![[cover]](covers/g1vol3_2.jpg)
Plot Summary:
Starscream and the Decepticons are firing all they have at Sunstorm, but nothing seems to affect him. Starscream has the Combaticons merge to form Bruticus, but he is blasted in the face by the shuttle led by Bumblebee. Sunstorm turns his attention on the incoming Autobots and shorts out their circuits, causing them to crash. Starscream abandons Bruticus and the other Decepticons, but Sunstorm sees him and follows. Meanwhile on Cybertron, Prowl and Ironhide are trying to train new troops since the Autobot forces were so damaged during the battle against Shockwave. So far the new recruits haven´t been very successful. They head to the infirmary where Optimus Prime is still offline, but Ultra Magnus has made a full recovery. They get a message from the Protectobots who are investigating the laboratory in which Sunstorm emerged from. Back on Earth, Sunstorm follows Starscream to the Nemesis where he confronts him and introduces himself as Starscream´s ‘Brother´. Back at the Autobot Camp, Bumblebee and Ratchet call upon the Powerdashers to reassemble the damaged shuttle. In the Nemesis, Starscream tells Sunstorm about what happened when he got to Earth and how he set up the Combaticons. Sunstorm begins to tell Starscream about what his purpose is when a familiar figure confronts him. The Powerdashers had the shuttle repaired by sunset, but as Bumblebee and Ratchet were preparing to leave they were suddenly attacked by Starscream and his partner… Jetfire!
Transformers and Humans Featured (In rough order of appearance):
Thundercracker, Skywarp, Soundwave, Starscream, Rumble, Sunstorm, Blast-Off, Swindle, Onslaught, Vortex, Brawl, Bruticus, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Powerglide, Seaspray, Cosmos, Prowl, Ironhide, Swerve, Pipes, Tailgate, Hubcap, Outback, Red Alert, Combat Drones, Hoist, Optimus Prime (Inactive), Ultra Magnus, Streetwise, Groove, Hotspot, First Aid, Blades, Runamuck (Inactive), Skylynx (On Monitor and in Flashback), Brawn, Ratchet, Warpath, Beachcomber, Powerdashers, Wheeljack (Inactive in a Flashback), Jetfire.
Other Notes:
Sunstorm seems to be against both Autobots and Decepticons. Apparently he´s following Shockwave´s old philosophy from War & Peace that said Autobots and Decepticons were both guilty of furthering the Cybertronian War. The Drones used to train the Autobots on Cybertron are very similar to the one that Hot Rod fought on the shuttle in Transformers: The Movie. Red Alert was the only character among the group training with the Drones that wasn´t from the 1986 Minibot toy line. Optimus Prime is only ‘a few minor repairs´ away from making a return to action. Prowl is currently in charge of the Autobots, but with Ironhide and Ultra Magnus there, a power struggle may happen in the near future, especially if someone decides to repair Grimlock. The Decepticon Base is called Nemesis, which was the name given to it in Beast Wars. Bumblejumper is missing from Bumblebee´s crew in this issue, but Warpath and Beachcomber suddenly show up. Starscream being responsible for freeing the Combaticons is an idea that was started in the G1 cartoon. Sunstorm keeps referring to the ‘Oracle´, which may or may not be linked somehow to the Oracle from Beast Machines. Seaspray´s speech pattern is supposed to reflect how he spoke in the G1 cartoon. Jetfire´s robot mode is based off his toy, but judging by the cover of G1 #3, he may have a separate robot mode that looks closer to Skyfire of the G1 cartoon.
Memorable Quotes:
Skywarp: Ah, cram it up your waste regulator! Who´s this guy think he is, anyway?
Sunstorm: Who am I? I am the presence anointed to carry forth the light, the original light, that which has no beginning and no end.
Sunstorm: Meddlesome fools, if war is what you desire, so let it be upon your own heads.
Bruticus: St.. Sturaahh… Starscream… help… mur…
Starscream: Huh? Oh, you again. Sorry, Brute, but unfortunately, during times like this, it´s every Mech for himself.
Starscream: What are you anyway?
Sunstorm: I am your savior, brother. And it is I who shall aid you in achieving your true destiny. We are two separate wings that must unite, so that we may carry the rest to the heavens. We shall guide them. We shall guide them into the light.
Review:
This issue answers a lot of loose end questions. Like what happened to Skylynx, how the Combaticons got their robot modes, what is Optimus Prime´s status, etc… It also gives more insight as to what Sunstorm´s purpose is. This issue wasn´t as action packed as the previous one, but it had its moments. Starscream is his old treacherous self. Not only did he abandon his comrades, but now he´s aligned himself with an Autobot. Hopefully Issue #3 will give us some insight as to why Jetfire is working with Starscream, and what he was doing on the Nemesis in the first place. Figueroa´s art is solid as usual. The opening page with Soundwave and Co. firing into the air is very nice. The coloring was also done very well with the light around Sunstorm and the underwater shots. He might want to try putting some more detail into facial expressions though. There were a few good shots of Sunstorm and Starscream, but when you look at the Autobots, they almost all have blank faces in this issue, with the exception of Brawn.
Review by Blitzwing