Comic Review...

(Cover "A" by Don Figueroa)



















Transformers #9

Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Guido Guidi

(Covers by Guido Guidi and Don Figueroa)

Summary: 'International Incident,' Part 1: After MEGATRON left Earth three years ago, DECEPTICONS all over the globe were left stranded and leaderless. It was only a matter of time before an insane international despot assembled a bunch of them together to serve as a living Weapon of Mass Destruction, setting off the most action-packed TRANSFORMERS storyline in years, with art by fan-favorite Guido Guidi.


Comments: I usually find Guido Guidi's art fairly good--he's not my favorite comic artist or anything but he's competent. This issue, though, felt more cartoony looking for some reason. I'm not sure if it's my imagination or it really does look more "animated" then normal. Or maybe it's because I bought the Figueroa cover and that sub-consciously looks more gritty (even though I didn't care for Figueroa's new style) compared to Guidi's more cartoon style. At any rate, the story is about North Korea and the Combaticons teaming up for conquest. Unlike previous stories I didn't feel any attachment to this issue. The previous stories Costa did (especially the first six or seven) had a sub-text flowing throughout them. It was about the main action but we also got a hint at bigger things going on. Optimus believed they needed humanity's adaptability while Thundercracker was having a crisis of conscience. Hot Rod just wanted to get the hell out of there and so on. This story, by contrast, is straightforward. The North Koreans and Combaticons have teamed up; Skywatch and the Autobots plan to go stop them--but, uh-oh! The U.S. has gone on record now as saying they would never use Cybertronian tech for their own ends. So it has to be a sneaking mission instead! I mean, it's not the worst story ever or anything but it hardly interests me. We've seen this sort of TF story a million times and we all know how it will end already (which is good because this damned thing goes at least three issues!) It reads like someone wanted to write a cartoon script for the old G1 series and got their wish. I don't hate it but I don't like it either. I feel indifferent--and I'm not sure that's a good thing for IDW's profits in the long run. A bored reader will inevitably drop a title they don't care for and I doubt I'm the only one feeling this way. To be blunt, I need this comic to be interesting--just having "Transformers" on the cover is not good enough for me (sadly, it is for some though).

Rating: Neutral.