COUNTDOWN: 10 noteworthy moments from Skybound’s Transformers #9

Another month has flown by and with it, another epic issue of Skybound’s ongoing Transformers comic series.

As the story continues, the shocks, twists and turns continue apace, as this chapter capably demonstrates! In fact, I’d say there were at least a few moments here where I was reading with gritted teeth… so let’s dive right in and check out all the action from #9.

WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Transformers so far!

#10: Jetfire is shot down

After #8’s rather harrowing revelation that the Autobots have brought Jetfire back online, albeit in a severely diminished capacity, you might expect a brief moment of relief to start this latest chapter. Clearly, Daniel Warren Johnson had other plans because we’ve barely adjusted to the Air Guardian’s new status quo before he’s violently shot out of the sky! The Decepticons have activated their spacebridge to Cybertron and unfortunately, our heroes are caught in the crossfire, putting an abrupt end to any upper hand we all thought they might be enjoying at this point in the story. Jetfire comes crashing down hard and is presumably abandoned, given his inability to transform to robot mode. It might seem harsh, but then the other Autobots have their hands full…

#9: Shockwave arrives on Earth!

Yes, the pace of this issue never lets up, as evidenced by Shockwave making a startling entrance through the spacebridge and arriving on Earth as early as page four! It’s a weighty moment that clearly spells bad news for the incapacitated Autobots, all perfectly punctuated by Prime’s rather foreboding reaction. This take on the Decepticon seems very different to anything we’ve seen before in that he has all of the malevolent menace of the 1980s Marvel version but less of the cool, calm exterior, even cracking wise and dishing out the trash talk towards the Autobots. Whatever the case, he’s clearly every bit the physical threat that his classic comic counterpart was, as is quickly evidenced in battle! With Shockwave and Soundwave now calling the shots, the terror level just went up a notch.

#8: Ratchet’s death

I was not ready for this. Quick, unexpected and outright brutal death scenes are becoming a definite trait of the series, even when it comes to characters who would typically be considered mainstays in any other Transformers series. Still, Ratchet being offed as soon as #9 is not something I would have ever predicted. As one of the most prominent Autobots of the original Marvel run and a fan-favourite in many a cartoon over the years, his grounded presence in this comic made a lot of sense from its inception, and his willingness to challenge Optimus was most welcome in terms of the team dynamic. Sadly, though, the stakes in this storyline are all too real, and it really does seem that no one is safe.

#7: Shockwave vs Optimus

I mentioned above how this Shockwave is unlike any we’ve seen before, and perhaps that’s best evidenced by his rather atypical war of words with Optimus Prime. The two have evidently met on the battlefield before, and apparently, last time, it was the Decepticon who came off worse for wear, even crying for mercy at the hands of his foe. That’s not something I can ever imagine of the classic Marvel iteration of the character, although clearly, the Skybound take has learned a thing or two since this past interaction, as evidenced by his fairly swift and savage takedown of the Autobot leader. Optimus barely gets a few licks in before being rather unceremoniously dispatched by a nasty piledriver (another scene I never thought I’d witness in a Transformers comic!), at which point the monocular menace sets about gloating of his triumph. Absolute scenes!

#6: Arcee & Wheeljack meet the militia

In one of the more random moments of this issue, we get a brief aside to Wheeljack, Arcee and Carly, who are busy speeding along before they’re suddenly ambushed by some of the militia who first appeared back in #3. Carly quickly talks them down and it seems like a potential team-up with the Autobots may even be on the cards before too long, but overall, this single-page interaction feels quite oddly inserted here. It’s clear its purpose is to nudge events along for further down the line, so we will have to wait and see!

#5: Astrotrain & Spike

Elsewhere, we also get a welcome update on Spike, who, as well as grieving for his father, is dealing with the implications that he may be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. However, he only has a short time to process this news before Astrotrain rather summarily appears outside the hospital and demands the human come with him. This interpretation of the Decepticon triple changer is also unlike anything we’ve seen in Transformers fiction before. On the one hand, he is a gigantic, lumbering, almost brutish presence who clearly has little hesitation in dishing out violence as he deems necessary, and yet there’s also a hint that if he were left to his own devices, he wouldn’t actively harm humans as he sees it as beneath him somehow. He is also keen to express a level of respect for Spike after the boy quickly and bravely volunteers to go with him to save everyone else in the hospital, making for quite an intriguing mix of a character altogether.

#4: Elita-1 arrives

After several issues of build-up, the moment we’ve been waiting for is here as Elita-1 finally makes her Earth-bound debut! We first see her still perilously trying to rescue her mysterious, damaged comrade on Cybertron as they flee the Combaticons before the two of them step through the space bridge and land right in the middle of the ongoing fracas! Despite being momentarily bewildered by her new location, Elita quickly gets into gear and shuts down the transportation device just as her pursuers follow through, chopping Brawl in half in the process! It’s a fantastic moment that demonstrates just what a formidable and quick-thinking fighter Elita is. It’s also quite intriguing because this is not a character we typically associate with adventures on Earth, so I cannot wait to see what develops of that soon!

#3: The Autobots retreat

In one of the most shocking moments of the issue, it’s not long after Elita arrives that she convinces Optimus of the need to retreat, given the heavy fire the Autobots are under. Unfortunately, with Jazz and Cliffjumper having been downed in the battle, it means leaving them behind to be captured by the Decepticons, which clearly does not sit well with the Autobot commander! It’s a tough read, especially given Cliff’s heartbroken reaction as he watches his leader drive away, which cannot help but illicit a somber feeling. I’m also sure it’s an event that will come back to haunt Prime in future issues, especially with the tease of what’s about to happen next.

#2: Shockwave’s experiments

Yes, if you needed a reminder of just how brutal this take on Shockwave is, it’s right here as he physically drags Cliffjumper away under the threat of conducting ‘painful experiments’ on him. Cliff has regularly been given a raw deal in Transformers fiction, and after really shining in the Skybound series thus far, this feels extraordinarily hard to read, as he and Jazz are clearly in for some unspeakable horrors ahead. Horrible.

#1: Beachcomber!

However, the issue ends on a slightly brighter note as we once again catch up with Spike, who is now being held prisoner aboard Astrotrain. In the middle of their conversation, the giant Decepticon is suddenly impeded, and his engines shut down, forcing him to crash on a nearby beach. What happened exactly? Well, eagle-eyed readers of #8 may have spotted the subtle presence of Beachcomber lurking in the shadows at one point, and it’s here that the miniature Autobot makes his debut proper, incapacitating Astrotrain and dropping in to rescue our human protagonist! It’s another exciting development among many in this issue, making for a welcome cliffhanger into the bargain!

So that’s our list! Did you enjoy #9?

TTFN