BotTalk Reviews

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer), Andrea Milana (artist), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Risk and Crystal Ball continue their fight and we discover Crystal Ball's background and a bit more on Risk.  Destro and Baroness work together to free Stalker and Chameleon, which allows Risk to win the fight.  Both Joes and Cobra are able to return with some valuable prizes.  Cobra Commander plans to use the D.I.R.E. (Dread-Inducing Responsive Energy) tech while the Baroness witnesses something she shouldn't have. Writing : Williamson keeps the action flowing in the first half of this issue.  Crystal Ball gets a pretty decent background while keeping some of his original ("7th son of the 7th son).  The last half wraps up a few other plot points (Scarlett's return, Duke's mission with Clutch) and sets us up nicely for the next issue.  I do wonder if Williamson will "rewind the clock" a bit so we get some more details of what happened el...

Creators : Larry Hama (writer), Paul Pelletier (penciler), Tony Kordos (inker), Francesco Segala (colorist), Sabrina Del Grosso (flatterer), Pat Brosseau (letterer) Story : The Joe teams have to deal with three of its members (Snake-Eyes, Dawn, and Sean) having an "easter egg" leftover by Dr. Venom in the original Snake-Eyes' memory as they attack any Joes near them.  The crew at the Pitt (Duke, Stalker, Dial-Tone and Mainframe) are able to contain Dawn in the Pitt and inform Helix and Beach Head what's going on but can't reach Scarlett as Snake-Eyes attacks her.  Scarlett is able to hold him off and head outside but encounters a bear.  In Darklonia, Beach Head and Helix are able to trick Sean in taking out the blue ninjas and finally Snake-Eyes is able to overcome the programming.  Meanwhile, at Destro's castle, a certain raider of tombs discovers something. Writing : Again, I think it's pretty cool that Hama is pulling the Dr. Venom card after decades of...

Creators : Dan Watters (writer), Pye Parr (artist), Pierluigi Casolino (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Miles Mayhem tries to retrieve an alien object but it turns on and he loses it.  Matt Trakker reaches out to Bruce Sato and Gloria Baker to help him out.  They discover the artifact opened a wormhole and try to stop it while fending off attacks from V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem).   Writing : Second issue in and we're looking at potential world-ending threats and MASK is on the case.  Watters wastes no time in introducing two classic MASK characters into the mix.  When or how Trakker recruited them is unknown but maybe we'll get into that in future issues.  Watters keeps the action and story moving and it never feels like there is any downtime.  We have a threat, we get a team together and they tackle the threat.  While we're not told how long they have been agents, Sato seems a bit surprised that the Shark can transform so...

How do you propose I get to the comic store this week? On My ROLLER SKATES??? 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-fourth issue, we meet Doctor Henri Arkeville, Thundercracker and the Aerialbots set out on a quest, and Shredhead and Cliffjumper bite off more than they can chew! Doctor Arkeville? Really? Yep! Kirkman’s appreciation for the Sunbow cartoon continues as he formally introduces Doctor Arkeville into the story, and much like Miles Mayhem, he just has to take a swing at General Flagg! Flagg’s in an ornery mood after learning that Optimus gave up the Matrix and is a less powerful ally now, so he doesn’t take kindly to being attacked. He still offers Arkeville Mayhem’...

Skuxxoid takes lead! That’s right, in issue # 31 of Skuxxo- I mean, 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-first issue, Conor Hughes returns on pencils as Kirkman brings us another chapter in the life (or lives) of everyone’s favorite ancillary character Skuxxoid! Oh yeah, I memba that guy! Right?! Kirkman seems to have a real fondness for Skuxxoid, developing a whole subplot focused on him yet seemingly unconnected so far to the main goings-on of thi...

Kulgith the Devourer (a Thri-kreen homage?) has kidnaped some kids from an Obrall settlement. ROM the Space Knight decides to rescue the children. ROM leaves his handgun (The Neutralizer) with Grakum and Jorvud (the distressed parents of the tykes). Thinking that ROM is a robot, Kulgith throws the SpaceKnight in his cell for inorganic prisoners, ROM meets his cellmate... "Transformers Studio Series Deluxe Class" Kranix (the scientist from planet Lithone, the Lithonian who was captured by the Quintessons in The Transformers: The Movie (1986)). Carpet (a sentient alien jellyfish and ROM's "Man with No Name" poncho/companion) opens the pen for them. Kranix points ROM in the direction of the cell for organic prisoners. Kulgith fights with ROM, ROM points out that he is a cyborg, ROM beheads Kulgith. ROM borrows one of Kulgith's arms and attaches it to his body. ROM takes the kids back to their kin.  ROM, the wandering guardian of the spaceways, continues his une...

Adam is taken to a hospital and tells his dad he believes something bad happened.  He begins to recall what happened... We see a wolf man tearing people apart at a party.  Two detectives attempt to question him, only for his father to rush him home.  They begin to argue when Adam coughs up an eyeball. This is certainly a wolf man story... Though unlike most of the other minis I don't see a connection to the Universal Monster films.  The story is... OK.  It is nothing original.  The beginning could easily be from any slasher.  A group of teenagers gathered for a party, surely nothing bad could happen here.  The art, like many of these minis, is the feature worth highlighting.   six out of ten.

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer), Andrea Milana (artist), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Picking up where last issue left off, Risk is fighting the ghosts of his pasts as Crystal Ball (the Cobra hypnotist and paranormal scientist) tries to torture him but he fights them off.  Crystal Ball then ups the ante.  Meanwhile, after a brief skirmish, Destro and Baroness decided to a temporary alliance in order to get out.  Risk encounters more ghosts of his past and ends up in a fist fight with Mercer.  The two come to terms and also decide to work together.  Destro and Baroness find more energon and Stalker and Chameleon hooked up to some machines.  Mercer is then taken out and Crystal Ball decides to face Risk himself.  Writing : Williamson keeps this story moving, rarely with any downtime. The Baroness and Risk get a bit more of their backgrounds explained and we start to see a classic Baroness/Destro relationship emerge (thou...

The Worst Bot Ever Returns?? Yep! Writer Brian Smith and artist Marz Jr. continue the story of Ballpoint, a tiny Decepticon that turns into a pen! Except now he’s joined the Autobots and thanks to an accident involving Wheeljack’s new invention, he’s swapped bodies with the REAL Worst Bot EVER… MEGATRON! Oh right. Yeah, “Bot Swap” is another extra-sized, lighthearted tale in the vein of the first Worst Bot Ever release. The art and story are a little more cartoon-y and not to be taken that seriously, but there’s some entertaining stuff and fun to be had. This instalment kind of reminded me of the episode of Justice League Unlimited where Flash swapped brains with Lex Luthor. Both Ballpoint and Megatron have to deal with being in each other’s bodies and bases… with amusing results on both ends! Writer Brian Smith gets to continue his jokes about Rumble and Frenzy and their own identity crisis, as well as some other funny references that longtime Transformers fans will notice. Otherwise,...

Changes! 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-third issue, Elita Prime and the Autobots on Cybertron regroup, while the Autobots on Earth adjust to their new status quo. Optimus in particular must get used to not being as powerful as he used to be when he had the Matrix. And aboard the Nemesis, something stirs… Stirs? Sure! The Nemesis is underwater, after all! This is mostly a setup issue establishing the current workings of the Autobots on both planets and the Decepticons on Earth. The Earthbound Autobots are furthering their relationship with the humans, the Earthbound Decepticons are still wondering what the hell is going on with Megatron inside his “cocoon”, and the A...