Comic Review...

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (one-shot)

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Dheeraj Verma
Covers: Dheeraj Verma (regular), Norwood Cole (RI. High Moon Studios FOC concept art)


Summary:  RISE OF THE DINOBOTS! Searching for a missing teammate, GRIMLOCK leads his team deep into SHOCKWAVE’s citadel—and they’ll pay for their trespass with their lives! It’s the origin of the Dinobots as you’ve never seen it before!

Comments:  This apparently started life as a web exclusive comic which has now been compiled into physical issue.
   Grimlock risks his life, and the lives of the Lightning Strike Coalition (what the Dinobots are called in this story before they become the Dinobots) to save Swoop, who has been caught behind enemy lines with essential information. All of his team succumb to Shockwave, who uses their indomitable spirits to transform them into something all-together new... Grimlock holds on to his hatred of Shockwave as his last bastion of will. Will it be enough?
   The story is decent and presumably serves as set-up for what happens in the FOC game itself (I haven't yet had time to play all the way through it). It's an okay story and I think Barber makes the most of what he has to work with.
   The art is neither good nor terrible. Usually I land on one side of the fence or the other but this issue's art (by Dheeraj Verma) alternates with some good panels and some where I have no idea what I'm looking at. It could be better in places but it's decent overall.

Verdict: Average. Not essential reading but an okay distraction.

Cover by Dheeraj Verma

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #89

Writer:  Simon Furman
Artist: Andrew Wildman (pencils), Steven Baskerville (inks)
Covers: Andrew Wildman (A), Guido Guidi (B), Geoff Senior (RI)


Summary:  DINOBOT WAR! Happy reunions are in short supply as Grimlock seeks out his Dinobots in a desperate attempt to salvage something from the mounting carnage in Iacon. But as far as they’re concerned, he’s a traitor who has brought shame on the Dinobot name—and if they’re going down, he’s coming with them!


Comments: I had trouble thinking of what to say about the story with this review. It continues on and, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing where it all ends up. It seems like that's my sentiment with every issue to-date. It was nice seeing the other Dinobots finally (in the here-and-now) and the revelation that the "demons" are the first inhabitants of Cybertron was fairly obvious even from their first appearance waaaay back in TF #76.

   I had some art issues though. The last page shows what appears to be the Decepticon clones, Wingspan and Pounce.  They're supposed to have identical robot modes but here they have entirely different head designs (does someone not grasp the concept of clones?) Also, there is still the issue of the Autobot Headmasters heads looking wrong. And some of the background art could be better too--it's almost like Wildman's being a bit lazy this time (series) around. 

  

Verdict: Very Good.

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

Retailer Incentive cover by Geoff Senior

It's hot! It's here! It's now, baby! :)

Introducing, the latest greatest issue of....

TRANSMASTERS MAGAZINE!

http://transmasters.angelfire.com/tmmag/issue17/index1.html



(Note: The Crimson Destiny story's not quite ready but the rest of it is, so I'll update soon-ish with the rest).

Thunder

Comic Review...

Transformers Spotlight: Bumblebee

Writer: John Barber
Artist: David Daza

Covers: David Daza (A), Livio Ramondelli (B), Clayton Crain (RI and Convention Exclusive covers)


Summary:  ESCAPE FROM EARTH! Before Cybertron was reborn—BUMBLEBEE lead the Autobots on Earth. In this untold tale, he must take the reigns of command… and he’s got hundreds of rogue Decepticons standing between him and respect!


Comments:  This is yet another story set during the Mike Costa era, a series I patently hated and don't need to be reminded of. Bumblebee's scouring Earth looking for any remaining Decepticons while most of the Autobots have returned to Cybertron to deal with Galvatron.
   Overall, the story is logical and decently written. Like the Megatron spotlight, it has no real bearing on current events but it a good look at Bumblebee's character and what he has to face while being in command of the Autobots (Who ever thought that putting him in command was a good idea?)
   My real complaint is with the terrible artwork. Drawn by David Daza (this is my first exposure to his work) everything looks cartoony and ill-defined. Can IDW not afford good artists? Yuck!

Verdict:  Average. A decent story with terrible art.

Cover "B" by Livio Ramondelli

Comic Review...

Transformers: Robots In Disguise #14

Cover "B" by Casey Coller

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Andrew Griffith (pencils), Brian Shearer (inks)
Covers: Andrew Griffith (A), Casey Coller (B), Marcelo Matere (RI)



Summary:  MEGATRON IS BACK! The day the AUTOBOTS hoped would never arrive… is here. CYBERTRON is burning, BUMBLEBEE’s government is crumbling, and MEGATRON is here. Sides are chosen… and heroes fall.


Comments: We finally step behind the curtain and find out what's been going on all this time--Prowl's been manipulated by one of Bombshell's cerebral shells! Used to help aid the Decepticons as they made key players "die" so they could escape undetected and help prepare for the coming domination of Cybertron. All of this is Megatron's ultimate plan.
   An excellent plot twist and quite an interesting turn. Still, it did take an awfully long time to reach this point in the story. They really needed thirteen issues to get to this? After such a long wait, it seems worth it though. I just hope the story going further can maintain this level of interest and doesn't drop back to mediocrity (given IDW's twenty to thirty issue format they've been doing in recent years, I do hold out hope it will stay good from here on in).
   Some further threads have also come together--we will shortly find out what became of Ironhide, the Dinobots and the Aerialbots (they appear at issue's end, ready for battle). It's unclear what, if any, bearing the Bludgeon and Orion Pax sub-plots might eventually have on the ultimate outcome of this series though (time will tell).



Verdict:  Excellent. A must-buy!

Comic Review...

Transformers: Regeneration One #88

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


Summary:  WAR IN THE CITY! Anarchy reigns on the streets of Iacon as SCORPONOK’s grip tightens further, and those AUTOBOTS still willing and able to resist look to their absent leader--who is on an endangered list all of his own. Beneath the surface of CYBERTRON, HOT ROD runs for his life, locked on a collision course with his maker, PRIMUS!


Comments:  Scorponok, his Decepticons and converted Autobots overrun Cybertron while a select few characters evade his forces. Grimlock makes a short-lived stand against Scorponok but the other quickly shows him who is truly in-control. Elsewhere, Hot Rod flees the cyber demons beneath the surface, who give chase. Bludgeon and Soundwave make their own plans aboard the Warworld and it's insinuated Soundwave is alerted that Scorponok is on Cybertron remotely (via Spinister). And on Earth, Galvatron prepares to take the Ark (under control of the lobotomized Shockwave) to space. 
   The plot continues. The story is advancing slowly and, to be honest, I miss the old days when more stuff happened in one issue. It doesn't seem like all that much significant happens in this issue, just baby steps. But I like the overall plot so I can't really complain.
   In the bigger scheme, I would've thought that Bludgeon and company would've attacked first and then Scorponok would've shown up afterward to throw a spanner into things with his own plan. That sort of happens (in the sense that Soundwave makes the first move back in #80.5) but was a little surprised the Scorponok/Grimlock plot got priority (not that it really matters, of course).
   I also speculated that the Scorpy plot would've been complicated--that we would've gotten true neutral minded Transformers as opposed to just Autobots that now act like Decepticons. I feel like there could've been a lot more to that plot point and to see it executed so simply (we slap a device on you and boom! You're a Decepticon!) is a bit disappointing. It's not a game killing choice or anything, of course, but I wanted a bit more.
   Some online have commented that Andrew Wildman's art is a bit, well...lazy and I have to agree unfortunately. The primary characters and action looks fine but the background characters and settings have felt rushed and simplistic right from the get-go. If you've seen his earlier work (or Horizon, his graphic novel) then you know he's capable of more.
   I still like this series and will follow it through to the end. I just hope we get some more story surprises and depth before it's all over.

 Verdict: Pretty Good.

Cover "A" by Andrew Wildman

Cover "B" by Guido Guidi

RI cover by Geoff Senior

Comic Review...

Cover "A" by Nick Roche

Transformers Spotlight: Megatron

Writer: Nick Roche
Artist: Nick Roche
(covers by Nick Roche, Livio Ramondelli, Clayton Crane (RI) and Alex Milne (RE))


Summary:  MEGATRON IS BACK! Writer/artist Nick Roche takes us back to the last time MEGATRON returned--when he found his DECEPTICON forces in tatters under the control of STARSCREAM. In this never-before-revealed tale, we learn exactly how Megatron reacted… and how Starscream survived!


Comments:  Megatron is reborn in his new stealth bomber form (during the Mike Costa series) and is surprised by how his forces have crumbled to all but nothing under Starscream's command. He is also stunned by how even Starscream seems to have given up his will to rule in the face of having insubordinate troops. He sets out to resolve this by engaging Starscream in a short battle, forcing the other to snap out of his stupor and return to normal. He then rallies the troops, plotting his next terrifying strike against their enemies.
   This issue is a bit of a mixed bag. The plot is good, as stand-alone stories go. I found the dialogue a bit long-winded for Megatron though. It seems to me like he should act more and talk/think less. In this case, Roche could've let his art do the talking a bit more in the action scenes. Instead we get long thought boxes with Megatron thinking about everything and using long, formal style sentences for it all.

   The Megatron/Starscream dynamic in this story works fine (generally) but the state of their relationship in IDW is a bit confusing. Megatron all but killed him in the earlier Furman stories (remember how he shot a big hole through Starscream at one point?) Later, Starscream all but shames the Autobots over their victory and the loss of Megatron in AHM. Then, he seems fine with Megatron being out of commission in the subsequent stories so that he can rule and finally, here he's lost all hope and resolve. Granted, this is different writers doing different things but it makes things confusing if you were actually paying attention all this time.
   One could argue that Megatron doesn't really care all that much about Starscream and all this attention to getting him psyched back up for battle seems like a bit too much effort on his part. I always saw Megatron as more of a user of his troops to get what he wants rather then really being too concerned about their well-being (but I admit I might be nitpicking here).
   Also, this story is set during the ongoing TF comic/Costa era. A series I truly hated and have no interest in nor wish to recall. This story is largely irrelevant to the current stuff and doesn't really advance either character along in my estimation (also, Megatron rallies the troops then enacts his plan, beats the crap out of Optimus and surrenders to him afterward. The chronology is bizarre and inconsistent, isn't it. Why be so gung-ho to return to glory in this story but then ultimately seem to give up in the Costa stuff?)
   The art (also by Roche) is pretty good and it's always nice to see him draw more when he can.


Verdict:  Average. I didn't care for it but it seems to be about par for the course with IDW's output.

Cover "B" by Livio Ramondelli

Comic Review...

Cover "B" by Livio Ramondelli

Transformers Spotlight: Thundercracker

Writer: John Barber
Artist: Chee
(covers by Chee, Livio Ramondelli and Clayton Crain (RI))


Summary:  In the dark days of the war for Cybertron, THUNDERCRACKER had a special mission--one never revealed before! Now, as he faces off against BUMBLEBEE for the first time, the fate of METROPLEX--and an entire civilization--is at stake!


Comments:  Thundercracker is part of a team lead by Bludgeon in deep space, searching for any sign of the titan, Metroplex.  With his skills, he determines how to track Metroplex's unique energy signature and leads the Decepticons to a planetoid where the Titan is hidden beneath the surface. While there, he watches an organic life-form try to assist Bumblebee (who had come to defend the inhabitants with some other Autobots). He is fascinated by the alien's resolve and informs his party that he's found nothing (a blatant lie) and leaves. Metroplex is awoken by his departure and subsequently teleports away.
    Of the current batch of spotlight comics, this one is easily the best. The story is tight, highlights the titular character and is entertaining. Thundercracker is not like his fellow Decepticons (which goes right back to his original tech spec) and this is well shown throughout the story. He lies to his superiors and ultimately keeps them away from exploiting Metroplex's advanced technological power. The story doesn't meander and is actual relevant to the larger story at play as well as concluding its point in one singular issue. A textbook spotlight story.
   The art, by Chee (whoever that is. This is the first I've heard of him, I think) is competently drawn and easy to follow.


Verdict:  Excellent. A must-buy!

TM Winter 2013 issue in the works!

The Winter 2013 Issue of Transmasters Magazine is in the works! Submissions (art, stories, articles, etc.) are always welcome. I hope to have the issue ready by about March 1st. As always, submissions can be sent to tkphoton at hotmail.com

Transformers Titan UK Magazine 4.13 review

Transformers Titan UK Magazine 4.13 review.
Got it by mail on feb 4th.
Something a little bit different this time, a video review of the issue.
Excuse my poor english and be gentle, after all this is my first time ;)
Greetz Johan/Backbreaker

Watch the video here !