IDW Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters #8 Review

Synopsis

THE FIGHT FOR CYBERTRON! GRIMLOCK and his DINOBOTS meet up with old allies and try to stop the new threat to the planet. But as things get heated, the outcome becomes uncertain. A new beginning… or the end of the DINOBOTS?



Story

And here we are. After seven issues, a previous mini-series, three seasons of a TV series and an epilogue, Beast Hunters actually ends in all its iterations. Mike Johnson writes the final issue, continuing the story where we left it last month, with plot by him and Mairghread Scott. I'm almost a little sad about it.



We're dealing with the Dinobots, Firestar, Chromia and a whole lotta bots on Cybertron and the whole of the cast of Forged and a grumpy Predacon, just as Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee show up again, after the events of Predacons Rising. Or at least, that's what it looks like from the various references to 'Optimus' sacrifice'.



The dialogue does seem to have improved, and what I really liked was the fact that the characters didn't blurt out the whole story of Predacons Rising or the series, assuming the presence of a knowledgeable readership. Though as some have pointed out, how do the Dinobots not know what happened? How far were they from the actions of Unicron/Megatron and Optimus Prime?



The story does have a conclusion to it, and a vague sense of closure, but I can't help but feel as though something is still missing from it. Maybe using the two-arc stories detracted from what could've been a long running plot, with a bit more to it. It promised so much to begin with!

Art

Agustin Padilla on art doesn't disappoint, to be fair, though I've seen complaints about the main Prime cast. I like that we get to see a different incarnation of them, other than the show. I enjoy seeing different takes on the same character, especially after such a long time in the same aesthetic. I like the big vast landscapes, and even the simple urban backdrops.



My usual points of merit for the amazing colourwork and lettering still stand for this final issue too. Priscilla Tramontano does some brilliant work with shadows and different light sources, and keep an eye on the changing sky, in tone with the narration. Tom B. Long also gets more stage space, with a lot of LOUD NOISES part of the more action-packed scenes.



So while the artwork may not be anything surprising, or disappointing or overwhelming either way, it's good, it suits the story and its tone and works really well with the main cast. I've enjoyed the team's work on this run, as I've really enjoyed Ken Christiansen's covers. Maybe we'll see Padilla elsewhere?

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

All in all, it wasn't a bad issue, conclusion or series. My biggest complaint was the fact that, for me, it didn't live up to the first two issues and what they had set out to do. I would probably not have read this at all, had they not been as good. But the series was good, not amazingly so, but good, with a warm glow at the end. And I really hope to see Scott working on more comics.



As I've said above, there have been a few minor complaints about the series, in terms of art too - but personally I never had that bother me as much. I think Padilla, Tramontano and Long fitted the themes and tones of the stories told perfectly. I'd be interested to see them work with other arts and colours, even if just out of curiosity, but a sketchy Grimlock will always look good to me!