SPOILERS
I have just finished reading Issues #7-9
Issue 7
I was very impressed with Issue 7 because most of it was dedicated to actually repairing the continuity holes between Furman's IDW and AHM. It wasn't 'half a$$ed' either but reasonably thougtout requiering the author to revise the previous material which seems like something he had neglected to do before but now understand the importance of doing so.
Yeah its not perfect and still very clunky but at least its wiping out the 'bad taste' that AHM Vol 1 gave us as this issue was all dedicated at acknowledging what happened before rather than ditching it. Now at least we have more solid 'continuity' between the series than some out of story press release or panel answer that makes no sense at all.
However it is still utter bull crap that in AHM 1 to 6 they took the Furman universe into account when it was written - Despite Issue 7 being rather good and well thought out, it still reeks of forced 'damage control' probably as a result of less than expected 'enthusiasm' from the fan base on Vol 1 and lackluster sales.
However this 'damage control' did serve to bring us a worthy issue with a nice background story that revitalizes how we view this series. The art was also fantastic and like mentioned, it is good to see at least one none Geewhunner character in the mix with Deluge.
Character development and execution of the Autobots was excellent with Ironhide beating up Mirage very shocking and although out of character for him, it was believable due to their circumstances. There were also several good minor character moments.
Issue 8
Issue 8 brought us a good revelation of the traitor which was still possible to predict but not 'scooby doo' obvious as we expected based on the tone and witless nature of issues 1-6 but with a well thought out and somewhat in depth reason for Sunstreaker's 'treason'. His sacrifice was not in a 'blaze of glory' but it was tragic enough to show that despite what he did, he did regret it and wasn't necessarily an evil character but a good one who made a terrible mistake by acting on anger and grief. Another Autobot centric issue which shines with clever dialogue and fine character moments.
Issue 9
Unfortunately Issue 9 was a lesser issue than the previous two due to really bad 'on earth' art that brought back real bad memories of the Pat Lee era but also reminded us of the bad points of Issues 1-6. The humans in particular were horribly drawn and written in the same bad cliche as the Volume 1 issues. There was even some bad 'Geewhunner' stereotype mistakes with Soundwave..
[Rant]
..For some reason I have noticed that Geewhunners (cartoon came first, Comics don't count, I don't collect stupid toys, Pretenders are G2, trukk not munky) have a tendency to strongly associate Soundwave with music. When ROTF Soundwave was announced many Geewhunners begun to shout out stupid crap like "You must acknowledge Soundwave's musical past!". Serioustly, WTF? What musical past? He was never 'musical' in G1 - Not even in the cartoon. He was a freaking tape recorder for recording people - spying! Not a music playing walkman! I hate Animated Soundwave for the same stupid reason - Blaster was the musical one, not Soundwave!!
[/Rant]
When I saw Soundwave apparently using what is basically Frenzy's sonic ability but with music, It reminded me of the Geewhunner mentality which plagued Vol 1 and it kind of annoyed me even if I did find the way in which he picked up Rumble somewhat touching. However its possible that this Soundwave is capable of channeling his tapes abilities if they are residing inside him which would be a good redeemer.
On the other side, the Autobot plot were once again very well done even if the main story is something we did predict back in issue #2 with Prime coming back, getting the Autobots into shape and eventually defeating Megatron until the next comic series. The difference here despite being a highly predictable outcome was its execution, it wasn't cringe worthy and frustrating as it was throughout Issues 1-6 with Volume 2 as there were plenty of fine character moments and development with a few minor twists. Having two solid issues so far and a 'not too bad' issue as the third.
Overall, I am happy and give credit to the author for deciding to acknowledge the previous IDW stories in his work and making a conscious effort to meld them together even if it does still feel rather forced. I also give him praise for apparently acknowledging reader criticism and working to rectify the shortcomings of Volume 1.
AHM is still a 'by the numbers' story with a predictable end that can be seen miles away (like Prime's recovery and eventual leadership) but the focus on the character's dilemmas is what keeps this story interesting and what the writer seems to be focusing on in this second Volume making it a story worth following.
When it comes to our friend Poochy*cough!* I mean Drift!: Although the way this character had been promoted still utterly fails (same is true for Vol 1's overall promotion) but it feels really good to have a character within the story that hates Drift in the same was as we do.Bumblebee's unexplained but unforgiving dislike towards Drift actually acknowledges that the author is aware of how this character is perceived by fans but at the same time it also bounces a bit of charm back at drift making him easier to digest as we know that within the fictional world, there is someone who hates him as much as we do and is not afraid to express it!
Quotes Thanks to Skyshadow:
(they are too good, I needed to post them again!)
Ratchet: "I'd give anything to have Perceptor right now - the old Perceptor. Like this war needed another clown with a gun." - Acknowledging criticism that AHM was just a bunch of simplistic cardboard cutout 'action' characters.
Bumblebee (regarding Drift): "What right does he have to be even in this room?" - lol pretty much putting to print what we are all thinking!
Bumblebee (to Drift): "The last thing we want is you being true to what you are." - That one speaks for itself!
JAZZ: Any sign of Drift or Blurr?
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HOMER SIMPSON: Whenever Poochie's not onscreen, all the other characters should be asking "Where's Poochie?"
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RATCHET: "What about Drift? Isn't he back there?"
BUMBLEBEE: "Does it matter?" - lol
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Originally Posted by Lord_Zed
really i am, they said he was wrecked. 
