Kicking off 2024 with a review of the most recent issue of Transformers, brought to you by the mastermind of Daniel Warren Johnson. I’m high on this issue for multiple reasons, but the big one which stands out is the use of a very rarely seen maneuver…
… The Burning Hammer!
What on Earth am I talking about? Well, in the third issue, Optimus Prime is dealing with a cunningly ruthless Skywarp. Credit to DWJ once again, the creative use of Skywarp’s teleportation ability is not just genius, but completely out-of-the-box what majority of fans have been used to seeing in animated and print form. Optimus busts out a move of his own, once again channeling his technical repertoire, dropping the Deception Seeker with a Burning Hammer, a rarely used move from Kenta Kobashi, legendary Japanese wrestler.
The move was recently used by Mark Briscoe on AEW Dynamite, so twice in a week I got treated.
The story continues to push forward Starcream’s agenda of harvesting Energon while at the same time refusing to allow any of his subordinates to reference a certain Deception leader yet to be seen. His thirst for power also unleashed his unchecked rage, which unfortunately is taken out on another group of humans. This has been a point of contention on some forums and social media.
However, I look at it from this perspective. I accept and understand this is not the G1 I grew up with, but this is still the G1 I know and love. The only thing which has changed, is the addition of some bona fide realism. Decepticons have no sense of value in life beneath theris, much like many of us do not value spiders or ants. So image a group of five-to-six foot tall humans brandishing guns start firing what must feel like pin pricks on a 40-to-50-foot Transformer, they might not take too kindly to it.
This is another area I am overjoyed to see explored. Clearly there is a lot of military PTSD in this small town, specifically focused on Sparkplug, a grizzled vet whose son, Spike, is struggling with finding his place in the world. The human factor has always been an important grounding tool for the Transformers, and this is no different.
In the previous issue Optimus Prime accidentally steps on a deer. Yes, he steps on a deer. The drawn facial reaction, faceplate and all, you could see the sudden pang of regret, sadness, and guilt from Prime. A harsh lesson learned too quickly by the Autobots as they explore an unfamiliar world. The comparison with Prime crossed with Starscream’s reflexive disdain for inferior life is brutally honest, but DWJ delivers these strong characteristics with brilliance in execution.
Rosters gradually expand, not with massive numbers, but with the addition of one or two members, showing just how weak and almost, fragile each faction truly is for the time being. Until a new source of energy can be found, they need to rely on a little bit of Energon, and a lot of luck.
