When Elita-1 and Ultra Magnus showed up on the Ark, it wasn’t a warm welcome for the old soldiers. Magnus is unrecognizable, having been stripped of his outer plating, and subjected to hundreds of years of captivity and torture at the hands of Soundwave. And Elita-1 carries a large chip on her shoulder from feeling abandoned by her fellow Autobots as she and Magnus continued the fight on Cybertron.
It’s a grudge that she isn’t letting go of as the remainder of the Autobots plot an attack on the Deception stronghold in their old ship, the Nemesis. Optimus Prime is adamant that they must rescue Cliff Jumper and Jazz, who are being held captive by Shockwave. At the same time they need to destroy the portal that connects the Nemesis to Cybertron. The portal allows Shockwave to transport Energon back to Cybertron where he will be able to overpower the dwindling Autobot faction.
The plan requires assistance from Sky Warp to teleport the Autobot team into the Nemesis and lets them mount a surprise attack on the Decepticons. They arrive just in time to interrupt Shockwave before he can begin extracting the information that he wants from Jazz and Cliff Jumper, through whatever torture methods he wants to deploy.
Just as the Autobots are taking the upper hand in the situation, Arcee’s lust for revenge gives Shockwave an opening to escape and call in his reinforcements in the form of Devastator. The Autobots have backup themselves, when a reinvigorated Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack make their entrance. However, old scars run deep. Magnus has been deeply wounded by Shockwave. And now standing face to face with his persecutor once again, Ultra Magnus flees.
Daniel Warren Johnson tells a compelling story about old warriors and the damage that they suffer in war. Both physically and emotionally. There are casualties on both sides. And both sides have those that limp along, and those that force themselves to push through everything and charge forward.
He is complimented by artist Jorge Corona, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Rus Wooton. This art team brings drama and emotion to the characters. They capture the grittiness of the environment that is populated with Autobots and Decepticons who are far from being in pristine condition and continue to piece themselves together.
The Skybound/Image Transformers run is an engaging comic book series. They’re doing an excellent job of relaunching the brand with this series and making it the center of their Energon Universe.
