Bish's Review: Marvel UK #88 "Target: 2006: Aftermath"

Issue #88 of the UK comic is a special that explores the aftermath of the events of Target: 2006. It was written by Simon Furman, pencilled by Will Simpson, inked by Tim Perkins, lettered by Richard Starkings, coloured by Gina Hart and edited by Ian Rimmer.

The cover was by Geoff Senior and it rocks! The three Autobot triple-changers brandish their weapons at the viewer and look ready to take on all-comers or die in the attempt. This is the sort of dynamism that has been missing from the some of the more "cut-and-paste" covers of the previous few issues and as such it really stands out. My only complaint was that since this issue is a summing up of where we are at the end of this massive story then a more general cover might have been more appropriate, as this only illustrates one of the plot threads. It's such a good image though that I do not really mind.

We start with the characters from the last issue standing around the wrecked space cannon. A narration in an ominously wobbly bubble talks of being content. We are then shown an iconic location for Transformers fans, the monitor-covered central brain of Unicron himself. He talks of how Galvatron is his puppet, how he escaped and time-travelled and, shockingly, how Unicron himself ensnared the minds of Blurr, Hot Rod and Kup and sent them after him. This is really just a narrative cheat that allowed Furman to use some of the movie characters without having to deal with the jump to 2006(or 5) but it serves a more important purpose in setting up Unicron as an incredibly powerful and manipulative big bad. This story was huge, but Unicron was merely a bit player. With a setup like this, the story he comes to the fore in is going to be a monster. The fact that he is narrating also helps to overcome the natural ennui of reading yet more of a recap. Ok, so we're just being put into the picture as to what has happened but it's by the dark God who orchestrated the whole thing!

Moving into a more normal storytelling style Ultra Magnus and the Earthbound Autobots exchange mutual congratulations and Ultra Magnus prepares to leave, although Operation Volcano has probably kicked off without him.

Back of Cybertron, the set-up for Volcano is complete. Emirate Xaaron gives a fake conference designed for Kickback to overhear and the Decepticons to attack in force, falling into a trap. This works perfectly, but as they prepare for the attack, there is a big worry among the Wreckers that Magnus will not make it.

Back on Earth, Laserbeak finally succeeds in digging Megatron out of the wreckage of Galvatron's base. He hauls himself angrily from his hole and says "I thirst Laserbeak... for revenge!" which is a line that just sounds like Frank Welker in your head no matter how many times you read it.

Meanwhile Ultra Magnus has to pass up a chance to meet Optimus Prime in order to catch his space bridge back to Cybertron and aid the Wreckers.

On Cybertron, the Decepticon attack is gearing up. We are introduced to a spiky fellow called Macabre (great name) who leads the assault. As the Decepticons approach the staging area, Impactor gives the order to "Wreck and rule!" but a spanner is about to be thrown into the works.

Before the Decepticons can strike Astrotrain arrives bearing a communicube from Megatron telling them to break off their attack and send the Insecticons to Earth, setting up the next US story "Aerialbots Over America". The only Decepticon who will risk ignoring Megatron is Macabre who sneaks up on the Autobot position with the intention of taking a sniper shot at Emirate Xaaron.

Just as he is firin, Impactor notices and shoves Xaaron out of the way, taking the full force of the blast in the head. Macabre is immediately blasted by Autobot fire from all around but it is too late for the Wrecker leader. As he lays dying, broken wires and scorched circuitry spilling from a hideous wound, he names Springer his successor and calls Xaaron a wily old buzzard, for the last time. It's a great exit for a new character that we've really come to know and care over the past few issues, even if you couldn't buy him as a toy.

We do end on a relatively high note, however, as, returning to the Ark, we find Optimus Prime is alive and well. He counts the cost of events: Jazz lobotomised, although making a recovery, Grapple and Trailbreaker down, possibly forever in the case of Trailbreaker and the psychological damage of staring death in the face. In the face of this, Prime says, it is even more important to pull together and keep fighting so that "The Autobots will prevail!"

Target: 2006 is capped off in such a way that prepares us for future events. Unicron playing a bigger role is obviously the major one. What reader isn't going to be excited by that prospect? Furman leaves this story in such a way that, date issues aside, it does not contradict the movie (still upcoming in the UK at this time) and although events will not ultimately play out in the comics in the same way they do in the movie it was still possible for a fan to read Target: 2006 then watch the movie and not feel a discontinuity. (While this is not technically the order of events, it would take a really dedicated fan to watch the movie up to the point that Galvatron should time jump, then pause it long enough to read eleven issues of comic book before finishing the thing off!)

Most pleasing, for me at least, is the clear implication that we are going to see more of the Cybertron characters after this storyline. With Impactor's death Furman is obviously setting up further adventures for Xaaron and the Wreckers. They have proven to be an engaging band of characters (even if composed of some of the ropier toys) and strike me as the most memorable part of this epic storyline, with the possible exception of the nigh-indestructible Galvatron.

Do I have any criticisms? Well, despite all the page-space given over to it, even in this issue, the problem of whether Ultra Magnus will get back to Cybertron becomes irrelevant when Volcano does not go off as planned. He is not even present at Impactor's side when the Wrecker leader dies. We had almost half an issue dedicated to finding out whether the triple-changers can fill Magnus' giant boots but they are not involved either. The personal drama of Impactor's sacrifice is, of course, more interesting than a big battle would have been but it's a little disappointing to not see Ultra Magnus or Springer making an impact on events, given all the set-up that has been expended on them.

This leads me to wonder how much of this Furman had planned. It would make sense that when it came down to him writing the Operation Volcano issue he suddenly came up with the perfect exit for Impactor and wrote that without giving as much regard for his buildup as maybe he could have.

The other problem with the story is that Optimus Prime's rundown of Galvatron deprivations is slightly anticlimactic, no doubt because of being forced to adhere to the stories already laid out in the US. We have a dramatic picture of a braindead Jazz but are told that he is getting better, and Grapple will be ok as well. Trailbreaker is touch and go, but who really cares about Trailbreaker?

Once again Will Simpson's art is subpar for the comic as a whole. I will not say it is a letdown because by now I expect it from him. I can't keep repeating just why I dislike his messy line work and weirdly contorted robot faces, but I will give a shout out to his version of Unicron, who seems to be able to move his outer ring around his main body rather than having it fixed in place, which I think actually looks pretty dynamic.

Either way, I cannot be too critical of the storyline that gave us Galvatron, Ultra Magnus, Emirate Xaaron and the Wreckers, slightly structural wobbles aside, and overall, Target: 2006 remains a shining beacon in Transformers storytelling and probably Furman's second best run on any comic to date.  IDW's trade of Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #87 "Target: 2006" Part 9

Target: 2006 Part 9 was written by Simon Furman, drawn by Jeff Anderson, lettered by Anne Halfacree, coloured by Tony Jozwiak and edited by Ian Rimmer.

The cover is by Geoff Senior and is actually pretty bad by his standards. It shows Galvatron's anti-Unicron weapon exploding while the disembodied heads of Blurr, Kup and Hot Rod say "Lights", "Camera", "Action" - using the same movie metaphor that Furman is about to employ in the issue itself. The heads appear too disconnected from the main picture and the speech bubbles are too cute to be witty and come across as merely annoying. Added to this there is a picture of Galvatron badly inserted into the bottom left corner. At first glance this depiction would seem to be a simple cut and paste of the character model but actually it's a Senior original, just utilising the same pose. While drawing a new model is praiseworthy it still doesn't really make up for the fact that Galvatron is just stuck there. He clearly isn't part of the action of the picture, but he's not saying anything either. It's just as though he's there so the reader doesn't forget who the bad guy is.

The issue opens a little while after the end of Part 8. At Galvatron's base the future Autobots are doing something that involves spraying Skywarp red, planting some kind of device (presumably explosive) and knocking out Scourge and Cyclonus. They do this while Furman's captions somewhat unnecessarily evoke the preparation of a movie set: "Applied makeup", "Rigged special effects" and so on. Furman enjoys these linguistic diversions and normally I find them very entertaining, but this one irritates me, probably because we are driving to a conclusion of a very long story by this point and I'd rather he cut to the chase.

Galvatron is holding an incredibly battered Ultra Magnus up in triumph. His triumphant raving turns to shock however, when he finds the badly damaged and unconscious bodies of Scourge and Cyclonus. Of course, Galvatron does not know about the presence of the three future Autobots so he immediately leaps to the conclusion that this is the result of treachery by Starscream which turns out to be exactly their plan.

Just as Kup is about to hit the button on whatever device they are planning to use Magnus finds a reserve of strength and begins to haul himself back towards Galvatron, the image of Operation Volcano large in his mind. He recaps previous events as he tells us that he needs to get Galvatron to return to the future and he's running out of time.

Elsewhere, the present-day Autobots are discussing their situation. Jazz stands eerily still, without Galvatron's control he is brain-damaged and basically dead. Jetfire wants to quit, as Galvatron is so powerful, but Smokescreen gives him an impassioned speech about how they have to stop Galvatron in the here and now or there's no telling what damage his time-travelling could do. Jetfire listens impassively.

Back at Galvatron's base Magnus manages to tackle the future Decepticon to the ground. Galvatron soon bests him though and begins to beat him savagely, asking in amazement whether Magnus' Autobot code "demands sacrifice?". "Must I destroy you to stop you!?" In my favourite image of the story Magnus raises his head as best he can, battered and shadowy, bleeding oil from a thousand cuts and simply says "yes". The artwork is perfect in this scene and Ultra Magnus is every inch the perfect noble Autobot warrior. Destined to fail, but determined to try. All our favourite heroes never back down in the face of unbeatable odds and Ultra Magnus is well and truly in that position by now.

Just as the future Autobots are about to trigger their plan the present-day Autobots show up and ruin it. This grants Ultra Magnus a reprieve but puts them in grave danger both from Galvatron and from the bomb that Kup is about to set off. Determining that they cannot wait any longer, Kup detonates the device.

The Autobots manage to flee before the worst happens but Galavatron is rooted to the spot in amazement as his cannon explodes in a tremendous fireball. He is crushed to the ground by falling debris but is only dormant for a few moments before his hand bursts from the wreckage in true horror movie style and he is back up and ready to kill.

Looking for the culprit he finds Starscream standing impassively. We, the audience, can see that Starscream's voice actually comes from a speaker on his back but to Galvatron it appears that he has been betrayed and mocked. With one furious particle cannon blast the Seeker Jet is torn into pieces. This sets off alarm bells in Galvatron's mind because he knows that Starscream should not die until 2006 (and the events of "Transformers: The Movie").

Galvatron concludes from his continuing existence that his time travel must have caused him to slip into an alternate universe - one where his actions do not affect his own personal future. Emboldened by this news but presumably figuring that building his cannon would have made no difference to the future of this timeline, Galvatron gathers the recumbant Scourge and Cyclonus and returns to the future.

This leaves Blurr, Kup and Hot Rod in possession of the body of the real Starscream. It turns out that the decoy version that Galvatron destroys was merely Skywarp painted red. Why did they do this instead of using the unconscious Starscream for the exact same plan? You'll have to wait for the aftermath to find out.

The last proper part of Target: 2006 is mostly very good. The movie metaphor on the first page is extended to breaking point and was not very appropriate to begin with. Furman is definitely letting his own cleverness get the better of him here.

Similarly, Furman does not seem to know what to do with the 1986 Autobots. They get their moment to stand up and be counted, which is great, but Kup agonises about blowing them up, does it anyway, and they emerge unscathed. Surely we could have sacrificed someone like Bluestreak to give the decision more weight?

Thirdly, the art and the text seem contradictory when Galvatron decides he is in a parallel universe. On the one hand he believes that having killed Starscream and still existing means that he is not accountable for his actions within this timeline but on the other the art seems to show him rubbing the paint off of the dummy Starscream, which should make him doubt this assertion.

Niggles aside, this is an excellent and somewhat downbeat end to this saga. Ultra Magnus is the standout character, never giving up after getting the most terrible beatdown but in the end no-one really wins, which is a very atypical conclusion to this sort of good vs evil storytelling. Galvatron cannot be beaten in 1986, not by Ultra Magnus, not by Jetfire, not by an Autobot-Decepticon alliance led by Megatron himself. He is not even damaged when his gigantic cannon with all it's terrible reserves of energy explodes right beside him. It can be argued that he is forced to flee and abandon his plans but it is with a renewed sense of purpose rather than in defeat. Connecting the dots should lead the reader to realise that since Starscream's destruction was actually a ruse Galvatron is actually in for a world of pain from Unicron when he returns to 2006. However, at no point is this spelled out and Furman obviously decided to leave the final word on how time travel and dimension hopping really works in this universe for a future story. When Galvatron leaves, in the context of this story, it is very much on his terms.

Jeff Anderson returns here and provides us with some very nice artwork. I do not like it quite as much as Senior's from the previous issue but it is still fantastic. I am a big fan of Anderson's depiction of Ultra Magnus. He really gets his strong, blocky, dependable look down and is fully capable of rendering all the anguished expressions that a beating from Galvatron would result in. Jeff Anderson makes us feel Ultra Magnus' pain and, despite being excellent on it's own, Furman's writing would not be sufficient to make us feel for this character if he were not backed up by the artist. Since the emotional core of this issue is the Autobot sense of self-sacrifice I have to hand it to Anderson for making me wince at every fresh punishment handed out by Galvatron.

The main part of this story ends in a murky finale that is more about the characters having to rebuild than a triumph of good over evil. Surely an epic of such magnitude will have repercussions for many issues in the future? We might get a glimpse of how much the Transformers universe has been shaken up in the next issue, the special Target: 2006 aftermath story. IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #86 "Target: 2006" Part 8

Target: 2006 Part 8 was written by Simon Furman, drawn by Geoff Senior, Lettered by Anne Halfacree, cooured by Gina Hart and edited by Ian Rimmer.

The cover was by Will Simpson and is a mixed bag. Individually the depictions of Galvatron and Ultra Magnus are very good. Galvatron in particular is a nice rendering of the partway between cartoon and toy form that the comics tend to use and Simpson manages to make it look very natural. Unfortunately the two figures don't appear to be interracting quite as forcefully as you might think and the lack of a background really hurts the impact as a whole. Not a bad effort: it certainly shows that Will Simpson can draw Transformers if he puts his mind to it and doesn't have someone scribbling all over his lines, but it could have been so much more.

After a brief depiction of the destruction that Galvatron has wrought that serves more as an atmospheric lead-in than an actually useful recap we begin the issue in media res, which was, really, the only way for Furman to play it. We could have had Magnus and Galvatron trash-talking each other for a bit and starting their inevitable fight but what would be the point? It was always going to happen so instead show Galvatron clinging onto a speeding Ultra Magnus as he hurtles down a busy highway and what's more, make it a splash page. High visual impact - this is how comic book writing is supposed to work.

Magnus continue his mad drive only stopping when he reaches the end of a half-built overpass. Breaking at the last minute he is able to fling Galvatron off his roof and slam him heavily into the concrete below.

While despondently waiting for Galvatron's inevitable recovery Magnus does actually now recall the beginning of the fight. Magnus is trying to return Galvatron to his own time in order to get Optimus Prime back and gave him the chance to leave willingly. Galvatron, predictably, declined, and unfortunately he did it with a piece of dialogue that is a bit more leaden than Furman usually manages:

"What worries me, Ultra Magnus, is not what you say but that you actually believe in what you say". The two instances of "what you say" there are very unnatural sounding and should have been caught by Rimmer, if not by Furman himself.

Anyway, high-level nitpicking aside, the issue continues along at an exhilerating pace. At Galvatron's base the pair had started brawling with Magnus constantly trying to distract the Decepticon by causing bits of his giant anti-Unicron cannon to be damaged. While barely managing to hold his own Magnus receives a radio message from Kup, Blurr and Hot Rod telling him that they've found a way to get rid of Galvatron if he can just keep the Decepticon busy for an hour or two.

Cut back to the present and Galvatron is not even down for as long as Magnus hoped. He blasts the overpass and brings the Autobot crashing to the ground. They battle for a bit, with Galvatron clearly in better shape. The Decepticon aims his particle cannon at Magnus and the Autobot goes for one last desperate gamble.

Using his titanic strength Ultra Magnus is able to hurl an entirely full petrol tanker into the path of the beam: detonating in an enormous (and beautiful - thanks Geoff) explosion.

The issue ends on a terrifying image as the flames clear just enough for us to see Galvatron shaking his fist in triumph over the prostrate and defeated form of Ultra Magnus. This is probably Senior's best work of the issue with Galvatron posed dramtically, so we, the onlooker, have to look up to him. The fire from the burning fuel makes a background of pure hell on Earth with the devilish future Decepticon looking right at home.

What a cliffhanger! And what an issue! It's brilliant but perversely there's not a huge amount to say about this one. It's pure fight, fight, chase, fight but it does give us a nice look at Ultra Magnus' highly resolute character. He will not give up, despite Galvatron thrashing the life out of him. Sometimes a story like that can be all you need to sustain eleven excellent pages. Conversely, we do not get much insight into Galvatron. He has pretty much put all his cards on the table by now. We know that he is capable of immense savagery despite his fairly rational exterior and it is that aspect that comes to the fore here. It's a fun character to read about and a great counterpoint to Magnus' nobility, but not really deserving of much analysis at this point.

I have praised Senior's art a fair bit and it is richly deserving but I have to make special mention of Hart's colouring. I have been reading a fair few of the US issues recently and it has to be said that this is one area where they simply do not compare. Hart and the other UK colourists give the book a mature, textured style, with almost no block colouring, whereas the US books could have whole battles taking place between a red team and a blue team.

An excellent issue with a fantastic cliffhanger. If I had to wait for a week to know what happened next I'm not sure what I would have done, especially if I had been a child at the time!  IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #85 "Target: 2006" Part 7

Target 2006 Part 7 was written by Simon Furman, pencilled by Will Simpson, inked by Tim Perkins, lettered by Richard Starkings and coloured by Tony Jozwiak.

The cover is by Will Simpson and is fairly uninspiring. The caption reads "Galvatron's Autobot Zombie!" and a very stiff Jazz is depicted very stiffly knocking out Tracks and Bluestreak. Apart from the looks of shock on their faces these characters too are almost lifeless and it's very strange to have all three looking straight at the "camera". Very awkward composition. Galvatron's face oversees all of this and it's a perfectly adequate rendering, I suppose but he stares fairly blankly with mouth open when one would have expected him to be laughing or at least smirking at getting one over on the Autobots.

We open with the Decepticon Starship from the very first issue getting vaporised by Galvatron's experimental anti-Unicron cannon. Galvatron decides that this one test on a much smaller object is enough and that he and his band can return to 2006 once the weapon recharges. Why he has to wait for a weapon to recharge now that he needs in twenty years time isn't entirely clear, but presumably it needs to be fully charged before being concealed beneath the ground, and, eventually, Autobot City.  Galvatron makes a big show of indulging Starscream partly because he has potentially useful information, but mostly because he finds it amusing to allow the devious Decepticon to believe that he is his root to power when, from Galvatron's perspective, Starscream is already dead, at his hand.

Meanwhile, back at the Ark, Ultra Magnus is getting nowhere in his quest to solve the mystery of Prime's disappearance. While he is feeling sorry for himself the three future Autobots, Kup, Hot Rod and Blurr show up. Hot Rod does not know his history and thinks Magnus has the Matrix of Leadership (pretty bad given this is twenty years ago for him - a being who's probably millenia old by now). Kup sets him straight and introduces them, before going on to explain to Magnus that they are looking for a Decepticon called Galvatron.

Galvatron, however, is now personally handling the exchange of the captive Jazz for Scourge. The Autobots have Scourge in a set of "anti-grav" manacles which are programmed to fry him if he puts a foot wrong. This could have been a pretty good image if Will Simpson ever gave the impression that he cared about what he was doing.  While this takes place, Megatron is sneaking into Galvatron's base when he is caught by Cyclonus. The future Decepticon is once again betrayed by his lack of intelligence and is knocked out by Soundwave while crowing over Megatron. However, they reckon without Starscream, who takes them by surprise and blasts Megatron in the back.

Back at the Ark Kup is explaining to Ultra Magnus the way that time travel devices displaces beings of similar size and mass from the target time, explaining the disappearing Autobots. It shifts them into a pocket dimension between realities that leaves them unharmed. As soon as Magnus realises that Galvatron and the others are responsible for the disappearance of the Autobots he takes off at great speed, not allowing Kup to finish.

The Autobots are baffled by why Galvatron went through with the prisoner exchange but are soon shown the reason. Jazz has been modified by Galvatron and is now a remote control puppet. To give Simpson his due, the image of Jazz, slack jawed, with his eyes burning red and his mouth spewing energy (for some reason) is genuinely well realised in a horrifying sort of way. Jazz leaps up and starts battling the Autobots, taking Jetfire down very hard.

Galvatron has taken advantage of this distraction to slope off, arriving just in time to stop Starscream executing Megatron (and with him, Galvatron's future). He backhands Starscream to the ground and begins to rant about how no-one can stop him before Ultra Magnus arrives and picks up the gauntlet. To be continued...!

Scriptwise this issue is mostly great. While I am not entirely certain that the zombie-Jazz subplot is all that necessary it gets the job done by giving the Autobots a reason not to just attack Galvatron in force at his base (other than the pasting they received last time, of course). I like that the Megatron/Autobot alliance is still intact and that they are providing cover for him to use his more warlike skills to infiltrate Galvatron's stronghold. Having Soundwave back Megatron up is good characterisation as the Decepticon is well-known as a sycophant, but also an incredibly sneaky one.

Ultra Magnus solves the mystery of Prime's disappearance by... waiting around until someone from the future tells him the answer... This isn't the most inspiring of reveals but does lead us to the awesome final panel where we know that the Magnus/Galvatron confrontation is going to be massive in the next issue.
The characterisation of the future Autobots is spot-on, although they haven't done much apart from impart information so far. You just know they're here for a reason though, and it'll be fun to see how they get used.

Simpson's art is, unfortunately, still not to my taste. I would like very much, however, to see his original line drawings. I feel that the way he draws the robotic characters would still feel wrong to me, but I might be able to appreciate some of his subtlety. Perkins seems to delight in hiding the pencilling behind a storm of ink that obscures details, blurs lines and makes some of the more detailed panels look like a total mess.

A very fast, very packed issue that is obviously building towards a climax, now that the two strands of the story have been linked together.  IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #84 "Target: 2006" Part 6

"Target: 2006" Part 6 was written by Simon Furman, pencilled by Geoff Senior, lettered by Richard Starkings, coloured by Gina Hart and edited by Ian Rimmer. This is a group of people whose names I have had to type quite frequently but I think this is probably the Marvel UK team I would rank as the best line-up overall.

The cover is by Phil Gascoine and it's ... sort of ok. Galvatron and Unicron on a cover together should be an awesome sight but it doesn't really work. Galvatron is well depicted considering this is the comic version and he has a great level of detailing as well as an arrogant "look how powerful I am" expression, but he's standing on nothing and looks like he was just pasted in there. Equally, it's a good rendering of Unicron's planet mode, but the rocket trail makes it look like he's been zipping through space at great speed. Ignoring actual physics it completely relieves Unicron of the sense of foreboding that should come with his arrival. The fact that he travels in a stately manner is key to the air of power and lingering doom that surrounds him and this cover misses that completely.

We open on Cybertron with Impactor taking a punch to the jaw. He is in the middle of a fight and it clearly isn't going well. A mysterious opponent dashes him face first into the ground and attaches an inhibitor claw to his back, preventing him from transforming. He turns to find himself staring down the gun barrels of three previously unseen Decepticons. They introduce themselves as Broadside, Sandstorm and Springer.

Impactor refuses to take this lying down. He leaps to his feet and manages to smash his opponents aside, making a dash for it. Springer stops Sandstorm from using his gun saying "we don't need them". He uses his leaping ability to jump clean over Impactor's head and stop him short. Impactor refuses to beg for his life and then, inexplicably, the three Decepticons transform and move out.

As they leave, Springer tells Impactor that he'll see him back at Debris and tosses him a small, orange cube. Impactor is thoroughly confused at this, as Debris is the hidden Autobot base but the cube reveals all. It contains the face of Emirate Xaaron, smiling infuriatingly. He explains to Impactor that the three attackers were in fact Autobot triple-changers who can take Ultra Magnus' place in Operation Volcano if he does not make it back. The art is wonderfully expressive here as Impactor goes from confusion to pure frustration at being outmanoeuvred by the politician. He crushes the cube without even replying, which of course will not bother Xaaron one bit. The point has been made, Volcano is still viable.

Back on Earth, Galvatron is mocking his captive, Jazz. Jazz seeks to provoke him into revealing information about his past by feigning indifference, which Galvatron immediately calls him on, but then, in his monumental arrogance, tells him anyway:

What follows is hardly news to a modern Transformers fan but it must have been mind-boggling stuff back in 1987. I'm sure everyone reading this will know the story inside out. Seriously, if you're reading this and have no idea of what happens in "Transformers: The Movie" give a shout out in the comment section - I'd be thrilled, and amazed, to hear from you. Anyway, I'm going to recap it anyway, so buckle up:

We learn that twenty years into the future Optimus Prime will finally defeat Megatron in battle. The most interesting thing to note here is that there is no mention whatsoever of Optimus' death by Megatron's hand. In fact, while Megatron lies broken and spent, Prime is still on his feet, looking relatively undamaged. Was this a case of the creative team not knowing exactly what was in store, or were they trying to preserve the shock factor of the movie? It was still unreleased, according to a "coming soon" caption in one of these panels. Of course, the in-story explanation would be that Megatron (or Galvatron) might not actually know that Optimus Prime is dead, since he is never told this directly. However, he does say "I crushed him with my bare hands" so he at least knows that Prime was in a bad way.

The dying Decepticon leader will be tossed into space by Starscream where he would have expired had he not encountered a metal being the size of an entire planet - Unicron! Unicron gifts Megatron with a new form. He is rebuilt into Galvatron - a Decepticon with more raw power than Megatron could ever have aspired to with one proviso - he now has to serve Unicron.

Of course, Galvatron is still essentially Megatron, and any regular reader of the comic knows that this is not a state of affairs that Megatron would have put up with for any length of time. This brings us to the part of Galvatron's plan that differs from Transformers: The Movie. Galvatron uses an un-specified method to time-jump back twenty years in order to escape Unicron's grasp. It turns out that the giant machine he has had the Constructicons build is in fact a cannon that, twenty years from now, will blast Unicron to pieces the instant Galvatron returns to 2006 (2005 in the movie, but they were working from an old script). Galvatron's gloating is interrupted when Cyclonus returns and gives him the bad news. Scourge is missing and Megatron is working with the Autobots. Jazz finds this hilarious and Galvatron reveals his barely hidden savage nature by beating the Autobot into unconsciousness.

Elsewhere, Shockwave has met up with Frenzy and Thundercracker who remember being trashed by Omega Supreme then waking up in the Ark, but have no idea what else has transpired.

This meeting is offset by a sequence showing three new Autobots: Kup, Hot Rod and Blurr time-jumping into 1987. Shockwave's rant is cut short when he and his companions are enveloped by the same rainbow effect as removed Optimus Prime back in the prologue. Conclusive proof that Galvatron's time travel is the cause of the Autobots' disappearances.

As the Autobots fully resolve into their new time zone a sinister booming laugh is heard across the universe. Can this be anyone but Unicron himself?

It has actually been very difficult to review "Target: 2006" because, well, it's so good. It is easy (and fun) to pick apart a bad story, or to point out the areas where an otherwise good story fall down but this epic is, for the most part, fairly flawless, and no issue more so than this one.

This is the issue where Furman gets all his ducks in a row for the mayhem to come. Galvatron is really Megatron (ok, we heard that last issue, but now it's explained), Volcano is set to begin, we have three more arrivals from the future and Shockwave has disappeared into the ether. There's an awful lot of plot for eleven pages with Galvatron's origin story of course being the big event of the issue.

With all this plot sloshing about, it's important not to forget that without engaging characters, the story is hollow and Furman never forgets this. My favourite characters in this issue are Impactor and Xaaron. A pair who clearly know exactly what the other is capable of and gel incredibly well together in their somewhat antagonistic relationship. Impactor is constantly frustrated by Xaaron but he always loses because he knows that Xaaron understands him better than he understands himself. Had Xaaron merely introduced the triple-changers to Impactor he would never have accepted them at short notice with no proof of their abilities. Impactor needed to be defeated by them to accept that they could do what was required. This is why Impactor does not bother replying to Xaaron's message. Because he is angry, yes, but mostly because he knows that Xaaron is right.

Honourable mention must, of course, go to Galvatron, who gives us a highly entertaining infodump with all the bluster we expect from a future Decepticon commander and looks dangerously close to losing the plot completely when he hears of Megatron's Autobot alliance.

A strange thing I noticed - When Megatron is lying on his back with smoke pouring from his chest during Galvatron's origin sequence Senior uses almost exactly the same composition as he did in "Victory" for Grimlock's death. Admittedly Grimlock is a T-Rex with all the anatomical differences that would imply, but the similarities are evident, I think.

I'm not going to bother recommending this issue outside of "Target: 2006" itself. If you haven't read this story then read it immediately and if you have then read it again.  IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #83 "Target: 2006" Part 5

"Target 2006" Part 5 was written by Simon Furman, drawn by Geoff Senior, lettered by Richard Starkings, coloured by Gina Hart and edited by Ian Rimmer.

The cover was also by Geoff Senior and is a fairly dynamic picture of Scourge being blasted by a mysterious character from off-panel. "Scourge is scrapped!" reads the caption, "And not by an Autobot!" It's fairly obvious that the perpetrator is Megatron if you've been following the story and you can see the end of his fusion cannon at the bottom of the cover. It's a pretty decent effort. Scourge looks suitably shocked at what is happening to him and he really seems to be in a bad way. The colours are a little strange, Scourge's blue feels a bit too bright, but that's a nitpick. It's not a classic cover, but it's well done.


The story picks up the cliff-hanger from two issues ago. The robot smashing his way out of a stasis pod is revealed to be Starscream (it's tempting to call it a CR - Chamber, but that term was first used in Beast Wars). It seems that Starscream had been stored there as a prisoner after Omega Supreme handed his skidplate to him back in Issue #71. Buzzsaw, Skywarp and Rumble are confined too, in critical condition but Frenzy and Thundercracker are nearing full recovery. Starscream hears voices arguing. He creeps through the corridors of the Ark to investigate and is stunned to discover...


...Megatron arguing with a group of Autobots. Starscream hides around a corner as Megatron and Jetfire debate angrily about their course of action. Jetfire is telling Megatron that he is the one in charge and that Megatron needs to acknowledge this. Megatron counters this by describing the series of failures that led to Ironhide's decision to enlist the aid of the Decepticons - this serves as a useful summary of the story so far for new readers.

Listening to this and learning, for the first time, about Galvatron's existence Starscream formulates a plan. He must go and seek out this being who is powerful enough to bring both the Autobots and the Decepticons to their knees and make an alliance with him! This is pure Starscream. He has only been online for a few minutes and already he is making plans to betray his former comrades and rule the universe with a new partner. Starscream is a coward in many ways but his willingness to put himself on the line in order to seek new opportunities for advancement is unmatched. He beats a hasty and unobserved retreat.

Into this mess walks Ultra Magnus and he is shocked at what he sees! He is so incensed that the Autobots are planning to follow Megatron into battle that he grows to twice his normal size (just for this issue) lecturing an inexplicably tiny Hound on why this is a terrible idea. Magnus breaks off his rant when he realises that the other Autobots don't yet know why he is under so much pressure to find Prime and the Matrix. He explains about his part in Operation Volcano and why he needs to be back on Cybertron. He understands why Hound has to follow the others into battle to find Jazz, but he cannot join them, so with a final warning not to trust Megatron, he lets him go.
Some time later, Scourge is grumbling that he has been given the task of collecting materials from a metal storehouse when he should be fighting. His prayers are soon answered when he realises that the Autobots are about to ambush him. Although Scourge is heavily outnumbered, the future Decepticon puts up a considerable resistance, forcing the Autobots to run and gun through the warehouse before losing his gun to a lucky shot and forcing his way outside, severely wounding Grapple in the process. Escape is not on the cards, however, as Scourge runs flat into Megatron who disables him with a blast of his fusion cannon.

In Galvatron's lair, Jazz comes to. He accuses Galvatron of being "Just like Megatron" to which Galvatron replies, in a revelation that stuns Jazz and shocks the reader "Not like Megatron... I AM Megatron!"

This is, of course, an extremely important issue for those readers who had not seen Transformers: The Movie, which, if www.imdb.com is to be believed, was none of them, because it didn't come out in the UK during this. Even if it did, the release would have been nowhere near as wide as that of the comic book. The final reveal of Galvatron as a future version of Megatron has enormous far-reaching consequences for where the story might be heading and makes the inevitable future meeting between them much more potentially interesting than it might already have been. If Megatron kills Galvatron then he has given himself an expiry date, but if Galvatron kills Megatron then he has destroyed his own past and created a time paradox. We do not yet know the rules of time travel in the Transformers universe, but neither of those options sound like good ones for Megatron, and he doesn't even know it yet.

It's certainly not unexpected that the Autobots alliance with Megatron is already starting to feel strained. Of all the Autobots left it is only really Ultra Magnus with a strength of personality (and firepower) to really challenge Megatron - Jetfire just comes across as weak and Ironhide, who has brought this situation on, can only bluster ineffectually. Unfortunately Magnus has different priorities and the Autobots can really do nothing other than follow the Decepticon leader.

The action sequence with Scourge is very well staged and I love that this future Decepticon is so advanced that it takes all these Autobots and Megatron to take him down - and this isn't even Galvatron himself.


I have long been a huge fan of Geoff Senior's artwork but this issue is not his best. The main problem, as I've already mentioned, is that Ultra Magnus is far too big during his brief appearance. I suspect that Senior had been using the toys for reference, as the Ultra Magnus toy has a very tall and chunky robot mode. He is excellent at very dynamic motion, however, and his panel of Impactor in full battle rage is probably the most exciting in the issue, even if it does come from a recap.

A good issue with a little too much recapping to feel like a complete entity, which is no bad thing in a story this lengthy. Of course, the revelation at the end is game-changing and makes this issue a must-read classic in one panel.  IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #82 "Target: 2006" Part 4

“Target 2006” Part 4 was written by Simon Furman, drawn by newcomer Ron Smith, lettered by Richard Starkings, coloured by John Burns and edited by Ian Rimmer.

The cover was also by Ron Smith and it’s something of a mixed bag. I don’t mind the idea of the picture - the Wreckers standing around happily while the remains of Blitzwing lie scattered all around but the execution is far from perfect. The characterisation isn’t bad. Witness Impactor casually cleaning his harpoon after the battle while the Jumpstarters grin like maniacs. Rack and Ruin just kind of stand there, but they never exactly emote. Whirl and Roadbuster appear to still be throwing bits of Blitzwing around which is... well actually kind of sick if you think about... he’s definitely offline by this point. Of course, in the context of the story, “Blitzwing” is just a facsimile construct, which probably explains a lot of the callousness on display here, but it’s still a weird image, especially as the whole point of the first few pages is that this is not at all clear.

Anyway, this is one of those misleading jokey type covers that comics used to love, so it’s best not to take it too seriously. What I can take seriously, however, are the flaws in composition. Why, for example, does Topspin appear to be floating centimetres above the debris of Blitzwing and why is he clutching the Decepticon’s horribly out of scale leg like a teddy-bear while smiling like a psychopath? Impactor’s body does not seem to quite fit his giant legs and Rack (or is that Ruin)’s hammer is bent at an odd angle in order to not be hidden in the picture.

Strangely, when I first saw this, I thought it was a great cover, but unfortunately the flaws began to shine through and I ended up not very fond of it at all. The actual issue, on the other hand, is another matter.

We open with The Wreckers in mid combat. “WRECK AND RULE!” yells Impactor as he jets dramatically through the air brandishing his harpoon. This same harpoon plunges straight through the head of Shrapnel who dies instantly, his electrical systems overloading and allowing him to be hurled at Octane as a novel weapon. Both explode.

Whirl distracts Thrust while Rack and Ruin sneak up and disassemble him with extreme prejudice. Twin Twist rescues Topspin in the nick of time while Roadbuster takes out the remaining Decepticons, leaving the Wreckers...

“To be annihilated by the Decepticon reinforcements that’ll be pouring through that arch.” Yes, that’s right, this whole battle was a training exercise, and it’s just demonstrated Impactor’s greatest fear: that Operation Volcano cannot go ahead without Ultra Magnus. Impactor recaps this dilemma for those just joining the story and the other Wreckers find themselves in agreement with him. They must tell Xaaron and call off the offensive.

Impactor lets the Wreckers have some time off and they head to Maccadam’s Old Oil House - a Transformer pub. This establishment is special in that Autobots and Decepticons are each allowed in provided they leave the war outside. The Wreckers sit around moping that they gave up, even though they know it was the right choice until a gigantic Decepticon by the name of Fang storms in and complains about the noise.

The source of this is the Transformer with one of the most off the wall alternate modes ever - some kind of Cybertronian piano. Fang is unimpressed with his musical stylings and starts to kick him around. Twin Twist gets up to help, but Roadbuster holds him back. This isn’t their fight.

Meanwhile, Impactor is telling Xaaron why they cannot go ahead with Operation Volcano. The Emirate says he understands and that he has made the right decision but puts a different spin on it, suggesting that if Ultra Magnus does not get back then Impactor will be praised for not attacking but if Magnus does return in time, and the Wreckers are not ready, then the criticism will be far more memorable. Impactor realises that Xaaron has him over a barrel.

Back at the bar Fang is still beating up the little piano guy, until, with a cry of “wreck and rule!” Twin Twist leaps from his seat and removes Fang’s leg with a single punch. Avenging this injustice has done the trick. The wreckers are fired up again and ready for Operation Volcano!

Back at Autobase Impactor turns up to ask for volunteers and is pleased to see that the Wreckers have all changed their minds too. Operation volcano is back on. Wreck and rule!

This is the first issue set completely on Cyberton since the smelting pool arc and it’s a great one, if relatively simple. The exuberant carnage of the first few pages is well written and adequately pencilled, although if Furman really wanted to fool us he probably shouldn’t have wrecked quite so many prominent Decepticons.

The little arc that the Wreckers go through isn’t particularly original and it is reasonably predictable, but it is just fun to spend some time with some Autobots who aren’t from the Ark and I always welcome the opportunity to see a bit more of Cybertron during wartime. Xaaron is probably the standout character here with his ability to scheme for the good of all. A “wily old buzzard” as Impactor calls him. Not a “Robo-buzzard” or something, incidently, but just a plain old buzzard. I wonder where Impactor has seen one of those.

Smith does not distinguish himself on his only issue of Transformers. He is not very practised at drawing robotic anatomy and it shows in a good many awkward poses and some down right strange inconsistencies. Cases in point, Impactor’s weirdly screwed up face while he’s talking to Xaaron and Twin Twist’s strange hopping motion that almost ruins the dramatic impact of his standing up to Fang. Credit where it's due however, I absolutely love the composition of this panel of Impactor, striding over burning Decepticon corpses.

Still, it’s nice to get away from Earth once in a while and this continues the larger story of “Target: 2006” without yet answering the cliffhangers from last week. A great an essential read, with slightly iffy art.  IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #81 "Target: 2006" Part 3

“Target: 2006” Part 3 was written by Simon Furman, drawn by Jeff Anderson, Lettered by Annie Halfacree, coloured by Tony Jozwiak and edited by Ian Rimmer.

The cover was by Will Simpson and although I slammed his art last issue, I’ve got to say that I am a fan of this piece. Galvatron stands in triumph as the bodies of defeated Autobots lay all around. His foot is on Ironhide’s head. The only conscious Autobot is Jetfire and he is slumped in horrified capitulation as Galvatron roars a primal cry of triumph. Simpson’s style works very well for Galvatron here, because his tendency to make the Transformers look less human than usual makes the Decepticon look like an all-powerful monster, complete with demonically glowing mouth and eyes. The Autobots are not the focus of the piece and can’t be seen very well, so look good enough for the purpose. A very dramatic and intriguing cover, even without the rather unncecessary “TO BE CONTINUED?” caption.

This issue is told in flashback. We first see Ironhide on his knees, digging with his hands, but we do not know why. He is thinking about defeat and indeed, the very next image, and the focal point of the first page, is Ironhide’s unconscious form with Galvatron’s foot on his head, as the cover suggested.

Ironhide keeps digging and remembers a discussion in the Ark. Jetfire and Smokescreen are determined to get Jazz back from Galvatron as quickly as possible (he was captured last issue). Hound warns them about how powerful Galvatron is and urges them not to attempt anything without Ultra Magnus’ help, even though Jetfire doesn’t trust him (a bit hypocritical from an Autobot who started life as a Decepticon drone warrior, perhaps?).

It turns out that Ultra Magnus refuses to help anyway. This decision clearly pains him greatly, but he is seriously on the clock here, and as far as he is concerned finding Optimus Prime and the Creation Matrix takes priority over one captured Autobot.

The Autobots attack anyway. “We did need Magnus” remembers Ironhide as he recalls a battle that was more of a slaughter. Scourge and Cyclonus demonstrate their extraordinary expertise for a while as the Autobots weaken before finally going down, apparently. Jetfire gives the order to go after Galvatron.

Galvatron laughs at them. Arrogantly he points out that the Constructicons do nothing to protect him, because it would be unnecessary, and, even worse, that Scourge and Cyclonus are actually fine, their defeat merely a ruse to break the spirits of the Autobots.

Galvatron invites the Autobots to show what they can do and they oblige. Ironhide’s narration reaches an anguished pitch here as he recalls how Galvatron just stood there, took it, and LAUGHED as lasers and projectiles bounced off his armour. With the Autobots frozen from shock and energy-drain Galvatron makes short work of them with his bare hands. He tells Ironhide that they are "not even worth killing", and leaves them scattered around like burned out toaster ovens.

Ironhide has concluded, after coming around, that the Autobots are useless in a situation like this without someone to take charge, which is why he has been digging.

The final page of the issue shows us Ironhide’s target. He has taken the momentous decision to dig Megatron out from under the rock pile that Galvatron buried him in. Clearly desperate times have called for very desperate measures indeed.

And, as a final intriguing coda, we cut back to the Ark. Grapple walks past, unnoticing, as a red light flashes on a console and a blue coloured fist smashes its way out of some kind of stasis pod.

I love this issue. Ironhide is not usually the sort to get a chance at a tortured soliloquy but we really feel for what the character has been through. Clearly his ultimate decision does not come easily but we can really feel his and understand desperation here, even if it is impossible to shake the "this cannot possibly end well" feeling.

I am not sure I like this version of Jetfire very much. He appears very hot headed but his anguish at Jazz’s ordeal is raw and very real so his rashness is understandable.

It is perhaps a slight contrivance that Ultra Magnus is a bot of few words when it comes to his mission and while the other Autobots know why his is on Earth, he does not waste time in diplomacy with them, leaving them angry and resentful. Still, this creates some excellent soul-searching in the few panels we get to see Magnus this issue.

By the end of the issue the gloves are really off; with Optimus Prime gone and the Autobots turning to their greatest enemy for aid. This is one of the finest cliff-hanger endings that Marvel UK managed to produce.

If the script has a flaw it’s the blatant authorial device of having the villain defeat the heroes but not dismantle them because they are “not even worth killing.” It could be convincingly argued that Galvatron is trying hard not to disrupt the timeline - that is, after all, why he buried rather than destroyed Megatron - but no hint of it is given within this particular issue. It would not have been difficult, we the readers have access to Galvatron’s thoughts if necessary, so although it makes sense that he would not have wanted to disclose this potential weakness to the Autobots reminding the audience might have stopped the story from being quite so convenient.

Anderson’s art is always solid and this issue is no exception. The detail on Ironhide’s unconscious form on the first page is exquisite. When the light in a Transformer’s eyes goes off it is always a very bad thing. This is probably blatant fanboyish projection but it seems to me that a good artist, like Anderson, can reduce a Transformer to a lifeless metal husk just by colouring those two hexagons in black. Ironhide no longer looks like a being that can move under his own power, or indeed anything alive. The rest of this issue is certainly up to this standard and a marked improvement over the last one.

The best issue of the saga so far and with plot twists that promise much bigger things to come.  IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #80 "Target: 2006" Part 2

“Target: 2006” Part 2 was written by Simon Furman, drawn by Will Simpson and inked by Tim Perkins. The lettering was done by Anne Halfacree and the colouring by Tony Jozwiak. Ian Rimmer edited.

The cover was by John Stokes and is, unsurprisingly, a huge step up from the previous issue. Ultra Magnus arrives on Earth in a torrent of energy from the space bridge and falls to his knees in a very dramatic pose. Magnus is a brilliantly designed character for big splash pages and covers and Stokes draws him very well. It’s not perfect. The perspective makes his lower legs look a little too small, but the impression the image gives is more important than the fine detail and this cover succeeds very well.

The issue begins with Jazz and Hound watching Galvatron’s Decepticons at work. The Constructicons have lived up to their name and built a gigantic solar powered assembly for their new leader. The Autobots cannot tell what the machinery is for, but they now it is very powerful and very important. The conclusion, dramatically is that “That thing’ll be the death of us!”They are about to return to the Ark when an energy bolt comes from nowhere and takes Jazz out. Cyclonus has arrived.

Elsewhere the sky opens in a burst of energy and Ultra Magnus plummets to Earth from the space bridge. He is wracked with pain and confusion from the brutal teleportation and Furman uses this as an excuse to show us a flashback that demonstrates how Impactor is still not happy that Magnus might not be ready in time for Operation Volcano.

As his head clears Magnus determines that he only has one hundred and twenty hours before Volcano gets underway, putting a serious time constraint on his mission to Earth.

Meanwhile we see Hound being thrown around by Cyclonus. The Decepticon boasts about how powerful Unicron made him as he knocks the Autobot around. As he explains how his broken body was transformed he is surprised by a shot from the newly arrived Ultra Magnus. Initially Cyclonus thinks Magnus has followed them back from the future, before realising that this is the Magnus of 1986. He manages to give Magnus the slip and, transforming to jet mode, escape into the sky. Magnus transforms to car carrier mode and lets the battered Hound climb aboard.

The arrival of Ultra Magnus has rattled Galvatron but he is determined to forge ahead. He has Jazz and plans to use him in some way to defeat the Autobots.

Back at the Ark Hound is being repaired by Grapple (since Ratchet disappeared in the prologue). Ultra Magnus finds himself in conflict with Jetfire about their course of action. Magnus says that the priority is to locate Optimus Prime and the matrix flame, while Jetfire wants to strike against Galvatron. Jetfire does not trust Ultra Magnus because he appeared from nowhere after the strange events began and he flashbacks to the prologue to prove it. They are interrupted by Smokescreen who has picked up a transmission from Galvatron showing Jazz’s helpless and tortured state. The Autobots are left speechless as the tagline for the next issue promises: “DEFEAT!”

The story has really picked up the pace in a number of areas. Ultra Magnus’ mission on Earth has a real sense of urgency given the huge importance of Operation Volcano. Galvatron’s ultimate purpose for his huge machine is also an interesting mystery. Cyclonus continues to drop hints about the future, mentioning his metamorphosis via Unicron. Jazz’s fate, of course, sets up the primary problem for the next issue.

The general tone of the issue leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind that these events are pivotal. The Cybertron flashbacks are laced with urgency and Furman does well to make us care about this new group of characters. A less confident writer would have simply used events on Cybertron as a delivery system to get Ultra Magnus to Earth but Furman puts enough effort into both storylines that we are genuinely concerned about the fate of Operation Volcano. Furman loves developing new worlds and new characters and is excellent at taking the reader along with him. A long-running saga like Transformers is constantly in danger of stagnating. It would have been too easy to make this a story about finding out the fate of fan-favourite Optimus Prime and restoring the status quo but Furman instead uses his disappearance to explore a bevy of new characters, settings and time periods. Cracking stuff.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the art. Regular readers of this blog will already be aware of my belief that Will Simpson’s style does not fit the usual tone of the Transformers book. While I do not consider him a bad artist I feel that his rather over-complicated pencils mix very badly with Tim Perkins’ heavy-handed inking and leave the whole issue feeling somewhat busy and confusing to look at. I am a great believer in artists putting their own stamp on a book, but when each issue is only eleven pages long, and artists’ runs can be as short as one issue at a time, I feel a certain amount of effort towards visual continuity should be expected, and Simpson makes no effort at this at all.

All in all, this story continues to be a winner and the doom-laden set up for the next issue makes the reader anticipate it even more. IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.

Bish's Review: Marvel UK #79 "Target: 2006" Part 1

“Target: 2006” Part 1 was written by Simon Furman, drawn by Jeff Anderson, Lettered by Anne Halfacree, coloured by Tony Jozwiak and edited by Ian Rimmer.

The cover was by John Higgins and is tied with the cover of “Second Generation” for the coveted title of “Worst Transformers cover ever.” Like the aforementioned depictions of Bruticus and Superion this cover exists only to showcase the new characters in the story in the least imaginative way possible. The renderings of Galvatron and Ultra Magnus aren’t even that good, which is a big problem if that’s the entire point of the cover. They could have been shown as locked in combat or something but in fact they clearly aren’t even part of the same scene, firing at nothing and floating in a starry void. The overly excitable advertising bubble that proclaims “The new leaders are here!”, which isn’t even true in Ultra Magnus’ case, only serves to make the cover seem even more cheap and half-arsed.

Luckily you can’t judge a book by it’s cover (groan). The first proper issue of this epic story opens with a terrific introduction to the destructive capabilities of Scourge and Cyclonus as they zoom about the American Pacific Northwest shooting things up and leaving devastation in their wake. The first splash page is especially striking as they swoop from the sky, weapons blazing and Furman introduces us to them by name and personality. They are, he says, “like nightmarish birds of prey”. Cyclonus is interested in how easy it would be for them to rule Earth but Scourge points out that their mission is to build for destruction in the future.

After this slightly cryptic exchange we find the Autobots, still reeling from the mysterious disappearance of Optimus Prime, spying on the current Decepticon base. As they observe we can see that Megatron is pleased with his remaining troops for their actions against the Dinobots (in “In The National Interest”). As he is briefing his soldiers on the danger posed by Omega Supreme he is interrupted by the arrival of Galvatron and his lieutenants. After some debate about their origins Galvatron, with a casual disregard for causality missing from most time-travel fiction informs all and sundry that he is the Decepticon leader from the future. He asks Megatron for the use of the Constructicons. Megatron’s fusion cannon is his only response to this obvious challenge to his leadership (what, after all, is a mere twenty years to someone with a Cybertronian life-span?).

Galvatron is barely hurt but Scourge and Cyclonus (who need everything explained to them) threaten to avenge their leader’s honour but he frantically stops them, telling them that “Megatron cannot die!” Can you guess who he is yet? Galvatron transforms into cannon mode and blasts the cliff-face, burying Megatron and Soundwave beneath tons of rock. They round up the Constructicons who, after this display of power simply stand meekly and take instructions and then they leave.

Ironhide sets Jazz and Hound to follow the future Decepticons while he puzzles what these revelations spell for the future of the Autobots.

Meanwhile, back on Cybertron, Impactor, the leader of The Wreckers, is arguing with Emirate Xaaron. He is concerned because Xaaron has planned to send Ultra Magnus to Earth in order to determine the reasons for the extinguishing of the Matrix Flame, possibly at the expense of Operation: Volcano. His pleas fall on deaf ears, however, as we are treated to a full page of Ultra Magnus standing proudly and saying “I ULTRA MAGNUS, must travel to Earth!”

Part 1 really was a great issue. It picked up the threads from the prologue very effectively and ran with them. It is still very much a set up issue, and it doesn’t really disguise this in any way. Clearly Furman is under instruction to showcase the rivalry between Ultra Magnus and Galvatron and these issues remove all the obstacles to their inevitable clash on Earth (ie, Megatron and Optimus Prime). There’s nothing wrong with that but it doesn’t exactly keep the reader guessing. Admittedly, if one were to read this story without the prior knowledge that Galvatron is a future version of Megatron, then the whole thing might be a little more intriguing.

If that is even a criticism it is the only one. Furman hits all the nails squarely on the head here. Megatron and especially Galvatron are the stars of the issue and their oh-so-ironic personality clash is the highlight. While they are essentially the same individual, Galvatron comes across here as the more level-headed of the two, confident in his strength rather than given to wild flashes of aggression as Megatron often is. This is a strong contrast to the way Galvatron would be presented in the Sunbow TV series but is pretty close to his portrayal in “Transformers: The Movie”. Of course, Galvatron will only be this calm while his plans are working out. We will no doubt see Galvatron the berserker warrior before too much longer, especially when Ultra Magnus arrives.

Earth’s Autobots do not get much play this issue, but we do get to check in on them and see that they are still looking for answers to Prime’s disappearance. The glimpses of Cybertron continue to intrigue, with the fate of Operation Volcano in the balance. Impactor and Xaaron are clearly interesting personalities and while we do not get any action from Ultra Magnus, his imposing presence projects a clear aura of strength and nobility - great work from Jeff Anderson there who’s work is extremely solid throughout the issue. The Magnus splash is the obvious standout but all of the art is to a very high standard and Jozwiak’s colouring manages to go that extra mile and create the textured look that sets the UK book apart (except for Ironhide’s red face - that is still awful and always will be).

We’re not into the meat of the story yet but Part 1 is a very enjoyable read that is mostly exciting for the drama it promises in future issues. Everything is heating up nicely. IDW's trade of  Transformers: Target: 2006 is available from Amazon.com.