If you've been one of the millions to relive your childhood by already seeing Transformers in theaters and are looking for a little bit more, you are in luck. In conjunction with the movie release, IDW has published the prequel comic to help answer some of the questions you walked away from the Transformers film asking. And who better to set up his new mythology than Simon Furman, one of the most significant contributors to the TF mythos over the years and fan favorite artist Don Figueroa. Originally published as four separate issues before the film's release, the story has been widely released in trade paperback format.
Chapter one sets the stage for this epic story, and helps provide a greater amount of history than what was provided in the film. It is revealed that Optimus Prime and Megatron were both co-rulers of Cybertron for nearly an eternity. Eventually, Megatron grew ambitious and sought to take the All Spark, the seed of life for the Transformers, for himself in order to conquer the heavens. Prime hides the cube in the remote city of Tyger Pax, where novice warriors Bumblebee and Arcee lead a group of Autobots defending the city. Knowing the All-Spark is hidden within the city, Megatron eventually shows up and levels his opponents. Before the Decipticon leader can do much more damage, the Autobots launch the cube into the sky, with Bumblebee stalling the villain just long enough for the cube to safely enter hyperspace. In return, Megatron crushes the Autobot's vocal cords and leaves him for dead, himself fleeing to space after the All Spark.
The remaining chapters take place on earth and introduce some other
familiar characters. Chapter two begins with Megatron's arrival in the
Arctic circle, low on Energon after years of searching the stars.
Nearly powerless, he is unable to save himself when he lands and the
icy surface collapses beneath him, trapping him in the freezing waters.
Like the movie portrays, thousands of years later he is eventually
found by Sam Witwicky's great grandfather.
After brief contact with the
frozen creature, Captain Witwicky is driven insane and
institutionalized. The discovery of Megatron, or “the Ice-man” is taken
control of by a secret group of the government called Sector Seven, who
also discover a mysterious cube near the future location of the Hoover
dam in the late 19th Century. Fast forward to 2003; Bumblebee arrives
on earth. The Autobot spy does not go unnoticed as Sector Seven agents
watch his approach and arrive just after the Autobot has adopted local
camouflage of a 1977 Camaro and escaped on a nearby highway. He sets
off to search for as much information about the All Spark as possible,
utilizes the Internet to learn of the Witwicky discovery, and sets
off in search of the glasses that contain the All-Spark's coordinates.
But Bumblebee is not alone. A group of Decepticons arrive on the planet
lead by Starscream. Meanwhile, like all teenagers who want a car, Sam
Witwicky is in search of cash and decides to place his great-grandfather's heirlooms up for sale, in an auction online. Elsewhere,
Agent Simmons takes command of a Sector Seven operation designed to
replicate the radiation of the cube and lure capture creatures
attracted to it. They get more than they bargained for when Starscream
and Blackout show up and destroy their air support. Barricade tracks
down Bumblebee and the two share a brief skirmish, before the
Decipticon allows the Autobot to escape so that he can lead them to the
All-Spark.
Ultimately, the prequel comics tie in some key characters and reveal a
few layers of added meaning to what was laid down in the film. There
are some differences however, especially involving the treatment of
Sector Seven, who in the movie was almost a source of comic relief, and
here are more subversive and threatening. In the end, I was still glad
I read this before seeing the movie on the big screen, for the depth it
added to the experience.
As the saying goes, when it comes to Transformers, there is always much more than meets the eye.
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