Beast Wars Issue 4

 

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for this issue of IDW's Beast Wars comic

Issue 3 was a pretty big turning point in this version of Beast Wars - depicting the inevitable defection of former Predacon Dinobot. Rather than him defecting due to the percieved incompetence of Megatron (as was the case in the initial series), here, tired with the lack of honour displayed by his comrades, Dinobot steps in to put a halt to their cruel torture of new character Nyx. Issue 4 is a much quieter in comparison, mostly dealing with the fallout of Dinobot's decision.

We begin the issue with Nyx, alone in the jungle after escaping from the Predacons. She's in pretty bad shape, and her weapons are offline. After nearly meeting a grizzly fate at the hands of one of the planet's native creatures, she is saved by Dinobot, who then proceeds on a journey to bring the Maximal back to her base so she can recover from her injuries.

As stated in the opening paragraph, this issue mostly deals with the aftermath of the events of Issue 3 with Nyx now stranded after fleeing the capture of the Predacons and Dinobot now effectively a traitor. This issue does a good job of showing this through the perspectives of Nyx and Dinobot as well as the Predacons, now trapped in their own base thanks to Dinobot.

The opening scene in the jungle does a good job of showing the toll the events of the previous issue have had on both Nyx and Dinobot. We open with Nyx attempting to get back to base, but thanks to the injuries sustained during the torture (as well as Tarantulas locking her weapons), she doesn't quite have the strength to fly in her animal mode, and she is unable to fend off a fearsome predator who encounters her. One thing I think is a cool character trait is that, in spite of the situation she appears to be in, Nyx is trying her best to stay positive and even makes light hearted comments about her situation such as saying 'this will make for a great story'. We even see her trying to fend off the predator with a makeshift club she's made out of a branch. 

The predator she encounters is an interesting one since it's a green cat with red spikes protruding from it's back. This is something that contrasts heavily from the other creatures we see as it's clearly more alien to the other creatures seen in Beast Wars which are all relatively based in reality. Without getting into spoilers (due to the fact we haven't reached that point in the retrospective of the show), this could mean that the prehistoric planet the characters have found themselves on could have different origins to what was depicted in the show.

The big character this issue, much like the last issue, is Dinobot. Here, he finds himself on the run after turning his back on the Predacons. He finds Nyx and saves her, and then rushes her back to the Maximal base once she gets completely incapacitated due to staying in her robot mode for too long. We end the issue with him bringing Nyx to the Maximals with the two parties meating on a chasm which looks identical to where Dinobot met the Maximals in the TV series. Of course, the Maximals are initially hostile, but we end the issue with Dinobot offering to join the Maximals. How they'll react to that is something we shall have to wait until next issue to see, but I do think it's interesting how this heavily differs from what was depicted in the show.

In the series, Dinobot's wish to join the Maximals was more out of a want to destroy Megatron. His initial wish was to command the Maximals after defeating Optimus Primal in a fight to the death. Here, this is not the case, as Dinobot is not after leadership - he just feels that the Predacons lack honour and fighting alongside them no longer sits right with him. Feeling that a war is on the horizon, Dinobot merely wishes to fight alongside the side which has honour.

We get a great scene before this with the Maximals explaining the relationship between the Maximals and the Predacons. Here Rhinox states that the two sides are at peace and maintain peaceful relations with each other to ensure that no one gets left behind. Cheetor is distressed when he picks up a Predacon signal that instantly deletes itself, and Rattrap expresses his distrust at all Predacons. This is great at establishing the character's views towards Predacons, hinting at how they might feel about one of them joining their ranks.

Speaking of the Predacons, they start the issue stuck inside their own base. Here we see that Tarantulas is arrogant as he brands himself as the 'greatest genius Cybertron has ever known' which is a neat character trait. They are all furious about Dinobot's betrayal, and after they escape their base, Megatron states they have a score to settle with their former ally, and all six Predacons head off after him.

While this issue is quieter than the previous one, it still manages to do an excellent job at pushing the story forward and setting the stage for what's coming next. As always, I'm excited to see where things are going to go from here.

Beast Wars Episode 13 - Dark Designs

 

So far, Rhinox is a character who has been more of a background presence in comparison to the rest of the Maximals. His main purpose has been to be a voice of reason when Optimus isn't around as well as being the most scientifically/technologically knowledged of the group - allowing him to both understand the strange planet they've landed on as well as construct devices that will aid them in their fight against the Predacons. He's also proven to be a major badass, as witnessed by his usage of duel chainguns in combat that allow him to obliterate Predacons. This episode brings the character to the forefront as he ends up becoming a Predacon.

During a hunt for Energon, the Maximals get ambushed by the Predacons. After Optimus Primal gets downed, Rhinox uses his duel chainguns in order to start a landslide that crushes the Predacons, allowing the Maximals to escape. This feat impresses Megatron, who feels he has underestimated Rhinox up until now, and tasks the Predacons with capturing him, with his plan being to turn him into one of them.

Much like Gorilla Warfare, this is an episode where the script feels more akin to something that could have been an episode of the 80's Transformers (featuring a similar 'one of the heroes goes through a personality shift' plotline), but what makes the episode so watchable are the hallmarks that elevate Beast Wars beyond your typical animated series made to sell plastic figures to children. Another aspect that makes this episode so fun is that we get to spend more time with the Predacons.

I really like this episode's opening scene - it's a fun battle sequence where Rhinox gets an opportunity to flex and show off the badass combatant side of his personality. It does a great job of establishing Rhinox and showing why Megatron views him as a potential good asset for his forces.

Rather than go and rescue Rhinox, Optimus decides that the Maximals should wait a while (even mimicing Megatron's habit of saying the word 'yes' in an elongated and exaggerated manner) before storming in. The reason for this is because the Predacons haven't realised that they've bit off more than they can chew by trying to convert Rhinox into a Predacon.

A large chunk of the episode is spent on the Predacon base, and we can clearly see why Optimus decided to hold fire, as Predacon Rhinox quickly proves that he's not one to take orders. Rather than being a soldier willing to fall in line, Rhinox instantly starts plotting to overthrow Megatron and take command of the Predacons. Rather than going all guns blazing, Rhinox initially does this covertly - sabotaging the Predacon's computer systems and taking out the Predacons one by one. This eventually gets observed by Terrorsaur, who we of course know has his own plans to overthrow the Predacons, so him and Rhinox agree to work together in order to achieve this goal.

The idea of Rhinox acting this way as a Predacon is an interesting concept. It would have been easy to make it so that Rhinox was a loyal Predacon, but that wouldn't have been as exciting. Having Evil Rhinox have his own agenda makes the episode feel more unpredictable and throws another spanner in the works. This detail gets explored a little bit more in Beast Wars' sequel series Beast Machines, but sadly it's execution isn't handled as well (but we'll get to that later).

One fun detail of this episode is Waspinator going through a personality shift after getting a knock on the head from Rhinox. This makes him believe that he is actually a Decepticon named Shrapnel. Black Arachnia refers to him as a Decepticon who fought in the 'Great War' - confirming that the Great War that Optimus referred to in the first episode was in fact the war between the Autobots and Decepticons that was depicted in the original Transformers cartoon. This is the first major link between the two shows, and as we get into the second season of the show, the series will become more and more intertwined with G1, something which helped the show win over the fans who were more cynical towards Beast Wars due to it's differences from the original show.

Megatron, being the meglomaniac that he is, isn't going to give up control easily, and realises that he got more than he bargained for in converting Rhinox into a villain, and ends up reversing the procedure since he knows that he has no chance of taking on Rhinox in a fight. This proves to be perfect timing, as the Maximals storm the Predacon base at this very moment in order to rescue their ally, leading to this episodes explosive climactic battle.

This is a fun episode that allows us to spend more time with the show's antagonists and allows a character who has primarily been a background presence to get a moment in the spotlight. It's also an episode that really begins to build the bridge between this show and it's predecessor and establishing the continuity between the two shows.

Next time: Megatron attempts to clone Dinobot in 'Double Dinobot'

Beast Wars Episode 12 - Victory

 

Dinobot is probably the most complex character in Beast Wars. This is down to the fact that he is effectively a Predacon fighting alongside the Maximals against his former comrades not because he believes in their cause, but because he wants to take down Megatron. Last week's episode saw Dinobot briefly grappling with his potential fate once they return to Cybertron, and this episode explores that more as he's faced with what to do in light of the Maximal's supposed victory in the Beast Wars.

At the start of the episode, The Maximals are monitoring the Predacon base through a spy camera they planted within the base when a sudden mutiny from Terrorsaur seemingly leads to the Predacons destruction. With their supposed victory in the Beast Wars at hand, the Maximals start to use components from the Predacon's ship to repair their own and prepare for their return to Cybertron. However, Dinobot is left to question what to do now that the fight is supposedly over.

This is a great episode which is more story and character driven than some of the other episodes we've seen this season. I like that the story doesn't feel the need to shoehorn in loads of action to keep the young audience invested. Sure, there is a battle at the climax of the episode, but most the episode is spent with the Maximals dealing with their apparent victory, and the central conflict for most the episode is Dinobot trying to figure out what to do next.

Last episode brought up the question of Dinobot's fate upon returning to Cybertron, and showed that he was reluctant to return due to him having to return as a prisoner as well as that he's reluctant to be referred to as a Maximal. This episode sees him struggling with this notion even further. Rattrap in particular also questions Dinobot's loyalty - feeling that now the Beast Wars are over, he will turn on them. Dinobot ends up deciding to stay on the planet, feeling it would be a preferable option to returning home as a prisoner. His departure with the Maximals is a great scene, showing that in spite of his clashing with them, he has a deep respect for them. 

Another really neat scene comes from Tigatron's first steps onto the Axalon. Seeing as Tigatron is used to being in the wild, he expresses how uneasy he feels being in a non organic environment. It's not a massive moment, but I thought it was a cool little scene that shows Tigatron's differences to the other Maximals.

Of course, the Predacons weren't really dead. It turns out this was a trick they pulled after discovering the Maximal's spy camera. With the Maximal ship up and running, their plan was to comandeer the ship and convert the floating stasis pods into Predacons. Thankfully Dinobot was able to discover this before the Predacons were able to put this plan into action.

While the Predacons don't succeed in this mission, they do end up preventing the Maximals from returning home as Megatron (after Rhinox gets to yet again show off how badass he is by flinging Megatron out of the ship)

plunges his claw into a control panel, sending the Axalon hurtling back to the planet. This is saved at the last minute by Optimus Prime emulating Superman and preventing the ship from plummeting on the surface of the planet (backed by music with a similar vibe to John Williams iconic Superman theme). This is a fun little homage started with the Maximals onboard saying 'Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Optimus!'. This kind of feels like something that wouldn't be out of place in Beast Wars' predecessor ReBoot which frequently had similar homages.

The important thing about this episode's final conflict is that the Maximals decide to go and help Dinobot rather than abandoning him to the cruel mercy of the Predacons. Optimus decides to go and help him, with Cheetor deciding to tag along, and Optimus ordering the ship to leave without them if they aren't back in time. This shows how loyal the Maximals are to Dinobot that they were willing to risk not getting back to Cybertron to save him.

With this episode and the previous one, you can really feel the show beginning to hit it's stride and begin to tell more compelling stories to match up with the already great direction and characters. While there may be a couple more bumps along the road, from this point the show is only going to go from strength to strength.

Next time: Rhinox gets reprogrammed as a Predacon in 'Dark Designs'

Beast Wars Episode 11 - The Probe

 

So far this season, every episode has ended with a Maximal victory of some description. No matter how dire things may seem for them in their battles with the Predacons, they have always pulled through and managed to gain the upper hand. This episode is somewhat of a departure from that, as the Predacons get their first victory against the Maximals.

We begin this episode on the Transformers home planet of Cybertron, where the Maximals express concern about The Maximal's disappearence while chasing after Megatron's crew. In light of this, they send out a probe to scour the galaxy in order to locate them. Rhinox detects this probe, so the Maximals build a beacon in order for the probe to detect them - allowing them to return home. However, this is noticed by Megatron - who intends to put a stop to the Maximal's plans to return to Cybertron.

This is a pretty solid storyline with some pretty high stakes - that being the potential end of the war if the Maximal's plan succeeded. It's established that if the Probe located the crew of the Axalon, then that would mean Maximal reinforcements being sent down to the planet, who would of course then capture the Predacons and then our heroes can return home. It's clear why this is of interest to both sides - the Maximals of course want to return home, but Megatron doesn't intend on returning home to Cybertron as a prisoner, so he wishes to put a stop to this.

The presence of this probe creates an interesting dynamic with Dinobot, who is much less enthusiastic about returing to Cybertron than his peers. This is, of course, due to his initial alliance with Megatron meaning that he will be taken into Maximal custody upon returning to Cybertron. While Optimus reassures him that he will try and ensure that doesn't happen and that Dinobot will be recognised as a Maximal, Dinobot isn't thrilled by the notion since he still views himself as a Predacon. This reinforces the idea that Dinobot is only allying with the Maximals due to them having a common foe.

Cheetor and Tigatron also get some time to bond as they both end up getting captured by the Predacons and taken to their base - meaning both need to find a way to escape captivity. Them both transforming into different types of cat gives them a nice dynamic, especially given that their personalities are radically different - Cheetor being young and impulsive and Tigatron being significantly more mature and calm. It's great seeing them come together at the end to assist their comrades during this episode's climactic shoot out.

Of course, there was no way the Maximals were going to succeed in contacting the Probe. That would mean the end of the show. However, that doesn't make the ending of this episode feel any less bittersweet. Sure, the Maximals all live to fight another day, but Megatron still ultimately won - he destroyed the array that would have allowed the Probe to contact them, preventing them from returing home. Ending the episode this way helps to build up the Predacons as a bigger threat, and shows that the Maximals don't always win. It also keeps things interesting, as it leaves us questioning whether or not the Maximals will win in the end.

This is one of the stronger episodes within the first half of the season. The higher stakes give the story a real weight and the bittersweet ending ends the episode on a memorable note. This combined with the show's usual strengths of the dynamics between the characters and the well directed action make this episode stand out.

Next time: A small Predacon rebellion seems to end the war for good in 'Victory'

Beast Wars Issue 3

 

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THIS ISSUE

After the first issue essentially retold events depicted in the TV series (i.e. the Maximals and Predacons crash landing on a mysterious planet), the second issue instantly began to take the story in a different direction - allowing this new comic to carve it's own identity and be enjoyable to those familiar with Beast Wars and those experiencing this iteration of Transformers for the first time through the pages of the comics. This third issue very much continues down the road set out by it's predecessor, and allows us time to begin fleshing out some of the characters we haven't spent as much time with yet.

The issue begins where the last issue left off with Nyx being captured by the Predacons. As their prisoner, she is being interrogated by the cruel and sadistic Tarantulas who takes great pleasure in watching the Maximal suffer. While the Maximals debate what their next cause of action should be, Dinobot's loyalty to the Predacons is tested as Nyx's interrogation gets more gruesome.

I've been really enjoying the way that this comic has begun to tell it's own story, and this is something which continues throughout this issue. The big character this issue is Dinobot, who finds himself more at odds with the Predacons than ever, something which has been hinted at in previous issues. 

In the first issue, he took issue with Terrorsaur's needless killing during the heist to obtain the Golden Disk, and last issue, he grew impatient with Tarantulas taking priority over mysterious readings than surveying the planet. This all comes to a head in this issue when he takes issue with Tarantulas's methods of torture and interrogation. These tie back to his sense of honour, and this leads to him stepping in and allowing Nyx a chance to escape, officially fleeing from the Predacons as he feels that they no longer align with him. Unlike in the TV series where Megatron simply just brushed off Dinobot's betrayal and made no attempts to go after him, at the end of this issue, he vows that he will hunt down the turncoat and execute him. 

Tarantulas seems to take immense pleasure in his interrogation techniques, describing it as if it's an art form that he's perfected over the years. He seems to have a reputation for this, as when Megatron tells Nyx that Tarantulas will be taking charge of the interrogation, she is terrified. This really plays into the horror of the situation, and builds up Tarantulas as more of a threat. 

New Predacon Skold has been more of a background presence so far, but she seems to take Dinobot's treachery harder in comparison to the other Predacons. We get a sense that loyalty is something that's important to her, which is shown as Dinobot tries to get her to flee the Predacons as well. She refuses as the Predacons didn't abandon her, and she refuses to abandon others. This hints at an interesting backstory to the character which I'm hoping will get played out more as the comic progresses.

Nyx is shown to be made of pretty hard stuff as, in spite of all of Tarantulas's cruel and callous interrogation techniques, she is able to hold out through all of it and not reveal any information that could put her crewmates and friends in danger. Instead, she merely taunts Megatron by saying that history will barely remember him, just like it barely remembers his namesake.

Cheetor hasn't really been given much to do so far in this comic, but in this issue, we can see he is somewhat hot headed and impulsive like his TV show counterpart. After Nyx doesn't report back, he is adamant that she's in danger and that they need to go out and look for her. This not only shows that he's impulsive and not thinking things through, but it also shows that he cares for his teammates.

Optimus decides to wait until morning to look for her, which he assumes is the right thing to do. However, soon after he has a conversation with Rhinox where he questions whether or not that was the right move for him to make. This reminds us that this version of Optimus is thrust into a combat situation that he isn't prepared for, and showing that he's pretty new to the role of commander. Because of this, he has doubts and second guesses his own decisions.

This series seems to be getting better every issue as more and more layers get added to the mix. Seeds are planted for potential future storylines, and we get some payoff from events from the first two issues. I'm incredibly excited and impatient to see where the story will go in Issue 4.

Beast Wars Episode 10 - Gorilla Warfare

 

While producing Beast Wars' predecessor ReBoot, Mainframe Entertainment had to overcome several obstacles. This was down to the fact that, up until then, no one had ever made a TV series using CGI, so it was a massive learning process learning how to make a show using this (at the time) revolutionary technology. One thing that they learnt was how the approach of making a show using CGI is actually closer to live action than it is to traditional cel based animation. This lead to them approaching the show more like a live action show. This approach is something that was carried over to Beast Wars.

This is something which I feel makes early Beast Wars stand out more than it otherwise would have. I haven't been 100% engaged by the stories of a fair few episodes so far, but what makes the episodes so watchable is the way that Mainframe takes the story from the script and makes it work. This is down to a mix of editing, camera positions/movements, the musical score from veteran Mainframe composer Bob Buckley, and the voice actors. These elements are largely what carried the show in the beginning before the scripts caught up later on. This brings us to this episode, an episode with a script that isn't one of the best, but the way that Mainframe conveys the story makes it a fun watch.

While examining a plant, Optimus Primal and Dinobot get ambushed by Scorponok, who plants a robotic bug on Optimus with the aim of making him more cowardly, therefore weakening the opposition and securing the Predacons victory. However, this has an inverse affect and ends up turning Optimus into a 90's comic book anti hero with the single minded goal of blasting the Predacons into oblivion!

For some reason, this episode's story feels like one that would have worked in the original 80's Transformers show. It's a pretty basic plot of 'villains infect the hero with some kind of device that changes their personality' that can be pretty commonplace in these kinds of shows. In spite of this, this episode still works through it's direction, voice acting, and action.

I like how we begin the episode with Optimus examining a plant. After all, the Maximal's started the show as being more like the crew of the Enterprise from Star Trek than a crew of battle hardened soldiers. It makes sense that Optimus is interested in examining the strange planet him and his crew have found themselves on alongside fending of the Predacons. Dinobot, a former Predacon, sees little point in doing this since he feels that the time could be better spent going after the Predacons.

Dinobot's former alliegence also plays a part in the Maximals figuring out what's happened to Optimus, since he's able to determine exactly what the device that Scorponok infected Optimus with does. This episode also forces him to take a step back and approach the situation more like Optimus would and attempt to negotiate with the Predacons for the cure for Optimus. While it fails, it's a nice character moment for a character who's first instinct is usually to rush in all guns blazing.

However, the highlight of the episode is Primal's one bot assault on the Predacon ship. While it's clear that Optimus is not himself, seeing him single handedly fight all the Predacons is incredibly badass, and something which is made to work through the positioning of the cameras and the editing. One moment in this sequence that I particularly like is when he bursts through a wall to grab an unsuspecting Predacon. 

While not one of the stand out episodes of the show, much like a lot of the early episodes of Beast Wars, it's still enjoyable enough to be worth a watch, but you won't be missing out on any major story details if you decide to skip it.

Next time: The Maximals attempt to make contact with a Maximal probe in 'The Probe'

Beast Wars Episode 9 - A Better Mousetrap

 

It's quite common for TV shows (even the very best) to have the odd episode (or in some cases, seasons) that aren't quite up to scratch in comparison to some of the show's best episodes. For instance, The Great Divide is quite commonly regarded to be the weakest episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and some point to The Simpsons episode 'The Principal and the Pauper' as being the moment that began the iconic show's nosedive into mediocrity. While a lot of Season 1 of Beast Wars is pretty watchable, there are the odd episodes that don't quite hit the highs that the show will go onto in later episodes. This brings us onto this episode, an episode that is fine, but not a particularly great one.

This episode's plot is divided into two plots running somewhat concurrently with each other. The first plot involves the Predacons drilling under the Maximal base to plant a sonic emitter that would allow them to access the base and attack it from the inside, and then we've got another plot where, after activating the Maximal's new defence system before it's ready, Rattrap finds himself trapped inside the Maximal base, and has to avoid it's several attacks in order to shut it down and allow the other Maximals access back into their base. Both plots don't really have much to do with each other, and we mainly just intercut between the two of them.

Much like last week, this is a Rattrap focused episode. It's interesting that, like with The Web and Equal Measures where we got two Cheetor episodes in a row (at least, if we go by the show's broadcast order rather than the production order), we now get two Rattrap episodes in a row. I can only speculate that Hasbro thought broadcasting these two episodes one after the other might help to further boost the sales of Rattrap's toy. Like in Double Jeopardy, Rattrap has to use his ingenuity and skills in order to navigate the Axalon in order to shut down Sentinal, the ship's new defence system. These segments can sometimes feel like an early 3D platformer like Crash Bandicoot (which was released a month prior to this episode's first broadcast), particularly the scene where Rattrap is surfing through a flooded corridor.

There's things I like about this particular plot - I like that it's showing the Maximals thinking of new ways to combat the Predacons and prepare for the possibility of a Predacon entering the base (which happens to be exactly what the Predacons are planning), and I like that it's Rhinox who is developing this new system - further establishing Rhinox as the Maximals technical/scientific expert. Dinobot doesn't feel the system is effective enough since he wants to kill the Predacons, and Sentinal is programmed to disarm and apprehend the Predacons rather than kill them.

The ending of the episode is also pretty clever, where we as the audience as well as the Maximals are lead to believe that Rattrap has been killed once Sentinal goes offline. The Maximals pay their respects, and we get to learn what they think of him. Even Dinobot admits that, while he has no love for Rattrap, he will miss him, and Rhinox refers to Rattrap as his best friend. Then the screen begins to go to black with a circle surrounding the Maximals (as if to signal the end of the episode) only to cut back to reveal Rattrap exiting the Axalon and greeting his allies. 

The Predacon plot line isn't as interesting. We don't get as much characterisation for the Predacons asides from Blackarachnia being placed in charge of the mission, and she still has yet to come out of her shell beyond being the show's only female Predacon. However, we do get to see Tigatron single handedly take them on and reassuring Optimus that he doesn't need assistance to take on the Predacons. It's also nice to see that, while Tigatron operates in the wild separate from the other Maximals, the two parties are still in contact with each other and will give each other any intel that might be of interset to the other side.

While this isn't a bad episode, and has plenty in it to make it a worthwhile watch, it isn't anything special in the grand scheme of things. 

Next time: Optimus Primal gets infected with a virus in 'Gorilla Warfare'