Oh, To Be Young and (Star)Driven
(Spoiler free-ish)
SynopsisBumblebee vs. Rom vs. Starscream vs. the Dire Wraiths! All alliances are off—this is a fight for survival! Torn between her Cybertronian heritage and her Solstar Knight upbringing, Stardrive takes control of her fate!
Rom referenceWe reach, with issue five, the last part of this mini-series uniting both Transformers and the Solstar Order of Rom and the other Knights. And I'll admit, I'm both glad the conclusion was as satisfying as it was, and a little saddened that the story is entirely over as far as we're concerned in the current IDWverse. Though it's true, repercussions retroactively are felt through Revolution and First Strike, and we have some continuations elsewhere too, Stardrive's story is currently done with.
Or is itI had my concerns earlier in the series - issue two specifically, as you can read again
here - but since then, both John Barber and Christos Gage have been able to diverge from the potentially platitude-filled plot, into a cosmic cluster-truck of a comic, and a truly enjoyable mini-series that attempts to introduce new characters to old stories, and new stories with established characters.
Bonus: added Star Wars referenceThe best part of the combination of the two styles, for me at least, was the amount of fun that they clearly had in filling in the stories. The interactions between the Decepticon team, Starscream included, are some of the best examples of robot-banter that come to mind in recent books, and play entirely into good fanservice and references. And best of all, they don't cause tonal whiplash that can be common in this type of story, as we switch to other scenes in the book.
Astrotrain: the new WaspinatorIf there is one major critique I have about the issue, and perhaps the series as a whole, it's its supposedly titular character: Stardrive does have a lot of moments, and she does appear a lot more after the initial qualms I had earlier in the series, but there is still a lingering sense of not having had enough about her, with a not entirely satisfying resolution by the end of it all. Which is a shame, given the potential of her story, and I do want to see more of it.
ArtAlex Milne really gives in - as we started seeing in the past numbers - to his technorganic leniencies, as Vekktral!Magnus is pretty much centre-stage for the entire issue, and the reason around the rest of the cast to rally and find their own resolution to their respective plots, with some really exciting choices in the Magnus side of the story, and some fantastic action sequences all the way through.
Borders literally bleeding into panelThe colouring, perhaps, is what is the newest addition to the visual style, and what sets the recognisable Milne hand from other Transformers titles so far - in the best way possible, of course! Josh Perez has been amazing for the entire series, and the gradual sunset in this issue just proves it - plus the addition of Priscilla Tramontano's work to cap it all off towards the end, and I am one visually satisfied reader.
The choom is back!Tom B. Long on the side of production and lettering has some truly excellent moments too, balancing the work of the artists in such a way that the fonts chosen and the words placed do never cover what the focus should be, and instead draw attention to them. In terms of covers, the one in the thumbnail is the splendid Nick Roche / Josh Burcham action portrait, while the other two (previously seen in news stories) can be found as always in the Database entry for the issue
here.
ThoughtsSpoilerish aheadThe new approach, for this side of IDW comics at least, of going plot-first was an interesting one - especially given the position that this series would occupy as a generic prequel to a lot of current galactic politics in the Hasbroverse - but it turned out to be an excellent one too. Milne's detail-oriented artwork provided a playground in which Barber and Gage could easily work their stories once the framework was established, without burdening the art with too much exposition.
FURMANISM KLAXONAnd as a result, with the effort of the entire visual team, we get a comic that is extremely enjoyable as a piece of art (read: it's pretty to look at), and successful in doing what it had to do: establish the links in the universe that had to be established after the universe had already been set years ago. Barber's contribution was perhaps the most valued in keeping the threads tidy, but Gage had no small feat either, and they synchronised very well.
There are some flaws, such as the second issue's slump, and the trade will undoubtedly prove a much smoother reading overall - and what is perhaps the best outcome of the series is that both target readerships probably got enough page-time each to satisfy being 'lumped together' feelings that inevitable rose at the start. We do find out a lot more about the Order, and the Dire Wraiths are better established as antagonists throughout, and even through the humour - at times almost surreal - there are some really touching moments. Do yourself a favour, and give this series a read!
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:20 am
