scans_daily | Transformers: MTMTE 07 preview

terrykun posting in

In the next issue of Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye, the much alluded to and dread Decepticon Justice Division finally appears.

And what an appearance they make...

Possible trigger warning: torture against robots

The first page of the issue has Tarn, leader of the DJD, discussing the illustrious career of Black Shadow, one of Megatron's Phase Sixers. Decepticons who are sent in to completely sterilize an already destabilized planet of any remaining potential resistance, and possibly all life, prior to cyberforming.

Three killed in a confrontation with the Wreckers' 11th incarnation.

Three thousand and three when taking on the 13th Autobot Battalion, personally repelling Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus in direct combat.

Three BILLION executed when fighting the entire population of Rigel IV.

Black Shadow was all but guaranteed a seat on Megatron's conclave... until he accepted half a billion shanix in exchange for blowing up a fleet of Decepticon warworlds.

Enter the DJD. Five Decepticons renamed for the first five cities to fall in the war with the Autobots.

I love the exposition of Megatron's doctrines here, after the glimpses we received of it during the pre-war issues of Transformers.

ETA: If his power is the ability to talk people to death, I see only one way for the crew of The Lost Light to survive this....

Set him against Swerve. :D

Possible trigger warning would be spoilery. I've spaced out the start of the entry below the cut to explain a little.

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From:

icon_uk

Agreed, I like the outlining of Megatron's POV (I've never thought of him as the book writing type though. maybe Soundwave ghost-wrote it for him :) )

And Tarn does seem to have a skill similar to pig boring

From:

terrykun

If you read the Orion Pax issues, you'll see that Megatron actually wrote up a manifesto. The tidbits we've seen have been very interesting.

From:

daningram.insanejournal.com

Oh, they are pretty bad ass, but I wonder which one's the traitor. And their leader colluded with the Autobots, which has to break some rule. This will not end well for anyone.

But damned if it's not gonna be awesome!

From:

the_phantom

Yeah but as him working with the Autobots means alot of them died i think hes off the hook.

From:

q99

-And their leader colluded with the Autobots, which has to break some rule.-

In a way that caused Autobot deaths. It's allowed (see also: Starscream)

From:

thanekos

I hope their apparent names are only callsigns, just for the extra bit of menace that kind of anonymity'd lend them.

And man, what a way to resolve the dangling end that was Black Shadow. But it led to Tarn's "Phase Sixers are all the same" bit, so that's good.

From:

arbre_rieur

The Autobots' Chief Justice Tyrest, who oversees the trials of criminals within Autobot ranks, also seems to be named after a city. Whatever the reason for the DJD's names, I'm guessing it's for the same reason as Tyrest's.

From:

arbre_rieur

While there other books on my pull list that are better written, I can honestly say that this series more than any other I'm currently buying fills me with that "Argh, I have to wait a whole month for the next issue!? I gotta know what happens next!" feeling that makes me feel ten years old again. And this is coming from someone who, while having a fondness for the franchise from the cartoon re-runs airing when he was a kid, wouldn't even call himself a big Transformers fan.

From:

q99

I was wondering what happened to Black Shadow! He was the only one we didn't know about.

Must've been hard to track down and catch, that betrayal sounds like it happened awhile ago.

From:

jlbarnett

no one cares that bringing in newer badder big bads to take out your already unstoppable bad guy to show how bad they are is one of the biggest signs of bad fanfic there is huh?

From:

terrykun

Either that or you're watching Dragonball Z or One Piece.

From:

q99

It's a common tactic in many things, and it's done in some good stuff too (like Shockwave's initial appearance in the Marvel TF comics), which is why fanfic tries to copy it.

I'll note the DJD is a bigger villain than Black Shadow (who had a few mentions but was not a major villain) before this, so it's a different situation than that anyway.

From:

thanekos

It works here, at least, since Black Shadow's talents have only been depicted by inference so far- before this one's first page, the only thing we had to go on was that Megatron had him in on the same conference call as Overlord and Sixshot.

Though what's essentially Decepticon internal affairs being able to overpower someone like him is a bit unexpected- I'd've expected them to have and consist of mechs with a more subtle modus operandi.

(I suppose they all could've jumped him when he wasn't looking, but Tarn's offhand mention of his fusion cannon makes it sound like a much straighter fight happened..)

From:

terrykun

He also says that Black Shadow has seen what the other four can do while we the reader have only seen three of them. It's not unreasonable to assume that Vos or the pet has some ability that allows them to subdue opponents.

From:

q99

-
Though what's essentially Decepticon internal affairs being able to overpower someone like him is a bit unexpected- I'd've expected them to have and consist of mechs with a more subtle modus operandi. -

I think these are the main five, who come together only when they have to deal with a major, big-name traitor who couldn't be dealt with solo.

They wouldn't be as effective if the strongest bots were out of their reach.

And the Autobots have some teams strong enough to do the same- the Dinobots come to mind.

From:

jlbarnett

yeah, I guarentee that if they put the dinos against this bunch the dino would be written like a bunch of minibots

From:

q99

Hah, pretty sure it'd be an epic battle :) When it comes to cool fights, James Roberts does not disappoint.

From:

lbd_nytetrayn

Dinobot Month is coming up soon... and I hear that after Overlord, Grimlock is changed...

From:

bewareofgeek

It seems to me, based on scans posted here and elsewhere, that they are FAR more fascinated with villains than heroes. Is that accurate?

From:

q99

I wouldn't say so, the heroes are fantastic :)

From:

jlbarnett

it's what I've felt like

From:

q99

Do you read the current series?

From:

jlbarnett

skim them in the store. I'm a big TF fan so I want to like this stuff. I just can't.

From:

q99

Well, let's just say they don't really suffer from the problems you're griping about.

From:

jlbarnett

yes, for me they do.

You see what's above? FOr me, that's to much focus on the villains. Especially when it's all about power.

They're more powerful than Transformers that can decimate planets. So where were they when Overlord went rogue. Why did they play no part when Thunderwing was ruining Cybertron? What about during the Expansion?

Why did the neutrals never establish a Cybertron government in exile?

There are enough that the heroes are arming the villains to help maintain order and they were allowed to basically send Optimus Prime into exile

From:

thanekos

They probably just didn't know about either situation until after the fact- the events and effects of Megatron's sudden surge could easily've prevented them from hearing about Overlord's little rebellion 'till all was said and done (though he'd probably've loved to have their attentions).

Megatron's " Okay, Predacons, you deal with this " re: Thunderwing might've been due to a similar busyness (the way Roberts writes, it's entirely possible they'll refer a few of their own exploits). Maybe they were going to be his fallback plan..

From:

q99

-You see what's above? FOr me, that's to much focus on the villains.-

What, having several pages of development given to them? As opposed to the many issues of the good guys? It's not like Megatron, Shockwave, and so on don't have a lot more than this group.

I dunno, I like my baddies with some development. It's not like they're even close to the focus, and without it they'd just be faces to be shot at, and it's not like we haven't had our share of rather interesting situations before. This is unlikely to just be a straitforward battle.

Heck, fighting Overlord in Last Stand of the Wreckers ended up really interesting, and he was super powerful himself.

-They're more powerful than Transformers that can decimate planets.-

Collectively, yea, not individually. So are several other bots we know.

The Lost Light has a rather interesting crew itself.

A Wreckers team vs a Phase Sixer seems to be a fight that can go either way, and a Wreckers team doesn't have Ultra-Magnus...

-So where were they when Overlord went rogue.-

Probably with no idea where he went and waiting for him to show up; remember they found *this* traitor probably centuries after he went missing, quite possibly millennia, and even maybe longer than that.

-Why did they play no part when Thunderwing was ruining Cybertron? What about during the Expansion? -

Hunting traitors and fighting Autobots. Or heck, possibly there fighting Thunderwing because we have no idea the precise forces involved. Or maybe some of them hadn't even come online yet- that was millions of years ago after all. They could've been rookies on the line who proved themselves against Thunderwing. Or they could've been on another front. When Thunderwing hit, only the forces they could bring in in time showed up.

With the Expansion, that was a Dead Universe thing, the Decepticons weren't really involved with that anyway. If Megatron and Starscream wasn't in, no surprise that the DJD wasn't either.

Here's a question for you: What do you think Omega Supreme was doing during those time? Metroplex? The Dinobots? Arcee? Ultra Magnus? I mean, we can assume most of them were involved, but it wasn't point out, "Hey, they're right there!" because the battle against Thunderwing wasn't about that.

The Transformers in IDW are explicitly spread around dozens/hundreds of worlds, and we don't follow every front or close to it, most of the time we follow small numbers of key known bots fighting over important objectives, but we do get plenty of glimpses elsewhere. We know Decepticons in the DJD, possibly when they weren't assembled for official duty, were involved in quite a few fights because one of them kept shooting Autobots in the symbols to pass messages to Red Alert and other medics working for Springer.

From:

jlbarnett

Metroplex was hiding out, the Dinos were trapped on Earth, Omega was in some sort of exile,meditative retreat sort of thing.

And the thing is I never get the feel that Magnus or Arcee or the Dinobots are that dangerous. Shockwave took out the Dinos alone.

And this are doesn't say to me it took the collective DJD to beat Black Shadow. I don't see any particular injuries on them. This looks to me like they were toying with him. Like he was such a minor threat each could say my turn, my turn and tear him apart so someone else could get a piece.

From:

q99

-Metroplex was hiding out, the Dinos were trapped on Earth, Omega was in some sort of exile,meditative retreat sort of thing. -

Dinobots being on Earth was well post-Thunderwing's original rampage, and I think ditto Omega. Dunno when Metroplex started hiding with Alpha Tron.

We only know a few there when Thunderwing hit the first time- Optimus, Megatron, and the bots in the army aren't identified. The second time he was activated, there were around 10 Decepticons and Autobots per side period, mostly Wreckers and Predacons- even most of the mainstays weren't there.

-And the thing is I never get the feel that Magnus or Arcee or the Dinobots are that dangerous. Shockwave took out the Dinos alone.-

The Dinos were handicapped by the energon that kept them in beast forms, remember? Once the organic covering was gone the energon did the rest, he didn't actually have to beat them.

Shockwave, Magnus, they're Megatron/Prime level, and Grimlock's pretty close to that. And Overlord, another Phase Sixer, didn't think he could take on Megatron until he had his blindspot removed, which says some on where they rate in comparison to each other. We also know, of course, that 6 Wreckers, several fairly new to the team, did defeat Overlord. The Wreckers are one of the Autobot's beat squads, but I'd say the Dinobots are definitely more-so.

Arcee almost killed Galvatron (another Megatron/Prime level), considers taking on 5 Constructicons at once easy, was *the* most powerful inmate in Garrus-9 when it was attacked by Decepticons at one point... really, IDW Arcee is scary.

-And this are doesn't say to me it took the collective DJD to beat Black Shadow. I don't see any particular injuries on them. This looks to me like they were toying with him. Like he was such a minor threat each could say my turn, my turn and tear him apart so someone else could get a piece.
-

That's really not saying much. This is after the fight, after they've captured him. He's restrained, looks to be missing his legs...

Fortress Maximus could be killed by a Genericon if he's restrained and crippled.

This is not the fight itself. All we know about the fight itself is the DJD won.

From:

daningram.insanejournal.com

Hell, in regards to Black Shadow vs. the DJD, for all we know they used Magatron's secret virus that Black Shadow was infected with unknowingly.

Remember, Sixshot and Overlord had one installed, it makes sense to think the same was done with Black Shadow.

From:

q99

Oh yea, that does make sense.

From:

devastron

The Dinobots got taken out because their protective organic coatings were destroyed and they went into stasis lock because of energon overexposure or poisoning. Even up until the last second Grimlock was fighting.

From:

daningram.insanejournal.com

"You see what's above? FOr me, that's to much focus on the villains. Especially when it's all about power. "

What, a couple of pages that give them names and motivation? That's too much? Would you rather they just be formless blobs that get punched?

From:

jlbarnett

there are times.

Basically I don't care if the villains are a threat to the heroes, in fact I prefer they not be, I just care that they're a threat to those the hero has to protect, or their loved ones, or their goals.

There's this saying 'you don't win a war by dying for your country, you win a war by making the other guy die for his.' Comic writers spend to much time trying to give the heroes the win by dying for their 'country' and this reads to me like just the sort of setup for a heroic sacrifice victory

and they never give the culture to the average characters, got to give it to the walking weapons so they seem to have depth.

From:

q99

-and they never give the culture to the average characters, got to give it to the walking weapons so they seem to have depth.-

You need to read the back issues of this series- They spend a lot of time on Rung, Autobot psychiatrist.

Tailgate, an ancient cybertronian scientist also gets a large role. Skids is a theoratician. Swerve runs a bar.

The second story arc is about a medical facility and is mostly dealt with by medics, including Ratchet who's hands barely work, using medicine, not gun.

More than likely, the DJD aren't going to be a direct threat to Hot Rod and his mission... they're going to be a threat to Drift, his Decepticon-defector buddy who he won't want to see get a Black Shadow treatment.

From:

the_phantom

Dont forget Ambulon = Ex-Decepticon prototype combiner

From:

q99

Or in other words, a doctor who turns into a leg :)

From:

q99

To add on a bit- More Than Meets the Eye really has very little focus on villains so far. There's been a medic traitor and a slasher monster, but it's been all about the crew.

Robots in Disguise is a lot about dealing with the post-war era, which means dealing a lot with villains and former villains, and how best to handle them.

From:

arbre_rieur

Do you mean Transformers in general or this series (MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE) specifically? If the former, I think there's traditionally been more focus on villains than in your typical boys' action-adventure series because of the need to sell their toys. If you mean the latter, I wouldn't say so. There's been a very small villain presence in the series so far. As I recall, save for the mindless, literally personality-less beast/drone kind, there weren't any villains at all in the first three issues. (And we're not talking decompressed writing here, either. Each was a self-contained story.)

From:

bewareofgeek

I'm not entirely sure which series is which. So let's just say "currently published IDW books".

From:

daningram.insanejournal.com

Also, a decepticon wearing their badge as a faceplate? Why did that genius idea take so freakin' long to happen?

From:

the_phantom

I know right they did it with the Last autobot in the 80's

From:

kamino_neko

The Fallen did it in the movies.

Granted RotF was crap, but...the Fallen had a Decepticon symbol for a face. (Which he gave to Prime.)

From:

the_phantom

Damn so thats what happen to Black Shadow.

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