Mike's Favorite IDW Transformers "Phase 1" Moments

A while back, I did a few lists of my favorite IDW Transformers comic book moments from "Phase 2" of the company's original continuity.  If you haven't read those, here ya go, I'll wait-

Mike's Favorite IDW Transformers "Phase 2" Moments: Part 1, James Roberts 

Mike's Favorite IDW Transformers "Phase 2" Moments: Part 2, John Barber  

Mike's Favorite IDW Transformers "Phase 2" Moments: Part 3, Mairghread Scott and Nick Roche 

I figured I should eventually go back and do a list of my Top Ten Favorite “Phase 1” Moments in IDW 1.0 continuity, and eventually is NOW! 

When I say “Phase 1”, I of course mean everything starting from Simon Furman’s run all the way up to the end of Mike Costa’s run. There’s a wider range of writers involved in the first half of IDW continuity, and a wider range of quality in general. I think I managed to pin down the stuff I enjoyed the most, as well as things that lay the groundwork for greatness in “Phase 2”.

So, let’s start off with my honorable mention!

Honorable Mention- KINETIC HARPOON
(Transformers (2009) # 18)

This is a moment from Mike Costa’s run that showcases one of the things he was good at; applying real-life military theory to the Cybertronian war. Costa was obviously a lot more comfortable writing G.I. Joe than Transformers, and it really showed in his work. I never thought he was a good fit for this franchise, but occasionally he’d at least pull off a good action beat like this one.

Optimus Prime has had enough of playing by the rules, and with the rebuilt new-and-improved Megatron threatening the Earth, decides to take him out on his own. Getting Jetfire and Cosmos to re-position a satellite above the Decepticons’ makeshift base-camp, Optimus goes alone to confront Megatron. 

The Decepticons gather to watch Optimus get his aft kicked by Megatron, but the Autobot commander simply sprays Megatron with gunfire, then transforms to truck mode and retreats. The unharmed Megatron is mystified until Prime mentions the barrage was simply to paint the target, and the Decepticon leader looks to the sky...

Of course no one, not even the much-less durable other Decepticons on the scene, die from this. However, no matter its actual effectiveness, this was still a nice bit of ruthlessness on Prime’s part and one wishes that he could have been this decisive and pragmatic earlier on in this series. I also like the bit that follows when Megatron emerges unharmed in the aftermath and Optimus kind of loses it. 

Aw, Megatron almost looks HURT there at Prime’s question. Fittingly enough, this is (perhaps unintentionally) some subtle groundwork for how Megatron and Optimus Prime’s relationship will be fleshed-out and explored by James Roberts later on in this continuity. Alex Milne was in the opening stages of his journey towards being one of the most well-regarded Transformers artists at this point, and this scene is fantastically rendered by him as well.

 

10. SIGNIFICANT INSIGNIFICANCE
(Transformers: Infiltration # 5)

One of the things Simon Furman wanted to restore to the franchise when he started IDW 1.0 continuity was a sense of awe and mystery to Cybertronians. The first mini-series “Infiltration” obviously played up the “Robots in Disguise” franchise tag to its utmost, with Transformers remaining hidden from humanity being a priority. Humanity’s importance to the Transformers themselves was also downplayed, as Earth was simply one of countless planetary battlefronts in the secret war being waged between the Autobots and Decepticons.

We were introduced to the Transformers in this universe through human characters Verity Carlo, Hunter O’Nion, and Jimmy Pink, and through them had an “uplit” view of the conflict. Ratchet saved their lives, and subverting the usual expectation, we found out that this was NOT the norm for Autobots. They tried their best NOT to interact with the inhabitants of an alien planet and kept an emotional distance, as it was possible they would not be able to stop the Decepticons from conquering the place.

Despite this, our trio of human protagonists find themselves helping Ratchet and Bumblebee expose an abnormal Decepticon conspiracy unfolding on Earth. They volunteer to explore an abandoned underground Decepticon bunker, and once the humans are out of earshot, it’s almost chilling to hear Bumblebee admit that these humans are ultimately…acceptable losses if things go bad.

Within the bunker, the intrepid Verity stumbles into a hidden chamber, and comes across MEGATRON, having recently arrived from Cybertron to investigate the Earthbound Decepticon infiltration unit. Megatron regards Verity as we would an insect, and simply goes back to what he was doing.

I’ve always liked this scene and it exemplifies this new take Furman had on the war and human/Cybertronian relations in general. Megatron isn’t some hammy villain who cackles “I have you now, my pretty”- Verity is completely beneath his notice. He probably doesn’t expect the Autobots will value her life either, considering our exposure to Bumblebee’s somewhat callous attitude earlier in regards to the humans. It was a refreshing notion for the time, and something that was all too quickly cast aside in my opinion.

This scene also highlights E.J. Su’s excellent storytelling capabilities and use of scale. You can really appreciate the contrast between Verity’s terror and Megatron’s utter disinterest in her. The bit that immediately follows is also emblematic of the overall feel that Furman and Su were trying to convey, and always makes me laugh as Megatron brushes some falling ceiling “pebbles” away.

 

9. D-MEGATRON V. D-GOD
(Transformers (2009) # 28 and # 30)

The “Chaos” story arc that closed out Mike Costa’s run on Transformers was, well… a bit of a mess. Borrowing plot elements from Simon Furman’s run that hadn’t been properly sealed off, like Galvatron and the Dead Universe, it was almost an admittance on Costa’s part that he had no real pre-planned endgame to his run in mind. Not helping matters was the underwhelming “Heart of Darkness” mini-series by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning that set “Chaos” up and only managed to further complicate these already-established plot threads that had been left lying around.

“Chaos” formally introduced readers to the art of Livio Ramondelli, whose dark, gritty style would long remain a bone of contention with fans. For me, I think Ramondelli’s style is fine when properly applied, and it was indeed perfect for this particular scene in “Chaos”. Megatron is forced to face off alone against the massive, monstrous manifestation of the Dead Universe’s guiding intelligence- the D-Void. 

The D-Void forms a giant body for itself by forcibly combining all the Decepticons left on Cybertron and Galvatron’s innumerable horde of Sweeps. After having carved his way through hundreds of Sweeps on his own, Megatron must now fight this “Deceptigod” to buy time for Optimus Prime to stop Galvatron in the core of Cybertron. 

The prospect of the upgraded and armored-up Megatron fighting a kaiju-sized foe was fairly exciting at the time and as far as action beats go, this is another Costa winner. I wish more of issue # 30 focused on this battle, as we only really get fleeting glimpses of it, but as stated, Ramondelli’s art certainly sells the hell out of what we do see. The Deceptigod is appropriately terrifying and Megatron’s defiant, rugged stand against it is certainly one of his most impressive and epic moments in IDW 1.0 continuity. 

The threat of D-Void and the Deceptigod were pretty undercooked all-around in my opinion, and there was certainly more to squeeze from that stone. The fact that John Barber and James Roberts later went back to the Dead Universe well a THIRD time for “Dark Cybertron” validates that feeling for me, but at the very least, this battle was the highlight of an otherwise somewhat-unsatisfying story. 

 

8. PRIMEVAL EVIL PRIME
(Transformers: Escalation # 6, Spotlight: Optimus Prime, Spotlight: Hardhead, Spotlight: Sideswipe)

While the concept of villainous members of the Prime lineage is fairly common nowadays, back in 2007 it was actually kind of a novel idea. When Simon Furman started seeding the idea that one of Optimus Prime’s predecessors might not have been such a cool dude, many people took notice. Up until that point, we only really had evil duplicates created by the Decepticons or possessed by Unicron. 

An actual Prime that wasn’t Optimus or Rodimus and was conceived as a Big Bad was considered pretty bold and a refreshing take for an antagonist. Optimus first sensed Nova Prime’s presence when his mind was cast into the other-dimensional “infraspace” during a near-death experience, and the readers were instantly intrigued by his foreboding appearance.  

Optimus Prime later went to consult with Omega Supreme, who gave him the lowdown on Nova and his expansionist and amoral leanings. Nova Prime had disappeared into the eldritch Dead Universe millions of years prior, and Furman was clearly setting up his return as the ultimate threat for his first run of stories. His backstory and fantastic design by Don Figueroa were a hit with readers and heralds of Nova’s eventual re-emergence like Galvatron and Monstructor only added to the hype. Anticipation built among the fanbase for Nova’s arrival and ultimate showdown with Optimus.

Of course, Simon Furman’s run on IDW comics was then infamously cut short, and Nova-now-Nemesis Prime’s return wasn’t all it could and should have been. Furman’s plans for Nova/Nemesis WOULD have included the fact that he still possessed the Matrix of Leadership and it had also been corrupted by their stay in the Dead Universe, but he was forced to abandon that plot point. Nova/Nemesis ended up getting an extremely brief face-off with Optimus before he was unceremoniously shot in the back by Galvatron and seemingly perished at the end of Furman’s run.

He would eventually return a couple more times in IDW continuity, but the intrigue and hype behind him had long since dissipated. By the time Nova was killed off for good in the “Dark Cybertron” story, his “corrupt, amoral Prime” schtick had been used and reused again, robbing it of specificity to him. Subsequent writers only really portrayed him as a one-note despot who spouted generically-evil dialogue. At the very least, Furman had graced Nova with a slight measure of tragedy and depth in the brief time he was on-panel.

In “Phase 2” of IDW 1.0 continuity, the concept of the Prime lineage being tarnished just became standardized, with ALL of Optimus Prime’s predecessors between Nova and him (Nominus, Sentinel, and Zeta) turning out to be right assholes to the extent of being nearly interchangeable as characters. Kind of a disappointing legacy for what was once a good subversion of expectation and an intriguing concept. 

Still, this entry on the list is to pay homage to the initial promise of Nova Prime as a character and foil for Optimus Prime. I’d call him the pioneer of this particular flavor of “Evil Prime” and even if his character never realized its true potential, his overall concept made a strong, lasting impression on the franchise.

 

7. THUNDERCRACKER FINALLY ARRIVES
(All Hail Megatron # 7, All Hail Megatron # 12)

“All Hail Megatron” was a pretty divisive story at the time of its release, being a “soft reboot” of the continuity and bringing an early end to Simon Furman’s well-received run of stories. I’m not much a fan of Shane McCarthy’s writing, either on “All Hail” or the various other Transformers comics he wrote for IDW. However, there is one thing he did that was absolutely right and broke some fairly new ground- he finally provided some depth and purpose to G1 Thundercracker as a character.

Up until “All Hail Megatron”, Thundercracker was basically your standard Decepticon thug who was only really popular because he was a Seeker and part of the original ‘84 line-up of characters. His original bio write-up and tech specs spoke of his doubts in the Decepticon cause, but no one truly explored this quirk in fiction in any meaningful way. 

McCarthy gifted Thundercracker with perhaps one of the only truly-satisfying character arcs in “All Hail”, as the untapped story potential he’d always possessed finally came to the forefront. Thundercracker was clearly troubled by the all-out massacre perpetrated by the Decepticons on humanity as “All Hail” began and in a flashback sequence, we saw his moral grievances being aired out over the creation of the abominable Insecticon swarm.

Later, after a nuke dropped by the Decepticons threatened to blow up New York City and kill all the remaining humans in it, Thundercracker took it on himself to divert the bomb. Whatever moral event horizon he had set for himself had finally been reached, and he was no longer able to justify the Decepticons’ actions. While seemingly borne more of disgust than heroism, Thundercracker’s feat set him on the course he would travel for the rest of IDW 1.0 continuity. McCarthy decided to cap off his character arc with a harsh “reward” for doing the right thing. 

Of course, Thundercracker survived this and Mike Costa would continue his character evolution in subsequent stories. Thundercracker became a rogue element during Costa’s ongoing series, occasionally (and reluctantly) aiding the Autobots, but mostly just wanting to be left alone to live his life in peace. Costa played up Thundercracker’s growing appreciation for Earth and its inhabitants and this would become the bedrock for John Barber’s later well-loved take on the character in “Phase 2” of IDW 1.0 continuity. However, despite Costa and Barber’s later contributions, it was Shane McCarthy who kicked this version of Thundercracker off and finally tapped the well of unused story potential he had.

It’s funny; McCarthy famously (or IN-famously at the time) claimed he created Drift because he wanted a character that toed the line between Autobot and Decepticon in “All Hail Megatron”. Drift was initially VERY divisive as a character among the fanbase, as it was seen as McCarthy intrusively shoving his own fanfic creation into the universe. If he just tweaked things a bit here and there, Thundercracker could have easily occupied a similar space as Drift in the story if McCarthy wanted. The fans would also obviously accept an established (and underexposed) character over some new guy, and McCarthy could have had his cake and eaten it too.

Ah well, I guess the lure of having your fan-created Rurouni Kenshin rip-off self-insert designed by Guido Guidi and eventually made into a toy by Hasbro was too great for McCarthy to resist. At least Thundercracker knew what was up...

 (I may have altered that.)

 

6. HARDHEADSHOT
(Spotlight: Nightbeat, Spotlight: Hardhead)

The first hint of Simon Furman’s overarching Dead Universe plot came in Spotlight: Nightbeat, where everyone’s favorite Autobot detective was captured by unknown, shadowy beings deep under the surface of planet Gorlam Prime. In a particularly creepy scene, Nightbeat was strapped to a table and had brain surgery performed on him while he was still conscious, resulting in him being turned into a sleeper agent for these mysterious beings.

At the end of Furman’s run, Nightbeat tweaked to the fact that his mind had been tampered with and called on his comrade Hardhead to accompany him back to Gorlam Prime as a precaution. In Spotlight: Hardhead, Furman established the titular character as sort of the “Winston Wolf” of the Autobots. If you don’t know the reference, Hardhead was a “fixer”, a cleaner-upper of “messes” that Autobot High Command couldn’t or wouldn’t officially acknowledge the existence of. 

At the time, such a morally-murky profession in the Autobot ranks was something to take notice of, and it made IDW’s version of Hardhead stand out from the pack. As the years went on, Autobots who were less than heroic became more and more common in the continuity, and Hardhead’s role largely fell out of focus.

In whatever case, Nightbeat and Hardhead journeyed to Gorlam Prime as the threat of the Dead Universe came to the forefront in-story. Deep underground near a portal to the eldritch dimension, Nightbeat was triggered by his handler Jhiaxus and under his control, tried to kill Hardhead with a point-blank headshot. I’ve always loved this scene- Nick Roche’s expressive art just sells it to perfection.

Hardhead retreats from his mind-controlled comrade and the swarm of Micromasters created by Jhiaxus to the edge of the Dead Universe portal. He’s ordered to surrender, but instead Hardhead simply fulfills the duty entrusted to him by Nightbeat beforehand like a true pro.

Don’t get me wrong; Nightbeat’s one of my favorite characters and I hated to see him go (he got better, anyway) but this was a pretty satisfying wrap-up to this plot thread overall. It was also a bit of a swerve for me, as I had assumed that maybe Hardhead would manage to snap Nightbeat out of the mind control or something else would occur. I guess I should have seen this coming, based on how Furman was building Hardhead’s character up to this point, but it was still pretty affecting at the time.

Nightbeat’s got a weirdly-consistent history of being killed off (by Furman mostly, but Roberts has done it) RIGHT BEFORE a major story comes to its conclusion. Marvel US # 80, Generation 2 # 12, Spotlight: Hardhead, and Lost Light # 17 all feature Nightbeat deaths “at the eleventh hour.” At least he near-immediately gets better in Marvel # 80 and after Spotlight: Hardhead. Poor Hardhead himself later dies for good in the “Dark Cybertron” crossover during IDW 1.0 “Phase 2”, but I’ll always remember his role here and Furman’s stand-out take on the character.  

 

5. WELCOME TO THUNDERHEAD
(Transformers: Stormbringer)

When “Transformers: Infiltration” was released and after a few issues in, some readers began to get a little antsy. Clearly Simon Furman was going for a slow-burn, measured, smaller-scale approach with this new Transformers comic continuity and that’s admittedly not everyone’s “thing”. Coming off Dreamwave Productions’ aborted stories, all building to some epic stakes, going back to basics was unfortunately seen as a step down by some. 

To address this disconnect, IDW editorial had Furman write a second mini-series to compliment the Earthbound "Infiltration" and truly show off the potential of their new universe. Almost cynically billed as “NOTHING BUT ROBOTS ON CYBERTRON!”, the four-part “Stormbringer” story was born.

Of course, I was instantly hyped by the promo art for “Stormbringer”, showing off series artist Don Figueroa’s redesign of my favorite Decepticon Thunderwing. The story itself also delivered on giving the readers a much wider view of the Transformers universe Furman intended to build and probably put some lingering doubts about its potential longevity to rest. 

While “Infiltration” had a small cast of mostly familiar “A-list” characters (with some spice added in the form of the Battlechargers), “Stormbringer” showcased a far-wider range of characters from across the first six years of the franchise. It was pretty exciting stuff and the feeling that anyone, no matter how obscure, could show up and be important beyond a mere cameo was very welcome.

In building the threat of Thunderwing, Furman established a prior emergence of the apocalyptic Decepticon in the past- one that resulted in Cybertron being rendered a radiation-washed wasteland and now uninhabitable. By having Optimus Prime have numerous flashbacks to Thunderwing’s previous rampage and the final battle at “Thunderhead Pass”, Furman instantly created an effective “lived-in” feel for the fledgling IDW continuity. It had a history and weight to it and the readers were suddenly engaged and intrigued to learn more. 

Other Transformers writers would pull this narrative “shortcut” again- James Roberts with the Simanzi Massacre, John Barber with the battle of Varas Centralus, and even Brian Ruckley in IDW 2.0 continuity with The War of the Threefold Spark. Damned if it isn’t effective though, and Furman was certainly more than skilled enough to make it work.

In hindsight, “Stormbringer” isn’t the greatest story ever, but it is quite memorable to me for a number of reasons (one of which I will address later in a separate entry on this list!) Making Thunderwing the chief focal point of it seemed to be speaking directly to me as a fan, and Don Figueroa’s art will always be a draw to the readers. “Stormbringer” was released at a perfect time to reel in both the faithful and the doubters and helped establish IDW continuity more firmly as its own thing. 

Much like Optimus Prime reflecting on and trying to let go of the scars left by Thunderwing’s desolation, I feel like many of the fans began to let go of their own feelings of disappointment over Dreamwave’s dissolution at the same time.

 

4. REFLECTIONS ON BETTER THINGS TO COME
(Transformers (2009) # 22 and # 23)

As I’ve alluded to in previous entries, Mike Costa’s run on Transformers garnered rather mixed reviews among the fanbase. While celebrated for his work on G.I. Joe, he didn’t seem to have as much of a firm grasp on the Transformers universe. He eventually found some kind of footing in the latter half of the series, it was a bit too late by then. 

In contrast, James Roberts had been a Transformers fan his entire life and authored numerous lengthy fanfics, including the massive and well-regarded “Eugenesis” novel. Sometimes diehard fans getting to work on official fiction for their favorite properties can turn out to be a disaster. However, thanks to his own talent, experience, and genuine enthusiasm, Roberts turned out to be exactly what was needed to push Transformers into one of its most acclaimed eras of storytelling.

Roberts had previously co-written some things with Nick Roche for IDW, most famously “Last Stand of the Wreckers”, but issues # 22 and # 23 of the ‘09 ongoing series were really his first chance to strut his stuff on his own for those unfamiliar with him. Once I heard he was writing these issues, I was very excited, as I was a big fan of “Eugenesis” and had long wished someone of Roberts’ obvious talent and fan pedigree could have a go on Transformers. 

He absolutely delivered, giving us the best single issue of a Transformers comic in a long while with # 22. Optimus Prime and Megatron sit in a room and simply talk to each other, with pre-war flashbacks interspersed in and around those scenes. That may not sound exciting, but it injected so much life and purpose into the universe at the time that Mike Costa was having trouble finding. Heck, Costa even admitted after the issues were released that he figured the fans would “HAVE to like those issues” since Roberts’ name was attached to them.

Roberts’ take on Prime and Megatron’s dynamic was so influential and stirring that virtually every other new Transformers universe afterwards would take elements from it. The ‘07 live action movie may have originated the idea of Optimus and Megatron being “friends” or “brothers” prior to the war, but Roberts finally gave depth and substance to that notion. Likewise, Megatron’s own backstory of starting out as fairly sympathetic and downtrodden on by an uncaring and corrupt society had originated in the “Megatron: Origin” mini-series from years prior. However, Roberts fleshed that skeleton of an idea out- made it whole and indelible and unable to be overlooked. 

Virtually all versions of Megatron since this story have that extra dimensionality to them that can be most solidly traced back to issue # 22. Issue # 23 focuses more heavily on Optimus Prime/Orion Pax and is also very influential to his character going forward from that point, but this panel from # 22 always struck me as a terrific snapshot of Optimus as a character in just about ANY incarnation.

When new fans who want to quickly get into IDW 1.0 continuity ask “where should I start reading?”, the advice they usually receive is “at the beginning of Phase 2” and the “Death of Optimus Prime” one-shot that leads that off. However, these two issues at the tail end of “Phase 1” are actually an essential “prequel” of sorts to James Roberts’ beloved run of stories, setting up many plot elements and Megatron’s character arc that will continue all the way until the end of this continuity. They even feature Alex Milne’s art, who will go on to similar acclaim as the regular artist on the “More Than Meets The Eye” book.

If Simon Furman is the “Chris Claremont” of Transformers, then James Roberts is the “Grant Morrison”. Roberts expanded Transformers storytelling in a whole new direction while still paying loving homage to its roots- not just Furman, but Bob Budiansky and the writing staff of the original cartoon as well. While I think Roberts might have overstayed his welcome and lost his way back to those roots by the end of his run (much like Morrison on X-Men), his mark on the franchise will never be forgotten. It truly began here, in a small room, with a "simple" conversation between two characters.

3. BRAND-NEW PREHISTORIC SAFETY BLANKET
(Spotlight: Shockwave)

I’ve long maintained that the Transformers: Spotlight series was one of the best ideas IDW ever had for their comic line. An ongoing series of largely self-contained one-shots, Simon Furman used the Spotlights to build characters that he’d later insert into the main books. It was an effective method to easily provide additional depth and seed more plot points alongside the primary story he was telling. The first of these installments was “Spotlight: Shockwave”, and it instantly left its mark on me and many readers.

Whereas “Infiltration” and “Stormbringer” showcased the new and exciting story potential of the then-young IDW 1.0 continuity, “Spotlight: Shockwave” was more of a reassurance that the past would not be forgotten. The concept of Shockwave battling the Dinobots in a prehistoric Earth setting was one that most longtime Transformers fans were quite familiar with. 

The cyclopean Decepticon had famously done so in the early issues of the Marvel comic, taking on Grimlock’s quintet of bruisers in the Savage Land, a well-known location in Marvel continuity. Obviously, IDW couldn’t use the Savage Land itself, but everything else was fair game, and Furman decided to pay this loving homage to Bob Budiansky and Jim Salicrup’s original story.

Furman also mixed in elements of Beast Wars with Shockwave’s seeding of prehistoric Earth with Energon ores and the Dinobots’ new faux-organic beast modes. There was even a nod towards the recently (and prematurely) ended Dreamwave Productions era of comics with the D(y)nobots having their “War Within” body designs prior to getting dinosaur alt-modes. 

The story ends much as the original concept did; with Shockwave and the Dinobots buried under the Earth’s surface to eventually be reawakened in the modern era. A cynic might look back at this stuff and think it was a cheap rehash of old ideas, but it was actually pretty charming and comforting at the time. It was fan-service done right and proper and along with “Stormbringer”, really served to get me completely invested in IDW continuity.

Shockwave himself would go on to be one of the most important characters in IDW 1.0 continuity (quite possibly the most influential on events) and the Dinobots would of course have numerous further adventures over the years. Both John Barber and James Roberts would use this issue as a springboard for their own takes on Shockwave and flesh out his backstory to an almost absurd degree. The plot point of Shockwave’s Energon ores would remain in play until the VERY END of IDW 1.0 continuity, nearly twelve years later. A HELL of a lot of subsequent IDW story and continuity is owed to this single issue, to say the least.

This issue also properly introduced me and many to the art of Nick Roche, who has gone on to become one of my favorite Transformers artists of all time. His expressive and energetic style favorably reminded me of many of the artists who had worked on the Marvel Transformers comics- both US and UK incarnations. Dreamwave’s books had almost completely avoided trying to pay homage to that era of art, and Roche’s official debut was a welcome precursor to a wider range of styles being employed on Transformers.

For all these reasons and possibly more… “Spotlight: Shockwave” is one of my favorite and treasured single Transformers comics of all time. 

 

2. MAGNIFICENT PRICK
(Spotlight: Kup, All Hail Megatron # 15, Last Stand of the Wreckers)

Prowl’s my favorite Transformers character, and I always pay close attention to how he’s portrayed in any given incarnation. Starting out in IDW 1.0 continuity, Simon Furman portrayed him as a stick-in-the-mud, an officious senior officer who serves as a foil to the more personable and usually rebellious characters. It was not an unfamiliar portrayal, as Furman had done the same with Prowl in the latter issues of the Marvel comics. While it’s not a role that usually pushes the reader towards Prowl’s viewpoints on situations, at the end of the day he’ll ultimately show he’s quite competent and very loyal to the Autobot cause.

Prowl’s reputation for being a “prick” does have sort of a wide range across the prickitude spectrum depending on what writer handles him. John Barber’s Prowl was much more aggressive than usual (some of that due to having his mind messed with multiple times), and James Roberts’ Prowl came off rather spiteful and bitter (especially in regards to his ex-partner Chromedome.) 

Shane McCarthy’s Prowl seemed to take more cues from his Sunbow cartoon version, with some of the “edge” sanded off him, and Mike Costa’s Prowl was all over the map in regards to being consistent (much like Costa’s run in general.) There was one writer who got Prowl perfectly right to me and even added some extra dimensions that only enhanced the character, and that was Nick Roche in Phase 1 of IDW continuity.

Roche first wrote (and drew) Prowl in “Spotlight: Kup”, where he took a call from Springer and calmly argued the merits of rescuing the crazed Kup from an irradiated planet. As you can see from the panels above, while Prowl is rather cold and dismissive of Springer’s feelings regarding Kup, he also has good points and is arguing from a standpoint of reason and logic, as you’d expect from him. 

This is the balance I often look for from a Prowl portrayal; one where you can weigh the emotional and intellectual sides of the argument and see in your head where Prowl is coming from even if your heart sides with Springer.

Nick Roche next wrote (and drew) Prowl in “All Hail Megatron” # 15, in a supplemental tale that sought to explain Kup’s return to full health in the series proper after his Spotlight. While billed as a Kup story, this eleven-pager was actually a mini-Spotlight on Prowl, as he was the one who facilitated Kup’s recovery. However, he’s got an ulterior motive in doing so, as Prowl’s had Kup’s mind tapped so he can use the charismatic old-timer as a literal mouthpiece if the situation calls for it. Morally-reprehensible, yes… but Prowl’s reasoning for it is pretty airtight from his logical perspective. 

It’s hard to argue with Prowl here, especially in retrospect, considering that Optimus Prime listening to the “gung-ho” sector of the Autobots spearheaded by guys like Ironhide and Kup nearly gets everyone wiped-out in “All Hail Megatron”. It’s this sort of morally-gray ambiguity that really makes Prowl a fascinating character to me, and I love it in fiction when the usually straight-laced guy turns out to have a secret, ruthless side that comes out when the “greater good” is served. Cyclops of the X-Men, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from the Buffyverse... even Leonardo of the Ninja Turtles have had turns like this, and it always makes for entertaining reading/viewing.

Prowl would also be used by Roche and Roberts in “Last Stand of the Wreckers”, serving as the secret backer of the Wreckers’ mission in that series. He doesn’t even show up till part four of the five issue series, but his presence is felt the entire time, lingering over the rookie Ironfist’s every decision in that story. Nick Roche would write Prowl again in IDW continuity “Phase 2”, but the character had made a messy transition from “morally-gray” to “morally-black” by then, and it was harder to see or justify his side of things. 

Still, for Roche’s work on Prowl in “Phase 1”, I’m forever thankful that my favorite character got such a nuanced and complex portrayal. Roche’s Prowl was so well-received that when Mike Costa tried to reinvent him again at the start of his run (or just flat-out misunderstood the character from the get-go), the readers did not respond well. Costa may have eventually written an official “Spotlight: Prowl”... but Roche wrote the superior one first in “All Hail Megatron” # 15.

 

1. WRECK AND RESPECT
(Stormbringer, Revelation, Last Stand of the Wreckers)

The Wreckers are obviously one of the most popular concepts from the Marvel UK comics that has stuck around through multiple incarnations of Transformers up until the modern day. The “Dirty Sometimes-Less-Sometimes-More-Than-A Dozen” of the Autobots, this badass commando unit has always held a fascination and respect in many fans’ hearts for years. The thing is, up until IDW’s version of the Wreckers, they kind of… um… sucked.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, in CONCEPT they were good and they certainly had a lofty reputation with the fans. Their actual track record, however, was sorely lacking and another thing they were well-known for was being part of dumb plans and dying. A LOT. The Marvel Wreckers lost their leader Impactor in their debut story arc “Target: 2006”, and were later slaughtered to nearly the last ‘bot in “Time Wars”. 

The Beast Wars-era incarnation of the Wreckers debuting in the convention-exclusive Botcon comics had a rather random and dubious line-up, were put on a misguided quest, and most of them wound up dead too. Dreamwave Productions’ version of the Wreckers that debuted in the “War Within: Dark Ages” mini-series… existed, I think.

Things finally changed in IDW 1.0 continuity, with their debut in the “Stormbringer” mini-series. Simon Furman finally gave them back a much-needed feeling of… I don’t know, CLOUT, I guess. In keeping with the “lived-in” feeling that Furman was building for his universe, when Optimus Prime first called in the Wreckers to take on Thunderwing, you just got this sense of urgency and import about them that hadn’t been present for awhile. Their commander Springer immediately exuded a level of confidence and control that his Marvel incarnation struggled with, and one got the notion that he’d been on Prime’s speed dial for a long time.

After The Wreckers effortlessly handled Bludgeon’s team of Thunderwing-worshipping cultists, they took on Thunderwing himself and put on a good show against an implacable foe. They were later called in at the very end of Furman’s run to take on Thunderwing AGAIN during the “Revelation” story arc, and managed to survive fighting the near-invincible juggernaut once more. Furman had successfully established the Wreckers as a force to be reckoned with in IDW continuity, but it was Nick Roche and James Roberts who later expanded the Wreckers’ mythos out beyond anything that had been seen before in ANY Transformers fiction.

I could do a whole “top ten favorite moments” list from “Last Stand of the Wreckers” by ITSELF. Being released at a time when the other options for Transformers fiction were… less than ideal, “Last Stand” would still be a sparkling gem of a story even if that weren’t the case. Maintaining the Wreckers’ badass rep but also exploring their tendency towards high body counts (both among their enemies and themselves), “Last Stand” is the definite word on the team. 

A tale of triumph and tragedy, death computers and brain bullets, it’s one of my favorite Transformers stories full-stop, in ANY medium. The supplemental material created for it by Roche and Roberts, including text stories, psychological profiles, and historical write-ups gave us a deeper look on the inner workings of the Wreckers than ever before. 

Roche and Roberts painstakingly crafted a history and lore around the team that spoke of their own childhood love of the Marvel comics and Furman’s previous work in general. If someone asked me why I love Transformers, one of the two things I’d hand them would be either a copy of the ‘86 movie… or a trade collection of “Last Stand of the Wreckers”.

“Last Stand” would continue to be influential to “Phase 2” of IDW 1.0 continuity, and received a pair of sequels (not as good, but still well-worth a read.) It continues to be influential to the concept of the Wreckers going forward, in other Transformers fiction, and any future writer who needs to understand what the Wreckers are about should look no further. The energy, enthusiasm, and love surrounding “Last Stand” at the time from both fans and the pros working on it has rarely been equaled and the Wreckers’ rebirth and ascension is undoubtedly my favorite “moment” from IDW Phase 1.

And now that I've spoken of the best...

 

Dishonorable mention- THEY DROPPED SPLICK
(All Hail Megatron, Transformers (2009) various)

(Sarcasm indiscriminately follows.)

Human characters have always been significant (and sometimes needed) in Transformers fiction. Simon Furman began IDW continuity with an entirely-new cast of human characters to view the Autobot/Decepticon conflict from “the ground up”, as it were. Verity Carlo, Hunter O’Nion… even human villains like Abraham Dante made their marks and like or hate them, were quite specific to IDW continuity at the time. 

When Shane McCarthy took the spotlight with “All Hail Megatron”, he introduced a new human protagonist to serve a similar purpose as the previous ones- an American Air Force pilot named Andy Reid. Then Andy was killed off-panel in the third issue of “All Hail”. The end. Cough. A-hem.

Except it was not the end, because Shane McCarthy introduced the IDW incarnation of perhaps the most famous human protagonist in Transformers, Spike Witwicky, two issues later. I’m still unsure what McCarthy’s intent for disposing of Andy Reid so quickly was, other than some failed “shock” value, but whatever. What was done was done, and now we had ‘80s child star Spike Witwicky in the IDW universe. Only now, Spike was a badass military specialist soldier-guy and that was supposed to impress us somehow. He was so badass that he didn’t like how certain pants worked and wasn’t afraid to let us know about it!

Some readers, myself included, had rather enjoyed Simon Furman’s human protagonists and were sad to see them swept aside, especially after it was clear Furman didn’t get to pay off their stories the way he wanted to. Hunter O’Nion in particular was rather insultingly killed off after being used by Shane McCarthy as a plot point to help explain how the Decepticons were able to defeat the Autobots at the start of “All Hail Megatron”. 

Wasn’t “All Hail” supposed to be a “soft reboot” of IDW continuity that didn’t require much foreknowledge of Furman’s run to pick up and read? Yeah, no… McCarthy decided to hinge basically the biggest plot twist in the series on one of the most long-running and complicated plot threads from Furman’s run. I could write about how McCarthy’s run did disservice to Furman’s run all day, but let’s return to Spike Witwicky and the next writer to handle him.

I wrote in previous entries that Mike Costa was a better G.I. Joe writer than he was a Transformers writer, and it showed in his handling of Spike. Spike headed up Skywatch, an organization tasked with capturing or killing Transformers on Earth. He and Skywatch were a heavy focus of Costa’s early issues and Spike was initially portrayed very much in-step with how Shane McCarthy portrayed him. He was your typical male soldier-guy power fantasy- in charge of a vital and top-secret military organization, but somehow also able to smart-talk his superiors and buck the system to achieve results. Damn, he was so slick and cool… and scope out all the babes he scored!

The thing about the original Spike Witwicky from the Sunbow cartoon, as generic a character as he was (he was, he totally was, it was only Corey Burton’s acting talent that makes him memorable, don’t kid yourself) , was that at his core he was a sweet and honest kid. Sunbow Spike’s friendship with Bumblebee and relationship with his father Sparkplug and surrogate father-figure Optimus Prime endeared him to the viewers. 

IDW Spike possessed none of that underlying warmth and showed no real vulnerability other than some minor inner doubts in his ability to lead his soldiers. He was just alpha-dog soldier-bro and the readers were expected to connect with him on that and only that level. It was like if Josh Duhamel was the main character in the ‘07 live-action movie instead of Shia LeBeouf. It doesn’t really work too well because it’s almost always better to contrast the Autobots- experienced soldiers fighting a war, with a human character who… isn't and hasn't. It should be basic Transformers/human relationships 101 for any writer.

In issue # 8 of Costa’s ongoing series, Spike Witwicky kills the Constructicon Scrapper with dish-washing detergent. Well no, not exactly, I’m clearly exaggerating- but not by as much as you would think. Readers were incredibly pissed by this turn of events for many reasons and Costa apparently realized that they were not connecting with Spike in his intended role as a lead heroic character. So he eventually flipped the script, now framing Spike’s previous and future actions in a distinctly-negative light. 

Prowl began investigating Spike for the unlawful killing of a surrendering enemy combatant (Scrapper), and by the end of Costa’s run, Spike was left a fugitive running from justice. All his lone-wolf, hot-dog, cool-cat shenanigans were now “exposed” as the reckless, illegal, and skeevy actions of a man we were NOT supposed to emulate or connect with. Um, as far as salvaging a malfunctioning character goes, it was… interesting, to say the least.

Years later, John Barber brought Spike Witwicky back in IDW “Phase 2”. He kept Costa’s portrayal of the character as largely unlikable and set him up as a foil for Marissa Faireborn- Barber’s own primary human protagonist. Ironically, Spike even eventually joined the actual G.I.Joe team under Barber- something Costa would have probably killed for. Barber seemed to take a particular delight in taking Spike down some pegs though, and the character’s final on-panel appearance in IDW 1.0 continuity seemed all too fitting for a guy who spent so much time in-fiction trying to hog the spotlight.

The IDW 1.0 incarnation of Spike Witwicky has had a character journey of traveling from weakness to weakness. While other characters that had shaky debuts in “Phase 1” like Arcee and Drift were eventually reworked into lauded and memorable portrayals in Phase 2, Spike remained the same cardboard douche-bro he started as. He’s one of my least-favorite things about IDW continuity in general, and certainly THE least-favorite thing about Phase 1.

…

But New Avengers/Transformers and “Heart of Darkness” came damn close.

-Mike