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Netflix and Siege
A Review of Transformers: War for Cybertron, "Chapter One: Siege"
Spoiler Free-ish Images in this review courtesy of Netflix
In a mere two days' time Transformers fans will finally get to watch the highly anticipated, much speculated about first chapter of the Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy, known as "Chapter One: Siege". You'll need a Netflix account to stream the show's 6 episodes, and in case you need a brief overview, here's the official synopsis provided by Netflix:
It is the final hours of the devastating civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The war that has torn apart their home planet of Cybertron is at a tipping point. Two leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron, both want to save their world and unify their people, but only on their own terms. In an attempt to end the conflict, Megatron is forced to consider using the Allspark, the source of all life and power on Cybertron, to “reformat” the Autobots, thus “unifying” Cybertron. Outnumbered, outgunned, and under SIEGE, the battle-weary Autobots orchestrate a desperate series of counterstrikes on a mission that, if everything somehow goes right, will end with an unthinkable choice: kill their planet in order to save it.
After the debacle that was the Prime Wars trilogy of streaming shows, fans looking for something different in (perceived) tone from the outstanding Transformers: Cyberverse have eagerly awaited the arrival of this latest installment. Many of us are happy to see toys that we've had for a year and a half reach the silver screen. All of us are wondering if it will be good - read on to find out.
The main plot of the series is summed up well in the synopsis above, and most fans will likely find the "30,000 foot view" of the plot to be about what's expected. While stories about the end of the war on Cybertron are as old as the franchise itself, the past decade or so has created so many disconnected permutations of this story that it's starting to become Transformers' version of Bruce Wayne's parents being killed. It makes sense for this first chapter to play things relatively safe in this context, given the amount of casual fans likely to be exposed to this series that haven't experienced the wide combination of movies, video games, books and other Transformers TV shows covering the same general story as much as those hanging out here on Seibertron.com on a daily basis have in recent history. For the most part, the good guys are the Autobots, the bad guys are the Decepticons, they're in a war which is bad and has been long, and events occur with big, sweeping consequences for the Transformers. The show keeps it simple on a high level, and to be honest, it works.
Those backgrounds are nice.
One of the reasons the somewhat standard main plot works is because the side plots with tighter character focus are then able to grasp the spotlight and provide the series' most compelling moments. The first hour of the show does feature a great deal of talking and walking but it's worth sitting through because the characters you should really be paying attention to, such as Jetfire and Bumblebee, gain foundational characterization that pays off as the episodes progress. The cast is a little big and there's maybe one "B" plot too many running in the middle of this first chapter given its length, but this isn't a problem that sticks around for long.
Slow and low
The aforementioned cast of characters is kept somewhat small and if you're expecting anyone that doesn't have a Siege toy, temper that expectation now. Heck, if you're expecting any Battle Masters or Micromasters from the toy line, I'm going to go ahead and bring you that disappointment now too, because they're not present. Optimus Prime and Megatron receive the most spotlight as expected, with Jake Foushee reprising his role as Optimus Prime after performing him in Cyberverse. It's one of the weaker Optimus Prime performances that I can recall, but Foushee does kick some more emotion in nicely during some of the more action-packed sequences. Marnocha's Megatron sounds tired, which feels character appropriate, but is overall so low and slow that if you were only listening to audio you might mistake the character for Unicron or some other giant Transformer. It's worth noting this could be entirely on the provided direction and not the actor himself, to be fair.
Thankfully, there are standout voice performances surrounding the sub-par ones. Keith Silverstein brings in a fantastic performance as Jetfire, layering in his experiences playing Char Aznable in another globally huge robot franchise to create a take on the character that feels fresh while carrying appropriate emotion. Georgia Reed delivers punchy lines as Chromia in another more subtly notable performance, to me at least, while Frank Todaro's Starscream has evolved into one of the best interpretations of Chris Latta's original take on the character's voice that's ever been recorded.
Now if voice director Philip Bache could just get everyone to actually enunciate the first "r" in "Cybertron" we'll be getting somewhere very good.
Just enough transforming and rolling out. Usually.
Transformers shows are notoriously limited by budget constraints, as making complex CGI models of robots transform into CGI models of vehicles is, presumably, complicated and expensive. There's just enough transforming most of the time that it feels appropriately present throughout, and sometimes this is accomplished through clever-ish use of smoke and other camera panning effects leaving your imagination to fill in the rest. It works fine and is preferable to skipping out on opportunities to have the Transformers, you know, transform. There was only one moment early on where I wanted to pull my hair out because the Autobots were running away on foot from Decepticons, some with flying alt modes, who were also chasing them on foot. The rest of the animation is fine with the movements of characters looking infinitely better than what was seen in Prime Wars, though not quite as nice as other recent forebears such as Transformers: Prime or even Cyberverse with the characters in "Siege" moving their hands a little too much, too often while they speak. The backgrounds are also positively gorgeous at times, with large, sweeping vistas and massive buildings giving Cybertron a sense of grandeur and scale. Occasionally the characters stand out oddly against them, but this was something I only noticed once or twice during interior shots.
I'm going long on this part of the review, but need to mention that the action and battle sequences are crisp, busy, and ultimately quite satisfying.
Always a look of dull surprise...
If there's one thing I found to be a let down, it's the sound. The balance of voices to background music and sound effects was occasionally off, and I had to turn up my 5.1 system temporarily at times to make out what some characters were saying. The classic transformation sound effect from G1 is used effectively in some places, but they forgot to sample more than one version of it making me wonder why they even bothered at all. It's something that should be done with differences in tempo, levels and duration based on the character and what they transform into but here, a lazy, one-size-fits-all approach was used. Edward Bosco's voice performance as Soundwave is ruined by a poor attempt at his voice effect but at least he also plays Ultra Magnus well, proving he's not a slouch. The musical score by Alexander Bornstein is entirely forgettable and sounds like the Tron: Legacy score by Daft Punk was cut into small samples to avoid a lawsuit then rearranged into a generic bore-fest that adds no emotion to anything at any point. My apologies to Mr. Bornstein if generic, derivative music that sounds like everything else while also sounding like nothing whatsoever was precisely the musical direction desired by Hasbro and Netflix.
Producers of Transformers shows, if you take nothing else from this review, please take this: just hire Vince DiCola next time. Barring that, hire a good Synthwave artist that can provide some exciting electronic scoring to go with the action.
Verdict Pictured here: the fandom after watching the "Prime Wars" trilogy
:exhales:
It doesn't suck.
All I wanted was for this show to not suck, and it achieves that. The wider story is a bit blasé to this long time Transformers fan who rabidly consumes its media, but the side plots and character work help elevate it. Some of the character models are re-used as generics far too often, but the overall nice visuals make me care less about that. The voice performances are hit or miss and the score is terrible but excellent all-around work on characters like Jetfire, Ratchet, Mirage and even Impactor lead me to forgive. The really important thing here is that it was a fun watch that doesn't ask for a ton of your time. You'll have about 2.5 hours sometime in the next week where the Transformers will entertain you, and for many fans, that's a big increase.
I considered going a notch higher on the score below, but "Tarnhauser Gate" was too cringe-worthy to let go without some punishment.
Final Score . ½
out of
Seibertron.com was provided with complimentary advance screening access to Transformers Chapter One: Siege by Netflix for the purpose of this review. "Thank you" to Netflix and Hasbro for this access!
I'm gonna free fall out into nothin'
A Review of Transformers #6
Free of any explicit spoilers, but some are implied. It's called "Free Fall" get it ha.
War Dawn. Chaos Theory. Exodus. The origins of the conflict between Optimus Prime and Megatron have been explored several times over in Transformers media with some examples being more successful and well remembered than others. For this latest iteration of the franchise in comic book form, its sixth issue looks back at the relationship between Orion Pax and Megatron before any wars have ever begun. The resulting output is a meandering exercise in unrealized potential that squashes the positive momentum carried out of the previous issue. Read on to find out more about a series quickly falling into an identity crisis.
Tidal Wave's boat anchor was, sadly, not on the other end.
The ambition here is plainly visible, as throughout 20 pages, it feels like the intention was to present the history of this iteration of Orion Pax and Megatron through a dreamlike recollection of days gone by with focus on small interpersonal moments that feed the current hyper-mild tension between these two franchise icons. The first anecdotal flashback sequence really works in building up these characters and their histories, with Megatron performing physical labor while Orion incompetently tries to assist his friend. This delivers the intended impact with an easy to follow but thought out depiction of the contrast in their personalities, though it's a bit subtle at times. It also casts a lens on each of their ambitions but remains rooted in just enough of who you already think these characters are. It was a great way to start out the flashback story that worked well within the medium of a comic book.
Then the problems really ramp up.
Some of the layouts were, yes sir.
The second scene trying to do the same thing loses itself in an attempted spectacle that would probably look phenomenal in an animated medium, being set on a fantastical location on Cybertron's moon that allows for a metaphorical representation of Orion and Megatron's friendship to be presented. The visual presentation here didn't work for me and while I think the intended message is conveyed, it's delivered in a way that ultimately lacked a real emotional impact. Things happen and words are said but the art and story are too lost in their attempt at being respectively a cartoon and novel to work. Story wise, the dialogue drives home a great bit of what while failing to convey how these characters feel about it. This is caused by an over reliance on the big picture, potential implications of these Transformers' desires and ambitions on the world around them. Said world is still fuzzy, at least to this reader, creating a missed opportunity to make the dramatic tension later implied something rooted in a (presumably just friendly) relationship and its history of interactions and misunderstanding. The story opts instead to make it about anxiety and paranoia without earning its way to that goal.
Galaxy Downgrade Optimus
Visually, there are too many panels to make the setting work. One of the best shots in the series was back in issue 1 via a two-page spread near the start that made Cybertron reflect elements of wonder and mystery. A similar choice might have helped here at some point along the way, and perhaps accompanying panels at the bottom (a technique used effectively in Unicron, More Than Meets The Eye and probably hundreds of other comics) could keep the needed space for the spoken words. At least one moment almost got there with a full page visual, but it suffers from another issue that I hope isn't as present in a printed copy: while the pencils here from newcomer Bethany McGuire-Smith show an artist definitely suited for more Transformers work, the finishes look incomplete. This could have helped the story and was likely intentional, given the way in which we're taken along in Codexa's memory to view what's presented on the page, but the visual technique never quite commits to embracing any surreal enough qualities to say that for certain.
Decepticon tyrant destroys Thanos with this one shocking line! Click for more!
The covers available feature an amazing Jack Lawrence and Josh Burcham piece for the "A" cover that conveys some of the emotion that the interior contents were lacking for me. Interior artist McGuire-Smith's work is seen again on the "B" cover and is featured in this review's news story thumbnail. Jeffrey Veregge provides another wonderfully imaginative "travel poster" cover for the ten copy retailer incentive option, available soon at the Seibertron eBay store along with the A cover and B cover. As previously covered, a retailer exclusive cover is also available. As always, you can also find images of all of the book's covers along with full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Transformers #6.
Verdict And the good girls are home with broken hearts
Just when things take a step forward, they hop back in a strange way. This issue works best after issue 3, if it had to come this early, but the main problem here might be that it was too early to tell this story as the main result is an unearned, borderline illogical decision by Orion Pax on the actions he should take moving into the future after consulting with the Transformers equivalent of the Three-Eyed Raven of all things. There's subtlety and then there's a lack of elaboration - if the tone of this review has told you anything so far, it's that I found this installment falling into the latter category more so than the former. While there are some worthwhile moments and a clearly ambitious, cared for overall effort, the execution shows a reach that exceeded its grasp, or maybe a desire to make TV instead of a comic book.
Bottom line for this reviewer: I really want to like this issue and can pick up what the creative team is possibly trying to craft, one scene in this really is good, but the crammed layouts and bone-dry dialogue are leaving me ambivalent towards the overall product.
Final Score .
out of Docked half a point because no one transforms again
Finally concluding our saga of leaks, today we received quite the shocking review of the yet-unconfirmed (by HasTak) WFC Siege Leader Class Optimus Prime, courtesy of TonTon Review! This serves as easily our most thorough look at the Unicron Trilogy-inspired Prime yet, as TonTon’s mechanical monologue goes into detail regarding the figures articulation, paint and mold detailing, vehicle modes, robot modes, weapons, Six-Gun compatibility and size comparisons against both Siege Deluxes and the Cybertron original! We also see some unfortunate things, such as the Super Mode head being visible in alt mode (upside down or not), and that the wheels must be partsformed when converting to robot mode.
We also cannot understate how unusual this truly is, as not only has there been no reported sightings of this figure yet, but there has also never been an official statement directly from the mouths of anyone at either Hasbro or Takara even confirming this figures existence, let alone visage. This seems to suggest that some retailer may have accidentally released the figure early, in which case the hunt is most certainly on for Siege fans everywhere, or that TonTon is a HasTak employee. If you happen to be as lucky as TonTon and find this bewildering figure, be sure to let us know in your area’s sightings forum.
Special thanks to Riley Hoffman, Survivefan23, and Powermaster Ultra Prime for all sending this review our way!
Seeing as this is our first in-depth look at the figure, be sure to discuss your thoughts on the figure (as well as how TonTon may have acquired the figure) in the forums below, and stay tuned to Seibertron.com for more Transformers news and reviews!
The latest entry in the Encore line from Takara arrived today. Which is amazing, considering it was just released in Japan and I am all the way in Canada. Shipping only took two days and was $10 USD (the total of my order including duty and customs was $140 USD).
The full name of this release is Transformers TF Encore Unicron Micron Gathering Body Color, meaning that this is the Unicron mold in the colour representing all minicons combining. The effect in the Armada show was a bright glowing chartreuse/green. This colour is done here though a combination of clear green plastic, green plastic, and green paint. This is a much more accurate rendition than the lucky draw we previously got which was more teal than fluo green, with quite a bit of grey plastic and less clear plastic than this version. You can view that initial version here.
You will find some images below of this toy in both robot mode and alt mode as well as Bug (his minicon) and comparison images with the original Armada Unicron. You can also see the box and how he is packaged. While it is the same mold we all know, here are a few points I found noteworthy:
This figure is not mostly clear plastic, it is a 50/50 mixture of clear and non clear plastic. The clear plastic pars are his chest flaps, the planet kibble on his back and legs, the forearms and hands, the crotch flaps and the thighs.
The wings and feet are not the grey plastic we have had before, they instead have a green tint.
This really is just a straight redeco, there is nothing changed to the mold nor the electronics.
This means that the problems of floppy wings persists and the electronics give red lights, rather than green lights.
The inner chest missile does not function very well on my copy and gets stuck inside 9/10 times.
Free of any explicit spoilers, but some may be unintentionally implied. 'til all are gone?
It all (re)started with "The Death of Optimus Prime". Surprising no one, he wasn't really dead, and not even in a way requiring a true resurrection. The namesake character of this comic series has been defined throughout as both an idea and a character. With the opening pages leading off with the first lines of Bob Budiansky's original Tech Spec for Optimus Prime, you'll immediately recognize that we're starting at the start before we arrive to the end.
Here we are now at the end, with Optimus Prime, 27 (or 24) pages, and one of the longest uninterrupted Transformers stories ever created wrapping up. How did it go? Read on.
It's too late to emergency separate into the other book!
This is indeed the end with this issue serving as a final exhale, putting a cap on a good deal of unfinished business. More akin to Lost Light #25 than Unicron #6, Optimus Prime #25 provides final flashbacks and final thoughts with all the big, sweeping, intergalactic action wrapped and over. It was important for more than just Optimus Prime himself to get a last tale and that hope is fulfilled. Arcee, Jazz, Aileron, Rum-Maj, and more I won't mention (just in case you haven't caught up to the end of Unicron) at least get a little something this time out and even if a bit short in some cases, these mini-endings all feel appropriate and help take the characters further if not entirely full circle.
Got to the last issue after all, sort of.
There are flashback scenes dispersed throughout, and the first few of them pay respect to characters wiped out in other Transformers comic series in a fun way that unfortunately did not continue to the end of the book, but this was necessary to carry the issue's story along. It's another way that writer John Barber ensures more characters are around if you need one last goodbye, adding to the emotional weight that ebbs and flows during the course of this installment.
Entire mini-series of Buzzsaw: Planeteer? Sold.
Somewhat similar to horrible tearjerker/fantastic comic book "The Life of Sideswipe", a sense of melancholy carries from page to page, and while it isn't all depressing or mournful something in the tone of the writing shoots pangs of regret. I can't say that there's regret here for certain, but if there is, good luck figuring out if it's about the series ending, where it ended up, or maybe even how the grand experiment of the shared Hasbro Universe followed course. Either way it's another layer to the depth of the book, which some will find more hopeful than wistful even though that doesn't match the mood I received.
A quick, special note is in order to one scene in particular featuring Aileron, Jetfire, Sunstreaker, Bob, and more of a spacefaring team aboard an Autobot shuttle as it travels the unknown and makes a discovery. Well, at least I think it did, and it was a superbly fun touch.
Go back to the Shadow
Kei Zama and Josh Burcham finish up this series by handling all the lineart and color work for Optimus Prime #25 and deliver all the striking lines, thick borders, and retro-cool lighting that defines the look of this series. A particularly amazing panel of Ravage (from a flashback scene, sorry!) is shown above that provides a sharp contrast and rich shadows that help tell the story within the story. Tom B. Long's letters further enhance the work, providing emphasis in just the right places to help some scenes comfort while others turn sinister. David Mariotte ensures a coherent package is delivered even with the flashback-to-present-and-back-again hopping and regular shifts in character focus.
This review's newspost thumbnail shows Casey Coller's B Cover for the issue, which I felt was most indicative of the kind of story within. Zama and Burcham (after Simonson) deliver a beautiful cast piece on Cover A, with just about everyone from the Optimus Prime series accounted for. Robots in Disguise helmsman Andrew Griffith takes us back to 2012 on a retailer incentive cover that I hope does not immediately sell out everywhere and quadruple in value like Alex Milne's Lost Light #25 RI cover did. You can find images of all of those covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Optimus Prime #25, but please note it contains a character appearance list which may accidentally deliver spoilers.
This was a book with a heavy burden, but as a final epilogue after the climactic battles it still makes it to Cybertron without jettisoning Insecticons worth of weight in the process. A healthy dose of character endings, playful dialogue that snatches the Furmanism away from the jaws of finality, and a ready-built setup for the future help too, even if it won't be realized.
Optimus Prime's epilogue is a very good epilogue because it's exactly that and doesn't try to be something beyond its purpose. Even the well worn trope of the final villain being back for one last go doesn't show up, a pleasant surprise given how easy a setting like Infraspace could have been for such a moment. Enjoy this while you can since we've got a few quiet months ahead of us in the world of Transformers comics, but that's well earned after 13 years of amazing stories.
Once more, to all the creative forces at IDW Publishing that have made this happen since 2005, thank you!
I Need a Hero (to Save Me Now) A Seibertron.com semi-spoilerish review of IDW Tranformers: Unicron #6
EARTH WAR! With Unicron's ultimate goal revealed, the shaky alliance of Autobots and Decepticons is all that stands between Earth and the planet-eater. Heroes will rise-and fall-as Optimus Prime journeys into the dark heart of Unicron for the final confrontation with evil. At stake: the soul of a universe.
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losin' my faith today
Fallin' off the edge today
And so the story ends. The finale comes, and the universe shakes, rocks, rattles, and rolls. But the question is, did the conclusion finally bring the show to justice?
Well, let's discuss this shall we?
I am just a man
Not superhuman
For starters, let's talk about our main cast. Aileron is here, and she does her part, but there is nothing really spectacular. Arcee is her typical badass self, but really doesn't need to do much to be a part of the action. She's there, and she does what she does best. Windblade and Bumblebee are also sort of just here, not really doing too much to the overall story despite previous prominence. Which is OK, all of the named characters have had some moments to shine, so their lack of doing much is forgivable.
Especially when you consider our big 3: Soundwave, Starscream, and Optimus Prime. To me, this story finally got Starscream back in line with what Till All Are One had set him up to be, and finally seems to shake loose from the later Barber runs and revert back to what IDW appears to have wanted him to be, and that is a good thing. He and his seekers got some really nice moments together and individually, so I appreciate this. Soundwave continues to pull the heart apart, and I love his part in the conclusion of this story, very well done. And Optimus is not quite Optimus. His retraction of the faceplate and the fact that he never wears it again after he gets ready to go to orbit to fight Unicron is very telling, as is the (near) conclusion of his storyline. He is Orion once more, the masks, as he puts it, are gone. He is who is he is, and he helps smooth a few of his bumpy points.
It's just another war
Just another family torn
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
We also had some other nice character moments, from all corners of the Transformers and the Hasbro Universe in general. Action Man gets in a good shot, the seekers are great, the Dinobots do a nice part, the return of a fan favorite character by Mount Rushmore was awesome to see, Prowl, Stardrive, and Rhinox with their moments of light, and even some Sharkticons and Junkions. The wind down pages in particular, with several important character interactions, was done very nicely as well, a good bookend to the series.
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
We're in the fight of our lives
And we're not ready to die
But for every good moment we had, there seemed to be a dim bulb preventing the light from fully shining. Slide is without a doubt the worst part of the book, and the worst part of IDW's Optimus Prime run if I'm honest. She ended up as such an unlikable character that I feel didn't deserve the storyline she ended up getting. The continued random cameos of Maximals that don't really do anything and don't really get any development besides Rhinox in any way was disappointing. Unicron himself and how he relates to his creator, and indeed his creator in general were lacking. The way Bludgeon, Monstructor, and the Dinobots resolved felt like a bit of a mess.
But most importantly, several moments in the book that were supposed to be huge just didn't ring. They sort of thudded. Starscream, the Maximal's victims, and Unicron's creator fall heavy in this category. They needed some more oomph. And the climatic finale itself needed some extra bits in the final resolution, as I feel the true climatic moment was with Soundwave, not with Unicron or Orion.
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I've got a hero (I've got a hero)
Livin' in me
Art duties were very heavily scattered with this book, bringing in artists from almost all the main IDW ongoings over the past few years, including Alex Milne, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Kei Zama, and Andrew Griffith. While there were noticeable shifts between most of the artist changes, with Zama using her more monstrous features, Milne his pointy-ness and detailings, and Griffith's and Pitre-Durocher's smoother and less complicated look, there was never a feeling of real disconnect, thanks to the efforts of David Garcia Cruz and Joana Lafuente. While they did give some coloring liberties to pages with certain artists, calling back to said artist's previous books and color stylings, such as Zama's pages having a more dark, metal look while Pitre-Durocher's was more clean, smooth, and bright, They did a pretty good job of keeping the look and feel of the book consistent while still giving each artist that special spice of uniqueness. Tom B. Long also continues his work of letting the art be enjoyed to its fullest extent while giving us the important dialogue needed for the story.
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me just in time
So in conclusion, this story fell somewhere in the middle ground. The story wasn't particularly bad overall, but it certainly felt like it lacked the excitement factor, the big push, that big wow moment that it really needed to be spectacular. The characters in the book and their screen time were handled pretty well, we just needed some characters to shine more in their moments (Starscream) and others who really needed to be given fewer pages and didn't feel like they got more than they deserved (Slide). Soundwave for me was the shining point of the book, which says a lot seeing as what role others played in the grand scheme of things. We also needed more of that expanded universe, the little shots were nice, but I feel we could have used a bit more of the Hasbro Universe itself, especially seeing as how ROM has played such a small role in this issue considering he started out the book as one of the seemingly more important characters.
But most importantly, we got a new take on Unicron, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. The destruction he caused and the look were impressive, but what he ended up being was a bit disappointing. I feel like we could have gotten a lot more from this badass villain who was the end. I feel like the moments inside him would have done very well for a personality of his own to shine through, but we did not get that. And considering how big of a deal he was, I wish we could have gotten a bit more from him.
And the series itself feels like that overall. It had potential, but for some reason, the big moments just never got quite the flare they needed. It needed something more, a bit more life to it, and maybe a bit less of the Main Cast and a bit more of the small moments, like Blurr's moment, but for others. It also needed a bit more of Unicron, and maybe a bit better executed finale. But overall, again not bad, just not quite up where I wish this book could overall have been.
1/2 out of
This final Review of Unicron #6 features the Skillet song Hero, a personal favorite of mine, and the fitting end to this book.
As I tried but ended up not being able to work it into a single issue review, I decided to make my personal favorite song of all time the theme song for the series itself, and I feel this song in a way encapsulates how several characters felt in the series, never giving up in spite of overwhelming odds, and keep their faith. The theme song for the Unicron series is: Feel Invincible, also by Skillet. As it is the theme, I have also linked the video below for listening without leaving this page:
Free of any explicit spoilers, but some may be unintentionally implied. I'll drink to that
Sometimes I find the best way to start saying "goodbye" is to get straight to business.
For this review, sharing some context for this final issue of Lost Light may be an appropriate starting point. For those keeping up with the series you'll know that issue 24 left us with most of the series' main plots resolved. This finale serves as a way to put a bow on some other points of unfinished business while also providing a coda to show just where things go once the dust has settled. The biggest questions still to be answered are addressed for the most part, and even some yet-to-come events in IDW's other stories are alluded to in a telling way without venturing far into spoiler territory. That latter point is not the book's fault, but rather due to the chaotic release scheduling we've all come to be familiar with.
It hasn't been long enough since Steins;Gate 0 for this
The primary story is set in the far flung future, where everyone that has survived to that point is older and sadder. It's just like real life, only with robots that turn into cars and stuff, and that allows the story to deliver some of the emotional beats the series has become so well known for.
The sincere, dedicated following this series has earned stems from that ability to present a narrative that allows for an escape into another world that retains a connectivity to its readers by examining, among many things, our relationships to others. Interpersonal, romantic, platonic, professional, friendly, or just plain casual, the Lost Light crew forged various bonds through their journey. What those are, were, could be, and could have been form the backbone of this finale, sparing no remorse for your feelings along the way.
Had to know the wet blanket would show up
There's little left to really wrap up, and the biggest question on the minds of most readers probably has to do with how exactly this story might tie in to things going on elsewhere. This is answered early and allows the story to keep going, and ends up leaving some wonder in my mind anyhow about whether or not that question is actually addressed - but that's just me and it almost definitely was in its entirety.
The other one has to do with one of the central figures of the story since "Season 2" of More Than Meets The Eye began. A great deal of nuance is present in the approach to this plot, and unfortunately it crosses into the point of ambiguity. This may have been on purpose, or it could be that I just plain missed something. If that's the case, I'm happy to eat crow later because it's my only real critique of this issue, and even then it's more critical of the content than the delivery.
Now if we can just get MP3 to save the day in Unicron 6
This is an ending that manages to do exactly what it needs to do, and it does so in a way that only this story with these characters at this moment could do. There's just enough of a twist to it to make you wonder "is it really over?" This occurs almost immediately after reaching the point of the issue where it appears that it truly is - goodbyes are said, farewells are made, and characters have again gone their separate ways. The mood received is comparable to one that might be felt on the last day of school, or at the last meeting at a soon-to-be-departed job, or even while writing the last review about your favorite comic book series of all time.
It's the end and it's ok to be a little sad, but it's better to be glad that it happened.
You won't believe who gets to say something! Well, even moreso than in this panel.
Jack Lawrence returns for the finale, a fitting assignment as this lands him at 16 issues of the series' 25 on primary line art duties. The output does not disappoint, with his signature adeptness with expressions allowing many character moments to come through precisely as they were intended. Joana Lafuente's colors are a wonderful complement as usual, with special attention and praise in order for the subtle but impossible to miss difference in palette between scenes set in the future and those occurring in the "present". Tom B. Long takes the dense script and places every bubble of text with care, creating a full package between art, color, and text which ensures these unique characters keep their voice. Peaks and valleys help even Swerve convey speech that hits more at home with its realism than a Swerve line ever possibly could otherwise.
The covers available are the "A" cover, featured in this review's news story thumbnail, with art by Lawrence and colors by Lafuente. Nick Roche's art and Josh Burcham's colors take up the traditional "B" cover spot, with editor David Mariotte making the spelling assist that will be forever appreciated turn into a reality. MTMTE regular Alex Milne provides an appropriately decorated RI cover with Josh Perez's colors shining as they always do. You can find images of all of those covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Transformers: Lost Light #25, but please note it contains a character appearance list which may accidentally deliver spoilers.
Verdict I guess we have to deal with this now.
I've taken great care here to not spoil much. If you've been reading the series, you'll read this issue, and I think you'll be satisfied. There's always a desire to want more of a good thing, and while you might be left with a lingering question or two that won't ever be answered, there's always that faint chance that one day Simon Furman's old adage "it never ends" might apply here as well. Transformers was kept alive in part by the passion of its fans even after the Marvel comic ceased publication - twice, counting G2 - so every back issue, collected version, trade paperback, and fancy hardcover omnibus set (please?) you buy in the future helps keep the possibility of Team Rodimus having some future adventures alive.
"Chances of this actually working?" "Oh, astronomically slim." But with the backup content of Roberts' retrospective teasing at just enough as it relates to the murdered word, and considering other strange goings on such as the initially solicited 40 page, $4.99 sized issue not happening, it feels like there's something in a distant tomorrow. Maybe one day the Crusadercons will quip their way into our hearts all over again, and this reader would welcome that with open arms.
Right, a score. 5/5 if there were numbers, but no numbers are needed this time.
To James Roberts, Jack Lawrence, Joana Lafuente, Alex Milne, Nick Roche, Josh Burcham, Brendan Cahill, Casey Coller, E.J. Su, Priscilla Tramontano, Tom B. Long, Carlos Guzman, David Mariotte, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Andrew Griffith, John Barber, Hayato Sakamoto, Brian Shearer, JP Bove, Agustin Padilla, Jose Aviles, and the huge list of other creators that worked on Lost Light and More Than Meets The Eye that I'll kick myself for forgetting to mention here -
Rebirthing A Seibertron.com Spoilerish Review of IDW Transformers: Unicron #5
Synopsis
THE END IS HERE! The Transformers make one last, desperate stand against Unicron, as Optimus Prime plunges deep into the monster—and into the dark history that spawned them both.
I need a way out
I don't believe that it's gonna be this way
The worst is
The waiting
In this world I'm suffocating
Story
So here we are once more, with the issue before the end, the final non-final issue. And as a windup to the ultimate climax, did the book deliver? Well, see below.
Feel Your presence
I take You in
So here's the thing about this particular book: the pacing felt much better in this issue and it feels the more cohesive compared to the other issues so far. While it was not particularly full of action, it wasn't supposed to be, as it is the calm after the destruction of Cybertron and before the final confrontation before the universe truly ends. And Jetfire and Prowl even say as much.
It also takes place following the Optimus Prime 24 comic that came out a week later (see the review from earlier today!), so it was spoilerish to review, hence the review waiting to give people time to access and process that book.
It was also cool that this book managed to make itself a Hasbro Universe book, more so than really any other book done so far. And unlike past Hasbro U events, this one finally has a proper team up across the board, even if the events feel a bit rushed, pushed, or forced. But hey, at least we got a large part of this mad universe together in some fashion!
Breathe for the first time now
I came alive somehow
But the main issue I find in the story is the personalities of the people involved at times, as with little action and mainly setup, it feels like we got some big personalities that are clashing with each other more so than in previous issues. And with a grand total of 3 issues left in this Universe period after today with Optimus Prime 24, it feels like some of those characters may not get the ending of the story that they need or deserve. Slide is one that particularly bothers me, Spike is sort of there but not really, Prowl returning with a protege of sorts in Stardrive, and while Stardrive does play off nicely and her wraith moments are good, especially with other wraith-infected members, her taking a sort of Prowl approach doesn't really sit well with me, and it's kind of a bummer.
Shockwave is sort of still doing stuff, and the final standoff between masters of logic are set up, but I can't help but feel that this doesn't feel as rewarding as it should. The same way with the Maximals: we have memorable faces and names, but they have a small amount of lines between them, and nothing really to back them up beyond their mere recognizable appearance.
One thing the book definitely did get right though was Thundercracker, and as his story nears completion, I love the character that was made, and I love how he, Marissa, and Buster are a nice little family that loves and trusts each other. I also appreciated Trypticon and his direction, and the new generation and the protection so many feel over them. Well done there.
I wanna break out
I found a way out
I don't believe that it's gonna be this way
But again, overall I felt there was a little bit more clashing than there could have been with different characters, and the story reads a bit less cohesively as it could, but the pacing here felt good as a pseudo-breath catcher. We got good moments, just maybe not as powerful as they deserved to be.
art
Art duties fall for the second-to-last time to Alex Milne and David Garcia-Cruz, and once again they do a masterful job. The art for the series has been fantastic, but seeing the different parts of Unicron looming over Earth, and really getting a good idea of the scale of the robot mode Unicron compared to the Earth is pretty awesome. We finally get a good scale done right for Unicron.
Scale does seem to be a good strength of the book too, as we get Titans involved as well, and the background scenery is very well done considering we jump from the US to a destroyed Canadian cityscape to the African jungles to space. I appreciate the level of detail and the coloring that went into each shot as well. The colors are dark and foreboding where they are needed, vibrant and bright when action is intense or Unicron's glow is present, space is beautiful, and it does a good job of mixing together the darkness (figurative and literal) of the end while still bringing some natural beauty and properly expressing the mood of the series.
Tell me when I'm gonna live again
Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside
Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive
If there is one complaint I would have, it would be that the Decepticons in Africa almost appear too lightly colored compared to what we see later and are used to, but it's a minor nitpick.
Letters are handled by Tom B. Long, who does his level best (and succeeds) in making sure those previously discussed lines and colors are enjoyed to the fullest extent to give us proper scenery and people on screen while still delivering the dialogue. Kind of a cool thing to note too is Bludgeon and his speech bubbles. He continues the "God of Death" black bubbles for most of the issue, but there is a particular moment where he loses that, and he falls back to regular Bludgeon, and the lettering pulling that off was a neat touch.
Final Thoughts
When writing up this review, it was hard to give this book a score and proper credit. It's a pretty good book, a decent read, and fun to look at. But while it is a good book, it's not necessarily a good Transformers book. It tries its hardest, but ultimately, I think the overall series needed a little bit better pacing to make it a proper and good Transformers book, especially when this book showed that proper pacing can allow you to better grasp what is happening and allow you to breath for a second and take in what you are reading.
Rebirithing now
I wanna live my life
Wanna give You everything
Make no mistake though, it's still not bad. It is fun, dark, has some good character moments, some questionable characters, kind of a lot going on to the point of a bit too much, but also clever, and it even managed to make "Titan-Mastering" a verb.
So should you read this? Yes, I think you should. Is this Lost Light 22 good? Not quite. Is it Wreckers Trilogy good? Not by a decent amount. But is it still worth your time and effort? I'd say yes. Unicron himself may not be everything we wanted him to be, but he looks amazing, and his story ultimately fits in with what the Mythos is for this universe.
Take it like that, and you can enjoy this issue as a whole.
out of
As has become the theme for the Unicron reviews, this week's issue anthem is Rebirthing by Skillet!
Synopsis
YOUTH IN REVOLT! As Unicron approaches, Optimus Prime’s colonist soldiers take matters into their own hands. With Autobot forces spread thin, will anybody stand in their way? And–more importantly–SHOULD anybody stop them?
that solicit feels more like last issue
Story
We continue, after a fashion, the almost parallel story being told between the Unicron mini-series and the Optimus Prime ongoing, after the latest events in the two series and the splitting up of the stories, as they reconnect in Unicron #5 - the review for which will follow this one, as the story does so in the books. But for OP? Read on below!
brutal recap
The story, or rather stories, that are taking place in this one issue have seemingly little to do with the opening - very funny - scene with Thundercracker retelling events from the GI Joe books. I say seemingly, as the leitmotif of the TF universe has effectively been 'stories are just stories being told in different ways from different storytellers' - and that leads us into, finally, a conclusion to Slide's grief, anger and legitimate (but dragged out) resentment towards Optimus himself.
FINALLY
This latter frame, while needed, can create some confusion on the overall book, as the subsequence of multiple perspective flashbacks and present time retelling of the flashbacks, with a shift into the actual present time actions that follow that retelling... Nonetheless, several of the cast members here, and it's an impressively enormous cast by now, get their character moment, even if just one line, one panel, one frame.
This one's Snarl's
That said, there isn't ..that much happening in the issue overall, though some serious conversations and interactions take place. Which is, again, an odd choice, being so close to the end - with Unicron #5 and #6 continuing this story before we fall into the conclusive issue #25 - and that may not sit well with everyone still along for the final rush to the finish line, despite what good comes from the single moments - such as the final two pages.
Art
On art duties, we find both Andrew Griffith and Sara Pitre Durocher, working more or less in tandem on the different timeframes of the overall story: Griffith has a specific task with Thundercracker, of course, and SPD works particularly well with Jazz and Prowl scenes - but both deliver some excellent panelwork, and the multiple splash pages and spreads are a testimony to their skill, and the synchronicity of their collaboration.
DOC MISSES BUSTER
Something that Josh Burcham's colouring work only seems to highlight, as on the first read - bar some obvious exceptions, such as the opening scenes - I wasn't entirely sure on which pages were done by which artist, and that is something the colours have been able to do for the entire series, just even more so here. And I am so very impressed.
Your New Robot Monster Girlfriend
Tom B Long doesn't have an easy job of keeping track of the multiple time and story frames, but the story progresses nicely with his help too - and the captions, the colour coding of the stories being told in them, and their placement, ensure that readers are really on board with who's speaking at what moment, and why that matters. Because it does.
As for covers, you can find all three (admittedly two, given the Kei Zama retailer incentive in black and white lineart) in full size in our Vector Sigma Database entry, and the one found in the thumbnail is the Griffith / Joana Lafuente B Cover, with yet again the leitmotif in plain sight.
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
If you're looking for a big fight against Unicron, or even under Unicron at this stage, last issue is where you want to look for, as the breather - an odd choice of pacing for an ending series, admittedly - is what we find here. And it may not be John Barber's most political issue overall, but it has some of his most poignant reflections on the themes he's explored so far, from leadership, to community, to tyranny and fascism, via personal loss and anger.
Till All Are ...oh
So even with the odd 'breather' pacing issues, I enjoyed the book - but more so on a second read, and I'm glad it's coming out close enough to Unicron #5 as we'd otherwise have too much space of not much happening in the same storyline across two books. Visually, the last Griffith page is magnificent, SPD's Prowl is brutal, and Stardrive is still as great and sharp as she is (/will be) in Unicron #5, with the full force of Prowl's influence on her after a long stint alone.
Fans were given a chance to see the 1986 Transformers film on the big screen again last week (with some more showings still available in international markets). What was not advertised was the bonus featurettes that would be shown as well including a scene from the Bumblebee movie.
I went with my 3 year old daughter and I will share my thoughts, along with hers on the experience, freebies and bonus featurettes, with other fellow Seibertronians pitching in.
Event freebies
A poster of the new Blu Ray cover by Livio Ramondelli was available for those who wanted it. At my showing they were stacked on a table for anyone to take. It made my daughter happy.
The sun was in her face
Featurettes
After the standard current trailers (I got a Star is Born with Lady Gaga, what did you all get?), fans were treated to some Bumblebee movie themed goodies. The first was a featurette with the director Travis Knight and the cast talking of the film one at a time intercut with quick shots from the movie.
We got a real treat right after that though where they actually showed a completed scene from the movie. It is the fll version of the scene in the trailers where Bumblebee transforms for the first time after Charlie sees his visible head underneath the car. We see more comedic elements not shown in the trailer like objects falling on Bumblebee's face as he tries to hide in the corner. Charlie introduces herself and after seeing that the robot does not know what his name is, she chooses to call him Bumblebee due to the buzzing sounds he makes with his broken voicebox and comments on how that also matches his colour.
I loved seeing this, since the only other way of seeing this before was to be at SDCC. It did surprise me a bit just how goofy some of the gags are but I will take pratfalls aimed at kids over Wheelie humping Megan Fox any day of the week. The scene resonated with my daughter so well that when we were walking out of the movie and I asked her what her favourite part was, she referred to the live action Bumblebee footage. I guess I could have just stayed at home and watched the trailer instead. Kids these days, such ingrates.
The Main Event
From what I am told, this rendition of the 86 movie looked mostly the same as the recent Blu Ray we got but for some reason the errors on that Blu Ray were made even worse here. Like how blurry it is when we first see with Hot Rod and Daniel.
Just to say how bad it was, I thought there was a mistake with the film projector and was thinking the guy handling it fell asleep or went for a piss. But then I remembered that this isn't 1998 anymore and it's all digital.
If anyone is curious as to the quality, here is a video comparison I found. I personally don't notice anything that different.
Here are some more technical based feedback from our staff:
Scotty P wrote:The sound mix was awful and a movie so recognizable by its soundtrack deserved better. Voices and effects were mostly fine but needed a bit more channel separation for some lines, Unicron especially as his words got garbled in places. The music? Sounded like it was coming out of someone's 1986 cassette player, one of the ones without any kind of low-end, maybe mono.
As for the movie itself, watching it on the big screen was fun. I wasn't born in 1986 and neither was my 3 year old, so it was our first time viewing it this way. And it was also my first time really paying attention to this film and seeing it from beginning to end in one sitting. The animation and details are really stellar at time. The first twenty minutes are basically the greatest G1 episode of all time.
Some more notes:
- It is indeed obvious that not only Optimus turns grey when dead, as we do see a colour change for Prowl as well.
- I love Ironhide, so much
- Not too keen on how Wheeljack was killed offscreen like that, reminded me of Admiral Ackbar in The Last Jedi.
- I did find it odd how close Optimus is to Ultra Magnus on his deathbed, when no backstory was given to him in this film, especially not in his relation to Prime.
- Yup, that "Cyclonus and his armada" part truly is confusing.
- My daughter completely tuned out when Hot Rod and Kup end up on their own adventure with the Quintessons. The movie does take a really odd turn there, introducing a bunch of new and nonensical things all at once (a tiny rhyming bot, floating heads that mean the opposite of what they say)
- She was confused as to what happened with Bumblebee and Spike, since we don’t see them for a loooooong time
- Where the hell is Snarl?
- The audio for the Junkions sounded worse than I remember. I couldn’t make out much.
- I forgot how badass Springer was in the film. Reminded me of the recent portrayal of Orion Pax in IDW flashbacks.
- I do like how Galvatron still is Megatron, keeping all his memories. They do a pretty good job at showing how this is an evolved version of a character we already know and his actions and words do have callbacks from who he used to be (especially how he taunts Hot Rod at the end).
- There is a really beautiful shot of Hot Rod seeing the Matrix lighting the darkness in Unicron before we see that it is still attachd to Galvatron's neck. Now i am sure the similar scene in Autocracy when Optimus find the Matrix is in reference to that.
Stan Bush featurette
There was some bonus Bush once the movie was finished. Here are thoughts from the staff
Scotty P wrote:The Stan Bush vignette after the credits was very fun and the acoustic renditions of The Touch and Dare were a neat listen despite aforementioned and ever-present sound quality greebles.
Rodimus Convoy wrote:I liked the Stan Bush interview.
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