Dark Cybertron Finale

[Metal Vendetta]

It's over. Megs is an Autobot or something. Shockwave's dead. Fembots everywhere.

Hurrah. *waves little flag*

[Metal Vendetta]

I've just read it again and I may have been overly brisk with this earlier Prime and Shockwave's conversation about the bench was pretty heartbreaking even if the "Fight the Shadowplay!" line was cheesy, and the last two pages have a lot to live up to. I thought Megs's conversion to the Autobots was also quite nicely handled - his line about Prime's latest midlife crisis properly made me LOL. Lots and lots of continuity nods too, to reassure us that though nothing will be the same again, it's still going to have that history to it. I think a lot of my specific gripes have faded away on second reading - sure Rattrap and Starscream and Metalhawk are annoying but hopefully now they've run their course and won't be as prominent. Well, Metalhawk won't anyway, he started the series dead and he finished it dead and he was mostly annoying in between.

So does that mean Bumblebee's half of the Matrix is gone? Argh, no, I've just worked it out, that will be the deus ex machina they use to bring him back (maybe Shockwave too, as a side effect or something) in a year or two. But am I right in thinking that Bumblebee's not in the new movie? That may be why they're retiring the little yellow dude after all his exposure over the course of the previous three. Funny, we never really saw Bumblebee do anything with his half of the Matrix. Was it referenced when he changed bodies? Does he even keep it inside him, or is it just lying around on a shelf somewhere?

Galvatron leading the Decepticons is a bit pat. I'm hoping after their recent mention that some DJD action is on the cards for the next series, so it will be interesting to see how they react to the change in leadership, given how much Tarn idolises Megatron. Hell, he said the war wouldn't be over until Megatron laid down his weapon - which he sort of has, though it's still attached to his arm - so does that put the DJD on Megatron's side or with the rest of the Decepticons? Lots to look forward to there.

I've nailed what I don't like about this issue the most: it's Shockwave's stupid spindly design. Maybe it's because he's been looking so G1tastic and awesome over in RG1 that I've been a bit Shockwave-spoilt of late, but he's just not doing it for me here. Unlike Soundwave, who actually looks pretty boss in his WFC body, Shockwave's just not threatening enough. I think they've tried to Whirlify him a bit and it just hasn't come off.

Something I think that's underplayed very well is Prowl's continuing Constructication - he spends the first half of the issue as the head of Prowlastator and in both his subsequent appearances, he's always got a green-and-purple dude close by. Prowl's not too popular with the Autobots, so this could be the emergence of a third faction, scheming Prowl and his Constructicon coterie that can combine. Please let them end up on the Lost Light.

And then that last page...Autobots and Decepticons (and Prowlstructicons...and fembots) all standing around to hear whatever it is that Prime and Megatron have decided between them (which I think we can all deduce from the previews at the end of the issue). Wow. Poor Rodimus. He's just standing there and everything. Though of course, it's Roberts' first issue back, there has got to be More Than Meets The Eye. Argh.

[edit] Huh, Bumblebee is in the new movie. Probably be back sooner then.

[Yaya]

Well, I won't give this issue as much credit as MV does.

For one, the worst thing about this entire series in my mind has been the out-of-nowhere conversion of Megatron to Autobot and his crazy love for Bumblebee. A change of this magnitude can only unfold competently if it's put in the hands of a very skilled writer, i.e. Roberts. Their back and forth reminiscing in those two issues Barber wrote before the Lost Light stuff happened actually laid down a very solid foundation and could have served as the springboard for a Robert's-written story featuring a believable transformation of Megatron from Decepticon to Autobot. Heck, that's a story that deserved a series of it's own, not the barely two or three issues we were given since Megs return. Had Roberts been assigned the task, I guarantee it would have been one of the greatest miniseries we've ever read. Truly, a missed opportunity. I mean, now I'm simply asked to accept and believe for no reason at all that the Decepticon's founder and it's greatest champion has become Autobot because "uh, yeah, I thought about things, and yeah, I guess the Autobots were right." Lame.

Second, the Shockwave-Prime exchange was so freakin predictable, I had to roll my eyes when it happened. I wrote this last month:

Three issues left and Shockwave hasn't really done much. But I'll bet you it goes like this at the end:
Shockwave: "And now I will see my ultimate plan to it's completion."
Optimus: "Shockwave, please! I know the real you. The true you! There is good in you, I can still sense it."
Shockwave: "It is....too late for me old friend. The old Shockwave you once knew is dead forever. Replaced by what you see before you."
Optimus: "Then, you leave me no choice, old friend."
Optimus kills Shockers in a lameass scene (if written by Barber) or in a freakin awesome scene (if written by Roberts).

Granted, I didn't expect Megs to be there helping to convince him. But seriously, was anyone surprised by this ending? The predictability of this whole scene really detracted from the power it should have had. I didn't find it moving in the least. Just pissed that Shockers will be out of commission. And I agree with MV. Shockwave done right is Regenerations' Shockwave, not this pencil-stick bot.

Good things. Bumblebee is dead. Metalhawk is dead. Roberts takes the helm of MTMTE again. Can't wait to see what he does with Megatron. I kind of like Prowlestator too.

I'm sure Bumblebee will be back, as MV surmises. Probably with Shockwave in tow. Not sure what that vortex was, but it certainly smells like the kind of thing that could suck both of them into some "hidey hole" somewhere for them to appear later. So I'm torn. I want to see Shockers back, but that would mean Bee too. So do I love Shockwave more or hate Bee more? Hmmm.

Back to Earth by Barber? No thanks. Fembots? I'll give it a go, but if I stay will depend on the new writer's competency.

[Brendocon]

So the big event is over and now Magneto is one of the X-Men yeah?

[Mr_Tigg]

Yeh. What Yaya said. And some.

I'm still absolutely baffled as to why Shockwave wanted to end everything. It's like his plan existed in a plot vacuum. The rationale behind his decision making just never added up - there was nothing to gain from it that can benefit him in any shape or form.

It's painfully inept when you compare it to Tyrest - who had a goal (reach Cybertopia) and a rationale behind why he'd gone mad (his imagined 'flaw' in cold constructed cybertronians). It even made sense why he had fanatics and Decepticons blindly buying into his plan. Everything lined up neatly, so the reader could join the dots if you will.

It's the opposite with Shockers. His goal is to end time. Why? We're not given any real concrete reason why he'd want that. What can Dreadwing and Jhiaxus possibly hope to gain from the Universe being reduced to a vaccum of nothing? It doesn't stack up. And don't get me started on the random inclusion of the Necrotitan and shoehorning of Nova / Galvatron / DU into proceedings.

Plus, as mentioned Megatron's switch to Autobot was guff too.

Apart from the odd glimpse of (Roberts induced) brilliance, this series has been a big disappointment for me.

And now not only is my favourite autobot (Ironhide) under under Barber's control but Thundercracker too (my fave con). Gah! Will my inner child ever be fully satisfied?!

[Computron]

I'm just going to rant.

You know the only way I can accept the whole "Shockwave finds the good in himself, remember me as I was" conversion is that the ores resurrected his old self or something. But even that is kinda lame to be honest.

I think it is safe to say that Shockwave getting killed by a midlife crisis has to be a hallmark of disappointment.

I also agree that his art style doesn't do him any favors. Even the choice of a brighter purple color hurts him. We are a long way off from the epic "Autobots are all Dead" comic cover.

Megatron joining the Autobots is a grand idea in theory to shake things up but I gotta tell you, it really doesn't make sense on a whole lot of levels.

Megatron is Space Hitler. He's has killed millions of Autobots. He has exterminated populations because they dared oppose his new order. Then after talking to Bumblebee for 4 hours he just wants to swap his insignia? And everyone is suppose to be cool with that?

If Hitler showed up on Roosevelt or Churchill's front door and said "You know, I've had a change of heart, let's go kill Nazis!" the Allies wouldn't respond by giving him command of the U.S.S. Iowa. They'd throw him in jail, interrogate the crap out of him and then try him for war crimes.

Don't get me wrong, I think Roberts will write some amazing stories with Megatron, and I'm sure eventually Megatron will go back to being a Decepticon after having had enough of Autobot resentment or hypocrisy. But I don't think I can ever be convinced that people would just accept their arch nemesis coming over, especially when the Decepticons are still going to keep fighting!

Oh and someone explain to me why Starscream was responsible for all this? Everyone keeps saying that the prophecy is his fault somehow and aside from happening to be in charge of Iacon when Shockwave made his move, just how exactly did he precipitate all this?

So...parting thoughts then...I did like the art in a number of places. Seems like Nightbeat has figured something out about the Lost Light already. I am eager for MTMTE Season 2, but when they announce the next "CROSSOVER EPIC" I think I'll hold back my enthusiasm.

[Shanti418]

I'm just going to rant.

You know the only way I can accept the whole "Shockwave finds the good in himself, remember me as I was" conversion is that the ores resurrected his old self or something. But even that is kinda lame to be honest.

I think it is safe to say that Shockwave getting killed by a midlife crisis has to be a hallmark of disappointment.

I read it as the collapse of time into a single point forced him to remember his past, and at that point he couldn't deny the folly of what he'd done.

Megatron joining the Autobots is a grand idea in theory to shake things up but I gotta tell you, it really doesn't make sense on a whole lot of levels.

Megatron is Space Hitler. He's has killed millions of Autobots. He has exterminated populations because they dared oppose his new order. Then after talking to Bumblebee for 4 hours he just wants to swap his insignia? And everyone is suppose to be cool with that?

I read this as having as much to do with his perception of Shockwave twisting his beliefs and/or realizing that Shockwave's plan really was logical if you're going for domination as it did with Bumblebee.

Oh and someone explain to me why Starscream was responsible for all this? Everyone keeps saying that the prophecy is his fault somehow and aside from happening to be in charge of Iacon when Shockwave made his move, just how exactly did he precipitate all this?

I'd have to go back and look more closely, but the point was made that the prophecy was taught at Shockwave's school, so the idea was that Shockwave somehow knew that at that point, the prophecy would propel Starscream to power where he would go about dividing factions and diverting attention from the real machinations.



Overall, I'm not as haterrific on DC as everyone else. Wasn't the greatest thing in the world, wasn't the worst thing in the world. Worse than MTMTE, better than RiD. I can't really say I have a better way to tie together and finish Metrotitans/Nova, Galvy, Jhax & Dead Universe/Shadowplay/Shockwave's Ores storylines, and being a consumer of media in various forms, I'm well aware of various things that have done a great job setting up multiple interesting storylines that then feel a bit of a letdown when it comes to the payoff. I was unhappy with the pacing in some places, the multiple artists, and Shockwave's motivations, but the thing felt sufficiently epic and certainly ended the previous status quo and set up a new one, which, if we look at Marvel/DC, is really the point of these crossover things, above and beyond the crossovers functioning as decent stories in and of themselves.

[Best First]

I actually didn't mind the last issue of DC. Bits still rankled - outrunning a black hole for example - but there was momentum, action and good character moments (some a bit cheesey but i quite like a bit of cheese).

My issue is that this doesn't make up for 10 issues of flapping around and quite a lot of really stupid or just bad stuff.

Give Shockwave a better plan, give Megs a proper journey from villain to hero (which should have started prior to the crossover) and dumo about 4 issues and this could have been good.

As it is overall i just feel like we lost out on 4 months of MTMTE.

[Death's Head]

As it is overall i just feel like we lost out on 4 months of MTMTE.

Too true, but it has saved me a chunk of cash over the last howevermanymonths it's been.