Transformers Armada Volume 2

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Interesting But With Some Flaws
Review: Beginning in late 2001, a huge wave of 1980s nostalgia has been sweeping the country. One product of this is a new comic book series based on the 1980s hit cartoon series, "The Transformers". It's a story about giant robots from the planet Cybertron engaged in a millions-years-old civil war, which has been brought to Earth. The war is fought by the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. These robots can transform into things such as cars, tanks, jets, and guns. There were 98 episodes of the cartoon series. At the same time, Marvel had published a comic book series that ran for 80 issues (plus some crossovers in "G.I. Joe"). Then there was a 12-issue "Transformers: Generation 2" sequel series. These series occured in a different universe than the cartoon series and did the story their own way. In 2002, a new company called Dreamwave started publishing their own "Transformers: Generation One" comic books. One of these comic book series is "Transformers: Armada". It's based on the toy line of the same name. It also uses some elements from the anime series (such as the human kids). It is, however, a separate universe from the anime series. It's pretty much the same situation as the original cartoon series and the Marvel comic book series back in the 1980s: two separate Transformers continuities running simultaneously. The comic book stories are, in general, better than the anime stories - with the exception of the battle against Unicron (which the anime series did better than the comic book series). One complaint that I have is that the robots have teeth. That's really odd. Another complaint that I have is that the creators of the toy line are re-using the names of Generation 1 characters for the new Armada characters, which might confuse people. That's not a fault of the writers, though. A lot of Transfans hate the kids, but I like Alexis. Of course, I usually take a liking to the female characters. Besides, Rad and Carlos are the only other kids present in the Armada comic continuity, and I can deal with them. So, is this trade paperback worth getting? I'd say yes. It's a new Transformers universe filled with new characters and new adventures. Enjoy.