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While Transformers Power of the Primes Rodimus Unicronus was the first wave 2 toy found at US retail (once again, the US being the first country for a sighting), no one made a video review. Until now that is, since Peaugh has now uploaded a review to Youtube. This toy has been showing up at Walmarts across the US.
For those unaware, Rodimus Unicronus may look like a Shattered Glass Rodimus, but is in fact a corrupt version of Rodimus, imbued with Unicron's influence through a dark Matrix of sorts - the Matrix of Chaos!
The video below goes takes us through this mustachioed evolved Leader class version, plus Nemesis Hot Rod, the smaller Deluxe robot/car, plus a comparison with the wave 1 Leader class Rodimus Prime, so check it out!
Thanks to our very own chuckdawg1999 we now have a video review of Saberhorn aka Saberclaw & Bisk. While there have not been any reported sightings other than in Singapore, you may remember seeing some stock images of them a few months ago. It is also interesting to note that this is also the only figure of Saberhorn currently available. As chuckdawg1999 mentions in the video this figure may be hard to come by so if you would like one it may be a good idea to start looking. Saberclaw was shown at SDCC so there is a chance that they may show up in the US. As always, we will keep a vigilant optic out for any information to let our readers know the latest.
If you happen to spot these figures please let us know!
One of These Things Is Not Like The Other: Part 2 (of 2)
A review of IDW's latest Visionaries comic, Transformers vs Visionaries #2
Very Spoiler Filled - You Have Been Warned! Featuring Burt Reynolds, She-Ra, and Willie Nelson (I wish)
Two comics arrive from IDW Publishing this week that feature Transformers, in the form of Transformers vs. Visionaries #2, which is the topic of this review, and Scarlett's Strike Force #2. These reviews will both be pretty spoiler heavy, as this is meant to assist with comparisons and contrasts with the other book whose review is meant to be read before or after this as a companion piece. You can find that review, for the lastest chapter of Scarlett's Strike Force by clicking or tapping on over to this link.
I found myself quite enjoying one of this week's entries in the IDW Hasbro Universe, and really not enjoying the other at all. Which will Transformers vs. Visionaries #2 be? Read on to find out! Or if you read these in Part 1, Part 2 order, you already know!
Number of Autobots with emergency vehicle alt modes that are called: 0
This is one ridiculous, completely unbelievable, out of this world comic. There are magical aliens with a portion of their planet trapped on Cybertron, which is itself a planet of sentient, giant robots. There are light totems fighting other light totems, holograms, magicians, and even a villain character that somehow has that trendy but ugly Skrillex haircut where half of someone's head is buzzed down with like a #2 clipper but then the rest is really long and they comb it over and look, very very few people can pull that off without looking strung out so let's stop that. There are only 20 pages, so you're probably thinking there's no way that could all work together in a coherent, meaningful way. If so, you'd be right - like this opening paragraph, this comic just isn't very good.
Like when Budiansky did it except not because it's really poorly executed
Character moments are important. These need to exist in stories like this. Roll-call moments are a nice way to do this, and with a cast that isn't tremendously large there should be opportunity to present some establishing lines that give the Spectral Knights unity but also some individuality. Leoric aside, this opportunity isn't really taken. Sure, Witterquick is fast, but that's sort of implied by his name. Arzon says things, sure, but none of it feels like anything uniquely his to say. Galadria makes some wooden point/counter-point retorts. I don't feel like I know anything about these characters, while over in Scarlett's Strike Force #2 a similarly unfamiliar (to me) pair in Raptor and Croc Master were introduced who ooze so much personality that I can already tell you which one is an accountant with opinions on the evolutionary path of avian species.
Wheeljack should have already figured out this fruit-based vulnerability
That's really the crux of the problem with Transformers vs. Visionaries now that we're past the initial, questionable setup. Why are they here? I don't mean "why are they on Cybertron", as the story explains this, it's more of a question of why they're in this role at this time in this fictional universe. Borrowing now a bit from fellow comic reviewer/fellow site Administrator Va'al, Magdalene Visaggio, while not a bad writer, falls into the trap JJ Abrams did in Star Wars: The Force Awakens where the setting is just... the setting. New Prysmos is ultimately on Cybertron because someone in marketing and/or editorial said so, despite what the story tells you. That's not a good feeling to deliver to readers two books in to an attempt at re-launching a franchise which three people (not an exact figure) had any nostalgia for.
"They tore the roof off!" - The Talent
Things just happen for no reason. It's great that we get to see some spectral totem animal fights - a dolphin with a unicorn horn fighting a gorilla is freaking awesome, but why not give a reason for why they use this ability beyond the already implied "because that's what they do"? Maybe Cybertron has some latent energy allowing this lost art (if it even was) to be used again or something like that. You can tell the pitch here was for a Visionaries story, and instead of taking the Transformers element and having fun with the toy box, it feels shuffled off to the side in what is I daresay an antagonistic manner.
Virulina thinks this is all stupid, so she wants to kill all the Cybertronians. This does not make her charming or compelling, it makes her a shallow caricature.
It's not quite the G1 cartoon anymore though, is it? Maybe read some other Transformers material, yeah?
There's another comic out this week that isn't about Transformers which contains a Transformers character, that character being Skywarp. If you read that review first, you'll know that Skywarp is handled really well and brings something beyond the basics that's fun to read.
Transformers vs. Visionaries #2 continues to primarily feature Ironhide and Wheeljack for its cast of Cybertronians. Ironhide is one of the most well developed characters in IDW's Transformers lore, yet he continues to take more steps backwards towards the irrational Sunbow cartoon gunslinger in this issue. Wheeljack, who is known for his wit, irritability, and blazingly-fast science work in IDW, is presented as an entirely incompetent lab rat that "needs more time". IDW Wheeljack doesn't need more time, he needs you to shut up so he can do science faster and save Cybertron again. Someone please buy Visaggio an IDW Transformers back catalog. Please.
Yeah ok, this in particular is pretty cool.
The art is perhaps the one thing saving this from complete irrelevancy. Fico Ossio does an outstanding job throughout with the humanoid characters, with the panel above of Leoric guaranteed to wash away any desire you had left to see the 80s cartoon Burt Reynolds looking version of the character. There's still a little I'd like to see out of his robotic output, mainly in the faces, but it reeks more of unfamiliarity than a lack of ability. The spectral totems look great, the environments look great, and the layouts are a treat while still being easy to follow. For what little story there is, Ossio does everything I can imagine to enhance it. The pairing of his lines with colors from David Garcia Cruz continues to be a natural fit, with things popping where they should and blending smoothly where they shouldn't. Shawn Lee's letters complement the action and never get in the way of the visual storytelling work done by the book's layouts.
There are three covers available for the issue, including the "A" cover by the Ossio/Garcia Cruz team which is seen in this news story's thumbnail. As always, you can find images of all of the covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Transformers vs Visionaries #2, but do note it contains a character appearance list that may yield more spoilers!
Verdict At least this one isn't insulting?
Va'al's review of the first issue didn't yield a very high score, but it's about double what I would have given that issue. This is a little better because I can at least imagine some modicum of future potential after reading it. The book is nice to look - the art really is well done - but make no mistake, this is a Visionaries comic with Transformers used as seasoning, and sparingly. It seems like the creative team is disappointed that they have to play with other properties. At least that's what comes through on the page, because this story and its lack thereof continues to be high-level disappointment.
This is the series that should be ending after three issues.
One of These Things Is Not Like The Other: Part 1 (of 2)
A review of IDW's latest GI Joe comic, Scarlett's Strike Force #2
Very Spoiler Filled - You Have Been Warned! Maybe the most depressing Grand Slam line so far?
Two comics arrive from IDW Publishing this week that feature Transformers, in the form of Scarlett's Strike Force #2, which is the topic of this review, and Transformers vs. Visionaries #2. These reviews will both be pretty spoiler heavy, as this is meant to assist with comparisons and contrasts with the other book whose review is meant to be read before or after this as a companion piece. You can find that review, for the lastest chapter of Transformers vs. Visionaries, by clicking or tapping on over to this link.
I found myself quite enjoying one of this week's entries in the IDW Hasbro Universe, and really not enjoying the other at all. Which will Scarlett's Strike Force #2 be? Read on to find out!
Now that they know it's not fazed they've won half the battle, right?
This is one ridiculous, completely unbelievable, out of this world comic. There are fights against dinosaurs, a caveman that appears from out of nowhere that said dinosaurs kinda listen to, villains turning people into snake people, theories about perpetual energy, impractical military vehicles, a tag team consisting of a guy that controls birds of prey and another that has a full grown pet crocodile, and Skywarp making a phone call. There are only 20 pages, so you're probably thinking there's no way that could all work together in a coherent, meaningful way. If so, you'd be wrong - this is one very fun comic.
Does this make Croc Master a dentist?
Something super important to me for serial comics, movies, or really any story that has an out-of-this-world backdrop like this one does, is that the story never gets so far removed from being relatable that it loses meaning. Scarlett's Strike Force 2 accomplishes this through leveraging its characters and their interactions at every turn. Seen above are Raptor and Croc Master, a pair of campy and downright weird Cobra villains. Some stories would end things right then and there, allowing you to fill in all the blanks. This one doesn't by giving the two very human dialogue, with this bickering working to make them credible as members of this wacky iteration of Cobra but also as characters worthy of the page space they occupy. They still fight Joes together, but they're also given an element that makes you feel like they're still real. This is a distinct difference between some other lesser villains such as, say, Cravex and Cindarr, who I couldn't tell you anything about other than they are Darkling Lords with beards. I think. Maybe goatees.
Randy The Astonishing's latest introduction went great, as seen here
Another case of this book successfully using charm to ground a story with an insane premise is found in Destro. Destro is, I think, a guy made of metal, at least somewhat. The point is that he's a walking impossibility, he should not and logically could not exist in real life, and that's completely fine of course. He's working for a Cobra Commander in Baroness that seems to have gone loony during her time locked up in Lemuria/The Nemesis. She's having Cobranarchists turned into snake people (seriously), which presumably is leveraged by Crystal Ball's physic powers and their T'mup with Dire Wraiths.
Pretty stupid, right? Destro agrees.
Having him frame what the reader views, with this skepticism right there on the page, gives Scarlett's Strike Force some honesty in its insanity. No fruit is thrown to resolve anything. Like Polly, Destro throws shade to get his point across.
It's not quite the G1 cartoon anymore though, is it?
Chances are you're not following this book just for the Joes, as there's the Decepticon Seeker, Skywarp, still helping the team out while they try to work on how to not work on fixing his teleportation abilities. No one's told Matt Trakker about this, and he gets a few moments reminding you why he was one of the parts of the trainwreck M.A.S.K. re-launch attempt that was worth salvaging. Initially, I was concerned this interaction would be it for Skywarp in this issue, and if it were it would continue a status quo that has been brought up and never resolved for 13-ish issues prior to this one. By the end this was alleviated, as Skywarp calls Duke to channel his bottled up frustration into making a deal - I won't go full on spoiler here so that you can experience it for yourself if you so choose, but suffice it to say that I found it to be a smart twist that made me really want to root for Skywarp. Writer Aubrey Sitterson has taken the base "G1" character, honored developments made to him by John Barber, Shane McCarthy, and others, then built on it in clever ways. He doesn't treat the Transformers property as a burden, prop, or distraction in this "G.I. Joe" book, he treats it as a tool and makes full use of it.
Actually not by Geoff Senior!
The art is a bit of a mixed bag, at least on the surface. Out of context, some of it looks less than great. Within the context of the book (where it actually matters!), Nelson Daniel's lines are fluid, expressive, and well suited for the heavy action focus of the story. Some parts feel like they're channeling early-mid 90s Geoff Senior a little, and while I wouldn't take that comparison too far, it is made as a compliment to the choice made to keep the focus on where it's intended to be. Ryan Hill's colors, though very orange heavy throughout, help distinguish scenes from one another well, with the cold, steely interior of Lemuria contrasting vividly with both the characters within it and with the red, dark, underground feeling of Crystal Ball's P.I.T. For the record, I'm not sure it's actually called the P.I.T., I've been reading Transformers vs. G.I. Joe: The Quintessential Collection and it's rubbing off. Speaking of Scioli, Taylor Esposito handles the lettering work well, and although there aren't too many speech bubbles to navigate there are plenty of fun sound effects throughout that assist with the action sequences.
The covers aren't bad, though I would like to actually see some Baroness Commander channeling the Dino Riders sometime, which is seen on the cover by Harvey Tolibao used in this news story's thumbnail. As always, you can find images of all of the covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Scarlett's Strike Force #2, but do note it does contain a character appearance list that may be considered as spoiler-laden!
Verdict Polly's shade throwing game gets a 5/5
This isn't a story without its flaws - the setting sprawls a bit and some parts feel unfocused, with the actual focus on action making for a sometimes-too-quick turn through pages - but the character work that is seen and the dialogue that is presented all feel like they should be there. The introduction of a new character (at least, new to me) in Friday is handled well, with this unintelligible caveman more memorable already than most of the Spectral Knights over in Transformers vs. Visionaries. As fellow comics reviewer/fellow site admin Va'al pointed out to me while we pondered how to go about these reviews, Sitterson had fun with the toybox he was given and I think it shows. There's intriguing development throughout, and Skywarp's call to Duke at the end feels significant not just because of what it is, but because of what it does.
What exactly does it do? It makes me want to read more, and it's a shame there's only one more issue of this book to go.
Synopsis
MACGUFFIN QUEST! The Scavengers have never had it so good. The war is a receding memory, their patchy service records have been forgotten, and the five of them can roam the galaxy as they please. All’s well that ends well? Not quite. Because unbeknownst to Krok and Co., their next adventure… will be their last.
Canhuddleing
Story
It's been a surprisingly short time since the last issue of Transformers: Lost Light, and we may be finally catching up not only on releases, but also with the story and the various threads (bare?) running through the series up to this point - though in an entirely different direction this month! How so? Read on below.
oh just ignore us major villains floating away
First off, I want to say that I really enjoyed this issue in spite of/despite all my misgivings for the run so far, and I can find no discernible reason why that may be the case. I have two major points to address in terms of execution, but overall, issue #14 is enjoyable, extremely important from a plot perspective, and does some very good work with an established cast.
they're good Cons, Brent
My issue then: the pacing. There is a lot going on in the issue, and that is an entirely welcome development for the series, as I said above, as it feels more like we're catching up to speed with where the rest of the universe is. But, that said, some of it feels a little too fast, even with the lynchpins of Nickel and Grimlock serving to anchor the threads in the book.
Hi, lynchpins
On the flip side, those very same story plot threads are incredibly entertaining, and develop some mysteries that are not entirely out of left field but tie up with some of the more established lore so far, while also providing answers to some old and running questions. And to top it all off, the Scavengers' chemistry is a joy to read.
Art
Let me be quite direct here: Sara Pitre-Durocher and Brendan Cahill do some amazing work, each in their own part of the book, and taken alone, they work perfectly fine - I did, however, find a jarring shift between their styles as the books switches. Which is a real shame, as Cahill's chins and panel layouts for some of the more action-based scenes, and Pitre-Durocher's enjoyful villainy at the start and page layouts overall are gorgeous.
Dat perspective
I was wondering if it was, after all, a lack of cohesion in the colouring, by Joana Lafuente puts in some masterful levels of efforts and work in finding the tones and hues that do indeed bring consistency between the styles (different setting also helps) but there's still something clashing between the two takes of the same cast, in my view.
This is pretty spectacular
The lettering, and I know I say this a lot with Tom B. Long, but it is - is just amazing. The sound effects at times take over the soundscape of panels in such a way that makes the action or the silence work perfectly, and they work so well with the colours and lineart.
We've seen the majority of the covers in previous news coverage, from the main Lawrence/Lafuente piece to the variants by Nick Roche and Josh Burcham, and the thumbnailed Cahill/Lafuente one - so you really have a choice of Grimlocks to pick from this week - to check them all out again, head to our database!
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
I really enjoyed this chapter in the story, even with the issues I've highlighted above. Discussin it with other staff it feels like the rushed pacing has definitely had a different impression on different readers, so it may very well indeed be more to your speed - and it definitely is good plot propelling and enough of a combing of knots to prepare for what's to come.
Me reading this? nah, too dark
And even with the unfortunate speed bump in art - by no fault I think of the artistic teams, but rather an odd choice of pairing (not the first time this has happened of recent, actually) - catching up with the Scavengers also gives us a really, really intriguing development, with an initial hook (Shockwave and DJD) that has already annoyed a lot of readers I've seen comment; but given that it was, indeed, a hook, it was mischievously well played.
The latest figures in the Authentics line, the simplified figures featuring the evergreen designs, were spotted recently in the Philipines and Cheatron wasted no time getting a review prepared. You can see him reviewing both the Grimlock and the Optimus Prime from that wave. In case people are confused about which figures these are, especially since the reviewer does not use any of the names used in this article, these are the voyager sized simplistic figures that we have been seeing under various names in different listings. There are smaller 4" figures which have Optimus, Bumblebee, Megatron and Starscream and there is a 7" line that just has Optimus, Bumblebee and Grimlock so far. Below is a review of that 7" Optimus and Grimlock.
There is no actual name for the line on the box/card. Hasbro has labelled it as the Authentics line, while this 7" line also goes by the name Project Storm in its store labeling, which is a name we have seen before in listings, not knowing what it was.
These toys are meant for a younger audience and have even stated appearing at Dollar General locations in the US, so please send us sightings.
For collectors who like these designs and would like figures with more traditional complexity, it seems that will be happening as well.
Thanks to Maverick Prime, we now know two more things. Firstly, MPM-5 is now out at Toysrus in the Philipines, and secondly, we have our first English language review of the figure. This is from Chefatron who picked it up at Toysrus there, where it is a Toysrus exclusive.
Below you will find the video review and additional facts, provided by Hasbro, regarding this product.
Features Barricade’s iconic Rotor Blade Wheel weapon from the TRANSFORMERS film.
First Movie Masterpiece figure with a Movable Faceplate, allowing fans to play out their favorite scenes from the TRANSFORMERS film.
Figure built with Die Cast Parts & features 170 Deco Ops with 30 Points of Articulation!
Vehicle-mode features Barricade’s accurate, licensed vehicle from the TRANSFORMERS film: Saleen S281 Extreme Ford Mustang Police Car.
Product was designed with ILM Movie CAD Files from the Blockbuster film TRANSFORMERS.
Figure features most film-accurate conversion to-date!
Item is the 1st Movie Masterpiece Decepticon to hit the market in over 8 years!
Coming to us once again from fellow Seibertronian and reviewer, chuckdawg1999, we have a video review of Takara Tomy's just-released take on Overlord from the Legends line! Chuck gives us a look at all the features exclusive to the Takara version - including a few molding differences to add his classic Powermaster-y details, some color differences, and certainly not least the addition of a second Titan Master figure - plus a comparison to Hasbro's Titans Return version.
Check out the video below, and let us know your own thoughts on the figure and its differences in the Energon Pub too. And of course as always, stay tuned to Seibertron.com for all the Transformer news and reviews you could ever need or want!
When Takara first announced their version of Overlord, expectations were high, I feel Takara met and exceeded those expectations. The deco is top notch and the double Headmasters are a nice touch but for me, the icing on the cake is the inclusion of new molded detail in the chest, representing the original engines of Mega and Giga. Takara Legends Overlord is probably the best version of Overlord we're going to get outside of a Masterpiece figure.
Synopsis
CABIN FEVER! Crammed into a dead Decepticon astropod that's ten sizes too small, the displaced crew of the Lost Light face their most serious threat yet: each other. As tensions rise and tempers fray, only one Autobot is arrogant enough to think he can save the day. Enter Rodimus, expert mediator.
Sure.
Story
We've had the last story arc be fairly brutal, in both setting, execution (heh) and consequences, so it is only natural - as these series appear to do - to have a breather issue to regain both a setting (the shuttle/pod), a cast (the Lost Light crew), and a handle of the various storylines that had temporarily, and seemingly, been put on pause.
Ten, for one, is disappoint
If you will, and if we accept the TV series comparisons for James Roberts' writing, this is a bottle issue. And what that means is that we have ample space for character work rather than plot (and that is both good a bad) but it does not cancel the plot elements that are very much there (believe us, there are MANY THINGS addressed between the lines), if embedded in the character interactions.
Example A
Most of all, perhaps, we get to see more of Cyclonus, his growth, development and positioning among the crew (with some impressive Whirl, Magnus, and Chromedome moments), in light of whatever may or may not have happened to Tailgate from last time we saw him and Fangry. Does buried mean dead? And how dead? Comics dead? Or is something else at play, again?
Example B
I have more thoughts on how the situation is being handled, below, but I wanted to also mention the attempts (and I mean attempt) at a lighter tone for most of the issue, counterbalancing the heavier parts of the story, with Swerve and Anode playing off each other, but at the same time - I felt - clashing with the overall feeling of the issue. As I said, more below.
Art
Alex Milne returns from Shining Armor back to the Lost Light crew, and what I found most impressive was the incredible similarity in some of the beats that regular artist Jack Lawrence brings to the series usually. Some of the expressions with Ratchet, especially, and it was a delight to see reinterpretations of previous designs and personal takes on specific characters like Anode and Lug.
Grinch Smirk!
That similarity, however, is not entirely to be found in the lineart - but rather pretty much distilled to perfection in Joana Lafuente's colours. The continuity and cohesion, for lack of better terms, that her colours bring to the two different styles of art, is something to behold. Plus, we get all the usual amazingness as well.
...and a fantastic cloak.
Roberts' scripts are never not dialogue/text heavy, and a good letterer is the best thing the comics needs for the flow to work well - but also pepper in some clues and hints at situations, possibilities, eventualities, and silent, blank spaces. And for that, Tom B. Long is what is needed.
As for the covers, there are several variants to be found accompanying the issue, from the Milne artist edition used in the thumbnail of this story, to the Roch / Burcham take on the lighter thread of the book, via JN Wiedle's Rodimus spotlight, and the main, regular, Cyclonus-centric Lawrence / Lafuente piece - to check them all out, head to our database!
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
There is a dangling cliffhanger at the very end that might leave several readers fairly surprised, if not speechless, but I felt like the journey it took to get to it was only half as enjoyable as I wanted it to be. Forced interactions in combined spaces have been done in this series previously, and this one had a strong running thread that was - again, for me - too undercut at times, even in its own seriousness.
Shout out to the MVP
In addition, the apparent suspension of a lot of plots that are still to be resolved will rub many the wrong way, but more is happening than it first looks (it definitely took a pointer for me to spot some moving parts I had missed, too). To add an even more positive spin, the issue will probably appeal more to readers closer to older stories in the series, but has more than enough material to also not completely shut out new readers, with fewer reference material to work with. So exactly a good, average issue, with some wins and some not-as-much.
(Added note: my biggest problem with the book, I'll admit, is one line of dialogue, towards the second part of the issue, about a specific relationship, and how I really do not like how and where, and regarding whom, it was deployed. I'll leave that for the discussion boards, though.)
Free of any explicit spoilers, but several implied ones made it in here. Already very cool, but way cooler if you imagine it with the sound box.
This week in Transformers comics, quality returns with the arrival of Optimus Prime 15, "The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes". Much more than a mere exercise in thematic brand synergy, this latest chapter of John Barber's Optimus Prime starts an ominous new chapter for our heroes - not to mention the book's namesake character himself. Is this one you should pick up and read, and is it for only seasoned veteran readers or can newcomers easily follow along? Read on to find out more!
Mistress of 'Dem Hips
Somewhat fitting to the book's title, there really are a surfeit of plot threads, but it still works. Most of these are also given context to help new readers along. For instance, Scoop reappears as something other than Devastator's leg for the first time in quite awhile, and at least this basic premise of who and what he is gets provided by the book's dialogue and other context. The results are decent at introducing the character for those unfamiliar while still making him somewhat relevant to the plot at hand, offering some great continuity with another recently canceled series that is very refreshing to see. The Mistress of Flame, a somewhat enigmatic figure in the IDW Transformers universe, also gets some overdue attention. Her backstory and running commentary not only helps build her character, but it also helps frame the overall issue's narrative in a creative way that I quite enjoyed.
I haven't worked out if you're getting a toy or not, actually, but thanks?
In a book like this one with a big cast, it can be easy and often is appropriate to put a character in the background and pick up their goings on down the road. That limited space for characterization is used well with Arcee and Aileron, in a similar but still different manner from the approaches taken with the Mistress of Flame and Scoop. Without giving too much away, the reader is left wondering what kind of influence a character like Arcee might have on Aileron, who is already surrounded on all sides by strong influences. However, the opposite happens with Slide, where what feels like too much time is given to beats that have been heard many times before. While there is a definite, clear, and effective point to doing this again in this book at this time, I'm left wondering how many more issues Slide will spend as a victim character sorely in need of development. Hopefully, this is the issue where a tipping point is reached and she'll soon start saying new words.
"Ultra Mega Chicken? No. He is Legend."
As seen in both the solicits and the preview, Onyx Prime arrives in the story in earnest at last. Sometimes the build doesn't deliver, but for this issue it truly does. Fellow staff member Va'al agreed, and points out something else worthy of note:
Va'al wrote:We've had too many charmy-scary villains in these books. Time to have a freaking terrifying one.
Onyx definitely gives an aura that business is about to pick up, with a fearsome, though a little bit inspired look to go along with it. While I wish there were a bit more of him in this issue, it's probably for the best as the story would suffer from a pacing perspective were he already wreaking mass chaos. His presence here serves a purpose, one that is foreboding but also an exciting, effective hook for the issues to come.
Nature lies, they're robots in disguise!
Speaking of what's to come, there are some really fun teasers for this in the book. While many fans might see the above and write it off as Total Brand Awareness, they're probably also not careful longtime readers that would have seen this coming. Or is it coming at all? You can let me and your fellow Transformers fans know by replying to this story on our Energon Pub Forums!
Thoroughly analyzing the potential of Onyx/Liege to be bigger than Kylo/Rey
The visual work is stellar throughout, with Kei Zama returning on linework supported by colorist dynamo Josh Burcham to deliver another surfeit: a surfeit of cool. The new character Magrada, seen above, is a treat to look at with the Camien aesthetic blending with a Junkion flair in a splashy, fun approach. This is a transitory character, yet great care was taken to the point where it almost feels like she's destined for a flashback spin-off at some point. If she's not, it's another credit to the artistic team that speculation like that would even occur. Her brief appearance oozes personality without a word spoken like a fascinating, magnetic rock star. Even Onyx's design takes the earlier mentioned inspiration and bends it in a way that feels fresh. Couple this with Tom B. Long deftly navigating the layouts to provide background narrative that never distracts and character names that feel right in place and you have an absolute visual feast of Transformers style. I haven't even mentioned the lighting effects that made some of this issue look like it was paper where a light was bouncing off, and while that actually holds true for many reading experiences, keep in mind our first experience as reviewers is on a digital copy.
The Zama/Burcham combo also handles the "A" cover for this issue, with Casey Coller's lines with John-Paul Bove's colors on the "B" cover seen in this news story's thumbnail. As always, you can find images of all of the covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Optimus Prime #15, but do note it does contain a character appearance list that may be considered as spoiler-laden!
Verdict My newest toy is now two kinds of inaccurate
This issue was very good, I'm very hooked and excited to see what's next, but it's a hair too busy. In the context of the overall story being told it's very likely great, but the serial format causes some of the panels and moments to feel truncated. While a little more focus may have served it well, this is still a superb read and genuinely feels like a great jumping on point if you've been off this ride for a while. After all, Optimus has his faceplace down at the start, so the action's clearly taking off soon. I can't wait to read more, be sure to do yourself a favor and get to your local comic shop or website of choice (that isn't one where you're reading scans you didn't pay for, that makes you a thief) to pick this one up!
. out of
Especially after the write up above and the gushing on the visuals, I feel like I have to explain the score above. Maybe I don't, regardless, please realize that I don't subscribe to scoring styles like the Net Promoter Score or IGN styled bloat and I don't write these because I want IDW to buy me things. On my personal scale for these reviews, a 4/5 is "very good", with 5/5 reserved for "all time great Transformers comic" and first issues of larger arcs almost never hit that in the monthly format, for me, given the nature of their content. I don't like scores, but maybe if we can make them more than "good" and "bad", we can be smarter about how we think about the media we consume.
tl;dr, this issue was really good and I recommend it, even if you've been trained by the internet to think a 4/5 is just 'ok'
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