Comic Review...

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #13

Writer: John Barber
Artist:Andrew Griffith
(covers by Andrew Griffith, Casey Coller and Marcelo Matere)


Summary:  ON THE PROWL! It's 'no more mister nice guy,' as CYBERTRON burns and one AUTOBOT is all that stand between order and anarchy. Meet the new PROWL--deadlier than ever, colder then any other AUTOBOT, and ready to end the DECEPTICON threat-forever.
  
Comments:  The blurb above does an excellent job of totally misleading you on the premise of this issue (is that a good or bad thing?) In this issue, Starscream tells the supposedly-comatose Megatron how he was almost in-charge; the Decepticons continue to riot while Prowl leads Wheeljack to the "black room" in order to ensure their race's survival. Meanwhile, Bumblebee and Metalhawk try to hold things together and Arcee makes Blurr a proposal regarding Dirge and Swindle...
    The story ends on an unexpected plot twist, one that was truly impressive and I did not see coming. I'm hoping things move forward from here on and we don't get some kind of stupid "this is what Prowl planned all along" sort-of note. I would like to see that he did what he thought was best, hence the outcome of this issue and go from there, not this-is-a-double-think on his part, etc. plot (I'm tired of all the spotlighting on Prowl and how clever he is stuff. We get it. Move along already!)
   The art continues to be fairly good. Everyone is recognizable and looks good... no complaints there. :)


Verdict:  Good. Staying on the pull-list for now...

Cover "A" by Andrew Griffith

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #87

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman
(covers by Andrew Wildman, Guido Guidi and Geoff Senior)

Summary:  WAR CRY! The conquest of IACON begins in earnest, as SCORPONOK's game-changing strategy threatens the very nature of what it means to be AUTOBOT... Or DECEPTICON! And HOT ROD begins his own personal odyssey to the very heart of CYBERTRON--where ancient forces are stirring!


Comments:  Grimlock and others arrive on Cybertron and begin killing or converting Autobots to their cause. Hot Rod goes to find Primus below the surface, unaware of the evil demon-y creatures down there. On Earth, Optimus Prime stays behind to try and help humanity rebuild (even though they previously said they don't want his help). Meanwhile, Galvatron and Starscream meet up and a plot their next move.
    I continue to enjoy this series. It's interesting to see Grimlock switch sides in order to help out his fellow Dinobots... but at what terrible cost?  Thanks to him, at least a few Autobots are already dead...and the others are acting like Decepticons. I do wonder why messing with their "C.N.A" automatically turns everyone into a Decepticon... it's an interesting idea but it would be better if they still had some self-control despite it. Otherwise, the net result is a bunch of good guys acting like they're brainwashed instead. It's a fine line and this issue crossed it a bit too easily.
   I also wonder why Optimus decided to stay behind on Earth. The humans don't want Transformers there and what can he really accomplish? (Other then being there to conveniently stop Galvatron's machinations--whatever they turn out to be). I also don't care for the return to his whiny, overly-introspective persona. Again, it's something that can be effective if used right in the story...but sometimes he reads like a Manic Depressive personality.
   There are several art mistakes/odd choices in this issue. All of the restored Headmaster head designs look wrong (off-model compared to the classic designs). Also, Grimlock's head is now wrong--he has his classic body but should still have his Action Master head (but doesn't!) Not sure if Wildman had the wrong reference art or tried to remember it from memory or what...it was weird and a tad distracting in an otherwise good issue. 

Verdict: Pretty Good. The series continues to be worth reading...

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Retailer Incentive cover by Geoff Senior