BotTalk Reviews

Story : Sean Collins/Throwdown continues his rampage, destroying a Terror Drome and a couple of Cobra H.I.S.S.: High Speed Sentries before stealing a Cobra Stinger: Night Attack 4-WD to move onto the next Terror Drome. Helix and Beachhead provide commentary while informing Duke of the situation. A Joe team, with Snake-Eyes and Scarlett are en route. Snake-Eyes is finally able to confront Sean. Writing : Hama keeps the pressure and action going in this issue. Sean, with Dr. Venom's programming, just doesn’t stop. The beginning is a bit odd with the commentary from Helix and Beachhead. While all are cured of Dr. Venom's programming, there might still be more to the story. Art : Pelletier keeps the art nice and crisp with a lot of good colors. When Sean and Snake-Eyes do their mental battle, the color changes up a bit and is a bit reminiscent of the style from the 80’s.   Overall : Sean gets his issue in this deprogramming arc and it has a strong finish. Excellent art and a straig...

Back to Cybertron again! The war changes once again! Robert Kirkman, chief architect of the Energon Universe, writes the flagship Transformers title and Karl Kerschl pencils this issue with Mike Spicer on colors. In this thirty-seventh issue, we return to Cybertron to check in on Elita Prime’s contingent of Autobots as they battle Shockwave’s forces on their contested home planet. Will sabotage from within force Elita Prime to change her mind about Optimus and those still on Earth? That’s what happens, isn’t it? Yeah. Basically this issue is just working towards Elita Prime admitting she was wrong about Optimus and becoming amenable to sending him help on Earth. There’s a bunch of skirmishes with Shockwave’s forces that culminate in a “reveal” that the Autobots have been compromised by a saboteur that nearly swipes the Matrix from Elita! I think Elita has looked kind of shortsighted under Kirkman so far, with her butt-headed decision to oppose Optimus and take the Matrix. Maybe Kirkman...

Story : Shipwreck meets up with Lara Croft, “the Tomb Raider” as she needs help getting to the Arbco Star shipping freighter on Cobra Island to hunt for a missing artifact. Destro’s forces are already there so the Joes send a team in to try to find the artifact, which has the potential to be really powerful.   The team encounters the Iron Grenadiers on the island and neither team uses weapons for fear of alerting the Blue Ninjas that are still in the casino.  Writing : The themes of this issue feel more like a classic Sunbow cartoon than the ongoing ARAH issues but not too bad. Lara Croft has been set up as an established character in the series with Shipwreck knowing her and both Destro and the Baroness having met her before. I did like that as it feels a bit more believable than her suddenly appearing in the series. Her franchise (Tomb Raider) is mentioned a few times ("oh, it’s the Tomb Raider") more as a nickname than what she goes by. I also enjoy the call back to the fr...

Story : Miles Mayhem (leader of V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem)) is talking with Scott Trakker as they stroll through the woods and tells a bit about himself (worked with his father and the military). When they get to the Bladejet/Switchblade, Scott reveals he knows everything already and T-Bob (Thingamabob, Scott Trakker's robot) shows up and fights off VENOM. Matt Trakker and company finish off with Buddie Hawks when he gets notified that T-Bob is protecting Scott so Matt has Gloria Baker go first (still at Boulder Hill, which is near the school). Scott an T-Bob end up following VENOM as they look for him and he ambushes Sly Rax as the MASK team heads out.  Writing : At first I was wondering why a kid would go off with someone into the woods but once the story gets going we realize Scott knows exactly what he’s doing and has planned it out. T-Bob as been incorporated nicely into the series without being the annoying robot friend. And Scott is smart. He seems to be ab...

Transformed into the Wolf Man, Adam stands over his father.  But, holding the pentagram necklace, the Wolf Man backs off.  The detective forces Adam's father to chase after him.  They return home and the detective confronts him over the death of his wife.  The Wolf Man comes upon the detective as his father stands outside and shoots paint cans, which burst into flames.  The Wolf Man comes crashing through a window carrying the detective and is soon confronted by his father.  He holds up the pentagram, which startles Adam, then takes a shot.  After multiple shots Adam reverts to his human form.  He comforts his son and as police arrive, realizes that he was bitten in the confrontation and walks into the woods.   Little time to catch our breath in this issue.  We learn the werewolf heritage comes from the maternal side of Adam's family.  The pentagram does its job, but is Adam's downfall as his father uses it to take his life.  I...

Add an "R" for less brand confusion! Enter Predaco- er...PREDACRON in issue # 34 of Void Rivals! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman's sci-fi comic that tells the tale of two crumbling planets linked by a "Sacred Ring" (it's not Halo), their peoples at war for generations. When a member of each culture are stranded together, the two find they must put aside their differences if they want to survive. This story takes place in the so-called "Energon Universe", Skybound Entertainment's initiative to relaunch properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe within a shared universe that also happens to include the original characters and setting of Void Rivals. In this thirty-fourth issue, Darak and Solila, along with their acquaintances in Cobra-La and their new ally ROM the Spaceknight are attacked by alien bounty hunter Predacron! Also on the way to the main plot; SKUXXOID! Preda...cron? Y'see, late in G.I. Joe's run, there was a sub-line called ...

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer), Tom Reilly (artist), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Duke's G.I. Joe team fights off against Flint's Night Force team in trying to capture the Baroness.  Duke vs. G.I. B.A.T., Beachhead vs. Stalker, Roadblock vs. Risk and Flint, Shooter and Lady Jaye vs. Clutch, Autobot Hound, and the Baroness.  We get more details on what Zartan is after, and Snowjob has brought Scarlett back for debriefing.  Meanwhile, Cobra Commander uses the Energon Sword to train/fight Major Medusa, using Crystal Ball's D.I.R.E. Tech - which leads Destro to finding out something about Cobra Commander.  Eventually, most of the Joes and Night Force realize things are getting too far gone once G.I. B.A.T. tries to kill Duke, against the current orders to capture the team.   Writing : Lots of action and a lot going on. The Baroness and Clutch have a good conversation in which the Baroness accuses him of never trusting her.  We...

Creators : Larry Hama (writer), Pat Olliffe (artist), Francesco Segala (colorist), Sabrina Del Grosso (flatter), Pat Brosseau (letterer) Story : Cutter, Shipwreck, and Wetsuit are on the Killer W.H.A.L.E. Hovercraft assisting Deep Six as he investigates a sunken Russian submarine.  Ghostrider in The Phantom X-19 Stealth Fighter is providing air support when three Rattlers and a ASPID helicopter arrive with two Cobra Eels and a Hydro-Viper who head down to the sub as well.  Writing : Sometimes this is just what you need, a nice stand-alone issue with some good action and fight scenes.  The Russian sub may come up later down the road but for now, it's just a MacGuffin for our characters.  And we get nautical guys doing nautical stuff and a flier...flying!  Everyone is doing their role nicely and it all fits together in a nice, tight story.   Art : Art and colors are sublime in this issue. Olliffe does a good job with the action scenes and, between him and Ham...

More thrills! More shocks! More new arms! The bold new era for the Autobots and this book continues! Robert Kirkman, chief architect of the Energon Universe, writes the flagship Transformers title and Jason Howard takes over as regular penciler for this new story arc with Mike Spicer on colors. Howard had previously drawn issues # 13 and # 14 of this book, along with many covers. In this thirty-sixth issue, a new Superion is born! Doctor Arkeville proves his worth! Starscream prepares a plot! And Beachcomber searches for a new purpose! What is it with Skybound and giving people new arms? Optimus, Rom, and now Superion… I dunno. Anyhow, as practically EVERYONE expected, Thundercracker becomes part of Superion in this issue! And uh… well, there’s not a lot of fanfare to it, actually. It’s just treated as something Thundercracker could already do. Off-panel upgrades from Wheeljack, I guess? I dunno what I expected, maybe Cobra-La to have the Enigma of Combination or something, but it just...

Adam is questioned about what happened.  He tells the detective he is a werewolf and he killed the people at the party.  He also shares what really happened to his older brother, that he killed himself.  As the detective takes Adam away he gets into an argument with his father.  He tears away the medallion from his neck and transforms into a werewolf in front of everyone.  The cops open fire but it has no effect.  He begins cutting down everyone in sight.  His father hides as the massacre continues and emerges from his hiding spot to find the Wolf Man standing over him. I feel like this is the first issue of this mini-series I have connected with.  No more beating around the bush.  Things are laid out clearly.  Adam is a werewolf.  His older brother killed himself and their father covered it up.  He then transforms in full view of everyone in the police station and goes on a rampage.  Will Adam, as a werewolf, kill his fat...

Creators : Dan Watters (writer), Marco Ferrari (artist), Pierluigi Casolino (colorist), Rus Wooton (letteter) Story :  Matt Trakker meets up with Dusty Hayes in New Orleans to stop someone with a mask on from hurting people.  Matt and Dusty talk a lot about the past and more details emerge on how everything is connected.  Miles Mayhem (leader of V.E.N.O.M.) ended up putting a dangerous mask on a random individual to distract Matt while Mayhem goes and does something else.  Writing :  The beginning jumps right into the story with very little carry over from the previous issue.  We get another classic mask character (Dusty Hayes) introduced along with his jeep, Gator, (though it doesn't change to a boat this time).  The end of the issue also brings in Buddie Hawks too.  And Miles traveling to Boulder Hill, NY was a nice inclusion as well.  Overall, while most of the issue is Matt and Dusty trying to help Buddie, there is a lot of talking about ...

It’s a ROMlution! Or a Romvolution? Rom the Space Knight is here in issue # 33 of Void Rivals! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman’s sci-fi comic that tells the tale of two crumbling planets linked by a “Sacred Ring” (it’s not Halo), their peoples at war for generations. When a member of each culture are stranded together, the two find they must put aside their differences if they want to survive. This story takes place in the so-called “Energon Universe”, Skybound Entertainment’s initiative to relaunch properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe within a shared universe that also happens to include the original characters and setting of Void Rivals. In this thirty-third issue, Darak and Solila make formal acquaintance with Rom the Space Knight and his partner, the organic blob known as Carpet! Also, Cobra-La is still there and we catch up with Skuxxoid as he arrives on a new, very-familiar planet! Who’s this Rom guy? You know! Rom! The Space Knight! Yet another Hasbro property folded into the...

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer),Tom Reilly, Andrea Milana (artists), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Flint, Beachhead, Lady Jaye, and Shooter are fighting some Cobra S.N.A.K.E (System: Neutralizer—Armed Kloaking Equipment) Battle Suits as training and officially reveal their name as Night Force.  Hawk/Zartan fights the Baroness after the events of last issue and he issues an order to capture her but she gets away.  Baroness was able to see something was wrong with Hawk.  He orders the Joe team to take her out.  Cobra Commander reveals his upgrades to Crystal Ball's D.I.R.E. (Dread-Inducing Responsive Energy) Tech and his new "left hand" Major Medusa.  On her yacht, the Baroness is confronted by Night Force but tries to explain and that anyone who talks to her will probably be killed.  The rest of the Joes show up to help the Baroness with Flint surprised to see Autobot Hound but then he releases Night Force's own surprise - G....