What's better than Dark Cybertron and out today?

[Metal Vendetta]

ReGeneration One #98.

[Computron]

Now that was fun. I mean serious, epic, edge of my seat fun. I felt the same way I did when I first read the G2 comics. A mixture of suspense and awe.

Loooooove the Jhiaxus artwork. Guidi draws him like no other and I love it. Primus as the potential big bad is good.

And what is Starscream/Underbase up to? Nice to see Shockers up and about.

Loved Kup quoting Springer.

Still kinda annoyed that Prime is just sitting on Earth but whatevs. I kinda prefer IDW Prime in that there is a consistent level of combat ability to Prime, whereas Regen Prime's power level is directly related to plot requirements. Ultra Magnus on the other hand is quite the beast in both iterations, but especially in Regen.

I don't want to jinx anything but I really hope this wraps up well. This much build up is a double edged sword after all.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

So you know scorponoks failed plot device, the tf dna key thing.
Does it work on jhaxius transformers?

Roddy, that plan was ****.
Let's jhaxius wasn't around, you might have run into 50000 bad guys, and you would be dead.

[Yaya]

Guido, I love you! Those few Shockwave panels feature this best rendition I've seen of Shockwave since William Johnson's Warrior School. Guido's nostalgic vibe is amazing. It's almost scary how 80's he is here with this.

THAT was a fantastic issue, my favorite of Regeneration so far. Simon laid this issue out perfectly, with so many exciting moments and with so many key characters, it did not at all seem rushed in the least. Fort Max. Optimus. Magnus. Shockwave. Starscream. Rodimus. Galvatron, Jhiaxus. Nightbeat. Blaster. Jetfire. Kup. Bumblebee. GB Blackrock. Even a Springer shout out. All rolled into one mouthwatering issue with none of them just randomly being thrown into the story. As Computron says above, epic and very G2 in feel.

Hell no, this can't be it after two issues. No way. I think it's safe to say we don't have to wait for any announcement. Regeneration will continue. Too many plot lines of a monstrous scope that will need many an issue to conclude.

A+++++

[Brendocon]

Saga #18?
Miracleman #2?
A new TPB of The Unwritten?

Oh, sorry. It was rhetorical wasn't it? I'll shuffle back to GD.

[snarl]

That was great.

I liked it very much.

[Metal Vendetta]

It really is very good. Shades of G2 and Alignment with the occasional nod to other continuities like the movie and IDW. Nice tight plotting building to what looks like the mother of all showdowns. My prediction is that the "flash forward" we saw of Roddy at the "very end" won't be the very end - we'll get to that point and all will seem lost but then something amazing will happen. Because, of course...it never ends.

[Computron]

Jhiaxus vs. Galvatron. Calling it now.

Then Optimus Prime reboots the universe with him becoming Primus and Jhiaxus or Galvy becoming the Anti-life/Unicron and it all starts over because as MV said it never ends!

[Metal Vendetta]

Jhiaxus vs. Galvatron. Calling it now.

Ooh, that really might be the mother of all showdowns, though Jhiaxus has to get through Shockers and Screamer first. Prime's gotta be coming back for issue #100 too, probably in some kind of new body, since his current one has taken a bit of a pounding.

How much of his Headmaster tech does Spike retain? New Scorponok had the memories of his time with Zarak, so Bad Max will have known what happened with him and Spike failing against Megatron, but what the Dark Matrix essence, or whatever has got control of him wants with the human is beyond me.

I love the Lancer crews and I'm wondering where they're going with that. Interesting that Getaway's in charge of Lancer 1, rather than Jazz, who would be the natural choice. That and Wheeljack's Protectobot-crewed ship just disappearing? Not buying that either. They've still got a part to play.

All I hope is that by issue #100 we get a couple of Decepticons back into play - I'm still thinking Soundwave's Decepticons will be a part of the defence of Cybertron or something. Maybe?

[Impactor returns 2.0]

Ahhhhhhhh go on galvatron, you see I've always had a soft spot for galvatron, not because he's the hardest tf ever but because he's a complex twist of characters.

So essentially, megatron, ie galvatron, the evil deception leader turned puppet by unicorn will be reborn by primus himself as his avenging angel..

Galvatron really is being fobbed off between god's isn't he?

What's primes fate then?

Roddy is no match for jhaxius, which is a shame really as a showdown might have been cool but he's just not got the touch...
Kup started it.

I forget but where's xarron?

[Computron]

Not sure Primus is actually evil. He's working towards something but not sure he's gone all Dark Willow on us.

Why give Hot Rod the Matrix, something supposed to represent all that is good and pure? Primus must need it or that whole sequence makes no sense.

Why grab Galvatron? He's mentally unstable but hits like a truck. Jhiaxus is back in the woods with his amoral TF's. He needs someone to knock Jhiaxus down a peg or two so that Roddy can shove a Matrix into the Hub and fix it.

As for one are all? No idea.

Edit -- wait, til all are one represents all the sparks rejoining the matrix. Till one are all may mean bringing the power of the matrix to all the G2 TFs.

Double Edit - Never mind. I think Primus has gone crazy go nuts. I think he may want to use the creation power of the Matrix and the Hub's built in techno-sorcery to become an uber-being.

[Bumblebot]

I forget but where's xarron?

Is he back from being destroyed by Unicron?

[Impactor returns 2.0]

Ah yes, I can see the cover now

[Metal Vendetta]

Just looking at this again and seriously, bottom of page 9 where Max is smashing OP, Guidi completely out-Wildmans Wildman. The art on this is ****ing stellar. Just another reason why *thread title*

[Computron]

I want a large poster of Guidi's full page Shockwave reveal. Epic.

Also, some additional thoughts.

What's the title of this comic? Regeneration. Maybe at first it was a play on words, but perhaps it means something more fundamental than that. Some people at the IDW forums are hypothesizing that the five members of the Underbase (Jhiaxus + those other guys) end up becoming the Guiding Five that MTMTE Cyclonus described in the IDW Creation Myth.

In other words, Regen is going to literally regenerate the universe and out comes IDW incarnation.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

On the subject of the art, one thing that's been really bugging me is detail.

Cast your mind back to some of the truly great tf fights, and you have all these tiny details such as tubes and exo skeletal parts hanging out.

I'm thinking about shock wave v deaths head here.

To many of the action sequences are single impacts, and no reaction shot.

Look at megatron v cyclonus and scourge for example, big impact followed by a staggering tf.

Much of regeneration sees a tf getting hit an no aftermath, it doesn't carry the weight, you don't see the damage, the bits hanging out here and there.

Small gripe I know but it doesn't carry the gravitas...

Oh yeah, impactors head blown in half, that's how you show the reader that a big bang did something of consequence.

[Hound]

I don't want to see this end

Why can't they give Furman Robots in Disguise??

Poor Hound. A totally meaningless death given the contribution of almost zero that he made throughout the entire series.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

Hound you stay back and hold off an entire army...

Oh hounds dead, how did that happen?

[inflatable dalek]

In other words, Regen is going to literally regenerate the universe and out comes IDW incarnation.

Considering the series as a whole has seen Furman recycling lots of old ideas and that the "Crisis on Infinite Cybertrons leading to a reboot" idea was apparently the very first thing he pitched to IDW all those years ago, I'd say this is a good bet, though I would suspect what it actually revamps into will be left ambiguous, as it'd be slightly unfair on the rest of the IDWverse to have it be retconned into the reheated left overs of... well not even the proper Marvel Universe but a less than two year old bastard step child to it.

As for the series as a whole, it really has settled down since the absolute low point of the Scorponok stuff and become just pure undiluted fun, still really stupid in a lot of places but by being entertainingly so a multitude of sins get covered. It's amazing what a difference having someone who actually gives a toss on art makes as well. There's not a huge amount to talk about and it'll never be regarded by me (anyone?) as the full Marvel continuation in place of the UK and G2 stuff, but as a harmless five minute monthly read it more than entertains.

It's a shame that, considering his very public spat with another IDW staff writer (whatever the rights and wrongs of either side, IDW are likely to stick with the writer they're obviously grooming for Big Things) and that Reg has been yet another modern TF title of his that has lost a huge chunk of sales as it's gone along, this stands a good chance of being Furman's last modern TF work as, unless the quality really drastically insanely improves for the last couple of issues, even this level of fun isn't quite the send off he deserves. Mind, things could have been worse, hopefully when this is over he can walk off to pastures new and let the new generation of writers have the chance to make their own success and mistakes rather than IDW falling back on him again as a crutch when they don't have any other ideas even though he is clearly all Chris Cleamount-ed out by this point (even as fun as it is now, there have still be very few ideas in Reg he hasn't done much better elsewhere before).

[Shanti418]

Considering the series as a whole has seen Furman recycling lots of old ideas and that the "Crisis on Infinite Cybertrons leading to a reboot" idea was apparently the very first thing he pitched to IDW all those years ago, I'd say this is a good bet, though I would suspect what it actually revamps into will be left ambiguous, as it'd be slightly unfair on the rest of the IDWverse to have it be retconned into the reheated left overs of... well not even the proper Marvel Universe but a less than two year old bastard step child to it.

I don't think that would be unfair. Given it's all Furman, I certainly do view ReGen as part of the proper Marvel Universe. And for old fogies like me, any connection to G1 is like having traces of royal blood. For example, I pooped all over Beast Wars for years until I found out they linked it to the Ark and G1 at the end. Then I was like, "why didn't you say so, buddy? Of COURSE you're welcome in continuity, here's a chair, would you like something to drink?"

There's not a huge amount to talk about and it'll never be regarded by me (anyone?) as the full Marvel continuation in place of the UK and G2 stuff, but as a harmless five minute monthly read it more than entertains.

Like I said, I do! Don't get me wrong, I'm VP to Bumblmus's G2 Fanboy Presidency, but to me Nebulous/Fort Max/Ark Crew/Dark Matrix were all things that were left hanging that G2 did not address. But I do agree with you that ReGen has been sad proof that 12 year old me loves Furman's writing more than 33 year old me. 33 year old me finds Optimus melodramatic, not inspiring and confident-yet-reflexive. Early IDW Furman was good, but as they say, "Once you go Roberts, you never go....Once you go James, nothing's the sames....Once you're on the Lost Light, everything else bites?" You get the idea.

[Yaya]

Well, I've really loved this thing, and feel it does feel like it took off where Marvel left off. Big thanks to Guido for this too. But I never really got the chance to read Marvel UK as a kid.

I hope to see Furman carry this torch as far as IDW will let him.