Shooting Star!

Part 2

Issue 52, 15 March 1986.

Written by: Bob Budiansky
Art by: Don Perlin (pencils), Al Gordon (inks)
Colours by: Nel Yomtov
Letters by: Janice Chiang
Cover art: Perlin's the favourite, but the credits are unavailable.

Reprinted from US issue 13.

Plot: Joey Slick uses his 'new gun', Megatron, to make a name for himself as a big shot in criminal circles. Despite all his successes, though, he feels empty. His new friends only like him because of his status, so he tries to visit his old neighbourhood. He finds, however, that his old friends there now fear him. The neighbourhood kids aspire to his life of crime. Sick of the whole business, he goes to Jake Lomax to repay his original debt and be done with it. He gives Lomax his money, and punches him out. When he throws his gun aside, the jolt brings Megatron's higher functions back online. Megatron is incensed at the thought of Joey ordering him around and goes to kill him. Joey faces death, saying that Lomax once scared him more than anything, and now he's dealt with him. This impresses Megatron enough to let the human live.

Brill!: Joey stands up to Megatron, and he realises that by taking out his greatest fear (Lomax), he's had the greatest moment in his life. If he's conquered that, he can deal with anything, and nothing Megatron can do - even kill him - will take that away.

Naff dialogue: 'Take this knowledge with you to your grave, condemned one. The blow I sustained when you tossed me to the ground moments ago reconnected the circuits loosened by my fall from the cliff!' I know Joey asked Megatron what happened, but the 'take this to your grave' stuff doesn't really go with a big blob of exposition.
Joey (on the departing Megatron): 'Let's just say it used to be mine -- but then I found it wasn't my style!' Um, is that our witty line to end the episode? Righto, then...

Miserable glitches: There's a printing bleed on the first picture of Joey in his ugly suit, making it look like he's spilt something on himself. Which might improve that outfit, really.
How do Joey and Megatron destroy an entire battalion of National Guard vehicles in the manner shown without killing or maiming any of the occupants? And did Joey have a big long talk with Megatron when we weren't looking about never ever firing a killing shot? Because Megatron's not known for how much he hates killing people.
And could they really take out all of them before the Guard got so much as a shot off? They've got tanks and automatic weapons and everything. Megatron might be pretty powerful, but Joey's just a guy.
When Lomax is ranting over the paper, one of his thugs' hair changes colour between panels.
I don't know how serious Joey is about not killing people, but blowing up the roof underneath one of Lomax' snipers, and throwing him several storeys onto the concrete is not going to up the guy's chances of survival.
Y'know, if a decent knock can turn the Decepticons' leader into a zombie, that might want to be the sort of thing they'd do something about. (Hmmm...better not tell Shockwave about it.)
Megatron seems surprised that Joey is still alive after he shoots at him. I was, too, given that Megs was trying to kill him with a fusion cannon from all of a metre or two away...

Back-up strip: Robotix.

Notes: This story was reprinted as part of Transformers - Cybertron Redux (Titan, 2003).
Once more, for the story content I'm using the Marvel US originals, for what good or ill that may bring.

Comments: Oh, dear. I know Joey Slick doesn't get out much, but surely he must have noticed how awful his 'big criminal' striped suit is? And that wearing a bright red tie and red handkerchief with it isn't going to help matters? Seriously, I know Marvel fashions circa 1986 aren't anything to write home about, but this is one terrible get up, not helped by Joey's own silly lip-biting grin.
A very nicely drawn and shaded picture of mindless Megatron while Joey's talking to him in the penthouse.
However, the rest of the art is somewhat variable - not only in terms of quality, but literally, as I had trouble a couple of times working out that Joey was always the same guy (he certainly looks very different on the last page). As for the story? Eh. As with Part 1, it was a nice idea, but the heart wasn't quite there in the execution. Also...the 'Ooh, you've earned my respect, you get to live' ending. Arrgh. I really don't like those. Less the concept as they usually just seem like a way to get the story over without anyone dying. No, Joey probably didn't deserve to die per se, but is Megatron the type to let someone live because they impressed him after they've pissed him off something chronic? Not really. It just didn't fit here, and the way it happened made it clear they just didn't want Joey to die or Megatron to off a human in front of the readers. A fairly lacklustre tale, though an interesting way to bring Megatron back into the story.