Transformers: Autocracy #5

by Chris Metzen

12 CHAPTER DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE SERIES! THE HUNT IS ON! ORION PAX's strike team follows the trail of a young rebel into the ancient ACROPLEX! But what they find there is more than a single dissident-- it's a secret that will shake CYBERTRON to the core!

Unknown Binding

Published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Mintaikk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal review: I like this issue a lot. I complain about the art style in Autocracy and while this applies to the bots, it does NOT apply to the backgrounds. The backgrounds are GORGEOUS. I'm in LOVE with the way they drew the statues for the Knights of Cybertron, the outside of the Rust Narrows, and the burning city at the end. 


It also fully introduces Hot Rod, which made me very excited because Rodimus Prime is one of my favorite characters. Seeing the history of him (before seeing him in MTMTE) makes me so happy. 


I like the small hints of where everyone's character is going in this series. Prowl has some offhanded comments about how “they shouldn't side with dissidents”, which shows that his character will always choose the law over morals, and from what I hear, that DEFINITELY comes back later. 


Seeing the different reactions each bot has to finding out their government sucks ass more than they thought it feels realistic. They don't abandon it right away (it’s why we have multiple issues), but the distrust is very clear. Optimus feels hopeless and frustrated, Bumblebee feels scared, and Prowl digs deeper. It feels like reactions that real people would have (even if they are giant alien robots). 

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-Aight, I'm sick of doing recaps. Imma just comment on the things I thought were interesting and hope my shit memory doesn't fail me



-I love Bumblebee and Ironhide's mentor/student style relationship. It's very sweet


-Hot Rod leads them to the Knight's of Cybertron. *Little Life is Strange butterfly appears in the corner* “This will come back later.” 


-Bumblebee: “The Ancient Halls of Order. Supposedly, it was the seat of power for the Knights of Cybertron. That is, if they ever existed…” 


Hound: “The knights were said to have watched over our worlds before the Primes took power - ruling with wisdom and justice.” 


Ironhide: “That's a nice story, Hound - but we've got our own justice to dispense.” 


I just think it's really funny when fictions and legends exist in a fantasy or sci-fi world. “Pft, that's just a story.” Baby… look at the world you're in. 


-Bumblebee notes plasma mines on the ground and how Hot Rod could have taken them out at any moment, but he doesn't. They follow the very obvious tracks that Hot Rod left and they spot a symbol for the Matrix of Leadership :0000


-Cuts to Megatron and Starscream watching through Laserbeak. They're anticipating Orion seeing the truth so that “all hell breaks loose in Iacon.” Megatron throws some shade at Starscream too, which is always necessary for him 


-Hot Rod leads the Autobots to the Heart of Acroplex - a place now filled with energon tanks and dying bots trying to get just a small slither of it. Really creepy


-Hot Rod leads them here so that he could show them what Zeta did. Despite his hatred for Zeta and the senate, he believes that Orion isn't like him. He says that he can either arrest him or stand with him, but he needs to make his choice count. 


-Orion feels awful about what's going on, Bumblebee thinks it's time to accept that the Decepticons aren't the real problem, and Prowl immediately shuts that down by saying that they're officers and that they shouldn't side with dissidents over their own government. 


-Prowl is DEFINITELY lawful neutral


-Orion looks over to the Horizon to see a giant mecha-suit burning down the city. “Zeta's making his big push. We're all out of options.”