IDW Transformers Ghostbusters Number 2 Preview

Nice that they kept Ray's wont for prolixity...

Thanks to comics website Graphic Policy we have the full preview for Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts of Cybertron #2! The title follows the adventures of our favorite Cybertronians meeting the inconic phantom fighters of the 80's the Ghostbusters! And in this issue we get to see how a spectral Starscream matches up against one of the most destructive proton accelerators ever strapped to a back. Who will win? The title is written by Erik Burnham with art by Dan Shoening.

Are you enjoying the series so far? This is only a five issue storyline and the pace appears to be moving at a steady clip. Share your enjoyment or woes for the series in the forum and don't forget to stay tuned to Seibertron for all your Transformers news!

Looks good! Loved issue 1 more than I thought I would. Gonna have to make my way down to the closest comic book store (6 miles) and pick it up.

After a pretty dang nice opening to the series, Issue 2 of Transformers Ghostbusters Ghosts of Cybertron lands! Does it live up to the first issue? Or does it fall into the pitless void that many issue #2's have? well, let's find out!



Issue 2 pretty much takes place entirely in 1 staging area, with a short jump to a secondary location. And while that may seem like a boring setup, it is actually a nice get-together with some nice introductions to group dynamics and also some set up for later issues, without being too overly convoluted and boring.

The Ghostbusters crew takes center stage this issue, and the Ghostbuster fan inside me was delighted with how they all played out together: Egon with his wonderful scientific skepticism, Peter as the wise cracker who definitely gets the best on-liners, Winston as the more grounded member who also gets some great one-liners, and Ray who leads the team and tries his best to handle the situation around him. The group dynamic is strong and fun, and I really hope the Ghostbusters fandom is happy, because I am.



On the Transformers side of things, we only get 2 characters for most of the book, but we get a better feel for Eck and what he's been up to and what he normally deals with and how important the current mission is for him. We also get some awesome Starscream, and he certainly lives up to the Ghostbusters expectations!



We also get a flashback to the introduction of issue 1, showing the effects of Gozer unleashed. We also get some classic Decepticon moments, and a few more nice 86 movie homages in ways that are very much different but entertaining.

While it may not seem like much was done, the group as a whole felt like a good fun ride, and it has helped set up Eck as a member of the team and also gives us some more prompts and questions, making you wonder where things are truly meant to go in this book



Dan Schoening impressed me in issue 1 of the series, and he follows up issue 1 with an equally as fun issue 2. It's fun to see the cartoon aesthetic attached to Eck, though I still insist that the robot heads are a bit too small for their bodies. But that is a minor thing, I can't be too hard on a guy who is drawings Transformers with almost no experience doing so, especially when his Ghostbusters crew has a great style themselves. It's hard for the bots to blend in with that, OK?

But Starscream really shines and he is my favorite of the Transformers half of the party, as is a little surprise guest that I will leave you folks with finding out who that is.

The Ghostbusters crew look good as well, and I really appreciate the facial expressions they have. If tiny robot heads are the weakness, the human facial expressions are the strengths. Well done Dan, I love seeing the smirks, the grins, the "sigh here we go again" looks. It's fun to look at! The backgrounds fill out the artwork well too.



Colors are shining once more thanks to Luis Antonio Delgado, and the proton streams and the surprise character are real shining points for the colors. Give me some more of that please! I really appreciate the background trees as well. It is a simple matter relatively speaking, but a very nice feature.

Lettering is done by Tom B. Long, and he continues his great work allowing us to view all the joys of the issue and giving us some great angry Starscream spirit.





Another really good episode guys, a joy to read!

Transformers Ghostbusters has started out as a silly comic that I am enjoying reading that is giving us a look at a cool new character who got a pretty sweet toy, a classic crew we all love, and a bot that can fit right in with them. It is an enjoyable read, it doesn't have a shock value trick to it, it's exactly what you would expect, and sometimes, that's just what you need.

Keep it up guys, I'm ready to see 5 streams crossing again!

I've been enjoying this and thanks to it, I've used comixologies sales to buy pretty much all of IDWs Ghostbusters stuff. It's almost all really, really good. They include the videogame and still refer to the player character as the Rookie. They also fold in Infestation with Britt and the zombies. It's been fun. Recommended if you're a Ghostbusters fan.

Big Grim wrote:I've been enjoying this and thanks to it, I've used comixologies sales to buy pretty much all of IDWs Ghostbusters stuff. It's almost all really, really good. They include the videogame and still refer to the player character as the Rookie. They also fold in Infestation with Britt and the zombies. It's been fun. Recommended if you're a Ghostbusters fan.

i've been thinking about delving deeper into some of the IDW GB stuff. I really like what I've seen from this creative team

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:i've been thinking about delving deeper into some of the IDW GB stuff. I really like what I've seen from this creative team

Having read everything barring the first prime omnibus (because I couldn't find it on Comixology), I've really, really enjoyed it. The crossovers with the TMNT were also a lot of fun and both series call back to these meetings throughout the run.

Highly recommended mate.

Big Grim wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:i've been thinking about delving deeper into some of the IDW GB stuff. I really like what I've seen from this creative team

Having read everything barring the first prime omnibus (because I couldn't find it on Comixology), I've really, really enjoyed it. The crossovers with the TMNT were also a lot of fun and both series call back to these meetings throughout the run.

Highly recommended mate.

I think I am going to have to.

time to go shopping

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I think I am going to have to.

time to go shopping

Awesome! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Just in from iTunes is a three page preview of the upcoming Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts of Cybertron limited series! Sounds like anyone who has found this book so far is wishing this would become an ongoing series. In this preview we get to see a humorous interaction between Ectronymous Diamatron and Janine and learn where his new nickname comes from.

Let us know if you've picked up the book yet and if you're enjoying it or not in the forums. If you're a child of the 80's or a fan of retro nostalgia this is right up your alley. Enjoy the preview and stay tuned to Seibertron for the ultimate in Transformers news!

From the iTunes description:
Transformers/Ghostbusters #3
Erik Burnham & Dan Schoening

Pre-Order
Expected Aug 7, 2019
$3.99
Publisher Description
“GHOSTS OF CYBERTRON”, PART 3! The 35th anniversary meeting between Transformers and Ghostbusters continues! Ectotron came to Earth and found a situation far more complicated than he was expecting, which means Optimus Prime is going to need to be brought into the picture. But until Optimus can arrive, Ectotron takes the opportunity to join the Ghostbusters on a case and observe the paranormal. And don’t forget about the ghost of Starscream!"

I dp love how they nailed the cast here, though my mind keeps throwing two different voices at me for Peter Venkman, Bill Murray and the guy from the first couple of seasons of The Real Ghostbusters cartoon

ZeroWolf wrote:I dp love how they nailed the cast here, though my mind keeps throwing two different voices at me for Peter Venkman, Bill Murray and the guy from the first couple of seasons of The Real Ghostbusters cartoon

Having read the Ghostbusters comics, the Real Ghostbusters are from another dimension.

Blonde Egon confuses them.

I thought the painting of Vigo was transformed into a mural of the Ghostbusters and the kid?

#Sideways# wrote:I thought the painting of Vigo was transformed into a mural of the Ghostbusters and the kid?

In the comics Vigo is able to come back making the mural only temporary.

Big Grim wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I dp love how they nailed the cast here, though my mind keeps throwing two different voices at me for Peter Venkman, Bill Murray and the guy from the first couple of seasons of The Real Ghostbusters cartoon

Having read the Ghostbusters comics, the Real Ghostbusters are from another dimension.

Blonde Egon confuses them.

I've not watched much of the Real Ghostbusters, so all I keep hearing are the original 4 guys.

I love it so much, they nailed the voices and personalities. I am thoroughly enjoying it all

I'd heartily recommend you check out a few episodes D-Max! There's even one where they go to Hollywood because someone is making a movie about them... They don't seem too impressed with the cast list (it's the real cast list... They even play a bit of the actual movie at the end! Not the library ghost but where Venkman is doing psychic testing)

ZeroWolf wrote:I'd heartily recommend you check out a few episodes D-Max! There's even one where they go to Hollywood because someone is making a movie about them... They don't seem too impressed with the cast list (it's the real cast list... They even play a bit of the actual movie at the end! Not the library ghost but where Venkman is doing psychic testing)

Maybe I will! Is there a place to watch them online somewhere? are they on youtube?

also learned last night that there are apparently 2 volumes of TMNT/GB crossovers? I almost both both, but I'm waiting to make a large Amazon purchase for about another 3 weeks

Yup, they're on there, and you get a choice of watching legally or not. It's a shame that the Network execs had to mess with the show (largely due to unbased fears that the show was going to turn kids into occult fanatics)

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I am thoroughly enjoying it all

I'm really glad you are. I love it all!

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:also learned last night that there are apparently 2 volumes of TMNT/GB crossovers?

Indeed. They're both good though I feel the first is best but they are both very worth while, especially if you read TMNT too as they tie it to their respective series without being obtrusive.

~ Grim

Thanks to Spook Central on Facebook we have a full preview for the upcoming Transformers/Ghostbusters Ghosts of Cybertron issue #3. As reported previously this issue will reveal the origin of Ectotron's name and shows what Starscream gets for acting like Starscream around the wrong Ghostbuster. The issue is written by Erik Burnham with art by Dan Schoening and is expected in stores tomorrow August 7th. Presented here are the three variant covers for the issue with art by Dan Schoening for cover A, Nick Roche for cover B, and Philip Murphy for the retail incentive cover.

Enjoy the preview images for issue #3 below and keep reading to check out the incentive cover for issue #4 by artist Chris Panda.





























Thanks to our own ScottyP we've learned of the incentive cover for issue #4 by Chris Panda over at Previews World. Previews World also provides a nice brief summary of what to expect in the upcoming issue (see below). Anyone wanting to avoid spoilers for issue #4 should stop reading now. The issue is expected in stores September 4th.

As always share your thoughts with the Seibertron crew in the forums and stay tuned to Seibertron for the ultimate in Transformers news.




Here's Previews World's rundown of the issue:
"GHOSTS OF CYBERTRON", PART 4! The Ghostbusters and their Autobot allies search the greater New York City area for the missing ghost of Starscream-and discover something much worse has been drawn to Earth. Can our heroes overcome this evil ectoplasmic entity before it utterly annihilates everything in order to achieve its ends? Find out in the penultimate chapter of this team up for the ages: TRANSFORMERS/GHOSTBUSTERS "GHOSTS OF CYBERTRON" #4!

Y'know, I saw a few questions on how Grimlock made it in.

Well, I wrote the in-story reasoning in dialogue and it got cut for space. (;

The real world explanation? Dan drew him on the cover, wherein he put every character he wanted to draw, and I had to include him.

(Figure if I can get away with the events of issue 1, I can get away with that.)

But anyway, glad to see folks are digging it. Maybe we'll do more someday...!

eburnham wrote:Y'know, I saw a few questions on how Grimlock made it in.

Well, I wrote the in-story reasoning in dialogue and it got cut for space. (;

The real world explanation? Dan drew him on the cover, wherein he put every character he wanted to draw, and I had to include him.

(Figure if I can get away with the events of issue 1, I can get away with that.)

But anyway, glad to see folks are digging it. Maybe we'll do more someday...!

Thank you for posting and welcome to Seibertron! You know I never even questioned Grimlock being there So used to having part of the cast anyway. You're doing great work

Review coming tonight, been slightly delayed in writing it.

But in short, it is very good and really fun!

Issue #3 marks the halfway point in this 5 issue crossover of 2 beloved 1984 franchises. The Men in Beige have now met the Bot in Red and Blue, and more Ghosts have been busted.

So how does the issue stack up with the story so far? Keep reading on to find out! And if you need to catch up on the important details of the issue, check out our Database Entry!



Issue #3 gave us some great moments with the Ghostbusters and bots. As the issues have gone on, we have gotten some better and more enjoyable Bot to Buster interactions, and this issue continued tha trend.

I would not have guessed or even thought about this prior to the series, but Peter and Starscream make for a great comedy couple. The Starscream snark and attempts to intimidate coupled with the mouth of Peter have led to some really cool and sometimes downright hilarious moments. One of my favorite parts of the issue was Peter just casually tossing Starscream in a hidden trap because he didn't trust him, and hey, can we blame him?



Ectotron has certainly made his home with the Busters as well. The jokes surrounding his name finally culminating in his (much better) rebranding was believable and fun. And then he remembers that he literally is the Ecto-1 right now, and his weariness at being the transport was fun. I also enjoyed the Ghost hunt and the blooming friendship he has with the Ghostbusters. Can the poor bot get a particle thrower already???



And we finally duck back to the Ark and the other Autobots. And with that trip back to Ark, I really hope we get a Grimlock on Earth with Ghosts and a Wheeljack/Egon meeting. The few pages on the Ark made it clear that there is a lot of fun to be had with some Auto-buster mashups beyond Prime and Ectotron.

The story was a good and entertaining one. There was some plot progression, some fun ghost hunting, team bonding, and of course some great Buster jokes. The Ghostbusters are a great crew, and it has been and continues to be so much fun to enjoy them like this.

Yes, story and characters are pretty good.



Art duties fall once more to Dan Schoening, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Tom B. Long on art, colors, and lettering respectively. It has been a joy to watch and look at the art for this crossover so far, and this issue continues that quality. I haven't really had a major complaint about any part of the art so far, and the quality has been nice and consistent, which is really nice considering this creative team doesn't get to draw and color Transformers much. They caught on quick!

If I had one little complaint, it would be that the other Autobots (mostly Optimus) besides Ectotron seem to possess just a little bit too much of a cartoony feel, mostly in the overly large chests. But it's a stylistic option and it is only a minor thing for the whole issue. The lines have been strong and defining, and I have loved the colors. Luis has gotten to flex his muscles with the colors of the ghosts, traps, and particle throwers. It has been one of the major art highlights of the series for me. It's great to see.





Halfway through this crossover, and I am feeling really good about this series.

The series has been a joy to read, and has provided some classic banter while throwing in some larger than life robots into the mix, with great results. It has been very lively, with every page giving you something good to take away, and has given me quite a few laughs. The chemistry here is wonderful, these were 2 franchises meant to meet each other. Keep going strong crew!

P.S. Now that we got the classic "ain't afraid of no ghost" line, bets on who says "more than meets the eye" anyone?

I've read every Transformers crossover ever. I survived the New Avengers long enough to be confronted with the train wreck that was The Visionaries which just helped reinforce my disdain for Transformers crossing over with other franchises.

And then IDW threw Star Trek at us, and it was silly. Silly fun, but it offered hope that after the mess of previous crossovers there could be something GOOD!

And there is, and this is it. But it's not just good, it's a bloody ripper.

I've always enjoyed IDW's Ghostbuster comics. Great visuals and great story telling, and that's carried over into this crossover.

This particular issue was just fun. From Ectotron getting his new name, leading to Optimus Prime to mutter a "thank Primus" for it, to Ectotron not wanting to talk about the squishy humans riding inside of him. Small moments of humour really made the issue.

I mean sure, it's basically a glorified advertisement for Ectotron, and what will no doubt be Ghostbuster Optimus Prime, BUT IT'S BLOODY FUN!

Collect them individually, wait for the trade, whatever floats your goat, just be sure to pick it up and have a read of it.

^^Basically my review, but in much better and simpler less formal language!

I picked up the Ectotron toy while I was visiting a GameStop in the states a few weeks back. Didn't open him, because I had MP-10G enroute to my home in Japan when I returned. ECTO-35 Optimus arrived today, and I took a moment to open both and just really tinker around and enjoy the many amazing pieces of love and detail that they put into those toys ("We're ready to believe you" on the side of MP-10G's trailer, painted Slimer/translucent Slimer, Roller is a ghost trap, proton packs on both models, logos and beautiful coloration throughout).

And I thought to myself: "You know, I've never read any of the crossover comics these two are based on, but if they put half as much effort into them as they did these toys this could be a real love affair."

And it sounds like they did.

I can't wait to pick up some copies.

Side note/unpopular opinion: I just watched the all female 2016 Ghostbusters movie - with much skepticism - and it actually won me over. It was funny, it was a better edited shot-for-shot style reboot of the original. There was very minimal guy-bashing, and the little that there was was kind of like an inside joke amongst ladies when they go out and talk about their husbands/boyfriends; it had a degree of love and acceptance to it. I dunno, I just expected to thoroughly hate it, and ended up really enjoying it. I would easily (h/t Brian Kilby from RFC) endorse a "into the Ghost-verse" version of this movie where it turns out there are multiple Ghostbusters teams across multiple dimensions. Especially if we get a cinematic Ectotron.

I mean, we make full use of all Ghostbusters.

eburnham wrote:I mean, we make full use of all Ghostbusters.

Dang, more madness to pick up.

I really need a massive Amazon card to purchase all the Ghostbusters books

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Dang, more madness to pick up.

I really need a massive Amazon card to purchase all the Ghostbusters books

The recent sale on Comixology gave me a chance to buy the everything they had and damn near all of it is amazing. I want more and this crossover is just a delight!

I do wonder if this will stay canon and be mentioned vaguely in the same way the Turtles crossovers have?

Big Grim wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Dang, more madness to pick up.

I really need a massive Amazon card to purchase all the Ghostbusters books

The recent sale on Comixology gave me a chance to buy the everything they had and damn near all of it is amazing. I want more and this crossover is just a delight!

I do wonder if this will stay canon and be mentioned vaguely in the same way the Turtles crossovers have?

I hope we see more of Ectotron. It would be awesome if the GB comics would be allowed to keep a hold of him after this crossover

I FINALLY got out to the comic shop and snagged the first two issues. Hooked! This is very much a longtime love of mine a Transformers What If..? story. Like Hearts of Steel only modern and with Ghostbusters. Ten pounds of awesome in a five pound bag I can’t wait to read the rest.

Ghostbusters was one of the first movies we rented for our VCR when I was a kid and I rented it and re-rented it dozens of times just playing it all weekend long. You totally got chocolate in my peanut butter.

Buckle up your proton packs Seibertronians, iTunes has posted their preview of the hilarious crossover Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts of Cybertron issue #4! Here we finally get to see Optimus decked out in his MP-10 G Ecto-35 deco. For Erik Burnham to make Ectotron and EctoOptimus parts of the actual story and not just some themed toy to go along with the promotion is truly a clever feat of writing, and Dan Shoening is a natural at visually capturing the spirit of these characters from two very diverse genres. We hope you enjoy the preview and if you haven't already you should get out to your local comic shop and catch up quick as you can because most fans agree this is a highly enjoyable jaunt into the What if...? realm of Transformers. Enjoy the preview and share your thoughts in the forums. As always stay tuned to Seibertron for the ultimate in Transformers news.

From iTunes:
“GHOSTS OF CYBERTRON”, PART 4! The Ghostbusters and their Autobot allies search the greater New York City area for the missing ghost of Starscream—and discover something much worse has been drawn to Earth. Can our heroes overcome this evil ectoplasmic entity before it utterly annihilates everything in order to achieve its ends? Find out in the penultimate chapter of this team-up for the ages: TRANSFORMERS/GHOSTBUSTERS “GHOSTS OF CYBERTRON” #4!"


Transformers/Ghostbusters #4
Erik Burnham & Dan Schoening

Pre-Order
Expected Sep 4, 2019
$3.99

Every drop of that preview was Pure. Gold.

I'm loving this comic so, so much. And Prime REALLY rocks that colour scheme!

Big Grim wrote:I'm loving this comic so, so much. And Prime REALLY rocks that colour scheme!

He does! and the humor he has is so refreshing!

Just when you thought Grimlock saying he ain't afraid of no ghost was the highlight of the series, issue 4 comes along. Issue 4 of 5 takes us to the setting of the climax of the series, and with crossovers such as this, issue 4 truly is one of the most important: it needs to set up the finale and make you care and get you all excited for the finale.

And the Ghostbusters did not disappoint. All 6 of them.



One of the best things about this issue had to be the addition of Optimus Prime to the Ghostbusting crew. And we aren't talking about a Prime who is boring, who gives big heroic speeches, who monologues a lot, and who is fairly monotone. No, what we get here is a Prime from the original cartoon that plays basketball and cracks wise. It was refreshing and really fun to read Prime interacting with the Ghostbusters, especially with Venkman. It felt different in a great way and he contributed greatly to the story.

Oh and he gets of the best line of the series. Seriously, if you don't enjoy that last page, can you ever truly love anything?



Ectotron and the Ghostbusters also get their share of time, and this issue solidifies just how good of a team they are becoming, and also how disgusting us humans can truly be sometimes. Their chemistry is enjoyable, and Ectotron's first time out with the Proton Pack went about as expected, and it was enjoyable and entertaining all the while.



We also get to the crux of the story regarding what happened to the Decepticons, and who the mysterious red hooded figure is, and it's enjoyable. It's a bit straightforward, but sometimes you just need that.

That is a place where this crossover really shines: it isn't world ending serious, it is light-hearted, upbeat, and fun. You have quippy characters that make sense and fit into the theme of the series. It's a comedy action comic, and the whole tone of the series has followed that theme perfectly.

It's a very enjoyable series, and Issue 4 continues that trend.



Art duties fall to Dan Schoening, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Tom B. Long on art, colors, and lettering respectively, and they are a great trio that bring this comic to life in a wonderful way.

The ghosts continue to be wonderful brought to life(?), and the Kremzeeks in the issue are wonderful too. The team truly does a great job of bringing both of these strange and interesting concepts to life and making you enjoy what you are seeing as your are reading. It's quite a good look!



They also do a wonderful job of bringing the backgrounds to life, and this is the most evident in the scene whenever Kremzeek first shows up. The bright sunny day quickly changing over to a dreadful foggy scene was awesome, and the maintaining of this scenery was great too. No matter what part of the panel you are looking at, you get some awesome living characters, ghosts, and backgrounds. The art crew has done a great job, and this issue was the highlight of the background scenery part of that art.



Ghosts of Cybertron has been a great, enjoyable series. This is what a crossover can do when it follows a fun, light-hearted tone that allows its characters to interact in fun ways that still fit within their characterizations. It is great!

I have greatly enjoyed all 4 issues so far, and with the final panel of this issue, I am all set and excited for the conclusion. This crew of 6 meshes together wonderfully, and it makes me yearn for more of this kind of crossover. The Ghostbusters and the Transformers make for a great gang with great chemistry, and I could not be happier with how things have been going.

Alright guys, let's finish the job strong!

There's two words to best describe this series.

Ridiculously fun

Another two words would be

Cheap plug

And that's what it is, it's basically a comic series tie-in to give a back story to two toys.

It's blatant marketing.

And I fucking love it.

There is nothing spectacular about the writing, it's not going to make people go into a meditative state and contemplate the universe and where their life fits into it.

It is however, going to give you a brief escape from their life.

This issue is basic.

Prime explains how his new paint job - hint at bigger bad - funny banter amongst Ghostbusters, and even Prime himself - find Starscream - big bad is revealed - big bad is defeated - more bad guys!

That's it! That's how you can break this story down, it's nearly as basic as those old He-Man comics that came packaged with the He-Man figures.

BUT I FUCKING LOVE IT!

If you're not on board yet, GET ON!

Excellent reviews guys

Hey with so many fans taking issue (see what I did there) with the main TF title are there elements from this you would transplant to the other tittle? Like humor, character interaction, art, etc. do you see things that work here that would improve the other title? This being such a winner for everyone I wanted to pick some brains.

Burn wrote:
This issue is basic.

I mean, I was going for clarity and accessibility, after all. (:

eburnham wrote:

Burn wrote:
This issue is basic.

I mean, I was going for clarity and accessibility, after all. (:

You've done a fantastic job with this series. This is the first Transformers cross over with another series I've truly enjoyed.

Burn wrote:

eburnham wrote:

Burn wrote:
This issue is basic.

I mean, I was going for clarity and accessibility, after all. (:

You've done a fantastic job with this series. This is the first Transformers cross over with another series I've truly enjoyed.

Ditto, it's been a great ride!

Stargrave wrote:Excellent reviews guys

Hey with so many fans taking issue (see what I did there) with the main TF title are there elements from this you would transplant to the other tittle? Like humor, character interaction, art, etc. do you see things that work here that would improve the other title? This being such a winner for everyone I wanted to pick some brains.

The humor is something that really needs to translate over. That's a big weakness of the current ongoing: there is practically no character to any of the characters. And that is in 11 issues. 4 issues here have given us a tight cast with unique personalities that all gel wonderfully together and make for a fun ride!

Burn wrote:

eburnham wrote:

Burn wrote:
This issue is basic.

I mean, I was going for clarity and accessibility, after all. (:

You've done a fantastic job with this series. This is the first Transformers cross over with another series I've truly enjoyed.

100% agreed. This series has been an absolute joy!

And our finale is this week.

It's been a wild ride, and we've managed to keep the cast intimate.

I hope you all had some fun.

eburnham wrote:And our finale is this week.

It's been a wild ride, and we've managed to keep the cast intimate.

I hope you all had some fun.

I have, and I am very much looking forward to the finale!

Story

The finale has arrived, the ghosts are all out on the attack, and the Ghostbusters, old and new, are in hero mode.

Did they succeed in winning over our hearts and minds?



Well, yes.

The Transformers x Ghostbusters finale lived up to the 4 issues that preceded it, and it gave us exactly what was expected, and it did it very well. It gave us the Ghost Decepticons in all out attack and revenge mode, it gave us a quippy cool-dad styled Optimus Prime, it gave us a young Autobot who finally found his niche, and it gave us a perfect mix of Ghostbusters crew and Transformers. The interactions felt real, it felt earned, and it was enjoyed. The comic crew felt real, and felt like they earned what they all got to do. This was a good finale that earned its good quality.



The praises I have given the series live on through this issue, and continues to show that Erik Burnham knows his Ghostbusters, his Transformers, and his combination of the 2 very well. All of the characters lived up to how we have all come to remember them acting, and it gave us a very convincing and enjoyable new cast member in Ectotron to properly bridge the franchise gaps.

The Decepticons had their chance to shine this issue as well, and all of them lived up to how we would think they would act and behave. Starscream wants vengeance on a quippy Venkman, Shockwave and Soundwave just want new bodies, and Megatron just wants to vanquish Prime and the Autobots. And the Ghostbusters served as a great continuation of the classic characters while also providing some excellent, clever, and genre-savvy commentary.

In short, the characters were excellent, the plot was fun, enjoyable, and clearly laid out for us, and the book provided us with an excellent crossover ride.



Art

Wrapping up the crossover are Dan Schoening, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Christa Miesner on art, colors, and lettering respectively. While we have seen Dan and Luis on the series from issue 1, Miesner is brand new, but still provided us with some great lettering work. The character designs were on point, the lines were great and clear, the coloring was fantastic, especially with the background setting in response to the various ghostly activities, and the lettering was non-intrusive and well laid out.



It was also cool to look at issue 5 compared to issue 1, and the robot art showed some nice improvement too. The artwork improvement came at the perfect time, as we truly got to experience some great art of some robots throwing down, even if most of them were ghosts!

Conclusions

From the get go, I have been thoroughly enjoying this series. Issue 1 started us out great, and as we have gone along, the journey has proven to be just as enjoyable as Issue 1 promised, with Issue 5 giving us a very satisfying conclusion.

And what's important for this crossover, compared to all the others that we have seen over the past several years, is the fact that this one was FUN. It was super fun! It gave our cast the chance to interact with each other and live up to their personalities and their outlandish job titles and general selves. There was no meaningless fighting, there was a cast that blended in well and proved from the get go that it gelled together. They all worked together! It was fantastic to read, and thoroughly enjoyable.



And thanks to that ending, we have hopes of seeing more of this universe with the Transformers in it. And I truly hope we get some more Ectotron and more of the Transformers in the IDW Ghost-verse. I have complete faith in this creative crew, this crossover showed their are amazing.

Well done.

What can I say that I haven't already said before? Or what D-Max has before?

This was, simply put, another fun issue, and a perfect wrap-up to what I consider the best crossover Transformers has had with ANY other franchise.

The humour ... oh the humour, that has made this series so enjoyable, and this issue didn't miss a beat. I love light hearted Optimus Prime. I love the rivalry that's now been established between Starscream and Peter Venkman (PLEASE LET THIS CONTINUE!). I loved an out of character outburst from Soundwave as he realised his fate. So many little things including a G.I. Joe reference add up to make this issue so damn enjoyable.

The art, as with previous Ghostbuster comics, has always been a favourite of mine, and this was no exception.

If I had one quibble, Megatron's new look was a bit ... odd. No major explanation given unless you make it up yourself.

But overall, another fantastic issue, a definite must read for Ghostbusters and Transformer fans alike.

Agreed with what Burn wrote too. PLEASE let this continue! It was a great story itself but also set up so much fun stuff for the future!

I'm looking forward to getting this in trade, you guys have done a fantastic job of reviewing this series and I thank you. As for the people who created it though... Thank you for showing us that crossovers can be done with Transformers, even ones that don't share anything at first glance (say like another cross over that shall remain nameless). Through TF x GB you've managed to create a compelling story that stands on its own and serves as a greater introduction at the same time. I tip my hat to you gentlemen.

Burn wrote:If I had one quibble, Megatron's new look was a bit ... odd. No major explanation given unless you make it up yourself.

Yeah, that caught me off guard too. Suddenly he looks a bit more Transformers Prime Megs for "reasons"?

That aside, yet another utterly enjoyable issue. And it closed out with the possibility of more in the future. Loved it.