Full Preview for IDW Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #3
Tuesday, September 26th, 2017 3:01am CDT
Category: Comic Book NewsPosted by: Va'al Views: 13,318
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Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #3 —Cover A: Alex Milne
John Barber & Christos Gage (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)
Crash-landed on a mysterious planet and pursued by both Decepticons and Dire Wraiths, the Solstar Knights and Autobots will have to set aside their differences in order to save themselves!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
An all-star lineup of Christos Gage (Rom), John Barber (Optimus Prime), and Alex Milne (More Than Meets the Eye) tell the never-before-revealed secret history of Rom and the Transformers!
Credit(s): IDW
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Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on September 27th, 2017 @ 1:14pm CDT
Posted by ScottyP on September 28th, 2017 @ 8:37am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on October 4th, 2017 @ 4:51am CDT
A Seibertron.com review of IDW ROM Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #3
Synopsis
Crash-landed on a mysterious planet and pursued by both Decepticons and Dire Wraiths, the Solstar Knights and Autobots will have to set aside their differences in order to save themselves!
Story
After the good story starter of issue 1 and then the stall out of issue 2, we are mostly back on track with a pretty good issue 3 of the Transformers vs ROM. The story progressed, we got some great characterization, and we got a good setup for the final 2 issue run.
Firstly, the positives: Ultra Magnus, at least in this past incarnation of himself, is a great character in the book, and may be the best overall. Following this incarnations actions, such as his dismissive attitude towards organics, how he feels about the Solstar order, and overall how he is such a hardnose to everyone around him, it really is quite a journey. and I love me some Magnus smack talk (or at least I think it was smack... he could be dead serious).
Livia is also a pretty great character to follow, and overall I am enjoying the 3 non-transforming Solstar knights we have featured. They each have some good characterization to them, though Livia with her points of view on Wraiths, Cybertronians, and how a planet needs to be razed because Wraiths have set down is interesting to read and follow.
Keeping with the knights, I enjoy this issue from ROM's perspective, though it felt like it did bog the issue down a few times, like the issue should have moved forward that extra step instead of giving that panel or 2 to ROM where it wasn't necessarily needed.
It was also good to get to Stardrive more, and she does finally regain her share of the issue. I enjoy her as a character, how she tries so hard and feels the pain of her 2 worlds colliding and her simple desire to help. Now mind you that last page is surely setting up the last 2 issues, and it will also set up her fate. It was not what I was expecting to happen, but then again I really should have seen something like that coming. Also, I liked how the actual act of Transforming is used here. It's good to see that seemingly sometimes forgotten aspect of Transformers get overlooked.
One last note is I love the Wraith/Con talk. The Wraiths are creepy and the cons are very distrusting and overall disgusted by the Wraiths, and it is fun to watch how uncomfortable they are with each other. Snarkscream is perfectly suited for his role here, and I continue to hear Steve Blum every time Screamer speaks. The comments thrown around by both sides make me smile too.
Art
Art work for the series continues to be run by Alex Milne, and once again his art has done some justice to the series. One thing that has been stated in past reviews for the series and is worth restating here is his ability to draw the technical, the organic, and find ways to blend the 2. In a series where half the name is robotic and the other half is organic coated in chrome armor, and where the current setting is an organic planet, this attention to detail is key, and Milne continues on with that balance.
Also important is how the artwork handles the Dire Wraiths, which can be difficult considering the whole "organic transformer" sort of ideal behind them. But once again, the artwork is able to handle the transformations and that sort of infestation style the wraiths have in stride.
Coloring is handled this issue by Josh Perez, who also does some very nice work, but with an ever so slight critique: the warmth of the environment throughout the issue. The issue makes many remarks on how cold the planet is, yet the coloring portrays a slightly warmer planet than described, with the sky using brighter colors than maybe a dimmer winter evening would usually have and the surrounding landmarks featuring a neutral green that should have been several degrees cooler to properly show the chill of the surrounding landscape.
Lettering is handled by Shawn Lee, and the lettering is done well. One thing I love about the series is how anything associated with the Wraiths has the inverted speech bubble coloring and the font styling. It really helps them stand out and adds another layer of just how bad they really are.
If you're interested in the variant covers, you can find them all in our database entry here. In the thumbnail is the one by Casey Coller!
Final Thoughts
After going slightly off-track with issue 2, I feel issue 3 gets us back on track wonderfully. It was an overall good issue, but yet nothing wholly special. It didn't have that wow factor that left an impression on my mind and memory. But, I will say that with 2 issues to go, I feel this is the best crossover event that has happened thus far, I'd say better than the criminally underrated Revolutionaries series (which was great, honestly!). I look forward to seeing the end of the series, and I hope the final 2 issues can slam this thing home. This has great potential, good writing, great art, and a chance to hold the crown of best crossover event so far. Just avoid too much talk, add some action, and some sort of defining moment to end the series, and BANG! you got it!








Posted by DeadCaL on October 4th, 2017 @ 4:03pm CDT

Posted by Va'al on October 4th, 2017 @ 4:04pm CDT
Stardrive is torn between joining her fellow Transformers and staying with Rom and his knights… and the fate of an innocent world rests in her choice!
Posted by ScottyP on October 5th, 2017 @ 11:53am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on October 6th, 2017 @ 10:28am CDT
Either way, I like this version of Magnus.
Posted by Va'al on October 17th, 2017 @ 5:53am CDT
Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #4
John Barber & Christos Gage (w) • Alex Milne (a & c)
Stardrive is torn between joining her fellow Transformers and staying with Rom and his knights… and the fate of an innocent world rests in her choice!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
An all-star lineup of Christos Gage (Rom), John Barber (Optimus Prime), and Alex Milne (More Than Meets the Eye) tell the never-before-revealed secret history of Rom and the Transformers!
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on October 17th, 2017 @ 10:15am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on October 18th, 2017 @ 3:01am CDT
A Seibertron.com review of IDW ROM vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #4
Synopsis
Stardrive is torn between joining her fellow Transformers and staying with Rom and his knights… and the fate of an innocent world rests in her choice!
Story
Here we are, issue 4 of 5, the leadup to the grand finale, the final chance to brace ourselves for the great conclusion. And let me tell you: the issue is spectacular in so many ways. Barber and Gage have done their job in an awesome way.
Let's get this out of the way straight out of the gate: this story is strange and weird, spectacularly so, and would not fit anywhere else but in the pages of a crossover from 200 years ago. The very concepts tackled over the course of the story, dealing with possession, wraith magic, and techno-organic fusions are very unique, and really only have 1 chance to be done right. And in this series, they are all done right. They are done in never before seen ways that really do capture your attention and make you want to see more (go to page 15's King Kong scene followed by the 16/17 shot to truly understand why this statement is so).
Outside of the absolute uniqueness of the story and the concepts, we have some fairly good characters to go with things. Character building, as was said in the previous reviews, is nothing to really be concerned about, seeing as how all characters involved already have good characterization already set up, or we won't really need to worry about what kind of characters they are for long. I liked how Magnus was used for the brief narration moments, how deliciously manipulative Starscream is, and how the character's voices work with each other, drowning out the more boring ones and providing a good overall balance.
So, good established characters, decent new characters, bizarre concepts and magics, and you have Shining Armor!
Art
Art duties are covered by the famous team of Alex Milne and Josh Perez, and while the story has been pretty good, save for some him-hawing around in issue 2, the art has not wavered from the amazing spectacle that it is. The characters, the backgrounds, and the spectacle that is the weirdness and outlandish of Shining Armor all shine through with Milne and Perez. The lines are great, the designs are good, the expressions are juicy, and the coloring works better this issue, with the nighttime better fitting the cold atmosphere described and the rising sun allowing the curtain to rise on the final sprint to the finish of the series a great scene.
Shawn Lee covers the lettering in this issue, and while there is nothing really spectacular to write home about, there are no faults in the lettering. The speech bubbles don't inhibit the visuals in any way, and the standard knight/cybertronian speeches collected with the wraith bubbles are a nice balance.
Final Thoughts
This series has proven to be one of the best crossovers the shared universe has had so far, and I would go so far as to say it is the best, but Kup and Action Man over in Revolutionaries makes that a bit difficult. The story is a good one, even if the main new character, Stardrive, is a bit predictable. The Wraiths and the Decepticons are great in this story though, and the art is fantastic, perfectly capturing how unique this series is. This is an issue I would highly recommend, and I'm hoping issue 5 finishes this off nicely, because it deserves it.









Posted by Va'al on November 1st, 2017 @ 3:20am CDT
Rom Vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #5 Cover B
(W) John Barber, Christos Gage (A) Alex Milne (CA) Nick Roche
Bumblebee vs. Rom vs. Starscream vs. the Dire Wraiths! All alliances are off-this is a fight for survival! Torn between her Cybertronian heritage and her Solstar Knight upbringing, Stardrive takes control of her fate!
In Shops: Nov 29, 2017
SRP: $3.99
(W) John Barber, Christos Gage (A) Alex Milne (CA) David Messina
Bumblebee vs. Rom vs. Starscream vs. the Dire Wraiths! All alliances are off-this is a fight for survival! Torn between her Cybertronian heritage and her Solstar Knight upbringing, Stardrive takes control of her fate!
In Shops: Nov 29, 2017
SRP: $3.99
Posted by Kurona on November 1st, 2017 @ 9:08am CDT
Posted by Va'al on November 16th, 2017 @ 5:12pm CST
We start straight off with the Ultra Magnus/Dire Wraith hybrid, so be ready for some eldritch and (robo)body horror from artist Alex Milne - plus obvious spoilers if you're not caught up yet - and some Starscream schadenfreude for those of you into that sort of thing. Check the preview out below, and join the conversation as we wait the couple of weeks left until the book's release.
Bumblebee vs. Rom vs. Starscream vs. the Dire Wraiths! All alliances are off—this is a fight for survival! Torn between her Cybertronian heritage and her Solstar Knight upbringing, Stardrive takes control of her fate!
Posted by Sunstar on November 16th, 2017 @ 11:14pm CST
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 17th, 2017 @ 11:40am CST
I'm also bummed this series has gotten little discussion. It is a good series, and one of the best actual crossovers
Posted by Sunstar on November 20th, 2017 @ 11:48pm CST
Posted by Big Grim on November 22nd, 2017 @ 4:27am CST
Posted by Daniel Adkins on November 22nd, 2017 @ 7:47am CST
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on November 22nd, 2017 @ 9:40am CST
Big Grim wrote:Decided to pick this up on Comixology and admit, I've really enjoyed it. Great art, solid story and Starscream being awesome. Quite like this version of Magnus too.
I'm honestly shocked more people won't read this. It is a great story, and a great crossover!
Posted by Big Grim on November 22nd, 2017 @ 11:09am CST
D-Maximus_Prime wrote:Big Grim wrote:Decided to pick this up on Comixology and admit, I've really enjoyed it. Great art, solid story and Starscream being awesome. Quite like this version of Magnus too.
I'm honestly shocked more people won't read this. It is a great story, and a great crossover!
It's fun seeing Starscream being a smarmy, evil shit again!