The Energon Pub

[Va'al]

The second preview from IDW Publishing, once more via Nerdspan, and also out this week, is for Transformers #55, as we lead closer and closer to the conclusion of All Hail Optimus, before Titans Return and Revolution - check it out below, and come back for a review and discussion!

Transformers #55
John Barber (w) • Andrew Griffith (a & c)
ALL HAIL OPTIMUS—CONCLUSION! GALVATRON vs. SOUNDWAVE vs. ARCEE vs. COSMOS vs. OPTIMUS PRIME vs. humanity!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
The war for Earth extends to outer space!
Ultimate victory—or final defeat? Or... both?
Setting the stage for TITANS RETURN—and beyond!
Part of IDW’s month-long variant cover program, celebrating the return of ROM!
Variant cover by Carlos Valenzuela!

[SW's SilverHammer]

You know, I'm going to be pissed if:

A: starscream gets dethroned, and prime get's away with everything

B. Arcee doesn't come back with Galvatron's head.

[Va'al]

You know, I'm going to be pissed if:

A: starscream gets dethroned, and prime get's away with everything

B. Arcee doesn't come back with Galvatron's head.

You may be... a quarter pissed.

[Kurona]

You know, I'm going to be pissed if:

A: starscream gets dethroned, and prime get's away with everything

B. Arcee doesn't come back with Galvatron's head.

You may be... a quarter pissed.

don't do that to us man

[Va'al]

Just a quick announcement:

We are postponing our review of The Transformers #55, as John Barber has let people know via Twitter that the issue's release date has been moved to next week (it may still digitally, though, at this point it seems there is some confusion at distribution level). As we aim to release reviews on the day of release for more readers to join in the conversation, we have chosen to follow suit. Titans Return and More Than Meets the Eye #55 will have their reviews up today as scheduled! Thank you for understanding.

The world is a cruel place. TF #55 is apparently next week. So, enjoy those music links over and over. And, you know, read MTMTE & Titans R.

[MrBlack]

I can confirm that it is available digitally on Comixology, at least as of 4 AM.

[Bounti76]

I read it on Comixology as well.

[MemphisR56]

Interesting implications of it being delayed, as having read it, I'm pretty certain it takes place *before* the Titans Return one-shot, which is full of potential spoilers for issue #55.

Is that delayed too?

[Va'al]

Interesting implications of it being delayed, as having read it, I'm pretty certain it takes place *before* the Titans Return one-shot, which is full of potential spoilers for issue #55.

Is that delayed too?

Nope, but the crossover is minimal, and they don't FULLY address the events of TF55.
I'm just writing that section as I type this, coinkidentally.

[Tigertrack]

Transformers #55 - Conversation Starter

Last issue was pretty loaded. Titan called and rose, combinations stopped, characters learned stuff, villains fled, humans scrambled…

Issue 55 is the wrap to the ‘All Hail Optimus Prime’ story arc. The events have led to this what could be a final confrontation. How does it end? Digitally, some of us already know. In print, some of us waited. It is time.

This issue in a nut shell… CHANGE comes to the forefront. The crux of what it seems to mean to be a Transformer (and a person for that matter). How one reacts, changes, adapts, or doesn’t, and the results…all come to a HEAD.

Galvatron makes like a banana ice cream sundae and SPLITS! His coup de grace, his 4th down drive, his last second shot… all came up short and he lost. Galvatron chooses the noble path: to live to fight another day. Or is he just choosing a more suitable place for what could be his final stand? Who will pursue him? Will he or another Transformer utter the phrase: one shall stand one shall fall?

The answers are found in (and on the cover) of the issue. While Galvatron has always been very staunch in his ideals of purity and expansion echoing Nova Prime (even though at times he found himself at odds with Nova), he does tend to over do at times (understated), and his ideals often mean that whole entire ‘impurities’ can be wiped out. He stretches the truth, he looks out for himself, and uses people. Hence why he’s pretty universally considered a ‘bad guy’.

But Optimus Prime has always been his opposite. Always wanting to preserve and support life. Trying to use noble, honorable, merciful, and peaceful means whenever possible, wanting to believe the best in all…which is pretty hard when you are overseeing a campaign of a four billion jillion year war. It’s these qualities that have always made Optimus Prime able to inspire loyalty.

Optimus' famous quote, his ideal to live by. His belief, along with his uncompromising ideal to seek peaceful solutions whenever possible.

It’s when these two ideals clash, and neither wants to give ground, that we see this arc ending. What will happen when the writing is on the wall? Who will change to achieve goals? Who if anyone will compromise themselves and their ideals?

This issue satisfyingly wraps up the arc, and begins the next. Characters have shown growth and steps have been taken. Like any well-written story, you’re left wanting to continue reading more because you have questions, and the story has answers. When the dust settles where does this leave Earth? With the end we received, Titans Return with perhaps a visit from Onyx Prime seem inevitable. The upcoming IDW REVOLUTION should help to answer other questions that we are left with as well.

The art in this book by Andrew Griffith is hands down incredible! He’s always done impressive work, but I think he’s getting better and better at his craft. The colors by Josh Burcham are well played to support the story, most notably as supportive of setting changes. And as Dr. Va’al credits often, and as an under appreciated part of the visual experience, Tom B. Long adds some incredible letters to the story with some very satisfyingly scripted 'CHOOMs', 'CHAKs', and 'AHs' along with the character dialogue.

I wasn’t really very kind the last time I reviewed Transformers. I felt like it was kind of doing over what had already been done. The upcoming REVOLUTION seems to address that and that’s what appears to lie in our immediate future. This issue allowed me to give the final exhale on this arc, it feels like a finale and I feel satisfied that things are for the moment, settled, and a firm direction has been set. Sadly, future solicits and sudden schedule changes have caused some cats to be out of the bag early, but the issue is still a nice resolution, before we get going again with TITANS RETURN and REVOLUTION.

[Randomhero]

I'll admit it really did feel like a directionless story. Like it was just setting up instead of paying things off and then the past 2 issues happened and it became "oh wow a lot of insane stuff is happening and stuff is getting paid off!"

I like the arc as a hole and it dawned on me last week that this and the dying of light were pretty much the finales of both books. Yeah we're getting some Titans return tie in and Revolution but after its all done, this and and MTMTE ends with ten trades each. I was going to get worried one series would have one more than the other. As a big picture, this was the end of RID and I'm satisfied.


Here's to The Lost Light and Optimus Prime! ...oh and Till all are One

[galvatron00]

Spoiler! So I removed it.

[Randomhero]

Holy shirt!! "I surrender..I surrender Prime!!" MURDERED!!

Would you consider shooting hitler murder? Galvatron was robot hitler for crying out loud. The dude was working toward genocide or the entire earth and any cybertronian who he didn't consider "pure".

And let's not kid ourselves, like I've said before, Galvatron isn't dead because he hasn't been alive for 6 million years. The dude was undead and his head is intact so...yeah he's coming back eventually

[galvatron00]

Edited, as Randomhero pointed out the spoiler filter doesn't work when the article is not in the forum.

[Randomhero]

Spoiler black outs don't show up on news feeds so it really doesn't matter in my opinion. None of the special codes work on the main page.

[galvatron00]

Thanks for the tip Randomhero. I've edited my posts.

[1984forever]

Almost all the Decepticons are dead, and now IDW has started an Autobot war just like they always wanted.

So predictable.

[Targetmaster Kup]

To me it seemed like in his final moments Galvatron realized the truth of what he had become. But Optimus, who gave Megatron a second chance again, decides he will kill him anyway. To me, Optimus became less likable in this issue. But as others have said, Galvatron has no spark, he is undead and so as long as his head lives, he will live on to Master a new body. Probably one that matches the new Titans Return toy. Then maybe he will get Astrotrain's head and make him a new body too.

[Rodimus Prime]

I still have an inkling that all this somehow will end up with the Lost Light arriving on Earth and Megatron and the Autobots confronting Optimus and the Decepticons in the crossover finale arc that leads up to the 100th issue of each story. Megatron vs. Optimus once again, but this time they both changed sides. (I mean, Optimus not really "joining" the Decepticons, just acting like them and taking command of them. Megatron is still co-captain of the Lost Light, isn't he?)

[Targetmaster Kup]

I still have an inkling that all this somehow will end up with the Lost Light arriving on Earth and Megatron and the Autobots confronting Optimus and the Decepticons in the crossover finale arc that leads up to the 100th issue of each story. Megatron vs. Optimus once again, but this time they both changed sides. (I mean, Optimus not really "joining" the Decepticons, just acting like them and taking command of them. Megatron is still co-captain of the Lost Light, isn't he?)

I like that idea!

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Come on man! Astrotrain is one of my favorites!

Galvatron: fully deserved. Yes he was defenseless, but that was something regretable that needed done.

Overall, a good story arc. I'm wondering how they will do the whole explanation with Metrotitan, considering he did appear to blow up before and then he's on Earth.

and I like the Soundwave/Prime duo. Makes for some fun conversation

[Genericon #378]

Wow IDW, you're doing a great job at killing favourites for absolutely no reason!

[Va'al]

[Kurona]

Wooooow having a new toy is really not enough to save you these days.

ASTROTRAIN ;-;

I want a reunion party between Soundwave and Megatron. Stat. It'd be wonderful.

And I've said it before, I'll say it again... there's just something so incredibly badass about seeing Optimus and Soundwave team up. Even more than Optimus with Megatron; there's just... I don't know. I love it so much.

[Kurona]

So I mean, since Galvatron kicked the bucket, I was thinking about who's actually left of Nova's crew; who isn't dead or turned their back on it. Cyclonus has got new friends, Galvatron's dead, Scourge is dead, Nova's dead, Jhiaxus is dead, Straxus is dead, Grindcore's dead...

Known passengers on this first Ark include:
Nova Prime
Cyclonus
Galvatron
Grindcore
Jhiaxus
Scourge
Straxus
Tailpipe
Hyper-somebody


Looks like our next big bads are Tailpipe and Hyper-somebody. Can't wait