Transformers Comic Review... (slightly belated)

Transformers Infiltration #4

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: EJ Su

(Covers by James Raiz, EJ Su, Andrew Wildman and Guido Guidi)

Synopsis: The issue starts with a flashback to Verity's youth, a scant three years ago and a social worker who psycho-analyses her. Cut to now, and Verity is the first being lowered down into a dark pit where the Decepticon base is. Above, Hunter and Jimmy watch then follow after her. The three set up a flare and then go off in three different directions, searching for evidence of the Decepticons ultimate plan--each has a hand scanner to pick up data for Ratchet to analyze later. Elsewhere a mysterious group, the Machination, speak of the recent loss of their operative (from issue one) and how he left them a homing beacon to follow in the event of his death...a new operative, Drake, is called in to pick up where he left off. Back at the former Decepticon base, the humans continue investigating and Verity finds a dead human body in a tube of some kind. She freaks out for a moment but then composes herself and acts like nothing is wrong (because she's such a tough cookie and all). Outside, Ratchet and Bumblebee are attacked by Skywarp and Blitzwing just then. Ratchet deduces they're there to destroy the base and tells the humans to get out ASAP. The two men are agreeable but Verity finds one more area she wants to check out first. Bumblebee takes on Skywarp and manages to damage him. Ratchet attacks Blitzwing but he retaliates and apparently incapacitates Ratchet. Inside the base, Verity has found another room and hears someone talking... the speaker is present in the room--it is Megatron!

Comments: Although my synopsis doesn't really cover it, Verity's toughness is a recurrent theme throughout the issue. It starts with the social worker who says she thinks Verity's toughness is all an act. We see this is true when Verity finds the body and freaks out. Afterward, when she finds Megatron, the look on her face betrays her true fear. I applaud Furman actually trying to make an attempt to develop some of the humans in the story--it's been too long since someone made the effort (Dreamwave just had people in their stories but didn't seem to really care about them). I do hope we get a lot more character development--both on the human and TF sides of things. The art continues to be very good (if you like that style anyway). I have a feeling that Decepticon hologram avatars have infiltrated Earth's government/business structure. The conversation with the Machination has only one guy speaking and all the other "humans" are silent. Are these people truly humans or holograms? (I may be reading too much into this, though. Perhaps they are human and Furman just had no lines for them?) I loved that Bumblebee took on Skywarp and emerged victorious (or apparently victorious). It's about time B.B. got to do something useful instead of just getting captured or something... I also like Megatron's new half G1/half War Within appearance. It will be interesting to see exactly what he changes into (I'm guessing a tank of some sort).
Distribution continues to be a bit of a problem where I live. I only found one copy of the comic when it came out and that was the Guidi cover, which I didn't like at all... I finally hunted down the Raiz cover (best of the bunch, as usual) at another shop. I don't think shops are ordering enough of these comics and that's not a good sign.

Highly Recommended.