One step closer to “the end”, whatever that entails. Armageddon has decimated Earth and you’ll never guess who wipes the last of humanity out in the final pages. Probably the saddest moment is the fate of Granny Blake. It’s been a long time coming, and you knew she was going to kick the bucket sooner or later. Not quite the emotional impact I had expected from her eventual demise, but still rather eye-watering. The battle with Zera is a bit of a let-down but it goes to show Spawn’s new cosmic-level of power. #163 is solicated as the “grand finale” which makes me wonder where they go from here. Hopefully they won’t be pressing any reset buttons. This Armageddon arc has been too damn good to be tarnished with a cop-out.
Ninja Scroll #3
“Jigoku part 3”. So the first arc of the Ninja Scroll on-going series is through. How was it? Well, it was very…nostalgic. The Eight Devils of Kimon are recycled as the villains through this arc, though you find the truth out at the end of this issue. Sadly, the truth is pretty obvious, and I think even the writer knew this, as Jubei can’t stop mentioning it over and over. Still, it is a decent character piece for Jubei, as he deals with the guilt over murdering his own clan many years ago (Gemma had framed him…it was in the movie). The bit with Kagero wasn’t so great and the ending made Jubei seem a little heartless, but we’ll see where this goes. No real foreshadowing at all in this arc, other than Jubei’s guilt. Not sure if Enma-O is going to be a villain or not or really where anything is going. I guess we’ll find out.
Transformers: Escalation #1
While the Infiltration arc was a sorry disappointment, this sequel looks to give the audience what they’d been wanting all along: Transformers. With all the set-up and “gee wiz, giant robots” crap out of the way, Simon Furman is free to use all the robots he wants. The characterization is still Furman’s best suit, with everyone acting just perfect. Prowl seems a little unfairly villainized, though. I mean, he was never the coolest Autobot, but they’re really going out of their way to make him out to be a total dick. Megatron’s speech to his Decepticon troops was a highlight, had me chuckling. The story goes that Hunter, Verity and Jimmy are being kicked out of Autobase by Prowl in order to sever connections with humans. They aren’t happy about it and start throwing tantrums. Meanwhile, the Decepticons are planning the next phase of their Ore-13 gathering operation. In addition to that, a Government SWAT team has been deployed to detain the Autobots. One issue down and already I’m liking it more than the entire Infiltration arc. Hopefully Furman can maintain the quality.
Sonic the Hedgehog #169
“Order from Chaos part 2: the Great Harmony”. The conclusion to an arc that wrapped up countless loose ends and bit of dangling continuity from years past (whether this was their initial intention or not, and I’m going to go with “not”). A nice origin piece for the Chaos Emeralds, too, as you learn what planet each colored Emerald hails from. The defeat of A.D.A.M. is a little to predictable, but this is a young readers-comic. The fate of Tommy was rather dark, though. Some good lines, too, such as “Even Shadow isn’t THIS angsty!” The back-up story, “…For a Friend” is another Chaotix spotlight, and I adore those. Espio the Chameleon gets the star treatment as he infiltrates one of Robotnik’s factories and, along with Nicole, learns what happened to Charmy the Bee’s people. Notice that Nicole’s tangible animal form from a few issues back is now her computer avatar; cute bit of continuity. A good Chaotix story and a great spotlight on Espio’s ninja skills.
Transformers Spotlight: Hot Rod #3
Spotlight is one of the best Transformers comics to come along in a while. An anthology series focusing on individual characters (there are thousands in the extensive Transformers mythos) with storylines that have repercussions in the main Transformers titles. This issue focuses on Hot Rod and actually manages to paint the insufferable radical dude in a rather pleasing light. Hot Rod infiltrates a maximum security Decepticon prison to rescue Dealer, a soldier who fought under his command and was taken prisoner during a mission he botched. Well, if you’re familiar with Transformers, you can probably guess who Dealer is and what the twist was. Never-the-less, pretty fun and the narrative from Hot Rod-himself shows that there’s a little more going on underneath the fun-loving exterior. Special appearance by Banzaitron seals the deal.