stlplaybox:

Transformers: Lost Light #22 hit the shelves last week. I normally refrain from discussing recent issues for fear of spoiling others. A byproduct of this is that I often never go back and ramble on about an issue because by the time it’s appropriate to. Then a new issue’s out and then there are new things I want to mull over and discuss. Rinse and repeat.

But Lost Light #22 marks a monumental moment in Transformers history. 

For that reason, I’m making an exception. 

Actually, I lie. There’s actually 22 reasons why this is a watershed moment.

I extend one final courtesy for those wishing to avoid spoilers. 

WARNING: FRESH & JUICY SPOILERS AHEAD.

1. There’s nothing like going home.

We’re often told the Death of Optimus Prime One-Shot is where MTMTE and the associated IDW phase began. For me though, the start of this journey originated in Transformers #22: Chaos Theory. In that story, Megatron is brought aboard an Autobot ship. Bots stare in awe at him but he is an outsider that instills fear, anger and trepidation into every bot aboard Omega Supreme. Optimus regards him with dread. The weight of their history hangs over their heads. Lost Light #22 is a poignant juxtaposition to this. Bots come onboard Megatron’s ship and Lost Light #22 showcases the journey that he’s endured, the strides that he’s taken since that time. It’s like coming home after all these years and realising how much you’ve changed since then. 

Read issue Transformers #22 again, people. If you love MTMTE/Lost Light, stop reading this rambling article and go read that issue followed by Lost Light #22 again. Do it. Now. 

2. The First Sign

Our introduction to Megatron in Transformers #22 is via a scan which Ratchet notes as “an unusually bright spark”. In Lost Light #22, Megatron’s first action upon returning home is to scan for the brightest spark signatures that mean something to him: Rodimus and Minimus. This is important because jumping through a dimensional portal across time and space. Megatron had no reason to know who he was looking for. That implies that his scanner is set up to detect their sparks no matter where his ship leads. Think back to how happy a stranded Megatron was to hear Pax’s voice in Lost Light #6. The joy he feels stems from the intrinsic trust he has in who Orion Pax is: that the core that makes Orion Pax who is is immutable across time and space. 

That he does this for Rodimus and Minimus shows how much he’s come to love and trust the crew. No matter what universe he may find himself in, Megatron’s always going to be looking for them because of the bonds of trust and friendship that they’ve built. 

There’s a certain romanticism to this about what sits at the heart of MTMTE/Lost Light’s story. And I’m clearly deeply, madly in love.

3. Toying Around 

While I love the nods to Transformers #22, let’s not forget MTMTE #22. Rung is a focal point of this issue and features on both covers for MTMTE #22 and Lost Light #22. (This may or may not have forced a revision of my Cover Stories selection… damned you, Roberts!). The irony is in both cases, neither depicts the truth of Rung’s alt mode. Like MTMTE #22, Lost Light #22 relegates Rung to a makeshift weapon. But we no now he’s more than that.

Let’s not forget Nick’s lovely touch of classic transformation instructions on MTMTE #22’s cover. It’s rather pleasantly meta being able to transform something but not knowing what that something is.  

4. It’s never too late 

Ratchet’s snarky response to Megatron during Dark Cybertron is biting. Megatron even concedes he’d never have the patience. He cites all the things you’d have to deal with. Yet in a few hundred years, Megatron, in the middle of saving a universe from the Functionists, has mastered the skill to be one of the pre-eminent medics in any universe. We see this as First Aid, our universe’s new Chief Medical Officer, tries to tell him its impossible to treat a Zero Point and Megatron proceeds without fuss to stabilise Drift. It’s not just his ability to perform this that’s important, it’s that he’s had the patience and grit to persevere amid “all the power cuts, all the interruptions, all the noise“.

This resonates deeply with me. I want to believe that no matter how flawed or old we get, we’re willing to grow beyond our faults. That we will have the capacity for self-growth despite the entropy that we all must experience.   

5. Sometimes a Fusion Cannon is just a Fusion Cannon… except when it isn’t.  

The iconic fusion cannon. The symbol that came to represent theDecepticon cause. We see what it means to Tarn. We know the fear that it instills in Autobot.

Rung examines this and Megatron chastises him that “I hate to disappoint you, Rung, but sometimes a Fusion Cannon is just a Fusion Cannon.” 

Except when it isn’t.  

Rung, you were right, buddy.

6. Remember that Runt? I mean, Rung?

Oh come on, JRo. Your long game. Your bloody long game. Who does this runt think he is? (Panel from the opening Transformers #22)

7. The Last Light.

Megatron finds the equivalent ship in a parallel universe and renames it “Last Light”. JRo clearly stole the notes of my series finale write up! Banter aside, this choice underlines how much the experience on the Lost Light has meant to Megatron. As the unlikeliest of outsiders who was brought on, Megatron has come to value that experience with the crew as much as we the reader do. This touch is as subtle as Swerve but it’s substantial in what it means for his character arc and its nod to us: the faithful reader. 

8. Drift was right.

It sounded stupid at the time. But Drift, you were so oh-so close. (Panel from MTMTE #22)

9. More than Meets the Eye

A key revelation in both MTMTE #22 and Lost Light #22, is that there’s always lurking beneath the surface of an obvious agent. Beneath the surface, Paddox’s a Ammonite double agent who’s been stealing Transformers secrets to further his people’s agenda. Behind the face of Pharma is the Grand Architect who’s been moving all the pieces into place.

If I’m reading this right, Pharma has been slowly asserting control and the end game is a mix of Adaptus’ plan and Pharma’s twisted scheming. 

10. Rodimus’ change of heart

In Transformers #22, Rodimus is bitterly disappointed, if not disgusted, by Optimus’ coziness with Megatron. Fast forward to Lost Light #22, how things have changed. .

11. Ultra Magnus’ change of heart.

Minimus’ whirlwind of turmoil as he comes face to face with the Decepticon who he once deemed “too dangerous to live” is palpable. Kudos to Brendan Cahill for capturing it so beautifully. (Panels from Transformers #22 vs Lost Light #22)

12. Right there. That badge.

Oh Skids, you are missed. The homage to this moment in Lost Light #22 means so much. Everything he’s done in the past few centuries counts for everything. Skids, I wish you were here to see this. 

13. It’s Minimus, not Magnus.

Magnus has an unusual outburst of emotion in MTMTE #22 when Thunderclash greets him by acknowledging his work. But Magnus has become more than just a rule-toting, badge straightening enforcer of the Tyrest Accord. Megatron greeting him as a dear and sorely missed friend resonates because it hones in on this growth in his character arc. When greeted this time by a captain, instead of being defined by his work, he is defined by his relationships.

14. Medical Captains. There’s not enough of them.

When Thunderclash, Captain of the Vis Vitalis, arrives on the Lost Light in MTMTE#22, we learn he taught Ratchet much of what he knows. This time as another captain arrives, he too is a medical practitioner of great skill.  

15. Drift, you led the way.

When confronted with Thunderclash’s charisma in MTMTE #22, Rodimus tries to talk up his credentials by claiming he’s rehabilitated Drift. Drift takes issue with this – as he should. But this time, Megatron on meeting his former Decepticon poetically acknowledges  the role that he’s played in lighting the way.

16. The power of a name. 

One of the early lessons in life I learnt was taught was the power of remembering someone’s name. Much of this was because I spent a lot of my childhood being an outsider. I get the way the Scavengers feel, that invisibility. When Megatron acknowledges them, my heart melts. It’s not just that he does, but it’s the way he does it is warm and welcoming.. Long and distant from the brutal Megatron in Transformers #22 who saw everything as a means to “peace through tyranny”. I can relate to how the Scavengers react. I remember learning the feeling of being recognised but also the importance in recognising other people. It may be a small moment but it carries a lot of weight with me in what it says about who Megatron has become. 

17. Better in Purple

Short. Simple. Significant. Megatron is comfortable about his choices and his mistakes. He owns them but at the same time instead of avoiding them and what it says about his legacy, he is now ready to accept it for what it is.

18. He’s really not that bad. 

Rodimus certainly didn’t feel that way about the other captain in MTMTE #22, look at him now.

19. I could have saved more.

Transformers #22 vs Lost Light #22. ‘Nuff said.

20. History is what you make of it.  

The weight of Transformers history that hung on Megatron and Optimus’ proverbial shoulders was instrumental in Transformers #22. The two exchange sharp conversations about battles, ideology and purpose. So much of the bitterness and struggle is steeped in history and how they still sit within the shadows of it. The Megatron that we see aboard the Last Light has moved forward. He isn’t crippled and burdened by the history of what’s happened, he’s played an active role in shaping it in the Functionist universe. He didn’t like being abandoned but once stuck, he moved forward and accomplished much in hundreds of years. That wasn’t without the loss of dear friends like Pax, Impactor and Terminus. All of this isn’t mentioned once by Megatron, only the Functionist Council. Yet this Megatron speaks with confidence but his every word isn’t dripping in the quagmire of history and bitterness. This Megatron appreciates his history but more than that, he is ready to make his own history. 

21. Megatron’s warmth

In Transformers #22, you can understand where Megatron’s come from, you get a sense of the magnitude of Transformers history, and you can empathise with him. But he’s cold and brutal. No one likes Megatron. He’s a figure scarred by history and the closest we get to a moment of warmth and feeling is the below. 

But in Lost Light #22, every panel is filled with a measured and warm Megatron that juxtaposes this. When he greets the Scavengers, when he points out that destroying Functionist Primus means destroying innocent Cybertronians, his affection for Minimus, his words to Drift, Rodimus’ concession to Grimlock… the warmth of all of these moments shows the magnitude of Megatron’s growth.

22. As long as we’re all in it together

It’s the end of the universe. There’s no story after this. But, as MTMTE #22 best put it, who cares as long as we’re all in it together? 

So there you go. 22.

I never had a favourite number.

I do now.

Thanks, James. 

PS. Here’s 23. I’ll just leave it here.

PSS. I came up with 36 reasons actually. Although I settled on 22 because, you know, you kind of have to, I want to point out there’s no shortage of reasons to love these three #22s.