12 CHAPTER DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE SERIES! IDW Publishing proudly presents a new digital comics event five million years in the making: TRANSFORMERS: AUTOCRACY.

This 12-part series will be released as 8-page chapters every two weeks starting January 18th and running through June. Each episode priced at 99 cents.

ZETA PRIME reveals his plan to the senate … and ORION PAX is sent on a new mission. With these two acts — nothing on Cybertron will ever be the same again.

Writers: Flint Dille, Chris Metzen
Artist: Livio Ramondelli
Letters: Robbie Robbins
Editor: John Barber & Carlos Guzman
Publisher: IDW Publishing, Inc.

Previously

Long ago, on the planet Cybertron … as dissident Decepticons rise up to battle the Autobot leadership, Orion Pax leads a team of police/soldiers. Disrupting an arms deal, they capture the Deception called Swindle — but their actions are interrupted when a phase-charge explodes. None of Orion’s team is killed, but the bomber escapes.

Thoughts

Back in the 80s, I enjoyed the Transformers TV series now known as G1 (Generation One) which lasted from 1984–1993.

I was around age 15. This was around the time of:

  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1982–1994)
  • He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983–1985)
  • Dungeons & Dragons (TV series, 1983-1985)
  • Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends (1981-1983)
  • Thundercats (1985-1989)
  • Silverhawks (1986)

There were several other cartoon TV series based on Fantasy and/or Sci-Fi in the mid-80s and 90s. There were TV series like Star Trek, films like Star Wars. All of which made the minds and hearts of countless youth and children strive into something special and unique compared with preceding generations.

The age of marvel and imagination. The age of the Geek.

This was the generation of Chris Metzen.

It’s been so many years since I watched the Transformers in spanish in Puerto Rico. Very fond times. After I moved to New York at the end of the 90s, I lost track of my childhood show reruns.

I got into X-Men comic books and spinoffs thereafter amassing a collection of over 2000 issues, and got ahold of Starcraft demo in 2001, followed by Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos in 2002, and so on. World of Warcraft has become a constant for me since beta 2004.

I left behind my days of watching the Transformers TV series after what seems like half a lifetime ago. I have forgotten a lot of the core story, but I won’t ever forget noble and just Optimus Prime.

Here I am, full circle, reading Transformers: Autocracy # 1 and # 2 from the pen of someone I admire so much … Chris Metzen.

Autocracy is set in the far past of Cybertron, before the civil war. Before Optimus Prime became a Prime, and was known as ORION PAX.

He was a very different persona with a happy-trigger finger attitude. The events of this comic book seem to show what made him, through attrition, become the Optimus Prime we know.

In a way, Chris Metzen’s story reminds me a lot Jim Raynor. Raynor was an outlaw as you can read in Starcraft II: Heaven’s Devils and Starcraft II: Devils’ Due. A criminal turned hero with shades of gray.

In Transformers: Autocracy # 2, things get more clear where the 12-part series is heading to. The event that led to the civil war of Cybertron is due to ZETA PRIME … who seems even darker than Megatron in his ways and decisions.

The suspense barely keeping together Transformers: Autocracy? Orion Pax is the best officer of ZETA PRIME. What choices will Orion Pax make when his leader turns out to be more villainous than the leader of the Decepticons? What price will Orion Pax have to pay before he realizes the @#$% is about to hit the fan, and he’s the willing/unwilling harbinger?

Order Transformers: Autocracy # 2 and follow the series every two weeks for more.

Note: You can read it using your internet browser. If you can’t find Transformers: Autocracy in the front page, at the top of your screen you will see PUBLISHERS. Choose IDW. Browse to the bottom of the page to locate all the Transformers comic books. Select Transformers: Autocracy. There you will see issue # 1 and issue # 2.

Click the cover image. Select Add to cart. Click the cart icon at the top-left of the screen. Create an account or login. Process the credit card. Go back to the Transformers: Autocracy page. Now you will see a yellow tag with the text READ. It will be stored permanently under MY COMICS.