do so he is attacked by the full-bodied version.
As the Dynobots prepare to attack Shockwave from behind they are somewhat surprised to have a recovered Sludge groggily come up behind them. With the 24 hour countdown heading towards zero Agent Red orders the bomb be disarmed for now; this allows Soundwave (who has been perched on a precipice observing everything) intercepts the code and gives Shockwave control in exchange for being told how to restore his own robot mode.
The charade over, Ravage and Laserbeak make a bloody escape from Skywatch and Shockwave admits he never had any real interest in fighting Grimlock -- going to leave until the Dynobot calmly drops a grenade on the floor which blows up the building their fight has smashed them into.
Underground Scorponok is preparing to deliver the killing blow to Hot Rod when the other Dynobots arrive and Swoop takes out the connecting wires to the real head with his wings. The main body is immediately rendered gormless, and as they prepare to kill him in a very permanent fashion Ultra Magnus arrives and proclaims that Scorponok will stand trail fairly. Swoop is worried Magnus has come for the Dynobots as well, a question he sidesteps by saying they should destroy the facility and get off the planet quickly.
Three days later on Ark 32: Sunstreaker is being repaired, Hot Rod has a shiny new body and Hunter -- as human as he’s ever going to be again -- is reunited with Verity and Jimmy. Ultra Magnus explains to Optimus that although most of the loose ends have been tied up Skywatch could remain a problem.
Back on his own ship Ultra Magnus visits one of his prisoners, Grimlock. In exchange for the other Dynobots not being arrested he’s going to take the full rap for their actions. But Grimlock doesn’t care, having decided to take full responsible for the first time in his life as Sludge is alive and his team is free. On Earth, the Dynobots finish repairing the Skyfire and prepare to depart.

The Good: OK, here is where Max Dinos wraps up, tying off all the little plot ends set up in Devastation/Revelation. It's very good to see all these tied up and sorted. We even get a couple panels worth of Verity and Jimmy, restored to full health by wonder-medic Ratchet. Good to see that. Simon, you've done good; the story is believable and the conclusion satisfies me greatly. Nick does an awesome job at his art duties as well, executing the pages with great precision. Hot Rod wielding Sludge's SLAGGING HUGE energo-sword is a great thing to see, and Roddy's gory, half-crushed-in, fluid-dripping face at the issue's end astounds me. Great job.

The Bad: Verity and Jimmy only get two panels. That's barely half a page. I like these guys, and they got pushed to the back. The story, though good in itself, seemed a bit rushed. The Dinobots' final battle with Scorponok was very short, didn't really have any flair. And James Raiz's messy art dominating the issue is very annoying.  Need I go on?

The Ugly: Sludge is once again drawn (by the two different artists) with two different heads, one with a nose and one without. Grimlock's beast mode (courtesy of Raiz) has returned to the generic killer T-Rex body/pose (as opposed to Nick's sleek Beast Wars-inspired design). Lastly, Hot Rod takes Sludge's SLAGGING HUGE energo-sword into Machination HQ, but when about to destroy Scorponok's head, he just has his green metal crutch as a weapon. Where'd he put the sword? This may be due to not enough specifics in Simon's script as to the nature of Roddy's weapon.

Verdict: A satisfying end to a very awesome series. James Raiz's art soured the experience though. Next up: Spotlight JAZZ. Rated 8.5 out of 10. 

Posted by Fanbot at 5:26 pm, SUNDAY 27 September

Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #4 review

Welcome back to Going Backwards Reviews! Sorry for not reviewing these sooooo long, really couldn't be stuffed and I had other reviews to do. Anyway, back to the review. As with the rest of the Maximum Dinobots series, the action kicks up a notch with every issue that passes. I'm left stunned, gripped and cheering for more. Simon Furman, Nick Roche, Josh Burcham - is there any creative team better (apart from Nick Roche, Nick Roche  and Kris Carter)? So, let's see what they have in store for us this time...

Synopsis: In Portland Oregon, Ravage and Laserbeak finally locate Soundwave and forcibly rescue him. Returning him to Mount St. Helens, Soundwave is left unsure what he can do next as he has no way of getting out of cassette player mode. Shockwave appears and explains the technology freezing Soundwave was of his design, and that they can help each other.
In Dallas, Hot Rod leaves the Machination Headquarters in time to let the real Sunstreaker in. Though he pleads with the Headmaster to wait until they can get back up, Sunstreaker has had enough and wants to be whole again immediately. As he goes inside a disappointed Hot Rod goes to call for help.
As the Monsterbot ship flies from Fallon to Texas, Grimlock brokers a deal with the outcast Autobots, for an extension of the alliance he’ll give them the encrypted data they stole from Shockwave’s ship before destroying it. However he finds the other Dynobots are still unsure of their current fugitive status.
Hot Rod takes the painful step of boosting his internal comm. system through with a Machination power source, blasting it through several satellites before it heads in the direction of Ultra Magnus’ space ship.
Sunstreaker feels he’s getting close to his head when Scorponok blasts him from behind. Gloatingly he explains he knew Sunstreaker was in the building all along as each real Headmaster has a unique recognition stamp. His gloating is cut short however when he realises Hunter has disengaged from the now lifeless body. He goes to hunt the human down but is interrupted by a message telling him of the imminent arrival of the Monsterbot ship.
Onboard the ship, the Dynobots argue about why they even need to go after Scorponok, arguing they should just leave the planet at once. Grimlock though considers this personal, and once the ship’s weapons have taken care of the main Machination defences he charges into battle. After a seconds hesitation, the others follow him and they begin taking on the Headmasters
Hunter meanwhile has found Sunstreaker’s head. Feeling there were no options remaining he disconnects it, which in effect instantly disables all the Headmaster’s outside. The Dynobots are confused, and an attempted explanation from Hot Rod only adds to this. The conversation is cut short when Scorponok blasts Sludge down, immediately followed by Shockwave who wants revenge on the Dynobots himself.
In space, Ultra Magnus hears Hot Rod’s distress call and vows that this time Scorponok will not escape…

The Good: This issue is almost as good as the rest, though not quite. See The Bad for more on this. Anyways, Nick Roche does his usual amazing job on art duties. His lines are like a drug to me, I can't live without them. Best panel is when Sunstreaker gets blasted in the chest by Scorponok, fluid spraying in all directions and molten metal congealing around the balst hole. This panel is just slagging awesome. I love it. Simon Furman's plot is well-done and seems to go along very well. Haven't detected any plot holes yet. His story leaves me gripped and cheering for more, and that's how it should be. Fill-in artist James Raiz does well, although I never liked his style he can draw better than me any day and I applaud him or stepping up to the mark for this. But...

The Bad: OK, James Raiz is a good artist but the fact remains that he is not, and never will be, Nick Roche. His art style is NOTHING LIKE NICK'S. I mean they could at least have got someone with an art style remotely resembling Nick's, like Emiliano Santalucia or even Casey Coller. The art changes are very jarring, and Joana Lafuente's colors continue to annoy me. Where are you Josh Burcham? ("On AHM you noob", I hear as I type) But other than that, the comic is great.

The Ugly: Sludge is drawn differently between the two artists. James' Sludge head has a nose and features while Nick's head is flat with no nose. I mean if they're going to have different artists they could at least have the same designs! Nothing else.

Verdict: Quite good, but the creative team goes seriously downhill at this issue. The story is great and I enjoyed reading this. Rated 8 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 5:31 pm, WEDNESDAY 23 September

Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #3 review

Welcome back to Going Backwards - your one stop review shop for all things that have been and gone. This week, Fanbot presents to you webreaders out there his views on Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #3! Loved this issue to bits when I originally purchased it - slept with it by my pillow that night (dodgy much?). This issue, things heat up for all involved in this story; Grimlock's deceit divides the Dinobots, Hot Rod threatens to be terminated, and Scorponok looks to be top bot in the whole fiasco. Once again, Simon Furman and Nick Roche deliver on quality - good quality that is. But anyway ... let's dive right into this comic, and see what lies beneath ...

Synopsis: Agent Red has overseen the reactivation and rearming of Shockwave, including planting a bomb with a 24 hour timer within him. Shockwave agrees to hunt down and deal with the various escaped Transformers, but Red is left with the uneasy feeling they might come to regret this.
In the wreckage of Fallon the Dynobots are still upset with Grimlock and though they won’t fight him any more they are disinclined to help him, Swoop is even so disgusted he flies off. Though as the Headmasters arrive and start attacking Grimlock they soon decide that it’s better to die as a team than alone, with even Swoop returning. Surrounded and out-gunned it seems that this is indeed the end…
Outside Machination Headquarters in Dallas, Sunstreaker has arrived. Though Sunstreaker wants to go in, guns blazing, Hunter remembers how narrow their escape from Scorponok was last time and decides it's better to wait and watch for the right time to act. He takes control of Sunstreaker and removes himself (Sunstreaker's head) from Sunstreaker.
As the Headmasters prepare to deliver the killing blow to the Dynobots they are suddenly attacked from behind by an Autobot shuttle, from which the Monsterbots disembark to join in the fight.
On the monitors in Dallas, Hot Rod watches this with much hilarity, annoying Scorponok to the point he orders a couple of Headmasters to take him outside and shoot him. They don’t take him very far, though, before Hot Rod channels all his energy into his exterior and fries them. Damaged and low on power he struggles to the exit as Hunter watches from outside.
Meanwhile, Shockwave has ignored his orders to deal with the active Transformers and has instead tracked down Soundwave in Portland…

The Good: Things start to kick up a notch in this issue - though I said that about the last one as well. Furman always has some great simple ideas for all us TF fans to read (even if he is a little repetitive/ predictable), and he pretty much always delivers he plot well. Nick Roche's art is great to look at as well - always had a soft spot for the Irishman's line style. The sequence where Hot Rod uses "Flame Out" to frag the Sunstreaker clones is wicked. Totally awesome. So overall the comic is well-set out, the plot believable enough.

The Bad: This issue delivers amazing quality in all quadrants as usual for the series, but it is in this one that the creative team starts to go downhill. First, Josh Burcham's awesome colors go out the window, to be replaced by a poor imitation courtesy of Joana Lafuente. Nothing against her personally, just that she fails majorly at copying Burcham. Next up, Robbie Robbins takes over as letterer; this guy's tails are fat and look amateurish - I could do better tails myself in the sub-par program Comic Life!

The Ugly: Only one conitinuity error. Monsterbot Repugnus is alive and well, yet the last (and first, in the IDWverse) time we saw him his spark was imprisoned in the spark containment facility on Garrus-9. This is very far way. WTF is going on IDW? Must you make so many continuity errors that you enter the same category of continuity-screwing publishers as DC? Please, stop it now before it is too late.

Verdict: Satisfying. Love the issue as always. The break up of the creative team mars the experience though. Rated 8.5 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 11: 27 am, SATURDAY 29 August

Going Backwards - Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #2 review

Wow, I'm really eating my words now. Turns out IDW's got a motherload of TF comics heading our way (see previous post). But anyway, onto ancient history - Fanbot Productions proudly present Going Backwards review #2 (the sequel!): Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #2. By the way, Nick Roche's cover for this issue (shown left) is awesome. Great composition and the slogan at the bottom reminds us of those old Marvel issues with their slogans slapped on the cover (exclamation marks omnipresent). But on to the review (+ synopsis)...

Synopsis: A badly battered Hot Rod is hurled against a wall by Scorponok, who gloats that he is merely playing with the young warrior as he wants him alive to witness his plan unfold. After crippling Hot Rod, Scorponok has his clones take him to an observation room showing him the situation in Fallon. The police have opened fire on Grimlock but all they've done is enrage him. After demolishing the immediate area, Grimlock calls out to Scorponok, letting him know he's fully aware of exactly what's going on. Transforming he tells Scorponok to bring it! Scorponok muses, reminding himself of the mind lurking beneath Grimlock's bestial nature. After a brief bit of explanation to Hot Rod, Scorponok sits back to enjoy the show as the Dynobots are released onto the field.

Near Nashville, Sunstreaker is flooring it, heading for Dallas. Hunter thinks they should head for Fallon instead, but Sunstreaker points out that by retrieving his head, they disable the Headmasters, which makes everything else just collateral damage.
Grimlock is ready for a fight. What he isn't ready for is the Dynobots bursting through some nearby buildings. Scorponok loosens his hold on them slightly to let a bit of their savage nature shine through, as Grimlock realizes they are no longer in control of their own actions. Meanwhile, police are prevented from calling in help thanks to Skywatch's blockade. Agent Red is updated on the fight, including the drop in the efficiency of the neural net. Understanding that something more is going on, he boards a chopper, ready to do something he should have done the moment they lost Grimlock.
Back in Fallon, Grimlock is trying to get through to his team as they slam him into a nearby building. Breaking free, he quickly takes out Snarl, Sludge and Swoop, but when he tries to get to Slag, he is blasted straight into a petrol station, which promptly explodes, knocking all five Dynobots flying. As the police check to make sure everyone is evacuated, Scorponok revels in the destruction, to Hot Rod's disappointment. Scorponok however, thinks it is a ploy to get him to tell all, a wasted one as he meant to anyway. He plans to place the blame on Skywatch, while using the Dynobots to take out Grimlock, and then using the Headmasters to take out the Dynobots. His team will be regarded as heroes, he will get government contracts in order to protect against aliens, and from there on, there's no stopping him.
In New Zealand, a ship touches down near the Skyfire. The occupants are looking for Grimlock, and intend to track him down.
Scorponok is intrigued by Grimlock's admittance of guilt and reduces his hold on the Dynobots enough for their personalities to surface. Meanwhile, Grimlock has recovered from the blast and detects a human caught in the fire. Transforming, he grudgingly goes to help, when Slag and company, now transformed, reappear and demand the truth. Grimlock tells them of his endgame move, but says it was something any of them would have done—Dynobots may be down, but never out. Slag agrees but says that by going behind their backs, Grimlock assured they ceased to be a team. Grimlock points out that Slag usually went out of his way to stress they were never a real team, that they followed no one's rules or conventions but their own, and that what Grimlock had done had been "them", all over. He proceeds to rip the rail car diner with the human trapped inside from the ground and takes it to safety. Amused, Scorponok sends in his Headmasters.
At Salt Lake City, Agent Red decides to have a heart to heart with the last of the Eureka Six: Shockwave!

The Good: Once again, Simon and Nick have done an excellent job. I believe the whole point of this miniseries (aside from getting a big dose of Dinobot mayhem) was to tie up all the little plot points, plots and subplots that came before so newcomer Shane McCarthy could do his thing with AHM. And this is why I am immensely satisfied with it - "I love it when a plan comes together." Everything slides into place, while a few other things start to snowball. And the art, as is usual with Nick Roche, leaves me stunned and satisfied with my purchase. Very good, Mr Furman, very good.

The Bad: Poor Hot Rod. But it had to happen eventually. According to Furman, Roddy was supposed to metaphorically go through the wringer, but not in this way (as a result of his acquiring the MacGuffin plot device The Magnificence). I am kinda against this, because of his somewhat disturbing injuries if nothing else. But anyway. And also, while the overall story serves well, Scorponok's behavior and ambitions are very typical of the cartoon evil guy - revealing his master plan to a captured goodie, and aiming to take over the world. But this is something you have to take with Furman's writing. He uses cliches; get over it quick you'll and enjoy the story anyway.

Verdict: Mmm-hmm. Very good, awesome job in all quadrants as always. Bit of a hollow plot in some points, but overall nicely done. Rated 9 out of 10.

Posted by  Fanbot at 1:01 pm, MONDAY 24 August

Going Backwards - Maximum Dinobots #1 review

Since IDW's totally awesome looking Transformers ongoing title doesn't come out until November, and there's bugger-all G1 stuff coming out each month, I thought that you TF fans might like a little history lesson to brush up on events past. So, every week, there'll be a review of all the main TF comics that came after Revelation - Maximum Dinobots, All Hail Megatron, and maybe some Spotlights. So, starting off the Going Backwards sequence is Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #1! Here we go.

Synopsis: Grimlock surveys the wreck of his ship Skyfire as he remembers the good times he had with his fellow Dynobots back on Cybertron. A quick review of events past is given - his outlaw status among the Autobots, Scorponok wanting revenge, and Megatron poised to take over Earth. "How much worse can it get?" Grimlock asks himself.

Elsewhere, Agent Red of Skywatch oversees the test run of the neurally controlled Dinobots, in which they prove extremely efficient at destruction. Agent Red is still suspicious that it is too good to be true (after Grimlock was inexplicably freed from remote control back in Spotlight: Grimlock). Sure enough, at Machination HQ, Abraham Dante is informed by Skywatch double agent Kloss that he's implanted a virus capable of destroying the Dinobots' neural nets. He surveys his army of Sunstreaker clones, exhibiting typical villain behavior.

Meanwhile, Sunstreaker destroys Machination warehouse in Massacheusetts, angry he hasn't found his real head. Hunter, as his driver avatar, reminds him of the data they picked up from the destroyed warehouse, which leads them to discover a clue to something called "Dinobots" in Dallas, Texas.

Back on the Skyfire, Grimlock uses his last reserves of power to send a message requesting help from some "unsavory types". He is alerted to a unit of Dante's Headmasters, who have teleported into the area and are attacking his ship. he sneaks behind them, transforms to T-Rex mode and tears through the Headmasters. However, one of them manages to place a device on Grimlock which orbital bounces him back to Fallon, Nevada. A public panic there alerts Skywatch, who dispatch the Dinobots to contain Grimlock.

Meanwhile, Hot Rod arrives at the Machination HQ gates. Scorponok s not concerned; he announces he'll truncate Hot Rod's existence after he's done with the Dinobots.

The Good: Simon Furman. Nick Roche. Possibly the best creative team in TF history. The story is amazingly good quality, and Nick's art has always made me go all gooey-eyed whenever I look at it. He is a fricking awesome artist, second best in my book (after E J Su). Colorist Josh Burcham, how could I forget him. I always liked his coloring style - semi-painted look, goes great with Nick's art. All in all a well-put-together, visually dazzling, gripping issue. Woohoo!

The Bad: For once, I am totally at loss as to what to put into this section. Virtually nothing makes me angry or annoyed when I read this one. Only thing - why'd they make the "Transformers" title on the cover big and on two lines like in earlier TF comics, rather than just use the small one-line title they've used for the last 5 or so issues? That is all.

Verdict: A truly amazing comic. All areas are exquisite, and the story is solid with multiple subplots intertwining and coming together. You go guys, keep up the good work. Rated 10 out of 10.

Posted by Fanbot at 5:09 pm, WEDNESDAY 19 August