Transformers comic review

Transformers Infiltration #1

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: E.J. Su

(cover artists: Guido Guidi, Andrew Wildman, E.J. Su, James Raiz, Don Figueroa, Nick Roche... I think that's everyone. Whew! There are four main covers plus several exclusive/incentive ones too. I just added the main ones to this review.)

Summary: Verity Carlo and Hunter O'Nion drive with Ratchet as he is pursued by the Decepticons from last issue (issue zero). He takes out Runamuck and Runabout for the time being and evades Thundercracker. The trio decide to head for cover in the town/place of Riverside where Verity's mechanic friend Jimmy Pink is. He helps Ratchet recover from some of the peripheral damage he's taken so far. We learn that Ratchet went out to help a human but without the offficial authorization of his faction (so he's effectively on his own). At the end, the Decepticons relocate Ratchet and his new human allies and crash the party.

Comments: The art continues to be consistently good (obviously, opinions will vary on that subject--however, I like the visual style Su has gone with here). The story moves along slowly, intriguing the reader as it goes. Just what exactly is on that palm pilot that Verity stold and why do the Decepticons want it so badly? The characters are fairly interesting--in the comic sense of things. That is, they're not fascinating but still interesting in a generalized way (more so then we ever get out of the cartoon characters). Unlike Dreamwave's previous comics, I actually want to find out what's going to happen next and look forward to next issue. This is a good thing for IDW--being able to hook and retain readers after the initial outing. It also seems like Furman's writing is more interesting then other recent attempts (especially the DW stuff)--he's either really trying here or has a lot more creative freedom then DW ever allowed (or both). The writing is interesting and the dialogue seems a bit better then normal for Furman (in that it has moments of humor). This issue also features a preview of February's Beast Wars comic (but a longer one is already available online, anyway) and some preview panels of next issue too. This is definitely a series to check out, if you haven't already... (you'll also be happy to know that yes, the Transformers do use their robot modes here--at least a bit, anyway). Go buy it! Go NOW!


Strongly recommended.