THE TRANSFORMERS: COMICS, BOOKS AND MANGA

CURRENT TRANSFORMERS COMICS FROM IDW PUBLISHING

Transformers Bumblebee #2: The Impossible Knot
Reviewed by Blackjack

Thisisn'trightit'snotright
Only marginally better than the first issue. Chee still couldn't bother to put any details on the background characters, and as such the colourist is helpless to colour any background character. In fact, there are still many faceless Autobots in the issue that are so badly drawn that I couldn't identify them. Also, they use Blurr's Cybertronian mode even though Transformers #3 gave him an Earthen mode. Yet another oversight by the sleeping editors. I'll say this with candour--if so many readers can spot this error, why can't they? It's an entirely different body. It doesn't just appear for one scene or two, but in an entire issue. But no, IDW insists that we're being nitpicking.

Let's talk about the issue proper, then. As a character, Bumblebee is progressing, but he's simply so damned stupid on so many counts that you couldn't call it 'naive', but rather, well, simply stupid. Some of the individual scenes themselves are nice. The Blurr-and-Bumblebee exchange (Blurr's words being mashed together is an eyesore, though) and the encounter with Scavenger are nicely scripted, and so is Bumblebee's speech. But as usual the Colonel is dull. The entire sequence with the badges is crap. Ratchet seems to need to do everything for Bumblebee... and the Skywatch idiots couldn't monitor what Ratchet is whispering when the inhibitor doesn't work? And Bumblebee's just clueless? Come on. And couldn't they figure out all they have to do to get free is to get Blurr shoot all the badges? Damn it, this is so much worse than AHM. Meanwhile, Skywarp seems to be the 'end all and be all' villain for this miniseries. Mmm, not an uninteresting concept, I just hope Zander Cannon can wrap up the thread nicely. He looks terribly daft with a tarp blanket, though.

This is so bad on so many counts that the good dialogue is overshadowed by the plot holes. Which is a shame. If Zander Cannon simply dropped the whole Skywatch thing and add another villain, like, say, a new Decepticon, it might've worked better. Still, this is the only issue worth noting in the entire Bumblebee mini-series. There's action, more characters, very little humans, and semi-decent monologue. However, everything goes downhill from here.




The title is a reference to another Greek myth, this time the Gordian Knot.

Being a fanfic writer, Zander Cannon finds an excuse to let Blurr talk with his text smushed up together. While it's a pain in the ass to read, at least it doesn't happen without explanation. Blurr suddenly speaks fast when he sees Bumblebee and gets on edge.

It's never mentioned directly in script or art, but the Autobots seem to be using Skywatch's immobilizer technology to trap their targets into vehicle mode, as seen with Blurr this issue and Frenzy last issue. Which begs to question how exactly they trap Axer and Gutcruncher, who doesn't even have an alternate mode.

Skywarp appears to have obtained something similar to Cliffjumper's glass gas.

Scavenger, in his disguise, is coloured like a proper construction vehicle in dirty orchre brown. A veiled reference to his G2 colours, perhaps? He is also able to use his shovel as a weapon in robot mode. Apparently, he has 'articulation seams' in his cab. What this means other than a reference to the toys is uncertain.




Blurr uses his AHM-era Cybertronian alternate mode, despite having an Earth-based alternate mode in Transformers #3. Andy Schmidt confessed that he missed this during his editing. First the Cyclonus/Galvatron mix-up, then this. Come on, he could at least open his eyes when he does his 'editing'...

Blurr claims that Bumblebee's badge covers his Autobot insignia, but Bumblebee's Autobrand is on the center of his chest while the Skywatch badge is on his upper right chest. Zander Cannon might've meant for the Skywatch badges to cover the Autobot insignia, but perhaps the artist didn't get this.

On the same vein, Blurr hits Bumblebee 'dead center', according to the dialogue, but the badge is on his upper right chest.




Ratchet: "That's right. That's absolutely right. That's the leader I've been waiting for."

Skywarp: "I hope you are coming back to us and I hope you still have the fire of vengeance. For I have a war ready-made for you, my captain."

Bumblebee: "You put your trust in me and I led you into a cage, fetching the humans' stray Decepticons in exchange for their mercy. Let me tell you, that is no life."

Bumblebee: "They want us to be their slaves, and I tell you this- that will not happen!"
Cliffjumper: "Hurrah!"
Wheeljack: "No! Shh!"
Skywatch Agent: (eavesdropping from their base) "?"
Ratchet: "Er... yes, yes... hurrah for... ah, Blaster... who made us that excellent Energon soup tonight."

Scavenger: "Look at them, Bumblebee. Soft, fragile, blind... I'd rather hide under their noses than have them presume to be my equal! Go on... run, Autobot. See if you can outrun history!"