Villain Resource Comic - Spotlight Megatron

[Alverant]

I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I recently picked up a copy of Transformers Spotlight: Megatron (IDW) and I wanted to recommend it to GMs for a look inside the mind of a master villain. The good news is if you don't need to have a knowledge of the IDW Transformers continuity to know what is going on. (I had to stop collecting comics in Nov 09 due to being laid off and haven't started again.) In fact if you have a basic knowledge of the Megatron/Starscream relationship from the first two seasons of the 80s cartoon, you're good. Everything else is explained with minimal references to other issues making this issue very self-contained.

 

Summary: Three years earlier Megatron fell in battle and Starscream took over. He did such a bad job Shockwave and Soundwave had Megatron reformatted. Megatron talked with Starscream and tried to push his buttons but Starscream is silent in his own personal pity party. "I wonder if while running the legacy of the Decepticons into the DIRT, Starscream also succeeded in destroying HIMSELF." After a series of jibes Megatron finally provoked Starscream into attacking. After he realized what he did, he flees. Megatron thinks, "Maybe I SHOULD feel ashamed... but I really don't. Even without knowing what had occurred during my absence I awoke in a new body, bedecked with new and TERRIBLE modifications... and the FIRST thing I thought of as my transformation cog found its bite was: 'I cannot wait to beat the living spark out of Starscream.'"

 

Megaton now transforms into a stealth bomber and gave chase continuing to attack Starscream both verbally and literally. Starscream lashes out when reminded at how bad of a Decepticon leader he was until he confesses that he is angry at Megatron because Megatron "never had something he dreamt of crumble before his eyes". But Megatron has, it happened when he saw what happens when Starscream is in charge. He beats Starscream until he begs for death. Megatron refuses telling him that he spared him through all those betrayals to remind him to watch his back. But no more. Now it's because the Decepticons needed every bot they can get, even Starscream. He told him to use his self-hatred to fuel him to fight the Autobots.

 

The other Decipticons watched the fight and are inspired by Megatron's speech. "A million years to create them. A thousand days to destroy them. A hundred words to rebuild them. Everything is as it should be."

 

Quotes: Too many good quotes to list. They show Megatron to be the leader of an evil army he should be and not the cliche kind that builds mind control machines or weather controllers or armies of drones. This issue lays out an archtype for any warlord with an army of supervillains that can be good in any setting.

[Mathew]

Re: Villain Resource Comic - Spotlight Megatron

 

For those interested, Hasbro just announced that they are making a toy of the version of Megatron that appears in this comic, and packing him in with the comic itself for stores for the 30th anniversary of the Transformers!

[Alverant]

Re: Villain Resource Comic - Spotlight Megatron

 

For those interested' date=' Hasbro just announced that they are making a toy of the version of Megatron that appears in this comic, and packing him in with the comic itself for stores for the 30th anniversary of the Transformers![/quote']

Cool, except now when I buy it I'll have two copies of the same comic.

 

It's also worth mentioning that the Starscream here was based from Masterpiece Starscream.

[Mathew]

Re: Villain Resource Comic - Spotlight Megatron

 

Shortly after the events of the comic Starscream reformats himself into his Generation Fall of Cybertron toy, as do Soundwave, Shockwave and Laserbeak. I think the order came down from Hasbro to IDW comics to try to start making the characters look like the toys ON THE SHELVES NOW. That way someone can read the comic and then go to a store and buy the characters toys, instead of finding them as vintage toys on ebay!