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Synopsis
SLAUGHTERHOUSE! The crew of the Lost Light are used to past decisions coming back to bite them, but nothing—not even an ULTRA MAGNUS-certified crash course in the law of unintended consequences—could have prepared them for the horrors of Sector 113. Be warned: this issue is not for the easily distressed—or the easily heartbroken.
In space, no one can hear you...
Story
We've seen parts of the Lost Light slowly disappear. We've seen members of the crew do the same. We've seen Ravage, openly, finally revealing himself to the crew. We've seen Megatron's position questioned by several of the older cast, and the new additions being more lenient. We've seen the horrors of Overlord, the DJD, the fighting pits, the mines and Empurata. Now, welcome to Slaughterhouse.
Carrie on, if you will
Premise: More Than Meets the Eye is already dealing with time paradoxes and multiple planes of existence, and has done so in its first season and during Dark Cybertron (that was the whole point, actually). So why not take it further? James Roberts, indeed, does, and gives us a glimpse of what might be, could be or potentially will be/has been depending on the observation point - and it ain't pretty.
Eyes Without a Face
In fact, it's horrific. As the title might suggest, it's slaughter. And even if we know something's not really happening, or not as we know it, it does not detract that much at all from the impact of the scenes. The scenes with Overlord so far are nothing compared to what we see in this issue. And actually, we don't really see it happen, wading as we do in the aftermath of the perpetrator(s)' rampage.
The Chills Have Eyes 2
The stand-out moment of the entire book for me, however, is a long scene between Megatron and Ravage, in which we learn more about both of them, about the Decepticon ideal and loyalty, about Megatron's true nature, and Ravage's presence on the ship. And we see some old friends. Quite a few of them. So to speak. And some very nice interactions between Nightbeat and Nautica, as they discover a briefcase's contents. So to speak.
Art
As the issue was being drafted and inked, Alex Milne took to Twitter to add a running commentary of the horrors he was made to draw for the issue - and he was right. There is nothing pretty here, it's a splatter film in panels, on printed/digital pages. It's a Helex Chainsaw(hand) Massacre with excellent photography and art direction. It even has some formal experimentation to match the temporal paradoxes.
Dial D for.. Death
To make the art work so much more, Joana Lafuente adds some amazing effects in her colours. Most of the ship is adumbrated, shadows shifting in the background, with the only sources of light coming from optics, quantum foam, emergency lighting - until the very end, when power is restored. And the difference in tones is gigantic, and stunningly executed.
The abyss looks into you..
Similarly, the lettering touches that Tom B. Long brings to the issue, used sparingly once again, but to their full effectiveness when in their more creative moments, add to an already eerily tense, situation. And the lower case, almost rounded title font is brilliant in its contrast with the content. As for the covers, we've seen all three now, and how fitting it is to have the Coller/Bove variant, and the realisation of what cover A is actually showing.
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
Roberts does not hold back on the horrors and emotions running through at high voltage throughout the book, even though some may complain about the warped time nature somewhat detracting from the full impact - but it's powerful enough visually to overcome those (fairly apt) critiques. Milne and Lafuente have created a carnival of sparks, a morbid feast for desensitised optics, and one that is bound to stick with readers for a while.
...
This issue of MTMTE, much like its RID counterpart this month, reminds us of the many genres that the Transformers comics can span in their fiction, and lands squarely in full-blown cosmic horror, from splatter to gore to psychological thriller - via a couple of Doctor Who references, time warping and well-placed interactions between characters. On an unrelated note, ever noticed how the 1-2-3 Transformers emoticon looks a bit like the puppet from Saw..?
Synopsis
AUTOBOTS VERSUS EARTH! OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS discover the humans’ secret—and they aren’t pleased with what they learn! Will the DECEPTICON’s alliance tear down the peace—and will the world learn the CYBERTRONIANs are back?
A bit hard to miss, really
Story
The past of couple of issues of Robots in Disguise have slowly been building up to the Alpha Trion discovery and recovery, seeding lies and lines about Prowl's true intentions and feelings, Jazz and Arcee's discomfort in their new-and-old roles, Galvatron's connection to it all, the Witwickys, Soundwave, Optimus and the rest of the gang. Slowly.
Ready..?
And then, suddenly, giant spaceships. Stories that were heading one fearfully predictable way go in a direction so different it's almost inwards. Characters more or less established by now are truly revealed for what and who they are. Changes come about so subtly and quickly and yet still make sense with everything teased so far, that reading 28-31 again is almost required to get more out of it all once again.
Bananas!
John Barber does an excellent job at keeping all the threads close, weaving a pattern so intricate that three out of two of us on the comics staff have no idea as to where the story will go from here, but are loving the ride read. This is what RID promised in its initial issues, both seasons, and the heights it can accomplish with its twisted political and social narratives.
And dogs called Buster
And on top of that, the entire issue is a series of well orchestrated, well paced, well placed action sequences, with Prowl and Jazz on one side, the Autobot team on another, and humans and Decepticons between and around the two. With exemplary stand-outs in Thundercracker, Buster and Marissa, as Barber does not forget the series' heart and humour, exactly when needed (the closing sequence is magnificently crafted).
Art
Andrew Griffith is the main artist, taking care of all the gigantic spaceships, stupidly amazing visual references, fights, perspective shifts, interactions and running plot, flashbacks included. The opening scene, the title page, just examples of what Griffith can do with a page, something hinted at in Dark Cybertron. And the amazingness is topped by Josh Perez' colour work on Griffith's pages, giving a grittiness and darker hue to a truly bleak situation - lighting it up by fire, laser and destruction.
Hum. Shoom?
Brendan Cahill is confined (I use the term loosely) to four pages in total - but whoah are they some pages! Focusing on the interactions between Prowl and Jazz, and an amazing double page, reader shifting spread that delves deeper into the human connection to the story, both Cahill and Joana Lafuente's colours put the sci-fi back into the Transformers, reminding us of one of the many genres the comics line falls under. And how adorably evil Prowl looks while smirking.
Smirk
To top everything off, Tom B. Long dazzles in his lettering work, with some wonderfully placed sound effects mirroring the chaos and confusion that must be ensuing during the attack on the human base, and a gorgeous ending sequence caption group. Then add to that the amazing Coller and Bove cover revealed yesterday, and the Coller and Lafuente variant hinting at where the story may be headed (see thumbnail).
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
Barber was able to take all my fears as to where this series was heading, and spin them completely around into something unrecognisable and impossible to figure out, nearing its sister series MTMTE for twistedness. Griffith and Cahill's collaboration raises the bar even higher, with some mind-boggling art in terms of perspective and layouts, with the excellent Perez and Lafuente giving a decidedly significant boost, and Long's designer eye operating from the shadows.
You did, RID
Robots in Disguise #32 has action, lots of it. It has mystery, it has scheming, it has humans and Cybertronians. Lots of them. It has a good story, excellent pacing, great dialogue, fantastic art, amazing colouring and letters, gorgeous covers and is reaching a level of comic book writing worthy of any other action series currently published in the industry. I cannot recommend this issue enough. Lots of it.
Synopsis
THE WAR FOR CYBERTRON! Optimus Prime versus Megatron. Autobots versus Decepticons. At the dawn of the conflict, battle lines are drawn and sides are set… now legends will be made. The war that would define a planet begins in earnest—and its revelations will shake the TRANSFORMERS’ world to the core!
Trust No-one
Story
Autocracy did some really interesting things by taking politics to a whole other level. Monstrosity brought 'the Quintessons' and Trypticon back into the game. Primacy is supposed to shape the IDW Transformers universe as we know it - so what is the missing link between the fall of Trypticon and the rise of Megatron? It looks like issue 1 starts answering that question.
Reeee-cap
The focus of Chris Metzen and Flint Dille appears to be shifting between Optimus Prime and Megatron as they both 'recover' from the happenings in the previous two mini-series, with the latter in particular sometimes questioning (?) his actions - and yet, at the same time, we also have some nice interactions between Grimlock and Rodimus, Optimus and Ironhide, Megatron and.. well. You'll see.
Rodlock?
There is one major snag in the issue, during Optimus' sections, which I'm hoping will get explained later in the series - but for now it's not too distracting (for me at least), and considering John Barber is editing the work, some kind of patching could always take place at another stage, or there's a better reason for it happening as it does.
Or not
All in all, there are some big set-ups for this run, with some nice interactions between the key players, and some past exploration and world-defining, delving into pre-established elements of the franchise and plots hinted at in both Autocracy and Monstrosity, and the wider IDWverse.
Art
Livio Ramondelli resumes his task of showing us the beginning of Cybertron's dark ages, with his trademark darker style and colours, shining on big splash pages and spreads, and I mean BIG. The characters, the scope, the layouts - there's a sense of size and scale that follows from some of the later chapter in Monstrosity sliding into here, and not just in the art itself.
Big city lights
The colours obviously work well with the linework, and there are some nicely contrasting tones in some flashback sequences. The eye differences are a nice touch too, with Grimlock, Optimus and Megatron showing off different optics. And a very nice touch comes from letterer Chris Mowry, helping with giving a voice to the different characters, each in its own slightly unique way, and some great translucent sound effects.
Colours!
I'll take a little longer on the covers, as the main one by Ramondelli is but a fourth of the series' run, but it is joined by an amazing Optimus Prime revealing the matrix by Windblade's Sarah Stone (a nice echo of one of the moments shown above) and an excellent 30th Anniversary variant by Casey Coller and JP Bove, commemorating the smelting pool and poor Scrounge (see thumbnail).
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
Metzen and Dille's writing is slightly different from the rest of IDW's current output, but still holds its appeal with both older audiences and fans of the more modern ongoings. And their style fits the tone and time of the story, without any doubt, focusing on the two main players of the beginning of the war. Ramondelli's art returns to complement them, and I very happy to have Barber on editing, making sure it all fits in together - even with Omega's confusing statements.
And so do we
It's an easing into the story again, definitely. Some big stuff went down in what leads us to this point, and with this issue we're discovering bigger things still slowly emerging from Cybertron's past and leading into its future. And there are much much bigger things to come, if the last pages are anything to go by. Big things indeed.
To celebrate Cybershark and his various incarnations here on Seibertron.com this week, we have updated the gallery for all 3 of his figures. The images in these galleries have been updated to have larger images than they previously had. The "large" 800 pixel wide images have all been replaced with larger 1200 pixel wide images for your viewing pleasure.
First up is none other than the original deluxe class Cybershark figure from the Beast Wars toy line. He transforms into a threatening Hammerhead Shark. While this version of Cybershark might not be as well known as his Transmetals 2 version, he still is known as the first Beast Wars shark. This figure would later be remolded into the Beast Wars II Hellscream character.
Just when the Predacons thought it was safe to go back in the water. Cybershark rises to the surface for a fearsome feeding frenzy! Like a turbo-charged torpedo speeding through the sea, Cybershark searches the ocean depths for Predacon enemies. Upon finding the enemy he launches his robotic hammerhead to knock 'em out cold, the finishes the job in robot mode by filleting his prey with his switchblade tale.
Next up is arguably the more well known version of this character known as Transmetals 2 Cybershark. Unfortunately, this version of Cybershark wasn't as popular as its Sky-Byte repaint. Below are the tech specs and some sample images of Transmetals 2 Cybershark.
"The Ocean Depths conceal all intentions."
Detecting Predacon activity from over 20,000 fathoms below the ocean surface, Cybershark hunts his enemies at over 600 knots. From there, little room is left for escape. Armor-piercing, jaw-mounted sonar tracer torpedoes have water-to-air capabilities. Spin-drive tail boosts speed and acts as quad-blade razor weapon in attack and robot modes. Also deploys thruster jets for higher speed and limited low-level flight. A fierce warrior, Cybershark honed his skills while bounty hunting a rogue band of Cybertronian space pirates. Fully dedicated to the Maximal cause, he often follows his own methods to the frustration of his commander, Depth Charge. Calculating and fearless, he gives Predacons a good reason to stay out of the water.
Our third rendevous of Cybershark is a version of him that many fans might not realize is actually supposed to be a new version of this character. Behold ... Beast Machines Basic Class Hammerstrike! His tech spec quote is even the same as his Transmetals 2 version. This Cybertronian Hammerhead Shark figure makes Cybershark one of a small handful of Beast Era characters to get a basic, deluxe and mega class sized figure. Beast Wars Rattrap is another figure to get the same treatment.
"The ocean depths conceal all intentions."
Not known for his intelligence or cunning, Hammerstrike is the best there is at what he does-destroy Vehicons. Of all the Maximals, Hammerstrike is the most battle hungry. Insatiable appetite for combat; devastating "frenzy" assault leaves few Vehicon survivors. Knows no fear, feels no pain and has an endurance second only to Cheetor. Calculating and fearless, Hammerhead gives the Vehicons a good reason to stay out of the water.
Predacon Sky-Byte transforms into a fierce Great White Shark. He is a fan-favorite character who was nominated previously for the annual Transformers Hall of Fame. He is best known for his antics and love of poetry in the stand-alone Transformers series "Robots In Disguise" which aired on Fox Kids back in 2001. Sky-Byte is a repaint of Beast Wars Transmetals 2 Cybershark. His level of popularity over the original use of his mold makes him a bit of an oddity.
To celebrate Sky-Byte here on Seibertron.com this week, we have updated the gallery for his Robots In Disguise figure. The images in his gallery have been updated to have larger images than it previously had. The "large" 800 pixel wide images have all been replaced with larger 1200 pixel wide images for your viewing pleasure.
In addition, we have included two additional galleries of Sky-Byte in today's feature. The first additional gallery is an all-new version of Sky-Byte, which was recently released as part of the popular Generations line. The second additional gallery is the BotCon 2010 "G2 Redux" version of Sky-Byte which uses the Energon Sharkticon mold with a new head.
A proud PREDACON to the core, SKY-BYTE lead his warriors into battle against AUTOBOTS or DECEPTICONS. His desire to be in MEGATRON's good favor drove him - and sometimes he got lost. His skills are legendary amongst the PREDACON ranks. Legendary because SKY-BYTE rarely completed a mission. He has a soft side for poetry - a skill no one else has - or wants. If it weren't for SCOURGE and the DECEPTICONS, SKY-BYTE would never have strayed from the PREDACON cause. In his jealous rage, SKY-BYTE looked to the enemy for acceptance - including KOJI and the AUTOBOTS. Perhaps that is why the AUTOBOTS allowed him to remain free on Earth after the final battle - where he currently roams the ocean attacking illegal fishing vessels.
The great white shark has no natural predators other than the Orca. The great white shark is arguably the world's largest known extant macropredatory fish, and is one of the primary predators of marine mammals. It is also known to prey upon a variety of other marine animals, including fish and seabirds. It is the only known surviving species of its genus Carcharodon, and is ranked first in having the most attacks on humans.
The Return of Transformers SHARK WEEK begins right here!
Our first featured galleries this week are none other than the G1 Sharkticons! These fictional Cybertronian sharks have rows of razor-sharp teeth that can shred their prey to scrap metal much like how real Sharks can tear apart the flesh from their prey with their multiple rows of serrated teeth.
To celebrate the Sharkticons here on Seibertron.com this week, we have updated the galleries for G1 Sharkticon and Robot Heroes Sharkticon. Both galleries have been updated to have larger images than their original galleries. The "large" 800 pixel wide images have all been replaced with larger 1200 pixel wide images for your viewing pleasure.
Make sure you check back tomorrow to find out which gallery will be featured in "The Return of Transformers SHARK WEEK" on Seibertron.com!
G1 Sharkticon's Tech Specs: Travels in packs with fellow Sharkticons. Fearless and vicious. Loyal only to the master who last fed him. Powerful tail fin allows him to travel at speeds over 150 knots. Carnivorous with a voracious appetite. Possesses several rows of razor-sharp teeth that can tear through solid steel. In robot mode, carries a maceration laser that shoots salt-based corrosive liquid. Also carries a barbed mace.
Shark teeth are embedded in the gums rather than directly affixed to the jaw, and are constantly replaced throughout life. Multiple rows of replacement teeth grow in a groove on the inside of the jaw and steadily move forward in comparison to a conveyor belt; some sharks lose 30,000 or more teeth in their lifetime. The rate of tooth replacement varies from once every 8 to 10 days to several months. In most species, teeth are replaced one at a time as opposed to the simultaneous replacement of an entire row, which is observed in the cookiecutter shark.
Here's one more thing to add upon today's featured Shark Week character: a video from our good friend and voice talent extraordinaire jON3.0!
jON3.0 wrote:A quick parody I did in honor of Shark Week. Another idea I had based on what Transformers' TV shows would be like. Written, Voiced, Edited and Produced by Jon "3.0" Bailey. Models by BlastardInc and Salvidonblak. Music by "Shuvel."
With BotCon and SDCC 2014 in the way, it's been a while since we last rounded up all of the creative Transformers work from Transtopia! But fear not, we have you covered: check out below all the creations posted to Seibertron.com since the last Creative Round-Up, featuring Age of Extinction, Cybertron, Kre-O, Generations and original ideas for characters, as well as comics, pictures, fixes, artwork and more, all below, all in one post. If you see something you like, make sure to let the authors know!
THE HELP DESK
Comics writer and fellow user Verno is looking for willing and budding colourists to help out with TransWarp: Primal - apply here!
Synopsis
MINDBOMB! The humans have access to a CYBERTRONIAN mind—but whose is it—and why do they want it? OPTIMUS PRIME and GALVATRON race for answers, as JAZZ faces the consequences of his last trip to Earth.
*That* thing
Story
We're on Earth again, still, once more, with humans and Decepticons seemingly on one side, and an Optimus Prime-led team on the other, taking a moment of respite and recalibration since last issue's kerfuffle and almost cover-blowing blow-up. And we get to look at some of the cast's members' past experiences, both further back and closer to the now.
Uh.. yes.. sorry
The narrative did not do too much for me, this time round. It felt too much like the moment to regroup, something that has been complained about previous iterations of the comics - and that work well as a trade, less so as a monthly. The character building, on the other hand, was very mcuh appreciated, and goes some way to explain the distended storyline in the issue, and I am particularly fond of John Barber's Soundwave vision.
I just.. I..
The dialogue is also quite good, with some excellent chemistry between the Autobot team, some mixing, some clashing (and a great moment with Kup and Optimus); even Jazz' internal narration, though some parts feel a little overly drawn, works overall with the 'new' character he's being given in the story - and sets his voice up nicely for the rest of the issue, too.
Awright
Prowl, Optimus, the EDA, Jazz, Devastator, Galvatron -- everything keeps coming back to the Witwickys, one way or the other, and not usually in a good way for our favourite team(s) of Cybertronians. But as much as Barber's revisiting of previous plots to comb the knots is a good strategy, I'm not sure my interested is too piqued with the conclusion of this issue. Though having said that, I realise that pointing it out means it piqued something.. More below.
Art
I still really like seeing different artists working together on the same issue, and in this particular case, personal perspectives, with Andrew Griffith lining the present-day twists and turns, Guido Guidi dealing with troubled Jazz and his broken track and Brendan Cahill donning the purple for some Soundwave/Con flashback time (and some cheeky reference material).
Looking.. Unique, there, Galvatron
Colourists Josh Perez and Joana Lafuente do an exquisite job a making the transitions work and stand apart as needed, building on the three different styles present in the issue. Perez has a nice palette of grittiness to contrast Lafuente's multitoned sections, especially the Decepticon flashback with its focus on what everyone (most) really covets.
Lettering fun!
Tom B. Long has quite a good amount of fun on this issue, with Galvatron's idiosyncratic and melodramatic style: soundwords and effects abound, and there are many individual voices to play around with. The covers also show this, with Jetfire and D.O.C. on the main Griffith/Perez one, a stunning melancholy Jazz by Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente, and Generations Arcee (!) art by Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr (thumbnail).
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
I am still very pleased with Barber's approach to Soundwave, making him into one of my favourite characters in the RID ongoing, fleshing out background and current environments - and on some aspects, Prowl too, after my concerns with the Bombshell incident pre-Dark Cybertron. Jazz, unfortunately, felt more of an interlude with chance to smoothen out some crinkles from the story as we knew it.
To next month!
As I mentioned above, there are some elements plot-wise that are looking similar to a number of other stories told in the franchise, and I do hope that is not the case for the series - as I know what the creative team are more than capable of. The read is not bad, by any means, though, and is still definitely worth picking up for a (beautiful) look at some Jazz, Soundwave and general bots.
Synopsis
SPACE WAR I! Earth makes contact with an alien race—and G.I. JOE is on the front lines of first contact! But when the TRANSFORMERS arrive—their version of “peace” does not match our own…
Or maybe it does..?
Story
On a completely different note, artistically, thematically, tonally, from the concluding issue of Windblade... This week also marks the beginning of a new Transformers vs G.I. Joe ongoing from the mind and hands of John Barber and Tom Scioli, co-plotting and co-writing the whole run (as far as we know, at least). We've seen issue #0, but come along for a look at the actual start of a new thing right below here.
[Credit: Tigertrack is remotely helping out with this review, though all conclusions are my own.]
The Seibertron Comics staff
It's still completely out there. Nothing has shifted since Free Comic Book Day, as Barber and Scioli plot the arrival of Cybertronians onto Earth, as the Joes set out to meet a Decepticon delegation headed by Soundwave and the cassettes. Where is Cobra? Oh, they're there. Where are the Autobots? Do is it really matter at this point, with Soundwave taking centre stage?
Bay or Liefeld?
Plot-wise, there's a simplicity which might turn some people off the book, almost going back to the original cartoon plots from the two series - but in comics form, revelling in the creative spaces left from a stripped down narrative. There are sight gags, wordplay moments, slapstick, and some quite good action sequences, too.
Er.. action?
The countdown sequence in particular is well thought out, and really shows the decompressed, almost slowed down to the bare minimum approach that the writers are taking. And we end up picking up a plotline started in issue #0, almost to its conclusion, along with what I think is an extremely intriguing ending to the book. Both of them.
Art
Ok. So Tom Scioli is taking care of absolutely everything here, from layouts to lines to inks to colours to lettering, this is his book definitely a lot more than Barber's, and it's his vision of the two franchises that we're seeing, with his artistic tendencies and influences coming into it - and that will work two ways with readers: yes, or no.
A divisive issue
I can't see a middle ground, to be honest, the style does not allow for it. And I have to say, after getting my head round issue #0, I've come to enjoy this one a lot more than jumping into the cold deep end straight away - though I think another one to fully enjoy it. Credit note: even with Scioli on everything, I do want to make a note towards Chris Mowry's production work on this, especially the page design, and Carlos Guzman on editing, which cannot have been easy.
A sight to behold
As SDCC is coinciding with the launch of the new series in this first issue, multiple variant covers were to be expected; here's a list of what you can get: Rob Liefeld with Romulo Fajardo Jr, James Stokoe, several Tom Scioli ones, Jamie Tyndall with Ula Mos, interlocking, single, blank, GI Joe dominant, TF dominant - you name it! It's Liefeld and Fajardo in the thumbnail, in case you were wondering.
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
As we said in the double-team review of issue #0, this series is setting itself up to be completely bonkers, with a method in the madness. I can't stress this enough: it's not for everyone, it does not take itself seriously, but it does it with such a charm and clearly heartfelt research and execution of styles, references and planning that it will at least crack a smile.
MERP
I am still ambivalent about the artwork, as much as I do like the darker hues and overly filled panels, but it does fit the entire concept of the book from what I take from it - and my opinion quite definitely is not that of the entire comics staff! But if you're into your nostalgia pandering, your cosmic sagas, celebrations and parodying in parallel, this is definitely an issue for you - TF or Joe fan alike.
NOTE: There will be no 'rating' for this series, unless I change my mind drastically next month.
Synopsis
PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE! WINDBLADE seeks out the last refuge she has left, the living city METROPLEX as his malfunctions intensify! WINDBLADE realizes that even if she survives STARSCREAM, METROPLEX himself may doom them all!
Recap? Recap
Story
And so we've had explosions, more explosions, scheming, Predacons, bar scenes, torture scenes, world building, a fantabulous Starscream and so far, a plot that does not seem to want to resolve itself in any way that may have been indicated by writer Mairghread Scott up until this very moment - does it pay off? Is this final issue in Windblade's story, for now at least, a satisfying conclusion? Keep on reading...
Evidence A: Fantabulous Starscream
Scott writes some magnificent Starscream narrative, alongside Windblade and Chromia's - the latter in particular, especially in this issue - and how the three key players interact on the grand scale stage of Metroplex, Iacon and Cybertron.. and maybe even further than that, as we find out more about Caminusand the Camiens, Metroplex himself, and some continuity-bending that would make Barber blush.
Evidence B: REDACTED
The plot throws us some bones, which turn out to be herrings, of the red kind, pointing in all the possible wrong directions before establishing and setting up the actual endpoint to the story started in issue 1 - which is not actually the end of the issue at all. Of course, the actual clues were there all along, and quite in plain sight, looking back.
The Reveal
I'm obviously not going to spoil the climax and denouement, but I do have to say that while the apex of the running plot itself was, in fact, almost anti-climactically played out, everything - everything - else happening around it is so astoundingly powerful that it more than made up for it! (So much so I just used an exclamation mark.) But more on that below.
Art
I'm not entirely sure what more I can say about Sarah Stone's artwork that I haven't commented upon in the first three reviews. But this issue does highlight what it is I really truly enjoyed in this début run for the new artist: her characters' expressions. We get anger, concentration, satisfaction, smugness, despair, hope - we get rounded personalities captured in linework, by way of faces, bodies and interactions.
Evidence C: Intense
All of that is before you even consider the excellent layouts and panelwork, with some truly experimental, slightly non-linear (dat final page), but not bordering into abstract just yet, pages, splashes and spreads. Then you get the colours. And the contrasts of light, of monochromatic blocks versus all-white or all-black backgrounds - something showed off on the cover, too.
Evidence D: Words, panels, revel
Chris Mowry's lettering does some masterfully crafted complementary work to the already great artwork, rendering Scott's sounds and words vividly on the page and in characters' heads and voices, and beautifully fitting between Stone's lines, with fonts, hues, colours and fading effects alike. And just to keep us guessing, two Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr covers, one with Windblade, one with Chromia (see thumbnail).
Thoughts Spoilerish ahead
A truly magnificent ending to what is clearly, obviously, just the beginning of a long long story to unfold in the Transformers universe, from MTMTE to Primacy to Empire of Stone to RID - where we'll see Windblade again not too far in the future - which, as I said, if it does tone down the plot resolution, it does so by amping up absolutely everything else, with a personal reaction that hit as far as Soundwave's arc in RID, or the C/R one in MTMTE.
Evidence E: AMPING UP
Sometimes, as a comics reader, one should just revel in the pure aesthetic, sensory pleasure of a book as object, of the colours as feeling, of the story as layout, of the words as sounds. This comic has allows all of that, and sets up something so big it will make several people complain. But I, and I suspect many many more, do not care. At all.
. out of
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