The funeral issue
(Spoiler free-ish)
Disclaimer: while the review is relatively spoiler-free, the discussion in this thread may not be. If you do not want to ruin your reading experience, please do not read the comments until you've picked up the issue!SynopsisAFTERMATH! The battle for the Lost Light is over. As the survivors bury the dead, one Autobot begins a secret journey that will change everything. This special issue marks the beginning of “Remain in Light”—the game-changing finale to the first
More Than Meets The Eye mega-story arc!
Aaaand we're up to speedThere's a definite lack of exclamation marks this issue, whatever the solicitation may say. Overlord and Rewind are dead (it seems), Ultra Magnus is dying (apparently), Rodimus, Chromedome and a lot more are hurt and hurting. Get your tissues out, there's some emotional stuff going on.
U sad bro?I'd say there are three main plots running through, with all the usual addenda. Rodimus having to deal with what has happened behind his back and yet right under his nose (try working that out, physically): I love the portrayal of him in this issue, I simply love it. He's furious and feels, justly, betrayed, while still trying to keep a level head as captain of the ship. Drift is complementary to this section, and quite rightly has not a lot of excuses to offer.
Cameo appearance: Rotorstorm!Ultra Magnus, on the operating table, with the Death Clock, surrounded by his 'friend' Swerve, Ratchet and Tailgate, who is having a real hard time keeping everything together. Somehow, Swerve's usual humour does not seem to work, and all of this issue is, fortunately, toned down. Tailgate, actually, gets some nice lines, and serves his function heartbreakingly well. (And those initial pages provide some rushed but good background to all his obsessions, too.)
Skids sure does talk a lotChromedome, trying to get over Rewind's death. There are some excellent moments here, unsurprisingly. The scenes with Skids outside the ship, hinting at the real ties between him and Rewind, the talk after the funeral revealing a big secret, the final pages. Especially towards the end, although a tad confusing in some frames.
ArtArtist on board this time is Agustin Padilla, who has previously worked on the
Rage of the Dinobots miniseries, with Jose Aviles on inks. While I do like the work overall, something does quite feel right in terms of proportions and scale, especially with the smaller bots like Tailgate and Swerve.
Someone went to the Hasbro masterclass on scaleBurcham's colours really are something. This issue is toned done, almost muted, in remembrance of the events from the previous one, and the colouring just makes sure we get the gravity of the situation. There isn't that much space for Long to play around with lettering, but the captions in the final sections of the issue are really well executed.
Dem shadowsOverall, the artwork leaves me a bit unsure, but there are some gems in there, and the colours really do help. The images really suit the text, in hue, tone and saturation, and not just for flashbacks. The amount of work going into those last pages is impressive, and needs commending, though.
ThoughtsSpoilerish aheadI liked it. I really liked it. I appreciated what Roberts did in the almost final pages, although it was a bit confusing at times. I'm glad there was no need for subtlety. I enjoyed how everything was turned down a notch, in terms of action, pacing and even colour saturation. One minor negative point I do have concerns the artwork, which doesn't always work. But it is a minor point.
Bobbing along.. I'm still unsure at the Overlord situation having been resolved so quickly, and similarly with Ultra Magnus' condition – although it wasn't entirely unsurprising, actually. The final page, while it will undoubtedly work in upcoming issues, felt almost forced after Rewind's message. We'll see where this goes, and whether what is left of the crew will indeed
Remain in Light.
