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Thanks to the amazing people at IDW, we are able to show everyone at Seibertron.com the eagerly anticipated beginning of what has been advertised as the biggest event in Transformers history! Take a look at the full preview for Dark Cybertron #1 below.

Transformers: Dark Cybertron #1—SPOTLIGHT
James Roberts & John Barber(w) • Phil Jimenez & Andrew Griffith with Brendan Cahill (a) • Jimenez (c)
THE END OF EVERYTHING! SHOCKWAVE makes a move millions of years in the planning—an ultimate plan to remake Cybertron and destroy both the Autobots and Decepticons! Bringing together the casts of the hit MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE and ROBOTS IN DISGUISE for the first time in two years!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:
The biggest Transformers event in comic book history!
Art by superstar PHIL JIMENEZ and Transformers fan-favorite ANDREW GRIFFITH!
Writing by Transformers greats JAMES ROBERTS & JOHN BARBER!
All your favorite Transformers characters together!
Variant covers by Phil Jimenez and Andrew Griffith!

Okay. Normally I'd wait for the trade, but... I really, really have to know what Shockwave's plan is.

Guess I'll have an extraneous one-shot floating around my collection...

Synopsis

THE END OF EVERYTHING! SHOCKWAVE makes a move millions of years in the planning—an ultimate plan to remake Cybertron and destroy both the Autobots and Decepticons! Bringing together the casts of the hit MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE and ROBOTS IN DISGUISE for the first time in two years!



Story

It begins, again. After endless teasing, the two wordsmiths get together and concoct their galactic goulash. For the first time since Death of Optimus Prime, John Barber and James Robert reunite to set the stage to their Dark Cybertron event, crossing over both RID and MTMTE titles - and a lot more.



The 'Previously' section was a nice touch, I admit, re-using panels from previous issues spanning the two series up to now, and helping to bring readers back up to speed after the various character-focused RID stories slowing the pace. The 'Prologue', seen previously, is also still really good, though it messes up some previously established continuity.



There is story advancement of course, but a lot of it almost gets lost in gathering the plotlines and making sure everything lines up together. Starscream is pretty glorious/fabulous, but doesn't do much; Optimus Prime Orion Pax keeps being misnamed and is troubled with recapping and exposition, and feels a little out place.



As a set-up issue, it does what it has to. The expanded cast are all a bit corollary, and feel as though they're dragged in to remind us they're all involved. Some of the dialogue seems a little off, too, but I'm definitely curious to see were all this leads to - especially thanks to the final four pages.

Art

The artwork is superb. From Brendan Cahill's Prologue, to cameos by Livio Ramondelli and Andrew Griffith in Previously, Phil Jimenez' layouts are gorgeously finished off by Griffith's own approach, and the result is stunning. Plus, there are plenty of splash pages and double-page spreads for everyone's eyes to be dazzled.



Add the colours to the already amazing mixture, and sparks fly. JP Bove's skills shine with Cahill's style in the Prologue, and Josh Perez does some ridiculously splendid stuff on the interiors - watch out for the multiple skies. Tom B. Long on lettering delivers once more, playing with some established techniques used in both MTMTE and Monstrosity.



The final effect is reminds me of a Peter Jackson or James Cameron film, with stunning visuals, dazzling effects, wide-sweeping mouth-watering eye-candy. Nice to see Jimenez on some Cybertronian work, and Griffith and Perez really do help his style. It's a gorgeous book, if a little thin on story.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

As the first issue, preparing everything that's to come (including the actual not-so-subtle hints in the book) it's not bad - but it's not amazing either. It's a decent read, bringing back some plotlines that were almost abandoned, and merging them more or less successfully. Definitely want to read more, but mostly because of what this issue lacked in.



On the other hand, I loved the multiple hands working on the artwork, from pencils to colours via finishes and letters. There are some amazing splash pages and spreads, and I enjoyed the differences between the prologue and the main story. Here's to the beginning of a long, dark winter - let's hope it picks up from here.

Now that the book's out, I'm gonna pick apart the bits of your review that I don't agree with. Totally fair, right

Va'al wrote:The 'Prologue', seen previously, is also still really good, though it messes up some previously established continuity.

It does? Where? Honest question, but I don't see it.

Va'al wrote:There is story advancement of course, but a lot of it almost gets lost in gathering the plotlines and making sure everything lines up together.

Isn't that the point of having this issue as a stand alone instead of using up an issue of MTMTE or RID? I don't think they lost anything, it all flowed together very well while setting up what's to come. I think they did a marvelous job of blending character development and plot advancement given the page constraints, something that each book can sometimes dwell on a little too much in either direction.

Va'al wrote:Starscream is pretty glorious/fabulous, but doesn't do much

I don't agree with this at all. He basically re-establishes contact between Cybertron and the Lost Light, and gets his new body at last.

Va'al wrote:Optimus Prime Orion Pax keeps being misnamed and is troubled with recapping and exposition, and feels a little out place.

This seems intentional, not out of place. We're meant to believe that Pax has been out of contact for about a year and a half or so, then the first group his little crew encounters is the biggest bunch of Misfit TFs (The crew of the Lost Light) and Starscream. Not exactly his comfort zone, so I appreciated the sometimes shifty dialogue and internal monologue.

I think it has to be remembered that this is a set up issue for 11 more, and I think they achieved everything I would have expected out of that. It's supposed to get you excited and get you to go out and buy 11 more issues over the next six months, and I don't see how it fails at this to much of a degree. Not perfect, but not mediocre by any means.

Scotty-

The continuity gets a little screwy when Nova Prime orders them to enter the expanse, whereas Spotlight: Galvatron established it as something Galvatron did himself, without orders.


This issue, man. Like you said, Va'al... the last 4 pages...

Kup!

Megatron vs Galvatron? Holy god yes.

Guess Galvatron and Nemesis Nova Prime got over their issues...

I am so desperately eager for more. I haven't latched onto a storyline this hard and needed to know what happened next since MTMTE #6.

ScottyP wrote:Now that the book's out, I'm gonna pick apart the bits of your review that I don't agree with. Totally fair, right

Absolutely!

ScottyP wrote:

Va'al wrote:The 'Prologue', seen previously, is also still really good, though it messes up some previously established continuity.

It does? Where? Honest question, but I don't see it.

Galvatron, in his Spotlight, was made to look as though he had plunged the Ark in to the anomaly, rather than following the orders of Nova Prime. Also, the whole Heart of Darkness business with Nova being taken over, and Galvatron's major role from that and into Chaos at the end of the Costa run. How are they now both together and fine?

ScottyP wrote:

Va'al wrote:There is story advancement of course, but a lot of it almost gets lost in gathering the plotlines and making sure everything lines up together.

Isn't that the point of having this issue as a stand alone instead of using up an issue of MTMTE or RID? I don't think they lost anything, it all flowed together very well while setting up what's to come. I think they did a marvelous job of blending character development and plot advancement given the page constraints, something that each book can sometimes dwell on a little too much in either direction.

I think, as I said, that they took a bit too long to recap. But I do agree that it flowed fairly well for such a big set-up story, and giant cast!

ScottyP wrote:

Va'al wrote:Starscream is pretty glorious/fabulous, but doesn't do much

I don't agree with this at all. He basically re-establishes contact between Cybertron and the Lost Light, and gets his new body at last.

He did that in the prose extract at the end of MTMTE 21, though. And yes, we get to see him in his shinyness, but that was heavily hinted at and plain spoiled by the covers we've seen so far of upcoming issues.

ScottyP wrote:

Va'al wrote:Optimus Prime Orion Pax keeps being misnamed and is troubled with recapping and exposition, and feels a little out place.

This seems intentional, not out of place. We're meant to believe that Pax has been out of contact for about a year and a half or so, then the first group his little crew encounters is the biggest bunch of Misfit TFs (The crew of the Lost Light) and Starscream. Not exactly his comfort zone, so I appreciated the sometimes shifty dialogue and internal monologue.

I found it clunky, personally. I found a lot of the dialogue clunky. I wonder if it's Barber and Roberts arguing over who should sound like what, now that they've both definitely found their voice in each of their series..

ScottyP wrote:I think it has to be remembered that this is a set up issue for 11 more, and I think they achieved everything I would have expected out of that. It's supposed to get you excited and get you to go out and buy 11 more issues over the next six months, and I don't see how it fails at this to much of a degree. Not perfect, but not mediocre by any means.

Oh, definitely. But taken as an issue in itself, it's miles behind DOOP. The big reveals are not big, and I think they tried cramming too much into it when both RID and MTMTE have been almost lagging for a month or so. I see all of your points, but still stand by mine.

Thanks for the clarification on the continuity guys, I'm fuzzy on the details of the Revelation arc, it has been way too long since reading it.

I just figure that Nova and Galvatron might either have something to do with the time hopping spaceship or got dragged back and resurrected by Ore 14.

Courtesy of the official IDW Publishing Tumblr, we have a look at the page process behind the first, non-Prologue, page of this week's Dark Cybertron #1 issue! Take a look at the images mirrored below, with layouts by Phil Jimenez, linework by Andrew Griffith and colours by Josh Perez.

Cool Shockwaves in the Batcave.

ausbot wrote:Cool Shockwaves in the Batcave.

hmmm... a new kitbash idea...

For some reason I have always wanted Shockwave's eye red... as in "Hello Dave"