Transformers #16: Love Will Keep Us Alive

Transformers #16 kicks off the second part of this new story arc with Sarah Stern taking over the coloring duties. With the recent attempt at an invasion from the Decepticons on Cybertron, the Transformer race as a whole is in disarray. This issue picks up with the attempted attack on Optimus Prime and the Autobots as Starscream arrives to fight a battle of his own. This allows Optimus and his friends to briefly escape but not before he is hit by another mind wammy that may help determine what exactly he is going through. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper’s adventure on Cybertron leads him to the gravesite of his old friends as he suggests a daring mission in an attempt to reignite the drive in his Autobot allies. The issue then ends on a huge cliffhanger that will not be spoiled here.

Fans of Transformers rejoice, Cliffjumper is finally getting his fair due within this franchise. Daniel Warren Johnson kicked off this run by killing Bumblebee and has opted to give readers the best interpretation of Cliffjumper out of any Transformers media. His story here is very heartbreaking, with the pathos of his conscientious objector mindset contrasting with his desire to do good amongst his friends and allies, especially Carly. Whereas the relationship between Spike and the Autobots, like Bumblebee, carried that human relationship in prior iterations, this series leans into the relationship between Carly and Cliffjumper really well, even when they are on completely different planets.

Cliffjumper’s plan here is revealed to be the creation of a new Autobot, using the parts of his old fallen friends. This sounds like a Frankenstein horror story waiting to happen, but the book assures you that this is not uncommon in the world of Transformers so…it’s fine…it’s fine. Either way, the idea that one Autobot will turn the tide of war is kind of Christianic in nature; however, it doesn’t seem like Johnson is leaning in that direction. Instead, Cliffjumper seeks to have the birth of a new Autobot be a symbol for his people. He is looking to give his friends hope beyond anything else, and that really speaks to the journey this character has gone through.

Back on Earth, fighting is the name of the game. The Decepticons clearly are lacking a central, strong leader, leading to the return and spiteful actions of Starscream that unintentionally give the Autobots a way to escape. It is a little unfortunate that the heroes are so downtrodden that they are relying on the Decepticons to defeat themselves, but that is why this is an underdog story! While the end of the issue paints a huge picture of the future of the Decepticons, this infighting is super fascinating, as even the goals of the Decepticons appear to be differing, rather than just their motives.

Finally, the journey that Optimus is going on is worth discussing here to a large degree. At first, it seemed like Optimus’s memories were being overwritten by Sparky’s spirit; however, this issue makes it seem like the use of Megatron’s arm may also be a fact here. What if Optimus is experiencing a mix of his own, Sparky, AND Megatron’s memories? This character is really being put through the ringer, and it definitely is setting up a lot for the future of the franchise that everyone should be buckled in and ready for.