Wake-Up Call: Robots in Disguise # 33!

FROM the beginning, “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” (“TF: RID”) has been considered good but not as good as its sibling title, “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”). Since the resident artists are quite similar in talent and style (Andrew Griffith on “TF: RID” and Alex Milne on “TF: MTMTE”), the difference lies in the books’ writers (John Barber on “TF: RID” and James Roberts on “TF: MTMTE”). This is interesting since together, Barber and Roberts have ushered in the most critically acclaimed era in TF comics history. But the observation is that Roberts simply knows how to get the best out of the big ideas that have characterized the resurgence. That’s important to note because Barber is pretty good—just not as good as Roberts. “TF: RID” # 33 is typical of the kind of issue where Barber has something really interesting to run with but doesn't quite go as far as he can go with it. That being said, “The World of Tomorrow” has some fascinating moments. One of the two best moments comes at the very beginning, when a character thought dead returns to a world that he does not recognize, and Barber plays this up really well.

Big Ideas: More Than Meets The Eye # 33!

“Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) # 33 should be dubbed “The Explanation Issue,” because writer James Roberts literally explains everything that’s been going on in the series, all the way back to the beginning. He explains both the big ideas (the disappearance and the subsequent reappearance of The Lost Light) and small details (a certain crewmember’s faceplate). And he does so with style. After the events of last issue, the surviving crew of The Lost Light have boarded the other Lost Light and found a lot of mutilated Cybertronian corpses as well as the ship’s engines surrounded by quantum foam. The big shocker is that they have found the previously-dead Rewind—alive but unconscious. It is notable that the crew has been shrunk to the point that there are only six Autobots left (Megatron, Skids, Getaway, Nautica, Nightbeat, Nautica, Riptide) plus the discoveted stowaway Ravage. From the suddenly spacious roll call page on, “Slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken” is a blow to the head and a kick to the stomach. As they work to revive Rewind, Nautica, thanks to a joke by Riptide, figures out the mystery of The Lost Lights and manages to explain it in a satisfying manner, with a little help from Nightbeat...

Present Tense: More Than Meets The Eye # 32!

Wow, it feels like forever since the last issue of IDW Publishing’s “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) How many mega-cycles has it been since “TF: MTMTE” # 31? The answer is 12.387 mega-cycles (that’s 48 days for us non-Cybertronians). That wait feels especially long considering that “TF: MTMTE” is the best of IDW’s TF comic series, and that writer James Roberts has the crew of the Lost Light is the middle of a major mystery. Good thing “TF: MTMTE” # 32 is here or fans would start breaking the Tyrest Accords in frustration. “Slaughterhouse” is an apt title for this issue as the remaining crew of the Lost Light have just discovered that all those on the ship’s original crew have vanished, as has the ship itself. But the accidental skeleton crew led by disliked captain Megatron and the detective Nightbeat are surprised to find an older, virtually destroyed version of the Lost Light has appeared covered in quantum foam, meaning –time travel! As the survivors enter the dead hulk, they discover body after body of dead Autobots (including Ultra Magnus, Tailgate, Drift, Ratchet, among others) in various states of mutilation.

Book of Revelations: Robots in Disguise # 32!

Comic books sometimes require a period of time to really get going. That was clearly the case with “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” (“TF: RID”) after the “Dark Cybertron” arc, probably because of how difficult it is to accept the human-Decepticon alliance. But as writer John Barber and artist Andrew Griffith have gotten a few more issue into their “Earthfall” storyline, the series has gotten a lot better. With the last issue, “TF: RID” has come out with guns blazing. “Earthfall Chapter 5: I Dream of Wires” starts off with a flashback of Prowl and Bumblebee having a conversation half a million years ago as they watch Metroplex leaving Cybertron. Prowl isn’t so sure about the direction that Optimus Prime is taking the Autobots toward. “The Autobots need someone who can plan,” Prowl says. He’s referring to himself of course. We flash forward as the Autobots are returning to Earth and Prowl continues to have misgivings about Prime’s plans, having a quirky conversation with Cosmos, which is fun just to hear the incredulous personality Barber has given Cosmos. Finally, on to the present, as the Autobots storm Bikini Atoll, where the humans’ Earth Defense Command (EDC) has been hiding Autobot sage Alpha Trion...

Surprise Party: Robots in Disguise # 31!

It has taken a few issues, but “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” (“TF: RID”) finally put forward an issue that is equal to the quality being displayed by its acclaimed sister series, “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”). “TF: RID” has much to live up to, as its premise—Autobots back on Earth led once again by Optimus Prime—is a classic one. Writer John Barber, who together with “TF: MTMTE” scribe James Roberts—has redefined the TF comics for a new generation of writers, and he finally hits it out of the ballpark for the first time since the “Dark Cybertron” arc. Barber’s current arc, “Earthfall,” has suffered from the ridiculousness of the new alliance between Galvatron’s Decepticons and the Earth Defense Command led by Marissa Faireborn. It seemed like such a patently bad idea at the beginning, but as the issues went on, it became clear that the humans have some pretty big secrets that even their Decepticon allies know nothing about. All that expositional heavy-lifting comes together with this issue, “Earthfall Chapter 4: Full Fathom Five.” “TF: RID” boasts of a great artist in Andrew Griffith but for this issue, he has reinforcements, with Guido Guidi providing the flashback art for Jazz and Brendan Cahill providing the flashback art for the Decepticons. That makes it clear that there are three narratives in this issue, all of which tie together in the end.

Endgame: Windblade # 4!

It all comes down to this last issue of the “Transformers: Windblade” mini-series—well, at least until the coming of the announced second mini-series, “Transformers: Windblade Returns.” In the meantime, IDW Publishing lucked out on choosing to go with a very unusual approach to the TF franchise and a talented creative team, just the elements needed to push the first post-Arcee fembot star, the sword-wielding Windblade. After the mysterious power outages and the attempt on her life, Windblade has journeyed into the bowels of Metroplex to discover that Starscream is secretly mining a powerful ore. After being captured, tortured and escaping, Windblade realizes that Starscream was not behind the assassination attempt. Then, the spacebridge at Metroplex’s heart spins up. Where is it going and who is behind it? Probably caused by the fact that this is the last issue of the current run, “Windblade” # 4 feels very cramped and condensed. There’s a lot of exposition at the very end, explaining everything that has to be explained.

Vanishing Points: More Than Meets The Eye # 31!

Wow, just when you thought James Roberts couldn’t write a better, more jam-packed issue of the excellent IDW Publishing series “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (“TF: MTMTE”) # 31. Not only does this issue go back to the earliest issues Roberts wrote for IDW and answers many questions that TF fans didn’t expect would be answered so soon or so well. The issue starts with a flashback two years back, where we see Drift, Riptide and Pipes trolling New Iacon for a new ship, encountering a group of rogbots who communicate by moving their fingers. Drift succeeds in acquiring a ship—which is soon renamed The Lost Light. So that’s where that came from. Back to the present, the Autobots (Megatron is now officially one of them) are floating in shuttles (and Rodimus’ Rodpod) after the aforementioned Lost Light started to disappear part and part, before vanishing completely. Swerve and Skids kibitz. But even before they can get around to figuring out what happened, there is a sudden blackout on the Rodpod. When the lights come back on, several of the crew have vanished into thin space air. An upset Tailgate points a pistol at Megatron and soon guns are drawn in an old-fashioned (if space-set) Mexican standoff.

Enemy Mine: Windblade # 3!

THE good news is that our new female Autobot protagonist Windblade will be returning in another mini-series from IDW Publishing in 2015, a series called—what else—“Windblade Returns.” That revelation does give away that fact that Windblade will be surviving her current series, “Transformers: Windblade,” but then again, it would have been a real shame if this intriguing new fan-favorite creation met her demise at the end of her first four-issue solo run. That doesn’t mean writer Mairghread Scott and artist Sarah Stone won’t be putting Windblade in dangerous situations because it can be argued that Windblade is dangerous situations throughout the entirety of “Transformers: Windblade” # 3. At the end of “Windblade” # 2, Windblade had rallied some Autobot back-up (and Swindle) to dive deep into the bowels of Metroplex’s filtration system in order to stop Strascream from mining a powerful ore. Unfortunately, the motley group of heroes (and Swindle and Waspinator) get pinned down by the Terrorcons. While they put up a pretty good fight, the heroes are captured when Starscream himself shows up to do the dirty work.

Ghost Ship: More Than Meets The Eye # 29

IT is clear from the brand new characters page that “Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye” (TF: MTMTE) # 29 is barreling straight into the depths of its first post-“Dark Cybertron” story arc as part of “Dawn of the Autobots.” The issue’s Cover A, by the series’ penciller Alex Milne, shows not only the two important characters for the issue, but also the different moods, with a glowering Megatron towering over a humorous and tiny Tailgate. The scary and funny moods work all throughout the issue. Written by James Roberts and illustrated by Milne, “World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air” continues the events from last issue. The Lost Light is out to space again in its search for the Knights of Cybertron and Cyberutopia, but with Megatron as the ship’s captain. Very quickly we get a taste of Megatron’s new leadership as he stomps around the ship issuing orders and fixing problems. He is scarily effective. The fact that Swerve does the summation of the past issue’s events all by himself confirms the issue’s intent to amuse. Meanwhile, Tailgate (welcome back! Plus he has an IDW-accurate toy now!) has just awakened from recovery and is shocked at all the changes even as he earnestly tries to lighten the mood.

Back to Earth: Robots in Disguise # 28

I’ll be honest with you, I’m a bit of a Cybertron snob. I have always been fascinated by the Transformers’ adventures in space. Even when I watched the first episodes of the classic Sunbow “Transformers” show, I was enthralled by the out-of-this world forms of Wheeljack, Bumblebee and those Seekers. The result was that I was always kind of bored with the adventures on Earth. The on-planet escapades always felt too melodramatic and contrived, save for the destructive shuffle that was “Transformers: The Movie.” I mean, I was OK with the Earth tales, but the Cybertron stories were more diverting. My favorite issue of the original Marvel Comics G1 series was “The Transformers” # 17, also known as “The Smelting Pool!,” where, after so many issues set on Earth, it swtiches to a Cybertron running out of Energon, where Blaster—and the rest of Perceptor’s Autobot cohorts—battle Straxus’ Decepticons while a space bridge is being built. It was so different, so refreshing to see that setting with those characters. The comics have a somewhat of a mixed attitude about the Earth-against-Cybertron setting. The IDW continuity began with a weighty, spy-like feel on Earth, then later kind of grew space wings up to the “Dark Cybertron” crossover. By the time “Dark Cybertron” ended, readers had been away from Earth for months.

You Go Girl: Windblade # 1!

It’s safe to say you have never seen a Transformers comic book like “Transformers: Windblade” # 1. No one has. The first issue is immediately provocative and inspired, one certain to be divisive. I’ve always been a little confused by the big deal about Arcee, especially since she first appeared in “The Transformers: The Movie” in 1986. I just assumed she was simply designed differently. What, we can have a jive-talking Autobot (my optics are on you, Jazz) but we can’t have a curvy Autobot? Anyway, Arcee eventually managed to get toys made and was sort of part of the wirework already when Prowl turned her into, literally, his personal assassin in the IDW continuity. Then the “Transfomers: The Covenant of Primus” hardcover hinted at the possible origins of bots like Arcee and basically got the fandom all ruffled up (The book has nice art and a nifty case, though). But IDW’s “Dark Cybertron” arc really pushed buttons when it introduced three more female Autobots, Chromia, Nautica and their leader, the sword-wielding Windblade, who now gets her own limited series written by Mairghread Scott and illustrated by Sarah Stone. Significantly and fittingly, this is the first time ever that a TF comic book is being written and illustrated by an all-female tandem. Interestingly, the new “Dawn of the Autobots” arc begins with the dawn of the newest Autobot’s limited series.