Overthinking a panel from the comics adaptation of Transformers:

Ugh. It's Monday as I type this, the tail end of a spectacularly crappy day. In fact, that may be figurative and literal: I think I stepped in poop and later got some on my hand. On my way home, though, I finally had a second to listen to the old Batman & Robin soundtrack CD. Why would I have the soundtrack to such a terrible movie? Well, I'm a terrible packrat, and a big Underworld fan. ("Moaner," which plays during some awful Robin scene, but don't hold that against it.) I dragged it out to listen to Smashing Pumpkins' "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning," better known as, the song from the Watchmen previews. And there's a line in that, "In your darkest hour..." which in turn reminded me of this, from Marvel's adaptation of Transformers: The Movie. (#3, "The Final Battle!" Adapted by Ralph Macchio, pencil breakdowns by Don Perlin, finishes by Ian Akin and Brian Garvey.)

For those of you not up on your Transformers history, Ultra Magnus (seen above) had a brief tenure as leader of the Autobots; receiving the Matrix of Leadership from the fallen Optimus Prime. He wasn't great at it: Magnus was admittedly a soldier, more of a general than a president. With his back against the wall, though, he tried to open the Matrix, which legend said would light the Autobots' darkest hour. And this wasn't it yet. That would have to be a new low: realizing you, and the Autobots, weren't in the worst fix you'd ever be in. I suppose a glass-half-full person would say, hey, things aren't as bad as all that then, and you always have the Matrix for the ultimate worst-case scenario. You just haven't needed it, yet. Or, the worst-case isn't necessarily you dying; things could sink much further than that...and we're back to glass-mostly-empty there.

What I'm getting it is even when things look bleak, well, they could always be a lot bleaker. But bleak, bleaker, or bleakest is no excuse to give up. After all, I got through Monday, right?


For good measure, here's Ultra Magnus' entry from Transformers Universe #4, although he looks a little more squat there than he should. I haven't bought any Transformers toys in recent memory, but I probably have a couple smaller figures of him. I may have to try and dig one up now.