Personally, I’m not really liking Robert Kirkman’s run of Transformers SB. DWJ had such a unique style of writing the characters, he really knows how to write and depict pain and grief. One stark difference between the two is how they write the Decepticons. Previously it was clear that the Decepticons care about their own as much as the Autobots do, and not in an ‘honour’ or ‘loyalty’ way but in an affectionate kind of way. Like actual friends.
Rumble crying out in grief when Frenzy was killed. Onslaught laying down next to Brawl and comforting him and promising to repair him. Blitzwing wanting revenge because his “love” is dead. Soundwave and his care for Ravage. The little things that make them more than just “bad guys”, they’re people just like the Autobots. That element of the story is most personified in Thundercracker, and even though his sympathetic trait is continued I really don’t like how him and his relationship with Skywarp was handled after DWJ’s run.
When Thundercracker was bought online and saw the state of Skywarp he was aggrieved and horrified because he cares for him as his brother. So much so, when he found out Starscream and Soundwave were the ones that did that to him he abandoned the Decepticons altogether and focused entirely on helping Skywarp out of his predicament.
It all got me wondering about their relationship. Were they close? From Thundercracker's reaction they seem to be. I wanted to know more about them and their history. How did they become "brothers"? What will they do when Skywarp finally gets his repairs?
Then comes #26... I read it... and it slaps me with this:
Out of all the things of Kirkman's run I hate how this was handled the most. That's because Skywarp and Thundercracker had such great potential for deeper storytelling. But then we're hit with Skywarp not remembering any of his time connected to the Ark, acting psychotic the moment he's waken, making excuses for the Decepticons' cruelness towards their own, and also subjecting Thundercracker to hurtful words. It's kind of hilariously a detriment to Thundercracker's own character, if Skywarp is like that then what the heck did he even see in him in the first place to warrant such care and concern towards him??
I hate its waste of potential. And if I had it my way, I would've rewritten it like this:
I would never have Skywarp forget his time connected to Ark and what Soundwave and Starscream did to him, and I would've kept him cognisant the whole time as well and communitive (well, I guess he is depicted that way). When they return, Thundercracker will not approach the Autobots with hostility. Attacking them is just a stupid decision in the first place, when they far out number him. I want him and Skywarp to strike a deal with them - they restore Skywarp to full function, and they leave them alone. They won't return to the Decepticons and they certainly won't be joining the Autobots. From how Thundercracker thought that the Autobots did this at first, there are definitely cruel Autobots out there as well. Maybe that's why they joined the Decepticons.
Optimus Prime agrees to their terms, despite protest from his Autobots. And When Skywarp wakes up fully repaired he is much more mellow now, his violent tendencies from before have all but died, and he is happy Thundercracker is here with him. (This cements that their relationship isn't one-sided). Skywarp is clearly changed by the experience. (But we won't explore the trauma implications here or now).
They keep their promise and jet away from the Ark. Many Autobots still think the decision would bite them in the back, one of them says that they've lost loved ones to the Decepticons. Prime argues that there are Decepticons that lost loved ones to the Autobots as well. Choosing mercy, choosing kindness when possible are what will separate Autobots and Decepticons.
It's a bit of a wholesome scene, and we need scenes like that in a violent story. Otherwise those gruesome and devastating scenes won't hit as potently as intended.
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