Free Comic Book Day 2015 - IDW Transformers: Robots in Disguise #0 Review
Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 5:55AM CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Event News, Site ArticlesPosted by: Va'al Views: 49,601
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Premise
As we have seen with previous news pieces, the Transformers: Robots in Disguise animated series will be accompanied by an IDW Publishing comic, featuring writing by Georgia Ball and art/colours by Priscilla Tramontano. The introductory short story will be written by senior editor John Barber, and released for Free Comic Book Day (today! 2nd May!). A preview of the first three pages of issue #0 can bee seen here - and check out our quick review below!
Story
The foundation for the story is firmly rooted in the established status quo of the animated series, and recapped in the credits page of the issue (with art by Travis Sengaus and colours by Tramontano): Bumblebee is sent on mission to Earth by the 'spirit' of Optimus Prime, is followed by Strongarm and Sideswipe; they encounter Fixit and a crash-landed prison ship full of Decepticons, including Grimlock, now a Team Bee member. The series follows their search for the escaped prisoners, and the help they get from humans Russell and his father.
John Barber writes a light-hearted, if initially quite perilous plot for the humans involved, as a fire threatens to destroy a park by Crown City. The Autobots track the culprit down to Decepticon Flamefeather, and attempt to contain, restrain and detain the Con, and remain hidden to the human population.
The target is obviously the same as the TV show, with similar gags (Bumblebee's unsuccessful slogans), dynamics (Strongarm and Sideswipe bickering), punchlines (anything with Grimlock) and general action sequences with the Con-of-the-week formula - but there is also quite an intriguing twist at the end, which might have some older fans interested, and the jokes (both visual and textual) work quite well on the page too.
Art
The art, both colours and linework, is by newcomer to interiors but Transformers veteran Priscilla Tramontano - and she shines, truly. The expressivity of the characters, the contrasts between backgrounds and forefront, the action sequences; everything is executed really well, and brought together in a visually appealing and exciting package, bound to interest new readers.
The colours do very much the same job, distinguishing between almost 3D and almost 2D shades for different elements on the page, with wonderful addition of Chris Mowry's lettering bringing the sass to the spunkiest characters, and the STOMP to Grimlock, as was needed.
There is also a fun and unexpected additional section after the RID comic, with Barber and Tom Scioli joining up for a 'comic book funnies' centerfold page, based on the Transformers vs G.I. Joe ongoing hit series. Megatron's activity corner is a treat. And some extra advertising for Combiner Wars, the continuing RID series and other IDW properties.
Thoughts
The creative teams behind this have been clear about their target and intentions, as to how the comic series will relate to and link with the TV show, and it works quite well in this introductory issue. As I said above, the humour of the show is transported successfully to the page, and bodes well for the future, with Georgia Ball taking the reins next month.
It's a fun little romp (stomp?) through the surroundings of Crown City, and Tramontano's debut makes it so attractive that I'll be following the series even just out of visual interest. But that final page reveal is bound to also leave a couple of questions that the show so far does not seem to be able to do. A fun issue to pick up for free, and definitely one for the younger readers!
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Posted by Madeus Prime on May 3rd, 2015 @ 11:46am CDT
Posted by Va'al on May 3rd, 2015 @ 12:19pm CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on May 3rd, 2015 @ 1:18pm CDT
Va'al wrote:You *are* being a pain. UGH. Graham. SUCH A PAIN.
Posted by Flashwave on May 3rd, 2015 @ 10:30pm CDT
Madeus Prime wrote:I don't mean to be a pain, but could somebody scan a page so we can see what Flamefeather actually looks like?
Just gonna go out on a limb and say I *THINK* the whole point if for you to go out and BUY* THE COMIC. But what do I know?
*And since THIS one is FREE, they want you to buy more while you're there. buybuybuy!
Posted by Va'al on June 30th, 2015 @ 1:01am CDT
GO TEAM 'BEE! BUMBLEBEE leads an all-star team of AUTOBOTS to Earth to find rogue DECEPTICONS... but in this all-new story based on the hit Cartoon Network animated series, they find more than... they bargained for! (You thought we were going to say "meets the eye," didn't you?
Posted by Sabrblade on June 30th, 2015 @ 1:06am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 30th, 2015 @ 8:47am CDT
Posted by Starsaber468 on June 30th, 2015 @ 10:31pm CDT
D-Maximus_Prime wrote:A little guy with little hands using....MY FIRST BLASTER!!! YEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Lol it has Me first blaster instead of my first blaster
Posted by Flashwave on June 30th, 2015 @ 11:14pm CDT
Awesome looking series. Can't wait for the Free Comic Book Day version to hit Comixology. (Or has it already?). Comic Grimlock reminds me somewhat of Hobbes. (Yes, the tiger). Don't know exaqctly why, but he does.
Starsaber468 wrote:D-Maximus_Prime wrote:A little guy with little hands using....MY FIRST BLASTER!!! YEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Lol it has Me first blaster instead of my first blaster
No it doesn't??
Posted by Starsaber468 on July 1st, 2015 @ 8:00am CDT
Flashwave wrote:I knew I recognized that gun!
Awesome looking series. Can't wait for the Free Comic Book Day version to hit Comixology. (Or has it already?). Comic Grimlock reminds me somewhat of Hobbes. (Yes, the tiger). Don't know exaqctly why, but he does.Starsaber468 wrote:D-Maximus_Prime wrote:A little guy with little hands using....MY FIRST BLASTER!!! YEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Lol it has Me first blaster instead of my first blaster
No it doesn't??
Oops i was wrkng it does say My first blaster
Posted by Va'al on July 18th, 2015 @ 2:23am CDT
Transformers: Robots in Disguise Animated #1—SPOTLIGHT
Georgia Ball (w) • Priscilla Tramontano (a & c)
GO TEAM ’BEE! BUMBLEBEE leads an all-star team of AUTOBOTS to Earth to find rogue DECEPTICONS… but in this all-new story based on the hit Cartoon Network animated series, they find more than… they bargained for! (You thought we were going to say “meets the eye,” didn’t you?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
The hit cartoon comes to comics as only IDW and Hasbro can do!
Scan the shield with your mobile device to unlock an EXCLUSIVE character for the TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE APP!
One of Five Featured First issues in July! One every week!
As seen on Free Comic Book Day!
Posted by Jack Hallows on July 18th, 2015 @ 8:24am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on July 19th, 2015 @ 4:49pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on July 24th, 2015 @ 7:43am CDT
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis
GO TEAM ’BEE! BUMBLEBEE leads an all-star team of AUTOBOTS to Earth to find rogue DECEPTICONS… but in this all-new story based on the hit Cartoon Network animated series, they find more than… they bargained for! (You thought we were going to say “meets the eye,” didn’t you?)
Story
After the Free Comic Book Day almost one-off issue by John Barber, new writer Georgia Ball has taken on the task of keeping this series up and going, with a new angle on the almost over first seasons of the new animated show Transformers: Robots in Disguise. And the angle is probably the closest we'll ever get to some continuity with Prime - but how does the rest of the series look with its first issue down? Read on!
What readers need to keep in mind is that this comic series is aimed at a very similar target audience as the cartoon, and will not be playing into the wider TFverse that most of the other IDW titles are exploring right now. That said, the vibrancy and humour of the series is deftly transposed from screen to page, even with the monster of the week formula that only worked for so long in the show.
What Ball's writing brings, along with some really silly jokes (which I loved, I won't lie), is also an interesting look, perhaps even better than the show did, at Bumblebee's discomfort with his position as leader, the unruliness of his 'team' - and the feeling of utter betrayal arising from the final scenes in the book.
Art
A lot of the work done by Ball's script, both on the lighthearted and serious sides of the coin, is wonderfully heightened by Priscilla Tramontano's excellent visual rendition, showcasing a variety of expressions, body language interactions, panel dispositions and layouts, and just a general sense of *fun*!
Tramontano's colours, too, are sleek, stunning and fun, the characters are fun, are obviously having fun, and so is the artist/colourist! We get references to the wider IDWverse (with MTMTE's My First Blaster making an appearance early on in the issue), and some always excellent lettering from Tom B. Long, who can play around with a lot more sounds than usual. And two great tone-catching covers, by Tramontano and Travis Sengaus/Josh Burcham (thumbnailed).
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
Given the target audience, the timescale of the comic compared to the show, and what the FBCD issue had set up, this is an excellent debut for a younger reader series, one that ensures to keep the light side of the dynamics between the characters on the show, pokes some fun around at things, and includes the excellent Grimlock and running gags - including the no-nonsense general recap - without driving them into the ground.
Ball and Tramontano are set to bring a fresher look at some of the moanings of the older readership, with the ending of both issue #0 and #1 just enough to keep us intrigued while the actual target fully revel in the (I'm running out of words to say) fun! Worth picking up for a new reader, for the art direction and colours, and always worth it for the bouncing dialogue, . And dinobot.
Posted by ScottyP on July 24th, 2015 @ 8:28am CDT
Also, app code inside the book that unlocks a "Cybertron Underbite" in the game, which is just Underbite with a slightly different color scheme, but it's still a neat touch. Wonder if that will keep up as a thing in further issues?
Posted by PrymeStriker on July 24th, 2015 @ 10:50am CDT
Optimus smiling?!
Arcee making a silly face?!
Was Bee high on Synth En when he recollected this??!?!?!?!?!??!
Posted by Deadput on July 24th, 2015 @ 4:43pm CDT
PrymeStriker wrote:
Optimus smiling?!
Arcee making a silly face?!
Was Bee high on Synth En when he recollected this??!?!?!?!?!??!
What are you talking about?
Optimus smiles quite a bit on Prime not every episode but he does smile.
Arcee is just smiling i don't know how your seeing a silly face but if smiling counts a s silly now then I don't know.
Posted by Sabrblade on July 24th, 2015 @ 4:46pm CDT
She has her tongue sticking out.mirageandjazz1197 wrote:Arcee is just smiling i don't know how your seeing a silly face but if smiling counts a s silly now then I don't know.
Posted by Va'al on July 24th, 2015 @ 4:48pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:She has her tongue sticking out.mirageandjazz1197 wrote:Arcee is just smiling i don't know how your seeing a silly face but if smiling counts a s silly now then I don't know.
I believe it's just her lower lip, actually.
Posted by Deadput on July 24th, 2015 @ 5:27pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:She has her tongue sticking out.mirageandjazz1197 wrote:Arcee is just smiling i don't know how your seeing a silly face but if smiling counts a s silly now then I don't know.
Nope its lipstick such as her redesign says
Posted by Sabrblade on July 24th, 2015 @ 5:29pm CDT
Posted by Deadput on July 24th, 2015 @ 5:59pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:Then them's sure some goofy big pink lips that she never had in show.
Rid redesigns just like Bumblebee on that cover.
Just creative license or whatever its called.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on July 29th, 2015 @ 12:38pm CDT
Posted by SlyTF1 on August 6th, 2015 @ 4:05pm CDT
Posted by Va'al on August 6th, 2015 @ 4:13pm CDT
(What with the series being over and done for its first season, this should not come as a surprise, really.)
Posted by mooncake623 on August 14th, 2015 @ 11:56am CDT
Description
ROAD RAGE! While a DECEPTICON called TRANSIT wreaks havoc on afternoon commutes, Team Bee gets an unexpected visit… but will these new rivals combine forces without trusting each other?
Remember keep your optics tuned to Seibertron.com for the latest in news and updates!
Posted by Sabrblade on August 14th, 2015 @ 12:06pm CDT
Posted by DecepticonFinishline on August 14th, 2015 @ 12:44pm CDT
Posted by DeadCaL on August 14th, 2015 @ 1:43pm CDT
Posted by Shuttershock on August 14th, 2015 @ 2:55pm CDT
DeadCaL wrote:"Don't worry citizens, those giant robots attacking each other are just, erm... malfunctioning fairground... rides?"
You could tell them they're 20 foot costumes and no repercussions would be had. Little to much blood of Unicron in the water pipes in Crown City, if you ask me.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on August 14th, 2015 @ 3:11pm CDT
Posted by Flashwave on August 14th, 2015 @ 3:26pm CDT
Posted by Flashwave on August 14th, 2015 @ 3:30pm CDT
Posted by LevelRaze on August 14th, 2015 @ 9:46pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on August 14th, 2015 @ 9:51pm CDT
LevelRaze1 wrote:And a Spike and Carly cameo in the last panel, nice.
My goodness.... you're right! what a catch!
Posted by Va'al on August 24th, 2015 @ 11:55am CDT
Transformers: Robots in Disguise Animated #2
Georgia Ball (w) • Priscilla Tramontano (a & c)
ROAD RAGE! While a DECEPTICON called TRANSIT wreaks havoc on afternoon commutes, Team Bee gets an unexpected visit… but will these new rivals combine forces without trusting each other?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
All-new stories based on the hit animated series!
As promoted on Free Comic Book Day!
Fan-favorite characters who appear only in this comic book!
Posted by Sabrblade on August 24th, 2015 @ 12:01pm CDT
Not in America, at least.
Posted by Va'al on August 24th, 2015 @ 12:14pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:"Recently ended"?
Not in America, at least.
I forget you forget the world exists outside that landmass sometimes.
Fiiiiiiiiine, I'll fix it.
Posted by Sabrblade on August 24th, 2015 @ 12:36pm CDT
Well, other countries haven't gotten the finale on TV yet either.Va'al wrote:Sabrblade wrote:"Recently ended"?
Not in America, at least.
I forget you forget the world exists outside that landmass sometimes.
Fiiiiiiiiine, I'll fix it.
The first place to get the finale was iTunes.
Posted by Flashwave on August 24th, 2015 @ 2:59pm CDT
Va'al wrote:Sabrblade wrote:"Recently ended"?
Not in America, at least.
I forget you forget the world exists outside that landmass sometimes.
Fiiiiiiiiine, I'll fix it.
Just remember which continent the center of the universe this website is built on
Posted by Deadput on August 25th, 2015 @ 12:15am CDT
Posted by Va'al on August 25th, 2015 @ 7:44am CDT
Flashwave wrote:Va'al wrote:Sabrblade wrote:"Recently ended"?
Not in America, at least.
I forget you forget the world exists outside that landmass sometimes.
Fiiiiiiiiine, I'll fix it.
Just remember which continent the center of the universe this website is built on
Brainstorm's briefcase?
Posted by Madeus Prime on August 25th, 2015 @ 11:07am CDT
Va'al wrote:Flashwave wrote:Va'al wrote:Sabrblade wrote:"Recently ended"?
Not in America, at least.
I forget you forget the world exists outside that landmass sometimes.
Fiiiiiiiiine, I'll fix it.
Just remember which continent the center of the universe this website is built on
Brainstorm's briefcase?
It's Alpha Bravo you numpty.
Posted by Va'al on August 25th, 2015 @ 11:23am CDT
Madeus Prime wrote:Va'al wrote:Flashwave wrote:Va'al wrote:Sabrblade wrote:"Recently ended"?
Not in America, at least.
I forget you forget the world exists outside that landmass sometimes.
Fiiiiiiiiine, I'll fix it.
Just remember which continent the center of the universe this website is built on
Brainstorm's briefcase?
It's Alpha Bravo you numpty.
Unless Roberts changes it again.
Posted by Sabrblade on August 25th, 2015 @ 11:29am CDT
Posted by Va'al on August 25th, 2015 @ 11:54am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on August 25th, 2015 @ 2:26pm CDT
And IDK if the finale has aired anywhere but online yet. wouldnt think so
Posted by Va'al on August 26th, 2015 @ 6:42am CDT
(Spoiler free-ish)
Synopsis
ROAD RAGE! While a DECEPTICON called TRANSIT wreaks havoc on afternoon commutes, Team Bee gets an unexpected visit… but will these new rivals combine forces without trusting each other?
Story
With only a couple of weeks left until the end of season one of the animated series, the second issue of Robots in Disguise still falls a little behind plot-wise, but Georgia Ball delivers an entertaining, intriguing and suspenseful enough script to keep interest even in older readers.
After my own heart, the humour - a Cybertronian perspective on Earthling behaviour, media and general popular culture - allows for a number of puns, plays on concepts, wordplay via Fixit's pixlexia (yes yes yes I know that's not it but bear with me). All within a frame that does not jar with the silliness, at all.
Additionally, it keeps the light side in the running mystery we had been made aware of since the FCBD issue #0. While team Prime does make its appearance, and that is not spoiling anything, something else is definitely afoot with the various cast members, and Ultra Magnus in particular. Plus another special cameo, too...
Art
Priscilla Tramontano delivers an excellent arrangement of panels - though I might have some comments at a later stage on the fluidity of the layouts - with some fan-tastic cameos from across the multiple incarnations of the Transformers fictions, not only Prime. Plus, we get some magnificent expressivity across the entire board, from background to main cast.
You wanted a colourist? Well, you get three, as Tramontano is joined by the Joshes, Perez and Burcham, in colouring in her own linework. And as much as they usually have their own identifiable styles, the transitions and collaboration here are strikingly fluid. Which is never a bad thing, and leads to some excellently vibrant pages, in tone with the series.
Also, a title such as this one allow, nay, calls for some fun on the fonts and letters side of things, and Tom B. Long does not disappoint. Enjoying the multiple opportunities to play with soundwords and squiggles, Long adds the finishing touches of lightness even where scenes may get more serious. Cover-wise, Burcham returns from interior colours to overall cover work in the Subscription variant (thumbnailed), while Tramontano still has the great main cover we've seen for a while now.
Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead
Again, as for last month and the first issue, the target audience of the book is obvious, and may deter some of the older readers (who do have three other series at least, to be fair) - but what Ball brings to the table is the same good blend of lighthearted humour with enough of a twist to keep the mind intrigued and willing to go along for the (bus)ride.
And of course, the visual result of Tramontano, Perez, Burcham and Long are a feast for the optic sensors, too. The vibrancy, cameos, hints, slapstick and more subtle humour are excellently enjoyable, and work well as a parallel reflection of the animated series - obviously with its own take, and all the better for it.
Posted by Noideaforaname on August 26th, 2015 @ 9:35am CDT
(seriously, "bus turns into a rhino and fights a T rex" would be expected after some of the crap I've had to sit thru...)
Posted by durroth on August 26th, 2015 @ 1:50pm CDT
DeadCaL wrote:"Don't worry citizens, those giant robots attacking each other are just, erm... malfunctioning fairground... rides?"
Blackrock Entertainment presents: Five Nights at Fixit's