Outside the Big Two - Titan's Transformers Prime comics

[abates]

While IDW is currently doing an awesome job publishing Generation 1 based comics, they're not publishing an ongoing Transformers: Prime comic. Transformers: Prime is the current main TF cartoon, a CGI-animated series being shown on The Hub (previously Discovery Kids).

Titan Magazines over in the UK has been publishing a Transformers magazine which comes out once every four weeks since 2007, and while for most of its life it has been based around the Michael Bay movie franchise, last year they switched it over to be Transformers: Prime themed. The magazine includes such features as a letters page where the letters are answered in-character by Megatron and Arcee, an astrology column hosted by Starscream, and an eight-page comic. While intended for a somewhat younger readership than the IDW comic, the stories are fun.

So I thought I'd post parts of the comics from the second (just under 2 pages out of 8) and third (approx 2 pages out of 8) issues.

Issue 2: The Autobots' young human friends nag Optimus Prime into telling them tales of the war back on Cybertron. Optimus decides to tall them about one time when Megatron himself led a five-man commando team into the Autobot stronghold of Iacon in an attempt to blow up the Autobot power supply. The Decepticons are ambushed by Autobot defenses organized by Optimus himself, and three of the team are taken down, leaving Megatron and Soundwave. Megatron tosses Soundwave the bomb and orders him to go plant it.



Megatron's sure to retreat now, right? Nope. Shooting Soundwave when Megatron's around is possibly the worst thing you can do.



"Short of generals". Sure, Megs, that's why you're giving Soundwave a piggy-back ride.

Issue 3, the main story is about Megatron and Starscream attacking a ship at in Antarctica, but the B story is more fun. Also Arcee is mean.


See?

The Autobots' military liaison Agent Fowler arrives with the news about Megatron's attack, and Optimus decides to go deal with it. Arcee gets left with Bulkhead and the kids.


Sheesh, Arcee.

The kids try to help Arcee and Bulkhead get along by trying to find something the two Autobots have in common. Finally Miko suggests they work out what they both like about Winter which leads to the scene Optimus, Bumblebee and Ratchet find when they return from their mission:



If you're interested in reading the magazine, it can be purchased digitally via Zinio.

Comments

[q99]

-Also Arcee is mean.-

Most recent Arcees are.

Though generally paired with badassness as well ^^

[arbre_rieur]

While IDW is currently doing an awesome job publishing Generation 1 based comics

Tell me about it! I'm loving MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, and I'm not even much of a Transformers fan. I've been meaning to post about that series for Beyond the Big Two Week, but I can never narrow down what pages to post because there's just so much good stuff. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[abates]

MTMTE turned me from someone who occasionally picks up a trade paperback to someone who buys the issues as soon as they come out on Comixology. It's so much fun!

Maybe picking a particular character and posting scenes relating to them would work?

[q99]

Suggestion? Rung stuff. Rung's awesome.

[arbre_rieur]

Heh, I'm afraid he ended up getting the short stick in what I wound up posting. It wasn't on purpose, but that's how it ended up playing out, with him being ignored... which I suppose is kind of meta.

[sir_razorback]

Has there been much with Megatron yet, post-war? I saw someone posted a conversation he has with Optimus as a POW, but nothing since.

[the_phantom]

He not been seen after the war ended. But i sure we've not seen the last of him.

[icon_uk]

Soundwave in Prime started as a character I disliked (I missed his wonderful voice) but they have actually used his silence (apart from creepily echoing other people's words) rather magnificently. He looms, he watches and you know he remembers EVERYTHING he hears.

And Megatron's loyalty to him is completely returned which is rather sweet, in a completely violent manner.

[the_phantom]

I think its safe to say that the Transformers comics are at that best they've ever been.

[icon_uk]

I'd also like to add that though they followed the designs of the Bay movies, they instantly won my respect by setting them in an alt-verse from the outset, one where the Autobots LOST the battle for the All-Spark, Sam Witwicky was killed by Megatron (And there was much rejoicing at a world without that whiny ass Shia LeBeouf "character") and the Autobots were leading a resistance.