BotTalk Reviews

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer), Andrea Milana (penciler), Lee Loughridge (colorist) Story : Zartan now believes he has all the information he needs to start finding more energon for his own purposes.  Recovering from the events of the Dreadnok War, the Joes take Autobot Hound captive as Duke is quite upset and wants answers.  Meanwhile, Matt Trakker gets a notice to meet someone.  Back at the Pitt, the Joes, thinking they'd get a little bit of time off, are quickly reassigned more missions by Hawk, including meeting up with Snow Job.  Duke gets filled in by Hound on some of the basics and that it was Decepticon Starscream who killed his friend.  Matt Trakker meets with an agent at a race track but they are interrupted by Scrap Iron. Writing : I really like how Williamson is taking Duke down this emotional path we're seeing.  As Clutch says, that's not normally him.  But Duke is in a changing world, saw his buddy die, lost Cobra Commander, almost...

Kirkman Kills The Transformers! Well, not all of them, yet! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, he now takes the writing reins of the flagship Transformers comic series as well, with Dan Mora now on pencils and Mike Spicer still on colors. In this twenty-eighth issue, Megatron has a freakout, Arcee gets a promotion, Miles Mayhem tries his darndest to get a spin-off, and SOMEONE DIES. FOR REAL. PERMANENTLY. Whut-oh. Yeah, Kirkman finally gives in to his Walking Dead and Invincible pedigree and brings on the gore here, for both human and Transformer alike! After I felt like he was being remarkably restrained for his first three issues, he really goes for it here and it’s... I dunno... kind of on the nose, maybe? I guess he wanted to show that his run will be chock-full of consequences too, but I feel maybe his choice of victim was a little flawed and a real shame. The victim is a Transformers character that is known for getting the shaft usually...

Transformers Lives Again! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, he now takes the writing reins of the flagship Transformers comic series as well, with Dan Mora now on pencils and Mike Spicer still on colors. In this twenty-seventh issue, the Autobots get back into fighting shape as many are revived or repaired. Ultra Magnus makes a choice, Spike and Carly make plans, and Thundercracker settles in! Meanwhile, General Flagg and Miles Mayhem (leader of V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem)) come to blows, and on Cybertron... something sinister hunts Cliffjumper. Wow, that’s a lot. I didn’t even finish! Kirkman drops a boatload of new plot threads, new and returning characters, and intrigue for the future here. It’s actually kind of refreshing, as I felt Daniel Warren Johnson’s plotting was a bit on the anemic side, but Kirkman seems bursting with stuff he wants to address and play with as soon as possible. It makes for a fairly dense read, wh...

Transformers Lives Again! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, he now takes the writing reins of the flagship Transformers comic series as well, with Dan Mora now on pencils and Mike Spicer still on colors. In this twenty-sixth issue, the new alliance the Autobots have struck with the humans is put to the test and the Ark is a stage for conflict as Decepticon Thundercracker seeks to free Skywarp from Teletraan-1. Oh yeah, Thundercracker and Skywarp went on a little trip last issue. Yup, they were teleported into the midst of Cobra-La and when they return, Thundercracker is in no mood to listen after being confronted with the organic horrors he witnessed there. Thankfully, Optimus Prime manages to talk him down and agrees to help free Skywarp from being entangled with Teletraan-1. Thundercracker’s uneasy loyalties take center stage here and Kirkman sets him up for a new role in this universe that may seem a bit familiar to fans of Beast Wars or ...

New World Era! With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, he now takes the writing reins of the flagship Transformers comic series as well, with Dan Mora now on pencils and Mike Spicer still on colors. Previous artist Jorge Corona also contributes to this inaugural issue as Kirkman begins to reshape the Energon Universe! In this extra-sized twenty-fifth issue, it’s a new day as the Autobots and Decepticons recover from their last epic clash. Megatron stews in the failures of his troops, while Optimus prepares to make new human allies. And on Cybertron, Elita One comes to a momentous decision! So what’s up with this “Kirk Man” fellow? He any good? If you’ve been reading these reviews, you know I haven’t been a fan of Daniel Warren Johnson’s writing on this series, so I was looking forward to someone, ANY-one taking over. Robert Kirkman has never been my favorite comic book writer, but he HAS a track record of producing stuff I’ve enjoyed. I’m happy to...

G.I. Joe Picking up from where issue #6 leaves off, Hound and Clutch are at odds but realize they can help each other and a familiar name helps them.  Meanwhile, Cobra Commander's energon supply might be in jeopardy.   A nice interlude that expands on the end of issue 6 of the on-going G.I. Joe title.  We get a bit of background on Hound and how he came to be reactivated.  We also get to see a familiar face from the Cobra Commander mini-series make a reappearance.  I did like this story but do worry that if someone skipped this issue, they might be a bit lost when they pick up issue 7 (though we'll see when it comes out!). Transformers Jazz is kicked out of his Cybertronian band but seems to be searching for something more.  On Earth, he seems to have gotten closer to finding it.  A nice "slice of life" style story, we get to see Jazz on Cybertron playing in his rock band and, like on Earth, they have drama.  This plays up to a lot of Jazz's perso...