Something naughty this way comes...
(Spoiler free-ish)
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis
SECRETS AND SINS! PROWL’s past—shrouded in mystery—begins to come to light… and the revelations aren’t pretty. But to get ahold of the missing AUTOBOT, the WRECKERS will have to face… the NOISEMAZE.
u kno it
Story
Issue three, and we're still untangling a gigantic knot of garbled vines (and lumps in throats, after reading). Surprising no one really, but still executed really well, we find out who and what Mesothulas Tarantulas is - he even gets a catch phrase - what his goal might be, and just about what the Wreckers may have to do with any of this series to start with.
Oh yeah, them
I can see the problem with that last part, of course, as other readers have pointed out: if anything, this book so far is more about Prowl and his past than the Wreckers. And Prowl and the Wreckers haven't really had stellar relations in that past, either. This issue, however, may be leading towards the meeting point of the two pasts.
Hmmmmmm
There is one particular piece of dialogue, shown in the preview, which illustrates just how well Roche can work with words and visuals - as it's a layout within the panel that will show up a number of times in the issue - and speaks to his strengths as a grey-moral-area-lover-of-ambiguity. As we have seen several times before now.
Coloured words
Roche takes a quick dip in established Transformers history, from the IDWverse anyway, as he brings us up to speed with what happened to Mesontulas, which will please some readers. He also unearths some not-yet-established historical connections, as we catch up with what the Wreckers might know about it all, which will intrigue readers. Either way, he's still spinning threads, over halfway in.
Art
What I have said for the verbal part of Roche's appraisal, I have to reiterate in the visual - though with not as many reservations on the complexity of what he's doing. Yes, he is a storyteller, and working with both tracks in sync allows his art and words to bounce off each other, but the art has a smidge over the words at times, especially in character design.
What Josh Burcham brings to the page, in his colouring, is truly remarkable. The emotional side of the story and its characters is played out with tonal contrasts, juxtaposition of bright and positively (negatively?) dark colours, and sprinkled with some seriously heebie-jeebie vibes throughout. Plus, we get the trippy swirl effects of the Noisemaze.
Also, accurate for the story
Tom B. Long has a field day with the number of font variations: each faction, plus Taranmesothulalala, and juiced up Guzzle, the Noisemaze - there is so much going on in the different voices, and he claims them all, pointing them out brilliantly. The covers are pretty much as dark as you would expect, with multi-layered Roche/Burcham main Impactor and Kup art, heart-scrunching incentive variant by Priscilla Tramontano (seen here), and an ominous Pri-- Prowl by guest artists Andy MacDonald and John-Paul Bove (thumbnailed).
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
Even with the caveats mentioned above, I found a solid balance in Roche's writing: we may get some exposition in spots, but it allows for character fleshing out too; if on one hand there is a lot of Prowl and Tarantulas, on the other there is a big build-up of expectations. And both allow for some excellent visuals, in both layouts and creepiness, and surprising emotional turns. And Obtenteum (really?).
Another image of Nick Roche
We get some additional background and character work, though very brief, on Hubcap, Verity, Carnivac, Stakeout - and some of it will hurt, some of it will enrage, most of it will leave readers wanting for more, that's for sure. Whatever happens at the end, with its 'mild' cliffhanger, will have to wait quite a while for a resolve, unfortunately. So strap in to your spider, and let it crawl.
. 
½ out of
½ out of
