Comic Review: Transformers: Autocracy

[Paulbot]

Zeta Prime is portrayed as too extreme in his measures. The heavy armor doesn't help. The supergun is rather silly altogether too. It's all a bit too over the top.

I like Decepticon 'terror' cells being supported by local citizens. It's seems an acceptable response when your ruling class is led by someone like Zeta Prime and the police/armed forces (like Orion Pax and Whirl) are using extreme force on their prisoners. The Decepticons seem the side to root for. Surely the writers actually don't want us to be for Zeta Prime's plan?

I need to refresh myself on pre-war IDW history, but I get the feeling that however 'history' has recounted it in the past, it may have been a commonly beleive lie, and in fact we may learn that Orion Pax is the killer of Zeta Prime.

Also, if you're reading it via Iphone, Comixology screwed up, and they omit a line of Starscreams dialogue. You need to go to full page view to read it.

I guess that missing line is what Zeta Prime says "What was that?" to. I did back and forth the panels a few times there trying to figure out his response.

Skyshadow, I'm not sure why the relation to the other IDW stories was in doubt? It's been marketed as "an IDW-universe story" throughout all the articles.

[i_amtrunks]

Not a fan of the Zetaj design and the artwork has a nice feel to it, but I enjoyed it far more when it was used on a grand scale like in the chaos issues, rather than these indoor political scenes.

Zeta is too over the top cartoon villain for me in this issue, and I found myself
losing interest the more time he waffled on, even with the quasi references to other tf lore. I preferred the lazy, self important WfC version in both character and design. Hopefully we see limited Zeta from here on in. And hopefully it doesnt devolve into a "Soundwave leads Prime to Megatron, they chat and Orion starts the transition to his Prime self." That would be dull.

[Sky Shadow]

Skyshadow, I'm not sure why the relation to the other IDW stories was in doubt? It's been marketed as "an IDW-universe story" throughout all the articles.

I haven't actually read anything about Autocracy - just the comic itself. Mainly the cartoon cast and 'Optimus' being called Orion Pax on page two just made me think that maybe Flint Dille was writing a new G1 cartoon prequel.

Even knowing this is in the IDW universe, it's still hard to process. Like... Zeta Prime implies that his immediate predecessor was Nominus Prime, which doesn't make much sense in IDW continuity, plus both these characters are technically retcons (in Spotlight: Optimus Prime the line of succession didn't include them). Prior to this, in Megatron: Origin, Starscream murdered an entire council and now he's serving as a delegate and no one is suspicious that he might just be a Decepticon (and if Autocracy is set after Spotlight: Blurr, it makes even less sense). There's the aforementioned spelling of "Jihauxus" that's inconsistent with IDW's other stories. And everyone's character models are completely different to how they were at similar times in the past in IDW comics.

Still - I like this series.

[Paulbot]

Hmm. Sounds like some problems with editing. I am surprised at IDW. I wonder how many more former Primes they will come up with in the next few years.

I dislike Megatron Origin enough to consider it "Decepticon propaganda" that may have stretched some truths. Yes. That should cover some of those inconsistencies. (Actually depending how this series turns out the same might be said for this one.)

[i_amtrunks]

I dislike Megatron Origin enough to consider it "Decepticon propaganda" that may have stretched some truths. Yes. That should cover some of those inconsistencies. (Actually depending how this series turns out the same might be said for this one.)

Interesting idea. Would be even more interesting if the old adage of "the victor's write the history books" is taken into consideration... eventual Decepticon victory then?

I wonder what IDW have to say regarding this big kerfuffle in their timeline, and which history should be regarded as correct. Sure there will always be inconsistencies in large fictional worlds especially when so many different writers are used over a period of several years, but since they keep soft-rebooting the story but try (bar AHM) to retain what has come before you would think it would be in their best interests to sort out this mess and get their backstory all sorted out.

Easiest fix? Retcon so that Origins never happened/ was propaganda. That also gets rid of the some big problems that series cause regarding character histories and the whole gender problem that has been ignored since.

[Sky Shadow]

Sure there will always be inconsistencies in large fictional worlds especially when so many different writers are used over a period of several years, but since they keep soft-rebooting the story but try (bar AHM) to retain what has come before you would think it would be in their best interests to sort out this mess and get their backstory all sorted out.

Geez, Trunks - what is it with fans' "fascination with 'canon'" (Denton Tipton, 2010.) Considering IDW's last attempt to align their cluster#*@% of a continuity was the punctuation-and-logic-free Transformers: Continuum, I hope next time they'll get someone capable like James Roberts to sort it all out. A James Roberts history of the IDW universe would be fantastic.

I've almost never reread an IDW comic, so I've probably forgotten most of the mistakes since they've been spread over the past six years. But surely reading all the contradictions in those IDW Collection volumes in order must make people's brains hurt.

[i_amtrunks]

Geez, Trunks - what is it with fans' "fascination with 'canon'" (Denton Tipton, 2010.)

All that mild aspergers/ocd that every man and his dog is getting diagnosed with!

A James Roberts history of the IDW universe would be fantastic

It would be nice, he did a great job fixing up the Movie verse stuff.

[Sky Shadow]

the cartoon cast and 'Optimus' being called Orion Pax on page two just made me think that maybe Flint Dille was writing a new G1 cartoon prequel.

Issue #3 is out and doesn't do anything to dissuade me of my above instincts about this comic. Soundwave is incapable of speaking properly - all his dialogue is broken up with a colon in the middle of sentences and most of the time the formula is "X Eject: Operation Y". Ratbat doesn't talk and lives in Soundwave's chest. Same with Ravage. Roses are red, violets are blue, Frenzy is red and Rumble is blue.

And as you may infer from the above, most of these eight pages deal with the Autobots chasing Soundwave and him siccing his cassetes on them. It's a filler chapter to get the reader from point A to point B in the plot and geography. It does its job with workmanlike efficiency. I still look forward to the next issue.

[Sharky]

i had a quick read of #3 this morning. and i am liking the art.. it feels alot bettter then chaos....(that was to dark and sometimes scratchy looking)

it was a little too much on soundwave doing the same thing....

Run....Eject..... Run.... Eject.. Run......


Spoilers in Images....Kinda.....(enjoy Hursty!!)














(i really like this panel)









i do still look forwad to the next issue.!!

[Paulbot]

The writers are clearly influenced by the cartoon, but Ratbat living in Soundwave's chest and not talking was his situation from the end of Megatron Origin until Death of OP. And IDW swapped the Frenzy and Rumble colour palette a couple of years ago.

I didn't think much of this chapter, but it was a nice little showcase for the cassettes.