Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

Wow.   I just forgot how much I loved this collection.   It's five issues, and they are, somewhat, standalone stories that pull into one cohesive whole.   Kinda.   Each character takes a heave role: issues four and five are about mostly about Ratchet, and the back cover says six is mostly about Rodimus - although I think it's more about Max, and seven and eight are another min-arc that involves the crew of the W.A.P., and involves Grimlock.   

However, I would argue that there are two arcs - the first three issues and the second half is two that don't really do that heavy continuation of the first three.   So, Ratchet, and everyone who got Fisitron's blogs, all reporting on the Wreckers, get one posthumously.  Ratchet figures out that it's coming from Delphi, and not only that, it's telling them all that something wrong is going on at the Autobot Delphi medical unit.   That is, half of the patients are dying.   

Two mind-blowing issues are Ratchet trying to figure out what's going on, including him, Drift, and others almost dying of a rust virus.   But the real kick is at the end - and how Drift gets Ratchet a nifty new pair of hands, since Ratchet's hands were getting locked up and making him useless as a medic.   (And thus useless - the one thing Ratchet is good for - according to himself, at least - is being a medic.)   I must say, Ratch is not normally my favorite character, although in Prime and IDW-Verse, he's amazing.   He's also at his cranky best here - and he gets to show that he is good for a hell of a lot more than being a medic.   He not only figures out how to get the antidote to the virus, he's also the one who figures out how it works, and he's the one who follows First Aid's explanation to these conclusions.   He's crazy smart, and he's devious to boot - he fucks Pharma over good.   And Pharma deserved everything he got, and a whole lot more. 

But it's First Aid who gets Fortress Maximus into the mix.   This is especially important because the third issue in this volume is the one where Max takes hostages.   I'd argue it's more his story, of why and how he was driven by a bitter realization - how long it took Prowl to get help to Garrus-9 - that is driving him over the edge of reason.   It's about decisions Rodimus has to make, too, but I'd argue that the focus is on Max.  I'm guessing, though, that they didn't want to say this on the back cover as you're not supposed to know about Max then?

The DJD issue is the one that holds my interest least.   It's clever as always, but even now, it's fading from memory.  The problem is that I don't really care about these particular Decepticons, and I'm not sure why.   They're full characters: full of life, full of weaknesses and flaws, and, yes, even goodness - such as their loyalty to one another - and of course sexiness.   But I just don't care about them that much.  I didn't find their particular backstories as interesting as being on the Lost Light.  

You do get one page of Grimlock, and then he plays a pretty big role - despite not having much page time - in issue eight.   And I have the same issue with eight as I do with seven. It's just not as interesting to me when Grimlock, or the crew of the Lost Light isn't there.  And I know it was all Dinobot month, but... jeez.   That's a shitty reason to have this story that has, up until now, not been heard of again.   (I'm up to volume 5 in this, too.   It's either a really, really long game, or this story was as pointless as I think.   If it's the latter, then maybe the fact that this doesn't come into play again is what's making me yawn...)

Still, fabulous, and it works as two separate stories.   It does tie in, especially with the bits of the Lost Light crew that you see in the last two episodes. And there is the fact that Max was beaten to death, and lobotomized by Overlord, and he is mentioned as being on the D.J.D. - Decepticon Justice Division - radar.   So there is more tie-in than it would seem at first.   Still... I was so hoping Grimlock would have more speech bubbles, and time in the comic.   Especially disappointing that he doesn't show up again.   Argh.