The End Is Nigh
A Somewhat Spoilerish Seibertron.com Review of More Than Meets The Eye 56
A Somewhat Spoilerish Seibertron.com Review of More Than Meets The Eye 56
Synopsis
TITANS RETURN! On Luna 1, nothing ever happens—and as far as FORTRESS MAXIMUS and RED ALERT are concerned, nothing ever will. After all, who else could possibly be interested in the Luna 1’s birthing field and its graveyard full of dead Titans?
Who Indeed?
Story
With the ending of Issue 55, the main crew has been seen for the last time until December at least, the Lost Light has been seen for the last time until who knows when, and the Scavengers are not to be seen until More Than Meets The Eye: Revolution, so who does that leave? None other than IDW's Fortress Maximus, his partner Red Alert, and a bunch of guys and roboids that include Cerebros. Foreshadowing much?
Me and My Roboids
Well, it also seems that the crew has changed a good bit since they last put in an appearance too. For one thing, Cerebros is a wholly different character from before, but that should be nothing new, and it works for the story and the universe as a whole. Having a guy named after a head being associated with some distrustful pasts should be no surprise. It also plays well into Red Alert's story, and it is Red Alert who steals the whole story as well. But, one must not forget how Fortress Maximus has grown as a character, and it seems that he has finally progressed and fulfilled most of his storyline. Well done with the characterization of that duo.
These 2 Men, Well Done
Now as for the actual storyline, it has been pointed out many times and it is worth saying again for the purpose of the review: the comics did come out in an odd order, and thus this story feels like jumping in with not all the pieces ready, but that is hardly the books fault. Once Transformers 56 comes out, things will make much more sense. But for jumping in, it becomes very obvious right away that a lot of old plot lines are about ready to come to a close along with the More Than Meets The Eye name. It also means things are going out on a large, loud, fortissimo note, and the story is ready for it. It works for the dramaticism of an ending two-parter, and it is well written. Old plot points are dredged up, things that came out of nowhere make perfect sense in hindsight upon looking back over years of work, and of course fan favorites seem to never learn.
When someone asks why MTMTE came out first
There really isn't a bad part about the whole storyline. The only fault is the out-of-order release, but overall, we have a great 2-part story to round out the title, and it leaves us looking forward to the finale.
Art
Art for the Titans Return finale fall to Priscilla Tramontano, and compared to when we last saw her doing work on Windblade: Distant Stars, this is a very different beast. Tramontano bursts into the More Than Meets The Eye scene using some very nice and bold artwork, still incorporating her slight cartoony look, but producing something far different and more fitting for the book. Her art captures Milne's standard designs and work, but manages to soften them up a bit, producing something light yet beautiful to look at. The facial expressions are exactly what you would want, and despite having a faceplate, Cerebros manages to steal the show with his expressive speech. Sentinel also puts in a good show for the faceplates, but Fort Max and Red Alert don't disappoint either. There really are no flaws in art, everything is awesome!
Best of Both Worlds
Joana Lafuente does not disappoint with some nice coloring to go with the line art. The backgrounds are beautifully done, the up-close shots are nicely colored, the massive, sprawling titan yard is glorious to look at - and, of course, cannonfire.
Tom B. Long rounds out the full visual effect with some nice lettering and the ability to break up who is speaking and who is thinking words. He even gets in on the action of Red Alert's meta-commentary on comic speech bubbles, and makes that bit of meta-action truly enjoyable:
Downside to rooming with Swerve once upon a time: you too are subject to a Meta-Bomb
Final Thoughts
More Than Meets The Eye comes to a close next month with issue 57, and it seems that we are set to go out on a high note. The storylines are coming to a close in a very satisfactory way, the characterizations are on-point and are progressing in a good way, and the Titans Return aspect is present but is not intruding on the main comic point. The art is great, the colors and lettering are present and correct, the fourth wall was breached for a panel, and the scenery and characters are looking as they should. Everything for the story works, it all fits, and the only thing that is out of place is the release of the story, and even then the book is a great read. The finale has a lot to live up to, but I think that if this first part is any indication, it certainly will.
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1/2 Out Of
1/2 Out Of
